5: New Zealand Students Are the Victims of Australia’s Flagging Economy
Kiwi students studying in Australia will see their fees triple, as state governments look to balance the books.
The Australian government has this week announced major changes to the way it deals with New Zealand visitors; including ceasing to subsidise kiwi uni students.
New Zealand officials said they were given no warning the change was coming—and the Prime Minister says New Zealand will continue to subsidise Australian students’ fees.
The first round of changes was announced on Tuesday, in the lead-up to the Australian federal budget. It included the decision to stop charging most New Zealand tertiary students local fees. The jump to international rates means fees for those studying in Australia could almost triple, with RNZ reporting the costs would shoot from around $7000 a year to about $24,000 a year.
Under the new scheme, New Zealanders would have access to the Australian student loan system. The changes won’t affect the ~8000 students already enrolled in Australian universities.
In an interview on Tuesday, Prime Minister Bill English said he was “pretty unhappy” with the changes, and they were part of a broader Australian effort to balance the books.Vice News
4: There Are No “Macron Leaks” in France. Politically Motivated Hacking Is Not Whistleblowing.
As Vanderbiest demonstrated in graphics that chart how awareness of the hacked documents spread across Twitter, a series of tweets from WikiLeaks drew much more attention to the trove — and helped validate it in the minds of many followers of the transparency organization, some of whom wrongly assumed that Wikileaks was the original source for publishing the documents.
The Intercept
3: Protests Erupt After House Republicans Pass Healthcare Bill That Could Hike Premiums for Millions
Republicans have moved one step closer to repealing Obamacare after the House narrowly approved legislation Thursday that would result in tens of millions of people losing health insurance while providing a massive tax break to the rich. The future of the bill remains in doubt as Republican senators have vowed to write their own healthcare bill. Most major medical organizations and the AARP warned the bill will cause serious harm to patients and drive up the cost of healthcare. The Congressional Budget Office was not given enough time to “score” the legislation—meaning the House voted on the bill without knowing its projected impact. The bill was also opposed by almost every sector in the healthcare industry, including hospitals, doctors, health insurers and consumer groups. It puts a cap on federal spending per person—including seniors and children—under Medicaid and blocks Medicaid funds going to reimburse Planned Parenthood for providing preventive care to women. We speak with Margarida Jorge, co-executive director of Health Care for America Now and Health Care for America Now Education Fund, and Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong, a women of color reproductive health collective.Democracy Now
2: Chibok girls in health checkups before Buhari meeting
ighty-two of the 200 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Nigerian armed group Boko Haram arrived in Abuja on Sunday and were undergoing health checkups before meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
The presidency said the girls were freed after “lengthy negotiations” in exchange for Boko Haram fighters held by the government.
Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Abuja, said some of the girls were reportedly “in pretty bad condition” and one had her leg amputated.
“A lot of people are happy, a lot of people are excited,” he said. “But there is also anxiety. Everybody hopes that his or her daughter is part of the 82 who’ve come home now.”
The girls were met at the capital’s airport by Buhari’s chief of staff, Abba Kyari.
Aljazeera
1: ‘Brexit boom’ gives Britain record 134 billionaires, fuelling inequality fears
Britain has more billionaires than ever in what equality campaigners said was a clear sign the UK economy is only working for the few at the top.
There are now 134 billionaires based in the UK according to this year’s Sunday Times Rich List, 14 more than the previous highest total, as the super-rich reap the benefits of a “Brexit boom”. Fifteen years ago, there were 21.
The annual rich list showed that the wealthiest 1,000 individuals and families in Britain have combined wealth of £658bn, up from £575bn last year, despite fears that the Brexit vote last June would plunge the economy into a fresh turmoil.
The Guardian
