Koala Population In Decline

Only two of 180 tagged koalas relocated by the State Government for Gold Coast development between 2008 and 2014 have been rediscovered.

Saunder Havill Consultants say 632 hectares of bushland had disappeared around Coomera since 2006, and this forced relocation could be the reason for the decline of koala populations.

Queensland's koala translocation policy has been under review since August 2018.

Billion Dollar Island Development Approved

An anonymous Australian Developer has been given the green light to move forward with a $1.2b development on Hummock Hill Island.

The approval came from the State Government last Monday and will allow the construction of 2500 residential units, including 770 permanent homes as well as resorts.

The Gladstone Regional Council previously said the project was too big and unnecessary but this ruling was overturned by the state, a move that hasn’t been made in four years.

Refugee Children Remain in Nauru Detention

Refugee advocates say there are less than 30 children remaining in Nauru detention.

The announcement comes after 25 people, including eight children,  were moved to Australia on Monday for medical treatment.

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre spokesperson Jana Favero said the decision was a welcome one, but that after five years, every moment is too long.

Privacy Concerns Over Health Record System

Despite privacy concerns, 17 million Australians will be automatically registered in the federal government’s My Health Record system if they don’t opt out by Thursday the 15th of November.  

Wentworth MP Kerryn Phelps has called on Health Minister Greg Hunt to extend the opt-out period, saying he is concerned about the privacy, security, and data mining potential of the system.

Legislation that would allow patients to delete their record and restrict police access to their record is yet to pass Parliament.

Conflict Between Yemen Insurgents And Saudi Coalition

Conflict between Yemen’s Houthi insurgents and a Saudi coalition has led to more than 100 fighter casualties and left thousands of civilians trapped on the coast of Hodeidah.

The alliance has amassed thousands of Yemeni troops despite recent calls from international leaders for an end to the country’s ongoing conflict.

The Norwegian Refugee Council Area Manager Isaac Ooko says all the people living between the airport and the university are trapped, and labelled the situation “beyond catastrophic”.

School Children Kidnapped in Cameroon

Over 80 school children have been kidnapped from a school in western Cameroon, according to government and military sources.

No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction from a Presbyterian school in the Nikwen village, in the region of Bamenda.

Conflict has been escalating within Cameroon between president Paul Biya’s French speaking government and separatists over issues of marginalisation.

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Japanese island disappears

The disappearance of a Japanese islet half a kilometer away from Hokkaido may affect Japan’s territorial waters, according to a coast guard official.

The coast guard says the islet may have been eroded by wind and snow, then hidden by rising sea levels.

Japan has taken a number of measures to preserve Japanese territorial waters, including naming 158 of their uninhabited islands and building an 148 million dollar observatory tower south of Tokyo.