Live: Social media platforms must ‘get their act together’ ahead of ban, minister says
Mark Butler says social media platforms have five days to “get their act together” amid reports some children are already evading the upcoming social media ban. Follow live. ⌘ Read more

Crypto investor donates record £9m to Reform UK
The sum from Christopher Harborne is the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party. ⌘ Read more

Crypto investor donates record £9m to Reform UK
The sum from Christopher Harborne is the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party. ⌘ Read more

Crypto investor donates record £9m to Reform UK
The sum from Christopher Harborne is the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party. ⌘ Read more

Crypto investor donates record £9m to Reform UK
The sum from Christopher Harborne is the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party. ⌘ Read more

Crypto investor donates record £9m to Reform UK
The sum from Christopher Harborne is the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party. ⌘ Read more

Crypto investor donates record £9m to Reform UK
The sum from Christopher Harborne is the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party. ⌘ Read more

Crypto investor donates record £9m to Reform UK
The sum from Christopher Harborne is the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party. ⌘ Read more

Cartooning exhibition captures ‘fast-moving’ year of political drama
The annual showcase of the year’s top political cartoons has opened at Old Parliament House in Canberra, depicting the biggest national and global events with satire and wit. ⌘ Read more

Cost of living still a sore point for voters as politicians go on holiday
A mammoth year in politics ended with a focus on what is worrying most Australians ahead of Christmas: the cost of living. ⌘ Read more

Live: Marles says Australia will stay with Ukraine ‘as long as it takes’
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles says Australia will stay with Ukraine for as long as it takes, after announcing an additional $95 million in military assistance. Follow live. ⌘ Read more

Apple To Resist India Order To Preload State-Run App As Political Outcry Builds
Apple does not plan to comply with India’s mandate to preload its smartphones with a state-owned cyber safety app that cannot be disabled. According to Reuters, the order “sparked surveillance concerns and a political uproar” after it was revealed on Monday. From the report: In the wake of the criticism, India’s tel … ⌘ Read more

UK Plans To Ban Cryptocurrency Political Donations
The UK government plans to ban political donations made in cryptocurrency over fears of anonymity, foreign influence, and traceability issues, though the ban won’t be ready in time for the upcoming elections bill. The Guardian reports: The government’s ambition to ban crypto donations will be a blow to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which became the first to accept contribu … ⌘ Read more

Michael and Susan Dell Donate $6.25 Billion To Encourage Families To Claim ‘Trump Accounts’
Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion to boost participation in the new “Trump Accounts” child investment program. “The historic gift has little precedent, with few single charitable commitments in the past 25 years exceeding $1 billion, much less multiple billions,” notes the Associate … ⌘ Read more

An Independent Effort Says AI Is the Secret To Topple 2-Party Power In Congress
Tony Isaac quotes a report from NPR: The rise of AI assistants is rewriting the rhythms of everyday life: People are feeding their blood test results into chatbots, turning to ChatGPT for advice on their love lives and leaning on AI for everything from planning trips to finishing homework assignments. Now, one or … ⌘ Read more

Government appointments often ‘look like nepotism’, long-awaited review finds
A report into government appointments to boards has savaged the system, which it found too often allowed governments to award friends or pick candidates for political purposes, eroding trust with the public. ⌘ Read more

Live: Government to establish landmark probe into ADF sexual violence
A landmark inquiry into sexual violence in the Australian Defence Force will be announced today. Follow live. ⌘ Read more

Victoria changes ‘unconstitutional’ donation laws amid court challenge
A financial election advantage for the three biggest Victorian political parties will be removed in the face of a High Court challenge that has argued the state’s donation laws are unconstitutional. ⌘ Read more

Burned nets and an arrest signal a growing Hong Kong-mainland divide
The blaze that consumed Wang Fuk Court burned for two days, but its political shock waves may echo for weeks, even months. ⌘ Read more

‘Kangaroo court’: UK MP lashes Bangladeshi court over corruption conviction
Tulip Siddiq says the decision should be treated with “contempt”, while her political party says she was not afforded due process. ⌘ Read more

Live: Joyce to make decision on move to One Nation in ‘next couple of weeks’
Newly minted independent Barnaby Joyce says he’ll make his decision on whether he’ll defect to One Nation in the next couple of weeks. Follow live. ⌘ Read more

By-election a tick of approval for LNP, but no crystal ball for election
A week is a long time in politics, let alone three years, and the LNP’s success at the next election is by no means assured, writes Jack McKay. ⌘ Read more

Damage from Cyclone Fina exposes NT’s need for new Darwin hospital
A new Royal Darwin Hospital would cost more than $1 billion to build, and likely take a decade or more to deliver. So who has the political bravery to commit? ⌘ Read more

What would it be like to visit the proposed Hobart stadium?
From potential gridlock to an “immersive” viewing experience, let’s set aside the politics — just for a moment — and look at what planning documents tell us about the building at the heart of Tasmania’s fiery stadium debate. ⌘ Read more

‘Where is Imran Khan?’: Son of former Pakistani PM calls for proof of life
The family and political allies of Pakistan’s former prime minister say they’ve not been allowed to visit him in prison for weeks but authorities say he is well. ⌘ Read more

Why Can’t ChatGPT Tell Time?
ChatGPT can browse the web, write code and analyze images, but ask it what time it is and you might get the correct answer, a confident wrong answer, or a polite refusal – sometimes all three within minutes of each other.

