Australian production companies may have to pay millions in alleged unpaid super after ATO ruling pred 1 dnevom, 2 urama in 41 minutami Film and TV screenwriters prepare challenge after 2024 ruling they work for an employer rather than sell a product and so are due superannuationFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMajor Australian production companies, including those that produce Neighbours and Home and Away, may be ordered to pay workers millions of dollars in alleged unpaid superannuation after a 2024 tax office ruling.The Australian Writers Guild (AWG) is gearing up for a challenge against Screen Producers Australia (SPA), after a ruling by the Australian Tax Office last December found that screenwriters in most cases were providing a service to an employer, not selling a product, and therefore must be paid super. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Victorian regulator weighs unprecedented intervention in AFL’s fight with bookmakers over gambling revenue pred 1 dnevom, 2 urama in 41 minutami Exclusive: Industry sources say decision could be highly consequential and limit AFL’s dependence on gamblingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Victorian gambling regulator is considering whether to make an unprecedented intervention in a dispute between the AFL and bookmakers, which could set a limit on the league’s revenue from wagering.Earlier this year, the AFL proposed a significant increase to the amount of money it receives from each bet placed on its game. The league also proposed a minimum $20,000 annual fee for all bookmakers, including small operators who focus on racing.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Grave concerns for Indigenous man’s wellbeing after ‘close to 800 days’ in solitary confinement at SA prison pred 1 dnevom, 2 urama in 41 minutami Aboriginal elder alleges he has been prevented from visiting Robert Barnes because he raised the matter with the state’s First Nations voiceGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAdvocates have serious concerns for the wellbeing of a man in a South Australian prison they say has been in solitary confinement for “close to 800 days”.Robert Barnes is serving an 11-year sentence at Yatala Labour prison in Adelaide and is in the high-security G Division.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rodent wars: US city where ground squirrels outnumber people fights back pred 1 dnevom, 3 urami in 3 minutami Residents of Minot, North Dakota, exasperated by proliferation of furry foot-long neighborsThe Richardson’s ground squirrel weighs less than a pound, is about a foot long and is native to the northern Plains.The little creature also is a ferocious tunneler, and it’s exasperating the people of Minot, North Dakota, where it’s burrowing everywhere from vacant lots to the middle of town, and growing more plentiful over the past two decades. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
London-Berlin trains on the drawing board for UK-German rail taskforce pred 1 dnevom, 4 urami in 13 minutami Chance of direct services reignites hopes for better rail links across Europe as Stamer and Merz pledge to sign bilateral treatyBusiness live – latest updatesPlans for possible direct trains from London to Berlin will be drawn up by a joint UK-German taskforce, reigniting hopes for better rail connections across Europe.The partnership, announced as part of the bilateral treaty to be signed by the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, and his German counterpart, Friedrich Merz, could eventually lead to direct rail services between the two countries after previous plans for London-Frankfurt trains hit the buffers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Risk of undersea cable attacks backed by Russia and China likely to rise, report warns pred 1 dnevom, 4 urami in 40 minutami Spate of incidents in Baltic Sea and around Taiwan are harbinger for further disruptive activity, cybersecurity firm saysThe risk of Russia- and China-backed attacks on undersea cables carrying international internet traffic is likely to rise amid a spate of incidents in the Baltic Sea and around Taiwan, according to a report.Submarine cables account for 99% of the world’s intercontinental data traffic and have been affected by incidents with suspected state support over the past 18 months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
HS2 subcontractor on £100m ‘bat tunnel’ suspended after claims of inflated staff pay rates pred 1 dnevom, 4 urami in 43 minutami Contractor BAM ends Danny Sullivan Group’s involvement following investigation into ‘compliance issues’An HS2 subcontractor has been terminated from its role supplying labour to build a £100m “bat tunnel” following an investigation into allegations of overinflating rates for staff.BAM Nuttall (BAM), part of a consortium that is the main works contractor for the much-delayed £80bn-plus high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham, said it had ended the involvement of Danny Sullivan Group (DSG) on projects where “compliance issues have been identified”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lowering the voting age: a boost for UK democracy or a shot in the dark? pred 1 dnevom, 4 urami in 51 minutami Some favour any effort to improve participation, but others point to mixed results in Scotland and WalesVoting age to be lowered to 16 in UK by next general electionUK politics live – latest updatesHalf a century since the national voting age was last lowered, Keir Starmer has decided the time is right to include more than a million 16 and 17-year-olds in democracy for the first time.Like bringing in gay marriage, smoking bans or maternity leave, extending the franchise is a defining policy that will become part of this government’s permanent legacy for the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Connie Francis, 1960s US pop star known for Pretty Little Baby, dies at 87 pred 1 dnevom in 5 urami The pop star, whose hits include Who’s Sorry Now?, also starred in several filmsConnie Francis, the wholesome pop star of the 1950s and 1960s whose hits include Pretty Little Baby and who would later serve as an ironic title for a personal life filled with heartbreak and tragedy, has died at age 87.Her death was announced Thursday by her friend and publicist, Ron Roberts, who did not immediately provide additional details. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Children under seven should not drink slushies containing glycerol, says regulator pred 1 dnevom, 5 urami in 59 minutami Food Standards Agency warns that the drinks can cause decreased consciousness and low blood sugarChildren under seven should not drink slushies containing glycerol because of the serious health risks they can cause, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said.Glycerol is a naturally occurring alcohol and sugar substitute that helps slushies maintain their texture by preventing liquid from freezing solid. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
