Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Abdulwahab Tahhan, Julia O’Driscoll and Emma Smith.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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War trophies
One unexpected side-effect of the war in Ukraine is a brisk online trade in battlefield trophies captured from Russian soldiers. These items, ranging from shell casings to helmets and body armour, are being sold to collectors, mostly in the US. Many of the sellers say the proceeds will go towards funding the war effort. Is this a reasonable exchange in desperate times – or is there something unseemly in putting a monetary value on mementoes taken from dead or captured Russian soldiers?
Red-light row
Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Haslema, has plans to build a new “erotic centre” – and to move 100 of the Wallen district’s red-lit brothels out of the city centre and into the new zone. Sex workers, property developers and local residents have come out strongly against the plans, and are making their stance clear with a widespread campaign to preserve the district.
Barbie on the border
The Vietnamese government has banned Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”, after it emerged that the film contains a scene depicting a map with the “nine dash line”, a representation of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam says the claim violates its sovereignty, and has banned films before for showing maps depicting China’s preferred border. Is this another sign of Beijing’s sway over Hollywood – or an overreaction in Hanoi to an inadvertent error?
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Revisionism and division: Franco’s legacy five decades onIn The Spotlight Events to mark 50 years since Franco’s death designed to break young people’s growing fascination with the Spanish dictator
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Did Cop30 fulfil its promise to Indigenous Brazilians?Today’s Big Question Brazilian president approves 10 new protected territories, following ‘unprecedented’ Indigenous presence at conference, both as delegates and protesters
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The best Christmas theatre shows across the UKThe Week Recommends Tip-top festive ballets, plays and comedies to book up now
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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?
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The Week Unwrapped: Can bullfighting win over young SpaniardsPodcast Plus, is online fandom inherently unhealthy? And is Putin’s economy running out of gas?
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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?
