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CEO Picks - The best that international journalism has to offer!

S22
Emmys 2024: Why Reservation Dogs is the biggest snub of this year's awards season    

For Native Americans like me who have rarely seen ourselves accurately represented in entertainment, the revolutionary TV show Reservation Dogs has been both life-affirming and life-changing. Premiering in 2021, this coming-of-age tale told the story of four teens trying to navigate modern life on an Oklahoma Indian reservation. It didn't hold back on its depictions of the many hardships that tribal communities face in the wake of colonialism, such as forced assimilation, inordinate violence, marked health disparities, and lower life expectancies. But at its core, it was the humanity of the simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking storylines that enraptured fans – although not, it seems, Emmy and Golden Globes voters. I admit that, as a super fan, I'm far from objective. But I still have enough clarity to call it like I see it: with no nominations for last weekend's Golden Globes and just one nomination, for sound editing, at the Emmys – the main ceremony of which takes place on Monday – Rez Dogs is undoubtedly the biggest snub of this year's awards season so far. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since the groundbreaking series by Indigenous creatives Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi has been regularly overlooked by the Television Academy (the organisation behind the Emmys) throughout its three-season run. (Though it should be noted that the show has received a Peabody Award and repeat AFI TV program of the year awards, among other accolades.)

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S1
Favorite Children's Books of 2023    

Tender and poetic reckonings with friendship, fear, love, solitude, black holes, deep time, and the interconnectedness of life.

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S2
If Customers Knew How You Use Their Data, Would They Call It Creepy?    

There is so much promise in what data can do, opening up opportunities for optimization and uncovering insights from correlations. There is more data coming from more places everyday, and every sector of the economy is becoming increasingly data-driven. But while data is flowing in novel ways, for most consumers it’s all hidden in a big data black box.

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S3
Small Actions Make Great Leaders    

Leadership has traditionally been taught as a set of larger actions, such as having a difficult conversation or coaching someone. In reality, leading well is an integrated activity, in which one is doing many things simultaneously. One way to learn to do this better is to think about leadership as a series of small actions that are practiced, then carefully sequenced and interwoven during interactions. For instance, instead of thinking of something as a “difficult conversation,” a leader might aim to disarm, then show appreciation, then appeal to values. Research identifies 25 such actions, and learning to implement them in the right circumstances can help one become a better leader.

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S4
Steve Jobs Wasn't (Just) a Leader    

Steve Job’s passing may be one of those events that our memory swallows whole. Those that punctuate our life stories and we remember from within, as personal experiences. Where we were when we heard the news, what we were doing, with whom. Whether it was an iPhone or iPad we first learned it on. Steve’s death, in that respect, did not just happen to him. It happened to us.

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S5
Steer Your Family Businesses Through an Unplanned Transition    

In a perfect world, family businesses will transition leadership from one generation to the next along a predictable and well-planned process — whether that’s determined within the business, the ownership group, or the family itself — passing the baton after years of preparation. But more and more families are discovering that their transition experience doesn’t follow that path. Advances in modern medicine have increased human life expectancy and productivity, allowing some leaders to continue playing a central role into their 80s and 90s. And this, of course, can leave family members with a false sense of security — of course they will live a long life, they assume, so why even think about planning a leadership transition just yet? Meanwhile, natural disasters, accidents, and illness (as the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated so clearly) have the ability to claim many of our loved ones much earlier than we expect. Both scenarios can leave leaders utterly unprepared for the job. But such unplanned transitions don’t have to inevitably end in disaster. With some preparation and creative action, family businesses can rebound quickly in less-than-ideal circumstances.

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S6
The Ripple Effect of a Great Work Culture    

René Carayol, visiting professor at Cass Business School, on the manifold benefits of adopting a customers-first mentality.

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S7




S8
The Most Successful Approaches to Leading Organizational Change    

When tasked with implementing large-scale organizational change, leaders often give too much attention to the what of change — such as a new organization strategy, operating model or acquisition integration — not the how — the particular way they will approach such changes. Such inattention to the how comes with the major risk that old routines will be used to get to new places. Any unquestioned, “default” approach to change may lead to a lot of busy action, but not genuine system transformation. Through their practice and research, the authors have identified the optimal ways to conceive, design, and implement successful organizational change.

