Australia election 2019

Published 1 hour ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The Scottish Greens said there would be no alterative to a single issue general election on independence if formal consent for indyref2 is not granted. Co-leader Patrick Harvie said it would be the only option if both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Supreme Court block the request. Opposition parties have criticised the strategy and its timing. It comes after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last week proposed holding a referendum on 19 October 2023. The UK government said it would examine the first minister's proposals, but stressed that its position that "now is not the time" for another referendum had not changed. It has also said that it is "clear" that the constitution is reserved to Westminster. Scottish independence: 19 October 2023 proposed as date for referendum Is there a mandate for an … [Read more...] about Scottish independence: Greens back general election route to indyref2

RNZ Earlybirds tuning in to Morning Report will have a fresh wake-up call. (Audio first aired May 2022). Composers are outraged that public broadcaster RNZ gave a $43,000 contract to an overseas-based music and sound design company for its recent “sonic refresh”, but say the case is symptomatic of wider issues with talented Kiwi composers not being nurtured or trusted. But RNZ says it’s misleading to imply it does not support music from Aotearoa. RNZ awarded a contract to design new sounds for its news programmes Morning Report , Midday Report and Checkpoint to Song Zu , an Australia- and Singapore-based company that specialises in advertising music and audio post-production. “Song Zu were settled on because of their impressive original sound portfolio, especially their recent re-brand imaging work with multilingual and multicultural Australian public broadcaster, SBS, and also their experience with use of indigenous instrumentation,” RNZ communications manager … [Read more...] about Kiwi composers treated as an ‘afterthought’, say critics after RNZ outsources new sounds to Australia

Listen to the Stuff To Watch podcast by hitting the "play" button below, or find it on podcast apps such as Apple or Spotify . Red Dog (M, 92mins) Directed by Kriv Stenders *** "Way out where the rain don't fall, got a job with the company drilling for oil, Just to make some change, Living and a' working on the land". It's perhaps unsurprising that like fellow Aussie 70s staples Eagle Rock and Stumblin' In, The Dingoes' 1973 song should feature prominently in this "dusty" little-Aussie-battler tale of devotion and derring doggy- do. Supplied Red Dog is now available to stream on Netflix. READ MORE: Thor: Love and Thunder, Where the Crawdads Sing among July's must see movies Minions: The Rise of Gru: Slapstick kings shine despite playing second-banana Seabiscuit: The greatest horse racing movie of all-time comes to Disney+ Father of the Bride: A surprisingly innovative, smart update of a rom-com classic After all, this … [Read more...] about Red Dog: Australia’s greatest crowd-pleasing canine caper comes to Netflix

Boris Johnson’s move to extend tariffs on imported steel by two years — a probable breach of World Trade Organisation rules — was welcomed by protectionist MPs from both sides of the political aisle. Industry also predictably lauded the decision, saying it will be protected from artificially cheap imports. Much like fishing, steel carries with it a disproportionate amount of political focus compared to its size — in 2020 the £2bn it contributed to the economy was the equivalent of just 0.1pc of total economic output and 1.2pc of manufacturing. But as the industry likes to point out: everything is made of steel. The metal goes into cars, aircraft, new buildings and the machinery that forms almost everything else. Without it, steel insiders say the logic of having a manufacturing industry in the UK would be considerably weaker — a fact that will not be lost on the Prime Minister. The move was pegged as an effort to “protect the steel sector”, Trade Secretary Anne-Marie … [Read more...] about With the Tories in turmoil, steel helps Boris Johnson show his mettle

Lando Norris has revealed he has been subjected to death threats – and described social media abuse aimed at his model girlfriend as “horrific”. The 22-year-old British driver, in his fourth Formula One campaign, has established himself as a fans’ favourite, with more than five million followers on Instagram. But speaking ahead of Sunday’s British Grand Prix, Norris also revealed the dark side to fame. “I get death threats every now and then,” he said. “Most people do. Not enough gets done and it is tough. “If I had seen the threats when I started in 2019, it would have had more effect, but now I understand when you have to laugh – not laugh at a death threat – but laugh at the silly comments people come up with and things they try to create to get attention. Recommended Over £130m handed to housing providers named and shamed by regulator “I want to race, travel the world, meet new people and create new experiences – and they are using their one … [Read more...] about Lando Norris reveals the dark side of fame ahead of British Grand Prix

