Are you a time-poor student who still somewhat fosters an interest in the news? Can you sometimes not be bothered to sift through the endless stream of media to find what matters to you? Well then, we have the thing for you! Here’s what’s trending:
Legionella outbreak in Sydney CBD
An additional two people have been linked to the Sydney legionella outbreak, bringing the total of NSW residents infected to five. Legionella is a severe—and often lethal—form of pneumonia, often causing long-term health impairments.
NSW Health Communicable Diseases Branch director Dr Vicky Sheppard said the outbreak is as a result of five cooling towers in Sydney which tested positive to the disease. She said cooling towers are a common cause of the outbreak, which is caused by bacteria. Further tests and disinfection are to occur.
GoFundMe campaign to support Q&A’s Duncan Storrar
Duncan Storrar became an internet sensation after he questioned the government’s plan to cut income tax for those earning more than $80,000 a year on Monday’s Q&A. The internet has now praised Mr Storarr for his efforts by starting a GoFundMe campaign, which earned over $10,000 in the first 15 hours.
Mr Storrar questioned cabinet minister Kelly O’Dwyer, who defended the policy, and said:
“I’ve got a disability and a low education—that means I’ve spent my whole life working for minimum wage. You’re gonna [sic] lift the tax-free threshold for rich people.”
“If you lift my tax-free threshold, that changes my life. That means that I get to say to my little girls ‘Daddy’s not broke this weekend. We can go to the pictures.’
“Rich people don’t even notice their tax-free threshold lift. Why don’t I get it? Why do they get it?”
The GoFundMe campaign has now raised over $28,000 for Mr Storarr, who the campaign’s organisers are adamantly searching for.
Orange is the New Black season 4 trailer released
Orange is the New Black fans have finally gotten a sweet taste of the upcoming, much-awaited season—and the trailer did not disappoint. The ladies at Litchfield prison face bigger issues than ever, with bubbling tension and rivalries at every turn, paired—of course—with that dark, wacky sense of humour fans love.
Litchfield is now a for-profit prison, with a hundred additional inmates crammed into an already struggling and under-funded prison system. Who will survive?
Season 4 will be released on Netflix, June 17.
NASA telescope discovers 1284 new planets
The Kepler Space Telescope has found 1284 new planets with a certainty rate of 99%, making it the largest collection of planets found in history. This finding doubles the count of already confirmed planets.
The telescope is able to find these planets through a process called transit—which is how we were blessed to see Mercury on Monday. This occurs when planets and suns line up correctly—the telescope then finds these new worlds through subtle dimming of distant stars, and what orbits them.
Nine of the new planets found are thought to suitable to sustain life, with an additional 707 other possible planets also revealed.
It’s estimated there are more than 10 billion planets in our solar system, with 21 thought to be possible to sustain human life.
A mother allegedly hit her son with car to undertake medical assessment
The 39-year-old Batemans Bay mother who faced Bega court yesterday over the attempted murder of her seven-year-old son has undertaken a mental assessment.
The incident allegedly occurred on Monday around 3pm at Corrigan’s Beach Reserve, where the woman was said to have struck the boy twice with her car. The seven-year-old is in Batemans Bay hospital, with a suspected fractured collar bone.
The woman will face court in Batemans Bay on June 27.
