Aussie Farms group stripped of charity status
The Charities and Not-for-profits Commission has decided to strip the organisation Aussie Farms of its charitable status.
Aussie Farms is an animal activist group that runs a website listing the personal details of thousands of Australian farming families and encouraging activists to take part in farm invasions.
North QLD’s first Hindu temple
North Queensland’s first Hindu temple was consecrated in Townsville early this month to cater for Australia’s fastest growing religion.
The temple committee decided on a large aluminium shed to be the temple, called the Sri Siddhi Vinayaka, as it allowed them more space to host yoga, dance and other cultural activities.
The temple’s senior priest is based in Melbourne, but most of the cultural duties are given to junior priest Mugundan Achari.
88% of Hong Kong’s 7.4 million residents have been exposed to tear gas since June
Millions in Hong Kong have been exposed to tear gas since June. From June to November, the police have fired more than 9,000 tear gas at different areas in Hong Kong.
According to the figures released in police briefings, around 88% of Hong Kong’s 7.4 million residents are affected by the impact of tear gas.
Numerous improper and potentially dangerous uses of tear gas have been captured on television on social media platforms.
Lion removed from house opposite school in Lagos, Nigeria
The authorities have removed a lion allegedly used to guard the house in Lagos, Nigeria.
According to reports, the two-year-old lion was discovered by a task force on a property opposite a school on Friday.
The owner of the animal was told to report to the police before the end of Monday or he would be arrested.
A group of Lagos State Environmental Health and Special Crimes teams found the animal after the residents filed a petition with the state's Ministry of the Environment.
8AM Zedlines
Kate and Jess present Tuesday's 8AM Zedlines
Energy Minister's tolerance is being tested
Energy Minister Angus Taylor is now looking to coal, gas and hydro energy sources to protect Australia from blackouts.
Forecasts show that 1.3 million households are at risk of power outages this summer, and Mr Taylor says stronger energy reliability standards are needed to reduce this number.
Mr Taylor said, “As an energy minister with a strong focus on reliability and the price impacts of a shortage of reliable generation, I can tell you my tolerance is tested.”
National Fire Update
There are currently 48 fires burning in NSW - 23 of which are uncontained - and seven areas now have total fire bans in place.
A thick blanket of smoke hangs over Sydney this morning and air quality has been deemed hazardous in the city’s north-west. People are being warned to stay indoors.
A total fire ban has been declared for South Australia today as searing temperatures have been forecasted for tomorrow, and Queensland faces an increased threat from extreme temperatures that are expected to last for days.
Vietnam offers grieving families loans to return bodies
After the Essex truck incident, a loan was provided to each family in Vietnam to cover the cost of repatriating the bodies of their loved ones.
These allow them to choose to lend to the government or they can afford the repatriation costs themselves.
The authorities found the bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals in the town of Grays in Essex last month. Since then, two truck drivers have been charged with manslaughter and several others have been arrested in connection with the case.
Multiple arrests happened in Hong Kong Polytechnic University
The overnight drama at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), in Hung Hom on the southern tip of the Kowloon peninsula, saw some of the most violent and dramatic scenes in anti-government demonstrations in the past six months.
Community wants Russell Island school
As the state government begins talks on turning empty Russell Island Education Department land into a community garden, locals urge the government not to dismiss the idea of a high school.
Russell Island resident Rosie Binks-Carvalho is advocating for a local high school, saying “Our students face huge social disadvantages. They're being dislocated from their community, being away five days a week and going to the mainland where they don't feel part of that community.”