Boy found alive after 12 hours in a sewer

Rescuers have found a teenage boy alive after he was trapped for more than 12 hours in the underground sewage tunnels of Los Angeles, California.

The boy fell about 8 metres into fast moving sewage after a plank covering the sewer system broke.

Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, credited the boy’s strong will for his survival.

Malaysia to pass law banning "fake news"

Malaysia’s government has pushed through a law that makes ‘’fake news’ punishable by a jail term of up to six years.

The law targets foreign and local media and is seen by critics  as an effort to silence criticism of the administration of Prime Minister Nijab Razak before the upcoming election.

The election is expected to happen within weeks and many opposition legislators are  voicing their concerns that the law will limit free speech.

Nauru court system planning to split from Australian high court

Nauru’s government is preparing to sever ties with Australia’s high court.

Scrapping the treaty which has stood since 1976 will leave residents, including asylum seekers, without any avenue to appeal decisions made by Nauru’s Supreme court.

Nauru Law Society and Chief Justice Filimone Jitoko hopes to implement Nauru’s own appeal court to encourage the development of home-grown justice and development of customary law in the pacific nation.

Australians are getting dumb and costing us the big bucks

A new analysis by the Public Education Foundation has said Australia’s declining performance in maths, reading and science will cost $120 billion over the next 45 years.

The analysis claimed kids at the top end of the system have better access to teacher coverage and resources, whereas the bottom 10 percent of students have fallen one and a half times as much as those in the top decile.

This is the first time the foundation has linked students’ results as an impact on the economy.

Explosive Device Found In Footwell Of Car At Shopping Centre

Two people have been taken to an Ipswich watch-house after an explosive device was found in their car.

The pair are known to police, and were searched after City Safe network operators noticed their number plates did not match their vehicle.

Police confirmed they found a "fairly large glass jar" containing explosive liquid, and are charging the man with ‘manufacture of explosives without authority’ and the woman with fraud, uttering and forgery among other charges.

Hop Along: Bark Your Head Off, Dog

- In the era of Run For Cover, Topshelf, and even on our own shores, Poison City records affiliated acts bringing emotionally heavy bands that oft are birthed in the D.I.Y scene out of the basement shows, and away from stage divers, the market for indie folk and folk punk bands has now become a flooded one. It might sound like a band thing but there is where Hop Along flourish.