Ella Thompson: Hysteria

- With three years since her last release, Melbourne based songstress Ella Thompson has recently been drawn back to her solo project, releasing her long-awaited EP Hysteria through her own label and arts publication Pool. Having been involved in other notable Australian acts GL, Dorsal Fins and The Bamboos and well into her career as a recording artist, Thompson has clearly used this experience to hone her craft.

Scientists New Effort to Save Great Barrier Reef

Dubbed “IVF for the reef”, Australian scientists are undertaking the largest and most complex coral regeneration attempt ever on the Great Barrier Reef.

Peter Harrison from Southern Cross University said that scientists would collect millions of coral eggs and sperm during the coral spawning event this week and introduce them to the most dangerous parts of the reef when the larvae is ready.

If the project is successful, it could be applied to damaged reefs all over the world.

May’s Brexit Plan “Doomed”

Former British Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has launched a scathing attack on Theresa May’s Brexit proposal, saying it is doomed and must be renegotiated.

The attack is a blow to May, who is struggling to muster support for the plan, which will be voted on in Parliament on December 11.

Opponents of the deal, which include US President Donald Trump, said it will keep the UK too closely tied to the EU, hampering future trade deals and minimising their value.

Survey on Europe’s Anti-Semitism

A study by CNN has revealed anti-semitic stereotypes are alive and well across Europe, while the memory of the Holocaust is fading.

More than 7000 people were interviewed from 7 different countries which highlighted some worrying attitudes, such as one in four people believing Jews have too much influence in business and finance.

12% of young people in Austria, Hitler’s birthplace, say they had never heard of the Holocaust, while one in three Europeans thought Jews used the Holocaust to advance their own positions or goals.

Debate Over Renaming Australian Public Places

Recent debate over a potential name change for Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park reflects the growing desire of many Australians to see public places renamed to reflect a modern nation.

In November last year, 30 000 Australians gathered in Prince Alfred Park to hear the result of the national vote on same sex-marriage, with many wanting to rename the park to memorialise this.

The proposed name, Equality Green, was unanimously accepted by the Sydney City Council earlier this month, and will be an enduring reminder of its meaning for the LGBTQI community.

Pauline Hanson Backs Neolithic Tribe

One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has voiced her support for the strict immigration policy of the inhabitants of North Sentinel Island, who killed an American missionary with bows and arrows earlier this month.

The Sentinelese are known to be the last remaining pre-Neolithic tribe, and are infamous for their violent attitude towards outsiders who try to approach the island, something which Senator Hanson says should be respected.

Senator Hanson says, “immigration can have a devastating impact on a people's culture and way of life."

Heatwave Sees Increase in Bat Bites

Possibly disease ridden bats are dropping from trees and biting residents in Cairns as soaring temperatures in far North Queensland have prompted the animals to seek shelter on the ground.

Tropical Public Health Services Director Dr Richard Gair said six people have been either bitten or scratched by bats in the past week, in spite of a public health warning issued last week.

Queensland Health have urged residents to not pick up bats, which may be infected with the potentially deadly Australian bat lyssavirus.

Federal Election Likely For Next May

Australians look certain to head to the polls in May, with Scott Morrison announcing the federal budget would be delivered in April.

Mr Morrison would not disclose the exact date of the election, but May 11 or 18 look most likely, given Easter and school holidays in April.

The news comes after his power has been further diminished by backbencher Julia Banks quitting the Liberal Party, with the government now only holding 74 of 150 House of Representative seats.