Hello, it’s Wednesday, June 15th. Here’s what you need to get started today.
Here is the summary:
“After what happened in Ukraine, it is sending a very threatening signal to Taiwan, Japan and the countries around the South China Sea,” Dr. Kuo said.
Chinese state media say Mr Xi’s order will provide a legal basis for protecting “property and maintaining national sovereignty, security, development interests and regional stability.”
But it hasn’t happened * officially * yet. Here’s what we know:
- Australia’s top health officials said last night that masks no longer needed to be worn at airports.
- They’re telling states they can drop the requirement starting Friday, but we’ll have to see who acts according to the advice and changes the rules.
- But Australia’s Main Health Protection Committee says they should still be carried on planes (so don’t drop this mask too soon)
The AHPPC notes that all states and territories have relaxed mask mandates in most community settings. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
Too:
- The Fair Work Commission will announce its annual salary review today
- The federal government has recommended a 5.1 per cent pay rise for Australia’s lowest workers (to keep up with rising inflation)
News while you sleep
We will update you.
- RBA Governor Philip Lowe says inflation could reach 7% by Christmas and not fall until the first quarter of next year. In his 7.30am interview, he stated that the RBA would do “whatever is necessary” to return inflation to between 2% and 3%:
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows for volume. Clock time: 15 minutes 16 seconds 15 minutes Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe talks about interest rates and inflationary challenges. (Leigh Sales)
- Coles and Woolworths are marking the shortage of fruits and vegetables due to the recent cold weather and devastating floods this year. They warn that supplies of berries, fresh herbs and tomatoes will be affected in the short term, along with broccoli and lettuce.
- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, jailed, has been transferred to a “secret location” to serve the remainder of his 11-year sentence. Navalny appeared via a video link in a call last month, when he criticized the Ukraine conflict as a “stupid war” that killed innocent people.
- BTS members say they’re taking time to focus on solo projects, but the company behind the K-pop group says they * are * not pausing. In a posted video showing the group at dinner, the word “hiatus” was used in the English subtitles included in the video, which caused fans to worry:
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The news that Australia is looking for
- Nature Strip: This is an Australian horse that came home (probably) to the race house, Royal Ascot, taking out the 1000 meter King’s Stand Stakes. This is the first time there has been a winner in Australia since Black Caviar in 2012:
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- Internet Explorer: Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either. It’s been around since 1995, and Microsoft has replaced it with its Edge browser
One more thing: a fast-growing black hole that swallows one Earth per second
An Australian-led team of astronomers has discovered a black hole, which is 500 times larger than the one in the center of the Milky Way.
The team of researchers says the supermassive black hole devours the equivalent of one Earth every second.
Black holes devour everything that gets too close, including the light itself.
It is the brightest and fastest growing supermassive black hole in the last 9 billion years (as we know it).
And you can see it from your backyard (with the right telescope).
How?
Supermassive black holes, which have a mass of millions or billions of suns, are the engines that drive some of the brightest objects in the sky: quasars.
From Earth, these luminous objects look a bit like stars, but their light comes from the ring of gas, dust, and stars that revolves around the black hole.
The light from this quasar shines about 7,000 times brighter than all the light in the Milky Way, so you can see for yourself.
That’s all for now
We will come back later with more.
ABC / children