The Week Unwrapped podcast: Apec, soft saving and flying taxis

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Mariana Vieira, Rebekah Evans and Rory Reid.

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In this week's episode, we discuss:

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The Apec economic summit

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group met this week for the first time in 20 years. The summit, in San Francisco, created the opportunity for a rare face-to-face meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping. The presidential encounter attracted most of the headlines, but the main business of the event was international trade. Will the discussions help to advance that cause, which has foundered in recent years – or is it little more than a talking shop?

Soft saving

The 'soft saving' trend is gaining traction across social media, encouraging people to save only for their short-term goals, forgoing the long term until a later date. This is despite a survey suggesting most Gen Z people want to retire comfortably. Does soft saving really translate into real life? And is it the responsible thing to do?

Flying taxis

The makers of two electric air taxis showed off their drone-like vehicles in New York City this week. Compared with helicopters, the so-called eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing craft) are quieter and greener, but they still face many challenges. They are not yet licensed for commercial use, and the crash of a similar aircraft in the UK earlier this year demonstrated the safety fears. But their backers insist that they will play a role in sustainable air travel.