More Cases of Coronavirus Appear in New South Wales
There have been a further eight confirmed cases of coronavirus reported nationally this morning. These new cases bring the total number of infections in New South Wales to fifty-five. Currently, more than half of confirmed coronavirus cases nationwide are based in New South Wales.
The Federal Health Department recommends good hygiene to prevent infections:
Cambridge Analytica Scandal has Facebook Facing Federal Court
Facebook is being taken to court by Australia’s Privacy Regulator over the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner stated that Facebook has infringed more than 300,000 Australians’ privacy, and that the social media platform left personal data “exposed to be sold and used for political profiling”.
The Australian Commissioner’s office said "Facebook failed to take reasonable steps to protect those individuals' personal information from unauthorised disclosure."
Canada has Plans to make Gay Conversion Therapy Illegal
Canada’s Government has revealed plans to put a ban on gay conversion therapy.
Recently proposed federal legislation would illegalize minors undergoing the practice or people undergoing therapy without consent.
The widely discredited practice seeks to alter a person’s sexual identity, and Federal Justice Minister David Lametti has stated that it is “premised on a lie”.
Women Across Mexico Participate in a National Strike against Gendered Violence
Thousands of women and girls across Mexico have joined a historic national strike. The women protested against the country’s rates of gender-based violence and the government’s failure to respond to the crisis in which more than ten women are murdered every day.
The strike made up of women across multiple industries, was a disruption to business as usual. Executive coordinator of the National Citizen Observatory on Femicide Maria de la Luz Estrada said, “every day we have more evidence that they are killing us specifically for being women...”
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Former Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane Passed Away
Former Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane John Bathersby passed away yesterday at the age of 83.
His death at Wesley Hospital in Auchenflower has been attributed to health complications following a recent stroke.
Archbishop Bathersby had been a priest for 58 years, and was appointed to lead the Brisbane church in 1991, and did so until his retirement in 2011.
His successor, current Archbishop Mark Coleridge stated, “John was a rare human being, with a heart as big as his mind and soul and his sense of humour...”.
McKinnion Prize Winners Announced for 2019
Two women were awarded the McKinnon prize for 2019.
The prizes are awarded to political leaders and is a joint endeavour with Susan McKinnon Foundation and the University of Melbourne through the Melbourne School of Government.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian was the recipient of the McKinnion Political Leader of the Year.
Additionally, Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp was named the McKinnion Emerging Political Leader of the Year, which is given to a political leader who has been in office less than 5 years.
Australians Spending $11.3 Billion on Drugs
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission has released new figures showing that Australians are spending more than 11.3 billion dollars on illicit drugs per year, including methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and heroin.
A new Wastewater monitoring report accounts for 1.5 tonnes of methylamphetamine, 4.6 tonnes of cocaine, 2.2 tonnes of MDMA and more than 900 kilograms of heroin.
Shane Neilson, the commission’s Head of Determination says that there were some reductions from the previous report but overall consumption remains troubling.
Trial of Four Men Involved in the MH17 Disaster Has Started
The trial of four men accused of transporting the missile that took down MH17 in 2014 has begun in Amsterdam.
The Boeing plane was taken down in 2014, and all 298 passengers on board were killed.
This trial has begun after more than 5 years of collecting evidence.
US Withdrawing Troops From Afghanistan
The United States has begun a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
After hailing a deal with the Taliban, United States President Donald Trump has agreed to reduce its troops from 12,000 to 8,600 within 135 days of signing the agreement that aims to bring peace to the nation.
The Afghan government is not currently involved in the deal, but is expected to hold talks with the Taliban. The Afghan president will issue a decree for at least 1,000 Taliban prisoners to be released this week.