Massive Charters nugget a gold- plated discovery

THE latest Game Of Thrones season was pirated more than a billion times but winter has arrived for fans who illegally stream or download TV shows and movies.

Research has found online piracy has stalled over the past year, due mostly to site blocking, a rise in legitimate streaming services and the risk of malware. Figures remain static at 21 per cent of adults aged 18- 64 who admit to some form of illegal downloading, according to antipiracy organisation Creative Content Australia. A GIANT gold nugget has been found by a North Queensland man.

The prospector found the 1.1763kg gold nugget ( left), worth about $ 64,000, in a field in the Charters Towers region. The nugget, the second he found on the day, was about 15cm below the ground and discovered using a Minelab metal detector.

“When I found the first nugget I was super stoked because that was my biggest ever,” the man, who did not want to be identified, said in a media statement from Minelab.

“I would have been really happy with just that but after I’d calmed down, I went back to the same spot, restarted my detector and after just two or three swings I found the big one. It’s fair to say I was emotionally overwhelmed at that time.”

He said he was about five minutes away from giving up on the site when he picked up a signal.

“It was beneath some vegetation so it was a bit of a challenge to get to, but now I’m thinking maybe those roots are keeping some other big nuggets safe ready to be found another time,” the man said. He is now negotiating to sell the nugget.