Chinese President Xi Jinping warns US President Biden in a 'frank' conference

 United States President Joe Biden has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a “frank” online conference to discuss growing tensions in the Taiwan strait. 

In the meeting, Mr Xi warned the US of encouraging pro-independence Taiwan forces, as the self-ruled island is still considered Chinese territory by Beijing.

UQ's research into excess battery energy usage

Researchers at The University of Queensland are investigating possible uses for excess energy in electric car batteries, to potentially power homes and support the energy grid.

UQ’s Dr Jake Whitehead says that most electric vehicles are using less than 20% of their dedicated range energy, which creates a unique opportunity to export spare energy generated overnight using vehicle-to-grid chargers.

Australia to expand its vaccine program

The federal government will expand its vaccine program to include Pfizer and Moderna doses,with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region and nations in desperate need of doses. 

At the moment Australia is only sending AstraZeneca overseas, however aid and humanitarian groups have called on the government to be more generous.

Tensions on Poland and Belarus border escalates

Tensions on the Poland / Belarus border are continuing to escalate, as Polish forces have resorted to using water cannons to disperse rock-throwing migrants. 

Thousands of Belarussian migrants are trying to enter the European Union after being forced to flee their homeland in retaliation for protests against President Alexander Lukashenko’s re-election last year.