Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Suchandrika Chakrabarti, Rory Reid and Sorcha Bradley.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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Russians in Bali
The growing number of Russian tourists on the Indonesian island of Bali has led to growing tensions with the local population. The island’s government has called for Indonesia to cancel it visa-on-arrival policy, claiming that Russians with tourist visas are working illegally – and accusing them of being disrespectful to the Balinese population. But are Russians being unfairly singled out?
ChatGPT gets an upgrade
The AI-powered chat bot ChatGPT was hailed as a breakthrough, for good and ill, when it was introduced to the public last year. Now it’s getting an upgrade, which is intended to make it more powerful – and more nuanced. Should we welcome the news, or fear it? To those people who were worried about the current bot’s ability to propagate misinformation, a subtler version represents an even greater threat.
Seaweed runs riot
The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, a vast seaweed bloom of such immense scale that it can be observed from space, is currently heading towards Florida, where it is predicted to make landfall during the peak summer season. Although harmless in the open ocean, the sargassum seaweed becomes a problem when sizable portions wash up on the shoreline and start to decompose, releasing toxic fumes that damage beaches, disrupt local ecosystems, and drive away tourism. What is behind this year’s seaweed super-bloom and what can be done to protect beaches against it?
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Political cartoons for February 3Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include empty seats, the worst of the worst of bunnies, and more
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Trump’s Kennedy Center closure plan draws ireSpeed Read Trump said he will close the center for two years for ‘renovations’
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Trump's ‘weaponization czar’ demoted at DOJSpeed Read Ed Martin lost his title as assistant attorney general
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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?
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The Week Unwrapped: Have pedigree dogs had their day?Podcast Plus what can we learn from Slovenia’s rejection of assisted dying? And can politicians admit their weaknesses?
