SA house speaker joins departing MPs ahead of March election
Leon Bignell has announced he will retire from politics at the next state election bringing an end to his 20-year reign as the MP for Mawson. ⌘ Read more

Gold Coast developer under investigation taken to court over continued spending
ASIC alleges businessman David McWilliams has continued to spend money in frozen bank accounts on cruises, gambling and a trip to Disneyland. ⌘ Read more

Man accused of murdering Toyah Cordingley told police he saw ‘killers’ and ‘ran’
The jury has been played a a covert recording of a conversation Rajwinder Singh had with an undercover officer in a police station cell in 2023. ⌘ Read more

Minister says artificial reefs a ‘win-win’ despite environmental concerns
Claims new artificial reefs being installed in a protected marine park could damage a vulnerable natural coral reef are disputed by Queensland’s environment minister. ⌘ Read more

Killer who dumped woman’s body in South Fremantle harbour jailed for 20 years
A Perth man who stabbed a woman multiple times in a “ferocious attack” before dumping her body in the ocean is sentenced to 20 years in prison. ⌘ Read more

Barnaby Joyce quits Nationals, will sit as independent
The former leader and deputy prime minister has confirmed his long-awaited political move. ⌘ Read more

Cold drinks, beach dips and ice rinks: Queenslanders battle rising heat
After days of relentless heat and storms, temperatures have jumped sharply again today. ⌘ Read more

Breaking: US stops processing immigration requests from Afghan nationals
The decision comes hours after US President Donald Trump said he was confident the suspect behind the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington was from Afghanistan. ⌘ Read more

Vatican records first surplus in years, driven by $421m in donations
Donations to the Holy See in 2024 helped it turn around a 51 million euro deficit to record its first surplus in years, according to the Vatican’s economic secretariat. ⌘ Read more

Daisy needed legal help to see her kids again. She’s one of the lucky ones
When Daisy returned home to find her children gone, she turned to a community legal service to help her see them again — but many women aren’t lucky enough to have access to such help. ⌘ Read more

Movie magic and manic mothers: Here’s what’s in cinemas this month
November saw the return of two beloved franchises; magic-filled Now You See Me and action classic Predator — but can either live up to their predecessors? ⌘ Read more

Child safety inquiry flags subpoena as department accused of ignoring law
The head of Queensland’s child safety inquiry says he “might need to subpoena” files from the department after hearing it was often “not” following its own legislation around preferred permanency options for children in care. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong fire puts spotlight on risks of bamboo scaffolding
Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in three decades draws attention to its risky use of flammable bamboo scaffolding and mesh for building work, in a tradition dating back centuries. ⌘ Read more

Teacher pleads guilty to having sex with 15-year-old boy
High school teacher Karly Rae, 37, pleads guilty to sexually assaulting a teenage boy in the Hunter Valley region. ⌘ Read more

WA man sentenced to five years’ jail after ‘brutal’ attack on pregnant woman
A Kimberley man has been sentenced to five years in jail after attacking a pregnant woman, forcing her to have an emergency caesarean. ⌘ Read more

Councillor warns another Tasmanian project on track for cost blowout
Launceston City Council recently received backlash over its redevelopment of Albert Hall. A councillor now warns another project will cost more than planned, as he calls out a culture of “secrecy”. ⌘ Read more

Illicit tobacco stores shut down in raids across Queensland
Dozens of stores across every corner of the state have been closed for three months as officers exercise new powers passed in Queensland’s parliament last week. ⌘ Read more

next-20251127: linux-next
Version:next-20251127 (linux-next)Released:2025-11-27 ⌘ Read more

Murder of Sydney couple ‘destroyed’ lives of their family, court told
An emotional court hearing has been told the pain felt by the family of Min and Steven Cho after they were killed by a martial arts instructor almost two years ago. ⌘ Read more