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S9
Make Your Strategy More Agile    

Incorporate vision and improvisation.

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S10
Play It Safe at Home, or Take a Risk Abroad?    

HBR’s fictionalized case studies present dilemmas faced by leaders in real companies and offer solutions from experts. This one is based on the HBS Case Study “Aaron’s: Household Goods for the U.S. Base of the Pyramid” (case no. 311047) by Michael Chu and Charles Smithgall, which is available at hbr.org

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S11
Don't Let Anchoring Bias Weigh Down Your Judgment    

Even expert decision makers who should know better can fall into the trap of anchoring. That’s the cognitive bias where our minds assign too much weight to information that is easily accessible but unfortunately irrelevant. Anchoring can prove costly in negotiations and key financial decisions. However, strategies such as research, critical thinking, and zero-based budgeting can help keep our thinking well-grounded. It’s even possible to understand and use the anchoring bias of others to your advantage in negotiations.

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S12
Are You Listening to Your Most Important Customers?    

You don’t see many tweets touting companies as #betterthanaverage. But there’s plenty of social media chatter about really good or bad customer experiences. The same holds true for the feedback companies receive directly via e-mails or phone calls. Customers are most likely to offer feedback when they have either a really bad experience or a great one — and they almost never say a word when their experience falls somewhere in the middle.

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S13
The F-35 and the Tradeoff Fallacy    

The US military’s F-35 Lightning II was going to change everything. A product of the Joint Strike Fighter program, which aimed to design a strike fighter that would satisfy the needs of the Air Force, Navy, and Marines, the F-35 would be revolutionary in its versatility, applicability, and a host of other -ilities too. And it was going to be really, really expensive. But worth it!

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S14
Keep Up with Your Quants    

Learning basic statistical principles and methods is essential, but you don’t need a PhD in the stuff. The “quants” have the detailed know-how, and working closely with the right ones is key. You also should expect them to communicate their work effectively—and to truly comprehend it yourself before you relay it to others.

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S15
AlphaGo and the Declining Advantage of Big Companies    

Last week, machine learning took a big leap forward when Google’s AlphaGo, a machine algorithm, beat the world champion, Lee Sedol, in the game Go. An ancient Chinese board game that dates back nearly 3,000 years, Go is played on a 19-by-19 square grid, with each player trying capture the opponent’s territory. Unlike Western chess that has around 40 turns in a game, Go can go up to 200. The number of possible outcomes quickly compounds to a bewildering range of 10,761 — more than the total number of atoms in the entire observable universe. It was thought it would take at least another 10 years before a machine could beat a human in Go.

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S16
Customer Experience Is an Investment, Not a Cost    

Earlier, I wrote about how “It’s Not Who Your Customers Are, It’s How They Behave.” Demographics aren’t interesting in and of themselves — businesses benefit from their customers’ (trans)actions. Knowing that someone is 31 years old and lives in a certain area isn’t as interesting as understanding what gets them to buy a product or join a service or use a feature. Shaping the customer experience influences behavior, which requires us to turn our attention to design.

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S17
Case Study: Which Customers Should This Restaurant Listen To?    

Rohit was juggling eggs. Smooth, brown ovals—in one hand or the other for a split second, and then up, up, up in the air. First there were three, then four, then five—Where are they coming from? he wondered—but he kept his arms moving and the loops going, and the crowd in front of him cheered. Where am I? Who are these people? He wanted to look around but knew he couldn’t take his eyes off the eggs. Then, suddenly, they changed into different things: a chicken leg, a courgette, a tomato, a potato, and a bag of lentils. He tried to keep juggling, but his fingers slipped on the slick chicken skin, he tossed the lentils too low and the potato too high, and everything came crashing to the ground. He looked down, but the mess wasn’t what he expected. All around him were broken eggs—dozens of them—whites and yolks oozing out through splintered shells.

