Chemicals found in green turtle blood
More than 4000 toxic chemical compounds, including heart and gout medication, pesticides and industrial adhesives and metals, have been found in the blood of Great Barrier Reef turtles.
Findings from a joint Griffith University and World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia study released today reveal the staggering level of chemicals being absorbed by coastal green turtles.
Australian Youth Climate Coalition Protests in Brisbane
Members of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition gathered today at Speakers Corner in Brisbane to call on the Queensland Government for justice-centred solutions to the climate and COVID crises.
Community Organiser Monique Jeffs says “The climate crisis is...affects everyone but not equally. It is often the most marginalised in our societies who are hit first and worst by climate impacts.”
Australian farm labour incentives failing
Attempts to incentivise Australians to take up farm labour over the summer in the wake of COVID unemployment are failing.
Australia’s horticulture industry is predicting a shortfall of 26 000 vegetable and fruit pickers for this summer season, as international border closures mean a lack of working holiday-makers.
Calls for more companies to hire autistic Australians
Advocates for people with autism are calling for Australian companies to embrace neurodiversity as a report reveals the alarming unemployment rate of people on the spectrum.
One in 70 Australians have autism, and yet the unemployment rate for those with autism is 30 percent - six times higher than the national average.
US records deadliest COVID day on record
The United States has today recorded their deadliest day on record during the Coronavirus pandemic with authorities reporting more than 2,800 COVID related deaths while hospitalisations rose above 10,000 a day.
The US now has more people in hospital with COVID-19 than at any other point during the pandemic.
Chinese moon probe begins return to Earth with lunar samples
A Chinese lunar probe has taken off from the moon carrying lunar samples and is on the first stage of its return to Earth according to Chinese state media.
Chang’e 5 is the third Chinese spacecraft to land on the moon and the first to take off from it again.
Beijing’s space program also has a spacecraft en route to mars.
9AM Zedlines - December 4
By 4ZZZ reporters Grace Nakamura and Lily-Rose Davies.
Image credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/PA Images
Global coronavirus death toll reaches 1.5 million
There is a sad milestone today for Coronavirus globally with the global death toll from the virus reaching more than 1.5 million people.
One death is reported every nine seconds.
This last week more than 10,000 people died across the world every day, this number is steadily on the rise.
UK government temporarily authorise coronavirus vaccine
The UK government is the first worldwide to temporarily authorise the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergencies.
Forty million doses are currently being shipped to the UK and vaccinations will start as early as next week.
Letter to hotel CEO to stop the use of hotels as refugee detentions
Politicians, human rights lawyers, community advocates and people seeking asylum have rallied together to sign an open letter to the CEO of Accor Group, Sebastien Bazin, to urge him to stop the use of Accor hotels to detain refugees and asylum seekers.
Nearly 100 refugees are currently detained in prison-like conditions in the Mantra Bell City Hotel and Mercure Darwin Airport Resort.