Australia warned it could face legal action over ‘wrongful’ fossil fuel actions after landmark climate ruling from world’s top court

Posted on by

Vanuatu climate change minister says ICJ opinion gives Pacific island nations ‘much greater leverage’ in dealing with partners such as Australia

Australia could face international legal action over its fossil fuel production and failure to rapidly cut emissions, Vanuatu’s climate minister says, after a potentially watershed declaration by the world’s top court.

An International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion published in The Hague on Wednesday found countries had a legal obligation to take measures to prevent climate change and aim to limit global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels, and that high-emitting countries that failed to act could be liable to pay restitution to low-emitting countries.

Continue reading...

Fiddle-laden fake trailer reignites debate about Hollywood’s Irish stereotypes

Posted on by

Clip turned out to be a stunt, but strength of reaction speaks to genuine affront at Ireland’s portrayal on big screen

A man in a bar with a flat cap, bloodied knuckles and a dreamy look lays down his whiskey and writes a letter. “Dear Erin,” he begins, and a soundtrack of fiddles swells as he yearns for his lost love in the distant land of America.

The trailer for the upcoming film – tagline: “she was the Irish goodbye he never forgot” – ran in recent weeks in cinemas and online and was accompanied by a poster showing green mountains, shamrocks and a rainbow.

Continue reading...

CNN’s Collins, Leavitt spar over whether Trump ‘undermined’ Gabbard – The Hill

Posted on by
  1. CNN’s Collins, Leavitt spar over whether Trump ‘undermined’ Gabbard  The Hill
  2. Meghan McCain urges White House to pull credential of CNN’s Kaitlan Collins  The Hill
  3. Meghan McCain calls for White House to pull credentials of CNN's Kaitlin Collins  WBFF
  4. Kaitlan Collins Confronts Tulsi Gabbard Over MAGA Obama Conspiracy  The Daily Beast
  5. CNN's Kaitlan Collins Gets Into Heated Press Room Debate With Tulsi Gabbard  TheWrap
Posted in Uncategorized

Ukrainians protest as Zelensky cracks down on corruption watchdogs – The Washington Post

Posted on by
  1. Ukrainians protest as Zelensky cracks down on corruption watchdogs  The Washington Post
  2. Zelensky Faces Criticism in Ukraine Over Effort to Rein In Corruption Agencies  The New York Times
  3. Ukraine law curbing anti-corruption agencies sparks Zelenskyy protests  NBC News
  4. Ukraine sees first major anti-government protests since start of war, as Zelensky moves to weaken anti-corruption agencies  CNN
  5. Zelenskyy faces major anti-corruption protests as Ukraine prepares for Russia talks  ABC News
Posted in Uncategorized

Columbia announces deal to pay Trump administration more than $220m

Posted on by

Deal falls short of starkest measures, including consent decree and overhaul of university’s governance structure

Columbia University announced a much-anticipated deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220m, an agreement meant to bring a resolution to the threat of massive funding cuts to the school, but certain to rankle critics given the extraordinary concessions made by the Ivy League university.

Under the agreement, the school will pay a $200m settlement over three years to the federal government, the university said. It will also pay $21m to settle investigations brought by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Continue reading...

Insurance claims from LA fires could ‘fully exhaust’ $21bn state fund

Posted on by

If regional utility is found responsible for January blaze, fund would pay claims and lawsuit settlements

Insurance claims from the Eaton wildfire could “fully exhaust” a state fund that was set up to protect customers when a wildfire is caused by a utility company.

The devastating wildfire in Los Angeles killed 17 people and destroyed more than 9,000 structures in January. One leading theory is that ageing equipment belonging to Southern California Edison, the primary electricity provider in the region, ignited the fire.

Continue reading...

Zelenskyy pledges new bill on anti-corruption agencies’ independence as protests continue

Posted on by

Ukraine’s president says outcry is ‘not falling on deaf ears’ as European leaders voice concern at recent legislation weakening anti-graft watchdogs

Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised a new bill to strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine on Wednesday, in an apparent attempt to assuage popular anger at his decision to weaken the powers of two independent anti-corruption agencies.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Kyiv for a second day, while European leaders expressed concern at the Ukrainian president’s contentious decision. The demonstrators gathered outside the presidential office, shouting anti-government slogans.

Continue reading...

Trump signs three executive orders targeting ‘woke’ AI models

Posted on by

Crackdown on what the White House claims is bias echoes longstanding conservative grievances against tech

Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a trio of executive orders that he vowed would turn the United States into an “AI export powerhouse”, including a directive targeting what the White House described as “woke” artificial intelligence models.

The anti-woke order is part of the administration’s broader anti-diversity campaign that has also targeted federal agencies, academic institutions and the military. “The American people do not want woke Marxist lunacy in the AI models, and neither do other countries,” Trump said during remarks at an AI summit in Washington on Wednesday.

Continue reading...