Donald Trump's latest controversial remarks about the future of Nato made global headlines in another week that saw global tensions rise.
Alarm bells rang across Europe when the former US president threatened to "encourage" Russia to attack Nato member states that have not contributed enough money to the military alliance. Speaking at a rally in South Carolina, Trump recalled telling a European leader at a past Nato meeting that the US wouldn't defend what he called "delinquent" nations.
Responding to Trump's comments, Nato's secretary general Jens Stoltenberg emphasised the risk they posed to global security. "Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk," he said in a statement.
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In the UK, the Labour Party won both the Kingswood and Wellingborough by-elections, meaning the Conservatives now hold the unenviable record of the most by-election losses in a single parliament since the 1960s. The results are a further blow to Rishi Sunak's hopes of clinging to power in a general election likely to come this year, but will be a relief for a Labour Party that saw itself engulfed in yet another antisemitism row this week.
Parkrun, the community-led non-competitive event that takes place every Saturday morning in more than 20 countries, became an unlikely new battleground in the culture wars this week, after it was criticised for allowing trans entrants to self-identify their gender. The organisation removed data such as gender, course and speed records from its website, which it said it had done following a review into "how we can present data in a way that is not off-putting and doesn't imply that Parkrun is a race".
In royal news, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new sussex.com website stirred controversy as the pair appeared to reclaim titles bestowed on them by the late Queen. The new site, which also features their royal coat of arms, has fuelled speculation that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are seeking to revive their media careers.
To find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest developments in the news and other global events, put your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.
1. Billions of which insect are expected to emerge across the US Midwest and Southeast this spring?
Fireflies
Mosquitoes
Grasshoppers
Cicadas
2. Joe Biden posted a Super Bowl-themed Q&A on which social media platform?
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
Twitter
3. Scientists have invented a new "hybrid food" by integrating beef cells into what staple foodstuff?
Rice
Potatoes
Corn
Eggs
4. An invasive species of alligator snapping turtle pulled out of a lake in Cumbria was given what name by locals?
Fluffy
Snappy
Ally
Michelangelo
5. What is the name of the Edinburgh Castle cafe that critics claim is "deeply offensive to Scottish people"?
Bonnie Prince Charlie Tea Room
The Culloden Cafeteria
The Jacobite Brasserie
Redcoat Cafe
6. Competition between the US and China could "turbocharge" which country's economic growth in the next decade, according to analysts?
Indonesia
Taiwan
Cambodia
Vietnam
7. Professional football is facing the biggest rule shake-up in a generation with the proposed introduction of which "rugby-style" rule?
Shot clock
Captain's challenge
Bunker review
Blue card
8. Which nation lost its spot as the world's third largest economy after it slipped into a recession this week?
Japan
Germany
United Kingdom
India
9. What are the new names of London Overground's six train lines?
Tudor, Churchill, Wren, Dickens, Shakespeare and Lennon
Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty
Chaucer, Austen, Rowling, Orwell, Woolf and Wilde
Goblin, Brunel, Gunners, Charles, Beefeater and Globe
10. NFL has failed to pay out settlements for which type of injury, according to a new investigation into American football?
ACL injuries
Achilles tendonitis
Concussions
Knee injuries
(Image credit: The Week)
1. Cicadas Billions of cicadas are set to emerge on the East Coast and Midwest in April, as the 13-year Brood XIX and 17-year Brood XIII coincide for the first time in more than 200 years.
2. TikTok The social media platform is not allowed on most government devices over fears of data collection from the Chinese-owned app. However, the Biden campaign justified its new account as a way to get its message across "every channel and every platform possible" in a media environment that is more "fragmented and personalized than ever".
3. Rice Researchers at Yonsei University in South Korea have created an eco-friendly "hybrid food" consisting of beef muscle and fat cells grown inside grains of rice. Resembling a blend of meat mince and rice, the experimental food could provide people with animal nutrients while lowering both production costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Fluffy The native US alligator snapping turtle was rescued from a Cumbrian lake by locals after being spotted by a dog walker. Fluffy was taken to the vet for checks before being safely rehomed. For more unusual news, subscribe to our Tall Tales newsletter.
5. Redcoat Cafe Almost 4,000 people have signed a petition demanding that the castle's Redcoat Cafe change the name under which it has operated since 1992, because of its links to the British Army's crushing defeat of the Jacobites and the Highland Clearances in the 18th century.
6. Vietnam Vietnam had the 35th largest economy in 2023 and a poverty rate that is constantly declining. Its ability to balance its relationship with the US and China has "enabled it to upgrade relations with the West while maintaining positive ties with its largest trading partner, China".
7. Blue card The International Football Association Board is considering a major rule change by introducing "rugby-style" blue cards and sin bins for players who have committed cynical fouls or show dissent towards officials, in a bid to improve behaviour on the field.
8. Japan Japan unexpectedly fell into recession after its gross domestic product shrunk by 0.4% in Q4 2023, well below its estimated 1.4% growth. Germany has overtaken Japan as the world's third largest economy.
9. Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty The London Overground has been rebranded on the Tube map to help travellers navigate the city's suburban rail network. Its orange line will be replaced by six distinct routes, each with its own colour and a name marking the capital's history.
10. Concussions
The NFL agreed in 2015 to a $765 million settlement after American football players filed a lawsuit alleging that the league dismissed the true dangers of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. An investigation by The Washington Post found that the settlement carved out a new definition for brain-related injuries that "requires more impairment than the standard definition used in the United States".
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Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.
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