The Week Unwrapped: Polygamy, fish protests and tipping

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.

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In this week’s episode, we discuss:

Polygamy

While polygamy is illegal in most cases in India, there is a religious exemption for Muslims and some tribal communities. Now, urged on by women’s rights campaigners, the government wants to do away with that exemption and introduce a Universal Civil Code that would apply the same rules to all citizens regardless of their religion. Under different circumstances this might have been seen as a progressive piece of legislation that would have been welcomed. But is it actually another of Narendra Modi’s political attacks on India’s Muslims.

Industrial fishing

British and French fishermen put on an unusual show of unity this week as they joined forces to protest against industrial fishing techniques that are depleting stocks in the waters around the UK and mainland Europe. Their action follows reports that as much as 35% of all fish caught are wasted before they make it onto the consumer’s plate. How has this situation come to pass, and what can be done to improve it?

Tipping point

This week’s Queen’s speech was expected to include a bill that would force restaurants to distribute all money handed over in tips and service charges to staff rather than holding onto some or all of the money themselves – which the government had described as a “dodgy practice” when it pledged to change the law. But the measure has been quietly dropped. Is now the moment to reassess the way we reward service staff?