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:
Article continues belowThe 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.
Bishop on trial
A 90-year-old Catholic cardinal who has criticised the Chinese government – and the Vatican’s attempts to honour an uneasy truce with the Communist leadership – went on trial in Hong Kong this week accused of financing the territory’s pro-democracy protest movement. The arrest of Cardinal Joseph Zen appears to be part of a campaign against the Catholic church in Hong Kong and mainland China. What are Beijing’s goals, and how should the Vatican respond?
Bee immunity
A small bioscience company called Dalan Animal Health announced a $3.6m investment this week, which will fund production of the first ever vaccine for bees. It will protect them from American foulbrood, a disease which can wipe out entire colonies of honey bee. At a time when bee numbers are under threat for a wide variety of reasons, this has been a rare bit of good news for beekeepers.
Hungry New Yorkers
The residents of New York are, it seems, having dinner earlier and earlier. According to an article in the New York Times, “6pm Is the new 8pm” and “waves of people” are making reservations for as early as 5 o’clock. The switch is the result of a range of forces – pandemic staffing and cost cuts forcing restaurants to open for fewer hours, people’s habits changing and younger generations drinking less than before. Will we see a similar trend in the UK?