A fire at a Brisbane recycling facility is expected to continue for the next few days, affecting nearby buildings and road safety in the area.

The cause of the fire is unknown, and due to the buildings collapsed roof it is hard to locate the origin of the blaze and extinguish it, especially as it is considered too dangerous for fire crew to enter the building.

Although paramedics have been at the scene, there have been no known injuries, yet anybody experiencing breathing difficulties due to smoke are encouraged to call triple zero. 
 

Eleven campers at the Canungra campsite have become stranded by Scenic Rim creeks due to the ongoing heavy rainfall in south-east Queensland, with fresh food and water being delivered by helicopter.

The campers crossed several creeks to arrive at their high ground camping spot, not anticipating the drastic amount of rain that caused the creeks to become flooded and impossible to cross safely.  

Australia-based international airline crews are under review as Australia’s COVID-19 rates decrease, and governments look to national safety standards for the pandemic.

Currently, flight crews are exempt from mandatory quarantine, despite many coming from countries that have high COVID-19 infection rates, and interacting with potentially high risk passengers. 

Epidemiologist Mike Toole has recommended increasing quarantine and safety precautions around international flight crews, following the recent infection of a Sydney international airport driver.
 

China has continued to impose trade sanctions and tariffs on Chinese-Australian trade, following Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s push to investigate the origins of COVID-19.

The sanctions and tariffs have had a prominent impact on Australia’s agricultural industries, with barley, beef, wine and cotton trade being affected, in addition to timber and coal.

The Australian Government has encouraged exporters to expand trade to other markets, and is preparing to lodge a complaint against China to the World Trade Organisation. 
 

The World Health Organisation has arranged for a team of 10 international scientists to travel to Wuhan, China to investigate the origins of COVID-19, following months of negotiations with Beijing.

The aim of the investigation is not to place blame on any nation, researchers say, but to understand how to reduce the risk of future pandemics.

Although COVID-19 was initially assumed to have originated in a Wuhan wet market, it is possible that while the virus may not have originated there this was the location where it was first amplified and began to spread. 
 

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has described herself as ‘happy’ to announce that Paris authorities are being fined 90,000 euros after breaching a gender parity rule.

The employment rule was established to promote gender equality in the workplace, with no more than 60% of public service management positions to go to one sex, with Ms Hildago’s recent recruitment seeing 69% of the jobs go to women.

A new at-home coronavirus test, developed by Brisbane company Ellume, has been approved for emergency use in the United States.

The Ellume COVID-19 Home Test is designed to detect traces of the virus from a nasal swab sample from an individual as young as two years old.

Ellume Chief Executive Dr Sean Parsons said they were still working on commercial distribution for Australia, but have received considerable interest from universities eager to have students return to campus, and sporting events wanting to test spectators.

A new regeneration program has been launched to help the Great Barrier Reef recover from recent mass bleaching.

The Reef Recovery program will involve the construction of a rapid-growing coral nursery off the coast of Queensland’s Fitzroy Island to be managed by a team of experts throughout 2021 with the aim of producing mature coral to be placed back on the reef.

The Reef Restoration Foundation has partnered with shipping container company ANL on the Reef Recovery program, with potential plans to establish similar projects around the world.