Max Verstappen delivered a strong response to his recent critics by completing a practice double for the Canadian Grand Prix . Verstappen’s crash last time out in Monaco marked his fifth big mistake from six rounds, and he arrived in North America threatening to “headbutt someone” following a series of questions about his accident-prone campaign. But the 20-year-old Dutchman topped the time sheets in both sessions in his Red Bull at a sun-drenched Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as he allowed his driving to do the talking. Recommended Defined by unfulfilled promises, Alonso now stands at a crossroads Verstappen finished 0.130 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen with championship leader Lewis Hamilton half-a-second off the pace. Sebastian Vettel, who trails Hamilton by 14 points in the title race, was fifth in the order. Hamilton fears he will not be in contention for the victory this weekend after his Mercedes team failed to bring a scheduled … [Read more...] about Max Verstappen lets his driving do the talking in Canada

Since marrying Prince Harry in 2018, Meghan Markle has carefully curated her own style with a sense of aesthetic independence not usually associated with members of the royal family. Fiercely proud of the fact that she doesn't use the services of a stylist , Meghan has moved away from many established royal conventions both in her wardrobe choices and her working practices. From commissioning a French fashion brand to make her wedding dress to stepping out at royal functions in bold and exciting colors, Meghan has a strong connection with how she dresses. One fashion staple in the duchess' wardrobe that she is particularly fond of is the mini-dress. This 1960s invention has been reinterpreted over subsequent decades into a chic wardrobe essential. For the royals though, the mini dress or skirt is a rarely worn item. In the 1960s, the two leading royal followers of fashion did adopt the miniskirt, Princess Anne and Princess Margaret. Others, including the queen, have … [Read more...] about Meghan Markle and the modern royal mini dress

It's no secret Meghan Markle and Prince Harry eventually plan to have children now that they're married. The newlyweds have previously spoken fondly of their desires to start their own family when they're good and ready, however, according to British law, Markle and Harry won't actually have parental custody of their own kids. Instead, Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II will technically have ownership of the children. "The sovereign has legal custody of the minor grandchildren," Marlene Koenig, renowned royal author and expert, revealed during an interview with Australia's News.com.au on Wednesday. The law dates back some 300 years during King George I's reign in the 1700s. "The law's never been changed. He did it because he had a very poor relationship with his son, the future King George II, so they had this law passed that meant the King was the guardian of his grandchildren," Koenig continued. It was 1717 when a group of judges voted to pass the law, proposed by George … [Read more...] about Meghan Markle won’t have custody of her own children with Prince Harry, royal expert says

An amateur soccer tournament in France aimed at celebrating ethnic diversity is attracting talent scouts, sponsors and increasing public attention, by uniting young players from low-income neighborhoods with high-profile names in the sport. The National Neighborhoods Cup is intended to shine a positive spotlight on working-class areas with large immigrant populations that some politicians and commentators scapegoat as breeding grounds for crime, riots and Islamic extremism. Players with Congolese heritage beat a team with Malian roots 5-4 on Saturday in the one-month tournament's final match, held at the home stadium of a third-division French team in the Paris suburb of Creteil. The final was broadcast live on Prime Video. The event competition grew out of local tournaments modeled after the African Cup of Nations that have been held in recent years in suburbs and towns across France where former immigrants with African backgrounds have lived for years or … [Read more...] about French soccer tournament celebrates diversity, fights racism

The danger with making specific manifesto pledges is that they can rapidly be overtaken by events that make them impossible to realise. The Conservative platform for the 2019 election promised to continue to spend above the Nato target of two per cent of GDP on the military “and increase the budget by at least 0.5 per cent above inflation every year of the new Parliament”. However, with inflation now approaching double figures, the Government has dropped the second part of that pledge . Instead, Boris Johnson said Britain would spend 2.3 per cent of GDP on defence this year, more than had been expected. However, since national output is set to fall if the country enters a recession, this could be less than we spend now. At the same time, the Prime Minister urged his Nato colleagues attending the summit in Madrid to “dig deep and spend more”. He is right to call for other countries to increase their contribution to Europe’s defence but equally he needs to do so from a position of … [Read more...] about Britain needs to think more seriously about defence