Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Holden Frith, Arion McNicoll and Emma Smith.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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State hostages
The Foreign Affairs Committee published a report on Tuesday calling on the British government to improve the way it deals with hostage situations, particularly in cases where UK citizens are being held by foreign governments. It said the current approach has prolonged the period of captivity for some hostages and exacerbated the uncertainty and pain felt by hostages and members of their families. The MPs also called for a more proactive approach to dealing with hostage-takers – but could that encourage them to capture more British citizens?
Time poverty
The think tank Onward has analysed four decades of data and discovered that Britons are now spending less time seeing our friends, eating at restaurants, going out, exercising and volunteering. The problem, it suggests, is not that we’re working longer hours. Instead, it’s the rise of what it calls “time confetti”: the fragmentation of leisure time into small, unsatisfactory scraps. Is there anything we can do to reverse this trend and make better use of our leisure time.
Red squirrels
Campaigners warned this week that red squirrels face extinction in the UK unless a vaccine is developed for a deadly pox which has decimated the population, especially in Wales. Almost 11,000 people signed a petition calling on the Welsh government to fund vaccine research. But is this a good use of money – or even a viable approach to protecting Britain’s remaining red squirrels.
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‘Like a gas chamber’: the air pollution throttling DelhiUnder The Radar Indian capital has tried cloud seeding to address the crisis, which has seen schools closed and outdoor events suspended
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Political cartoons for November 23Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include a Thanksgiving horn of plenty, the naughty list, and more
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How will climate change affect the UK?The Explainer Met Office projections show the UK getting substantially warmer and wetter – with more extreme weather events
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The Week Unwrapped: Will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?Podcast Plus what are the ethics of freezing your late partner?
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The Week Unwrapped: Can musicians challenge Putin?Podcast Plus who were the ‘human hunters’ of the Bosnian war? And what should happen to captive penguins?
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The Week Unwrapped: Are British rappers the world’s best?Podcast Plus can the Maldives quit smoking? And can whales lead us to immortality?
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The Week Unwrapped: Should we be eating less fat – or more?Podcast Plus who will benefit from the surprise Dutch election result? And how can art improve our health?
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The Week Unwrapped: Will Grace Wales Bonner change Hermès for the better?Podcast Plus will nuclear fusion deliver us from climate change? Is humour the best way to take on Trump?
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The Week Unwrapped: Can bullfighting win over young SpaniardsPodcast Plus, is online fandom inherently unhealthy? And is Putin’s economy running out of gas?
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The Week Unwrapped: Who had the last laugh in Riyadh?Podcast Plus are imported eggs undermining animal welfare? And what can we do about AI deepfakes?
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The Week Unwrapped: Was life sent to Earth by aliens?Podcast Plus why did Nepali voters use a gaming app to pick their next PM? And will a new national park boost the case for Welsh independence?
