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A parliamentary vote is the process of counting votes for members of parliament in the legislative body. The votes are counted in order of preference. If a candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the first preference votes, they are elected. If no one gets more than 50 per cent, the lowest two candidates are eliminated and their second preference votes are redistributed to the remaining candidates. This continues until one candidate receives more than the other candidates combined and is declared the winner.

Parliamentary systems exist in many countries, each with its own unique form and institutions that shape the country’s way of government. Many European nations use a parliamentary system, while others utilize a presidential system, such as in the United States.

The main advantage of a parliamentary system is that laws are passed by the legislative branch (the parliament), rather than by a separate executive. This ensures that decisions made by the majority are legitimate, and that those in the minority are not subject to unfair attacks on their legitimacy or ability to speak. The head of state, such as a monarch or governor general, has the de jure power to withhold royal assent to legislation passed by the parliament (known as a veto), although this is rarely used. The head of state can also exercise a constitutional check on the parliament’s legislative power by calling an early election, though this has only been done twice in history, in Australia and New Zealand.

The stock market is the place where shares of public companies are bought and sold. A company’s stocks can rise or fall in value, depending on how much demand there is for them and how profitable they are expected to be in the future. Investors hope to make money by buying stocks that are expected to rise in value, or selling their shares at a higher price than they bought them for. Typically, when you hear in the news that the “stock market is up” or down, it’s referring to a broad group of stocks such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the S&P 500. These are large groups of stocks that represent a wide range of industries and companies.

Stock prices are constantly rising and falling, based on supply and demand. Investors and traders are continually negotiating new prices with each other, changing them as they receive more or less information about a company. This process is called “price discovery.”

A company issues stock to raise money and allow investors a chance to gain profits from the growth of the business, as well as any dividends (a given amount of money per share at regular intervals) or appreciation in the price of the shares. A successful business is usually rewarded with rising stock prices, while a failing company may see its stock prices drop.

Individuals can purchase stocks by opening a brokerage account with a broker, or working with an investment advisor. These brokers will then buy and sell on your behalf on a trading exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq. These exchanges bring together people looking to buy a specific stock with those who are willing to sell it, and they facilitate the transactions at lightning speed.

GDP measures the monetary value of all the final goods and services produced within a country in a given period (usually a quarter or a year). The concept is similar to gross national product, but differs in that it includes some government expenditures that aren’t reflected in GNP, such as defense spending. GDP is usually calculated and reported quarterly by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). A country’s GDP tends to rise when output increases, but it can also increase if the price of goods and services increases or if production declines.

GDP is based on a variety of data sources, and thus can be subject to errors and biases. For example, it’s impossible to account for all consumption of goods and services, especially those that occur outside the market. The measurement also excludes all intermediate products used in the production of final goods; for example, steel sold to a car manufacturer is not included in GDP but flour sold to bakers would be.

Furthermore, GDP only accounts for activities that are provided through the market, ignoring non-market transactions, such as household production, bartering or volunteer or unpaid work. It also doesn’t take into account quality improvements or the introduction of new products, which may have a positive impact on an economy’s standard of living but are difficult to quantify. In order to combat some of these limitations, the United Nations has developed other metrics, such as the Human Development Index, which ranks countries not just by their GDP but by factors like life expectancy and literacy rate.

The broad area of policy and activities involving a nation’s relations with other countries, including diplomatic and economic interactions and military intervention. Foreign policy is interdependent and global, with every action and interaction affecting all other actors in the world.

Foreign policy is about how a nation’s leaders shape the world around it. It involves the use of force, both economic and military, in a way that protects and promotes national interests and values. It can include influencing international institutions and agreements, promoting democracy and human rights, resolving regional conflicts, and engaging with emerging economies and technologies.

After winning the Cold War, American foreign policy created new institutions to protect and expand freedom, including NATO and the United Nations, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, and the Bretton Woods monetary system and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to foster free trade. These institutions and agreements preserved and extended American power, but in a way that benefited all who participated.

Today, despite globalization, America’s unquestioned power continues to hold sway in the world, but it can be dangerously misdirected. Unless used deftly, our military and economic superiority can breed resentment, even among allies.

A new era calls for new strategies, as the world faces rising threats of global democratic backsliding and authoritarianism, global poverty and hunger, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change, and the spread of hate speech and new weapons of destruction. It is time to rebuild and reimagine our diplomacy.

Top headlines are what pull people in to read an article, blog post or social media post. Crafting a catchy headline is one of the most important aspects of writing and has been proven to increase readership. In fact, it’s estimated that five times as many people read the headline as the body copy.

The headline is also what shows up in search engine results and the bookmarks menu, so it’s crucial to make a good impression from the start. For this reason, most long-time headline writers have methods and rituals they go through. Many use the inverted pyramid style that lays out the story’s most important information, with the who, what, where, when and why in order of importance. Others rely on the classic how-to headline that’s been effective for over a century.

Other types of headlines include those that use emotional trigger words like shock or curiosity. It’s also common to see headlines that try to grab a reader’s attention by using power words like ultimate, best or guaranteed. Controversy is another way to grab attention, which works especially well with tabloids and celebrity sites.

Some headlines also explain what the story is about, which is useful for a reader who may be skimming through several articles or searching for a specific topic. This type of headline is especially effective for news stories because it helps readers understand what they are getting into. A headline that tells them what they can expect from the story makes it easier to decide if it’s worth their time.

The health of local news is vital for the communities it serves. Local news reports on issues that directly impact residents, fostering community identity by reflecting their values, culture and concerns. It is also a critical watchdog for government actions and decisions at the local level.

