New Penalties for Improper Disability Park Use
The state government is considering giving demerit points for drivers who park in disability spots.
After a successful grassroots campaign, Transport Minister Mark Bailey says he is happy to discuss penalising what he calls arrogant and reprehensible behaviour.
Currently, drivers who park in disability spots face a $261 fine.
Peter Dutton Under Fire
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton’s seat in Parliament may be under threat after a potential Constitutional breach regarding his financial interests in the Commonwealth.
Channel 10 reported that two childcare centres connected to RHT Family Trust, which Mr Dutton is a beneficiary of, have been receiving direct subsidies from the government.
The accusation has surfaced amid speculation of Mr Dutton challenging Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership due to lackluster poll results.
Commbank Outage Causes Rage
Commonwealth Bank customers were left high and dry yesterday morning when online banking services and cards were rendered useless during a random outage.
It wasn’t until 12:30pm that the bank issued a statement claiming that services were beginning to return to normal, with thousands still experiencing difficulties.
This is the second incident this year for the Commonwealth Bank, with digital problems in April affecting home and personal loans, debit and credit card transactions and BPAY.
Flash Flooding Disaster in Calabria
In Italy, at least eight hikers have died, with five people still missing after heavy rain caused flash flooding in Italy’s southern region of Calabria on Monday.
Regional civil protection chief, Carlo Tansi, says powerful lights are being used to help rescuers work throughout the night.
23 people have been rescued so far, two of which were children, including a girl with hypothermia who was flown to hospital in the region’s capital via helicopter.
Evidence of Ice found on the Moon
After years of suspicion but no formal confirmation, scientists have found direct evidence of water ice in craters on the moon.
A team of planetary scientists at the University of Hawaii believe this discovery boosts the moon’s potential as a habitable destination for humans.
Dr Shuai Li, head of the study, says we could also use the moon as a stepping stone to explore the rest of the solar system
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Your 9am Zedlines with Sam and Shirley.
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SEQ fire ban continues
An ongoing fire ban has been extended to midnight Wednesday the 22nd of August for the South- East Queensland region.
The ban began last Wednesday, with the extension being put into place after 290 fire incidents occurring across the State over the weekend.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services commissioner, Katarina Carroll, has urged residents to be alert and aware during the ban.
New State laws condemn revenge porn
The Queensland State cabinet has introduced new laws that would make threatening to share images of revenge porn illegal.
Building on existing Federal legislation that jails distributors of revenge porn for up to seven years, the new laws will incriminate individuals who threaten to share compromising images.
Attorney-General Yvette D’ath [Darth] labelled such behaviour abhorrent and said it was time for the government to step in to protect victims.
Turning coffee waste into coffee cups
A Macquarie University PhD student has recently discovered a way to turn regular coffee waste into biodegradable plastic coffee cups.
The scientific method uses coffee grounds to create lactic acid, which can then be repurposed to create biodegradable plastics.
With Australians consuming six billion cups of coffee every year, researcher Dominic Kopp believes this process will aid Australia’s reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Pope Francis condemns Catholic "atrocities"
Pope Francis issued a letter to Catholics globally in relation to the church’s sexual abuse scandal, condemning these “atrocities” worldwide.
The Catholic leader acknowledged the Church has fallen short in its responsibilities to the children and faithful affected and said he will spare no effort in its redemption.
A Vatican spokesperson told the New York Times they believe it was the first time in history a Pope has addressed the world’s Catholics on sexual abuse.