Royal commission also hears from construction company employee who says workers were ‘fearful’ of union Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A major contractor on a troubled Victorian rail project shut down by union officials was warned that the minister’s office felt it would not “have any more work” in the state if it did not resolve the industrial dispute, a royal commission has heard. The royal commission into the integrity of major public and civil infrastructure construction projects in Victoria heard from a Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority (Vida) official for the first time on Friday. Continue reading...
Minister’s office said contractor should handle CFMEU or lose work in Victoria, Big Build inquiry hears
Source: The Guardian
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The Guardian
More than 60% of Germany’s female soldiers report harassment or abuse
Defence minister says extent of sexual misconduct found by study is ‘unacceptable’, as military tries to attract more recruits Germany’s defence minister has promised a “zero tolerance” approach to sexual abuse in the armed forces after a study found soldiers, particularly women, faced extensive harassment within the ranks. The first comprehensive study of its kind into the Bundeswehr, conducted by the Centre for Military History and Social Sciences in Potsdam and released this week, comes as the military is trying to attract new recruits in response to global threats. Continue reading...
Al Jazeera
UNRWA funding cuts deepen hardship for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon
Funding cuts and Israel's war have left Palestinians in Lebanon in increasingly dire circumstances.
Al Jazeera
Iranophobia: Netanyahu’s bid to transform fear into political survival
Despite knowing a war with Iran would be manufactured for Netanyahu's survival, many would still rally behind it.
The Guardian2 outlets
‘Looks like we’ll have to talk to people’: Australia sent back to time before email with major Microsoft outage
Government services and schools impacted by Outlook and Teams issue as company says fix not ‘taking as expected’ Microsoft outage – live updates Microsoft struggles to fix huge outage affecting Outlook and Teams Australian schools, courts and government services have been hurled back in time to how business used to be done after a global Microsoft outage caused emails and online meetings to go dark. Australians began reporting issues with Microsoft 365 – which includes Outlook and Teams – just before 5am AEST on Friday, according to Down Detector. The problem appeared to peak at 9.22am with more than 5,500 reports of problems, including trouble opening and sending emails, before reports began to dip. Continue reading...
Al Jazeera
Talarico appeals to Trump’s legacy in bid for bipartisan reforms
Texas Democrat Senator-elect James Talarico has urged his party to work with President Trump.
Al Jazeera3 outlets
Who is US Senator Chris Van Hollen?
Van Hollen, a progressive from Maryland, said voters sent a clear message in the midterm elections — that they want "change from the status quo."