Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Jamie Timson, Felicity Capon and Arion McNicoll.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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European turns right
Greece’s former governing party Syriza found itself a distant second in elections this week, a result that is being replicated across Europe. Once-ascendant parties of the radical left face an existential crisis amid internal divisions and the rise of the far right. Even the green parties that have grown large enough that they have joined governing coalitions are now facing a backlash, accused of making too many compromises once they reach office.
Abortion and infanticide
Two recent, and unconnected, trials have drawn attention to the sharp divergence in public attitudes towards the way the law attempts to deal with abortion and infanticide. In one, a woman received widespread sympathy after she was sent to prison for aborting her baby in her eighth month of pregnancy. In another, a 15-year-old girl was vilified by many after killing her newborn child. How should society deal with these rare and disturbing cases?
Snakes on the loose
The RSPCA has said that increasingly warm weather is causing pet snakes in the UK to become more active and “escape a lot more”. The charity said calls to its snake hotline are at an all-time high. Should we be worried about more exotic pets colonising the British landscape?
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Taps could run dry in drought-stricken TehranUnder the Radar President warns that unless rationing eases water crisis, citizens may have to evacuate the capital
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Alaska faces earth-shaking loss as seismic monitoring stations shutterIN THE SPOTLIGHT NOAA cuts have left the western seaboard without a crucial resource to measure, understand and predict tsunamis
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10 great advent calendars for everyone (including the dog)The Week Recommends Countdown with cocktails, jams and Legos
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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?
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The Week Unwrapped: Why is horse-racing going on strike?Podcast Plus, will the South Korean women who worked in state-run brothels set up for US soldiers succeed? And what’s behind a surge in leg-lengthening surgery?
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The Week Unwrapped: What does Bake Off say about Channel 4?Podcast Plus, why are Scottish drug deaths so stubbornly high? And are women in their 30s too anxious about their eggs?
