Negotiations to end US-China trade dispute
President Donald Trump is set to meet with Chinese vice-premier Liu He at The White House today, with the aim of negotiating an end to the US-China trade dispute.
The President said that talks with China were going well, but only a great deal would be accepted. He said “If it’s not a great deal, we’re not doing it, but it’s going very well”
Over the last year, Washington and Beijing have imposed hundreds of billions of dollars worth of tariffs on each other's imports.
Facebook banning foreign political ads before Australian election
Facebook plans to ban political advertising bought by foreign countries and crack down on fake accounts in the lead up to the Australian federal election.
The day after the election is called, Facebook will temporarily not allow electoral ads bought outside of Australia in an attempt to limit foreign interference.
Facebook’s director of policy in Australia Mia Garlick said the ban will apply to foreign ads containing political slogans, politicians, and party logos.
Mortgage Defaults Highest in Two Decades
Nationwide mortgage defaults are the highest they have been in two decades according to researchers.
Independent research from Digital Finance Analytics estimates that over 66 thousand households are currently at risk of defaulting on their mortgage.
The Firm’s founder Martin North says the defaults are rising at a concerning rate.
Townsville Students Return to Classrooms Following Flood Damage
Oonoonba State School students will return to their classrooms today after receiving significant damage to a majority of the facilities after the floods.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Minister for Education Grace Grace re-opened the school today on the last day of term with help from Member for Mundingburra Coralee O’Rourke..
Ms Palaszczuk said the repair and refurbishment of the school is a ‘wonderful achievement for the school and the wider Townsville community.’
Better Protections for Queensland Retirement Villages
Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni says Queensland Labor is providing added certainty and security for retirees, regardless of the type of tenure they have over their homes.
Seniors leaving retirement villages should not have to wait more than 18 months to receive their funds after they decide to leave Mr de Brenni says.
Association of Residents of Queensland Retirement Villages Vice President Michael Fairbairn agrees that seniors in this position often depend on these funds to pay for their next place of accommodation, such as aged care.
UNKLE: The Road: Part II (Lost Highway)
- Just shy of two years since the release of their last album, trip hop legends UNKLE are back leading us once again down The Road in Part II (Lost Highway). Described by founder and collective lead James Lavell as ‘a mixtape and journey’ and, rather than a typical LP with a couple of standout singles and expendable fillers, it never fails to feel just like that.
Billy Woods & Kenny Segal: Hiding Places
- With Hiding Places, Billy Woods cements himself as one of the greatest lyricists hip-hop has ever seen. I rarely front-load my reviews with such bold claims, but Billy's not one to sing his own praises. A shadowy stalwart of New York's underground whose prolific 2000s output went largely unnoticed, Woods returned his focus to solo albums with 2012's phenomenal History Will Absolve Me.
Brendan Maclean: And The Boyfriends
- Creative outlets for Australian performers are often hard to come by in this country since government support for the arts seems to be an afterthought, if it’s even thought of at all. Being multi-talented is not a guarantee of success, but finding ways to be able to work across genres and to push your creation before the greatest number of ears and eyes –perhaps- is.
Great Barrier Reef shark control program suspended
The Queensland Government has suspended the Great Barrier Reef’s 60-year shark control program after an Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruled sharks found on drumlines must be released.
The Tribunal imposed new permit conditions on fisheries, meaning sharks found on drumlines can only euthanised on animal welfare grounds, and all bull and white shark will have to be tagged before release.
Huggies factory closure will cut 220 jobs
220 workers are set to lose their jobs after manufacturer Kimberly-Clark Australia announced it will close their Sydney Huggies Nappy factory in July.
The company said they will move production of Huggies nappies from their Ingleburn Mill factory to Asia to enable faster access to new research and advancements in nappies and pants.
The CFMEU’s Manufacturing Union is appealing to the Federal Government to keep the site open, and said in a statement the site is still profitable.