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.
Funding announced for aged care sector
In National news, the government has pledged a $563 million support scheme for the aged care sector.
The boost aims to ensure staff are not working at a multitude of facilities, and to provide suitable personal protective equipment for further protection against COVID-19.
The Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck announced the pledge following the pressure the government is receiving in its approach to the aged care sector throughout the pandemic.
Proposed bill to ban mobile phones in Australian Immigration not well received
A new bill in Parliament is being advocated to confiscate mobile phones from detainees in Australian immigration.
This act would grant permission for officials to remove items such as mobile phones and sim cards, and allow Australian Border Force agents the right to search detainees.
The bill has been met with campaigns of objection, where already over 30,000 people have signed a petition for this act to be dismissed.
Former Indian President dies from COVID-19
In international news, the former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee has died after testing positive to COVID-19.
The health authorities stated 84 year old Mukherjee contracted a lung infection which then put him into septic shock, and from there his medical condition worsened.
Current Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi tweeted his gratitude to Mukherjee, stating “he has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation.”