SIR – As the head of the Scheherazade Foundation, a British NGO that has been working to return treasures from the British Museum to their rightful owners, I am utterly flummoxed by the apparent diplomatic incompetence of Rishi Sunak’s team (“Sunak cancels on Greek leader over row about future of Elgin Marbles”, report, November 28).
Countdown to Christmas in Berwick as Rotary Club tree put in place northumberlandgazette.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from northumberlandgazette.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Boris Johnson after his second Covid vaccination
Credit: matt dunham/pa
SIR – Prolonging current restrictions is now at odds with the data.
Covid-19 is a respiratory disease that is said to spread in much the same way as influenza. Yet, despite lockdowns and precautions, deaths from influenza and pneumonia have been higher than Covid-19 since March.
Office for National Statistics weekly figures put deaths involving influenza and pneumonia at 1,171 (the underlying cause in 287 cases). Deaths involving Covid-19 were 151 (the underlying cause in 108 cases).
We should be making the most of the spring and summer, when these diseases are in natural remission.
The Telegraph has denied that leaked proposals to pay journalists according to the number of subscribers they attract would lead to cash-for-clicks sensationalism, arguing the opposite would be the case.
Telegraph editor Chris Evans mooted in an email to staff, leaked to The Guardian, that it “seems only right that those who attract and retain the most subscribers should be the most handsomely paid”.
But he has hit out at the newspaper’s representation of his suggestion on Twitter, writing: “It’s not about clicks. That’s the point The Guardian misunderstood.”
Evans also wrote: “If you think about it, ‘working for clicks’ is exactly what you don’t do if you’re pursuing a subscription strategy such as ours. And the strategy is going well…”