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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Moon dust has earthly elements thanks to a magnetic bridgeUnder the radar The substances could help supply a lunar base
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World’s oldest rock art discovered in IndonesiaUnder the Radar Ancient handprint on Sulawesi cave wall suggests complexity of thought, challenging long-held belief that human intelligence erupted in Europe
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Claude Code: the viral AI coding app making a splash in techThe Explainer Engineers and noncoders alike are helping the app go viral
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The Week Unwrapped: What can we learn from a tool-wielding cow?Podcast Plus, have we reached ‘peak billionaire’? When should troops disobey their superiors?
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The Week Unwrapped: Will Uganda’s pop-star politician prevail?Podcast Plus, is dodgy data undermining medical research? And what does a new app reveal about Chinese society?
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The Week Unwrapped: Is Elon Musk’s AI tool a platform for abuse?Podcast Plus can Mumsnet predict who will be the next PM? And who is still watching Avatar sequels?
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The Week Unwrapped: What’s the cost of PFAs?Podcast Plus why is George Osborne joining OpenAI? And has universal basic income finally come of age?
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The Week Unwrapped: what’s scuppering Bulgaria’s Euro dream?Podcast Plus has Syria changed, a year on from its revolution? And why are humans (mostly) monogamous?
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The Week Unwrapped: Will drought fuel global violence?Podcast Plus why did Trump pardon a drug-trafficking president? And are romantic comedies in terminal decline?
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The Week Unwrapped: Have pedigree dogs had their day?Podcast Plus what can we learn from Slovenia’s rejection of assisted dying? And can politicians admit their weaknesses?
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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?
