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.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a new warning for severe thunderstorms, with large areas of NSW to be hit by heavy rain as SES are called to rescue people from rising floodwaters.

The predicted reprieve from rain and flooding across NSW is unlikely to eventuate yet, with only the state's far west expected to be spared from afternoon thunderstorms.

The warning zone includes most of the state - from Mungindi near the Queensland border to Tumbarumba near the Victorian border.
 

NSW health officials have confirmed two new cases of COVID-19 on Sydney's Northern Beaches and have issued a warning for residents to be wary of even mild symptoms.

The infected persons are a woman in her 60s and a man in his 70s who are close contacts of each other with the source of the infections currently being investigated.

Alerts have been issued for a number of venues in both Palm Beach and Avalon Beach that were visited by the pair between December 13th-14th.

Hungary has amended the definition of family in its constitution to permit an effective ban on adoption by same-sex couples, with rights groups denouncing the changes. 

The new constitution now defines family as “based on marriage and the parent-child relation. The mother is a woman, the father a man.” It also rules that parents raise children in a conservative spirit.

Hungary has never legalised gay marriage but still recognises civil unions. Adoption by same-sex couples was possible before the recent amendment if one partner applied as a single person.
 

Fiji is bracing for a severe tropical cyclone with the potential to be one of the most destructive in history.

Cyclone Yasa is tracking north-west of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu, and is expected to directly hit both of Fiji's main islands as a Category 5 cyclone, the highest category for tropical cyclones.

The cyclone is expected to pass over the country on Friday with an estimated 600,000 people directly in the cyclone's path, based on tracking estimates from Tuesday night.