Daily News Roundup

Thursday, January 24

A 16-year-old has been pulled into bushes and assaulted in Brisbane’s Northside.

Just after midday on Wednesday, a 16-year-old girl was pulled into bushes and assaulted in the Brisbane suburb of Chermside West.

Police said the girl was walking along a footpath on Kittabilla Street near the intersection at Craigslea Street, when a man approached her.

The teenager managed to break free and run away from the man.

“The girl fortunately was not physically injured however was naturally distraught by the incident,” police said in a statement.

The man was last seen on Buran Street in Chermside West, where police are urging people to come forward who may have any information.

He is described as Caucasian, aged in his late 20s to early 30s, approximately 185cm tall with a proportionate build and stubble on his face.

Police are also asking for motorists who may have been driving in the area near the assault between 11:30am and 12:45pm on Wednesday or any homeowners nearby who may have CCTV footage, to contact them.

Naomi Osaka’s sponsor, Japanese Noodle company Nissin, apologies for ‘whitewashing’ her in cartoon

Japanese Noodle company, Nissin has apologised for “whitewashing” Australian Open semi finalist Naomi Osaka in a cartoon advertisement.

The brand was forced to apologise after being slammed on social media for depicting Osaka as a white skinned woman in their Hungry to Win campaign.

A Nissin spokesperson has said that “there was no intention of whitewashing” and that the brand was “not sensitive enough and will pay more attention to diversity issues in the future.”

Nissin has reportedly withdrawn the Hungry to Win campaign following Twitter backlash and  promotional videos of the campaign have been taken down from YouTube. Nissin is a sponsor of the Japanese National tennis team and has sponsored Osaka since 2016.

The National Transport Commission calls for harsher laws surrounding mobile phone usage when driving

One organisation is calling for a bigger crackdown on mobile phone usage when driving, claiming that current rules are outdated.

The National Transport Commission (NTC) is calling for tougher phone laws that could see people who simply touch their phone receive a fine.

Currently the law in most states allow drivers to touch their phones when answering or ending calls if their device is secured in a cradle.

However, the NTC wants to put a ban on allowing motorists to touch their phones behind the wheel, as they claim drivers have been left confused on when they can and can’t use their phone.

NTC Acting Chief Executive, Dr Geoff Allen believes the introduction of new technologies such as smart watches blurs the line of what drivers can and can’t use.

“The road rules are silent on which behaviours associated with distraction should be avoided or minimised,” he said.

“It is also not clear whether the use of newer technologies, like wearable devices, are regulated by the existing road rules.”

The NTC also discusses how talking on a hands free device while driving may be just as distracting as using a handheld device.

“Although the manual distraction from handling a mobile phone can present a significant safety risk, the cognitive distraction from being engaged in a conversation can also have a considerable effect on driving,” NTC research suggests.