8am Zedlines
This is Danielle and Manille with your 8 am Zedlines.
(Image Credits: Wikipedia)
AERIAL BAITING PROGRAM TO TARGET NORTH QUEENSLAND RATS
A three-week aerial baiting program targeting black rats will begin on the Frankland Islands and Northern Barnard Islands, south of Cairns.
The rats pose a threat to thousands of nesting seabirds in the Great Barrier Reef world heritage area, damaging seabird eggs and eating hatchlings.
A helicopter will drop baits over the islands over the three weeks but tourism operators who run day trips will be allowed to continue to visit during set times.
IMPROVEMENTS TO QPAC
Labor is allocating $125 million in the Queensland budget for a new theatre to improve the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
This investment will ease QPAC’s existing facilities, currently exceeding 90% and give Queensland Ballet a new home.
An international competition will be set up to find a design for the new theatre, which is scheduled for completion by 2022.
QUEENSLAND EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REFUSES TO DISCLOSE COMMBANK PAYMENTS
The Queensland Education Department has refused to disclose to the ABC how much they are paid for School banking program run by the commonwealth bank.
According to the Commonwealth Bank website the bank donates $100 for every 100 students enrolled in the program, a $200 establishment contribution per school and further incentives for children depositing in their accounts.
The program has also been recently revealed to have been used for fraudulently in order to meet bonus and incentive goals.
SHORTEN COMMITS TO “STOP THE BOATS”
Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has said the Labor party will remain committed to stopping the boats at a Victorian Labor conference.
Pauline Brown from Labor for Refugees said she is extremely disappointed and feels upset for those still on Manus and Nauru.
Debate on the matter was shut down by a union deferral, despite a motion from Labor’s left to close offshore detention centres, transit centres and other camps on Manus and Nauru within the first 90 days of a Shorten government.
US-NORTH KOREA PEACE TALKS BACK ON
American and North Korean officials have met at the border truce village in preparation for a possible meeting between US and North Korean leaders.
The meeting comes after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the original June 12 meeting in Singapore, due to what he called “open hostility” from the North Koreans.
The US government would want the North Koreans to completely get rid of its nuclear weapons.
HOW THE DEATH OF AN INDIAN WOMAN LED TO THE IRISH ABORTION REFERENDUM
The recent referendum in Ireland which saw 66% of people vote to change the Eighth Amendment, was triggered by the death of an Indian woman.
31 year-old Savita Halappanavar died in 2012 from a septic miscarriage despite asking for an abortion several times, which was denied due to the Irish eighth amendment which made any abortion illegal regardless of the reason.
Savita’s death triggered the debate in Ireland and led to the legalisation of medical abortions in 2013.
Hatchie: Sugar & Spice
- Hatchie is set to release her debut EP Sugar & Spice on May 25th. If you’ve tuned in to 4ZZZ anytime recently you surely would have heard her (hehe). And there’s a good reason for it. Harriet Pilbeam’s spate of singles over the last year are superb slices of distorted pop music a-la Lush, Teenage Fanclub, Yuck at al.
Tracyanne & Danny: Tracyanne & Danny
- This collaborative album was some time coming. Camera Obscura vocalist Tracyanne Campbell and Danny Coughlan, most noted for his Crybaby musical project, had already swapped song ideas at the time Campbell’s band put out their Desire Lines album in 2013. Then, tragically, their keyboardist Carey Lander passed away.
Orlando Furious: Named
- Named is the second full-length album from Brisbane-based musical spoken-word artist Orlando Furious. The collection of songs on Named chronicles triumphs, love, failure, interpersonal political reflections, and candid introspection, evoking a gamut of raw emotion akin to a one man classical ballet.