Italy votes to make femicide a crime
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says the measure will help “defend the freedom and dignity of every woman”, following a series of killings and other violence targeting women in Italy. ⌘ Read more

Fiery German threatens to ‘knock Opetaia senseless’ in title fight
Jai Opetaia’s next opponent, Germany’s Huseyin Cinkara, believes he has the power it takes to defeat the Australian world cruiserweight champion when they meet in the Gold Coast. ⌘ Read more

Second company confirms asbestos in imported wind turbine lift brake pads
A second renewable energy provider says it is taking “immediate action” after the discovery of asbestos in imported brake pads used on access lifts at its wind farms around the country. ⌘ Read more

Waits on housing and renewables may have just gone from years to months
Major housing, renewables and mining projects often get bogged down by Australia’s aging environment laws for years. Now a deal to rewrite them could change that. ⌘ Read more

Victorian grower finds success in relatively unknown sweet crop
Jujubes are a relatively unknown fruit for most Australians, but the sweet fruit has strong domestic demand for those looking for a taste of home. ⌘ Read more

Inquest finds murder of Lilie James ‘was a premeditated killing’
A NSW coroner has urged young people to consider their use of location-sharing technology after the “senseless” murder of Lilie James at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. ⌘ Read more

Breaking: Government projected to badly miss 2035 climate target, fall shy of 2030
The Climate Change Authority projects Australia is expected to fall well short of its commitment to cut emissions by 62 to 70 per cent by 2035 — though the minister notes that is before accounting for a number of recent commitments. ⌘ Read more

White wine grape growers already in crisis suffer ‘another kick in the guts’
The wine grape industry has written to the SA government pleading for help as it reaches breaking point after indicative pricing for the next vintage is released showing growers could face losses of up to $270 per tonne. ⌘ Read more

Swimming skills gap from lack of facilities in regional WA
Parents are reporting year-long waitlists for swimming lessons at public pools as drowning deaths continue to rise. ⌘ Read more

Newborn baby found abandoned outside Canberra fire station
The baby — estimated to be less than 24 hours old — was found this morning outside a fire station. ⌘ Read more

Labor and Greens agree on extra ABC funding for kids’ programs
A deal between the federal government and the minor party will see an extra $50 million go to the public broadcaster to facilitate passage of a bill to impose local content requirements on streaming platforms. ⌘ Read more

First permanent psychiatrist appointed in south-west Queensland
Farzin Rezaei has made the move from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences to the vast plains of south-west Queensland. ⌘ Read more

The rule change that could stop ‘overpowered’ e-bikes being brought into Australia
Bicycle industry figures welcome planned changes by the federal government, but hope state governments will update road rules to help enforcement. ⌘ Read more

Boy stabbed at Melbourne school
A boy has been treated for non-life-threatening injuries after a stabbing at a school in Melbourne’s south-east on Thursday morning. ⌘ Read more

Summer fire outlook puts Victoria at high bushfire risk
Dry conditions dogging Victoria put the state at a high risk of bushfires this summer, according to the latest summer fire outlook. ⌘ Read more

What the social media ban means for rural boarding school students
Regional and remote students are being encouraged to learn old-school ways to stay in contact as social media bans for those under 16 come into effect over the summer holidays. ⌘ Read more

Banking regulator APRA to impose home loan caps amid housing boom
The banking regulator will impose restrictions on home loans from early next year to limit the number of “high-risk” large loans being issued to customers, which could have major implications for home prices. ⌘ Read more

Floods leave at least 50 dead across Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia
The Thai city of Hat Yai received its heaviest rainfall in 300 years, while mudslides killed dozens on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. ⌘ Read more

Ballarat mine operators charged over fatal rockfall
The operators of Ballarat Gold Mine have been charged over a rockfall that killed 37-year-old miner Kurt Hourigan and seriously injured a 21-year-old workmate in March 2024. ⌘ Read more

