The Week Unwrapped: pregnancy pains, electric bubble and killer spies

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.

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In this week’s episode, we discuss:

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Pregnancy pains

New research shows that nine in ten pregnant women’s birth choices have been derailed by the Covid crisis, with many said to be enduring “shocking” conditions during labour. Meanwhile, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is mulling plans for the mandatory recording of all alcohol consumed by expectant mothers on their child’s medical records. So are mums getting a rough deal from the nanny state?

Electric bubble

In the second quarter of 2020, “green” cars outsold diesel cars in the UK for the first time ever. Meanwhile, the share prices of electric car companies are rocketing in the US. This looks like a bubble – and that could be excellent news for the future of clean motoring.

Killer spies

Despite his reputation for violence, James Bond knocked off just 38 enemies in a dozen Ian Fleming novels. But legislation tabled in the House of Commons this week could hand Britain’s real life secret agents the “licence to kill”. So should our supersleuths have the power of life or death - or are the powers ripe for abuse?

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