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S18
What to Do If You Feel Like You've Lost Your Intuition    

It can be disconcerting to feel that your intuition isn’t working the way it should. What happens when, as a leader, you feel your intuition is suddenly failing you? In this article, the authors outline five strategies to help you get back in touch with your gut instinct: 1) Lean on your team. 2) Create space in your day to be quiet and reflect. 3) Stop multitasking. 4) Practice small decisions. 5) Don’t worry about perfection.

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S19
Punk Rock, the Peace Movement, and Open-Source AI: The Mozilla Foundation's Mark Surman - MIT Sloan Management Review    

The winter 2024 issue features a special report on sustainability, and provides insights on developing leadership skills, recognizing and addressing caste discrimination, and engaging in strategic planning and execution.The winter 2024 issue features a special report on sustainability, and provides insights on developing leadership skills, recognizing and addressing caste discrimination, and engaging in strategic planning and execution.When Mark Surman produced a pro-peace public service announcement for his local TV station as a self-proclaimed “punk rock kid” in the 1980s, he wasn’t thinking about a future career evangelizing fair, equitable, and trustworthy technology access for everyone. But today, as president of the Mozilla Foundation, he is focused on exactly that.

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S20
Taylor Swift could be the push the VR industry needs    

The unprecedented popularity of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour has inspired fans to spend thousands on tickets, while its cinematic debut broke box office records. Now, some experts in the virtual reality (VR) space are hopeful it will also inspire her fans – "Swifties" – to adopt the immersive technology platform.Along with stadiums and cinemas across the globe, The Eras Tour is also streaming on Amazon's Prime Video app. Soon after its release fans discovered that, like much of Prime Video's content library, they could stream the film in their own private virtual theatres through Prime Video's VR app on a Meta Quest. 

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S21
VOV: Where the story of Italy's eggnog war began    

Hit the slopes at Cortina, Val Gardena or Mottolino, and you'll quickly become familiar with one of Italy's most iconic winter cocktails: bombardino.Invented in 1972 by Aldo Del Bò, a ski lift manager in Livigno, bombardino mixes whiskey or brandy and hot zabaione, the Italian version of eggnog, finishing it off with a heap of piped whipped cream. It's the perfect drink to warm yourself after a day on the powder – a "small indulgence", in the words of one Italian writer, "with an invigorating power".

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S23
Has Mean Girls lost its bite?    

"This isn't your mother's Mean Girls," announces the trailer for the new musical-movie remake of the 2004 classic, which is currently topping the US box office. If "not your mother's Mean Girls" means it's a departure from the problematic jokes that were a hallmark of the noughties (and of Tina Fey, who wrote the original, the Broadway musical from which the new version is an adaptation of and this current iteration), then it certainly delivers on that promise for Gen Z.A quick, relatively spoiler-free rundown of some of the big changes: much of the cast are queer people of colour, including Damian (Jacquel Spivey) and Janis (Auli'i Cravalho), from whose perspective the story is told. Cady (Angourie Rice) has transferred from being homeschooled specifically in Kenya instead of the monolithic Africa (and Kevin G nicknames her "Water Bird" – in the original it is "Africa"), and the different social groups aren't categorised by race. Damian sings the I, Carly theme song in French instead of Christina Aguilera's Beautiful at the Christmas talent show.

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S24
Emmys 2024: Why people are baffled by The Bear's wins    

In general, last night's Emmy Awards passed without too much controversy, with the gongs going to obviously deserving winners – critically-adored shows like Succession, The Bear, Beef and Abbott Elementary. More like this: – The Emmys' biggest snub – How The Bear sweater went viral – 10 TV series to watch in JanuaryBut were they recognised in the correct categories? That was the night's key point of contention when it came to The Bear, the hit FX show about the workings of a Chicago restaurant, which went home with six awards in the comedy categories, including best comedy series, lead actor in a comedy series (Jeremy Allen White), supporting actor in a comedy series (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and supporting actress in a comedy series (Ayo Edebiri).

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S25
Why the Post Office was able to bring private prosecutions in the Horizon IT scandal    

The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has announced that is government will introduce blanket legislation to clear sub-postmasters convicted of wrongdoing as a result of the Post Office Horizon scandal . Between 1999 and 2015 – and potentially much earlier – more than 700 sub-postmasters were convicted of fraud, theft or false accounting.

