News roundup, 7 Jan 2024

- Justin Trudeau has finally seen the writing on the wall and announced that he will step down as Liberal leader and prime minister once the party has chosen a successor. He has also prorogued Parliament until the 24th of March to give the party time to make that selection. The leader will be selected according to existing rules, despite fears that this facilitates foreign interference by allowing non-citizens to buy party memberships and vote for the leader. As to who might run for the position, it's kind of hard to say; the usual suspects might not be quick to step up to the plate. After all, whoever wins will have virtually no chance of beating Pierre Poilievre, though they will have an excellent chance of beating Sir Charles Tupper for the title of shortest serving prime minister in Canadian history.

- New York City has followed the lead of London, England by introducing congestion pricing for approximately half or Manhattan. This hasn't gone through without a fight; several legal challenges, including one from the State of New Jersey, were launched in the hope of derailing the plan, but they were defeated. The plan is expected to reduce the number of vehicles entering the congestion zone by at least 13% while bringing much-needed revenue to pay for transit improvements; behavioural changes are expected to take some time, though, and as Paul Krugman points out, people really don't like these sorts of nudges, no matter how beneficial they are.

- Ann Telnaes, who has worked as an editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post since 2008, has resigned in protest of the paper's refusal to publish a cartoon that showed several billionaires (including Post owner Jeff Bezos) lining up to offer Trump money.

- Hot on the heels of allegations that an oil tanker was used to sabotage an undersea cable by dragging its anchor, Taiwan is claiming that a Chinese ship did the same thing to a telecom cable connecting the island with the US.

- Since Pornhub pulled out of Florida in response to a new piece of legislation, use of VPNs in the state has surged by 1150%.

News roundup, 24 Sept 2024

- Ukraine is challenging Russia's claim to exclusive rights over the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov to the main body of the Black Sea, at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. They are also calling for the demolition of the 19 km long bridge linking Crimea to Russia, saying that the bridge was deliberately built too low for large ships to enter the Sea of Azov. The Russians, of course, are trying to claim that the court has no jurisdiction over the issue.

- Israel bombed large areas of Lebanon on Monday, ostensibly targeting Hezbollah operatives. At least 356 people (including 24 children) were killed and over 1,200 wounded. They also shut down Al Jazeera's bureau in the West Bank.

- The election in the German state of Brandenburg has given the Social Democrats a slim plurality over AfD; a new party called the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (named after its leader) might have a key role in forming a government. The party's position is a bit unusual for these times; they appear to be leftwing and interventionist on economic issues but socially and culturally conservative, populist, Euroskeptic, Russophile, and opposed to green politics.

- There are finally hints of the start of an exodus from the Sunbelt, as uncomfortably hot weather and unaffordable home insurance makes living there look less than attractive. Once it gets under way, of course, a lot of people will be left holding worthless properties.

- A proposal to introduce congestion pricing (as seen in many of the world's great cities such as London, Milan, and Singapore) to New York City has run afoul of the state government. The governor, Kathy Hochul, was initially on board with the idea, but has indefinitely paused the idea, apparently fearing the wrath of suburban voters. The reversal seems not to have helped Hochul politically, though.

- The chair of the Winnipeg School Division is urging schools not to fundraise to get things faster than they would from school division funding, fearing (not without some justification) that this will essentially allow parents in more affluent areas to essentially cut in line and get infrastructure upgrades faster than those in less well off parts. The response on Reddit to this, however, has been largely negative.

- The US is considering going further than the 100% tariffs that they have imposed on Chinese EVs, with the administration considering a complete ban on imports of all Chinese vehicles as well as vehicles that use certain Chinese-made parts. The supposed justification is national security, though I wouldn't be surprised if the real reason has something to do with winning over Michigan voters.