Fatal crash in Thailand leaves 20 killed, 40 Injured
A bus delivering passengers to a religious ceremony has collided with a freight train near Bangkok, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 40.
SBS has reported that the collision occurred approximately 50km east of Bangkok, where the bus edged from the road onto the tracks before the impact of the train tipped it onto its side.
Out of 23 passengers admitted to hospital, 4 are in critical condition.
SCIRO to test SARS-CoV-2 survivability
SCIRO, Australia’s national science agency have released a study on SARS-CoV-2’s survivability, the virus responsible for COVID-19.
The research undertaken at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDC) in Geelong shows it can survive for up to 28 days on common surfaces including banknotes, glass – such as that found on mobile phone screens - and stainless steel.
ACDC deputy director Dr Debbie Eagles said it remained infectious 10 days longer than Influenza that lasted 17 days on similar experiments.
Kevin Rudd launches petition for Royal Commission into NewsCorp
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on Sunday he will launch a national petition to establish a Royal Commission into Rupert Murdoch’s NewsCorporation.
In a video posted on Twitter, Rudd declared his concern for the future for Australia’s media landscape, stating the petition will aim to "maximise media diversity ownership for the future lifeblood of our democratic system”.
At the time of reporting, the petition has 76,827 signatures.
2020 State general election comprises 144 more candidates than in 2017
Following the close of nominations on Sunday, the Electoral Commission of Queensland announced 597 candidates across Queensland’s 93 electorates for the 2020 State general election.
Electoral Commissioner Pat Vidgen said this year’s election sees 144 more candidates than in 2017 which demonstrates a “strong contest of ideas” and a “vibrant democracy”.
Queenslanders can now find the candidates running in their electorate via the ECQ’s 2020 State general election webpage.
Surf Life Saving Queensland to launch annual Support Our Savers Week
Surf Life Saving Queensland will launch their annual fundraising campaign, “Support our Life Savers” this week, supporting volunteer lifesavers across the state.
People will have the opportunity to donate to Surf Life Saving Queensland or their local surf life saving club, with donations going towards vital equipment, training, and resources for volunteers.
Support Our Savers Week will run from Monday the 12th until Sunday the 18th of October. If you would like to donate, visit https://sosweek.raisely.com/donate/
COVID Consolations - Part 1: Floristry
Have you ever considered what goes on behind the scenes in the Australian floristry industry? What about the effects that a global pandemic might have on your local flower provider? While the pandemic has proven detrimental to many businesses, it's not all doom and gloom.
4ZZZ reporter Kloe Phelan recently dug a little deeper in this story with local florist Annie Donaldson of Branch & Sea.
Cartoon - The Bench
Why are we always picked last
12PM Zedlines - October 9th
By 4ZZZ reporters Grace Nakamura and Lily-Rose Davies.
Image credit: Gage Skidmore
Third day of protests in Indonesia against jobs bill
Rallies in Indonesia are continuing for a third day as tens of thousands protest against the controversial “omnibus” jobs creations bill that became law on Monday.
The bill makes significant changes to Indonesia's labour regulations including abolishing the sectoral minimum wage, in favour of minimums set by regional governors.
The Indonesian government says the bill is designed to help recover Indonesia’s economy while critics say that the new law will harm workers and the environment.
Donald Trump refuses virtual second presidential debate
US President Donald Trump refused to participate in a virtual second presidential debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden following his coronavirus diagnosis.
Spokesperson for the Democratic party Kate Bedingfield said the debate should be rescheduled to October 22nd so the ‘President is not able to evade accountability’.
In the meantime, Mr Biden will take questions from voters in a town hall event on October 15th, the same night the second debate was originally scheduled.