UK television documentary 11 Minutes: America’s Deadliest Mass Shooting examines the Mandalay Bay massacre of October 2017 in Las Vegas, which saw 58 people killed and more than 800 injured. The four-part series uses footage from phones and body cameras and includes interviews with people caught up in the shooting. The film avoids naming the murderer, Nevada resident Stephen Paddock, for fear of encouraging imitation. However, critics argue that the focus on the event’s distressing detail comes at the cost of a broader picture of the US mass shooting phenomenon or discussion about gun control.
Haitians are arming themselves with rocks and machetes and setting up groups to defend their neighborhoods as armed gangs terrorize the country, deepening the Caribbean country’s security crisis. The vigilante groups, known as “Bwa Kale” in Haitian Creole, are taking matters into their own hands and coordinating checkpoint systems, killing suspected gang members and erecting roadblocks to stop drivers and question them about their travel. This comes as 230 people have been killed in mob attacks and lynchings this year alone, with 164 of these in April. Further, since the still-unsolved assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, gangs have taken control of much of the capital city Port-au-Prince, shooting indiscriminately at people, burning them alive and raping women and children. In the first quarter of 2023 alone, more than 1,600 people were wounded, kidnapped or killed in gang violence, a figure up 28% from the previous quarter.
Three consecutive editorials in China's People's Daily have expressed concern that the country's demographic crisis could hit its economic growth. It follows China's population falling to 1.41 billion last year, marking its first decline in six decades after a record low birth rate of 6.77 per 1,000 people. The editorials supported President Xi Jinping’s vision to create a “talent dividend” by ensuring the development of individuals and boosting education. However, Professor Yuan Xin of Nankai University's School of Economics said there is a growing disadvantage in terms of population size and migration, optimisation of human capital, “will finally become quiet”.
A man who managed a limousine service has been found guilty of manslaughter after a 2018 accident in New York, which killed 20 people. Nauman Hussain, 33, failed to inspect the stretch-style 2001 Ford Excursion, according to prosecutors. It was the deadliest transport crash in the US since 2009. Hussain faces up to 15 years in prison. His conviction has been welcomed by relatives of some of the victims, though one father who lost his son said: "I take no joy in that.”
Australia's unemployment rate increased to 3.7% in April, up 0.1 percentage points, which could lead to the Reserve Bank reconsidering another interest rate rise next month. The numbers are higher than the RBA's forecast of 3.6% for June and come as the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports a 2.6% increase in monthly hours worked over the last six months. Job market conditions are expected to soften throughout the year, but the rise in hours worked could indicate that the demand for labour is still high, says Oxford Economics Australia. Wage growth has also remained consistent with inflation reaching 7% at the turn of the year.
Mexico is to introduce travel documents that recognise different gender identities with a new system that allows people to avoid checking either male or female on passport applications. Mexicans will be able to select "X" to counter the need to specify gender, with the foreign ministry touting the decision as "historic progress". However, some non-binary activists criticised the policy as confusing gender and sex. Alex Orue of the LGBTQ+ rights non-profit It Gets Better said, "it's stigmatizing for non-binary people and it becomes a matter of inspection of genitalia, since gender identities do not always match bodily attributes of biological sex".
China's currency, the yuan, hit a multi-month low and fell through the critical seven per US dollar level, with pundits identifying the US Federal Reserves’ policy as the main contributor rather than domestic economic weakness. As doubts grow over China’s economic recovery, foreign investors have left markets and the currency has fallen by 4% since the end of January. Analysts from Nomura and Societe Generale have predicted that the yuan could drop to seven to the dollar soon. Additionally, the interest rate gap remains wide, causing some hedge funds to use yuan as a funding currency.
Illegal fishing in Lakeside, Doncaster is affecting the sustainability of its fish population, according to local councillor Laura Bluff. Bluff called on the council to take action, saying that the problem undermined conservation and was a disregard for environmental laws. Despite signs prohibiting fishing, local residents have frequently seen anglers. Illegal fishing is officially classified as theft and carries penalties of up to £50,000 ($65,450) and two years’ imprisonment. In 2016, a BBC News investigation found that illegal fishing was taking place on a “massive scale” in England.
The construction of a megacity in Saudi Arabia that the crown prince says will help lift the kingdom into a new era of economic diversity is under way, but it is coming at a heavy cost for some. People from the Howeitat tribe who live in the region earmarked for “The Line” have been displaced and their homes demolished, according to a United Nations report. Human rights groups accuse Saudi Arabia of violently and forcibly taking possession of land and homes, by expelling, arresting or imprisoning local residents opposed to the schemes, which also include the $500bn project Neom.
France's government has sent 2,000 police and troops to Mayotte, an island off the coast of Africa, to carry out mass expulsions of illegal migrants and eradicate violent gangs. The operation, dubbed "Wuambushu," is fraught with concerns of abuse and has exacerbated tensions between local residents and Comorian immigrants. As Mayotte is a part of France, and Comoros was once a French colony but have been independent since its independence in 1975, the operation exposes deep economic and social inequalities between Mayotte and the rest of France. Mayotte is by far the poorest corner of France, but its average income is still more than double that in Comoros, leaving Mayotte a land of refuge for Comorians. Over the last thirty years, Mayotte's population has quadrupled to 260,000, with many children born on the island to gain French residency. However, many young immigrants have few job options, leading to a flourishing underground economy and crime. Those criticizing the operation worry about its impact, and UNICEF has warned that a surge in arrests and expulsions will increase the risk of separating children from their parents.
