Over 5000 donors contribute to Griffith University

Over 5000 living donors have contributed to Griffith University’s body donation program, helping support a decade’s worth of successful medical research.

Over 410 deceased donors have been accepted since 2007, with strict guidelines regarding time and cause of death.

The program has identified new anatomy variations that have helped medical professionals in their practice, supporting growth and research.

Aid finally delivered to Rukbang in Syria

The first UN-led aid since January has finally been delivered to the 50,000  civilians stranded in the settlement of Rukbang on the Syrian-Jordan border.

The convoy had seen months of delays following the blockage from the Syrian army’s control.

Food parcels, hygiene kits and vaccination campaigns are being provided by the convoy, with the camp being described as “one of the most desperate places in Syria”.

 

New Caledonia vote against independence

Citizens of New Caledonia have cast their referendum ballot, with early indications suggesting over 60 per cent have voted against independence.

The nation has seen social and economic divisions arise from the referendum, with the independence movement drawing its main support from Indigenous populations, in contrast with a large segment of Europeans favouring French rule.

New Caledonia will have three more chances to agree to independence, with further referendums expected in 2020 and 2022.

Defence Minister Steve Ciobo criticises refugee resettlement

Australian defence industry minister Steve Ciobo has condemned the federal government’s plan to accept New Zealand’s offer to resettle refugee families.

Mr Ciobo says the soft approach would act as a ‘giant magnet’ for people smugglers in the region.

The coalition says they will only accept New Zealand’s offer if refugees sent there have a lifetime ban from entering Australia.

 

Bilby populations threatened by feral cats

The federal government’s ‘Bilby Blitz’ program reports the species population remains steady in spite of an increasing threat of feral cats and foxes.

Indigenous rangers found bilbies in 58 of the 248 search areas across Australia and feral cats in 111.

Central regional land management officer Richard Moyle says preserving the bilby will help preserve habitats and get rid of common threats across arid Australia.

 

Brisbane City Council postponing new water features

The 2018 to 2019 budget for the Brisbane City Council has seen a four year delay in the return of water fountains and water features in King George Square, which were removed in the 2000s due to the impact of drought.

The council has committed to returning the fountains, however prioritizes the 944 million dollar Brisbane Metro project.

Several fountains will be re-designed by 2023, the expected date of completion for the Brisbane Metro tunnel, running from Adelaide Street to King George Bus Station.

Tourism Industry concerned after drowning

Questions are being raised to Queensland Tourism after four tourists died in three days due to drowning.

The National Manager of research and policy for Royal Life Saving Society Australia, says awareness and education would be a better way to communicate the risks of water based activity.

Chief Executive of the QLD Tourism Industry Council, Daniel Schwind in speaking to the ABC says, it is a difficult process to try and inform all tourists in every context.

NUN: The Dome

- I wasn’t sure when Melbourne goth-industrial electro-punks NUN were going to unearth their new collection of nightmarish numbers, but, predictably, they couldn’t help but be drawn to the psychic beacon of Halloween. It really is what they’re all about: every aspect of horror, from the filmic to the literary to the audible, the science-fictional to the boarding school slasher; from its intellectual dissection to its most z-grade, exploitative nastiness. The quartet, fronted by Jenny Branagan have absorbed and revelled in it all, as long as it happened circa 1980.

Lakeshore: LP2

- While You Where Sleeping, a Brisbane label run by Matt Cook (previously he was known as White Palms but now embraces the moniker MD Cook) are about to drop the second album from Lakeshore. Simply titled, LP2, this time it is Cook, solo at the helm. The local electronic producer has been on the scene for years, playing bass for The Rational Academy and contributing to ASSEMBLY.