Two new coronavirus cases in Queensland
There have been two new cases of coronavirus in Queensland reported overnight.
The two new cases are a 37-year-old nurse at Ipswich hospital and an 18-year-old student at Staines Memorial college. The college was closed immediately and tests for all the students have commenced.
There are currently 28 active cases in the state.
Seasonal workers allowed back in the NT
The Northern Territory is allowing fruit pickers and seasonal workers from the Pacific to enter and recommence work.
It has been described as a relief by the workers to be able to return and regain a consistent income, as their communities are lacking job opportunities due to COVID-19.
Restrictions to ease for NSW-Victorian borders
In NSW, Premier Gladys Berejiklian will announce the ease of restrictions to commence on Friday for those on the NSW-Victorian border.
Victorian border residents who have permits to enter NSW will now be able to stay within a 50 kilometre zone, instead of the 2.5 kilometre that is currently enforced.
These permits are to authorise locals within the border region to access NSW for specific reasons such as paramount goods and services, care or compassionate means, and work or education.
German chancellor pushes for climate change action
German chancellor Angela Merkel has declared there is not enough effort being put into the fight against climate change.
At the annual summer news conference Merkel pledged to employ more focus into the issue, and stated the European Union needs to alter the current climate goals in place for 2030.
This new goal is aimed for a 50 to 55 percent emissions decrease against 1990 levels, instead of the initial goal of 40 percent.
Australian reporter detained in China
China has detained Australian news reporter Cheng Lei, who has been in custody for over two weeks without charge.
It is reported Lei is being guarded under “residential surveillance at a designated location” - a type of detainment which permits authorities to keep and investigate suspects for up to 6 months without officially arresting them.
There is no reason yet provided for her detainment.
Naretha Williams: Blak Mass
<p><span><span>- Melbourne Town Hall’s Grand Organ has given a few performances, recently, that its builders could hardly have envisioned (<strong>Sarah Mary Chadwick</strong>’s lugubrious trip across those keys immediately springs to mind). Really though, none of them could stray further from original intentions than that of Naretha Williams and her latest work, <em>Blak Mass</em>.</span></span></p>
Oily Boys: Cro Memory Grin
<p><span><span>- In 1969, a little-known band from New York dropped an album that could be argued to have foreshadowed black metal, noise, and industrial music. The album’s deceptively psychedelic cover matched their Woodstock contemporaries, but sonically, the brutal, experimental sound of <strong>Cromagnon</strong>’s <em>Orgasm</em> couldn’t have been more counter-culture if it tried.
Ipswich landfill site causing concern for locals
A depot in Ipswich has sparked anger amongst the locals as the owner of the landfill site continues to develop the area without approval of the council or the community.
Residents are concerned about fire risks that are posed with the site, where Queensland Fire and Emergency Services confirmed they attended the grounds 11 times in the past three years for minor fires.
Ipswich City Council has conducted legal appeals within the last three years to cease any further operations of the site.
Fires break out in Brisbane detention centre
In local news, a multitude of fires occurred yesterday at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre in Brisbane, where the site is currently in stage 4 of coronavirus lockdown.
Reports indicate authorities were called out at midday as a mattress was lit on fire inside one of the cells.
At 9:15pm, emergency services were signalled again as a second fire ignited from rubbish being burned outside a building at the centre, which took authorities three hours to control.