China guilty of Uighur 'dystopian hellscape'

Prior to the events of the novel, an extinction event has occurred on Earth and the globe is covered in ash. The environmental catastrophe is never outlined in detail but many have claimed that the novel foreshadows the expected ecological damage due to be caused by climate change. The setting in The Road is a wasteland, but the humans who have survived are arguably more dangerous, resorting to violence, savagery and cannibalism, making this an archetypal dystopianRelating to an imagined society where there is great suffering or injustice.  text. Critics have referred to the post-cataclysmic landscape that the characters navigate their way through as an "inverted pastoral", the opposite of the literary mode which depicts characters in harmony with nature.

Is China guilty of genocide in Xinjiang? The New York Times declared that China was committing "the ultimate crime" against its Muslim ethnic Uighurs. China bitterly denies it.

Do rats deserve their evil reputation? The news that a hungry army of rodents is closing in on our homes will probably fill you with disgust. But some say we are too hard on the humble rat.

Should we be afraid of artificial intelligence? A new supercomputer can calculate many times faster than the human mind. Some fear the age of computer dominance is upon us. 

Dreams and memories work in counterpoint to the dystopian landscape, providing abstract colour and happiness which the present day lacks. The man often wakes up to find himself teleported from a world of "human love, the songs of birds" into a desolate, sterile reality, but he recognises that the temptation to dream of the former is dangerous and unproductive. There are also several nightmares and nightmarish hallucinations in The Road, which often foreshadow later events.

As Donald Trump picked a fight with the last surviving speaker from the 1963 civil rights march, a powerful new analysis concluded 'the gaping wounds of racial injustice' are as bad as ever.

Is Ash Barty right to turn her back on tennis? The world number one has stunned the sporting world by announcing that she has had enough, despite her incredible success. 

Could scientists bring dinosaurs back to life? Bugs preserved in amber offer a window into prehistory. But resurrecting the dinosaurs is not going to be as simple as it is in the movies.

Similarly to the function of dreams and memories, the quiet, recognisable intimacy of the father-son bond between The Road's central characters contrasts against the barren, wasted environment around them. The nameless father keeps his son close, risking his life for his child's survival and attempting a kind of moral and practical education as they travel together, knowing that he could be gone at any time. And yet the novel avoids sentimentality, something which if anything underlines the poignance of its tragic ending.

Is this a good idea? Corporal punishment of children - including smacking - is outlawed in 54 countries around the world. But some parents say it is a loving way of disciplining their kids.

Cannibal rats swarm in lockdown infestation

Is it ethical to genetically engineer humans? A top bioethics council has declared gene editing of human embryos "morally permissible". Some fear the social consequences could be disastrous.

Should parental responsibility end at 18? Judges all over the world are forcing young people to leave their parent's homes. Now some argue it is time to redefine our notion of adulthood.

The novel's central character has an ambiguous relationship with spirituality and religion, sometimes musing upon the absolute absence of God, but also referring to Christian symbolism often. Some have argued that The Road is supposed to be read as a religious allegoryA story or poem that has a hidden moral or political meaning. , whilst others see it as the depiction of a life devoid of faith.

Is wisdom the new stardust? Today's most attractive possessions may be wealth, health, happiness, friends and looks. But in times of crisis, humanity demands deeper qualities.

Should Gareth Southgate be our next spiritual leader? If the job is about healing national wounds and giving hope in hard times, many think he would be a much needed breath of fresh air.

Is Buddhism the key to happiness? Nothing is permanent, everything is precious - or so says one of the world's great schools of wisdom. What else does it say, and how true is it?

The protagonist of The Road believes that focusing on anything other than reality - on dreams, hallucinations or unconscious desires - is "distracting". Instead, he is keen to focus on the harsh and unflinching reality, no matter how hard this might be. He tries to instil these values into The Boy too, knowing that his only choice as a father is to give his son the practical skills he needs to survive. 

Is the metaverse just a fad? Celebrities and CEOs believe our future lies in virtual reality. But their enthusiasm has not yet caught on - and some think it never will.

Is reality TV a form of exploitation? Several shows have been criticised for their cruelty. Now one former contestant is suing Simon Cowell's record company over her mistreatment.

Are we already living in a metaverse? Mark Zuckerberg wants to reinvent Facebook and take on Fortnite, the world's biggest game, in a battle to decide the future of the Internet.