Tasmania Heads to Polls Again, Second Election in 14 Months
The decision follows a no-confidence motion passed in the lower house last week, leaving the Liberal leader's minority government in crisis.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Russian lawmakers pass a bill punishing online searches for information deemed to be 'extremist'
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed 'extremist,' the latest move by government authorities in their relentless crackdown on dissent. The bill passed by the lower house, the State Duma, moves to its all-but-certain endorsement in the upper house and then goes to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. The legislation punishes what it describes as 'deliberately searching for and accessing extremist materials' online. First-time offenders face a fine of up to the equivalent of $64. The official definition of extremist activity is extremely broad and includes opposition groups like the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the 'international LGBT movement.' It's not clear how authorities will track down violators. Some observers have suggested the information would likely come from internet providers or social media platforms, and police also could randomly check the search history of cellphones or computers. The new legislation also contained a ban on advertising of virtual private network services, but stopped short of banning their use. It did list the use of a VPN as an 'aggravating circumstance' in case of other violations of the law. The Russian authorities have ramped their multipronged crackdown on dissent after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, online censorship and prosecutions for social media posts and comments have soared. Multiple independent news outlets and rights groups have been shut down, labeled as 'foreign agents' or outlawed as 'undesirable.' Hundreds of activists and critics of the Kremlin have faced criminal charges. The new legislation has sparked broad public criticism. Liberal politician Boris Nadezhdin, who sought to challenge Putin in last year's presidential election but was denied a spot on the ballot, told reporters outside the State Duma that he opposed the new legislation. Nadezhdin's aide, Dmitry Kisiev, who picketed the parliament building with a poster likening the legislation to the world of George Orwell's dystopian '1984,' was quickly rounded up by police, who also detained several reporters covering the protest. Even some pro-Kremlin figures have criticized the bill, arguing it would make it impossible for them to track down and deflect comments by Kremlin critics. Yekaterina Mizulina, whose group Safe Internet League has frequently reported dissenters to authorities, has strongly condemned the new bill, arguing it would make it impossible for her group to monitor 'extremist communities' on the web.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Residents want MAGA musician's concert at Parks Canada historic site cancelled
Some residents are calling on Parks Canada to cancel a performance by a U.S. singer and rising star in the MAGA movement at a national historic site near Halifax this week. Christian rocker Sean Feucht has a concert scheduled for Wednesday night at the York Redoubt National Historic Site, a fortification constructed in 1793 to help protect the port city. It sits on a cliff overlooking the harbour. Feucht, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. congress as a Republican in 2020, is also a missionary and an author who has spoken out against the 2SLGBTQ+ community, abortion rights and critical race theory on his website. "What I want to know is how this got approved in the first place," said Larry Stewart, who lives in Fergusons Cove, a small community next to the historical site. Stewart is one of several residents who have voiced opposition to the planned concert, which they said goes against Parks Canada's guiding principles of inclusion and safety for all visitors. "It's completely inappropriate," said Eleanor Kure, a longtime resident of the area. Feucht has called for government policy in the United States to be based on traditional Christian values in the midst of a "spiritual war" in that country. His website calls on young people to stand up against the "progressive agenda being forced upon America." The concert at the York Redoubt site on Wednesday kicks off a national tour Feucht said marks the "Summer of Revival in the nation of Canada." "I think it's very upsetting," said resident Nancy Hunter. Feucht did not respond to a request for comment from CBC News. MP urges Parks Canada to cancel The residents who spoke to CBC News said they've never seen a concert being held at York Redoubt National Historic Site before. They said they only learned about the event after Parks Canada sent out an email over the weekend warning residents about potential noise and parking issues. Parks Canada did not respond before deadline to questions about how the concert came to be scheduled. Shannon Miedema, the Liberal MP for the area, declined an interview request. In an email to a resident that was provided to CBC News, Miedema said she's urging Parks Canada to cancel the concert after hearing from several constituents. "I have the utmost respect for the value of free speech, I do not believe this event aligns with Parks Canada's core values of respect for people, equity, diversity and inclusion, or integrity," the email read. The statement said Miedema is working with the appropriate parties to try to ensure the concert doesn't proceed. If it does go ahead, residents said they'll protest the event. "I'll be there. Maybe with the Canadian flag. Maybe with a Pride flag," said Stewart. MORE TOP STORIES