Chinese bond funds are closing their doors or rejecting new subscriptions to limit inflows into the nation’s $14.3tn debt market, according to data by China Securities Journal. About 60 bond funds have made this move this month to limit inflows into a market where yields have experienced a quick decline, making allocations more challenging. The move throws the spotlight on the challenges facing China’s fund managers, whose task of positioning money becomes more difficult as the country’s economic recovery loses momentum.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is not a threat to humanity but instead it is our lack of humanity that is threatened, according to this week’s City A.M. editorial. Although AI can provide good, relevant responses to queries, it only has the ability to reproduce humans at their most machine-like and cannot understand emotions in the way this article suggests. Rather than waiting for an almighty technological takeover, society can take control of AI in the same way it has been shaping technology before via some form of government regulation. One of the ways artificial intelligence could have a positive impact on humans is by enabling us to quickly tap into the knowledge base and wisdom of those done before us in a more efficient way. However, there is a significant downside to AI in that it seeds confusion and potential societal discord by enabling our worst impulses and by promoting human intolerance and misinformation.
As AI changes jobs, Italy is trying to help workers retrain
Washington Post
23-05-18 11:48
Italy will spend $30m to help workers develop digital skills that will better prepare them for automation. While the programme is not solely focused on AI, it will fund companies and non-profits to help workers adopt new technologies, including data science and robotics. The country aims to “adapt the know-how of workers with training on digital and soft skills so that people can do their jobs in a complementary way” to technological advances, according to Martina Lascialfari, head of institutional activities at the Fondo per la Repubblica Digitale (FRD), a fund established to improve digital skills in the country. Italy has a specific need for such skills, with 54% of the population between the ages of 16 and 74 lacking basic digital expertise, compared with an average of 46% in the European Union. The remainder of the $30m fund will be used to help people who are unemployed to develop digital skills that would allow them to enter the job market.
Hundreds of thousands of children caught up in the conflict in Sudan are experiencing high levels of trauma and distress as a result of the unrest. The UN children’s agency Unicef has estimated that 368,000 children in the country have been displaced from their homes and another 82,000 have fled to neighbouring states. In the first 10 days of conflict, Unicef believed that 190 children were killed and a further 1,700 were injured. Bombardments and shootings mean children are under enormous stress and many have post-traumatic stress disorder.
French software firm Planisware explores options including IPO -sources
Reuters
23-05-18 11:42
Planisware, a French provider of cloud project management solutions, is reportedly working with investment bankers on strategic options, including a possible stock market listing, according to sources familiar with the matter. Rothschild is advising Planisware, while BNP Paribas and Citigroup have been lined up to arrange a potential initial public offering (IPO). No official statement has been made by the firm.
A man has been charged with arson in relation to a fire at the Loafers Lodge hostel in Wellington, New Zealand, in which at least six people died and up to 20 were missing. The 92-room hostel provided shelter for vulnerable and marginalised residents, including those on welfare and disability payments. Officials believe the death toll may rise due to the building’s damage. New Zealand is currently experiencing a housing crisis, with more than 3,300 households living in emergency accommodation. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called the tragedy “an absolute tragedy”.
Slovakia's parliament is expected to vote on a proposal that would prohibit transgender people from changing their gender identity on official documents, effectively removing their legal recognition. The amendment would only allow a change in gender on documents if a genetic test showed that it had been incorrectly identified, which would block transgender people from being able to make the change. Human rights groups have criticised the proposal and it is expected to be challenged in the constitutional court. At present, transgender people can legally change their gender and other personal information on their ID cards.
Readers of the New York Times have responded to its articles through letters to the editor. Connie Wu of San Francisco wrote that the use of the English name Connie derived from the influence of Connie Chung, an American journalist for whom many Asian women have been named; Anne Toohey of Chapel Hill described the surprised look on the face of Connie Chung when she learned how many women had been named
after her; Professor Laycock of Charlottesville argued against using the debt limit as a political tool; and David S. Elkind of Greenwich, Connecticut, criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ attempts to limit free speech.
Natalie Campbell, 40, a former aide to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has declared her running for the London mayoral race. She wants to be London mayor running the capital like a CEO, focusing on enabling people to "thrive" rather than just "live and get by", with an aim to utilise London’s existing housing stock, building more homes both to buy and rent. She also plans to cancel the controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) expansion and is in favour of a four-day working week.
US news organization ABC News has spent a year in Uvalde, Texas, after a mass shooting in an elementary school left 21 dead in a bid to bring "something new to tragedies that have taken on a numbing familiarity", according to Cindy Galli, executive producer of ABC’s investigative unit. The news team followed community members' musings on dealing with grief, grief in parents who refused to stay away from their dead children's bedrooms, police investigation and the growing activism of the families of the victims as they sought legislation to prevent future school shootings.
