BBC and NWA: the day ABC staff went on strike – and left Aunty looking ‘a bit different’ pred 16 urami in 40 minutami Triple J signed off with the hip-hop anthem Express Yourself while other radio and TV networks filled the air with BBC broadcasts, re-runs and soothing musicSign up for Guardian Australia’s free weekly media newsletter hereBroadcasters had warned their audiences that the ABC would look “a bit different” on Wednesday – and as the clock struck 11am, they weren’t wrong.As more than 2,000 ABC staff walked off the job for the first time in two decades in protest of their working conditions, the public broadcaster’s news channel switched over to the BBC.Sign up to get Guardian Australia’s weekly media diary as a free newsletter Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK inflation held at 3% before global energy price hit from Iran war pred 17 urami in 19 minutami February annual rate in line with analysts’ expectations but outlook has shifted because of effects of conflictBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK inflation rate held steady at 3% in February, before Donald Trump’s Iran war drove up global energy costs, threatening a renewed price jump.Official figures showed the consumer prices index remained at the same level as the previous month, in line with economists’ expectations but still well above the government’s 2% target. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Seriously wrong’: flood-hit Lincolnshire residents at odds with Reform MP over climate pred 17 urami in 20 minutami Constituents’ frustration with Richard Tice reflects growing problem for party and its leaders’ climate-sceptic stance“The worst part of it was the smell,” says Audrey Crook, 58. A full-time carer who lives with her 20-year-old son, Crook woke up at 11pm one night to find a foot of flood water on the ground floor of her home. “It was like black water. It had sewage and everything in it, it was absolutely disgusting.”Crook’s home – along with more than 30 others on Wyberton West Road and Park Road in Boston, Lincolnshire – was flooded in January last year when heavy rain swept across the region, raising river levels and exceeding flood defences. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tropical Cyclone Narelle intensifies off WA as it continues rare path across Australia pred 17 urami in 20 minutami Storm is not likely to make a direct hit on Perth, though the city may experience heavy rainfall on Friday and SaturdayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTropical Cyclone Narelle was again intensifying into a severe storm off Western Australia’s Kimberley coast on Wednesday with communities in the state’s world heritage-listed Shark Bay preparing for a potential direct hit on Friday night.Narelle had made a rare trip for a cyclone system by forming in the Coral Sea off Queensland and maintaining structure all the way west to the Indian Ocean, where it was expected to build into a major category four system. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
No Israel prosecutions for killing Palestinian civilians in occupied West Bank since start of decade pred 19 urami in 20 minutami Dozens of former Israeli military, police and spy chiefs describe situation as ‘organised Jewish terrorism’Middle East crisis – live updatesIsrael has not prosecuted its citizens for killing Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank since the start of this decade, , a Guardian analysis of legal data and public records show, creating impunity for a campaign of violence.Attacks have spurred former prime minister Ehud Olmert to call for an intervention by the international criminal court (ICC), to “save the Palestinians and us [Israelis]” from state-backed settler violence, carried out with the complicity and sometimes participation of the police and military. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East crisis live: Iran launches strikes on US bases in Gulf; oil prices drop after Trump ‘peace plan’ report pred 19 urami in 21 minutami Iran Guards said they fired missiles at Israel and US forces in bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain; crude oil prices fall sharply in early tradingTrump’s rehashed 15-point Iran plan unlikely to appease TehranAn Iranian military spokesperson mocked US attempts at a ceasefire deal on Wednesday, insisting Americans were only negotiating with themselves, Associated Press reported.In a prerecorded video aired on state television Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari said the US’s strategic power had turned into “strategic failure”.The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could. Don’t dress up your defeat as an agreement. Your era of empty promises has come to an end.Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves? Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia backs Lebanon’s sovereignty and opposes occupation, Penny Wong tells Israel pred 20 urami in 12 minutami Foreign minister reiterates condemnation of Iran over the strait of Hormuz and says Australia does not want to see occupation of southern Lebanon by IsraelFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPenny Wong has told her Israeli counterpart that Australia supports Lebanon’s sovereignty and does not want to see the southern part of the country occupied by Israel, after the Netanyahu government revealed plans to pursue a “defensive buffer” against Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.It comes as Israel vowed to continue striking Iran, dimming hopes of de-escalation even as the US president, Donald Trump, talked up the prospects of a deal to end the conflict. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lebo M sues comedian Learnmore Jonasi claiming Circle of Life misrepresentation pred 21 urami in 13 minutami Grammy winner seeks more than $20m in damages over mistranslation of The Lion King chantA Grammy-winning South African composer who wrote and performed the opening chant in Circle of Life for Disney’s The Lion King is suing a comedian for allegedly damaging his reputation by intentionally misrepresenting the song’s meaning on a podcast and in his standup routine.Lebohang Morake’s lawsuit accuses the Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, known as Learnmore Jonasi, of intentionally mistranslating the chant, which launches the 1994 movie and is central to staged versions as well as Disney’s 2019 remake. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The Maga divide over Iran – podcast pred 21 urami in 19 minutami Andrew Roth on why the war on Iran is unpopular with the US public and what it means for Maga insidersAndrew Roth, the Guardian’s global affairs correspondent based in Washington DC, says reporting on the US and Israeli war on Iran gives you “whiplash”.“We’re so used to going into these kinds of wars and conflicts where there’s a massive plan for what’s going to happen six weeks from now, six months from now,” he tells Michael Safi. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ABC switches to BBC programming as staff walk off the job for 24-hour strike pred 22 urami in 25 minutami Managing director Hugh Marks says broadcaster will not back down on workers’ demands despite severe disruption to television, radio and digitalFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than 2,000 ABC staff around Australia have walked off the job for a 24-hour strike, forcing ABC services across TV, radio and digital to use BBC World Service and repeat programming.The ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, was defiant and said the ABC would not back down on staff demands, despite the severe disruption. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
