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Season six - WORLD: we got this with Esau Williams

The WORLD: we got this podcast returned in October 2024 for a sixth season in a new format with former BBC presenter Esau Williams

Join Esau Williams and guests on The 'WORLD: we got this' podcast series as they discuss some of the biggest - and some of the most neglected - world news stories of the week. 

Episode 7: Dam clever - is world's biggest hydro scheme a good idea?

The proposed Grand Inga Dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo would be the largest power station in the world - if its ever built. With twice the output of China's Three Gorges, the dam could potentially bring electricity to those 600 million in sub-Saharan Africa currently without.

But after decades of delay, investors withdrawing, environmental concerns, and its ballooning $80bn price tag, does the dream still hold water?

Joining Esau this time are Barnaby Dye, Lecturer in Development Policy and Practice; Mark Mulligan, Professor of Physical & Environmental Geography; and Clement Sefa-Nyarko, Lecturer in Security, Development and Leadership in Africa.

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Episode 6: A Deep Dive into DeepSeek

What is the new app DeepSeek? How does it differ from other LLM providers? And why has it caused such a significant impact on the US AI industry?

In this episode, Esau is joined by Sean Starrs and Juan Grigera, from the Department of International Development, King's College London to discuss all things AI.

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Episode 5: Forty years on from Band Aid, what is the UK-Africa relationship? And what happened at COP29?

As the 40th anniversary version of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' hits the charts, and with Ed Sheeran igniting a row over whether it and similar charity initiatives reinforce African poverty stereotypes, Esau and guests discuss the current state of the UK-African relationship. Plus, what the heck happened in Baku, as COP29 negotiations overran and left many feeling let down? Is the developing nations settlement too little too late?

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Episode 4: What Trump 2.0 means for Ukraine, India, China and the world

Donald J Trump is set to make a historic comeback as the 47th US President after a decisive electoral victory over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. In this episode, host Esau Williams talks to Dr Sean Starrs, an expert in international development, and Dr Anastasia Piliavsky, a Ukrainian who studies Indian politics, on what to expect when Trump takes office in January 2025. They discuss the implications of a Trump presidency for India, Ukraine, China, the Middle East, and the rest of the world, and how Trump's MAGA base may influence his policies.

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Episode 3: Should we super tax the super rich? And what happened at the BRICS+ summit

In the wake of the UK budget, and a report from Greenpeace on the feasibility of a wealth tax on the super rich, the panel discuss whether such a measure is possible or even likely. Plus, what happened at the BRICS+ summit, and was it a success for Putin and his allies?

Joining Esau this episode are Sean Kenji Starrs, Barnaby Dye, and Benjamin Tippet from the Department of International Development.

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Episode 2: Spotlight on China – SEZs in Africa, China’s ghost cities and China in US elections

In this special episode for the Lau China Institute’s China Week, Esau is joined by Dr Charlotte Goodburn to discuss her new report on the impact of China-linked economic development zones in Africa, Dr Jane Hayward explains China’s many vacant cities, and Professor Astrid Nordon and Dr Sean Kenji-Starrs discuss the China question in the US elections.

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Episode 1: Nuclear energy; Modi in US; September flooding

With Esau this episode: Professor Frans Berkhout talks about the pledge by the big banks to triple nuclear energy by 2050; Dr Anastasia Piliavsky digs deeper into Narendra Modi's visit to the US; and PhD candidate Teyah Payne discusses recent flooding in the global north and south. 

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Ex-BBC man comes full circle as new podcast host

Esau Williams, the new host of the School of Global Affairs podcast, will be recording his episodes in the same building, Bush House, where he once produced programmes for millions of listeners to the BBC World Service.

Esau worked at the BBC as a journalist and presenter for over 13 years. He produced, edited, and presented some of the corporation’s flagship news and current affairs programmes, and even won the BBC the prestigious Peabody Award for his reporting on the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

Read more about our presenter, Esau.

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