The BookTok community has erupted after creator AllieRoseCo announced she had trademarked merchandise featuring the phrase ‘Hot Girls Read’. User backlash was instantaneous, with many accusing her of attacking small businesses and even betraying her own followers. On this episode, Marianna explains why BookTok is such an influential marketing demographic on TikTok, and what this controversy tells us about the fragility of influencer careers tied exclusively to a personal brand.

Also this week, a viral photo which appears to show Donald Trump meeting with a group of mysterious figures has led to a raft of theories about their identities. One of the most prominent narratives to emerge is that the men are representatives of the mythical kingdom Agartha. Matt dives deep into the lore on Agartha, and its adoption by Nazi occultists. Why has this theory seen such a resurgence among young people on TikTok, and how dangerous is the implicit ideology behind it?

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From Makerfield to London – how far does Andy Burnham’s support go?

The former Greater Manchester mayor has been sworn in as an MP, and says he will stand for Labour leadership after Keir Starmer announced his resignation.

The BBC’s UK Editor Ed Thomas has travelled by train from Burnham’s constituency down to the capital.

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#AndyBurnham #Labour #Politics #BBCNews

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Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as Labour leader and UK Prime Minister, just less than two years after he won the …

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The US has confirmed it has lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports, as the Iran deal comes into effect. Meanwhile, in a written …

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On Wednesday, President Trump met with Iranian leaders to sign an initial memorandum of understanding towards ending the months-long war. In a press conference after the signing, Trump was triumphant.

Specifically, he touted the deal’s firmness on one of the US’s key priorities: ensuring that Iran can never develop a nuclear weapon.

Whilst Iran has agreed to “not procure or develop nuclear weapons,” there are many questions left unanswered. What does it actually look like to police the weapons programmes?

Today, Asma Khalid from The Global Story podcast speaks to someone intimately familiar with the weapons inspection process: President of the Institute for Science and International Security, David Albright.

In the 1990s, Albright worked in Iraq with the UN, investigating the nation’s weapons programme under Sadaam Hussein.

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For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#BBCNews #Iranwar #us

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:42 Can Trump stop Iran having a nuclear weapon?
07:42 Iraq and the question of nuclear weapons
10:00 How often did nuclear inspections take place in Iran?
14:33 What’s in the peace deal about nuclear weapons?
18:14 What is nuclear dust?

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