Clive Palmer sends unsolicited text messages to Queensland voters
Queensland voters are questioning how politician Clive Palmer gained access to their contact information after receiving another wave of text messages this weekend.
The messages promoted Palmer’s upcoming Canberra comeback and did not have an option to opt-out.
The Spam Act prevents spam messages without prior consent but political parties are currently exempt.
Four dead after bakery explosion in Paris
50 people were injured and 4 found dead this weekend in the largest explosion Paris has seen in over a decade.
The blast gutted the bakery, overturned cars and caused 12 surrounding buildings to be evacuated pending further investigation.
While the blast appears to have been accidental, police say it is too early to identify the cause and are not ruling out terrorism.
Nobel laureate stripped of honours after racist remarks
All titles and honours will be stripped from Nobel prize winning scientist James Watson after he made ‘reprehensible’ comments linking race to intelligence.
Dr Watson, who helped discover DNA in 1953, told the Sunday Times he believes Africa is doomed to fail as its social policies are not adjusted to account for race.
Dr Watson’s New York laboratory has cut all ties and say they condemn the misuse of science to justify prejudice.
Rising temperatures kill millions of fish in Murray Darling River
Rising temperatures and poor management are killing millions of fish in the Murray Darling River.
Local residents accuse the New South Wales government of deliberately draining the Menindee Lakes, leaving a 500km stretch of poorly flowing river.
Warmer weather affects these areas by causing blue green algae to bloom and remove oxygen from the water.
The federal government is announcing a 5 million dollar recovery package to alleviate the crisis.
Scott Morrison thanks John Howard for helping Domestic Violence victim
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has personally thanked former Prime Minister John Howard for his unexpected role in a domestic violence incident on the streets of Sydney last Wednesday.
79-year-old former PM was on his daily walk near his home on Sydney’s north shore at about 7.45am when he saw a couple fighting on the street.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Howard called out to the couple in an attempt to stop the fight, before standing with the woman until police arrived.
Orleigh Park facing expensive tar clean up
The clean-up of West End’s contaminated Orleigh Park could see as much as 13,500 square metres of soil removed along with several trees, Brisbane City Council says.
Last year, tar was found to be present in the majority of the park and some surrounding streets, as the park previously housed a coal tar processing facility, which closed in the 1980s.
Council projected the total cost of the remediation works as just more than $15 million between 2018 and 2020, according to its 2018 budget.
Lime Scooters ordered off Gold Coast streets
Lime, the company behind Brisbane’s electric scooter craze has copped a warning to remove its scooters from the Gold Coast within two hours of their roll-out.
Lime scooters were placed on the footpaths of the Gold Coast on Friday, following a scooter trial that launched in Brisbane in November.
Chinese Christians facing worst persecution since the Cultural Revolution
Human rights activists say Chinese Christians are experiencing the worst religious persecution since Mao Zedong’s cultural revolution.
More than 100 church goers are currently imprisoned for ‘inciting subversion’ and hundreds of churches have been shut down.
Professor at Duke University Lian Xi says the Chinese government is attempting to reform the Western religion to greater align with its socialist ideals.
Donald Trump blamed for US government shut down
A new poll shows 53% of Americans blame Donald Trump for the government shut-down as it nears its 24th consecutive day.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi says the president is trying to divert attention away from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, which may show Trump colluded with the Russians to win the election.
800,000 federal workers face increasing financial hardship while government departments continue to be underfunded and understaffed.
Pill testing debate continues after FOMO death
19-year-old woman Alex Ross-King has died of a suspected drug overdose after attending Sydney’s FOMO festival in Parramatta on the weekend.
Sunrise host David Kochie has commented on the event, and lashed out against Gladys Berejiklian over the issue of pill-testing, accusing her of being a hypocrite and saying it could help prevent festival deaths.
Ms Berejiklian has taken a firm stance against introducing pill-testing, despite the fact that five people have died from a suspected drug overdose at a NSW music festival in just four months.