Scallop fisheries in Western Australia’s Abrolhos islands will not be operating this season due to the effects of a marine heatwave earlier in the year. 

Scallop populations have been heavily impacted by the three degree celsius increase in water temperature, with the effects of reproduction being felt almost immediately by the scallops’ short lifespan.

While scallop fishing has not been entirely cancelled, limited numbers means remaining scallops will be left to reproduce, potentially increasing demand ahead of the next season.

The Australian share market is set to open lower today, as US investors get spooked by fresh inflation figures and the global spread of Omicron. 

At 8am this morning, A S X 200 futures were down 0.3 per cent. 

As well as Wall street, European stocks were also down as cases of the latest strain of COVID surge becoming the dominant strain in London. 

The region’s central banks are also meeting this week to determine economic policy to combat this.

An explosion in Haiti’s North has killed over 50 people and left dozens injured, amidst a national fuel shortage and increased petrol prices.

The gasoline truck exploded late Tuesday afternoon in the city of Cap-Haitien, with residents flocking to the streets to scoop remaining petrol into buckets.

 The city’s mayor Patrick Almonor says the explosion occurred after the truck overturned to avoid a collision, and that he expects the death toll to continue to rise in coming days. 

An annual report tabled by the Hospital and Health Service across Queensland has confirmed the state’s health system has been in decline this year.
 

It was revealed that along with emergency departments becoming overcrowded, that nearly 1 in 10 people will not have their surgery in a clinically recommended time.
 

It was also found that half of all ambulances arriving at Queensland hospitals will wait longer than 30 minutes to offload their patients. 

Queensland has hit a new vaccination record with over 62,000 jabs in one day, beating the previous record by more than 3,000.

At this stage, 81.3 per cent of Queenslanders are fully vaccinated, with vaccination rates in border communities such as the Gold Coast doubling in the past 24 hours.

Chief Health officer John Gerrard has commended the achievement, however he also warns Queenslanders against becoming complacent as borders reopen to interstate hotspots.

Research undertaken by the Salvation army has revealed that this year more than 10 and a half million Australians are feeling financial and emotional pressure this Christmas. 

It was revealed from those who sought support from the Salvation army that  83 per cent of households with children are worried they cannot afford presents for their children, and 56 per cent are worried about not being able to afford a special Christmas day meal. 

This follows the COVID-19 pandemic which saw increased numbers turning to the salvos for emergency food or support to pay their bills.

The World Trade Organisation has ruled in favour of Australian canegrowers in a long running legal battle against Indian Sugar Subsidies.

Several other nations have lodged complaints against the now illegal subsidies on Indian exports, however the new restrictions means Australian canegrowers can now trade more successfully. 

A tsunami alert has been lifted by Indonesian authorities following a magnitude 7.3 earthquake that struck off Flores island yesterday afternoon. 

The quake has been reported to cause only minor damage, injuring one person but with the tsunami warning has sent residents fleeing from their homes. 

Indonesia experiences frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions this time of the year due to its position on the pacific ‘ring of fire’.

The husband of Belarus’ opposition leader has been jailed for 18 years for inciting social hatred against President Alexander Lukashenko.

43 year old blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky was found guilty launching the unprecedented protest movement ahead of the August 2020 election, and was subsequently handed one of the longest sentences in country’s history.

Opposition leader and Sergei’s wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya slammed the decision, labeling it an act of political revenge as he was made a personal enemy of President Lukashenko.