In a week where:

1. Green Party passes 'Zionism Is Racism' motion at party conference.
2. The Paramount/Warner Bros. merger is finalised at $110B.
3. Russian lab worker dies after being exposed to pneumonic plague in Siberia.
4. Lithuanian parliament votes 106-18 to lift constitutional ban on nuclear weapons.
5. New Home Office figures show police recorded 146,825 hate crimes in the year ending March 2026, an England/Wales record high.

In Politics: (7:53) Brazil is a runoff away from going back to the Bolsonaro well with Flavio - Jair's son - tipped to be Brazil's next President. But as with most Politics these days, there's a stench of outside interference... (Article By Elis Gjevori)

In Society: (23:48) One of the US' many MANY societal elephants is SA in Universities. The Cornell Rape Case is the newest edition to rise out of a sea of them. So what is a solution to improving the apparently hard concept of consent. (Article By Elizabeth Spiers)

In Sports: (49:19) Man City are officially the ethical villains of the entire sport of Football. But it's not just the club that's under the microscope, the City of Manchester is as well which includes the origins of Andy Burnham's bonafides. (Article By Joshi Herrmann, Jack Dulhanty & Alec Herron)

Lastly, in Science: (1:06:08) Botanists are in the process of digitising plants from all over the world. But in some places it's hard to complete the task. (Article By Victoria Uwemedimo)

Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, whether it be sending me questions or voicing your opinion in any way, peep the contact links below and I'll respond accordingly. Let me know "What's Good?"

Rate & Review

E-Mail: the5thelelmentpub@gmail.com
Twitter & IG: @The5thElementUK
Website: https://the5thelement.co.uk
Photography: https://www.crt.photography

Intro Music - "Too Much" By Vanilla
Interlude - "Charismatic" By NappyHigh
ChillHop Music

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
Diggin' In The Digits
5EPN Radio
Black Women Watch...
In Search of Sauce
The Beauty Of Independence

In a week where:

1. Metropolitan Police hands over Grenfell files to CPS, with charging decisions due next year.
2. Christa Pike survives two Lethal Injections in Tennessee.
3. France shuts over 400 schools after student protests lead to nearly 2,000 arrests.
4. Ethiopia and Eritrea cut diplomatic ties after Ethiopian officials accuse Eritrea of supporting unrest in northern Tigray region.
5. Spain's Pedro Sanchez announces snap election amid housing crisis.

In the 1st of two Education segments: (11:59) French students have been mobilising over systemic neglect of French Education and considering the testimony, they have the right to be pissed. (Article By Angelique Chrisafis)

In the 2nd Education segment: (24:53) Higher Education in Britain is eroding by the day but unions are doing their best in trying to save what I believe is a right for everyone. (Article By Members of the University Rank and File Workers Group)

In Sports: (43:35) Colin Kaepernick is back in the news because he has a book to sell and 10 years after his blackballing, The NFL has gotten even worse in their moral compass. (Article By Quinn Everts)

Lastly, in Photography: (1:02:17) We head to Mexico where Photographer Enrique Leyva is bringing his local culture & traditions to the forefront, creating visually beautiful work. (Article By Dalis Robinson)

Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, whether it be sending me questions or voicing your opinion in any way, peep the contact links below and I'll respond accordingly. Let me know "What's Good?"

Rate & Review

E-Mail: the5thelelmentpub@gmail.com
Twitter & IG: @The5thElementUK
Website: https://the5thelement.co.uk
Photography: https://www.crt.photography

Intro Music - "Too Much" By Vanilla
Interlude - "Charismatic" By NappyHigh
ChillHop Music

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
Diggin' In The Digits
5EPN Radio
Black Women Watch...
In Search of Sauce
The Beauty Of Independence

In a week where:

1. Police arrest far-right activist Daniel Thomas after slashing a dinghy in The Channel.
2. Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to 15 years in prison after sexual assault retrial.
3. Rogue OpenAl agent hacks an Australian Government site.
4. Manchester City is found guilty of breaking Premier League's financial fair play rules.
5. Trump refuses Iran's seven-day plan to end war & reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

In the 1st of two Life segments: (12:39) Governments in the Caribbean are turning the heat up on the British State to take recognition on Britain's enslavement history seriously amidst rising accountability demands. Will they meet the moment for once? (Written By Nesrine Malik)

In Politics: (27:27) Germany is backsliding into the far-right as the AfD have had major wins in the past month. So how did they manage to gain a foothold in a relatively short amount of time? (Written By Muhammad Bilal Malik)

In Sports: (44:25) Kylian Mbappe is used to shaking up the Football world at this point, but his move to On from Nike seems like a very different kind of shift where the Nike/Adidas duopoly might be finally be crumbling. (Written By Ian Stonebrook)

Lastly, in the 2nd Life segment: (57:21) I didn't have a Bonnie Blue story on my 2026 bingo but when someone names their new-born child after a crypto-betting company you've never heard of for millions, I had to see what in the hell was going on. (Written By Alice Giddings)

Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, whether it be sending me questions or voicing your opinion in any way, peep the contact links below and I'll respond accordingly. Let me know "What's Good?"

