One of the many unexpected superstars of lockdown were supermarkets and their staff. From the first day the shutters came down in March, retail bosses moved swiftly into action to provide safe and efficient services in their stores and online. Workers were as much on the virus frontline as NHS …...Read More

Estee Lauder will axe 2,000 jobs and close up to 225 stores after the pandemic caused sales to collapse. The cosmetics company has more than 25 high-end make-up and beauty brands, including Clinique, Jo Malone and MAC, and sells make-up in 150 countries. Customers stuck at home have bought more …...Read More

When you think of shows starring estate agents, Location, Location, Location and Escape To The Country are likely to spring to mind. Featuring cosy cottages, middle-aged couples on the edge of retirement and modest budgets, let's just say that primetime television material it is not. So you would think that …...Read More

Advertisement Steve Bannon has been released on $5 million bail after appearing in court in handcuffs and pleading not guilty to being part of an alleged crowd funded border wall scam. The former Donald Trump campaign strategist beamed with excitement as he emerged from Manhattan federal court on Thursday afternoon …...Read More

PM, 56, travelled to Scotland with 32-year-old fiancée, baby Wilfred and dog Dilyn last weekend Advertisement Throughout the extraordinary exams fiasco, his is the crucial voice that has not been heard. Despite the ferocious row over the A-level results shambles, Boris Johnson chose not to interrupt his holiday to offer …...Read More

XX by Rian Hughes (Picador £20, 992 pp) XX by Rian Hughes (Picador £20, 992 pp) Vastly ambitious, XX is the most astonishing blend of narrative, meta-narratives and visuals. Real ‘wow’ moments and big ideas combine with brilliant typographical flourishes to create the Moby Dick of sci-fi. There’s a close …...Read More

...are you reading now? City Of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert. I’m a latecomer to the Elizabeth Gilbert fan club. Years ago, I stopped reading Eat, Pray, Love after the delicious Italian section because I didn’t really ‘get’ all the soul-searching. A decade or so on, after a few dubious relationships …...Read More

Of all the toys Lucy Kelsall has bought her 12-week-old twins, one is particularly special. It is a fabric-covered photo album, designed for play. Inside each flap of the book is a slot where a photograph can be tucked. ‘I’ve put pictures of David inside, so they will know what …...Read More

MEMOIR The Bookseller's Tale by Martin Latham (Particular Books £16.99, 368 pp) Sir Anthony Hopkins was once offered a part in the film version of George Feifer's novel The Girl From Petrovka. He couldn't find a copy of it anywhere. Then, while waiting for a Tube train, he looked down …...Read More

His aim with this magical little book is quite clear: to cheer us up and calm The Cabinet Of Calm by Paul Anthony Jones (Elliott & Thompson £12.99, 224pp) How's your mental health today? Mine's a little like my hair: wildly out of control and badly in need of professional …...Read More