Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Julia Macfarlane, Suchandrika Chakrabarti and Jessica Hullinger
In this week's episode, we discuss:
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Taiwan
Taiwan's presidential elections will shape the region's geo-political landscape until 2028, making it one of the most pivotal polls in 2024, the so-called "year of elections". China has long claimed sovereignty over the island and has vowed to reunify it with the rest of the mainland by 2027. The threat of annexation has grown in recent years, with China carrying out a number of aggressive military exercises close to the island, heightening tensions between Washington, a staunch ally of Taiwan, and Beijing. How will China respond to the results of the election?
Solar engineering
British scientists are heading to the Arctic on a bold mission to explore whether engineering can be used to preserve the region's rapidly disappearing sea ice. Engineers are looking into "refreezing" Arctic waters as just one innovative solution which could halt the so-called "great melt". The experiment involves pumping seawater onto the ice to make it thicker and long-lasting. But how feasible is such a plan?
Secret TikTok
TikTok recently made changes to one of its features designed to track the popularity of trends of the app. The tool, known as Creative Centre, was designed to help advertisers track the popular hashtags and trends on the social media site. But it appears to have been removed after researchers and lawmakers used the results to analyse content related to geopolitics and the Israel-Hamas war. What is the significance of the change? And why is TikTok hiding its data?
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Political cartoons for February 11Cartoons Wednesday's political cartoons include erasing Epstein, the national debt, and disease on demand
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The Week contest: Lubricant larcenyPuzzles and Quizzes
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Can the UK take any more rain?Today’s Big Question An Atlantic jet stream is ‘stuck’ over British skies, leading to ‘biblical’ downpours and more than 40 consecutive days of rain in some areas
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The Week Unwrapped: Why are there so many Russian ships in the Channel?Podcast Plus, what does a ‘feminist’ approach to cancer involve? And who is Mickey’s new boss?
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The Week Unwrapped: Why is China clearing out its generals?Podcast Plus, can the Conservatives win back the centre? And what’s gone wrong with Britain’s hearing aids?
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The Week Unwrapped: What can we learn from a tool-wielding cow?Podcast Plus, have we reached ‘peak billionaire’? When should troops disobey their superiors?
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The Week Unwrapped: Will Uganda’s pop-star politician prevail?Podcast Plus, is dodgy data undermining medical research? And what does a new app reveal about Chinese society?
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The Week Unwrapped: Is Elon Musk’s AI tool a platform for abuse?Podcast Plus can Mumsnet predict who will be the next PM? And who is still watching Avatar sequels?
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The Week Unwrapped: What’s the cost of PFAs?Podcast Plus why is George Osborne joining OpenAI? And has universal basic income finally come of age?
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The Week Unwrapped: what’s scuppering Bulgaria’s Euro dream?Podcast Plus has Syria changed, a year on from its revolution? And why are humans (mostly) monogamous?
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The Week Unwrapped: Will drought fuel global violence?Podcast Plus why did Trump pardon a drug-trafficking president? And are romantic comedies in terminal decline?
