Author: Trainee Reporter

Australia: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reaffirmed Labour’s commitment to specifying a national environmental watchdog, despite shelving Greens deal during the final parliamentary sitting week. The planned reforms, central to Labour’s election promises, include creating an Environmental Protection Agency to supervise national compliance and an Environmental Information Agency to manage data. However, last-minute negotiations between Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young were revoked by Albanese after discussions with Western Australian Premier Roger Cook. Albanese stressed that the government would advance the reforms “on the basis of our values” without bowing to crossbench demands. Albanese stated that, “We…

Georgia: Political crisis deepened as Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has declared she would remain in office beyond her term’s end in December, citing an “illegitimate parliament” unsuitable to elect her successor. This announcement came as thousands of Georgians took to the streets for a third consecutive night, opposing the government’s suspension of European Union accession talks. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, whose government has been fostering closer ties with Russia, declared a four-year pause in EU talks, accusing the bloc of “blackmail.” The decision has sparked outrage in the pro-EU nation, where EU membership is enshrined in the constitution. Zourabichvili stated…

Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed that the regions of Ukraine currently under his control should be placed under the NATO umbrella to halt the ongoing conflict. Zelensky was asked about the chance of accepting NATO membership for only the territories Kyiv holds, to which he responded affirmatively, but on the condition that membership would first be extended to all of Ukraine, within its internationally recognised borders. While Zelensky emphasised that Ukraine had not acquired any official proposal from NATO, he argued that only NATO membership for the entire country could equip the security necessary to prevent further Russian…

Canada: A coalition of Canada’s major news organisations, including the Toronto Star, Metroland Media, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, and CBC, has launched a lawsuit against OpenAI, charging the company of unlawfully using their news articles to train its artificial intelligence model, ChatGPT. The lawsuit, depicted as the first of its kind in Canada, claims that OpenAI is illegally scraping content from Canadian media without authorisation, bypassing paywalls and copyright protections. The publishers claim that OpenAI’s use of their journalism for commercial gain is a violation of copyright law. The coalition said in a joint statement, stating…

Delhi: Delhi’s polluted air is frequently falls into the “hazardous” category, as categorised by the World Health Organization, especially between October and January. The Indian Health Ministry has recommended avoiding outdoor activities and limiting physical effort during such periods, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly. A 2022 study by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute found that air pollution in Delhi could shrink lifespans by nearly a decade. Saurabh Bhasin, a corporate lawyer from Delhi, once valued the winter months in the city where he was born. But over the years, his fondness turned into…

United States: The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating Uber over the enrolment and cancellation procedures of its flagship subscription plan, Uber One. The service, which boasts over 25 million global subscribers, offers deals on rides and deliveries for a monthly fee. First reported by Bloomberg, the probe centres on whether Uber’s practices align with regulatory provisions for subscription services. The FTC recently introduced its “click to cancel” rule, developed to ensure that cancelling subscriptions is as simple as signing up. This rule has faced pushback from some business groups but aims to eradicate so-called “subscription traps.” An Uber…

New Zealand: An oil painting of a Maori elder by renowned New Zealand artist Charles Frederick Goldie has set a new record, evolving the most valuable artwork of its kind in New Zealand history. The portrait, Thoughts of a Tohunga, fetched $2.2 million (NZ$3.75 million), marking the highest price ever paid for a painting at an auction in the country. The painting portrays Wharekauri Tahuna, an esteemed Maori priest believed to be one of the last tattooed men of his generation. Goldie, who was known for his portraits of Maori leaders, painted the work in 1938, nine years before his…

United States: Donald Trump, the US President-elect, has selected Dr Jay Bhattacharya, a notable critic of Covid lockdown policies, as the next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya, a Stanford University-trained physician and economist, is widely recognised for co-authoring the controversial Great Barrington Declaration, which fought widespread pandemic lockdowns in favour of targeted protection for powerless populations. Trump announced Bhattacharya’s nomination, describing him as a leader capable of reforming the NIH into “a Gold Standard of Medical Research.” Bhattacharya expressed his gratitude on social media, vowing to “reform American scientific institutions” and focus on making the nation…

Egypt: A search for 16 people missing after the Sea Story tourist boat sank in the Red Sea has resumed for a second day. The vessel, which was carrying 44 passengers, sent a despair signal at 5:30 AM (03:30 GMT) before it sank within minutes. So far, 28 people have been rescued. Among the missing are two British nationals, one Finnish, and four Egyptians. Authorities believe the boat may have been hit by a large wave, contributing to the rapid sinking. The incident occurred near Marsa Alam, a popular diving destination on Egypt’s southern Red Sea coast. The Sea Story,…

Australia: The Macquarie Dictionary, Australia’s leading authority on Australian English, has selected “enshittification” as its Word of the Year for 2024. The slang term refers to the gradual decline in the quality of online products and services due to profit-driven decisions. In a statement, the judging panel said the word echoed with a growing sentiment that things, particularly in the digital realm, are steadily worsening. The panel noted that, “This word captures what many of us feel is happening to the world and so many aspects of our lives at the moment.” Macquarie defines “enshittification” as the “gradual deterioration of…