New Times,
New Thinking.

Allegations of corruption, from Qatar to FTX

A fresh Qatar corruption scandal emerges, while the founder of the cryptocurrency company FTX faces criminal charges.

Belgian prosecutors who were investigating allegations that Qatar tried to influence EU policy by bribing European parliament officials, have charged four people with money laundering, corruption and participating in a criminal organisation.

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by the New Statesman‘s business editor Will Dunn to discuss the investigation which comes as the Gulf country hosts the World Cup, and how “sportswashing” benefits Qatar and the West.

Next, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been arrested in the Bahamas after prosecutors in the United States filed criminal charges. The team discuss why the company initially folded and the founder’s dramatic fall from grace, as well as wider the consequences for the crypto industry.

Then, in You Ask Us a question from, not a listener, but ChatGPT: How does racism manifest in AI, and what are the potential consequences for society if left unaddressed.

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer: visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to learn more 

Read more:

Give a gift subscription to the New Statesman this Christmas from just £49

Will Dunn on the amateur sleuths who helped to bring down Sam Bankman-Fried

Will Dunn writes Sam Bankman-Fried exposes the moral conceit of effective altruism

Jonathan Liew writes the Qatar World Cup is a moral disaster – is it braver to step away, or step inside.

Ido Vock on why ChatGPT proves that AI still has a racism problem.

[See also: Are British prime ministers too powerful? With Armando Iannucci]

How to listen to the World Review podcast

1. In your browser

You can use the player above to listen in your browser right now. The World Review podcast publishes on Monday and Thursdays. All episodes are published to newstatesman.com/podcasts on the day of release.

2. In a podcast app

World Review is available on all major podcast apps including Apple PodcastsSpotifyAcastGoogle Podcasts, and more. Search “World Review” in your favourite podcast app, and subscribe or follow to make sure you receive episodes as soon as they publish. While you’re there, please leave a review for the podcast – it helps others find the show, which in turn makes it possible for us to keep making it.

3. On your smart speaker

If you have an Amazon Echo, Google Home or Apple HomePod smart speaker, ask it to “play the latest episode of World Review”. The same command also works with virtual assistants on mobile devices.

[See also:

Content from our partners
Building Britain’s water security
How to solve the teaching crisis
Pitching in to support grassroots football

Topics in this article : , ,