Hostility from constituents is not new for the state’s politicians, including its premiers. But the alleged attack on Helen Haines has sent a chill down the collective spine Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast On Monday night, Georgie Purcell shared a statement on social media in support of Helen Haines, who earlier that day had been allegedly attacked by a constituent in her regional Victorian electorate. Purcell, a Victorian upper house MP whose region partly overlaps with Haines’s federal electorate, wrote that the alleged attack had sent chills down her spine. Being a woman in politics, she said, had changed the way she moved through the world – where she parked her car, which route she took home, even whether she held public events at all. Continue reading...
Sexualised, violent threats: female Victorian MPs fear for their safety as they fight more than just next month’s election
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French weekend protests to be limited to union demos only, says Macron
Some cities including Lyon and Nice have banned all protests, and the French president said only authorised demos would be allowed.
From the streets to the ballot box: Serbia’s students hope for election win
Young Serbians have built a system that poses a threat to President Aleksandar Vucic’s grip on power.
Fatal Custody
Two mothers warned family courts their children were in danger. Fault Lines investigates why warnings were ignored.
Rising costs and tight budgets strain Americans ahead of midterm elections
Rising costs leave US workers juggling multiple jobs as financial security becomes increasingly elusive.
Shamonda virus detected in human for first time in France
Investigations under way to determine whether virus normally found in livestock contributed to man’s death A man in France has become the first human known to have contracted Shamonda virus, with investigations under way to explore whether it contributed to his death. Shamonda virus is a type of bunyavirus and is spread by bites from infected midges. According to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety , in animals such as cattle, sheep and goats it can cause diarrhoea, lack of appetite and a decline in milk yield, “as well as abortions and congenital abnormalities in newborn calves, lambs and kids”. Continue reading...
Rocky campaign nears end as Serbia prepares for watershed election – Europe live
It’s the last day of the electoral campaign in Serbia today ahead of this Sunday’s closely contested parliamentary election As we are waiting for Macron , first details of the planned police response to this weekend’s protests are emerging. Junior interior minister, Jean-Didier Berger , said that the police presence will be “20% higher” than last weekend, with reinforcements from the army, elite police forces and gendarmerie. Continue reading...