Chemical has leaked into Brisbane river.
50 litres of a dangerous chemical leaked from a ship into Brisbane river late yesterday afternoon.
Queensland Fire and Emergency services said it was alerted about the substance leaking from a ship at Tingira St at Pinkenba near Brisbane Airport at about 5:30pm.
They said the chemical, styrene monomer, is a class three flammable liquid.
Bushfire has jumped fire break.
A bushfire covering more than 1000 hectares south-east of Canberra has jumped a fire break.
It was described by the NSW Rural Fire Service as “out of control” on Thursday night and was the only bushfire in NSW to be at a watch and act level.
A spokesman from the NSW Lake George Zone Rural Fire Service says properties are being defended by on-ground crews due to concerns around spot fires.
The fire is burning in Tallaganda National Park, 50 kilometres from Canberra.
Iced coffee company bought by Chinese company.
South Australians are being urged not to boycott Farmers Union Iced Coffee, following news that a Chinese-owned company would be taking over its parent company.
The news of changing parent companies was met with anger on social media, with many users vowing to stop buying the iced coffee altogether.
Tik Tok parent company allegations.
The parent company of popular app Tik Tok, ByteDance, said the personal data of users is not shared with Chinese authorities.
However, an Australian Strategic Policy Institute report has found that ByteDance “collaborates with public security bureaus across China, including in Xinjiang where it plays an active role in disseminating the party-state's propaganda".
Climate change disruptions.
The planet is said to be facing a “global cascade of tipping points” that could heavily disrupt human societies and ecosystems unless nations slash their greenhouse gas emissions, according to an article in “Nature”.
The authors identified several “large-scale discontinuities” in the climate system that may be underway and which could trigger further warming.
The scientists said, "if damaging tipping cascades can occur and a global tipping point cannot be ruled out, then this is an existential threat to civilisation.”
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Texas chemical plant explosion injures three people
US chemical plant explosion in south-east Texas injures three people and has blown out windows in nearby housing.
A mandatory evacuation was ordered for everyone within a half-mile of the TPC plant while the fire department says the evacuation could expand to wider areas.
Jefferson County Judge, Jeff Branick, told Beaumont TV station KBMT that the blast initially sounded like someone was firing a gun into his house.
Hong Kong activists plan next step after siege
Hong Kong activists are thinking about the next movement after the university siege ends.
Peter Lui, one of the protesters of Polytechnic University in Hong Kong, went down the sewage drain for avoiding to surrender to the police, and burned all his protective gear and swore.
The university stood almost empty by Wednesday, and police are set to enter the campus on Thursday to collect evidence and remove hazardous substance but failed to find any remaining protesters.
Bushfire solidarity sit-downs
School Strike for Climate Change has organised bushfire solidarity sit-downs tomorrow across Australia.
The sit-down if focused on raising awareness and support for Indigenous land management, the Rural Fire Service and confronting the climate crisis.
The solidarity sit-downs will take place in all capital cities and various other locations.
AI deep learning predicts human RNA structures
Griffith University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence method to predict human RNA structures, one of the fundamental building blocks of life.
RNA works in tandem with the DNA both to encode human’s genes as well as to switch genes on and off.
Lead researcher, Yaoqi Zhou says the model is a world-first and allows them to look at the structure of RNA with great accuracy.