Labour leader Keir Starmer delivers his first major speech of 2024, telling an audience in Bristol that the UK was 'ready for an election' and 'crying out for change'
Elections are set to dominate headlines in 2024 as more than half of the global population heads to the polls.
In the biggest election year in history, an estimated four billion people will be eligible to vote in presidential, legislative and local elections in more than 60 countries, including the UK and US.
In the UK, Labour leader Keir Starmer has launched his election bid by promising a "politics that treads a little lighter on all our lives" if his party wins power. Pundits predicted that a snap spring poll was on the cards after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt set a March date for the Spring Budget, but Rishi Sunak then told journalists that his "working assumption" was that the next election would be in "the second half of this year".
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Over in the US, the signs are pointing towards another election showdown between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in November, with both leading the races to secure their respective party nominations. In the meantime, China hawks will be watching as voters in Taiwan go to the polls later this month to elect their next president, with the outcome likely to have a profound impact on both domestic and global politics.
The elections bonanza also includes Russia, although the outcome of that vote, in March, appears to be all but a foregone conclusion. In December, Vladimir Putin ended months of speculation by confirming that he would run for re-election, a move that could see him retain power until at least 2030.
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. Which of the following politicians is not a candidate in Taiwan's upcoming presidential election?
Tsai Ing-wen
Hou Yu-ih
Lai Ching-te
Ko Wen-je
2. Disney's copyright of Mickey and Minnie Mouse and which of Winnie the Pooh's sidekicks expired this week?
Owl
Eeyore
Roo
Tigger
3. Who beat 16-year-old darts prodigy Luke Littler to become the PDC world champion?
Scott Williams
Rob Cross
Luke Humphries
Michael van Gerwen
4. What is the name of the storm that pummelled Britain this week?
Hank
Henk
Hink
Hunk
5. Which European royal announced their surprise abdication in a New Year's Eve speech?
Belgium's King Philippe
Norway's King Harald V
Spain's King Felipe VI
Denmark's Queen Margrethe II
6. Which animals are causing record numbers of car breakdowns in the UK, according to latest RAC figures?
Foxes
Rats
Cats
Squirrels
7. Which US state became the first in which Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualified for the 2024 presidential ballot?
Utah
Colorado
Arizona
California
8. Manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser recalled which product from sale this week over contamination fears?
Indigestion tablets
Baby formula powder
Throat lozenges
Eye drops
9. Who was named Director of the Year at this week's Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards?
Martin Scorsese
Christopher Nolan
Greta Gerwig
Emerald Fennell
10. What percentage of British teenagers feel "addicted" to social media, according to a new Cambridge University study?
32%
41%
48%
59%
1. Tsai Ing-wen Opposition politicians Hou and Ko and current vice president Lai are battling to replace Tsai, who is due to step down after completing two terms as president. The outcome of the election, on 13 January, will have major implications for both domestic and global politics, as Beijing reiterates China's claim to the island.
2. Tigger
The bouncy tiger jumped into the public domain along with Mickey and Minnie on 1 January, when 95 years of copyright protection of the characters expired. Find out more with The Week Unwrapped podcast.
3. Luke Humphries British teen Littler, nicknamed "The Nuke", defeated former world No.1s Cross and van Gerwen to become the youngest-ever world championship finalist, before losing to Humphries. The 28-year-old new world champ took five consecutive sets to win 7-4 at London's Alexandra Palace on Wednesday.
4. Henk The first named storm to hit the UK in 2024 brought winds of up to 94mh and caused widespread flooding and travel disruption. Henk was the eighth named storm in three months and came days after Storm Gerrit ripped through the country.
5. Denmark's Queen Margrethe II
The world's only reigning queen and Europe's longest-serving monarch said she would step down on 14 January – 52 years to the day since she became monarch following the death of her father, King Frederik IX. The throne will go to her 55-year-old son, Crown Prince Frederik.
6. Rats More than half of 303 callouts involving animal damage to UK vehicles between last January and November were down to rats, according to the RAC. For more stories from the stranger side of life, sign up to The Week's Tall Tales newsletter.
7. Utah Independent candidate and anti-vaccine activist Kennedy successfully filed to put his name on the ballot in Utah after collecting the 1,000 voter signatures required for independents to get access. The scion of America's most famous political family initially planned to run for the Democratic Party nomination but announced in October that he was going it alone.
8. Baby formula powder Reckitt Benckiser said it was voluntarily recalling 675,000 cans of Nutramigen Powder, a hypoallergenic formula sold in the US and UK, as a "precautionary step" owing to a "possibility of contamination" with Cronobacter sakazakii. The bacteria can cause the potentially fatal infections sepsis and meningitis, but the company said that no "illnesses or adverse events" linked to the products had been reported.
9.Greta Gerwig The "Barbie" director was presented with the Director of the Year award by her film's stars Margot Robbie and America Ferrera at the awards ceremony in Palm Springs, California. Other winners included actors Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone and Carey Mulligan.
10. 48% An analysis of responses from 7,000 people aged 16-18 for the Millennium Cohort study found that a higher proportion of girls (57%) than boys (37%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "I think I am addicted to social media".
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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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