Here is a look at what is making news around the country today.
Today’s national news includes Australian Human Rights Commission saying that hotel detention for immigrants impacts negatively mental and physical health, and a suspected Russian diplomat is occupying the nation’s vetoed embassy site in Canberra. Also in the news are Nestle stopping production of Fantales chocolates after almost a century, Pop superstar Taylor Swift announcing dates for her Eras tour with five shows across Melbourne and Sydney, and Twitter giving 28 days to sort out ‘toxicity and hate’.
Politics
The use of hotels for immigration detention impacts negatively the health
The Australian government’s use of city hotels as ad hoc immigration detention centres—including confining people for nearly two years—has “devastating impacts on people’s mental and physical health”, The Guardian has reported. The Australian Human Rights Commission has found out that the use of hotels to incarcerate people remained a “regularised” part of Australia’s immigration infrastructure, rather than a measure of last resort. At the time of the commission’s inspections in mid-2022, the longest continuous detention in a hotel was 634 days and the average time was 69 days. The report found the negative mental health impacts of hotel detention grew progressively worse the longer confinement continued, and often exacerbated earlier traumas.
National security
Russian diplomat squatting at the nation’s vetoed embassy site in Canberra
A suspected lone Russian diplomat is squatting on the site of Moscow’s proposed embassy after the Australian government vetoed the plan on security grounds. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dismissed the Russian act of defiance, saying a “bloke standing in the cold on a bit of grass in Canberra is not a threat to our national security.” Parliament passed emergency legislation last week blocking on security grounds Russia’s lease on the largely empty block because the new embassy would have been too close to Parliament House. The government could declare him persona non grata, which would mean his diplomatic immunity was revoked. Such people are then usually given 48 hours to leave Australia or face arrest, Yahoo News reported.
https://news.yahoo.com/suspected-russian-diplomat-occupying-nations-033333487.html
Business
Nestle stops making Fantales
Nestle has halted the production of Fantales, an iconic Australian chocolate after 93 years, the Canberra Times reported. The chewy caramel and chocolate treats wrapped in ‘fan tales’ of famous actors and musicians were first created in 1930. Nestle announced that declining sales and the need for “significant upgrades” required to continue production in Melbourne had led to the decision. The lollies will be available for sale while stocks last after the final production in mid-July.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8241577/end-of-an-era-for-iconic-aussie-chocolate/
Entertainment
Taylor Swift to perform in Melbourne and Sydney
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has announced dates for her Eras tour with five shows across Melbourne and Sydney in late February next year, The Guardian reported. Swift will perform at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 February 2024. She will then travel to Sydney for three shows at Accor Stadium Friday 23, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 February. Swift’s Australian leg will come after shows in Latin America and Japan, and before heading onto the UK and Europe as part of the 50-show international tour.
Social media
Twitter given 28 days to sort out ‘toxicity and hate’
Australia’s internet safety watchdog has given Twitter 28 days to clean up “toxicity and hate” on its platform, threatening to fine the company if it fails to comply, Aljazeera has reported. Twitter has become Australia’s most complained about platform since Elon Musk, one of the world’s richest people and a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist”, took control of it last year. Australia has spearheaded the global drive to regulate social media platforms, and it is not the first time that Inman Grant has publicly singled out Twitter.
0 Comments