Accept defeat and the Tories could yet prosper
Philip Collins in The Times
Rishi Sunak is facing a "political paradox", says Phillip Collins in The Times – that "accepting defeat is the only vague hope he has of victory". The prime minister should "ditch the gratingly dishonest rhetoric of 'long-term decisions', which makes him sound both petulant and risible", and instead focus "on the only term he will get, which is the short term". The Tory leader needs a "concerted plan to minimise losses", rather than making a "futile wide shot at victory".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Think before shouting at your child: to them, words can be as harmful as physical blows
Peter Fonagy in The Guardian
Words are one of humanity's most "powerful tools", writes Peter Fonagy for The Guardian, "and harsh language used against children can damage them for the rest of their life". Misusing words to "intimidate, shame and control may appear less obviously harmful than bodily threat", but a systematic review of hundreds of studies has found that verbal abuse can carry the "same risks", including low-self esteem, substance abuse, increased risk of depression and "even psychotic disorders".
Workers could be the ones to regulate AI
Rana Foroohar in the Financial Times
The Writers Guild of America has just made "big progress" in constructing "guard rails" for the use of AI in the workplace, says Rana Foroohar in the Financial Times. Representing striking Hollywood writers, the union has struck a deal with studios that includes "new rules around how the entertainment industry can, and can’t", use the new technology. This is a "very big deal" as it shows not only that AI can be regulated but also how workers "are in a good position to understand how to curb it appropriately".
'Mum rage' is a ridiculous myth that dehumanises mothers
Lucy Mangan for i news
"Very, very few emotions" are "solely the preserve of mothers simply because they are mothers", writes Lucy Mangan for i news. "Most of them arise because we are – get this! – people under pressure." Yet "it suits everyone to assume or to pretend that mothers don’t or shouldn’t feel anger". This is "a tremendously efficient way of ensuring that nearly half the population has another barrier it must fight through if it wants to claim time or space or demand changes or improvements".
-
A whole new world: redrawing the Mercator mapUnder the Radar African Union joins calls to ditch 'colonial distortion' and portray countries at more accurate size
-
'Enforcement of rulings remains spotty at best'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Book reviews: 'King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution' and 'Gwyneth: The Biography'Feature How the Iranian Revolution began and Gwyneth Paltrow's life in the spotlight
-
Will Ukraine trade territory for peace?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Kyiv’s defences are wearing thin but a land swap is constitutionally impossible and crosses Zelenskyy's red lines
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summitSpeed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
Europe counters Putin ahead of Trump summitSpeed Read President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week for Ukraine peace talks
-
Is Trump's new peacemaking model working in DR Congo?Talking Point Truce brokered by the US president in June is holding, but foundations of a long-term peace have let to be laid
-
Who wins from a Trump-Putin meeting?Today's Big Question Trump might get the leaders together for a photo op but brokering a peace deal won’t be easy
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
US and EU reach trade dealSpeed Read Trump's meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen resulted in a tariff agreement that will avert a transatlantic trade war
-
Trump threatens Russia with 'severe tariffs'speed read The president also agreed to sell NATO advanced arms for Ukraine
