Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Arion McNicoll, Guy Anker and Suchandrika Chakrabarti.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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Ghost tankers
Reports this week have shed light on the network of sanctions-busting oil tankers that are ferrying oil around illicitly. Known as "shadow tankers" or "ghost tankers", they ply their trade between Iran, China and Ukraine – making up a fifth of the overall global crude oil tanker fleet. What does this tell us about the effectiveness, or otherwise, of sanctions – and what could be done to seal some of the loopholes?
Supermarket loyalty cards
According to research by the consumer magazine Which?, big supermarkets are fiddling with prices to make discounts for loyalty cards look better than they actually are. At a time when food prices are still rising, many of us are looking for ways to save money – but are we being misled? And since many loyalty card points are now worth less than they used to be, are we still getting good value for the data we hand over in return?
Court protests
A women who stood outside a court with a sign telling jurors that they have "an absolute right to acquit a defendant according to your conscience" will be prosecuted under contempt of court laws, it emerged this week, leading to protests from civil liberties campaigners. Trudi Warner, 68, displayed the sign outside the trial of a group of climate campaigners. What law did she transgress, and what does mean for the right to protest?
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Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
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The issue dividing Israel: ultra-Orthodox draft dodgersIn the Spotlight A new bill has solidified the community’s ‘draft evasion’ stance, with this issue becoming the country’s ‘greatest internal security threat’
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Codeword: December 13, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
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The Week Unwrapped: what’s scuppering Bulgaria’s Euro dream?Podcast Plus has Syria changed, a year on from its revolution? And why are humans (mostly) monogamous?
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The Week Unwrapped: Will drought fuel global violence?Podcast Plus why did Trump pardon a drug-trafficking president? And are romantic comedies in terminal decline?
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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?
