Latest news with #Nationals'
Axios
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
Shakira cancels WorldPride concert at Nats Park
Shakira has cancelled her WorldPride concert in D.C. Saturday night, Nationals Park said in a statement released Friday. Why it matters: The concert was set to be part of the welcome festivities for the city's massive LGBTQ+ celebration, which is expected to bring 2-3 million people to town. State of play: The concert was nixed due to "complications with the previous show in Boston," which was canceled as well, per the statement. The singer couldn't get her production to D.C. in time for the show. Those who bought tickets via the Nationals' site and Ticketmaster will receive refunds. If you purchased via a third-party reseller, you'll have to contact them directly. What they're saying: "Due to circumstances beyond my control, I am sad and heartbroken that I will not be able to be in Washington, D.C. with you tomorrow. I hope that I can come back to D.C., as soon as I am able," said Shakira in the statement.
Epoch Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Coalition Back Together After Nationals Walkout
The federal Coalition has officially reunited just over a week after a dramatic split threatened to upend decades of political partnership between the Liberal and National parties. The reconciliation follows a key meeting held by the Liberal Party on May 23 to finalise a proposal aimed at restoring the fractured alliance. The Nationals responded with their own meeting this morning, ultimately agreeing to resume the Coalition partnership, clearing the path for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to unveil a new shadow cabinet as early as May 28. Tensions peaked on May 20 when Nationals leader David Littleproud declared the end of the Coalition agreement, citing unresolved concerns over four core policies: nuclear power, supermarket reform, regional funding, and rural telecommunications. The Liberals, still grappling with their worst electoral performance in recent history, initially hesitated to commit and proposed a comprehensive policy review. However, after several days of negotiations and internal turmoil, the Liberals agreed 'in principle' to the Nationals' demands, leading Littleproud to call off the standoff. Common Ground in Sight Despite the friction, signs of reconciliation emerged within a few days. Related Stories 5/23/2025 5/22/2025 Speaking to reporters, Littleproud struck an optimistic tone. 'Of course, there is [a chance of reuniting],' he said. He described Ley's move to convene a party room meeting on the Nationals' proposals as 'a positive step forward.' 'I thank her for that. And as a consequence, I have decided to send those spokespeople home as a sign of good faith. And Sussan, as a sign of good faith, will not be announcing a shadow cabinet,' he added. Ley, Abbott Weigh In Ley welcomed the Nationals' shift towards compromise, stating, 'This morning, David Littleproud has made a public statement that the Nationals are willing to accept shadow cabinet solidarity as part of a Coalition agreement.' 'Earlier today, I wrote to and met with David, inviting him to re-enter good faith negotiations. I am pleased he has accepted,' she said. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott had warned against a permanent split, saying, 'If the Libs and the Nats go their separate ways, we won't have one strong opposition, we will have two opposition parties that are fighting each other as much as they are fighting a bad government.' The split marked only the third time in the Liberal-National Coalition's history that the parties have gone their separate ways at a national level. The states have different circumstances. Formed during the World War II in 1944, the Coalition arrangement has long brought together the urban-based Liberal Party and the regional-based Nationals, then called the Country Party.
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Liberals and Nationals reach new Coalition agreement following crisis talks
The Liberals and Nationals have reached an agreement over a new Coalition deal following discussions. This comes after a brief period of a split between the two parties over the Nationals' demands.
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Generational change in electorates ‘limiting' Nationals' election ambitions
Redbridge Group Director Simon Welsh claims generation is more important than geography in elections. 'Not for a second suggesting that the Nationals are about to start losing seats because of this sort of attitudinal predisposition, but I think it kind of limits ... the Nationals' ambitions,' he told Sky News Australia. 'Nationals tend to do well in seats that are older and seats that are getting older, so that's characteristic of a lot of regional Australia, just broadly.'
Sky News AU
7 days ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Coalition deal expected in 'coming couple of days' after Liberals concede to Nationals' four policy demands
A new Coalition agreement between the Liberal and National parties is expected within days, following disagreement over policy and shadow cabinet solidarity. Despite internal dissent and rumours of a leadership coup, the Coalition will likely reassemble before the return of parliament in July. Final details of the agreement are expected to be confirmed this week, including the allocation of shadow cabinet roles and formalisation of the joint policy platform. Nationals' leader David Littleproud told Sky News Sunday Agenda those negotiations were now simply 'mechanics and machinery'. 'I'm expecting that Sussan (Ley) and I can get to that arrangement in the coming couple of days,' he said. 'We'll work through that together in a constructive way.' The reconciliation comes after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and the Liberal Party agreed to back the Nationals' core policy priorities. 'I received the written response… that the Liberal Party is prepared to accept the four policy areas that were the reason we couldn't sign up to that Coalition agreement,' Mr Littleproud said. 'They were important to us… and we made great progress in the last term of parliament. I wanted to make sure that they remained, and we couldn't get that guarantee until now.' The Nationals' policy demands included lifting the moratorium on nuclear energy, supermarket divestiture powers and the $20 billion regional future fund. Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg told Sky News that those proposals were 'highly desirable' after he privately expressed concerns about the lack of shadow cabinet process. 'I think what's most important here is that we maintain fidelity to our core principles, which is that, we don't determine the detail of policy today,' he said. The Liberal Party has since agreed 'in principle' to the policies but will resolve the details of each policy at a later time. Conversely, the Liberal Party were unwilling to compromise on the issue of shadow cabinet solidarity. Much of the commentary around the rift focused on concerns that Nationals shadow ministers would not publicly support cabinet decisions that they personally disagreed with. 'We're not asking that we can just run off on every cabinet decision. That was never the intent,' Mr Littleproud said. 'This is a red herring to say (the split) was on cabinet solidarity. It was on those four policy areas. We've been very clear, very consistent from the very start.' He acknowledged past friction over issues like the Voice to Parliament referendum, where the Nationals declared their 'no' position before the Liberals had finalised theirs.
