Historians have argued that imperial Rome fell due to a failure of imagination rather than plague or invasions, and a story by The Guardian suggests there are parallels with the stagnation and dystopia of today's Western powers. However, the article suggests that the West-unlike the late Romans-has the potential to tap into a major tech innovation boom, in particular emerging trends such as a new generation of robots that will work alongside humans on factory floors. Meanwhile, revolutions in medical discovery enabled by supercomputers mean scientists "are empowered to in turn follow hypotheses and hunches, exploring avenues they may have never otherwise considered".
Russian private military company Wagner PMC's brutal tactics are suited to the land campaign in Ukraine, particularly that in the destroyed city of Bakhmut, according to Robert Clark of Civitas. Multiple small teams attack heavily fortified positions, and if the first unit is killed another will be sent in, which, although horrific, has proved relatively successful. The terrorists are criminals and former armed thugs released from Russian jails and still expected to earn pardon through fighting. Regular army conscripts, by contrast, are poorly trained boys often conscripted and reluctant to serve.
Airbnb’s model has grown exponentially successful since its 2008 inception as an online marketplace for short and long-term stays. Its popularity has led to a situation where any short-term rental is now commonly referred to as an “Airbnb". This brand ubiquity has become a double-edged sword for Airbnb as the popularity of short-term rentals has led to increased problems with bad behaviour of short-term renters in apartment buildings and a lack of available housing within many cities around the globe. Many smaller cities have struggled to sustain affordable workforce housing when there is growing tourism demand for residential-style accommodation. To combat this issue, twelve councils in New South Wales, Australia, are watching to see how the Byron council fares with its plan to introduce caps on short-term rentals while other areas are introducing harsher short-term rental regulations. Despite the issues, Airbnb's platform has made travel more democratic and has also created a pressure on hotels to rethink what they're offering to guests.
The G7 summit sent a message of solidarity against Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine, and now the US, and aligned the EU with US relations towards China. The declaration announced new measures to increase pressure on Russia and support Ukraine’s maximal position in future peace negotiations. The group launched the Co-ordination Platform on Economic Coercion to deter and respond to future economic threats and restrict China’s access to cutting-edge technologies that could be used for military purposes. The Outcome of the G7 meeting greatly complicates China's ability to benefit from economic engagement with the EU over the US, perfectly showcasing their divide and conquer strategy.
The record fine imposed on Facebook's parent company Meta by European regulators serves as a warning to businesses that transfer individuals' data across borders. The €1.2bn ($2bn) fine was made by Ireland's Data Protection Commission at the request of the European Protection Board for Meta's inadequate protection of user data transferred from Europe to the US. Europe has the toughest data privacy legislation globally, enforced via its General Data Protection Regulation law. US social media companies have accumulated large fines, including Amazon's €746m ($1.24bn) 2021 penalty for alleged misuse of data. Meta has previously been fined €1.3bn for related breaches. The EU and US are working towards a new data privacy regime potentially in July 2022, guaranteeing privacy protection for data stored and transferred in the US. Without a new agreement, companies operating “data for service” models may be unable to collect or hold data on Europeans.
Australian rugby is taking a big risk that could backfire ahead of the Rugby World Cup by allowing their teams to make changes to their squads for the rest of the Super Rugby season. Rugby Australia should be concerned about the damage being caused to the league in their country leading up to a pivotal Rugby World Cup, and their argument that success in the World Cup will make fans forget whatever happened in Super Rugby is flawed. Furthermore, resting players for the Crusaders game, as the New South Wales Waratahs are rumoured to be doing, flies in the face of history. Experts fear that rugby is on thin ice in Australia and the loyalty of fans should not constantly be put to the test.
The UK government's lack of vision in its net-zero policies was highlighted in a letter to The Telegraph. The writer queried why a household would pay between £7,000 and £13,000 before grants to install a heat pump and add an extra 3,000 kWh to their electricity bill. Instead, the emphasis should be on installing solar panels, which have devastated recruitment figures in the last year and are eligible for tax bonuses in other countries, such as the US and Germany. The letter also highlighted the cost to consumers of decarbonising gas and electricity through the grid operation charge.
Readers of The Sydney Morning Herald have responded positively to an article by former ABC journalist Stuart Littlemore and screenwriter David Salter, which criticised the broadcaster for bias in its news coverage. One correspondent wrote that they wanted a media organisation where "journalists provide details with objectivity, where presenters present without bias or favour and where egos are left at the front door." Another queried why the ABC has allowed high-profile presenters to be political activists on the channel, pointing out that other public broadcasters, such as the BBC or America's PBS/NPR, would not do so.
Another correspondent called on the police to improve their de-escalation and violence prevention management training in light of the case of 95-year-old Clare Nowland, who was tasered. In a separate set of letters, readers criticised the Australian Defence Force over a toxic chemical spill, and voiced concerns about the country’s policies towards transgender people.
In late 2012, Philip Schofield interviewed then-prime minister David Cameron on a live broadcast of This Morning and handed him a list of names of alleged Westminster paedophiles taken from the internet - a spectacularly reckless thing to do. The presenter was not sacked despite calls for him to be, but this article suggests that his departure after 18 years from ITV's flagship daytime programme may have finally come due to the incident. The author of the Times piece suggests that Schofield should have been sacked when the paedophile incident happened.
A new study published in Nature has revealed that extreme heat levels, which would see humans migrate out of areas, will affect 2 billion people by 2100. The next biggest markets for air conditioning units for developing countries, Nigeria and India, will be among the worst affected by the 2.7C temperature increase. Exposure to extreme heat will have existential consequences for the human food supply chain, and could spur conflict and troublesome refugee situations if migration becomes necessary.
Universities must “rediscover the spirit of radical questioning” they encouraged in the past or become irrelevant, argues Iain Martin in The Times. He highlights the recent example of academic and feminist campaigner Dr Kathleen Stock, who has attracted criticism for her emphasis on biological gender differences, as exemplifying a current reluctance to confront challenging views. Martin suggests that modern students and censors would likely oppose a writer like Martin Amis, who was celebrated during his own student years for his radicalism.
Stan Grant, an indigenous journalist and presenter of Australian TV show "Q+A", has taken a break from his work with the media after experiencing pressure relating to his race. Grant is a third-generation activist, author and academic who is regarded as one of the leaders of the country's Aboriginal people. Complaints over his comments about ties between the monarchy and theft of Aboriginal land were apparently among issues raised. Grant left his role at "Q+A" saying that he felt like part of the problem and that he needed time to reconsider the media's role on issues of race and racism.
Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency initiative backed by Silicon Valley luminaries such as Marc Andreessen and Sam Bankman-Fried, is gaining renewed momentum with its plan to create “World ID,” which will use the biometric data of iris scans to distinguish between people and bots. The scheme garnered negative feedback for scanning half a million irises during its “field test” using a chrome sphere named “the orb,” though it still has a valuation of $1bn and is allegedly about to secure a further $100m. Critics claim the Worldcoin Foundation, which was established by its digital-token allocation system and claims a database of 1.7 million iris-originated codes, lacks transparency, as it is based in the Cayman Islands. Some hackers have also stolen credentials from its employee "operators," including recruiters who sign people up. The company now hopes to integrate its app, which offers crypto transactions, with more traditional financial services in future.
