Australia is proposing banning the sale of Vegemite in some communities because it is used to make alcohol.
The government says the popular yeast-based product is contributing to anti-social behavior in some remote communities.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion described the salty spread as a “precursor to misery”.
Nigel Scullion said Vegemite was being bought in bulk to make moonshine, sometimes being brewed in bathtubs.
In communities where alcohol is banned because of addiction problems, Nigel Scullion said Vegemite sales should also be restricted.
The minister added that in some cases children were failing to turn up to school because they were too hung over, and that Vegemite was an increasingly common factor in domestic violence cases.
Vegemite, which is something of an Australian culinary icon, started as a wartime substitute for Marmite.
Social networks are awash with rumors, gags and elaborate hoaxes on April 1st.
Each year, use of the hashtag #AprilFoolsDay has climbed ever higher on Twitter, as its membership has swelled.
#AprilFoolsDay has been used more than 400,000 times in the past 24 hours.
1. Vegemite – Australia’s version of Marmite – chose April 1st to “launch” a new energy drink, prompting imaginary delight for some, but disgust for others. The image has been shared almost 8,000 times on its Facebook page.
Vegemite chose April 1st to launch a new energy drink
2. Facebook’s next billion dollar acquisition was announced by Account Killer, an online service that helps people permanently delete their Facebook accounts, and other social media profiles. According to a post on the Account Killer website, Mark Zuckerberg himself explained the decision.
“Researchers predicted that we would lose 80% of our user base by 2017, so we might as well adapt swiftly,” they said Mark Zuckerberg explained.
3. In Turkey, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz chose a strange moment to make what appears to be an April Fool’s joke. Answering journalist’s questions about widespread power cuts during vote counting following Sunday’s local elections.
Taner Yildiz said: “A cat entered a power distribution unit. It was the cause of the blackout and it’s not the first time that it has happened.”
Twitter users took the bizarrely timed comment in their stride.
4. In Kenya, the renowned author Binyavanga Wainaina was “appointed” as the country’s ambassador to Uganda according to The Star newspaper.
The Kenyan writer recently came out, and has championed the rights of gay people in East Africa. If true, Binyavanga Wainaina would likely clash with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who recently signed an anti-gay bill into law.
