Key events2m agoBritish cities encouraged to bid for Commonwealth Games21m agoJim Chalmers meets China counterpart at G20 in India29m agoWelcomeFilters BETAKey events (3)Australia (4)Jim Chalmers (3)China (3)G20 (3)2m ago16.58 EDTBritish cities encouraged to bid for Commonwealth GamesEd Aarons
Our colleague on the UK sports desk, Ed Aarons, has been finding out whether a British city could step in and host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Victoria’s shock withdrawal. Here’s what he has written:
Organisers have said they would welcome any offer from the United Kingdom to step in as hosts of the 2026 Commonwealth Games after the withdrawal of the Australian state of Victoria on Tuesday left the event’s future in serious doubt.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) said it was given only eight hours’ notice before the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, announced the state would no longer host the 2026 Games due to spiralling costs. The CGF described the decision as “hugely disappointing” but remains determined to find an alternative despite an immediate lack of obvious candidates.
The 2022 Games moved to Birmingham, the original 2026 hosts, when Durban in South Africa was stripped of its hosting rights in 2017 and another venue in the UK could be the only feasible replacement given the short timeframe.
Victoria’s decision leaves not only the 2026 Games but the entire future of the event in jeopardy, with it struggling to find its place in a crowded sporting calendar and with lingering questions about its foundation in Britain’s colonial past.
The CGF’s chief executive, Katie Sadleir, said: “The UK are fantastic hosts and we would be very open to having a conversation with them about it, if that’s something they would be interested in doing.”
However, the UK prime minister’s spokesperson insisted that it hoped a “viable solution” can be found for the Games to be held in Australia.
You can read Ed’s full report here:
British Commonwealth Games bid encouraged after 2026 hosts withdrawRead more7m ago16.53 EDT
The ability for courts to hold trials in secret to deal with national security matters will be scrutinised at a two-day hearing in Canberra, reports Australian Associated Press.
Grant Donaldson, Australia’s <a href="https://news.ad-astra.icu/chalmers-holds-trade-sanctions-meeting-with-china-uk-pm-optimistic-about-commonwealth-games-remaining-in-australia.html” title=”Chalmers Holds Trade Sanctions Meeting with China; UK PM Optimistic about Commonwealth Games Remaining in Australia”>independent national security legislation monitor, will hear from government officials, intelligence bosses, prosecutors and human rights advocates.
There will also be a session with the legal team for Bernard Collaery, whose prosecution over allegedly leaking classified information about an alleged Australian spying operation in East Timor was dropped in 2022.
The basis of secret trials lies in the National Security Information (Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act 2004, known as the NSI Act, which Mr Donaldson is reviewing.
The Human Rights Law Centre says while secret trials have a long history in authoritarian states, they have no place in democracies like Australia.
The attorney-general Mark Dreyfus says…
2023-07-18 15:53:09
Post from www.theguardian.com
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