Vladimir Putin has signalled that Russia is ready to start a nuclear war after Ukraine fired Western weapons at Russia for the first time.

Hours after Joe Biden agreed to let Kyiv to strike inside Russia with US-supplied weapons, his Russian counterpart "signed into law a nuclear doctrine that lowered the threshold" to use its massive arsenal of atomic weapons, said The Telegraph. The updated doctrine states that if Russia's "territorial integrity" is threatened or if it is attacked by a non-nuclear nation – i.e. Ukraine – supported by a nuclear power, such as the US or Britain, it can retaliate with nuclear weapons.

What did the commentators say?
In theory, Putin could now "reach for the red button", said Sky News' Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett, but there are "compelling reasons" why he won't. Russia's main ally, China, "won't tolerate it", and Putin is "unlikely to risk incurring the wrath" of the incoming US administration. But there is always a chance that Russia "could do the unthinkable" – after all, "few predicted" the invasion of Ukraine.

Every Ukrainian agrees that giving up its "significant stockpile" of nuclear weapons after the Soviet Union fell was a mistake, said James Snell, senior advisor at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, in The Spectator. It only joined nuclear non-proliferation treaties in return for a guarantee of its independence. It gave up its deterrent "and got invaded anyway – twice".

Nevertheless, it was "telling that the reaction in Washington on Tuesday was just short of a yawn", said The New York Times. Matthew Bunn, a Harvard professor who has tracked nuclear risks for decades, said Putin's move was a "signalling exercise" designed to scare off Kyiv's Western allies.

What next?
Diplomats have compared the situation to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and said the West is "making a mistake if it thinks Russia will back down over Ukraine", reported Reuters.

But Keir Starmer has vowed that Russia's "irresponsible rhetoric" on nuclear weapons will not affect his government's support for Ukraine. Speaking at the G20 summit, the prime minister said the UK would "ensure Ukraine has what is needed for as long as needed".

The Yellow Bittern on the Caledonian Road is not your typical new London restaurant. Seating just 18 diners, it's open only at lunchtime on weekdays, takes cash only, and reservations must be made by phone – or postcard.

However, it's not the slightly quirky features that have got people talking, but the complaints about customers by the restaurant's owner, Hugh Corcoran.

'A two-way street'
The Belfast-born restaurateur took to Instagram to decry a lack of "etiquette" from diners who were not "worth serving" because they shared courses or did not eat and drink enough to "justify [their] presence in the room that afternoon".

The Yellow Bittern's "defiant attitude to fine-dining" has been "praised" by some fellow restaurant owners, said Lucy Bannerman in The Times. However, it is "inconceivable" to most to open only at lunchtimes, not at the weekend, and to expect people to engage in a "long, boozy lunch".
Restaurant dining is a "two-way street", argued Adam Hyman in The Good Food Guide. While owners should not look at customers "as pound signs", diners also need "a greater understanding of how restaurants work".

Corcoran should be "applauded for fighting back" against customers "always thinking they are right", wrote Ed Cumming in The Telegraph. Though it "might not work" in making The Yellow Bittern a commercial success, it is "gratifying to see an ancient debate" between owners and customers "given a 2024 twist".

'Throwing their toys out the pram'
If Corcoran's "borderline insulting comments" are just "designed to fill a few column inches" and generate publicity, then "it's working", said Mike Daw in London's The Standard. But it "smacks" of owners who have hit the "stark reality of running a restaurant in London" and are "throwing their toys out the pram" because it isn't "going their way".

The model of the restaurant and the owner's comments will do nothing but "alienate diners", said Hannah Twiggs in The Independent. Corcoran has missed the "simple truth of running a restaurant", that diners need "flexibility and respect". While his "frustration might be genuine", it is "misguided" to blame his customers.

From James Bond to Austin Powers, spies have long been a staple of the big screen, said Michael Hogan in The Telegraph. But espionage makes a "fascinating backdrop" for television drama, too.

Here, we've compiled a list of the very best spy shows on TV, from iconic adaptations to tense political thrillers and binge-worthy streaming hits.

Homeland
Following CIA operative Carrie Mathison (Clare Danes), who suspects US marine Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) has been "turned" after being held in captivity by al-Qaeda, this twist-heavy show is a "spy-thriller gift that just keeps giving", said Tim Glanfield in The Times.  Available on Apple TV

Slow Horses
Centred on a group of disgraced British intelligence agents who have been "consigned" to carry out drudge work, "Slow Horses" evokes "classic spy thrillers", said Jack Seale in The Guardian. Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas are "sheer quality". Available on Apple TV

The Night Manager
With two "long-awaited sequel series finally in production", now is the time to check out this "sumptuously shot" John le Carré adaptation, said Michael Hogan in The Telegraph. The action follows Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), a former British soldier recruited to "infiltrate the inner circle" of dodgy international arms dealer Dicky Roper (Hugh Laurie). Available on BBC iPlayer

Mr. & Mrs. Smith
This "reimagined" version of the 2005 film is a "glorious and moreish treat", said Lucy Mangan in The Guardian. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine play secret agents posing as a married couple while working for a "mysterious (but well-paying) organisation". Each episode unfolds like "a tiny slice of 'Mission: Impossible'". Available on Amazon Prime

Redouble resolve
The Daily Mail editorial board
In his rhetoric, Keir Starmer's "support for Ukraine is 'iron-clad", says the Daily Mail. But when it comes to practicalities, "he seems to be rather less committed". Washington has authorised Kyiv to use US-supplied weapons systems for long-range attacks into Russia, "so why does the PM appear to be dragging his feet?" The missiles "may buy Ukraine time" and, "crucially, show the West's resolve is not lacking".

Facing genocide while disabled
Yousef M. Aljamal for Al Jazeera
The "genocide in Gaza" is a "mass disabling event", writes Palestinian refugee Yousef M. Aljamal. Israeli air strikes have left "more than 22,500 people" with "life-changing injuries". Hundreds with existing disabilities "have been killed or remain under the rubble". And the "destruction of infrastructure hinders the mobility of people with all types of disabilities", making it "extremely difficult for them to flee".

Your sandwich will never be 'woke' enough for Gen Z
Clair Woodward for The Independent
The "woke wars" have a "new target", writes Clair Woodward – the "nation's favourite sandwiches". A survey has found that "younger Brits" are "ditching English classics like ham and mustard", in favour of "fancy woke fillings". This "latest broadside" is a "thinly veiled, bread-based bash" at Millennials and Gen Z. But "liking cheese and pickle doesn't make you a patriot", any more than "having an artisanal six-inch-thick toastie" makes you a "woke warrior" – "eat whatever you like".