As the need for quality local journalism continues to grow, more news organizations are turning to collaboration and community engagement to stay afloat in today’s shifting media environment. This round-up celebrates some of the best examples of national-local partnerships, civic engagement and solutions journalism.

These stories demonstrate how the future of local news depends on a healthy, vibrant news ecosystem. It starts with a commitment to professional and representative journalism that’s informed by community perspectives, meets citizens’ information needs, and engages readers. It includes diverse staffing, sustainable revenue streams and strategies to reach new audiences as news consumption habits evolve.

When a newspaper closed in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, the town of Williamstown was left with a 15-mile radius without a local paper—a verifiable “news desert.” In 2021, the college newspaper at nearby Grady College (the journalism and mass communication school for the University of Georgia) stepped up to fill the gap. The student editors at the Williamstown Record began reporting on town-specific issues, including racial justice protests and police misconduct.

In Australia, the Seven Network uses regional studios in Maroochydore, Surfers Paradise, Canberra and Bunbury to produce local news bulletins for different markets. In Sweden, the public broadcaster SVT airs a 13-minute standalone local newscast called SVT Nyheter each evening, following Sportnytt, and short local news segments are included in the nationally simulcast morning newscast Aktuellt.

Government policy is a system of laws, regulatory measures, courses of action and funding priorities promulgated by governmental bodies. It determines who gets what, when and how, and shapes public life, as well as societal trends and historical trajectory. Effective policies support societal demands and encourage civic engagement; ineffective ones create disillusionment with political institutions, which then fuels social movements seeking change.

Governments develop policy through a complex process, from agenda setting and problem identification to analysis, implementation and evaluation. They must consider the influence of political parties, national interests and the needs of a diverse population, as well as engage stakeholders in co-creating policy.

Policy decisions can take the form of taxes, subsidies, spending plans and regulations, all designed to achieve certain economic and social objectives. These objectives may be as simple as promoting economic growth, improving education or increasing social safety nets. They can also be as complex as reducing crime rates or safeguarding the environment.

A policy debate is a structured argument that involves two teams. One team affirms (supports) the resolution and the other team negates (opposes) it. Both teams have two constructive speeches and a rebuttal. They use a formal evidence structure called “cards” with full citations. Each team has a judge who votes for which team did the better debating. The affirmative speaks first, followed by the negative, who then asks questions. The positive then gives a rebuttal to the negative’s rebuttal, and so on.

A news flash is a brief piece of breaking news that updates listeners on events that affect their lives. It can be local, national or international and includes a mix of hard and soft news.

A good newsflash is quick, to the point and clear. During a newsflash the anchor is limited to 6 to 10 news items so it’s important that these are delivered in a short and compelling manner. It’s also important not to repeat news that is delivered in other parts of the broadcast such as the midday or evening bulletins.

To write a good newsflash start with a headline that accurately and enticingly conveys what the story is about. Follow with a nut graph that adds context and ties the facts you introduced in your lead into a bigger picture to show listeners how the news impacts their lives. Incorporate quotes from experts or witnesses to add credibility and perspective.

Then tell the story in a straightforward or narrative style, depending on what the news is about. A narrative flash often consists of a descriptive anecdote that grabs listeners’ attention and entices them to listen further. For example, a witty anecdote about eight California high school students who share the same name could be used as a newsflash. If the story involves a tragedy or disaster, use a scene-setter lede to set the stage and make listeners feel a connection with the topic. Lastly, end with a brief soundbite or a voicer to leave listeners with a sense of relief or even a laugh.

A key to democracy’s success is the public’s confidence that election results are legitimate and accurate. This can only happen when all votes have been counted and certified. Every state has an official process for doing this, and it takes days or weeks to make sure all ballots have been properly counted.

This is important because prior research has shown that electoral expectations are shaped by partisan biases and the media’s aggregation of polling data (Kuru, Pasek and Traugott 2020; Madson and Hillygus 2024). When the outcome of an election is unexpected, it can exacerbate perceptions of fraud or irregularities, especially among voters who think their candidate lost. The unexpected loss of John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election, for example, fuelled conspiracy theories and allegations of widespread voter improprieties that tainted the election result (Gumbel 2008).

When news outlets collect data and analyse it, they can predict who will win each race. The data sources are unique to each outlet, but they may include the results of exit polls, the number of early in-person and mail ballots that have been cast, and patterns from past elections. Reporters can then track progress toward the completion of all votes counting and provide updates for each race.

When a news outlet is confident enough in its analysis to declare a winner, it makes a “call” of the predicted winner. Some outlets call races shortly after polls close, while others will wait until nearly all the votes have been counted.

When a new story is extremely important and must be reported immediately, it is called late-breaking. Breaking news typically requires an interruption of programming to report the information, but at 24-hour news networks with anchors available live for immediate interruption, breaking news can also be reported in the middle of regular programming using lower thirds and other graphics to convey urgency. In the days before 24-hour television, interrupting programming for breaking news was reserved for severe and imminent threats such as tornadoes or landfalling hurricanes.

Late-breaking works (LBW) are research developments that may not have been published or presented in time for the CHI 2025 submission deadline, but are highly significant and of critical importance to the field. LBWs report on data that became available for public dissemination after the CHI abstract submission deadline, and must be substantially novel (not simply an extension of existing work) or definitively confirm or refute other critically important work. Accepted LBWs will be presented in the LBW session at CHI 2025 and appear semi-archival in the ACM Digital Library.