The problem stems from how large language models work. These systems predict answers based on training data and don’t receive constant real-time updates about things like time unless they specifically se … ⌘ Read more

Politics and property — why the regulator was forced to act on investor loans
It’s been called a bubble for more than 15 years but the great Aussie housing price boom has barely skipped a beat, as regulators eye the threat of risky loans. ⌘ Read more

SA house speaker joins departing MPs ahead of March election
Leon Bignell has announced he will retire from politics at the next state election bringing an end to his 20-year reign as the MP for Mawson. ⌘ Read more

Barnaby Joyce quits Nationals, will sit as independent
The former leader and deputy prime minister has confirmed his long-awaited political move. ⌘ Read more

The way Rockliff will be remembered inextricably tied to Hobart stadium’s future
With the vote to decide the fate of the Hobart stadium a week away, Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s political legacy is in the balance. ⌘ Read more

Judge dismisses 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump
The abandonment of the Georgia case is the latest reflection of how the US president has emerged largely unscathed from a spate of prosecutions that once threatened to imperil his political career. ⌘ Read more

Social media ban for under-16s challenged in High Court
Australia’s social media age ban is being challenged in the High Court on the grounds it restricts young teens’ implied right to freedom of political communication. ⌘ Read more

How millennials are rewriting the rules of Australian politics
Millennials are bucking trends, becoming an increasingly progressive voting bloc and rewriting the long-held rules of politics, writes Isabella Higgins. ⌘ Read more

Live: Labor grilled on plan to find savings in public service
The government is being questioned about its request for departments and agencies to save as much as 5 per cent of their costs. Follow live. ⌘ Read more

Iran’s Capital Is Moving. The Reason Is an Ecological Catastrophe
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Scientific American: Amid a deepening ecological crisis and acute water shortage, Tehran can no longer remain the capital of Iran, the country’s president has said. The situation in Tehran is the result of “a perfect storm of climate change and corruption,” says Michael Rubin, a political analyst at the Am … ⌘ Read more

Dilemma we face in confronting Sydney’s neo-Nazis
Do we ignore the neo-Nazis as we would a petulant child and hope their anger peters out? State Political Editor Alexander Smith explores this issue. ⌘ Read more

Integrity watchdog urges WA premier to drop bill allowing ministers to rewrite laws
A new report warns the State Development Bill exposes WA’s already fragile integrity system to further political influence. ⌘ Read more

Iraq’s Prime Minister Leads in Elections but May Struggle to Form a Government
Mohammed al-Sudani pitches himself as someone who can keep Iranian influence in check, but his vote share may not be big enough to ensure a clear political victory. ⌘ Read more

Gustavo Petro, the Rebel Turned President Willing to Take on Trump
From his guerrilla roots, Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, has long embraced a confrontational style. Now, he has incurred President Trump’s wrath and is facing political fallout at home. ⌘ Read more

Gustavo Petro, the Rebel Turned President Willing to Take on Trump
From his guerrilla roots, Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, has long embraced a confrontational style. Now, he has incurred President Trump’s wrath and is facing political fallout at home. ⌘ Read more

How Christian Nationalism Is Shaping Trump’s Foreign Policy Toward Africa
Jessica Washington,  Political Reporter  -  The Intercept

_Stephan: ”king” Trump has a long history of racism, and is the flavor of his administration and linked to what I think of as pseudo-Christianity because White nationalist Christianity has little to do with Jesus’ teachings.  Trump and his father were taken to court decades ago over their racism, and lost, and he has never … ⌘ Read more

Now for the good news on women in politics: Australia is a beacon to the world
While Sussan Ley’s leadership is under siege, the women of Australian politics are showing that representation is truly achievable. ⌘ Read more

Canadian Conservative leader struggles to unify party divided over Trump-style politics ⌘ Read more

Virginia Teen Narrowly Defeats His Former Civics Teacher in County Election
Comments ⌘ Read more

The Dismissal: How ‘the most tumultuous day in Australian political history’ unfolded
Power, principle, politics; all three collided to expose the fragility of our democracy. Watch what led to November 11, 1975, and how it changed the way we operated. ⌘ Read more

Lawmakers are ditching Congress at a record pace
Stef W. Kight , Hans Nichols , Andrew Solender,  Staff Writers  -  Axios

Stephan:

_Tuesday’s election is, I predict, is just the first phase of a trend that is going to restructure Congress. It is not going to be just political parties; it is also going to be a generational change. My hope is that the Democrats, in spite of all the Republican election rigging, are still going to take the majority in both the House and Senate … ⌘ Read more

A rats to riches story: Larry the Downing Street cat finds place in TV spotlight
Comments ⌘ Read more

@prologic@twtxt.net when I first “fed” the text to Gemini, I asked for a three paragraphs summary. It provided it. Then I asked to “elaborate on three areas: user experience, moral/political impact, and technical/legal concerns”. The reply to that is too long for a twtxt.

I then asked to counter the OP opinions—as in “how would you counter the author’s opinion?”. The reply was very long, but started like this:

“That’s an excellent question, as the post lays out some very strong, well-reasoned criticisms. Countering these points requires acknowledging the valid concerns while presenting a perspective focused on mitigation, responsible integration, and the unique benefits of AI.”

What followed was extensive, so I asked for a summary, which didn’t do justice to the wall of text that preceded it.

Hamish is such a polite boy ⌘ Read more

Economic Anger Once Again Punishes the Party in Power
Comments ⌘ Read more