Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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Alcohol pricing
A new report on the effects of setting a minimum price for alcohol in Scotland in 2018 suggests that the heaviest drinkers didn’t cut their alcohol intake and the poorest of them reduced their spending on food and heating to pay for the higher drink prices. Other studies have found more positive effects, but after alcohol-related deaths rose during the pandemic, the Scottish government is coming under pressure to rethink its approach.
#JordanToo
A physics professor at one of Jordan’s leading universities has been suspended after being accused of sexual harassment by several female students. The case has prompted an outpouring of support for the women on Twitter and widespread media coverage, an unusual development in Jordan, a country in which women still play a relatively small role in public life.
Coastal erosion
Sir James Bevan, the chief executive of the Environment Agency, said this week that Britain must face up to the fact that many coastal towns and villages cannot be defended from coastal erosion. Instead, he said, local and national government – as well as individuals – will have to prepare for a future in which some homes are abandoned to the sea, or proactively demolished. Is this a sensible way to prepare for an uncertain future – or a defeatist approach to a solvable problem?
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‘Human trafficking isn’t something that happens “somewhere else”’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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What would a credit card rate cap mean for you?the explainer President Donald Trump has floated the possibility of a one-year rate cap
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Is the American era officially over?Talking Points Trump’s trade wars and Greenland push are alienating old allies
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The world is entering an ‘era of water bankruptcy’The explainer Water might soon be more valuable than gold
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Climate change could lead to a reptile ‘sexpocalypse’Under the radar The gender gap has hit the animal kingdom
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The former largest iceberg is turning blue. It’s a bad sign.Under the radar It is quickly melting away
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How drones detected a deadly threat to Arctic whalesUnder the radar Monitoring the sea in the air
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‘Jumping genes’: how polar bears are rewiring their DNA to survive the warming ArcticUnder the radar The species is adapting to warmer temperatures
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Environment breakthroughs of 2025In Depth Progress was made this year on carbon dioxide tracking, food waste upcycling, sodium batteries, microplastic monitoring and green concrete
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Crest falling: Mount Rainier and 4 other mountains are losing heightUnder the radar Its peak elevation is approximately 20 feet lower than it once was
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Death toll from Southeast Asia storms tops 1,000speed read Catastrophic floods and landslides have struck Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia
