Another has a picture of two women drinking with the words, ‘Friends bring happiness to your life . . . best friends bring alcohol.’ Others explicitly endorse binge drinking. Take this imaginary conversation captioned on a picture of two female friends. ‘Bestie: We met for coffee, how did we end up blacking out?!

Wine company Blossom Hill recently described the key components of summer as ‘sunny days’, ‘best friends’ and ‘delicious wine’ and launched a 30th birthday Facebook campaign with Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore, filmed sipping rosé.

The earnings ratio of the Premier League’s top to bottom club has narrowed from 1.8/1 to 1.5/1 over the past three years, with champions Manchester City picking up £153.1million in TV earnings last season compared to bottom club Norwich City’s pot of £100.6m.

Russian’s Air Force Mikoyan MiG-31K jets carrying Kh-47M2 Kinzhal nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missiles fly over Red Square during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2021

This reminder of my old life, timed as it is, leaves me sorely tempted to start again. Had I not learned to manage my cravings — were I one of the 32.9 per cent of adults recently revealed to be drinking at risky levels — I would undoubtedly have caved.

‘Varun Chheda was a very kind, gentle young man with an absolutely brilliant mind, view website and he would have done amazing things in and for this world,’ Laughner wrote on Facebook. ‘It’s a tragedy that his life was senselessly taken before he had a chance to do so.’ 

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The review pointed to a 25.8 per cent fall in alcohol-related assaults, a 37.6 per cent drop in alcohol-related hospital admissions in Alice Springs and a 24.2 per cent decrease in admissions in Tennant Creek.

I was lost for words.

Yet there was more: she claimed Western countries such as Britain were out to tarnish Qatar. She then listed other nations that refuse to tolerate homosexuality — bizarrely naming Germany.

Absolut vodka has backed a charity fighting against sexual violence and pop star Ellie Goulding’s new alcoholic drink, Served, posted on social media about donating revenue to a charity campaigning against female homelessness.

Yet how feminist is it for an alcohol brand to support an end to sexual violence, when 39 per cent of victims of rape or assault say they were under the influence of alcohol?

Unlikely as it seems, the avowedly metrosexual Becks — who has declared his pride in being called a ‘gay icon’ — struck up a rapport with the abaya-clad Qatari spice chef and this week he returned for another PR shoot.

People may not be arrested for showing the first signs of non-heterosexual behaviour, though who knows how the authorities might use the hi-tech surveillance system I was shown in the Nasa-like command centre that will monitor the eight World Cup stadiums?

But what, then, of Gary Neville, another of his former Manchester United cohorts, who was also revealed this week to have leapt into bed with the Qataris by signing a deal to be a World Cup pundit on its state-run sports channel?

In a break from tradition, FIFA will not hold their Congress before the tournament and there have been no meetings of the confederations scheduled to take place in Qatar either, which will reduce the chances of co-ordinated moves from opponents to unseat Infantino.

This, remember, was an otherwise sophisticated teacher who shapes the thinking of young Qataris; and the mother of five children. Her nauseating and deeply confused outburst reinforced the message from human rights groups: that gay football fans should steer clear of this World Cup, despite signals emanating from the emir’s palace that, for the tournament at least, there will be a degree of tolerance.

Russia’s massive stockpile of nuclear weapons is the last credible threat Putin has in his struggle with the West, now that his once-vaunted army is proving to be inferior to the Ukrainian army and Europe is so far standing firm against his gas hostage diplomacy. 

It would not be cost-free, however, as the electromagnetic pulse would fry all circuitry within a certain radius, while the fall out and radioactive dust would render the blast zone and surrounding areas an extreme bio-hazard. 

Some seem to poke fun at attempts to cut down: Echo Falls posted an Instagram meme in January 2020 that read, ‘Dry January Inspiration — Dry White Wine — Dry Red Wine’ and this summer Blossom Hill’s Facebook account advised: ‘When experiencing a heatwave, it’s important to stay hydrated’ — with a winking emoji.

The feelings returned on Wednesday, when I toured the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, where England will play Wales. Its an undeniably impressive venue, though hearing boasts about its low carbon footprint as millions of barrels of Qatari oil befouled the planet seemed rather ironic.