Latest Episode
Moscow general gunned down; UK homes smash £300k; 2026 Winter Olympics preview; Fenerbahçe blackface/transfer-politics storm; Tsai’s Commonwealth Court first; Sky Sports sorry for van Gerwen’s live-TV swearing; Starmer-Mandelson vetting row; fanfiction vs “commercial smoothing”; CIA bins World Factbook; Feb 6: Sharon elected + birthdays
Russian general shot in Moscow
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, a senior official in the main directorate of Russia’s military general staff, was shot several times in Moscow. Yet another day in the “everything is totally stable” department.
UK house prices top £300,000 (and first-time buyers get to scream into a pillow)
Halifax says the average UK house price has risen above £300,000 for the first time, calling it a milestone while warning it could push first homes even further out of reach for first-time buyers, which is an elegant way of saying “good luck, renters for life.”
2026 Winter Olympics primer
The 2026 Winter Olympics (Milan–Cortina) begin with an opening ceremony on Friday, followed by 16 days of competition expected to draw global attention from sports fans.
Fenerbahçe arrival sparks backlash over blackface, plus alleged political help on transfer
Two Fenerbahçe supporters were filmed at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport with their faces painted black while welcoming N’Golo Kanté, prompting widespread criticism. Kanté, a Premier League and World Cup winner, joins Fenerbahçe after leaving Al-Ittihad, with reports saying the move was helped along by political intervention after administrative delays, because apparently even football paperwork needs a guy in a suit to “make a call.”
Stella Tsai makes history on the Commonwealth Court
Stella Tsai was sworn in to the Commonwealth Court, becoming the court’s first Asian American judge and marking a historic milestone in its membership.
Sky Sports apologises after van Gerwen swears on live TV
Sky Sports issued an on-air apology after Michael van Gerwen swore during a live post-match interview on the opening night of the 2026 Premier League in Newcastle while reacting to a redesigned nightly winner’s trophy. Van Gerwen apologised immediately, as did host Emma Paton, and many fans found the moment amusing, with the seven-time champion’s win ending a nearly two-year wait for a nightly victory and moving him top of the standings, two points ahead of Gian van Veen.
UK minister defends Starmer amid Mandelson vetting row
Home Office minister Mike Tapp defended Keir Starmer’s implied criticism of security and vetting officials who questioned Peter Mandelson before his appointment as ambassador. On Sky News, Tapp argued Mandelson was not the vetting officer and claimed falsehoods were told during the vetting process, which is the sort of sentence that makes the public wonder if anyone is vetting the vetting.
Fanfiction praised as a creative community, warned against “commercial smoothing”
Fanfiction and fan communities are described as welcoming, skill-building spaces with massive archives of creative work, including erotica, and a formative training ground for writers. The main concern raised is the push to convert fanfiction into commercial publishing, where personal fantasies get repackaged and sanded down to fit mass-market tastes.
CIA shuts down The World Factbook
The CIA has shut down The World Factbook, ending a public reference resource that began in 1962 as a classified document and later became a widely used, free online database with millions of annual views. The agency gave no reason, and the site’s pages now redirect to a farewell announcement, which is a very on-brand way to say “don’t ask questions.”
On this day: Ariel Sharon elected Israel’s prime minister (Feb. 6, 2001)
On Feb. 6, 2001, Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel.
Famous birthdays for Feb. 6
Notable birthdays for Feb. 6 include musician Tinashe (33) and actor Charlie Heaton (32), alongside other figures celebrating today.
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This podcast is a fully automated experiment in AI-generated content. Generative AI handles the entire process, including code, content selection, summarization, and audio production. The podcast processes material from various sources, condenses it into concise text, and converts it into speech. No human intervention is involved in the production process.
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