Vladimir Putin predicts global chaos

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has warned the world that further Western attacks on Syria would bring chaos to world affairs.

United States, France and Britain launched 105 missiles targeting three chemical weapons facilities in Syria on Saturday, in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack in Douma on April 7.

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has been blamed by the Western countries for the attack that killed dozens of people.

The Syrian government and Russia have denied participation in any such attack.

Australia’s waste industry struggling

Australia’s waste industry is in need of significant change, according to experts who say the industry has been struggling under China’s ban imposed at the start of the year.

Experts say the waste industry has already reached a crisis point just several months into the ban, with stakeholders wanting immediate action.

The industry is calling for assistance to help it transition to a so-called 'circular economy' where waste would be collected, processed and then reused to make new products here in Australia.

Commonwealth Games closing ceremony slammed by the public

Sunday night’s Commonwealth Games closing ceremony has been deemed a failure by reporters and the general public after event broadcasters focused too much on the entertainment with no vision of the athletes.

Athletes entered the stadium before the television broadcast and were not shown to TV audiences as they stood in darkness and many spectators left the venue less than an hour into the event.

Channel Seven commentators, Johanna Griggs and Basil Zempilas, attacked the ceremony immediately after it finished, saying they were "furious".

Australia’s waste industry struggling

Australia’s waste industry is in need of significant change, according to experts who say the industry has been struggling under China’s ban imposed at the start of the year.

Experts say the waste industry has already reached a crisis point just several months into the ban, with stakeholders wanting immediate action.

The industry is calling for assistance to help it transition to a so-called 'circular economy' where waste would be collected, processed and then reused to make new products here in Australia.

Environment department investigate potential chemical spill at dump site

Environment department investigators have rushed to the site of a potential chemical spill from an explosives storage plant at the site of a proposed super dump in Ipswich.

Photographs have emerged over the weekend showing a spill of liquid from a storage area in the suburb of New Chum – near Swanbank – into an abandoned mine.

The Ipswich City Council and the Department of Environment and Science were unaware of the leak until it was reported to both the council and the department by Fairfax Media on Friday.

UQ embroiled in cult controversy

Researchers who promoted an alleged cult and showcased its bizarre healing claims have ensnared the University of Queensland (UQ) in a large-scale academic misconduct probe.

The University of Queensland and two international medical journals are investigating alleged ethical violations in research around Universal Medicine (UM), an organisation based in Lismore in New South Wales which touts the healing powers of various unproven treatments.

The Smith Street Band @ The Tivoli

Melbourne based rockers The Smith Street Band performed to a sold-out crowd on Friday night at The Tivoli, with the band selling out shows around the country on their national tour. Fellow Melbourne grunge rockers Press Club and pop queen Bec Sandridge (SYD) joined them on the road, with both acts also having new releases in the works. It was good to see two female-fronted bands of contrasting genres on the bill to create such an eclectic, diverse lineup.

Review: Fauré Requiem

Masses for the dead are big ones for this casual fan, and I daresay Fauré’s is my favourite. There’s just something grand that comes with a choir belting out Latin vocals that really whips it for me. In saying this, though, we tragically had arrived late to the performance and as a result were politely herded into the late-box [Ed Jack notes: called a viewing room] like domesticated farmlife to hear the remainder of the first half behind soundproof glass.