China bans thousands of karaoke songs
The Chinese Government has banned more than six thousand karaoke songs in a push to improve the country’s copyright laws.
The list of banned songs includes many titles from popular Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists including Eason Chan.
While China’s state-sponsored Copyright Association claims the ban is only to prevent copyright infringement… many artists believe this is the next step in Beijing's expanding censorship.
Prominent Ethiopian politician returns home from Exile
Ethiopia's oppositional politician, Birtukan Mideksa, has returned home from exile in the United States.
Earlier in the year, 200 protestors were killed by Ethiopian police as an apparent crackdown on political opposition.
Birtukan’s return is illustrative of how the political landscape has transformed in Ethiopia since the current Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in April.
Psycroptic: As The Kingdom Drowns
- As the Kingdom Drowns represents the seventh full-length studio album from Tasmanian tech-death veterans Psycroptic. Soon to be coming up to two decades of slamming, slashing, thrashing, tapping, sweeping and screaming, one could infer that their dedication to their craft has resulted in the Metal Gods themselves smiling upon the boys from Tassie, and blessing them with the inspiration for one hell of a new album.
Various Artists: 3AM Spares
- Sydney label Efficient Space are set to drop a new compilation called 3AM Spares. It’s an extension upon another comp, Midnite Spares, a collection of obscure and unreleased Australian new wave and DIY records from the '80s. This compilation encompasses the darker sounds and later nights of the 1990s and beyond.
Brötzmann/Leigh: Sparrow Nights
- The smooth, bluesy tones which kick off Sparrow Nights could be mistaken for a jazz standard, but what comes next is anything but. Peter Brötzmann is at the tail end of a fifty year career, one that has taken him to the outer edges of improvised music. But during this final chapter, he seems to be coming back down to earth, eschewing large, noisy ensembles in favour of close and intimate collaboration.
Dead Can Dance: Dionysus
- Dionysus is the ninth studio album and the first new release in six years for Dead Can Dance. You might want to lump them into, variously, the post-punk, darkwave, arty or goth-rock genres. However the fact remains, since 1981, the creative team of Brenda Perry and Lisa Gerard have been inspiring musical explorers, engaging in rich and often spiritual meanderings through both ancient and modern communal celebrations of mythology and folklore.
Mass graves discovered in Iraq
Reports from the United Nations (UN) said more than 200 mass graves have been discovered in parts of Iraq controlled by Daesh.
Iraq’s Mass Graves Directorate thinks there are around 4000 bodies in the Al-Kasafa sinkhole. However, further investigation is not possible as the site is heavily booby trapped and has been deemed too dangerous.
This is just one of 202 graves detailed in a new UN report, which are believed to hold somewhere between 6000-12,000 victims of the Daesh regime.
Papua New Guinea sends sick refugees back to Manus Island
More than 20 refugees from Manus Island seeking medical treatment in Port Moresby have been sent back and another 20 will be flown out this week ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Summit next week.
Refugees report medical treatments were not completed before removal, and one refugee allegedly attempted self-harm from the stress of the relocation.
While PNG’s Police Commissioner, Gari Baki, said the removals were not related to the summit, police have stated the removals were part of the Summit’s security precautions.
Hardy African sheep breed a new hope for drought-stricken graziers
The Dorper, an African sheep breed which calls the Kalahari desert home is proving its worth to a growing number of Australia's drought-stricken graziers.
The sheep arrived in Australia in 1996, but their performance in recent successive droughts has seen the meat breed surge into popularity.
Owners of the Bellevue grazing company at Millmerran in south-east Queensland, the Curtis Family said they now have healthy pregnant dorper ewes, many with twins, surviving in very dry paddocks.
SA proposes laws forcing suspects to unlock their phones or face jail time
A move to force suspects in serious crimes, such as child pornography, to hand over their passwords or comply with fingerprint and facial scans to unlock devices is being introduced into the South Australian Parliament today.
Under the proposed legislation, anyone who does not hand over their password could face up to five years in prison.
Although SA Attorney-General, Vickie Chapman, says this move is ‘necessary’ to defeat modern criminals, concerns have been raised about implications for freedom of privacy.