UN Votes to Investigate Phillipines War on Drugs

The United Nations Human Rights Council voted on Thursday to set up an investigation into Phillipines President Rodrigo Duterte’s self described war on drugs.

Mr Duterte’s Government claims 6,600 have died by police shootouts since the party was elected in 2016, but activists put the death toll at at least  27,000.

Filipino activists say tens of thousands are being killed as police terrorise communities, using arbitrary drug watch lists to identify suspected users or dealers, and executing many under the guise of sting operations.

Australia Pledges to Protect Antarctic Environment

Australia has renewed their pledge to protect the Antarctic's environment and keep Antarctica free of military activity and mining on the 60th anniversary of the original signing of the Antarctic Treaty. 

More than 370 experts from civil society and observers from international organisations, gathered to discuss key topics including the effects of climate change, growing tourism and the dangers of micro-plastic pollution on the polar region.

No Penalties for News Organisations That Aired Christchurch Attack Footage

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has decided to not penalise the news outlets that aired the footage of the Christchurch attacks posted by the gunman.

ACMA has not revealed the result of the investigation of Nine Entertainment, Seven West Media, Network Ten, News Corp’s Sky News, ABC and SBS, all of which aired the footage.

ACMA emphasises the importance of having a discussion about the codes efficiency in these situations and how to deal with this type of material in the future.

Elderly Left Homeless After Gold Coast Nursing Home Shutdown

Elderly people are left homeless following yesterday’s dramatic shutdown of a Gold Coast nursing home. 

More than 70 residents of the Earle Haven Retirement home at Nerang, were moved to about a dozen other nursing homes and three were taken to hospital. 

The Queensland Government said the Federal Government needs to take ownership of the situation and has called for an inquiry into the crisis.

Queensland Government Cracks Down On Ghost Nets

The Queensland Government plans to legislate on the abandoned or illegal dumping of commercial fishing nets, offenders will receive penalties and fines.

The Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Mark Furner, will pass the sustainable fisheries policy to Parliament next week.

World Animal Protection Australia has supported the action and has warned about the damage that the ‘ghost nets’ inflict on the coral and marine wildlife.

 

Wrecked Russian Navy Submarine Leaks High Levels Of Radiation

The wreck of a Russian navy submarine found on the Norwegian sea, presents radiation levels 800,000 times higher than normal.

Norway found that the radiation leak from the Komsomolets , which sank in 1989, was 800 becquerels  per litre while the normal level of the Norwegian sea is 0.001 becquerels. 

Norway and Russia have been monitoring the radiation levels regularly on joint expeditions.