Syria's Jordan border reopens for first time in seven years
The Syrian-Jordan border has reopened after seven years due to civil war, while Israel has reopened their Syrian border crossing in the Golan Heights.
Around 670,000 registered Syrian refugees live in Jordan, and the Jordan Government says while they aren’t putting on any direct pressure, the refugees must eventually return to Syria.
The Syrian Government points to the border openings as evidence that it is close to winning the civil war and achieving stability.
NASA launches podcast
NASA has launched a new podcast this week called ‘The Invisible Network,’ which will embrace the human aspect of space exploration.
The podcast also focuses on bringing space technology, that is typically overlooked, into the spotlight.
Some integral equipment is seldom discussed, such as communicators and trackers, simply because they aren’t visible to the naked eye.
New pontoon for West End
A new pontoon on the Brisbane river will allow kayakers and skis to access the river from West End with future plans for water a taxi dock.
Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the 25-meter long pontoon along Riverside Drive will be able to accommodate up to 10 vessels at a time.
The dock is the first functioning under the Brisbane City Council’s $8 million program over the next four years to provide mooring infrastructure along the river.
Students Call for the University of Queensland to Divest in Fossil Fuel
Students, staff and alumni at the University of Queensland are calling for the university to divest from fossil fuels and put the future of their students above the interests of big polluters.
A protest took place outside of a UQ Senate meeting last night.
The Australian Youth Climate Coalition say it is crucial world-leading institutions like UQ take a stand for climate action, following the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest report detailing the climate catastrophe if global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees.
10am Zedlines
This has been Angus and Juanita with your 10am Zedlines.
Second drowning in 3 days at Noosa Heads
And there has been a second drowning in Noosa in the last three days. Yesterday morning, Queensland Surf Life Saving reported they had pulled a man unconscious from the water at Noosa Heads.
For 40 minutes, lifeguards and paramedics attempted to resuscitate the man, however they were unsuccessful.
Surf Life Saving is urging the public to swim between the flags and take extra precautions when entering the water, as more swimmers flock to the beach with summer approaching.
ScoMo website hijacked by pranksters
The Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s website www.scottmorrison.com.au has been taken over by a prankster after the PM’s staff forgot to renew his domain name.
While the website has been down intermittently, if you do manage to access it you’ll be greeted with the song ‘Scotty Doesn’t Know’ by Lustra and a cheeky photo of the Prime Minister.
The prankster responsible Jake Genesin says it’s the most fun he’s had with $50 in a long time.
China to launch man-made moon to light up cities
China is reportedly in the process of creating an "artificial moon" satellite that would be bright enough to replace the streetlights in the south-western city of Chengdu by 2020.
The man-made moon is reported to be eight times brighter than the real moon, and could save hundreds of million of dollars a year in electricity costs.
The artificial moons will orbit 500 kilometres above Earth and shine on area expanding 10 to 80 kilometres wide.
Trump says there could be “very severe” consequences for Saudi Arabia
US President Donald Trump says there could be very severe consequences if it is found Saudi Arabia ordered the alleged killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Mr Trump has reportedly received a briefing on the matter by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, following an announcement that US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin won’t be attending the Saudi capital for an economic summit.
Crocodile enters industrial estate in WA
A freshwater crocodile has walked several kilometers to end up in a Kitzroy Crossing industrial estate in far north Western Australia.
Senior Sergeant Danial Stachan says that the two-meter-long crocodile had been at the estate overnight before police were called.
The officers returned the reptile to its habitat by placing it in the back of a squad car, the incident comes amidst a predicted increase of crocodile movement as a result of the record wet season.