The Know Daily - Monday 25 September 2023

_{Monday 25 September ∙ Read in 5m 44s ∙ Listening to Lorde}

Snow leopard conservation efforts are paying off in Bhutan, where their numbers have increased by almost 40% since 2016. The big cats are threatened by climate change and poaching, but a recent survey counted 134 individuals - and found they are also thriving in new locations.

🖋️ A happy ending?

Hollywood screenwriters are poised to end their nearly five-month strike after reaching a “tentative” agreement with studio bosses, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced on Sunday.

What’s the story?
The deal between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers followed what The Guardian described as “five marathon days” of negotiations. In an email to its members, later shared on social media, the WGA described the deal as “exceptional - with meaningful gains and protections for writers”.

The final details are yet to be announced, and the deal must be approved by the union’s board and members before the strike officially ends. Nevertheless, it is “highly likely to pass muster with members”, said Variety.

Remind me why writers went on strike?
Around 11,500 members of the WGA walked out on 2 May over issues including “pay, the size of writing staffs on shows and the use of artificial intelligence (AI)”, said Sky News. The 146-day strike is estimated to have cost the California economy billions of dollars, and many related businesses - including caterers and costume suppliers - have been impacted.

In mid-July, members of SAG-AFTRA, the union representing more than 150,000 actors, began their own walkout, which is yet to be resolved. Both sides have “similar sets of demands”, said the New York Times (NYT).

So what happens next?
While late-night television shows are expected to resume production shortly, the resolution of the writers’ strike “will not restore Hollywood to normal”, said the NYT. Actors represented by SAG-AFTRA remain on strike - but the WGA’s new deal could “expedite negotiations” between the actors’ union and studios, added the paper.

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