Australian News

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In short:

A fire at a factory in St Marys has been upgraded to the highest available alarm.

More than 150 firefighters are containing the blaze in Western Sydney, with the fireground still active.

Two firefighters have been treated for heat exhaustion, with nearby residents being evacuated from the area.

The fire, located at the Cleanaway Chemical Waste Recycling Facility in St Marys, is currently contained.

"We've got large quantities of chemicals and gas cylinders that are engulfed in fire and detonating with explosive force.

From February 1, packs sold in supermarkets and places other than pharmacies will reduce from a maximum 20 tablets to 16 tablets per pack.
[...]
In all jurisdictions except Queensland and Western Australia, packs sold in pharmacies larger than 50 tablets will move behind the pharmacy counter and can only be sold under pharmacist supervision. In Queensland and WA, products containing more than 16 tablets will only be available from behind the pharmacy counter and sold under pharmacist supervision.

In all jurisdictions, any packs containing more than 50 tablets will need to be sold in blister packs, rather than bottles.

Several paracetamol products are not affected by these changes. These include children’s products, slow-release formulations (for example, “osteo” products), and products already behind the pharmacy counter or only available via prescription.

These changes have been introduced to reduce the risk of poisonings from people exceeding recommended doses. The overall safety profile of paracetamol has not changed.

Paracetamol is still available from all current locations and there are no plans to make it prescription-only or remove it from supermarkets altogether.

The BOM's Dean Narramore says as the 11am high tide passes, those near swollen waterways should expect a "surge" of up to 30cm.

He's also warned the weather system may bring potentially damaging winds with gusts of up to 90kmh from this afternoon - enough to bring down trees and powerlines, particularly given the wet ground.

The misfired message starts: “Seriously!

“I wonder if any of them realise that they are a doctor and that this is what happens. Oh that’s right … I forgot. Life style [sic] before career,” the message continued.

“God help us in the future. We are going to have a workforce of clinical marshmellows!”

In short:

Two members of the National Socialist Network have been granted bail in the Adelaide Magistrates Court.

The men were among the 16 people arrested on Sunday after a neo-Nazi gathering in the Adelaide CBD.

What's next?

A supporter speaking outside of court was arrested shortly after telling the media he believed the men would "beat the charges".

In short:

Rivers clothing and footwear will close 136 of its stores by mid-April.

About 650 people will lose their jobs, as the collapse of Mosaic Group continues.

What's next?

Fashion experts say while the news is troubling, there could still be some hope for the two remaining brands under Mosaic Group's umbrella if the right steps are taken.

The brand's 45-year history collapsed on Thursday, becoming the latest domino to fall in Australian fashion empire Mosaic Group's portfolio after it went into administration in October last year.

The group collapsed owing creditors $249 million.

Rivers is the seventh brand to be axed as KPMG and FTI Consulting review the business.

In a statement, KPMG's David Hardy said they had been unable to sell Rivers as planned.

"This means the receivers have made the difficult decision to wind down this iconic Australian brand," he said.

In short:

A man behind one of the fires in Sydney's east told police he committed the offence after threats were made to his family related to owed money.

The revelation supports an emerging police theory about criminal organisation links to the recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks.

So far, nine people have been charged by NSW Police with 59 offences under Strike Force Pearl.

Wesfarmers plans to shutter online marketplace Catch [formerly Catch of the Day], putting around 190 jobs on the line after recording significant operating losses.

He was ready to go front line, no armour, no weapon, and just there to kill Russians and keep Ukrainians safe," he told the ABC in December.

Brave man than I.

Coles will no longer sell kitchen knives after an employee was allegedly stabbed by a 13-year-old boy in Queensland on Monday.

Claudia Campomayor Watt, 63, remains in a critical but stable condition after she was attacked while working at Coles in the Yamanto Central Shopping Centre in Ipswich, west of Brisbane.

In a statement, a Coles spokesperson said the company would withdraw kitchen knives from stores nationwide.

"Coles complies with all legislation regarding the sale of kitchen knives, and this withdrawal is being taken out of an abundance of caution as we conduct a review," the statement said.

One in 10 properties in Australia are expected to be uninsurable within the next decade, according to climate change risk analysis modelling.

The latest calculations from Climate Valuation analysts found about 380,000 properties in Australia were either uninsurable or unaffordable to insure, equating to about one in every 20 homes.

That figure was expected to increase to one in 10 within the next decade, according to the firm's latest data.

Having done everything we can to make climate change worse, the dildo of consequence has arrived.

SA Police have issued a warning to cyclists using the bike path that runs along the Southern Expressway to watch out for obstacles after wire was strung across the path.

So cyclists on a cycle way.. Garroted ? What the duck?

In short:

Labor has promised $3 billion to upgrade hundreds of thousands of NBN connections and speed up internet services.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the upgrades would "finish" the broadband network first introduced more than a decade ago.

What's next?

The funding has been committed to be delivered under a re-elected Albanese government.

In short:

A UN committee has found that Australia violated a human rights treaty by detaining a group of asylum seekers, including minors, on Nauru even after they were granted refugee status.

The UN has asked the government to provide compensation to the victims and to ensure similar violations do not recur.

What's next?

The federal government is yet to comment on the findings.

In short:

A Queensland girl sustained significant burns when wind blew sparks onto a jumper purchased from Temu, which ignited "in a split second".

Temu recalled the jumper for failing to meet mandatory safety standards.

What's next?

CHOICE is calling for more proactive protections for Australian consumers, in line with international legislation.

"She can't even watch a candle be lit now on her birthday cake; she screams. Fire scares her."

The young girl spent eight weeks in hospital in Brisbane undergoing skin graft operations.

She faces another decade of skin grafts as her body grows.

The ACCC said Australian consumer legislation did not contain a "direct prohibition on the supply of unsafe products".

Since 2005 CHOICE has been calling for the introduction of a general safety provision (GSP), which would legislate a requirement for suppliers to ensure their products were safe before they could be sold to consumers.

"Unfortunately, Australia's product safety regime is reactive and it can take someone being seriously injured or killed for a product to be recalled," Mr Kelly said.

"The current reactive, largely voluntary, approach to product safety is clearly not working."

A 2017 review of Australian consumer law also recommended the introduction of a GSP, saying it would match other OECD countries, including the UK and Canada, which had responded to the proliferation of online shopping platforms.