Japan has vowed to become carbon neutral by 2050, as part of the country’s plan to committing to helping climate change.

The Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, delivered his first address on Monday, with the environment as his main concern and issue.

Suga stated Japan needs to meet the climate pledges formed by other economies. In his address Suga declared Japan will “aim to realise a decarbonised society.”

The United States Senate has voted to advance the Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett towards confirmation despite objections from the Democrat party. The Republican-led Senate voted mostly united in support of President Donald Trump’s pick to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Many Democrat party representatives have said whoever wins the election next week should elect the next Supreme Court justice.

Protests have erupted in several cities in Poland on the weekend over the near-total ban on abortions. The protestors were reacting to last week’s ruling by Poland’s constitutional court that an existing law allowing abortion of non-viable fetuses was “incompatible” with their Constitution. The court’s verdict was criticized by several European human rights groups including the Council of Europe.

Federal Industry Minister Karen Andrews has said she believes the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine would be at least nine months away. Appearing on the ABC political show Insiders, Andrews said it would take time before a drug could be approved, manufactured, and distributed to the population. In this month’s budget, the federal government committed $1.5 billion to medical technology and manufacturing.

The weekly cap on international arrivals to Australia will be increased by hundreds of places next month, allowing more stranded Australians to return home. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the news on Friday after a national cabinet meeting. The current weekly cap on arrivals is 6,000. 

More than 37,000 Queensland Year 12 students will start their external exams today for the first time in the state. This will be the first Queensland cohort to receive Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) scores instead of an OP. This comes after a school year dominated by the pandemic, which had students learning online and canceling events such as formals.

The Queensland Police Service is investigating a video uploaded to social media last night showing a police officer hitting a man from behind at a refugee rights rally in Brisbane. The video shows the man standing alone before an officer runs up and pushes him in the head causing the man to fall to the ground. A police spokesperson said they were investigating the incident.