Rate & Review

E-Mail: the5thelelmentpub@gmail.com
Twitter & IG: @The5thElementUK
Website: https://the5thelement.co.uk
Photography: https://www.crt.photography

Intro Music - "Too Much" By Vanilla
Interlude - "Charismatic" By NappyHigh
ChillHop Music

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
Diggin' In The Digits
5EPN Radio
Black Women Watch...
In Search of Sauce
The Beauty Of Independence

In a week where:

1. US confirms it has weapons in space.
2. The European Union invites Canada to become the bloc's first associate member.
3. Sweden centre-left opposition wins election with 176 seats.
4. Anthropic quietly opens biology lab, days after releasing report on bio weapons.
5. Trump announces Greenland deal, giving US 'permanent control over security’.

In Education: (12:00) There are two professors that have been in the news albeit one with significantly more press: Dr. Jason Arday & Prof. James Orr. So why d'you know one and not the other? (Article By Hardeep Matharu)

In Politics: (30:20) The Horn Of Africa (comprised of Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the partially recognised state of Somaliland) had a peace agreement in '05 in Sudan but it's been all but that since then. So where does East Africa go now? (Article By Matthew De Waal)

In Society: (45:42) There has been a solid lineage of women in Africa fighting for their rights. So why are donors acting like they're doing a great service by "giving women a voice"? (Article By Ngozi Nwosu-Juba)

Lastly, in Life: (56:52) The apocalypse is coming & you have to take one thing along with your go bag. How long does it take you to say "your childhood teddy"? For some, it was their first choice. (Article By Ruth Ogden, Anna Powell & Patricia Kingori)

Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, whether it be sending me questions or voicing your opinion in any way, peep the contact links below and I'll respond accordingly. Let me know "What's Good?"

Rate & Review

E-Mail: the5thelelmentpub@gmail.com
Twitter & IG: @The5thElementUK
Website: https://the5thelement.co.uk
Photography: https://www.crt.photography

Intro Music - "Too Much" By Vanilla
Interlude - "Charismatic" By NappyHigh
ChillHop Music

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
Diggin' In The Digits
5EPN Radio
Black Women Watch...
In Search of Sauce
The Beauty Of Independence

In a week where:

1. Trump promises $5,000 for US citizens if Republicans win midterms.
2. MPs vote against Assisted Dying in England and Wales.
3. Thousands protest across Germany after AfD wins 44% in Saxony-Anhalt.
4. The leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland sign a joint declaration calling for all three nations to gain independence from the UK.
5. Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour following venue bans over Palestine remarks.

In Society: (9:17) Unless you're in the sector, there's little reason for the typical person to know about Children's Care Homes. Turns out there's an illegal network worth £255m. (Article By Tom Wall)

In Politics: (29:24) It's been 50 years since the death of Mao Zedong, the architect of modern-day China. But whilst China will no doubt hail Mao, the China he started and the China now are very different things. (Article By Teemu Ruskola)

In the 1st of two Life segments: (42:08) As an adult that won't be having children anytime soon, I get why people are not having children. But whilst it's a logical decision, it does come with an odd sense of grief. (Article By Allie Volpe)

Lastly, in the 2nd Life segment: (56:31) Tiny mics, opinions and background music. If you're on social media in any capacity, you've seen an explainer about some topic of interest. Have we reached peak explainer? (Article By Laura Pitcher)

Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, whether it be sending me questions or voicing your opinion in any way, peep the contact links below and I'll respond accordingly. Let me know "What's Good?"

Rate & Review

E-Mail: the5thelelmentpub@gmail.com
Twitter & IG: @The5thElementUK
Website: https://the5thelement.co.uk
Photography: https://www.crt.photography

Intro Music - "Too Much" By Vanilla
Interlude - "Charismatic" By NappyHigh
ChillHop Music

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
Diggin' In The Digits
5EPN Radio
Black Women Watch...
In Search of Sauce
The Beauty Of Independence

In a week where:

1. Prolific UK graffiti artist HELCH dies aged 34.
2. The UN declares a 1.5C overshoot unavoidable.
3. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem dies aged 92.
4. The UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size.
5. UK announces sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements.

