Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Abdulwahab Tahhan, Harriet Marsden and Suchandrika Chakrabarti
In this week's episode, we discuss:
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Butt lifts
UK health officials are to meet with counterparts in Turkey after the death of a British woman during so-called Brazilian butt lift surgery at a private hospital in Istanbul. Since January 2019, at least 24 Brits have died as a result of medical tourism trips to Turkey, according to the Foreign Office. Are patients being adequately informed of the risks? And is cosmetic-surgery tourism out of control?
Ransoms
The British Library fell victim to a cyberattack in October, resulting in a substantial theft of employee data from the world's largest library. Notorious ransomware group Rhysida has claimed responsibility, posting pictures of what appears to be the stolen data on the dark web and promising to auction it off to the highest bidder by Monday morning, with a starting price of 20 Bitcoin – equivalent to nearly £600,000. But who is Rhysida? Should government-funded bodies pay a "ransom" to cybercriminals to keep their systems secure? And how safe are any British institutions?
Argentina's right turn
Former TV pundit and far-right libertarian Javier Milei – nicknamed "the madman" by his followers – has stunned political experts by becoming the new president of Argentina. What does his election mean for Argentina's future? And what can the country expect from its new president?
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West Africa’s ‘coup cascade’The Explainer Guinea-Bissau takeover is the latest in the Sahel region, which has quietly become global epicentre of terrorism
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Daddy Pig: an unlikely flashpoint in the gender warsTalking Point David Gandy calls out Peppa Pig’s dad as an example of how TV portrays men as ‘useless’ fools
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Codeword: December 3, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
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The Week Unwrapped: Have pedigree dogs had their day?Podcast Plus what can we learn from Slovenia’s rejection of assisted dying? And can politicians admit their weaknesses?
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The Week Unwrapped: Will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?Podcast Plus what are the ethics of freezing your late partner?
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The Week Unwrapped: Can musicians challenge Putin?Podcast Plus who were the ‘human hunters’ of the Bosnian war? And what should happen to captive penguins?
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The Week Unwrapped: Are British rappers the world’s best?Podcast Plus can the Maldives quit smoking? And can whales lead us to immortality?
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The Week Unwrapped: Should we be eating less fat – or more?Podcast Plus who will benefit from the surprise Dutch election result? And how can art improve our health?
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The Week Unwrapped: Will Grace Wales Bonner change Hermès for the better?Podcast Plus will nuclear fusion deliver us from climate change? Is humour the best way to take on Trump?
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The Week Unwrapped: Can bullfighting win over young SpaniardsPodcast Plus, is online fandom inherently unhealthy? And is Putin’s economy running out of gas?
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The Week Unwrapped: Who had the last laugh in Riyadh?Podcast Plus are imported eggs undermining animal welfare? And what can we do about AI deepfakes?
