Sniffer dogs detect 12 underground water leaks in SEQ
Two sniffer dogs have saved South-East Queensland from 12 underground water leaks across the year which could have otherwise gone undetected for years.
The two springer spaniels are set to be rewarded with games of catch after they “aced” their one year trial period with Queensland Urban Utilities and locked in their long-term employment detecting water leaks.
Hatchie - 'Keepsake'
Hatchie’s debut album Keepsake sees Harriette Pilbeam, the artist behind Hatchie, team up once again with her 2018 Sugar & Spice EP producer John Castle (Cub Sport, Vance Joy, Jack River). While the album begins and ends with two massively catchy pop tracks - the brightly defiant ‘Not That Kind’ and the euphoric and epic ‘Keep’ - many songs drift into more emotionally tangled terrain, shedding light on experiences both ephemeral and life-changing.
There’s a self-possessed spirit infusing all of Keepsake, which ultimately serves as a document of a particularly kinetic moment in Harriette’s life.
“I’m not much of a nostalgic person when it comes to memories, but I do have a tendency to hold on to certain things, like tickets from the first time I went someplace on holiday,” Harriette says, reflecting on the album’s title.
“It made sense to me to call the record that, at a time when I’m going to probably end up with a lot of keepsakes – and in a way, this whole album is almost like a keepsake in itself.”
Keepsake is a culmination of what’s been an incredible two years for Hatchie. After exploding onto the scene in 2017 with the breakthrough debut single ‘Try’, Hatchie caught the attention of music fans and critics around the globe, before following it up with the exceptional dream-pop hit, ‘Sure’. Both tracks, alongside ‘Sugar & Spice’, ‘Bad Guy’ and ‘Sleep’ formed Hatchie’s striking debut EP Sugar & Spice (May 2018), a release that garnered widespread acclaim from international music media.
2019 has already been a huge year for Hatchie, with the band touring non-stop across the world. Locally, as well as her own sold-out tour, Hatchie supported the likes of Beach House, Death Cab For Cutie and Kylie Minogue in Australia. Elsewhere, the band just returned from a UK/EU tour, which included festival sets at Primavera & Heartland festival and sold-out London & Manchester headline shows. Off the back of a 30-date tour with Girlpool in North America in April & May, Hatchie has also announced her return to North America for an extensive headline tour in September.
On home soil, Hatchie has been recognised by AIR, who have nominated her for Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year at their upcoming awards in July, the same month that will see her return home to play Splendour in the Grass!
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[Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons]
Development application approved to make a new public space in Brisbane CBD
A development application proposed by Aria Property Group to transform a run-down laneway on the corner of Elizabeth and Edward Streets into a new public space, was approved by the Brisbane City Council last week.
Aria commercial manager Michael Zaicek says the development will be similar to the group's own Fish Lane in South Brisbane, but on a smaller scale.
Works on the refurbishment estimated at $4-5 million will begin on October 1, with the whole development expected to be completed by March 2020.
Iran seized 1000 Bitcoin machines in two factory raids
Iran seized 1000 Bitcoin machines in two factory raids after authorities blamed a spike in electricity consumption on cryptocurrency mining.
Iran electricity official Arash Navab says two bitcoin farms have been identified, with a consumption of one megawatt.
Researcher Mahsa Alimardani from the Oxford Internet Institute says Bitcoin is gaining more attention in Iran as an alternative way to store money.
Trump administration postpone the implementation of an anti-abortion health care rule
The Trump Administration has postponed the implementation of an anti-abortion health care rule.
The rule, which was initially set to take effect on July 22nd, would allow medical workers the right to decline performing abortions and related procedures based on religious or moral terms.
A final ruling will be made on November 22 with the US Department of Health and Human Services calling the change the most efficient way to make a formal judgement on the disputed matter.
Australian banks implement new code of practice today
Australian banks will be held to a higher standard after the implementation of a new code of practice which takes effect today, coinciding with the start of the financial year.
The new code, which every major bank with customers has agreed to be bound by, introduces a number of new policies, including a mandatory offer of low-fee or no fee accounts to lower income customers.
Queensland set to scrap freight subsidies during droughts
Queensland is set to scrap freight subsidies heavily relied on by farmers during droughts to offset food and water transport costs.
Queensland Agriculture Minister Mark Furner says the current scheme is outdated and farmers need to make plans which anticipate droughts instead.
Farmer Will Wilson worries the cuts will have a further mental toll, saying farmers need all the help they can get when up against drought conditions.
Oil spillage under rail bridge on Annerley Road in Woolloongabba this morning
Oil has leaked onto the road after a semi-trailer hit a bridge in inner-Brisbane this morning, with the impact also knocking an empty shipping container off the vehicle and onto the road.
Emergency services responded at 5:30am after the truck hit the protection beam of a rail bridge on Annerley Road in Woolloongabba near an intersection at Park Road.
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[Photo Credit: Flickr]