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S26
1 good thing about the Iowa caucuses, and 3 that are really troubling    

Every four years, the Iowa caucuses find new ways to become a problematic part of the presidential nomination process. Democrats have abandoned the Iowa-first tradition, at least for 2024, but Republicans went full speed ahead with the caucuses on Jan. 15, 2024.If they were being honest, most politicians and political experts who are not from Iowa – and not planning to curry favor with Iowans someday – would concede that this caucus-first system is far from the best way to start to select a presidential nominee, especially considering the low voter turnout in an overwhelmingly white state. But changing old, familiar processes is never easy, particularly during these highly contentious times.

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S27
Your fingerprint is actually 3D - research into holograms could improve forensic fingerprint analysis    

Partha Banerjee’s Holography and Metamaterials (HaM) Lab has used Digital Holography for many applications funded by DARPA, Air Force and Army. The current joint work on fingermarks is supported by a grant from the Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis (CINA) Center of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). When you use your fingerprint to unlock your smartphone, your phone is looking at a two-dimensional pattern to determine whether it’s the correct fingerprint before it unlocks for you. But the imprint your finger leaves on the surface of the button is actually a 3D structure called a fingermark.

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S28
Your body already has a built-in weight loss system that works like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro -    

Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro are weight loss and diabetes drugs that have made quite a splash in health news. They target regulatory pathways involved in both obesity and diabetes and are widely considered breakthroughs for weight loss and blood sugar control. But do these drugs point toward a root cause of metabolic disease? What inspired their development in the first place?

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S29
Long after Indigenous activists flee Russia, they continue to face government pressure to remain silent    

Pavel Sulyandziga, an Indigenous activist and member of the Udege people of Russia’s far eastern region, arrived in the United States in 2017 to seek political asylum.Sulyandziga joined his wife and their five children, who were already living in Maine. They left following numerous threats to Sulyandziga’s personal safety, as well as to his family members and colleagues, because of his political activism.

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S30
What social robots can teach America's students    

Some experts believe these robots could become “as common as paper, whiteboards and computer tablets” in schools. Because social robots have a body, humans react to them differently than we do to a computer screen. Studies have shown that little children sometimes accept social robots as peers. For example, in the handwriting study, a 5-year-old boy continued to send letters to the robot months after the interactions ended.

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S31
Congress is failing to deliver on its promise of billions more in research spending, threatening America's long-term economic competitiveness    

The battle to keep the government open may feel just like the crisis of the day. But these fights pose immediate and long-term risks for the U.S.

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S32
Miami residents believe Biscayne Bay is 'healthy,' despite big declines in water quality and biodiversity, new study finds    

Residents of Miami-Dade County appreciate Biscayne Bay for its ecological, cultural, recreational and economic offerings, but they see the estuary as “moderately healthy” – despite a significant decline in water quality and habitat health in recent decades. That’s according to an online survey of more than 1,000 Miami-Dade residents I conducted in 2022 to understand how locals use, think about and value Biscayne Bay. The bay borders 35 miles of Miami’s coastline and is made up of diverse ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs.

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S33
How to prevent America's aging buildings from collapsing - 4 high-profile disasters send a warning    

Four recent catastrophic building collapses and a near miss are raising concerns about the state of America’s aging buildings and questions about who, if anyone, is checking their safety.Many cities have buildings showing signs of aging and in need of repair. In New York City, where a seven-story apartment building partially collapsed in December 2023, the median building age is about 90 years, and many neighborhoods were built before 1900.

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S34
Uganda's battle for the youth vote - how Museveni keeps Bobi Wine's reach in check    

Uganda is one of the youngest countries in the world, with an average age of 15.9 years. Young people aged below 30 make up about 77% of the country’s population of 47 million people.Young people have legitimate and wide-ranging grievances, from unemployment to disenfranchisement. Opportunities remain limited, with two-thirds of Ugandans working for themselves or doing family-based agricultural work.

