Brexit negotiations to continue

The UK's attorney general says Brexit negotiations will continue as EU officials call for "acceptable" ideas to be given by Friday to break the impasse.

 

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said plans to solve the deadlock over the Irish backstop were "as clear as day", with just days until MPs vote on the Brexit deal.

 

The backstop is an insurance policy designed to prevent physical checks on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Saudi Arabia rebuked over detention of women activists at UN forum

36 states at the UN council for human right have released a joint statement criticizing Saudi Arabia’s detaining of women’s rights activists.

In a joint statement the council expressed concerns about the use of counter-terrorism law and other national security provisions against individuals exercising their rights and freedoms.

Saudi diplomat Aziz Alwasil has denounced the use of such statements "for political causes", stating "interference in domestic affairs under the guise of defending human rights is in fact an attack on our sovereignty."

Mental illness affects more Aussie women

A new report has found that nearly one quarter of working women are currently experiencing a mental health condition, compared with 15 per cent of men.

 

The study released on International Women's Day, surveyed more than 5000 business owners, senior managers and workers across Australia.

 

SuperFriend chief executive Margo Lydon states on the problem ‘it's crucial to recognise that women need different things from work than men.’

Federal Government to Block Wicked Campervans

The Federal Government is looking for ways to block Wicked Campervans and the offensive slogans attached from legally being driven on Australian roads.

 

Minister for Women Kelly O’Dwyer has written to state and territory leaders to urge them for their support in a national approach for the company to comply with community standards.

 

Ms O’Dwyer said we have no tolerance for sexist, misogynistic and offensive slogans on campervans, or those displayed anywhere else for that matter.

Palaszczuk Government to help clean up North Queensland

The Palaszczuk Government is working directly alongside community organisations and local contractors as North Queensland continues to mop up from the devastating floods of early 2019.

Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni said that 1704 people had reached out for housing support since the once-in-a-lifetime floods and no-one was without accommodation.

Mr De Brenni says the entire government is focussed on rebuilding North Queensland and ensuring everybody has a safe, secure and affordable place to live.

Eastern sale yards are being flooded with female cattle

Throughout Central Queensland and much of New South Wales cattle producers are making the tough call to destock their remaining breeders along with hordes of young cattle, with no relief from drought in sight.

The kicker is that the yardings have been boosted by female cattle and young stock that have been weaned early as the scarcity of water begins to take its toll.

 

Crimean activists hand out flowers for International Women's Day

Activists in military fatigues in the Eastern European country of Crimea were seen handing out flowers to women ahead of International Women’s Day.

 

The activists were dressed as ‘the polite people’, a term coined for Russian soldiers who were involved in the annexation of Crimea five years ago.

 

An activist explained that in 2014 the women were happy about the ‘polite people’ because they felt protected.

Rain melting ice in Greenland

A new study has revealed that rain is falling in Greenland despite the usually freezing Arctic winter, and scientists say this is accelerating the melting of ice in the region.

 

The findings show that while there were roughly two spells of winter rain every year in the early phase of the study period, it has risen to 12 spells a year since 2012.

 

A massive Greenland ice sheet is being closely watched, and if it was to melt, the world’s sea level would rise by seven metres, threatening coastal populations.

Racial segregation of guests in large Australian hotel chain

Employees at the Ibis Styles Alice Springs Oasis Hotel have been  instructed by directing staff to segregate aboriginal people into inferior rooms while charging the same as other guests.

 

Six rooms of unclean and unfit conditions were set aside for guests from ‘the communities’, a local expression describing the indigenous people from Alice Springs.

 

A staff member at the hotel said the segregation was ‘pretty standard’ after employees received an email in June with instructions to racially profile the guests.