France outlaws street harassment
French lawmakers have voted to outlaw street harassers, with on the spot fines of up to $1180 Australian dollars for aggressive cat-callers.
The legislation aims to address sexual violence after a man attacked a young woman when she responded to his inappropriate remarks outside of a Paris cafe.
Minister for Gender Equality Marlene Schiappa said that previously street harassment had not been punished, but the new legislation will punish future offenders appropriately.
Sweden’s highest peak melts; researchers blame climate change
A glacier on Sweden's Kebnekaise mountain is no longer the country's highest point following record high Arctic melt.
Researches have been measuring the peak since 1880, and have found it melting by one meter every year for the past two decades. Since July 2nd it has lost four meters of snow.
Stockholm University researchers have attributed climate change to the weather event and are amongst many expressing concern of high temperatures, some of which have triggered wildfires across the country.
Australian firefighters deployed as California bushfires Intensify
Almost 200 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand will head to the US today to be deployed in California and its neighbouring states, Oregon and Washington, as bushfires intensify.
The team includes fire management specialists and helicopter pilots.
Dangerously low percentages of fire containment caused the US authorities to search for Australian assistance because of our familiarity with bushfires.
Australian journalist returns home after Israeli detention
Australian journalist, Chris Graham, has arrived home after being detained by Israeli authorities for being part of the latest attempt to break the Gaza blockade.
Mr Graham boarded the Al-Awda, a fishing boat leading the “freedom flotilla”, in Italy about a week earlier to report on the activists’ journey and the plight of Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
He said the event created an amazing, compelling story.
Indigenous students complete year 12 at similar rate to non-Indigenous students in QLD
The Queensland Budget Estimates hearing has revealed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are completing year 12 at almost the same rate as non-Indigenous high school students in Queensland.
The hearing revealed that 97.2 percent of Indigenous students received a high school certificate, compared to 98.1 percent of non-Indigenous students.
A figure that is up from 75 percent in 2013.
Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said the results were the best in Australia.
Australian students outperformed by international tests
Studies have shown Australian primary and high school students who spend more time in the classroom in comparison to Finnish students are receiving far lower scores in international tests than students in similar countries.
Dean of education at Newcastle University, John Fishetti, said other countries were embedding more teacher autonomy into their curriculum, which was making them "learning centres rather than assessment centres".
He says Australia needs a different assessment scheme that gives teachers the time to drive dynamic learning.
Sleepy: Postcards
- Some bands you can tell a lot about how they sound from their name. I’m thinking here of acts like Metallica, The Dixie Chicks, or Extreme Noise Terror. On the other hand, sometimes you expect one thing then are surprised – like Daft Punk or The New Pornographers.
Golden Features: SECT
- If you are in need of evidence that Australia has a thriving deep house scene, look no further than Golden Features’ debut full length SECT. It marks a significant milestone for Sydney producer Tom Stell, having held a residency at Candy’s Apartment in Sydney (alongside Hayden James, What So Not, and Allison Wonderland) and previously released two attention grabbing Eps, earning him placements on the festival circuit.
11am Zedlines
11am Zedlines with Simon and Laura.
Image: Ed Dunens via Flickr Creative Commons.
Middle East were in the middle of plans
Saudi Arabia and the UAE planned to launch a coup in Qatar at the start of a diplomatic crisis in June last year but were stopped by former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, likely leading to his dismissal.
The Intercept said it received information from a member of the US intelligence community. The coup, which was largely devised by the countries crown princes, "was likely some weeks away from being implemented".