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S35
South Africa's ANC marks its 112th year with an eye on national elections, but its record is patchy and future uncertain    

The speech President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered at the 112th birthday celebration of South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), on 13 January can be seen as the party’s opening election gambit: a stadium packed to capacity, the display of a united leadership, and an invocation of three decades of success, delivered by a leader firmly in control of his party.The annual January 8 statement, unsurprisingly, was a 30 year self-assessment and is self-congratulatory. It was silent on the many failings under ANC rule: sluggish economic growth; crime and lack of security; failure to deliver essential services and maintain public infrastructure.

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S36
Dangerous chemicals found in recycled plastics, making them unsafe for use - experts explain the hazards    

Plastic pollution is a menace worldwide. Plastics are now found in every environment on the planet, from the deepest seas to the atmosphere and human bodies. Scientific evidence describing harm to the environment and humans is growing. Hence, the United Nations has resolved to negotiate a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.

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S37
An ancient system that could bring water to dry areas    

Some of Africa’s dry areas face serious water shortages due to minimal rainfall. An ancient system of drawing water from aquifers, the “qanat system”, could help. Gaathier Mahed, an environmental scientist and expert on the management of groundwater, has studied the feasibility of these systems. He tells us more.There are bodies of water underground known as aquifers, some of which can be found at the tops of valleys or near mountains. A qanat system taps these aquifers and, using underground tunnels, moves the water, using gravity, over many kilometres. The tunnel then exits at a lower-lying area.

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S38
Flashy isn't always fabulous: why luxury brands should reconsider displaying their logos too prominently    

More than 75% of customers in the US say that a brand’s logo is the most important identifier of a company. This is even more true for luxury brands as their logos are some of the most recognised symbols globally. In 2023, fashion’s biggest influencers and brands took to the “quiet luxury” trend. This trend refers to a more low-key approach to luxury where people favour subtlety and quality over prominent brand display.

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S39
Why South Korea is banning the sale of dog meat    

The South Korean dog meat trade will officially end in 2027 after a bill was passed making the slaughter of dogs and the sale of dog meat for human consumption illegal in the country (though the consumption of dog meat will still be legal). People who violate this new law could be fined up to 30 million won (about £18,000) and be jailed for three years.The news has been embraced in South Korea as a long-awaited victory by many animal protection organisations. But it has also been received very negatively by pro-dog-meat associations, as the livelihoods of dog meat farmers and retailers will be directly affected by this legislation.

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S40
COVID barely gets a mention these days - here's why that's a dangerous situation    

The United States experienced its second largest COVID wave of the pandemic in January 2024. For the year to December 2023, in England COVID rates peaked at around one in 24 people. During the same month, Singapore also experienced record COVID cases and a spike in hospitalisations. COVID, then, is still a major public health problem, accounting for 10,000 deaths in 50 countries and a 42% increase in hospitalisations during December 2023 alone.

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S41
Valley of lost cities found in the Amazon - technological advances in archaeology are only the beginning of discovery    

A valley of lost cities has been discovered in the Ecuadorian Amazon. When you hear of such a discovery you might think of archaeologists with chisels and brushes or explorers in pith helmets stumbling across sites deep in the forest. Instead, without needing to brave the hazards of the forest, Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) has revealed networks of buried roads and earthen mounds. The point of exploratory science is to reveal what has so far been hidden. Whether at the edge of the universe with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the bottom of the sea with Underwater Autonomous Vehicles (UAVs), or through the canopy of the densest forests with Lidar, we are discovering things that reshape our understanding of the world.

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S42
Trump's Iowa win is just a small part of soaring right-wing populism in 2024    

The last 12 months have been a mixed bag for right-wing populists. Democracy advocates cheered the defeat of the Law and Justice party in Poland and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s breakthrough victory over his populist adversary in Brazil. Read more: Lula and the world: what to expect from the new Brazilian foreign policy

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S43
Domestic violence: criminalising coercive control in France could bring more justice to victims    

Maîtresse de conférences HDR en psychologie sociale, Université Paris Nanterre – Université Paris Lumières Over the last decade in many European countries, legislators, magistrates, government ministers, law enforcement agencies, lawyers and service providers have recognised that prevailing approaches to domestic violence were failing and have adopted the new model of “coercive control” to reframe domestic violence as a crime against rights and resources rather than as an assault.

