COVID vaccines in New Zealand have arrived a month ahead of schedule, with border staff to be vaccinated from next week. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said hundreds of thousands of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines were arriving far ahead of their expected delivery in March. 

New Zealand has ordered 15 million doses of the COVID Vaccine from four different sources. After covering the country’s population of only 5 million, the remaining vaccines will be distributed throughout the pacific. 

Ethiopia has shut down two camps housing Eritrean refugees in its Tigray region, after residents reported attacks.

The residents of both camps have been relocated to other camps in the region, but decisions to relocate must be voluntary, safe and dignified, said UNHCR spokesman Chris Melzer. 

The agency concluded the camps were now unsafe, though aid agencies say they have been unable to access them due to the conflict in Tigray.

Queensland seafood exporters are struggling as trade tensions between Australia and China worsen. 

The Lunar New Year is usually a peak period for the seafood industry, with exported lobsters fetching up to $70 per kilogram. They’re now going for as little as $30 per kilogram. 

China imported 94% of Australia's rock lobster stock in the 2018-2019 period.

Reports are showing green tree frog numbers have been leaping up exponentially across the South East. 

A wetter than average summer has helped increase the frog population, with sightings even reported in built up areas including West End. 

Residents are urged to reduce pesticide use to help increase food sources for the animal. 
 

Unconfirmed reports say a refugee is in a serious condition following a hit and run incident on Nauru late last night. 

The 36-year-old man was riding his motorcycle when he was hit by a car, whose occupants fled the scene after stealing his motorcycle, said the Refugee Action Coalition.

"The refugee is still on Nauru and is awaiting an expected air ambulance to Australia for treatment," RAC spokesperson Ian Rintoul told 4ZZZ. 

Romance baiting scams are on the rise with a record $37 million lost last year. 

The Australian Competition and Consumer commission has stated the new scam technique known as ‘romance baiting’ is on the rise. 

Scammers use dating apps to meet victims, and after establishing a relationship over a number of weeks the conversation is then taken to encrypted chat sites. 

The ACCC said scammers begin asking victims for money, or begin encouraging investment opportunities. 

The South Australian Government has announced $450,000 of funding over the next three years for free pads and tampons across all public schools. 

The new program announced on Thursday will see money divided between public schools based on the number of students enrolled in year five and above. 

South Australia will become the second state to provide free sanitary products to state school students following on from Victoria's lead last year. 

Millions of dollars worth of crops are being left to rot as labour shortages sweep across Queensland's agricultural industry. 

A reliance in backpacker labour over the past few years has meant border restrictions have left many farms across the state without pickers. 

There are roughly 7000 unfilled vacancies across the state. The use of backpacker labour has come under some scrutiny with the farmworkers union claiming a preference for cheap foreign worker labour has led to the labour shortage.