Students and their families who had been living in student accommodation are not being reimbursed their prepaid accommodation fees, despite only having been tenants for a limited time before returning to their family homes.

Many students are locked into leasing contracts and are now seeking legal aid to recover costs of student accommodation which has gone unused during lockdown, however results of this process vary.

Following the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan until 2021, organisers have released an update on requirements athletes must meet before being able to take part in the games.

The requirements include taking a COVID-19 test before and on arrival in Japan, submitting an activity plan during the stay in Japan, and potentially living in an athletes-only COVID-19 bubble for the event.

Inventor Saad Bhamla of Mumbai has developed a hearing aid which will cost as little as $1 per device to manufacturing in bulk, after realising the cost of hearing aids makes them inaccessible to many who need them.

Bhamla’s device, to LoCHAid, has been designed to work effectively, comply with World Health Organisation product recommendations and be affordable, making access to healthcare products more accessible.

A “one-off incentive” has been payed to Glencore, the owners of a copper refinery in Southern Townsville, in order to secure 1000 jobs in the area.

The refinery, which is in the Mundingburra electorate and close to Townsville and Thuringowa, was set to stay open until 2022 following a 2016 deal with the Queensland Government, but recently announced its operations were again under review.

Construction on the Cannon Hills Community Links is set to begin in two weeks, following ongoing planning and development since 2014.

The Minnippi site for Brisbane’s newest golf course is home to a population of native squirrel gliders which was an initial cause for concern, however the latest development plan sees expanded preservation of the gliders’ habitat.

Set to finish construction in 2022, the local community are excited for the golf course, which will provide opportunities for local workers and suppliers.
 

Ongoing consultation on the construction of green bridges for Kangaroo Point and Breakfast Creek has closed, with positive community feedback indicating support for the bridges.

The use of new green bridges in the city will see the reduction of inner-city congestion and provide alternative transport options, such as better access to public transport and increased safety for active transport like biking or walking. 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appeared in a televised address announcing new Covid-19 restrictions.

The new restrictions for England include a 10pm closing time for pubs and restaurants and stricter rules on mask-wearing.

Johnson stated that he is hesitant to impinge on anyone’s freedom but that stricter regulations were required to avoid a second national lockdown.
 

China has become the latest nation to commit to becoming carbon neutral, vowing to reduce their footprint to zero by 2060. 

President Xi Jinping addressed the UN assembly on Wednesday calling for a green recovery of the world economy in the post-COVID era.

China is now one of Thirty countries around the world that have now pledged to go carbon neutral in order to combat the effects of climate change.

Parks Australia has asked Google to prevent users from being able to walk on top of Uluru via the use of its street view function.

Climbing and walking on top of Uluru has been banned in accordance with the wishes of Anangu, Uluru's traditional owners, however street view still allows users to do so virtually and offers 360-degree views once at the top of the summit.

Google Australia told the ABC that it was in the process of having the images removed but that these changes can take up to 24 hours to come into effect.