Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters.
You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Protests in Canada
The Canadian government has invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time, in response to protests by truckers against compulsory vaccinations – which have spread to include a large group of other anti-lockdown and anti-government demonstrators. The most controversial measures introduced by the emergency legislation include an instruction to banks to freeze the assets and close the accounts of groups and individuals involved in the protest – a penalty that can be imposed without any court order. How likely is it that these protests could spread to other countries, and what response will they provoke?
Sewage costs
The UK has some of the dirtiest rivers in Europe, in large part because water companies so often allow sewers to overflow and pollute them. Now the head of the regulator is floating the idea that executive pay in the privatised utilities could be linked to pollution levels. There are worries that making the water companies clean up rivers could lead them in turn to jack up bills, just as taxes and energy bills are creating a cost-of-living crisis. But critics of the government and the water companies say the real problem is too much profit-taking and too little investment.
Friends in China
The US sitcom Friends, which had been abruptly removed from Chinese streaming services, was restored this week – but only after all gay references had been removed. For Chinese audiences, Ross’s ex-wife is no longer a lesbian and Chandler is no longer worried about being thought gay. The move reflects an increasing Chinese paranoia about sexuality and gender roles: the government has recently directed TV companies to reinforce traditional ideas about masculinity, and several male singers and presenters have revised their looks accordingly.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
What we know about the Titan sub’s likely implosionfeature Experts say the five passengers would have died ‘instantaneously’ following ‘catastrophic’ loss of pressure
-
What happened to the missing Titanic sub?
Today's Big Question Oxygen supplies running out after vessel lost contact during ‘daredevil’ trip
-
Man arrested after shooting himself in the leg
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
Scientists have watched the end of the world
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
Canada’s troubled relationship with its indigenous population
feature State grappling with reparations amid accusations of genocides against First Nations people
-
Woman passes driving test at 960th attempt
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
The Week Unwrapped: Korean succession, terror by algorithm and German disquiet
podcast Could a 10-year-old girl rule North Korea? Will an Isis victim upend web law? And why is Germany upset with its Oscars contender?
-
The Week Unwrapped: The male pill, consultants and a green trade war
podcast Will men finally get an oral contraceptive? Is the government using too many consultants? And why are the US and EU at loggerheads over green tech?
