Saudi Arabia easing restrictions on women

Saudi Arabian women under 21 no longer need permission from a male authority to travel abroad following a royal decree introduced on Friday. 

The new decrees also allow citizens to obtain Saudi passports regardless of their gender, and women will be allowed to register births, marriages and divorces.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been easing restrictions on women after lifting a driving ban last year, but has been cracking down on women’s rights activists.

Massive blackout hit Indonesia

A widespread 8-hour-long blackout plunged the Indonesian capital Jakarta and surrounding cities into darkness following a failure at a gas turbine plant on Sunday.

Jakarta’s train network, phone connections and traffic lights stopped working and affecting millions during the failure. 

Authorities say the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the Java coast on Friday may have played a role in disrupting the electricity supply.

New e-scooters in Brisbane streets

The new orange Neuron Mobility scooter rollout is stalling just two weeks after their competitor Lime removed almost half of their scooters from Brisbane streets. 

New council contracts have had Lime reduce its scooter numbers to 400 while Neuron has received permission to roll out 600 scooters by August 10.

The Brisbane City Council directed all questions to about Neuron’s rollout to the company, who is yet to make a statement.

New facility under construction in Fortitude Valley

The Queensland government has agreed to replace the existing PCYC facility in Fortitude Valley, with construction on a new facility set to begin later this year.

The planned glass-panelled, four-storey building will be joined by a twelve-storey office complex and a coffee shop on the remainder of the land.

State Development Minister Cameron Dick said the construction process will create over 160 jobs and be fully funded by Silverstone Developments.

Christmas Eve into part-day public holiday in Queensland

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palazcuk has proposed to turn Christmas Eve into part-day public holiday so Queenslanders receive penalty rates after 6pm.  

Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said workers will be better off since they will be able to request time off on Christmas Eve on more justified grounds.

Ms Palazcuk hopes to pass the law before Christmas Eve this year following a month-long public consultation, to become the third Australian state to make the change.

Dangers of DIY teeth-whitening products

The Australian Dental Association is urging people not to use DIY teeth-whitening products due to the dangers involved. 

Dentist Norah Ayad said she sees at least one patient a week due to chemical burns caused by the products, which takes several weeks to treat.  

The teeth-whitening products can be easily accessed and are widely promoted on social media by celebrities and influencers. 

Two shooting Attacks in Texas

Twenty-nine people were killed in separate shootings on Sunday at a Texas supermarket and in Dayton, Ohio, thirteen hours later.

US Attorney John Bash said investigators are treating the Texas attacks as domestic terrorism upon finding anti-immigration manifesto that the shooter posted online.

Police have not given a suspected motive for the second attack in Dayton at this time.

 

Sudanese military signed a power sharing deal

The Sudanese military has signed a power-sharing deal with Opposition leader Ahmed Rabie to form an intermediary governing body of six civilians and five generals.

Key officials and the prime minister will be announced at or shortly after a formal document-signing ceremony on 17 August.

General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo who signed the deal on behalf of the military says they have turned a tough page of Sudan’s history.

Tralala Blip: Eat My Codes If Your Light Falls

- Aussie collective Tralala Blip have released their new album Eat My Codes If Your Light Falls on Room40. From the regional New South Wales town of Lismore, the group comprises differently-abled artists, initially being formed by support worker Randolf Reimann as a means “to provide a fertile environment in which intellectually and physically handicapped people would have access to new technologies that would enable more creative possibilities for self-expression.”