Hello and welcome to the intelligence from The Economist. I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

The history of Tamil Nadu, India's southernmost state, is murky, but an archaeological find

has pushed back the date of the first civilization there.

In modern India, messing with that timeline has serious implications for politics and identity.

And high up on a building in Beijing, there's a listening post, not to sniff out dissent,

but to gather information on the wildly diverse bird populations that pass over.

One man hopes the data he's gathering will lead to new policies that preserve that variety.

But first... Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new restrictions for England yesterday,

an attempt to buy time while the Omicron variant spreads.

They include more masking requirements, proof of vaccination for big events, and a recommendation

to work from home.

Ben Riley Smith of the Telegraph.

Thank you, Prime Minister.

But reporters wondered whether the announcement was a distraction from other, potentially

damaging news for the government.

Tory MPs have suggested you pulled this announcement forward to bounce headlines about the Christmas party.

Is that true?

A day earlier, a leaked video published by the broadcaster ITV showed the Prime Minister's staff joking about holding a lockdown defying Christmas party last year.

This fictional party was a business meeting.

And it was not socially distanced.

Earlier that same day, a former foreign office employee recounted a shambolic mishandling

...