The Daily Populous

Saturday October 18th, 2025 evening edition

image for Trump's Zelensky meeting confirms one thing: Putin is leading negotiations

Despite promising words, Zelensky once again came away from Washington empty-handed - Putin wins again.

The lead-up to Thursday’s meeting in the White House between Presidents Trump and Zelensky was a mixture of high tension and weary familiarity.

On the other hand, all of the other main elements of the meeting seemed to follow a script that we have seen before multiple times.

Delay and concern over “escalation” that would upset Moscow are the dominant features of the US response.

And Trump’s occasional admission that Putin is toying with him has not led to any visible consequences for Moscow.

And then, by pressing all of the familiar buttons to generate a positive reaction, Putin may have defused the danger to Moscow.

And after Thursday’s White House meeting, there is still no indication of that happening. »

Allies’ power in safeguarding the rights of trans people in Australia – Monash Lens

Authored by lens.monash.edu

81% agree of strongly agree that trans people deserve the same rights and protections as other Australians .

When allies support trans people to live their lives with dignity and equality, all of society benefits.

Paula Gerber is the author of Sex, Gender & Identity: Trans Rights in Australia (2025, Monash University Publishing) and is speaking about trans rights and allyship in an online “Elevate your Allyship” session on 23 October from 12pm-1pm. »

US anti-vax stance to blame for continent-wide surge in measles, say experts

Authored by theguardian.com

Measles cases have surged worldwide to a 25-year high, due to low vaccine coverage and the spread of misinformation about vaccine safety.

More than half of these cases are in the US and Canada, with three deaths in the US and two in Canada so far.

Adults who did not have the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as children are also being offered the jab. »

Indian Man Stages His Own Funeral — Just To See Who Cares

Authored by obdaily.com

Indian Man Stages His Own Funeral — Just To See Who Cares.

A 74-year-old man from Bihar, India, left his village stunned after faking his own death and staging a full funeral just to see how many people would attend.

Wrapped in a white shroud, he lay still as villagers gathered to pay their respects, believing he had actually passed away. »

Customers sue sneaker company On over shoes that cause 'noisy and embarrassing squeak'

Authored by aol.com
image for

Customers of the athletic shoe company On have filed a class action lawsuit alleging that some of the brand's sneakers squeak embarrassingly loudly when they walk.

The class action suit, filed in the U.S. district court in Portland — where On's U.S. headquarters is located — on October 9, targets On’s shoes made with "CloudTec" technology.

At least 11 of On's sneaker styles are referenced in the lawsuit, including the Cloud 5 and Cloud 6, CloudMonster, and Cloudrunner, among others. »