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S44
US election 2024: Trump victory in Iowa caucus not as big as he may have hoped - here's why Biden still wants him to get GOP nomination    

News headlines reporting Donald Trump’s victory in the Iowa caucus on January 15 give the impression of a much larger victory than should sensibly be drawn from this first expression of American electoral opinion in 2024. Iowa grabs attention because it’s the first of the 2024 election primaries, but the historical record also shows that it has only predicted the eventual winner on six out of 13 occasions since it took on this role in 1972. This is partly because Iowa, with just over 3 million inhabitants represents less than 1% of the wider US population. Its voters are also much older, more rural, whiter (90%), more evangelical and less college educated than the US at large. Although formerly a swing state Iowa has been solidly republican since 2016.

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S45
Gaza war: how South Africa's genocide case against Israel is shaping up    

Over the past few days, South Africa has made its case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing the Israeli government of committing genocide with its 100-day assault on Gaza. With the death toll approaching 24,000 in the Palestinian territory, South Africa’s lawyers laid out the grounds on which they are accusing Israel of breaching the 1948 Genocide Convention, while Israel’s legal team have presented their counter- arguments.

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S46
Iowa was different this time - even if the outcome was as predicted    

Trounced, crushed, routed, dominated: Pick your verb to describe what former President Donald Trump did to his GOP rivals in the Jan. 15, 2024 Iowa caucus. The Conversation U.S. asked two scholars to analyze the results, in which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second, with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley a close third.Each installment of the Iowa caucuses has unusual or particularly interesting aspects. The 2024 caucuses were no exception. Because the Democrats have an incumbent in the White House, there was little activity on their side of the aisle. Especially so because the Democratic National Committee removed Iowa from its first-in-the-nation position. As a result, Iowa Democrats abandoned the traditional caucuses in favor of a mail-in procedure.

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S47
Saskatchewan teacher strike: It's about bargaining for the common good    

Adjunct professor, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Regina For the first time in more than a decade and for only the fourth time since 1973, people in Saskatchewan are facing interruptions to schooling due to teacher labour unrest.

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S48
Transhumanism: billionaires want to use tech to enhance our abilities - the outcomes could change what it means to be human    

Many prominent people in the tech industry have talked about the increasingconvergence between humans and machines in coming decades. For example, Elon Muskhas reportedly said he wants humans to merge with AI “toachieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence”. His company Neuralink aims to facilitate this convergence so that humans won’t be “left behind” as technology advances in the future. While people with disabilities would be near-term recipients of these innovations, some believe technologies like this could be used to enhance abilities in everyone.

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S49
For All Mankind's Happy Valley: why a Martian city could well extend below the surface    

Apple TV+‘s alternate space race, For All Mankind, imagines what would have have happened if USSR cosmonauts, and not Nasa’s astronauts, had been the first to land on the Moon. Rather than the waning of interest in space that followed the Moon landings in our reality, over the four seasons of the show to date, the race has continued towards lunar and then Martian settlement. In the latest season, the finale of which aired on January 12 2024, initial colonisation efforts on Mars have developed to the point where an international alliance supports and maintains a single large colony. Dubbed “Happy Valley”, the Martian city features an array of interconnected modules.

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S50
'I never lost a fight against a man': the story of the only woman to join Japan's notorious yakuza    

Nishimura Mako is a petite woman in her late fifties, with flowing hair and a delicate face. But you soon notice that she is no traditional Japanese lady – she is tattooed up to her neck and hands and her little finger is missing. These are signs of affiliation to the yakuza – Japan’s notorious criminal syndicates. The yakuza is dominated by men and leaves only informal roles to women. Typically a woman involved with the yakuza might be an anesan, a boss’ wife who takes care of young affiliates and mediates between them and her husband. Wives and partners of the members support the group in a peripheral way. Some get involved to the extent that they manage yakuza-owned clubs or deal drugs.

