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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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: 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?
