Australia’s Prime Minister, Labor’s Anthony Albanese, has called a federal election for 5 May. Labor currently has a slim majority in parliament. Opinion polls put Labor neck and neck with the Liberal-National coalition led by Peter Dutton. Federal elections have to be held every three years, and the latest possible date for this election was … Continue reading “Australian Election Called”
On March 20, headlines around the world announced that President Donald Trump had dismantled the U.S. Department of Education. What does the Department of Education do, and has it really been closed? The U.S. Department of Education is not the equivalent of the education ministries in many other countries, which usually set curricula and exams, … Continue reading “Threats to the U.S. Department of Education”
When Justin Trudeau resigned as Canadian Prime Minister on 6 January, he was hoping to give the Liberal Party a chance of winning the election that had to be held by 20 October. But since Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Liberal Party has leapt up in opinion polls. Now the newly chosen Prime Minster Mark Carney … Continue reading “Canada on the Brink of an Election”
On 28 February, the average age in the House of Commons debating chamber was a lot younger than normal. Instead of the usual MPs, the chamber hosted the annual sitting of the UK Youth Parliament: more than 300 11-18-year-olds elected by their peers. The debaters are MYPs: Members of the U.K. Youth Parliament. Any 11-18-year-old … Continue reading “Kids Take Over Parliament”
Dozens of music and Hollywood stars played two shows in Los Angeles that have raised more than $100 million to help those whose lives have been turned upside down by the recent wildfires. Although wildfires are a natural occurrence in California, the Palisades and Eaton fires which broke out on 7 January are some of … Continue reading “Stars Raise Millions After California Wildfires”
The 119th U.S. Congress convened for the first time on 3 January. Although the Republican Party achieved the “trifecta” of the Presidency and majorities in both houses of Congress in the November elections, divisions within the party mean it won’t be simple to pass legislation. The Republicans have a five seat majority in the Senate … Continue reading “New Congress, New Challenges”
After nine years at the head of the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped down as leader of the Canadian Liberal Party on Monday, following months of internal struggles in the party. His resignation may have come too late to allow his successor to successfully lead a campaign for re-election, which must be held by … Continue reading “Justin Trudeau Resigns as Canadian PM”
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju just made history by becoming the youngest ever World Chess Champion at the age of just 18. Gukesh defeated China’s Ding Liren, a grandmaster and the defending champion, at the World Championship in Singapore on 12 December. Previously the youngest champion was Garry Kasparov, who was 22 when he won. Gukesh … Continue reading “Youngest Chess Champ”
Ireland had a general election on 29 November but isn’t expected to have a government until the new year. The government is likely to be another coalition led by the two historical centrist parties Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with at least one other partner. After the last election in 2020, it took five months … Continue reading “Voting in Ireland”
The Australian Senate has approved new legislation that would ban under-16-year-olds from accessing social-media services by late 2025. The government says that exposure to social media can harm young people but it is not clear exactly how the ban will work. The legislation passed by the Senate is guaranteed to also be passed by the … Continue reading “Australia Bans Social Media for Under-16s”
