Day: December 8, 2020

With Christmas just around the corner the rush is now on to get those last-minute presents.

The kids’ stockings may already be full but if you’re struggling to buy something for an adult, we can be of help.

Featuring a chess set, pyjamas and a coffee machine, here’s nine great gifts you should add to your shopping list.

Suelo Pink & Blue Ceramic Plant Pot

Coming in four colour schemes, this plant pot raised on three small feet has a faded reactive glaze which gives each pot an individual, artisanal look.

£12.50; oliverbonas.com

Jonathan Adler Acrylic Chess Set

This 1970s-inspired chess set has pieces made from brightly coloured acrylic. It might be a bit tricky to play with, but it should win you points for style.

£595; jonathanadler.com

Cactus Cat Scratcher Tree

House-proud cat owners might be grateful for this cactus-shaped scratcher, as an alternative to the dreary brown towers usually found in pet shops.

£65; redcandy.co.uk

Poker Face Playing Cards by Christian Lacroix

These intricately illustrated playing cards have a surreal design and make a good gift for people facing long nights in.

£32; amara.com

Pop Art Earrings

The Tate’s mismatched 22-carat gold earrings feature Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup can and the banana he designed for The Velvet Underground & Nico’s 1967 debut album.

£18; tate.org.uk

Smeg 50s Retro Filter Coffee Machine

For those who have not been converted to espresso, Smeg’s colourful filter coffee machines, which have a 1.4-litre tank, make a great gift.

£179; currys.co.uk

Hush Sheepskin Snug Slippers

These chunky and very cosy slippers are just the thing for slopping about at home this winter. They have a suede exterior and a shearling lining, making them deliciously soft.

£69; hush-uk.com

Circe Lion Print Signature Pyjama Set

A striking lion print sets these pyjamas apart. The top is tailored but loose and comfortable, and the set is made from 100% organic cotton.

£120; desmondanddempsey.com

Crosley Topaz Velvet Voyager Bluetooth Record Player

Crosley’s vintage-inspired turntables are always impres­sive, and this velvet model is no exception.

£100; urbanoutfitters.com

Main image: jonathanadler.com

Even by the standards of a region of the world famed for political instability, Peru is facing extreme levels of chaos that have seen the South American nation ruled by three different presidents in the space of just over a week.

The constitutional crisis kicked off on 9 November – as Peru’s leaders continued to wage a losing battle against Covid-19 – when the country’s congress voted to impeach President Martin Vizcarra on the grounds of “moral unfitness”.

“Over unproven allegations of corruption and in a move spearheaded by the speaker of Congress, Manuel Merino, lawmakers ousted Vizcarra from office,” The Washington Post reports.

Merino had already led a previous effort to remove Vizcarra, but this time “the public reacted”, the newspaper adds.

“The protests in Lima and other major cities throughout Peru were the largest the country has seen in years, drawing tens of thousands to the streets”, says Slate. Two people were killed and dozens more injured in clashes with police.

But the protesters succeeded in their aim, with Meino resigning “under massive pressure” just six days after he was sworn in as president. The country’s current president, Francisco Sagasti, took office on 17 November.

Sagasti subsequently “announced an overhaul of the police force, appointing a new police chief and sacking more than a dozen top brass officers” over the violence meted out during the protests, The Guardian reports.

As Slate notes, “even for the fast-moving world of South American politics, it’s all a lot to process”.

But some commentators believe the crisis has paved the way for a more democratic society.

The protests set “a powerful warning sign against the abuse of congressional impeachment powers, which lies at the heart of the current crisis”, Kenneth Roberts, a professor of Latin American politics at Cornell University, told The Guardian.

“Like legislatures in Brazil and Paraguay, Peru’s congress ‘weaponised’ the impeachment tool for transparently self-interested political goals – and Peruvian society has risen up to hold the ringleaders accountable.”

However, Cynthia McClintock, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, told Slate that the timing of the crisis could spell trouble for many Peruvians.

“This is going to mean a lot of pain and suffering, for millions of people. To overcome the economic crisis and Covid, well, it’s not going to happen if you’re changing presidents every other day,” she said.

“Not until there’s a modicum of stability, and ministers who are trying to do the right thing.”