Welcome all to a day where many an Aussie is suffering from a reality TV hangover. Yup, The Block finale was last night, and the results were a bloodbath. This is because most of the program’s fan favourites didn’t make massive profits when selling the houses they built, reminding us all that not even our escapism can be perfect.
However, there’s a cure to these reality TV blues: Today’s headlines. Because nothing puts life in perspective like knowing about what’s happening around the globe. So, without any further ado, here are some of the biggest stories of this Monday:
Here’s What Happened on COP27’s First Day
The United Nations’ (UN) 27th of Conference of the Parties (COP27) started in Egypt on November 6 and will run until November 18. This smorgasbord of acronyms is a gathering of nations, where they all attend a series of events that discuss the current climate crisis.
On the opening day, the UN’s Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, didn’t mince words about how the planet is in dire straits.
In a statement, he said; “As COP27 gets underway, our planet is sending a distress signal. The latest State of the Global Climate report is a chronicle of climate chaos. As the World Meteorological Organization shows so clearly, change is happening with catastrophic speed: Devastating lives and livelihoods on every continent.”
“We must answer the planet’s distress signal with action: Ambitious, credible climate action. COP27 must be the place, and now must be the time.”
Additionally, Simon Stiell, the UN’s Climate Change Executive Secretary, has also called on those in attendance to do better. Stiell stated that the aim of last year’s COP26 was for every country to adopt better climate action goals. As of 2022, only 29 of the 194 nations has done so.
“We will be holding people to account, be they presidents, prime ministers, CEOs,” said Stiell.
These Are the Aussie Twitter Workers That Have Been Fired
On November 5, many Australian Twitter workers were informed whether or not they still had a job. This is because the billionaire new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk, cut this company’s workforce by 50%. Musk claimed that this measure was done in order to save costs.
Furthermore, we now have additional information about who’s been fired in this cull. In Australia, job cuts have happened in Twitter’s government relations department, marketing department, and news department. However, Twitter’s sales team, responsible for the company’s advertising, hasn’t had any layoffs.
The Australian eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has slammed Twitter for firing its staff.
She said, “The approach of culling employees who have particular expertise in trust and safety functions, with intimate knowledge of how the platform’s policies and tools work, potentially undermines the company’s ability to combat abuse, misinformation, and harms in the future.”
Related: Elon Musk Wants Twitter’s Blue Ticks to Be $8.00
Related: Thousands Leave Twitter as Elon Musk Takes Over
The Victorian Flooding Crisis Tragically Isn’t Over Yet
In some more serious news, certain parts of Victoria are still in danger of flooding. This is because last month’s downpours have created some swollen rivers, which are still rising.
As of November 7, Kenley, in Swan Hill, received a warning to immediately evacuate. Additionally, the emergency warnings for Echuca and Koondrook Primary School haven’t subsided.
If you need to stay up-to-date in regards to this situation, go to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Warnings Index and learn what the Victorian State Emergency Service (SES) branch is saying.
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.