DINNER PARTY INTEL: Cops on the run

1. Cops on the run

Of the 5,489 police officers arrested since 2019 for crimes ranging from murder and rape to burglary, 3,981 are still in uniform, according to police minister Bheki Cele. Replying to a question in parliament, he added that just 430 officers have been convicted to date. Unless convicted, officers can only be suspended for a maximum of 60 days.

2. Felling forests for fruit

Armed gangs are razing forests on the volcanic plateaus of western Mexico at “breakneck pace”, The New York Times reports. But unlike the rainforests of the Amazon and Borneo, which are being cleared for cattle ranching, gold mining and palm-oil orchards, the destruction is fuelled by Americans’ voracious appetite for avocados.

3. Hats off to this designer

Napoleon’s array of hats in Ridley Scott’s eponymous movie created a “mild panic” for costume designer David Crossman. Joaquin Phoenix, who plays the titular character, is vegan and doesn’t wear any animal products. Still, Crossman came up with an African solution: a fabric made from Ugandan tree bark — a craft that dates back to ancient times in the East African nation — to match the Little Corporal’s headgear.