Disney’s latest villain

Ron DeSantis takes over Disney World's self-governing district

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28 February 2023

Good evening, Disney is a world-leader in creating heroes and villains, but now it has a real-life adversary with which to contend. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill to give the state control of the company's Orlando theme parks. Positioning himself as the "new sheriff in town", DeSantis argues that the move is to end the "corporate kingdom" and make it more accountable. Others believe it is a classic tale of revenge. Hollie Clemence Executive Editor

SPEED READS New bill puts Florida governor Ron DeSantis in control of Disney World district Governor Ron DeSantis has taken over Disney World's self-governing district in central Florida after the corporation opposed his "Don't Say Gay" bill. Since 1967, the Reedy Creek Improvement District, home to the Disney World theme parks, has had its own government to allow infrastructure to be put in place without state approval. But on Monday, DeSantis signed a bill that will end Disney's control of Reedy Creek and hand it to the Florida state government. The move is viewed as "punishment" for Disney after their former chief executive, Bob Chapek, publicly opposed the Florida governor's bill that "prevents the teaching of sex and gender identity from kindergarten to the third grade", said Sky News. Read more

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH . . . Mexico's controversial electoral reforms heralding a return to one-party rule Half a million people took to the streets of Mexico City on Sunday to protest the government's controversial electoral reforms and the increasingly autocratic tendencies of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. With many supporters wearing pink and white, the colour of the National Electoral Institute (INE), and holding signs that read "Hand of the INE", Reuters reported, the rally "appeared to be the largest protest so far" against the president's administration. The National Electoral Institute (INE) "earned international acclaim for facilitating clean elections in Mexico, paving the way for the opposition to win the presidency in 2000 after decades of rule by a single party", said The New York Times. Read more

PROFILE Bao Fan: the billionaire tech investor missing in China Chinese CEO's company now says he is cooperating with a government investigation Read more

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More from TheWeek.co.uk today Jet zero: future of flight or pie-in-the-sky thinking? New report finds no amount of alternative sustainable jet fuels could sustain the UK's current flying habits Read more Talking Points Windsor framework: has Rishi Sunak got Brexit done? Prime minister hails 'decisive breakthrough' that could end seven long years of UK-EU negotiations Read more Today's Big Question articles Price of pasta doubles: what food is getting more expensive in UK? New data shows skyrocketing inflation for certain supermarket staples Read more Fact Files Cocaine Bear: the 'true-ish' story behind US box-office hit The 'horror-comedy' took $23m on its opening weekend despite being panned by critics Read more Behind the Scenes articles

WHAT THE SCIENTISTS ARE SAYING… The cockatoo's toolkit Until recently, humans and chimpanzees were thought to be the only species that use "toolsets": a collection of different tools used to achieve specific tasks. But in 2021, scientists in Indonesia observed wild Goffin's cockatoos using three types of tools to extract seeds from fruit. Now new research has shown how effectively the birds are able to use toolsets. In the journal Current Biology, scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna describe how they presented to ten Goffin's cockatoos a box containing a cashew nut that could only be accessed using two different tools: a rigid stick to pierce and tear a membrane between a window and the nut; and a longer, flexible tool to fish the nut out. Seven figured out the need to use both tools, with two solving the task on their first try. The team says that the findings provide the first controlled evidence that Goffin's cockatoos can spontaneously begin to use a novel toolset, without help from others. The study also provided the first clear evidence that birds can carry a set of tools they will need for a future task: in a more complex trial requiring tools to be brought to a raised platform, four out of the five birds tested learnt to carry both correct tools.

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statistic of the week Housing (in)affordability House prices in the UK now stand at more than nine times the average salary, a ratio not seen since 1876. Schroders/Daily Telegraph

PICTURE OF THE DAY On the runway Paris Fashion Week kicks off with what Vogue France called "a new wave of emerging talent", including Victor Weinsanto, whose design is pictured above. Peter White/Getty Images

Good week for... Thrifty travellers, as Norwegian budget airline Norse Atlantic plans to revive sub-£400 flights to America.

Bad week for... The England men's cricket team, who lost a dramatic second Test match to New Zealand by just one run.

Puzzles Daily crossword Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section Read more

instant opinion 'Someone's head will roll for Brexit regal debacle' Your digest of analysis from the British and international press from the past seven days "Whatever the spin – and there'll be plenty – the photograph of [King Charles and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen] together can be interpreted as the Head of State endorsing the Windsor Framework," writes Peter Hunt for The Spectator. "Such an endorsement is something Charles should run a million miles from, given the ink isn't yet dry on the paperwork and the detail of the deal has yet to be examined forensically by all interested politicians," he adds. "I have to assume that vanity played a part in yesterday's regal debacle – a desire to appear important, statesmanlike, playing a role at a crucial time," says Hunt. "But make no mistake, this was a very serious error of judgement by King Charles and his advisors" and "someone's head will roll", he concludes. Read more

Trip of the week Off-roading from the Atacama to the Andes Traverse two of the harshest and most spectacular regions on Earth Read more

DOWN TO BUSINESS Tuesday afternoon markets Shares in Ocado fell 9%, after its losses reached £500m in the year to November 2022, weighing on the FTSE 100. The pound was up against the dollar and euro. FTSE 100: 7,885.87, down 0.62% Dax: 15,398.12, up 0.11% Dow: 32,798.26, down 0.28% Dollar: £1 = $1.2105, up 0.36% Euro: £1 = €1.1413, up 0.40% Brent crude: $83.94, up 1.81% Gold: $1,825.30, up 0.46%

WIT & WISDOM "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." Ernest Hemingway, quoted in Entrepreneur magazine

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