Incineration plan sparks mass unrest in China
Protests were underway last week in the Chinese city of Wuhan over a planned waste incineration plant they say will bring dangerous levels of pollution to their town.
Thousands of local people took to the streets for several days, demanding that the location be re-thought and be moved further away from settlements.
As the protests steadily grew over the week, a censorship and public security operation kicked in to try and mask the unrest.
Farmers sue Monsanto and Bayer over use of “Round-up” pesticide
Two farmers have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit on Thursday against Monsanto and Bayer on the use of Roundup, a glyphosate-based weed killer.
The claim alleges the farmers were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using the herbicide.
The action was filed by Halifax law firm on behalf of farmers David Mitchell and Gretta Hutton who have used the weed-killer for years without any warning to use protective gear.
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[Image: Rick Kern/Wire Image/Getty Images]
Measles alert in Brisbane
A measles alert has been issued in Brisbane after a child who travelled to an unknown country came back to Brisbane without realising they contracted the virus.
The child traveled to Murrumba Downs shopping centre and Taigum Square shopping centre early last week.
Anyone who has been to these locations and is suffering symptoms of fever, runny nose, fatigue and sore, red eyes is encouraged to seek immediate medical attention.
Inquiry finds drug users push prisons to breaking point and locking them up wastes time and money
An inquiry by the Queensland Productivity Commission found that the number of drug users being locked up in Queensland prisons is pushing the system to breaking point, with more people being sent to prison now than any time in the past 120 years.
The inquiry was set up by the Palaszczuk government to work out what was causing the surge of people in the state’s prisons.
The commission also found that locking up drug users was often a waste of time and money and recommended that some drug offenders be kept out of the prison system.
Underpaid migrant workers warned against speaking out
Staff at the Luxury Escarpment Group of Blue Mountain Hotels have been warned against speaking to the media after the Herald Sun exposed migrant workers are being exploited.
The Fair Work Ombudsman raided the hotel group’s operations last month and found they were taking wages from migrant workers through overpriced accommodation and unpaid overtime.
Victorian State Government concedes, ‘we’re letting people down’
The Victorian state government is promising a new deal for mental health, admitting that the current system is ‘letting people down’.
It’s Royal Commission into mental health conceded that people are ‘bounced around’ the present system.
It has heard shocking stories of mistreatment and mismanagement, with one expert witness describing the state’s system as ‘collapsed’ and ‘in need of a complete overhaul’.
Pussy Riot to perform in Alabama to protest abortion bans
The Russian collective Pussy Riot will perform a sold-out concert on Thursday in Alabama to raise money for women’s rights groups.
This concert comes in light of the state’s recent passing of a near-total ban on abortion, making it a felony even in cases of rape or incest.
Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova says she finds the ban ridiculous and wants to come to Alabama to support women who are in a critical and vulnerable position in the state right now.
African leaders launch landmark 55-nation trade zone
African leaders have launched a landmark 55-nation trade zone, the agreement was signed on Sunday by Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari and Benin’s President Patrice Talon.
AU commission chairman Moussa Faki dubbed the African continental free trade area deal a “historic” moment.
The trade zone will create a 3.4 trillion economic bloc and will unite 1.3 billion people, helping a new era of development across the continent.
Rainbow Chan - Pillar
Multi-dimensional vocalist, songwriter, producer and mixed-medium artist, Rainbow Chan has released her highly awaited second album, Pillar. As a follow-up to her 2016 debut Spacings, Rainbow continues on her path of evolving artistry as one of Australia’s most innovative and daring minds in experimental pop music.
Pillar’s 10-tracks culminate Rainbow’s years of expertise across composition, songwriting & production, finding the sweet spot where her many influences intersect, all while celebrating her heritage and culture as they intertwine. From the delicate brushworks of a faint beat to the pounding accents of a club-made kick drum, Pillar is a work of balanced strengths, propelling listeners on a journey towards self-reckoning as Rainbow Chan’s striking vocal melodies glide, stop and stir above on themes of life’s fragile temporality.
Opening the album, is the slow and tender melodies of “Oblivion”, before 2018’s club sharp community-radio loved cut “CSR”. The album’s third single “Pillar” follows, utilising pitch shifted vocals as beats of their own, alongside brassy synths and angelic falsettos. The fast arpeggiated layers of “For A Long Time” soon appear, intersecting trademark Rainbow Chan melodies of never-ending interest.
Previous single, “Love Isn’t Easy” ft. MOLDY blends Rainbow’s club and pop influences into one, over a blanket of mesmerising synths and sprinkled beats. Rainbow’s vocal range shines, shifting between a hauntingly gentle falsetto and powerful pop performance, before making way for the slow and softer leading direction of “Melt”. “A Horizon” is up next as a vocal-pitched chamber of warm reverberations and echoing space. The stop-and-start build of “Lull” ft. Chuiping & Choilin gathers momentum, before the darker glistening synths of “Gaosuwo” make headroom. “Roof” marks a magical and closing moment on the album, as Rainbow’s vocals echo towards completion.
“Pillar is a record about movement. With movement, comes change. With change, comes a multiplicity of truths. These ten songs were written amongst a constellation of languages, times, locations and lives, further exploring my East-Asian heritage with songs flowing effortlessly between English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Weitou (Cantonese dialect), as a way to de-centre the Eurocentricity of language in pop music” - Rainbow Chan
Pooling sounds from her side project DIN (with Alex Ward), soundscape dance venture Chunyin and her 2016 debut Spacings, Pillar is both intriguingly fresh and tenderly familiar, proving the everlasting affect her music leaves on fans, both longtime and emerging.
Always pushing the boundaries, Rainbow Chan has built a reputation as one of Australia’s most unique artists with a defined sonic identity, drawing on vibrant aesthetics, a deep understanding of pop conventions and continuous celebration of her Chinese heritage.