The Know Daily - Tuesday 16 January 2024

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A critically endangered Coquerel’s sifaka - also known as a “dancing lemur” - has made its first public appearance since its birth at Chester Zoo last year… and it really couldn’t be cuter. The bright-eyed, fuzzy-coated baby is one of the world’s rarest primates, with the at-risk species only found in the wild in forested pockets of Madagascar. 

🇺🇸 Trump wins big in Iowa 

Donald Trump secured a resounding victory in the first 2024 Republican contest for the presidential nomination on Monday. 

Go on… 
The former US president took more than half of all votes cast in last night’s Iowa caucuses, “cementing his status as the clear frontrunner” for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said the BBC.

And while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appears to have narrowly beaten former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley to a distant second place, “no clear rival emerged from Iowa”, reported the BBC’s North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher. 

What does this mean for the race overall?
Trump’s “unprecedented margin” of victory - alongside his “massive lead” in national polls - will strengthen his case that his nomination is a “foregone conclusion”, said Reuters.

The former president’s win in Iowa comes as he faces a number of criminal charges - though CBS News noted that Republican voters there “largely dismissed Trump's legal woes”, with most saying he would still be fit for the presidency “even if he were convicted of a crime”. 

What happens next?
The next Republican presidential primary will take place in New Hampshire on 23 January, before the remaining 48 states plus US territories cast their votes.

The winning candidate will then face a Democrat - most likely Joe Biden - in the November presidential election.

✋ Underwear ad axed

A Calvin Klein ad featuring British singer-songwriter FKA twigs has been banned in the UK, prompting accusations of double standards. 

What’s the story?
Following two public complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the ad was likely to cause “serious offence” by objectifying women. It said the image composition placed viewers’ focus “on the model’s body rather than on the clothing being advertised”, presenting FKA twigs as a “stereotypical sexual object”.

How did FKA twigs respond?
Writing on Instagram, the singer said the ban showed “double standards” - an apparent reference to the Calvin Klein campaign featuring The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White, which went viral last week and was even discussed at the Golden Globe awards. 

“I do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ that they have labelled me,” FKA twigs wrote. “I see a beautiful strong woman of colour whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine.”

Calvin Klein also defended the ad, saying it was similar to others that the brand had previously released in the UK.

Anything else I should know?
In a piece for Marie Claire, journalist Chloe Laws argued that the ban was also layered in racism, pointing out that the regulator did not ban two “objectively more sexualised” posters from the same campaign featuring model Kendall Jenner. 

“It is extremely problematic that a Black woman’s sexuality would be policed and criticised, while [...] the White woman’s is not,” she wrote.

🥶 “Arctic blast” expected: The Met Office has issued snow and ice warnings across the UK, with an “arctic blast” set to sweep the nation over the next week. 

🗳️ Voting rights for Brits abroad: Around three million Brits living abroad will be able to vote in the next general election - and all future elections - following a law change which has brought the UK in line with other major democracies. 

🚂 Train strikes latest: The main train drivers’ union has announced a new series of strikes as part of the long-running pay dispute. Check out the affected dates and train companies here.

⚖️ Climate challenge: Eight people from the low-lying Caribbean island of Bonaire - a special municipality of the Netherlands - have filed a legal challenge against the Dutch government for “not doing enough to protect them from the climate crisis”.

📺 Emmy awards: History was made at the delayed 2023 Emmy awards last night, which included Ali Wong becoming the first woman of Asian descent to win a lead acting Emmy.

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Trivia answer: B) The record-breaking pizza was topped with 1,001 types of cheese, surpassing the previous record of 834. While we love cheese, this feels like a bit too much…

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