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S51
What happens to your liver when you quit alcohol    

According to Greek mythology, Zeus punished Prometheus for giving fire to humans. He chained Prometheus up and set an eagle to feast on his liver. Each night, the liver grew back and each day, the eagle returned for his feast. In reality, can a liver really grow back? The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body. It is needed for hundreds of bodily processes, including breaking down toxins such as alcohol. As it is the first organ to “see” alcohol that has been drunk, it is not surprising that it is the most susceptible to alcohol’s effects. However, other organs, including the brain and heart, can also be damaged by long-term heavy alcohol use.

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S52
Marvel's Echo is a one-of-a-kind superhero - and an inspiration to the Deaf community    

Marvel’s latest superhero series, Echo, is now streaming on Disney+. Deaf actress Alaqua Cox plays the eponymous superhero, a character she already portrayed in the Hawkeye series in 2021. Echo, real name Maya Lopez, who is Deaf, is a vengeful and bitter Native American hero with a distinctive fighting ability that allows her to copy her opponent’s moves.The uppercase “Deaf” refers to deaf people who share a language, identity and culture. It therefore describes Maya Lopez, as she uses ASL (American Sign Language) all the time and hardly speaks.

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S53
Why inheritance tax should be reformed    

Around 50 Conservative MPs called for inheritance tax to be abolished after the Telegraph launched a campaign urging the government to scrap the tax in summer 2023. The move has since been discussed as a potential “pre-election giveaway” in the government’s upcoming spring budget. Beyond the coming election, another longer term reason for recent discussion of this tax is the increase in the size of inheritances in recent decades. Inheritances are growing in absolute terms as the amount of wealth held by older people increases over time. Inheritances are also growing relative to lifetime employment income, so they are set to be increasingly important determinants of people’s overall economic outcomes.

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S54
What is frostbite, what are the signs and how should we treat it?    

As countries in the northern hemisphere face a bitterly cold snap, there is serious risk of injury – and even death – from freezing weather. Thankfully, with the right preventative and protective measures, the human body can survive these icy temperatures.

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S55
DeSantis-linked super PAC broke new ground in pushing campaign finance rules in Iowa in support of a 2nd-place finish    

Never Back Down, the Ron DeSantis super PAC, played an outsized role in the Iowa caucuses campaign of the Florida governor. Its impact on the results, in which DeSantis came in second to former President Donald Trump, will likely remain an open question. But one thing is sure: It mocked the already weak regulatory framework governing money in campaigns.

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S56
Yumna Kassab's impressionistic novel Politica considers moral dilemmas and harsh choices in a time of war    

Politica is the fourth novel by Yumna Kassab, who has made a significant impact on the Australian literary scene since the publication of her debut novel The House of Youssef in 2019. Politica is written in Kassab’s now signature polyphonic style. A variety of abruptly introduced characters (“Um Kareem came here with tears in her eyes”) ponder their possibilities, drift in and out of relationships, and seek personal solace in the midst of a prolonged and violent conflict.

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S57
Space travel taxes astronauts' brains. But microbes on the menu could help in unexpected ways    

Feeding astronauts on a long mission to Mars goes well beyond ensuring they have enough nutrients and calories to survive their multi-year journey.Providing astronauts with the right diet is also paramount in supporting their mental and cognitive health, in a way unlike previous missions.

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S58
Dave Chappelle has built a reputation for 'punching down' on trans people - and now he's targeting disabled people    

Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix special, The Dreamer, opens with a story about meeting Jim Carrey, who, at the time, was method acting and portraying comedian Andy Kaufman. Chappelle recalls being “very disappointed” at having to pretend to be speaking to Kaufman, when he could clearly see it was Carrey. The punchline? “That’s how trans people make me feel.”

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S59
6 questions you should be ready to answer to smash that job interview    

With the new year underway employers are beginning to resume normal business activities and restart their hiring process. Similarly, many school and university graduates are beginning their job search after a well-earned break.While some employers are using increasingly sophisticated approaches to recruiting such as psychometric testing and artificial intelligence, interviews remain one of the most common selection methods.

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S60
Remembered by our pets: More animals are getting a mention in obituaries    

Postdoctoral fellow, Nonreligion in a Complex Future project, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa Animals occupy many different roles in our lives. Some consider them members of the family, while others appreciate the reminder to take daily walks.

