Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has confirmed he understood David Edwards had recently been found to have committed misconduct before finalising his contract as CEO of the city.

Prosecutors in Italy have formally finalised a four year investigation into refugee rescuers, and charged over 20 people from various charity organisations for ‘collaborating with people smugglers’.

The pharmaceutical industry is lobbying the Biden administration to impose sanctions on countries producing COVID-19 vaccines without industry permission. Governments worldwide are considering implementing temporary exemptions on traditional intellectual property laws to allow unfettered production and distribution of vaccines, in order to prevent the pandemic dragging on. 

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate confirmed that he understood that the newly-appointed CEO of the city, David Edwards, had been found to have committed misconduct before finalising his contract for the position.

The Biloela community held a dawn vigil this morning to mark three years since the Tamil family were taken by immigration authorities and transported to Christmas Island.  

The vigil took place at 5am in the morning, the same time the family were forcibly taken from their residence. 

A Gold Coast nurse recovered after having an anaphylactic response to the Pfizer vaccine at Gold Coast University Hospital on Thursday. The nurse’s history of severe allergic reactions was known to the hospital, and the nurse was under observation at the time.

A spokesperson from the hospital said that the nurse had fully recovered.

"The response was prompt and effective and the patient received the appropriate treatment and has since recovered."

A Hong Kong court has ordered 47 pro-democracy activists charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under its national security law be kept in custody after the Department of Justice appealed an initial decision to grant 15 of them bail.

Global police organisation Interpol said the recent seizures of thousands of fake COVID-19 vaccines in China and South Africa are just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ in vaccine-related crime.

Interpol said 2400 doses of the fake vaccine were found at a warehouse outside Johannesburg, leading to the arrest of three Chinese nationals, and one Zambian national.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews plan to pressure the Prime Minister at the National Cabinet meeting today to approve two new quarantine centres in both states. 

Queensland’s intake is currently capped at 1,000 arrivals per week, while Victoria’s is 1,310.