Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Rebekah Evans, Mariana Vieira and Arion McNicoll.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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Age in politics
This week, Keir Mather became the “baby of the House of Commons” as he was elected at the age of 25. The simultaneous elevation of Baroness Owen, who is just five years older, to the Lords has led to a debate about youth and experience in politics. In the US, meanwhile, politicians seem to be increasingly elderly: the next presidential election is likely to pit an 81-year-old Joe Biden against a 78-year-old Donald Trump. Does age matter, or should we prioritise other issues?
Cambodia’s election
This week an election described as the least competitive in Cambodia’s history returned Hun Sen to power with an overwhelming majority. But are voters as enthusiastic for him as that result would suggest. Amnesty International has accused the government of human rights abuses, and suggested that democracy is under threat in the country. A new generation seems ready to take over, but are they just offering more of the same.
The slow, melodramatic death of opera
Tickets for the Bayreuth opera festival in Germany were still available this week, in what The Times described as “a warning for the world of opera”. Audiences once had to join a years-long waiting list for the celebration of Wagner’s work. In Britain, too, the status and funding of opera has been questioned by politicians from both the left and the right. Are its days numbered, or has it already evolved into other formats?
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Israel: Losing the American publicFeature A recent poll finds American support for Israel's military action in Gaza has fallen from 50% to 32%
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Unmaking AmericansFeature Trump is threatening to revoke the citizenship of foreign-born Americans. Could he do that?
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EPA: A bonfire of climate change regulationsFeature The Environmental Protection Agency wants to roll back its 'endangerment finding,' a ruling that lets the agency regulate carbon emissions
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The Week Unwrapped: Are electric bikes 'invading' London?Podcast Plus, why is Volodymyr Zelenskyy opposing anti-corruption laws? And how will US withdrawal affect Unesco?
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The Week Unwrapped: Should women be conscripted?Podcast Plus, are digital ID cards inevitable? And why do women get more ACL injuries?
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The Week Unwrapped: How do you turn plastics into paracetamol?Podcast Plus, what is the Wagner Group doing now? And why is it so hard to find a job after university?
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The Week Unwrapped: Could the Greens ape Reform UK?Podcast Plus, are more people opting out of public services?
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The Week Unwrapped: How did South Korea become a cultural powerhouse?Podcast Plus, what does a vote on citizenship tell us about Italy? And is the future of football six-a-side?
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The Week Unwrapped: How did Japan become a space superpower?Podcast Plus, why on earth are Labubu dolls so popular? Will buy-now-pay-later cause a new financial crisis?
