Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Cindy Yu, Harriet Marsden and Jamie Timson
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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China vs Kenya
President William Ruto of Kenya has sought a $1 billion loan from China to revive stalled infrastructure projects in the country. Kenya was once enthusiastic participant in President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative — a decade-old effort to revitalise the ancient Silk Road and expand China's global influence through infrastructure — but many projects have since stalled or fallen short of promised returns. How successful has China's Belt and Road Initiative been? And what does its stalling economy mean for Chinese-funded infrastructure projects elsewhere?
Mexico's fentanyl issue
Mexico's top drug trafficking organisation is reportedly considering a ban on the production and sale of fentanyl. The Sinaloa cartel was the biggest exporter of the synthetic opioid, but the US is increasingly cracking down on the deadly drug that's ravaging the country. Despite prominent billboard warnings and a spate of disappearances linked to the 'ban', is this a PR move designed to ease US heat? Will the cartel step up sales of cocaine, heroin and even guns to make up the shortfall? And how will allies Mexico and the US resolve the crisis, given that most of the opioid chemicals originate in China?
Album reviews
Differing views on music journalism came to the fore this week with hip hop luminaries Ice Spice and Drake offering competing opinions on the worth of music critics. Where it was once a guide to which album to buy, the terms are now very different with a new culture of streaming that gives you every release at your fingertips. Is there still a space for the humble album review or are music journalists going to have to face up to the fact that the times they are a-changin'?
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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?
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The Week Unwrapped: Was life sent to Earth by aliens?Podcast Plus why did Nepali voters use a gaming app to pick their next PM? And will a new national park boost the case for Welsh independence?
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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?
