Sadiq Khan has opened up about his struggles during lockdown. Photo / Getty Images
Sadiq Khan has opened up about his struggles during lockdown. Photo / Getty Images
Welcome to the weekend.
The opioid epidemic, Joe Biden's running mate, prospering in a pandemic and more.
It's been another huge week of news so make sure you take some time out this weekend to catch up on some of the best pieces of journalism from our premium international syndicators.
Sadiq Khan on his struggles during lockdown in London
With the capital under siege, its mayor has been scrambling to cope. Sadiq Khan acknowledges that lockdown has taken a toll on him.
"I've found it really tough. So, for eight weeks I didn't leave, literally, my home and Tooting Common. That's it. I thrive on company, on being out and about. And I was struggling." It seriously affected his mental health? "I've got no doubt it did. In the sense of just feeling a bit down. There are days when I'm not providing proper leadership. I definitely … I felt fragile.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, arrives at Downing Street, ahead of a meeting of the Government's emergency committee Cobra to discuss coronavirus. Photo / Getty Images
Wall St, bribery and an opioid epidemic: Inside story of a disgraced drugmaker
The opioid epidemic has shaped America. There have been 750,000 overdose deaths since the crisis began in 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and about two-thirds involved an opioid.
Many people hooked on illegal opioids start on painkillers prescribed by doctors. At first, marketers convinced some physicians that opioids were not as addictive as previously thought. But in some regions, the abuse became brazen.
Executives from Insys, the maker of a drug containing fentanyl, have become the first pharmaceutical bosses to be handed prison time for their role in the epidemic.
The opioid epidemic has shaped America. Photo / 123RF
Can the German economy pull Europe out of the coronavirus crisis?
Just like most of its neighbours, Germany has been ravaged by a global health emergency that has left devastation in its wake. It is facing the worst recession in its postwar history, with rising unemployment and collapsing exports and manufacturing output. The mood among Germany's captains of industry is bleak.
Yet Germany could still end up recovering from its downturn far faster than most of its neighbours.
The ability of 'Mittelstand' companies to adapt means Germany is well placed to resume its role as the continent's economic motor. Photo / 123RF
Don't talk weather with Granny, talk parties, snogging and Tinder
When I talk to older people, I find myself sticking to neutral subjects out of an innate desire not to shock them. Staying off Tinder and on the weather just seems more respectful. It's just the way things are: everyone speaks differently to their grandmother than to their friends.
Ditch the weather chat and share the gossip with the older generation. Photo / Getty Images
When the soldiers meant to protect you instead come to kill
Over the past four years, Burkina Faso has fallen into chaos, with gunmen robbing, killing and threatening some of the poorest citizens in this landlocked West African nation, and causing 850,000 to flee their homes.
Some of the gunmen are terrorists, loosely allied with the Islamic State group or al-Qaida.
Some are bandits.
Some are vigilantes.
It is seldom spoken of, and the government denies it, but some are soldiers in Burkina Faso's armed forces.
Soldiers protecting refugees at a camp near Dori, in Burkina Faso. Elsewhere, soldiers are no longer the people's protectors, but their attackers. Photo / Finbarr O'Reilly, The New York Times
Dressing up again? Fashion tries to recover from 'brutal' crisis
The gradual end of lockdowns across Europe and the US is providing some much-needed respite for fashion retailers. In England, where shops reopened this week, long queues outside Primark and other stores hinted at the potential for considerable pent-up demand.
However, across the industry, from bargain stores on the high street to luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, the impact of Covid-19 has been severe, upending an industry dependent on global supply chains, healthy levels of discretionary spending and tourism, and brick-and-mortar stores.
Shoppers queue outside Primark in Birmingham, England. After three months of being closed, shops selling fashion, toys and other non-essential goods have re-opened. Photo / AP
Prospering in the pandemic: The top 100 companies - Part 1
In a dismal year for most companies, a minority have shone: pharmaceutical groups boosted by their hunt for a Covid-19 vaccine; technology giants buoyed by the trend for working from home; and retailers offering lockdown necessities online.
Public companies had the tailwind of a surprisingly robust stock market — which many believe is a bubble.
In a dismal year for most companies, some have shone. Photo / NZME
Who's in the running to be Joe Biden's Vice President?
Joe Biden is deep into his search for a running mate. The process began with a list of more than a dozen potential candidates, all of them women. His team has narrowed that list, conducting multiple interviews and collecting sensitive personal documents from a number of the most important contenders.
Joe Biden is deep into his search for a running mate. Photo / AP
How the world is learning to live with a deadly pandemic
China is testing restaurant workers and delivery drivers block by block. South Korea tells people to carry two types of masks for differing risky social situations. Germany requires communities to crack down when the number of infections hits certain thresholds. Britain will target local outbreaks in a strategy that Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls "Whac-A-Mole."
The Wirecard headquarters in Aschheim, Germany. Photo / AP
What's Facebook's deal with Donald Trump?
Have Mark Zuckerberg and President Donald Trump reached some kind of accommodation?
Zuckerberg needs, and appears to be getting, a pass both on angry tweets from the president and the serious threats of lawsuits and regulation that face other big tech companies. Trump needs access to Facebook's advertising platform and its viral power.
Both men are getting what they want, and it's fair to wonder whether this is a mere alignment of interests or something more.
