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SHONKY AWARDS
Consumer advocacy group, Choice, has named its winners of the least prestigious awards of the year: The Shonkys! This isn't your normal awards show, clearly, because the Shonky Awards are all about shining a spotlight on Australia's worst products and services, at least according to Choice. So, in the 21st edition of the awards, the top gong goes to Ticketmaster and Ticketek! Choice says the two companies were chosen for their use of dynamic pricing and in-demand tickets, plus having strict time limits when purchasing. Both companies have said the fans are notified when it's being used. Virgin Australia also copped a Shonky for pocketing $75 million dollars worth of unused flight credits from cancelled flights during the COVID-era, which Choice says should have been refunded to consumers. Other recognition went to Hisense's super-energy-efficient washer-dryer for taking 25 hours to complete a cycle, and Sony, for selling licenses to access games or movies digitally, which can be removed at any time, basically meaning that customers don't actually own what they buy.
CANE TOAD BARRIER
Scientists in Western Australia are hoping a new cane toad barrier will help keep the pest from spreading across the state. Cane Toads are native to Central and South America. And a whole bunch were brought over to Australia back in the 1930s to help deal with cane beetles and grubs, which were eating all the sugarcane crops. But in an unfortunate turn of events, the cane toads became a nuisance themselves, multiplying and spreading quickly. They're now considered an invasive species. And they're poisonous to humans and animals. So yeah, to stop the spread, a $28 million project has just been given the green light, which'll see a bunch of these troughs installed to keep water out of reach of the toads.
WHAT ARE MIDTERMS?
Right now, the US is in the middle of its midterm elections. This week, Americans are heading to the polls for the midterms. But the President isn't on the ballot; a lot of other politicians are. Let me explain. The US government has two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Together, they make up Congress, the branch of government responsible for making and passing federal laws. Members of the House of Representatives only serve two-year terms, which means all 435 seats are up for grabs at every midterm election. Meanwhile, senators serve six-year terms, so only about a third of the Senate's 100 seats are up for grabs. And at the same time, some states are also voting for their next governors. The results from this election are pretty important, because they impact how much power the President has for the next two years. You see, if the party with more seats is different from the president's political party, it can make it harder for the President to get laws passed. But if the president's party controls both houses, those laws could get through easier. Historically, the president's party usually loses seats, and that's no different this time around with the democrats flipping enough seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate to take full control of Congress.
KARL BUSHBY RETURNS HOME
First up, to British traveller Karl Bushby, who's just returned home. Yeah, that's his mum giving him a big hug. He's been away from home for 28 years, travelling the world on foot. He started his walk in Chile back in 1998, and has been slowly making his way back ever since. Karl originally expected the trip to last about 10 years, but obviously, things took a bit longer than initially planned.
MOUNT TAI RACE
Now to a bunch of robots racing up the steps of Mount Tai in China! This is the main event of the first-ever World Robot Mount Tai Climbing Competition, which is, well, the name just about says it all, doesn't it? All sorts of four-legged and four-wheeled robots clamoured their way up the steep steps and uneven footpath.
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For the past 55 years, Behind the News has been helping to break down current issues and events for young people all around the world. The program is a high-energy, fun way for people to learn about the stories we see in the news while providing background information that isn’t usually given by other news bulletins.
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