1. From The Guardian last Saturday, The sad tale of modern Cuba, ‘History will tell’: as US pressure grows, Cuba edges closer to collapse amid mass exodus https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/jan/10/cuba-regime-polycrisis-collapse-exodus-economy-migration-us-sanctions-trump

Hatri Echazabal Orta lives in Madrid, Spain. Maykel Fernández is in Charlotte, in the US, while Cristian Cuadra remains in Havana, Cuba – for now. All Cubans, all raised on revolutionary ideals and educated in good state-run schools, they have become disillusioned with the cherished national narrative that Cuba is a country of revolution and resistance. Facing a lack of political openness and poor economic prospects, each of them made the same decision: to leave. They are not alone. After 68 years of partial sanctions and nearly 64 years of total economic embargo by the US, independent demographic studies suggest that Cuba is going through the world’s fastest population decline and is probably already below 8 million – a 25% drop in just four years, suggesting its population has shrunk by an average of about 820,000 people a year.

2. One of President Trump’s not infrequent claims is that London is a violent jungle, governed by a ‘terrible mayor’, Sadiq Khan, who wants to impose sharia law. This week’s news, written up here for The Londoner by Katherine Swindells, You’ve never been less likely to be murdered in London. Unless you’re black is unlikely to get as much media coverage https://www.the-londoner.co.uk/youve-never-been-less-likely-to-be-murdered-in-london-unless-youre-black/

3. This New Statesman interview with Salman Rushdie interview should be accessible to everyone, I hope https://youtu.be/U5po2KNi-w0

Born into a Muslim family in Bombay, India, in 1947, two months before the country’s partition, educated in the UK and now resident in New York, Salman Rushdie is a writer of multiple, interconnected worlds. At the heart of his work – ever since he won the 1982 Booker Prize with ‘Midnight’s Children’ – has been some kind of history: the world’s, his own, or both at once. The latest chapter in the history of Rushdie’s life sees the now 78-year-old writer – and survivor of a near-fatal assassination attempt – turn his mind to ageing and dying. That is the unifying thread running through the narratives in his 26th book, the short story collection ‘The Eleventh Hour’.

4. Your body clock matters for brain health in later life – and could even be linked to dementia risk https://theconversation.com/your-body-clock-matters-for-brain-health-in-later-life-and-could-even-be-linked-to-dementia-risk-272838

Inside the body, a 24-hour rhythm, known as the circadian rhythm, quietly coordinates when we sleep, wake, eat and recover. This internal timing system helps keep organs and hormones working in sync. When it becomes disrupted, the effects may extend well beyond poor sleep, with growing evidence suggesting consequences for long-term brain health.

5. And, finally, a project named after my hometown, The Richmond Project, which presents something of a contrast to other recent UK prime ministers’ activity on leaving office https://richmondproject.org/

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