Six people injured after Leicester blast
Six people have been injured following a blast that destroyed a convenience store and home in the English city of Leicester.
Six fire engines and a hazardous material response team were deployed to the scene, treating the situation as a search and rescue operation.
Police said the “the cause of the explosion will be the subject of a joint investigation by the police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service”.
NRA pushes back on gun law reform
The National Rifle Association in the United States have pushed back on Trump’s proposals to gun law reform in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in which 17 people were killed.
Trump has declared support for raising the age limit to 21 from 18 for buying rifles after the high school shooter was only 19 when he legally purchased a semi-automatic rifle.
Trump has also said he supports legislation to tighten background checks for gun buyers, the details of which he has not yet specified.
Public housing residents in Victoria are facing eviction
Developers are increasing social housing by 10% with the redevelopment of nine inner-city estates in Melbourne.
The plan is to sell the land to the developers on the condition that an additional 10% of social housing is built on the sites to meet the demand for social housing, with an estimated 57,000 applicants on the waitlist.
Police investigating the disappearance of Western Australian man
Police investigating the disappearance of Western Australian man Dean Patrick White, have been confronted with a mystery that is stretching across the nation.
Mr White, better known as ‘Whitey’, is 55 years old and was last seen in Quairading, in WA's Wheatbelt, on March 31 last year.
Described as someone who is easy-going and placid, his family is urging anyone with information to contact the police.
Racing Queensland defends interstate handicap
Racing Queensland has defended a handicap racing penalty that is applied to interstate horses when they compete in Queensland.
The Australian Trainers Association believes the discrepancy between the handicap on horses when they compete in Queensland, versus the leniency Queensland horses are given in other state’s competitions is unequal.
Racing Queensland says that horses are treated equally on their own individual merits, and it is wrong to assume that there is a lenience to interstate horses.
Best New Arrivals - February Pt. 4
Local
Fingerless: Don't Go (Single) (Indie)
- Sometimes a big ol’ Alt-country lament is good for what ails you. It’s with a heavy plod that Fingerless give you a foundation for reflection, it’s a little cagey and a little confused but it's humane simplicity throughout that subtle and shimmering instrumental break offers some redemption and that builds some intrigue into this developing Brisbane project. (Nicholas J. Rodwell)
10am Zedlines
Your 10am Zedlines bulletin.
USA Swimming officials under fire for alleged abuse
Top USA Swimming officials are being scrutinised by critics for creating a culture of sexual abuse that was allowed to persist for decades unchecked.
A new investigation report published stated since 1997 there have been more than 250 coaches and officials either arrested or charged by USA Swimming for sexual misconduct with the report including interviews with approximately 590 abuse survivors.
New and improved camera capabilities on the Samsung Galaxy S9
The new and improved camera capabilities are the main thrust of Samsung’s pitch for its latest smartphone, the Galaxy S9 and the larger S9+.
With improved low-light photography and a super-slow-motion facility to make it easy to capture moments of action, critics are suggesting that these facilities are just minor upgrades from the Galaxy S8 - especially considering that the S9 strongly resembles the physical features of the previous model.
Family violence victims falling through Canberra’s system
Dozens of stories of domestic violence victims have been collected for a report to propose an overhaul of Canberra’s domestic violence system through the creation of a new Family Safety Hub.
The final version of the hub’s report, released to the ABC, found family violence services in Canberra were “fragmented”, with children in particular slipping through the cracks and most victims being reluctant to speak up.