Australian Bogong Moths First Known Nocturnal Insects to Use Magnetic Fields
The Australian Bogong Moth is one of the first nocturnal insects known to researchers to use the Earth’s magnetic fields for long-distance migration.
The moths, which are only a few centimetres long, travel over 1,000 kilometres to alpine caves in New South Wales and Victoria and then back to their birthplace, to mate annually.
Scientists from Australia and Sweden published in the journal of Current Biology that bogong moths use the Earth’s magnetic fields as a compass to guide them on their annual journey.
Aboriginal Treaty Bill Passes in Victoria
Australia’s first treaty legislation was passed yesterday in Victorian parliament following two years of consultation with thousands of Aboriginal Victorians.
The Aboriginal Victorians Bill 2018 will create a representative body to help design the framework for treaty negotiations for areas of concern like recognition of historic sovereignty, how relationships should evolve, possible self-government and land rights.
The election for the body will be finished by mid-2019 and will be organised and voted on by Aboriginal Victorians.
Brisbane Vigil Remembers Eurydice Dixon
Approximately 300 people have gathered outside Parliament House in Brisbane last night, to remember Melbourne woman Eurydice Dixon who was raped and murdered last week.
The vigil held five minutes of silence to commemorate Ms Dixon and other victims of gender related violence in Australia.
Vigil organiser Yolanda Robson said Brisbane women needed the opportunity to come together and see how many allies they had; as men and women flooded in outside Parliament house.
Residents Say Brisbane Has Good Weather, Bad Public Transport
Brisbane’s liveability survey reveals people love Brisbane’s weather and loathe its public transport system but can’t decide whether the overall quality of life is on the improve or decline.
Brisbane’s public transport ratings showed 434 residents believed it was “dire,” while only 73 survey respondents rated the city’s public transport system as “exceptional.”
When respondents were asked to list a feature of another city they would like to see in Brisbane there was a big push for trams, lights rail and overall better public transport.
8am Zedlines
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Israeli PM’s Wife Charged with Fraud
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife Sara, has been charged with fraud following allegations around falsified household expenses.
She allegedly had claimed there was no cooks available for use at their official residence, ordering outside catering that amounted to an estimated $97,000.
She denied the allegations but they come after a slew of investigations into corruption around Netanyahu which he claims as a ‘witch hunt’.
North Korea to return remains of United States Soldiers
The remains of 200 missing American soldiers which were killed during the Korean War are in the process of being returned to the United States.
US President Donald Trump originally released a statement which said the remains had already been returned, but a day later corrected the statement.
According to US military data, approximately 7,700 American soldiers are unaccounted for, from the 1950-1953 Korean War.
Somali refugee on Nauru granted abortion in Australia
The Federal Court of Australia has ruled that a Somali refugee on Nauru will be allowed to travel to Australia for an abortion.
The woman, who is 12 weeks pregnant has been on Nauru for almost five years and is a victim of female genital mutilation.
The government considered sending the woman to Taiwan, however Federal Court Justice Alan Robertson ruled that no Taiwanese Obstetricians or Gynaecologists were experienced in performing abortions on women with female genital mutilation.
New Laws Look to Curb Murray-Darling Water-Stealing
Legislation to prevent water theft from the Murray-Darling river has been criticised by environmental lawyers while being welcomed by state irrigators.
The bill will look to crack down on illegal pumping, having corporations face fines of up to $5 million and individuals of up to $500,000.
The new laws come after an inquiry from former water bureaucrat Ken Matthews and accusations airing on ABC’s Four Corners into water-stealing.
Labour Hire Company Accused of Ripping Off Workers at QLD Abattoir
A labour hire company is under investigation for being accused of ripping off customers at a QLD abattoir.
Taiwanese workers were supplied to the Greenmountain Food Processing plant at Coominya, west of Brisbane, by labour hire company GOYX Pty Ltd, while they were in Australia on working holiday visas.
Two workers have formally complained to have been underpaid in wages and superannuation, as well as being asked to register an ABN, which could technically make them a contractor.