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S61
Fowl language: AI is learning to analyze chicken communications to help us understand what all the clucking's about    

Have you ever wondered what chickens are talking about? Chickens are quite the communicators — their clucks, squawks and purrs are not just random sounds but a complex language system. These sounds are their way of interacting with the world and expressing joy, fear and social cues to one another. Like humans, the “language” of chickens varies with age, environment and surprisingly, domestication, giving us insights into their social structures and behaviours. Understanding these vocalizations can transform our approach to poultry farming, enhancing chicken welfare and quality of life.

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S62
Beyond youth and LGBTQ credentials, France's new prime minister Gabriel Attal reveals Macron's managerial approach to politics    

Professeur en Information-Communication à l’Institut Français de presse (Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas), Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas For the last six years, President Emmanuel Macron of France has taken full advantage of institutional mechanisms to impose his hyper-presidential approach on executive power. But the absence of an absolute parliamentary majority has disrupted the smooth running of his system.

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S63
Wheat Pool 2.0: The time might be ripe for a revival of Prairie co-ops    

When Bunge announced its intention to purchase Viterra — the Regina-based grain handling subsidiary of Swiss mining giant Glencore — in June 2023, it represented another milestone in the slow, but steady, erasure of Saskatchewan’s long history with the wheat pool co-operative.The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, the once-mighty agricultural co-operative that became Viterra, is remembered by its iconic, but decaying, grain elevators that still dot much of the province’s rural landscape.

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S64
Why two largely white and tiny states still matter so much to the US presidential election    

Former President Donald Trump’s commanding, and expected, victory in this week’s Iowa caucuses has confirmed his frontrunner status in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. With his closest rivals Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley lagging far behind, it seems the Republican primary contest is over before it has even begun.

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S65
Up to 5 billion people to be hit by rainfall changes this century if CO? emissions are not curbed, research shows    

Ralph Trancoso leads the Queensland Future Climate Science Program - a collaborative program between the University of Queensland and Queensland's Department of Environment and Science undertaking applied climate science to support climate adaptation and natural disaster preparedness.To date, the effects of climate change on global rainfall has been uncertain. This has hampered our capacity to adapt to climate change and prepare for natural disasters.

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S66
How rising sea levels will affect our coastal cities and towns    

Sea-level rise – along with increasing temperatures – is one of the clearest signals of man-made global warming. Yet exactly how rising water levels affect the coast is often misunderstood. A new coastal hazard assessment for Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay has again thrown the spotlight on the impact of sea-level rise on coastal communities in Australia. Should we be worried? Or is the reality more nuanced?

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S67
More than a pay dispute: what's really behind the Papua New Guinea riots    

The world has been shocked by images of wanton violence, looting and destruction on the streets of Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, in the past week.Prime Minister James Marape declared a state of emergency as shops were set on fire and citizens shot. At least 22 people have been killed as a result of the violence.

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S68
A new year means new fitness goals. But options for people with disability are few and far between    

Around 4.4 million Australians, or 18% of our population, live with disability. This number is likely to rise as our population ages. Adults living with disability can experience a range of benefits from participating in community-based physical activities such as dance, Tai Chi and yoga, our recently published review found.

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S69
An RSV vaccine has been approved for people over 60. But what about young children?    

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Australia for the first time. The shot, called Arexvy and manufactured by GSK, will be available by prescription to adults over 60. RSV is a contagious respiratory virus which causes an illness similar to influenza, most notably in babies and older adults.

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S70
We are losing tetrapod species at a faster rate than we are rediscovering them    

Lost species are those that have not been observed in the wild for over ten years, despite searches to find them. Lost tetrapod species (four-limbed vertebrate animals including amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles) are a global phenomenon – there are more than 800 of them, and they are broadly distributed worldwide.This is not good news. Species are often lost because their populations have shrunk to a very small size due to human threats like hunting and pollution. Consequently, many lost species are in danger of becoming extinct (in fact, some probably are extinct). However, it is difficult to protect lost species from extinction because we don’t know where they are.

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