Two women nominated for high profile EU posts
Two women have been nominated to serve in high profile European Union positions for the first time after three days of negotiations by European leaders.
German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has been nominated as the next president of the European Commission, whilst Frenchwoman Christine Lagarde has been proposed as president of the European Central Bank.
ATOM: In Every Dream Home
- There’s a weight of history behind ATOM: a storied trip through the annals of post-punk. The stories belong to its members, the tenure they held in many different bands and still more bands whose influence can be heard creeping through their debut full-length, In Every Dream Home. It’s sort of surprising then, that this bunch of veterans would shrug off the weight of all that and come crashing at us, full force, immediate and unrelenting.
MIKE: Tears Of Joy
- It'd be easy to dismiss MIKE on first listen, his monotone flows and sleepy delivery sound like an uncharismatic parody of 'mumble rap'. Over the past few years he's emerged as a flagbearer for New York's modern underground, spearheading the prolific sLUms collective in their recent rise to prominence.
Fruit Bats: Gold Past Life
<p><span><span><em>- Gold Past Life</em> is the seventh studio album by the venerable folk-rock band, Fruit Bats. Lead by singer-songwriter <strong>Eric D. Johnson</strong>, Fruit Bats are the kind of band that gets better with age. No flash in the pan, their songwriting and sound has developed and progressed over the years. Devoid of any hit singles or cult albums, Fruit Bats have continued creating uncompromising music that never sacrifices quality for popularity.
Review: Wicked at HOTA
The Wicked performance at the Home of the Arts, presented by Matt Ward Entertainment, was a night to remember. Not only was it a splendid evening filled with beautiful set design, costuming, lights and musicality but there was a feeling of suspense in the room for the more dramatic songs of the night. There were no disappointments when it came to delivering each and every hit from the musical. At its core Wicked is a tale about not fitting in and defying expectations, but is also offers up a lot of heartfelt and romantic elements throughout.
Review: Spider-man: Far From Home
Spider-Man: Far From Home is a fun and light-hearted sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming. I recently re-watched Homecoming to re-cap the events of Marvel’s second reboot of this fan-favourite franchise and remembered it to be charming, yet slow and tedious at times. After having prepared for a similar experience from Far From Home, I was happily surprised by an exciting and hilarious sequel that outdoes the original in every category.
11AM ZEDLINES
[Image Credit: Flickr]
Pay rise offered to Queensland teachers weeks before strike
Queensland teachers have been offered a 2.5 per cent pay rise, potentially averting a strike planned for later this month.
Education Minister Grace Grace and Queensland Teachers’ Union president Kevin Bates announced the offer to teachers at the Union delegates conference on Monday.
Among various monetary bonuses and incentives, the raise would improve gender pay equity for part- time teachers for the first time.
Cross river rail contract finalised
The Cross River Rail project is guaranteed to go ahead as the state government has signed the key construction contract.
There will be tunnel stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street after the deal has recently been sealed with Consortium group, Pulse.
The project promises to deliver 18 thousand extra seats on Brisbane trains and take 14 thousand drivers off the roads, cutting travel time on South-East Queensland train lines.
Defence Analyst warns Australia must increase military spending
One of Australia’s leading defence analysts has warned the nation must rapidly increase military spending as we may no longer be able to rely on the US for aid in an attack.
To have a more self-reliant military, Hugh White says Australia must massively reorganise its planned defence structure by selling off most of its surface ships, replacing them with a fleet of submarines and more strike aircraft.