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Editor's note
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Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s top adviser, has caused quite a stir with his blog post calling for more “weirdos and misfits” to join his team at Downing Street. He listed some very specific requirements for prospective employees but warns that he’ll fire them at no notice if they don’t fit in.
When Anna McFarlane saw that Cummings was citing characters created by novelist William Gibson as the kind of free thinking “wild cards” he’d like to recruit, she wondered if he’d read his books properly. She chose Gibson as the subject of her PhD and thinks he’s rather missed the point.
Meanwhile, a new study reveals how the super-rich housewives of Delhi use Birkin bags, Louis Vuitton and expensive holidays to prove their membership of the global elite.
As US president Donald Trump called on Europe to pull out of their nuclear deal with Iran, an expert in the field considers the options for the UK.
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Laura Hood
Politics Editor, Assistant Editor
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Top stories
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PA/Kirsty O'Connor
Anna McFarlane, University of Glasgow
Boris Johnson's adviser is asking job applicants to give him their all. And in return? He'll fire them on the spot if they don't fit in.
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The glacier express train in Switzerland: on the bucket list for rich Indians.
marlys grisson/Shutterstock
Parul Bhandari, O.P. Jindal Global University
Rich Indian women are anxious about being recognised as members of an international elite.
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An atomic energy exhibition in Tehran.
Inspired by Maps/Shutterstock
Ian J. Stewart, King's College London
Iran has withdrawn from key elements of the 2015 nuclear deal. The UK should respond with caution – and flexibility.
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Science + Technology
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Steve Taylor, Leeds Beckett University
Douglas Adams claimed the answer was 42. But there are other interpretations.
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Mark Whitehead, Aberystwyth University
Those who are leaving the platform represent a small, but by no means insignificant, counter current to the norm.
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Mohammad S. Hasan, Staffordshire University
Connecting every house to a fibre network is expensive and time-consuming.
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Environment + Energy
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Christopher J White, University of Strathclyde ; Francesco Sindico, University of Strathclyde ; Keith Bell, University of Strathclyde
The UN's climate change conference is coming to the UK this year, and former industrial powerhouse Glasgow is just the city to demonstrate its environmental commitment.
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Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Molly Glassey, The Conversation; Wes Mountain, The Conversation
We pulled four before-and-after NASA satellite images and asked bushfire researcher Grant Williamson to reflect on the story they tell.
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Dale Nimmo, Charles Sturt University
Wildlife can smell and hear a fire coming, and have developed novel ways to evade it. But they must watch out for cunning predators rushing in for a feed.
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Business + Economy
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Sofia Vasilopoulou, University of York; Daniel Keith, University of York; Liisa Talving, University of Tartu
Public opinion is likely to pose an additional constraint to Boris Johnson's attempts to strike post-Brexit trade deals.
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Mueid Al Raee, United Nations University
To make sense of the Soleimani assassination, you need to look at the global economics of oil.
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Health + Medicine
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David Ray, University of Oxford; Gareth Kitchen, University of Manchester
Removing the "clock" gene makes immune cells more effective at fighting bacteria.
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Arts + Culture
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Eve MacDonald, Cardiff University
The Persian Empire – on the site of what is now Iran – set the standard for superpowers of the ancient world and left a cornucopia of treasures and architectural masterpieces.
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Politics + Society
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Daniel Hill, University of Liverpool
Marriage and domestic relationships existed before the state, and should be returned to the people, not regulated by the government.
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Featured events
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Room SLB/118, Spring Lane Building, Campus West, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York
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Bowland Auditorium, Berrick Saul Building, Campus West, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York
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Room SLB/118, Spring Lane Building, Campus West, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York
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Location: Room K/133, King's Manor, York, York, YO1 7EP, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York
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