The Week Unwrapped: Algerian English, dark tourism and two-headed beasts
Why is Algeria dropping the French language? Should we be holidaying in Ukraine? And how do some animals survive with two heads?
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
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English in Algeria
Alegeria, which for more than a century was part of the French empire, is starting to phase out its use of the French language. Last week, when Emmanuel Macron visited the country, he was given a lectern bearing the title Presidency of the Republic, instead of Présidence de la République. This is, in part, a symbolic move – Arabic is more widely spoken – but it also illustrates the complicated status of the English language in post-colonial Africa.
Dark tourism
The launch of guided tours of Ukraine's invaded cities has triggered fresh debate about so-called dark tourism – visiting sites associated with tragedy. Do trips to macabre tourist spots offer a chance to learn about our world and past mistakes? Or is cashing in on human misery taking us to morally dark places?
Better than one?
A Swiss tortoise with two heads, named Janus, has celebrated his 25th birthday – a milestone that very few animals born with a similar condition ever reach. In the wild, most such animals succumb to medical complications or predators, but in captivity they become celebrities. What can we learn about them – and ourselves – from this double celebration?
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