Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Leaf Arbuthnot, Abdulwahab Tahhan and Harriet Marsden.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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National service
The think tank Onward has proposed the reintroduction of national service, in a radically different new form. It would be voluntary, for a start, and separate from the military. The stated aim is to “develop skills, improve mental wellbeing, and increase a sense of belonging among Britain’s youth”, but the reaction appears to have reopened a generational divide. Could any form of collective activity help to bridge it?
Bahrain and Israel
On Monday, Israel opened an embassy in Bahrain, marking the culmination of a process that began three years ago with the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two. The agreement was one of a series known as the Abraham Accords, which also normalised relations between Israel and the UAE, Morocco and Sudan. How significant is this step, and will it help pave the way to a deal with Saudi Arabia?
Roman Polanski
When the Venice Film Festival chose to present Roman Polanski’s new film, it sparked widespread backlash. The director is a fugitive from US justice, having fled the country after pleading guilty to raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977. The festival’s artistic director justified the decision to include “The Palace”, saying Polanski was “one of the last great masters of European cinema”. But the reviews are in – and the film has bombed. Is Polanski’s career finally cancelled? And can great art excuse bad artists?
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Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
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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?
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The Week Unwrapped: Could robotic dogs help clear landmines?Podcast Plus, what can we learn from a new approach to urban renewal? And how much power rests with political spouses?
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The Week Unwrapped: Is it time for a new world map?Podcast Plus, why is the pope getting flatmates? And why are seagull 'muggings' on the rise?
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The Week Unwrapped: Has Donald Trump secured his Nobel Peace Prize?Podcast Plus, what does the use of North Korean and Indian labour tell us about the Russian war economy? And why have we all gone crazy for pickles?
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The Week Unwrapped: Why are we watching the ocean floor?Podcast Plus, what can we learn from a football club on the brink? And which jobs will fall to AI first?
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The Week Unwrapped: Could AI replace catwalk models?Podcast Plus, should countries sue each other for climate damage? And what does Grand Theft Auto 6 tell us about the video game industry?
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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?
