Over the past two weeks, a number of mysterious objects have been shot down from the skies over the US and Canada. It all began with a suspected Chinese spy balloon, which was brought down off the coast of South Carolina on 4 February. US officials have struggled to explain the three subsequent aerial encounters, leading to conspiracy theories and White House denials that aliens are involved. Meanwhile, the diplomatic rift between China and the US is widening.
Megan Gibson in London, Ido Vock in Berlin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC discuss the spy-balloon fiasco, aliens, and where US-China relations go from here.
Next, they turn to the ongoing crisis in Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquake that struck the region on 6 February. As the death toll passes 40,000, the team discuss growing anger towards the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and his government for delays in aid and alleged corruption.
Then, in You Ask Us, a listener asks whether Russia could break apart.
Related
If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus
Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer: visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to learn more
Read more:
Ido on why Russia isn’t about to break apart.
Content from our partners
Ece Temelkuran writes that after the earthquake the rage in Turkey is greater than the pain.
Katie on how UFOs are pushing the US and China further apart.
Lyse Doucet on the anger and hope the earthquake left behind
How to listen to the World Review podcast
1. In your browser
You can use the player above to listen in your browser right now. The World Review podcast publishes on Monday and Thursdays. All episodes are published to newstatesman.com/podcasts on the day of release.
2. In a podcast app
World Review is available on all major podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast, Google Podcasts, and more. Search “World Review” in your favourite podcast app, and subscribe or follow to make sure you receive episodes as soon as they publish. While you’re there, please leave a review for the podcast – it helps others find the show, which in turn makes it possible for us to keep making it.
3. On your smart speaker
If you have an Amazon Echo, Google Home or Apple HomePod smart speaker, ask it to “play the latest episode of World Review”. The same command also works with virtual assistants on mobile devices.