_{Read in 5m 42s ∙ Listening to Miley Cyrus}

Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian best actress winner at the Oscars last night. She took home the prize for her role as a Chinese-American laundrette owner in the genre-defying megahit Everything Everywhere All at Once, which made history by also being awarded best picture, best director and two other acting prizes. Yeoh, who is only the second woman of colour to win best leading actress at the Academy Awards, described her win as “proof that dreams do come true”.

🪧 Strike action

Tens of thousands of junior doctors in England have begun a three-day strike over pay and conditions, in what’s expected to be the biggest disruption to NHS services this winter.

Why are junior doctors striking?
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents some 45,000 junior doctors, says its members are burnt out by unsociable working hours and practices. The union points to the fact that junior doctors, who commonly spend close to a decade in training, incur high costs of professional membership and ongoing exams.

The BMA also says that doctors have experienced a 26% real-terms pay cut since 2008 because of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, and is calling for a “pay restoration” for its members as a result.

How will NHS services be affected?
The walkout is expected to cause the biggest disruption to NHS services this winter. Junior doctors make up more than 40% of the medical workforce, and the term covers everyone from recent graduates to those with years of frontline experience.

Hospitals have already cancelled tens of thousands of outpatient appointments and operations this week - far more than those postponed for recent walkouts by nurses and ambulance staff. Consultants and other senior doctors have been drafted in to provide cover.

How has the government responded?
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has labelled the strike “incredibly disappointing” and described the junior doctors’ pay demands as “simply unaffordable”. The government is understood to instead be concentrating on reaching pay deals with other unions representing NHS staff, including nurses, ambulance workers and midwives.

📱 Spotify’s “TikTokification”

Spotify has redesigned its mobile app to include vertical scrolling feeds, with more and more platforms - including Instagram and Reddit - attempting to piggyback off TikTok’s runaway success.

Tell me more about Spotify’s new look.
The audio streamer began rolling out a revamped version of its app last week. The update includes numerous new features, such as a “Smart shuffle” mode for premium subscribers which adds Spotify’s suggestions to a playlist as it streams.

But it’s Spotify’s so-called “TikTokification” which has really got the internet talking. The app now includes a Discovery Feed, which allows users to scroll down through snippets of music, podcasts and audiobooks - mimicking TikTok’s short-form video style.

Have other platforms done something similar?
Yes. When Meta-owned Instagram introduced Reels in summer 2020, this rival offering was widely regarded as a “TikTok copycat”. And just last week, Reddit announced that it was splitting text and video content into two vertical scroll feeds - another seemingly TikTok-inspired feature.

What’s behind these changes?
In a bid to keep users engaged and attract new ones, more and more platforms are attempting to emulate the success of TikTok’s “infinite scroll”. This feature is so stimulating that it can cause users to lose hours to the Chinese-owned app.

How have users responded?
The internet’s reaction to Spotify’s new look has been decidedly lukewarm - one Twitter user even called on media companies to “stop feed-ifying every single damn app”.

Others have questioned whether the redesign is likely to pay off as TikTok’s success is largely down to its powerful AI algorithm, which is excellent at suggesting videos that will keep a user hooked. Whether or not Spotify’s algorithm will be able to reap the same rewards for the music platform remains to be seen.

📺 Lineker latest: Sources say Gary Lineker is close to returning to Match of the Day following talks between the BBC and the football show host. The corporation will reportedly announce a review of its social media guidelines in response to the furore which dominated the weekend’s headlines.

💳 SVB takeover: HSBC announced that it has struck a last-minute deal to acquire Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited (SVB UK) for £1 following the biggest bank failure since 2008.

♻️ Recycling revolt: The UK government is preparing to block a Scottish National Party recycling scheme, under which 20p will be added to the price of single-use bottles and cans which can then be reclaimed when the item is recycled.

🏊 Sunak’s swimming pool: Reports suggest that PM Rishi Sunak paid for his local electricity network to be upgraded so it could accommodate a private heated swimming pool at his North Yorkshire home.

😲 Aftersun antics: A Love Island blunder last night meant that fans found out which couple was going home before their dumping was officially announced by Maya Jama.

Trivia answer: A) English Cocker Spaniels have won the Best in Show title seven times - while no other breed has had more than four winners.

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