Hamilton Spectator
19 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Mark Carney will huddle with premiers in Muskoka to talk trade, Donald Trump and crime
A bucolic resort in Muskoka is the political centre of Canada this week. Canada's premiers are gathering in cottage country to meet with Indigenous leaders Monday afternoon and Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday morning before the official start of their Council of the Federation meeting later that day. In an unusual move, Premier Doug Ford, who is hosting the summit at Huntsville's Deerhurst Resort on Peninsula Lake, invited Carney to attend the provincial and territorial leaders' conference because of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war against Canada. 'It's never been a more important time to welcome my fellow premiers to Ontario to continue the work we've done over the past year to protect Canada and our economy,' Ford said Thursday in Toronto. Tariffs and treaty rights are on the agenda as the country's premiers arrive in Ontario's cottage country for a three-day meeting that comes at a pivotal time for both Canada-U.S. and domestic relations. (July 20, 2025) 'This meeting will be an opportunity to work together on how to respond to President Trump's latest threat and how we can unleash the full potential of Canada's economy,' added the Progressive Conservative premier, a close political ally of the Liberal prime minister . Carney was quick to accept Ford's invitation and emphasized he has other things to discuss with the premiers, including 'bail reform, particularly with respect to repeat offenders,' among other criminal justice matters. 'We have commitments on that. We're working with the provinces on those issues,' the prime minister said Wednesday in Hamilton. 'I'll be meeting with the premiers next week. I'm sure that's one of the elements that we will discuss, and you can expect legislation from this government in the fall,' he said. That's music to Ford's ears — for years he has been urging Ottawa to toughen up bail laws to prevent 'weak-kneed judges' from releasing recidivists. But the primary focus of the Muskoka meetings will be the economy — especially in light of Carney's admission last week that any future deal with Trump would likely mean tariffs on Canadian goods exported stateside. 'There's not a lot of evidence right now from the deals, agreements and negotiations with the Americans, for any country or any jurisdiction, to have a deal without tariffs,' the prime minister conceded last Tuesday. Monday's session with the premiers and Indigenous leaders is expected to be dominated by many First Nations' opposition to Ford's Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, and Carney's Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act. The federal and provincial laws, which are designed to speed up major infrastructure projects like pipelines and rail corridors as well as mines, have raised questions about traditional treaty rights and the environmental impact of fast-tracking development. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak has warned that 'our rights cannot be implemented or respected without us, in substance and in process.' Still, Carney insisted at a Gatineau meeting Thursday with First Nations leaders — where fears about Bill C-5 were expressed — that 'in many respects, this is the first federal legislation to put Indigenous economic growth at its core.' Ford, meanwhile, is devoting some of his summer to allaying Indigenous communities' concerns over Bill 5, which he hopes will speed up development of the Ring of Fire mining project. But legal challenges against both bills are being launched by nine Ontario First Nations, arguing the laws are unconstitutional. They are seeking a court injunction that would prevent Ottawa and Queen's Park from moving so quickly. One aspect of Bill C-5 that is less contentious is the removal of most federal barriers to interprovincial trade. Because Trump's actions are forcing Canadian leaders to scramble to diversify trade, there has been a push to eliminate internal barriers that could cost the Canadian economy as much as $200 billion annually. Ontario has so far inked deals with all provinces except Quebec, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador to curb hurdles to free trade within Canada. Sources, speaking confidentially in order to discuss internal deliberations, say an accord with B.C. will be signed in Huntsville, putting more pressure on Quebec's François Legault and Newfoundland and Labrador's John Hogan to reach agreements with Ford. B.C. New Democratic Premier David Eby told reporters Thursday in Victoria that his province will be 'seizing new opportunities' to reduce its reliance on trade with the U.S. Officials say Ford is also expected to sign memorandums of understanding with the territorial premiers of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The three-day meeting is being held about 40 minutes drive from the premier's family cottage .
