Torres Strait Islanders are charting unprecedented legal territory to preserve their culture and land

Eight Torres Strait Islanders are charting unprecedented legal territory in a bid to preserve their right to their culture and the land. 

The group wants the Australian government to take stronger action in reducing emissions and support communities through sustained investment in long-term adaptation measures. 

Communities in the Torres Strait Islands are facing coastal inundation as it continues to contaminate the water supply and destroy crops. Data shows that sea levels in the strait are rising at a rate double the global average.

Ukrainian authorities face criticism for upcoming parade plans

Ukrainian authorities are facing backlash over official images that show female soldiers practising for a parade in high heels. 

The images depict the soldiers practising for a parade to mark 30 years of Ukrainian independence. 

Commentator Maria Shapranova accuses the defence ministry of sexism and misogyny, saying, “High heels is a mockery of women imposed by the beauty industry.”

Olena Kondratyuk, deputy speaker of the legislature, says authorities should lodge an inquiry and publicly apologises for “humiliating” women.

Yesterday's COVID-19 case linked to Portuguese restaurant cluster

Yesterday a new COVID-19 case was detected in Queensland, linked to the Portuguese restaurant cluster. 

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she is not overly concerned because this person is now in home quarantine.

Ms Palaszczuk says, “We are dealing with this Alpha strain, not the Delta strain, and it appears that everything is under control at this point in time.”

 

QLD Government faces criticism over leniency on COVID-19 restrictions for sporting games

The Queensland Government faces criticism from local businesses for being lenient with COVID-19 restrictions for large-scale football matches, but strict on businesses.

Although yesterday's football game was after the lockdown was lifted, it has locals questioning how fair this is on business-owners and wedding and funeral goers.

Local bar owner Geoff Slater, says it takes months to recover financially from one lockdown, so each lockdown makes it harder to keep bouncing back.

4ZZZ Top 20

1. The Goon Sax - Psychic (Single)

2. Sycco - Time's Up (Single)

3. Dag - Pedestrian Life (Album Of The Week)

4. The Glycereens - Atomic Army

5. The Scientists - Negativity

6. Fortitude Valley - Cassini (Single)

7. Eleea - Red Wine (Single)

8. Spirit Bunny - Natsukashii (Single)

9. Jesswar - Tropixx Rmxxd EP

10. Requin - Shark

11. Alice Skye - I Feel Better But I Don't Feel Good

12. Tropical Fuck Storm - G.A.F.F. (Single)

13. Plaster Of Paris - Lost Familiar

The Paint Factory providing local artists the opportunity to broaden their horizons

The Paint Factory, a repurposed factory in Yeronga, is providing local artists with avenues to create art in a free and spacious environment.

Invited artists are free to use the site, which is made up of a grand total of 34,000 square metres of old factories and offices, to broaden their horizons and work on a significantly larger scale. 

As of June 2021, over 20 artists are now based in The Paint Factory, creating a small and tightly-knit community of local artists.

International arrivals cap to be halved

Federal government announces an international arrivals cap to be slashed by half after a national cabinet agreement. 

The number of commercial international arrivals will be temporarily halved to around 3,085 per week while more than 34,000 Australians remain stranded abroad.

The government says it will attempt to mitigate the impacts of the cap reduction by increasing repatriation flights.

The cap is likely to remain in place until the start of next year.

GPs to administer more Pfizer vaccines today

The Pfizer vaccine will be administered by some 500 GPs across Australia today, for the 40 to 59-year-old age group.

Victoria is already claiming that its Pfizer allocation is dwindling, while NSW gets more to battle its unfolding virus outbreak.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd says a further 800 GPs will come on board during July and August, including many Aboriginal community-controlled organisations.

However, there is no exact timetable provided for under-40s Pfizer vaccination.

US troops to leave Afghanistan

After almost 20 years, approximately 2,500-3,500 United States Military troops have left, and many are nearing departure, from Afghanistan's Bagram air base. 

President Joe Biden says he expects Afghanistan’s government and military to handle the rising Taliban attacks. 

However, the US has not commented on when the last of its soldiers would depart Afghanistan due to security concerns, and also because of the protection of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, which is still under the protection of Turkish and US soldiers.