The Week Unwrapped: fat-busting jabs, Fox’s ‘fake’ news and saving oceans
Are weight-loss ‘wonder drugs’ really so wonderful? Should we care if political pundits are parroting bogus claims? And why is a new high seas treaty making waves?
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Jamie Timson, Felicity Capon and Arion McNicoll.
You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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.
Obesity drugs
A new weight-loss “wonder” jab has just been approved for use in England by the NHS. As the world battles ever-rising obesity rates and expanding waistlines, is this the miracle cure we've all been waiting for? Or is there a darker side to this latest medical breakthrough?
Debunking the news
An election tech company is suing Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News for $1.6bn for airing false claims that it helped cheat Donald Trump out of a win in the 2020 presidential election. Newly released texts and emails suggest the media tycoon and other top executives knew the vote-rigging conspiracies were baseless. But is that par for the course on a partisan television network or could the revelations spell the end of the US news giant?
Protecting seas
Following two decades of negotiations, nearly 200 countries have finally agreed to a legally binding protocol designed to protect marine life in international waters. The UN High Seas Treaty aims to bring law and order to the almost two-thirds of Earth’s oceans that lie outside national boundaries. So just how will the deal help reverse biodiversity losses and ensure a sustainable future?
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?
Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
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?
-
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?
-
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?
-
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?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Has Donald Trump secured his Nobel Peace Prize?
Podcast Plus, what does the use of North Korean and Indian labour tell us about the Russian war economy? And why have we all gone crazy for pickles?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why are we watching the ocean floor?
Podcast Plus, what can we learn from a football club on the brink? And which jobs will fall to AI first?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Could AI replace catwalk models?
Podcast Plus, should countries sue each other for climate damage? And what does Grand Theft Auto 6 tell us about the video game industry?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Are electric bikes 'invading' London?
Podcast Plus, why is Volodymyr Zelenskyy opposing anti-corruption laws? And how will US withdrawal affect Unesco?