In the 1st of two Politics segments: (10:45) Last month there was a hubbub in US Politics about "Woke 1", the BLM/#MeToo era that saw many a protest and societal questions. But why consign such an important time to history so bluntly? (Article By Andre Gee)

In the 2nd Politics segment: (26:49) Reform are mired in another scandal that have already resulted in resignations. But whilst mainstream media has finally pulled their finger out, independent media have been covering this beat for years. (Article By Iain Overton)

In Sports: (39:54) The Los Angeles Clippers are now in hell after the NBA threw the book at them. Whilst it definitely should've been worse, the NBA did the bare minimum to keep order and not make the league a complete farce. (Article By Jerry Brewer)

Lastly, in History: (51:23) A little known story where the area now known as California was once colonised by Russians. (Article By Eliot Stein)

Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, whether it be sending me questions or voicing your opinion in any way, peep the contact links below and I'll respond accordingly. Let me know "What's Good?"

Rate & Review

E-Mail: the5thelelmentpub@gmail.com
Twitter & IG: @The5thElementUK
Website: https://the5thelement.co.uk
Photography: https://www.crt.photography

Intro Music - "Too Much" By Vanilla
Interlude - "Charismatic" By NappyHigh
ChillHop Music

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
Diggin' In The Digits
5EPN Radio
Black Women Watch...
In Search of Sauce
The Beauty Of Independence

In a week where:

1. Dolly Parton, US country star, actor and philanthropist, dies aged 80.
2. A flash flood on Nepal-Tibet border send thousands of locals & tourists missing.
3. Meta agrees to heavy restrictions on teen users in major $17B lawsuit settlement.
4. Versatile actor of Film, TV & Theatre Tim Curry dies aged 80.
5. Ratko Mladic, Bosnian Serb commander found guilty of genocide, dies at 84.

In the 1st of two Politics segments: (11:11) There is a new star of the Israeli left! Just one problem: the left you're thinking of, is not what the left is in Israel... (Article By Jonathan Ofir)

In the 2nd Politics segment: (26:59) Contrary to Reform having little power nationally, they do have power locally, so let's see what they've been doing as leaders of Norfolk County Council for a 100 days. (Article By Cllr Ben Weston)

In Tech: (40:41) Mathematicians are widely considered as some of the smartest people on Earth. So what do they think about AI as it poses a significant threat to them and their craft? (Article By Simon Allison, Shougat Dasgupta, Masho Lomashvili and Irina Matchavariani)

Lastly, in Life: (59:46) Colour has been siphoned from our daily lives from cars to houses to clothes. So when did this shift happen and why is it persisting when colour is great for everyone's lives. (Article By Amogh Dimri)

Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, whether it be sending me questions or voicing your opinion in any way, peep the contact links below and I'll respond accordingly. Let me know "What's Good?"

Rate & Review

E-Mail: the5thelelmentpub@gmail.com
Twitter & IG: @The5thElementUK
Website: https://the5thelement.co.uk
Photography: https://www.crt.photography

Intro Music - "Too Much" By Vanilla
Interlude - "Charismatic" By NappyHigh
ChillHop Music

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
Diggin' In The Digits
5EPN Radio
Black Women Watch...
In Search of Sauce
The Beauty Of Independence

In a week where:

1. OpenAl suspends frontier training after an agent escaped its sandbox.
2. More than 100 miners die & 107 rescued from a collapsed gold pit in Central African Republic.
3. Trump plans 2026 summit with Kim Jong Un and halves joint military drills with South Korea.
4. Israel Finally Admits to Killing Hind Rajab, 933 Days Later.
5. Trump Admin imposes "Toughest Sanctions in History" on Iran.

In Music: After covering the AI artist Danny Bones in March, the people behind the right-wing voice have been revealed. (Article By Effie Webb)

In Sports: With ESPN cutting off more people that just so happened to be good at Journalism, it's clear that Sports Journalism is less about storytelling and uncovering truths, it's now #HOTTAKES & more importantly, not holding people to account. (Article By Lee Escobedo)

In Film: Off the back of David Jonsson becoming the next Black Panther, let's revisit the argument about Black British actors taking roles away from Afro-American actors! (Article By Farhia Koje)

Lastly, in Life: Reflecting on 400 episodes and detailing why I even do this.

Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, whether it be sending me questions or voicing your opinion in any way, peep the contact links below and I'll respond accordingly. Let me know "What's Good?"

Rate & Review

E-Mail: the5thelelmentpub@gmail.com
Twitter & IG: @The5thElementUK
Website: https://the5thelement.co.uk
Photography: https://www.crt.photography

Intro Music - "Too Much" By Vanilla
Interlude - "Charismatic" By NappyHigh
ChillHop Music

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
Diggin' In The Digits
5EPN Radio
Black Women Watch...
In Search of Sauce
The Beauty Of Independence