News roundup, 9 Dec 2023

- Winnipeg Transit workers have ratified a new contract, averting a strike that was scheduled to begin on Monday.

- The Kinew government is hitting pause on plans to sell off 19 Manitoba Housing properties, accounting for a total of 35 units. The sale of the properties had been recommended under the previous government's "asset repurposing policy".

- The US has used their veto power at the UN Security Council to block a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The UK abstained. Meanwhile, a study published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz found that civilians account for 61% of the deaths in the conflict, worse than any war in the last century.

- A study on the effects of BC's carbon tax by Trevor Tombe and Jennifer Winter, two economists at the University of Calgary, has concluded that it has not significantly harmed affordability, that people with lower incomes get more back in rebates than they pay in carbon tax in the first place. More importantly, other studies have concluded that the tax has reduced BC's emissions by 5-15%. Sadly, Pierre Poilievre doesn't care about the truth, and sadly neither do a sizeable chunk of the electorate. Poilievre and his party just finished a performative filibuster attempt in the House of Commons related to the issue.

- OPEC's leader is, not surprisingly, calling for its members to reject any agreement at COP28 that might lead to actual movement on the problem.

- Ever since Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang became an unperson earlier this year, there has been speculation about what might be going on. Apparently several other formerly well-regarded officials have disappeared, leading to suggestions that there was an attempt to oust President Xi Jinping. Some fear that Xi could attempt to reestablish his grip on power by having a go at Taiwan.

- The European Union has reached an agreement with its member states to introduce the world's first comprehensive legislation to regulate artificial intelligence. The exact details of the legislation have yet to be worked out, however, and it is not expected to take effect before 2025.

- Longstanding activists in the Republican Party in Michigan are not happy with the recent influx of extremists to the party. Unfortunately they're outvoted by said extremists, who have taken over the party there as in other parts of the US.

- The kitten stolen from a Waterloo store last month has been recovered safely.