The West is more than able to inflict sanctions “that would make Russian eyes water”, says James Forsyth in The Times. The problem is, “they’d make British eyes water, too”. Imposing the toughest penalties on Russian aggression – a boycott of its oil and gas, say – would lead to a spike in energy prices and send the cost of living through the roof. The West currently buys $700m of Russian oil and gas every day, and substitutes are thin on the ground. Here in Britain, we buy just 3% of our gas from Russia, so our most effective tool is financial sanctions. We should slap an “unexplained wealth order” on every Putin ally living in London, and seize the “trophy assets” of any oligarchs who can’t prove how they made their fortunes. The downside is that this would hit the City hard.

For most of us, sleeping through the day and staying up all night sounds miserable, says Faith Hill in The Atlantic. For some, it’s bliss. Across America, “ultra-introverts” are seeking out a nocturnal life. They buy blackout curtains and train themselves to sleep during the day; they voluntarily work night shifts; they find 24-hour supermarkets to do their shopping in the early hours. The aim is to limit human contact as much as possible. “There’s a sense of timelessness,” says one night owl. “It feels like you’re in a free-floating abyss.” The lifestyle gives you freedom – from people, expectations, and distractions. Another nocturnal says: “The night-time, with its silence and its darkness and its solitude, helps you settle more into who you really are.”