Australian PM in election panic

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Scott Morrison held an emergency meeting with members of his embattled centre-right Liberal party yesterday as his minority government stared down the barrel at a heavy election defeat within the next six months.

Morrison met MPs from Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, where voters turned against the Liberals in a state election on Saturday, stoking panic within the Liberal-National coalition. The meeting came just hours after Australia’s pre-eminent opinion poll showed the government on course for a heavy defeat by the Labor opposition at the next national election in May.

A poll showed support of just 35% for the government, just one percentage point above its record low. With such a heavy loss on the horizon, liberal and more conservative elements of Morrison’s party clashed publicly over the need to change policy. Tim Wilson, a backbench MP from Victoria, said the state result showed voters wanted the government to move away from fossil fuels. Former prime minister Tony Abbott dismissed the, arguing for stronger conservative policies. BEIJING: Pasta prepared with mealworms raised in your own home? The unusual dinner idea could soon be a reality, if Hong Kong entrepreneur Katharina Unger has her way.

The 28-year-old is the founder of Livin Farms, a start-up that has been making insect incubators since 2016, and is now working on a compact model to cultivate mealworms.

“In 2050, we’re going to be nine billion people on the planet, so we have to find new solutions to feed ourselves,” Unger said.

“Insects offer a really great alternative to current meat production because they can be grown on food waste… and they taste great.”