The Manila Desk

In this episode of Explained Why, the host discusses the new measures for student visas in Australia. The guest, Herbert Legaspi, an immigration expert and director of HNL Migration, provides insights into the changes and loopholes in the student visa system that allowed some international students to switch their field of study. The episode also touches on recent frauds in the student visa system...

Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy stated on Monday that millions of people were impacted by the data breach in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) system. Sadly, millions of dollars are involved. When asked how many people were affected by the data breach, Uy told reporters that work on it was 90% complete. "But the number might decrease because...

Even though search technology has advanced significantly, this is not the problem. Google has revolutionised education and made billionaires. The search paradigm is effective and convenient, though, like fast food for research. The lifespan of disruptive innovation is short, and AI is creating new opportunities. In this episode, Dr. Jon Mason, an associate professor of education (online learning)...

OneFishTwoFish is a new initiative that aims to release two fish back into the ocean for every fish or seafood equivalent that is prepared, sold, or consumed in Australia. Each year, Australians consume more than 356,000 tonnes of seafood, and now there is a straightforward way for seafood lovers to give back to the ocean. In this episode, we had a conversation with marine biologist, ocean conserv...

ChatGPT is a powerful language model made by OpenAI. It can create text that sounds like it was written by a person, which means it can have natural language conversations. This technology could change the way we use computers, and it has already started to be used in a number of different fields. Teachers are worried that students will use the tool to cheat and plagiarise. As a result, some unive...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.readmencari.com A good plan can give you financial freedom and help you balance your income and spending. Track your spending, income, investments, and emergency funds. There are many free online budgeting apps and websites. Allocating a portion of your income to needs, recreation, and emergencies can help you budget. Stick to your...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.readmencari.com The Commonwealth Bank of Australia thinks that the price of a home will go up a little bit in 2022 and then go down a lot in 2023. The rising interest rate will work against the value of real estate on the market. The market will eventually give in to the pressure of high interest rates, which will result in a declin...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.readmencari.com On Sunday, supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro broke through security barriers set up by the Armed Forces and got into the country's Congress building, Supreme Court, and Planalto Presidential Palace. In this episode, we talked to Alex Fleck, an academic who was born in Brazil and is working on hi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.readmencari.com More than 430,000 Australian children are likely to be gambling with almost 40,000 categorised as risky gamblers and 14,400 categorised as problem gamblers, the CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Carol Bennett, says. Ms Bennett said the alarming rate of children gambling was revealed by new research by the Unit...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.readmencari.com As energy relief measures have passed the parliament despite the opposition of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association and Liberal National Party saying reckless reforms will boost gas prices but not supply. But Climate Energy Finance Analyst Tim Buckley in this interview did not agree with them...

After posting the official Raelian symbol on his Twitter account, Twitter decided to suspend Kanye West's account with Elon Musk commenting that Kanye West had gone too far and that this was not love. In this episode, we interview Peter heaven of the Australian Raelian Movement to educate about the Raelian Symbol. “While Elon Musk was made an Honorary Guide for Humanity by the Raelian Movement not...

New research led by RMIT University indicates that nine in 10 adults who use social media have committed cyberbullying, flagging a need for more measures to prevent this toxic online behaviour. Educated and married people, irrespective of their gender, are most likely to commit cyberbullying more frequently, according to the research, but demographics are not the only factors at play. The study fo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.readmencari.com Six people - including two young police constables - have been shot dead in an ambush and siege at a remote Queensland property that has left the tight-knit local community reeling. Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, died along with 58-year-old neighbour Alan Dare after being shot at Wieambilla in...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.readmencari.com For the first time, The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) the other day announced the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) — major scientific breakthrough decades in the making that will pave the way for advancements in...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.readmencari.com An extensive report gauging the pressures experienced by young Australians has been released today by Monash University’s Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice. After a comprehensive survey of 505 young people from every corner of the nation and a series of in-depth interviews, the Understanding Young People...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.readmencari.com Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced in a statement on Saturday, among them are Iran's Morality Police, the Basij Resistance Force and six Iranian individuals, involved in the violent crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa 'Jina' Amini and the continued oppression of the people of Iran. Despi...

The United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have recommended that the Great Barrier Reef be listed as ‘World Heritage In Danger’, as part of a report on their joint reactive reef monitoring mission conducted earlier this year.  In this episode, we interview James Cook University Adjunct Senior Research Fello...

Hundreds of pieces of kids’ art have been put on display at Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s office this morning, accompanied by a letter signed by more than 4,300 Australian parents calling on the government to protect kids from worsening climate change. Kids and their parents installed the artwork of children from across Australia in a street gallery outside the electorate office in Sydney...

In this episode, we interview Dr. Colin Brown, a Adjunct Professor in the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University in Brisbane to talked about the Indonesia's parliament has passed controversial new criminal laws that ban cohabitation between unmarried couples and expand its law against blasphemy. The new laws, which apply to Indonesians and foreigners alike, also include penalties for criti...

The Reserve Bank of Australia decided to increase the cash target by 25 basis points to 3.10 per cent last Tuesday. RBA Governor Philip Lowe said Inflation in Australia is too high, at 6.9 per cent over the year to October. “Global factors explain much of this high inflation, but strong domestic demand relative to the ability of the economy to meet that demand is also playing a role. Returning inf...

Medibank has confirmed that more stolen customer data has been released on the dark web, last Thursday amid reports the hackers have released all files remaining in their possession. In a statement, Medibank is aware that stolen Medibank customer data has been released on the dark web last Thursday. Medibank CEO David Koczkar said while there are media reports of this being a signal of ‘case close...

ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold has dropped charges against Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins, saying a retrial would pose an “unacceptable risk” to her health. Some Women’s advocates are disappointed with the current criminal justice system. In a statement, EMILYs List Australia's CEO Pamela Anderson said the dropping of the case against Lehrmann represent...

The ongoing Street protests across China have brought memories of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations brutally quashed in 1989. China has witnessed more extensive protests in Hong Kong, but nothing on the mainland has come close to these. The great protests, which began over the weekend and spread to cities across China including Shanghai and Beijing, have been characterised by acts of civil disob...

Is this the greatest moment in Australian sporting history? Arnie’s underdogs’ advance to the knock-out stage feeds into traditional nationalistic narratives constructed around battling the odds, overcoming adversity and ‘punching above our weight. In this episode, Dr. Tom Heenan, Lecturer, of Sport and Australian Studies in the Monash Intercultural Lab, Faculty of Arts at the Monash University ca...

In this episode of "From the Newswires", RedWires AU Editor-in-Chief Miko Santos interviewed Dr. Lucy Richardson, Research Fellow, Communications & Media Studies from Monash University. Her study reveals Australian are overwhelmingly changing their attitudes towards climate change but are reluctant to change their diets to help the environment. DR. Richardson is a postdoctoral research fellow with...