Liverpool crashes to 72-year first after shocking Champions League loss
Liverpool’s nightmare run of form continues after being humbled at home once again as Arsenal flexes its muscles in a heavyweight clash to go top of the Champions League. ⌘ Read more

Chinese Pharma is On the Cusp of Going Global
China’s pharmaceutical industry has quietly evolved from a hub for generics and clinical trials into something more ambitious – a genuine competitor in drug discovery that Western giants are now courting to fill gaps left by looming patent expirations worth over $300 billion by 2030. In the first half of 2025, nearly a third of global licensing agreements signed by big pharma inv … ⌘ Read more

Contender for Khawaja’s Test spot calls him one of Australia’s best ever
Matt Renshaw is gunning for a spot in Australia’s Test side, but does not want it to come at the expense of Australia’s veteran opener Usman Khawaja just yet. ⌘ Read more

Mother horrified to see needle thrown into backyard on CCTV
A mother is in disbelief after a needle she believes was used to inject drugs was thrown into her Karratha backyard. ⌘ Read more

Varroa mite detected in bee hives in two more SA locations
Beekeepers are being urged to monitor their hives more frequently after further detections of the deadly bee parasite varroa mite in South Australia. ⌘ Read more

Labor strikes deal with Greens to end environmental reform stalemate
The years-long stalemate over reforms to environmental laws is set to clear in the final week of the parliamentary year. ⌘ Read more

Government threatens to shut down ‘illegal’ street charity
Queensland’s transport department has threatened to penalise residents who set up street-side charity cupboards without filling in the requisite paperwork. ⌘ Read more

The ‘concerning’ link between childhood maltreatment and suicide risk
Suicide Prevention Australia says there’s an “urgent” need for action to stop the “significant and lasting” impact of childhood trauma. ⌘ Read more

@prologic@twtxt.net AI is slot machines for coders:

• “Before starting tasks, developers forecast that allowing AI will reduce completion time by 24%. After completing the study, developers estimate that allowing AI reduced completion time by 20%. Surprisingly, we find that allowing AI actually increases completion time by 19%–AI tooling slowed developers down.” https://metr.org/blog/2025-07-10-early-2025-ai-experienced-os-dev-study/
  
• “Stack Overflow data reveals the hidden productivity tax of ‘almost right’ AI code”: https://venturebeat.com/ai/stack-overflow-data-reveals-the-hidden-productivity-tax-of-almost-right-ai-code
  

The same intermittent reward operant conditioning that gets people addicted to gambling and thinking that if they follow certain rituals they’ll win “next time” drives people’s beliefs that AI tools are making them more productive when they’re making them less productive. I’m going to guess that a side effect of this is that people think they’re typing less when in the longer term they’re typing the same amount or more when you factor in the productivity loss (as far as I’ve read the studies don’t measure this so I’m only guessing).

People are also being rapidly de-skilled by this technology: the more they use it, the more their actual skills atrophy. “Continuous exposure to AI might reduce the ADR (adesoma detection rate) of standard non-AI assisted colonoscopy, suggesting a negative effect on endoscopist behaviour.” (science speak for saying that radiologists get worse at seeing tumors in scans once they’ve used AI): https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(25)00133-5/abstract

Nobody who cares about the future should be using this stuff for anything.

Thousands still without power, schools closed after freak storm
Thousands of residents in Western Sydney are waking up without power and some schools across NSW will be closed after a freak storm on Wednesday. ⌘ Read more

Live: ASX to rise as Wall St extends rally on growing bets of Fed rate cut
A rally on Wall Street is likely to send Australian stocks higher as revived tech strength and the growing probability of a December interest rate cut from the US Federal Reserve put investors in a buying mood the day before the Thanksgiving holiday. Follow the latest updates in our live blog. ⌘ Read more

Drought down south sends potato prices soaring up north
Potato growers in Queensland’s far north are suddenly in hot demand as drought-stricken paddocks in the country’s south fail to deliver. ⌘ Read more