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Heroes and villains

Healthy coke | Lord Sugar | Psy

Villain

“Healthy Coke”, a distinctly unappetising concoction being pushed on TikTok. The drink, as explained by one user, consists of soda water, ice and a “splash” of balsamic vinegar. Despite the claims, it doesn’t actually taste like Coca-Cola, says Kelly Conaboy in Gawker. It tastes like sparkling balsamic vinegar. “Whether it is good or bad depends on how much you enjoy the taste of balsamic vinegar.”

Hero

Lord Sugar, who is fighting the good fight on home working. The businessman and TV star recently demanded people “get off their lazy backsides” and return to their offices. Thoughtfully, he’s making sure there’s enough space by not turning up himself: the peer has only attended the House of Lords twice over the past year. Even more heroic is Lord Archer, who has voted in the chamber just once in 22 years.    

Villain

Psy, the South Korean pop star, who’s using up all his country’s water. South Korea is in the midst of a long drought, but that hasn’t stopped the musician blasting out 300 tonnes of water over the audience at each of his concerts. Promoters are even boasting that the shows use so much water “it will make you wonder if we scooped up the Han River”.

Villain

Brexit, which is affecting the quality of Britain’s drugs. Summer ravers are being warned that supply chain issues, Brexit among them, mean that ecstasy pills are containing less and less actual ecstasy, and more filler material like caffeine. Nearly half of the substances sold as ecstasy at festivals last summer didn’t contain any of the drug.