The Week Unwrapped: Crypto power, a Grenfell deal and vaccine lawsuits
Will crypto-currencies cost the Earth? Are victims of the Grenfell fire getting justice? And how should people be compensated for vaccine side-effects?
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Arion McNicoll, Arion McNicoll and Felicity Capon.
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.
Fuelling Bitcoin
Most Bitcoin mining used to be done in China, until the government closed down the banks of computers used to mint the cyber-currency because of the immense power they were using. Since about 2021, the US has become the industry’s global leader. And their energy needs are astonishing: 34 Bitcoin “mines” are using as much energy as three million homes. According to a recent New York Times investigation, Bitcoin mining worldwide now “emits around the same amount of CO2 annually as a country the size of Greece”.
A Grenfell deal
Survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire, and relatives of those who died, have reached a civil settlement with a number of companies, including the construction company Arconic. The deal involves about 900 claimants, who will receive compensation – but is unconnected with a police investigation and public inquiry, both of which are ongoing. As are attempts to pursue the government and housing developers to rectify other buildings which are clad in potentially flammable material.
Vaccine side-effects
While side-effects from Covid vaccinations were exceedingly rare, a small number of people died or suffered serious injuries after the mass immunisation campaign. The widower of a 44-year-old woman whose death was caused by the Astra-Zeneca vaccine now says that his only recourse is to sue the company, after it and the government failed to respond to his pleas for help. Does the UK need to improve the way it deals with these rare cases of vaccine-related injury – and could the current impasse undermine public faith in the system?
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Cytomegalovirus can cause permanent birth defects
The Explainer The virus can show no symptoms in adults
-
Summer in Seattle: Outdoor dining like nowhere else
Feature Featuring a patio with a waterfront view, a beer garden, and more
-
Ari Aster revisits the pandemic, Adam Sandler tees off again and Lamb Chop gets an origin story in July movies
the week recommends The month's film releases include 'Eddington,' 'Happy Gilmore 2' and 'Shari & Lamb Chop'
-
The Week Unwrapped: Should women be conscripted?
Podcast Plus, are digital ID cards inevitable? And why do women get more ACL injuries?
-
The Week Unwrapped: How do you turn plastics into paracetamol?
Podcast Plus, what is the Wagner Group doing now? And why is it so hard to find a job after university?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Could the Greens ape Reform UK?
Podcast Plus, are more people opting out of public services?
-
The Week Unwrapped: How did South Korea become a cultural powerhouse?
Podcast Plus, what does a vote on citizenship tell us about Italy? And is the future of football six-a-side?
-
The Week Unwrapped: How did Japan become a space superpower?
Podcast Plus, why on earth are Labubu dolls so popular? Will buy-now-pay-later cause a new financial crisis?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will Europe beat China and India to the North Pole?
Podcast Plus, is the man who designed the iPhone going to kill his own creation? And what's going on at the equalities watchdog?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will the Enhanced Games change how we see doping?
Podcast Plus, how will autonomous weapons change warfare? And are Reform supporters more datable than Tories?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is cheese so bad for the environment?
Podcast Plus, will weight-loss drugs cut cancer rates? And what's behind a rise in 'sextortion' cases?