Hi, it’s Tuesday, June 21st. Here’s what you need to get started today.
Australia’s first Omicron COVID-19 wave was probably double what was actually recorded. Here is the summary:
- A study looked for COVID-19 antibodies in 5,185 samples taken from blood donors between late February and early March this year
- They estimated that by the end of February 2022, at least 17 per cent of Australian adults, or about 3.4 million people, had become infected and that the vast majority occurred during the Omicron wave ( and this is about twice the official statistics).
- Is it still happening? Possibly, but researchers hope to have a better idea in the coming weeks when a second round of blood specimens arrives.
- Last December, Australia went from registering less than 1,500 cases a day to more than 100,000 in the space of a month, this is how it looked:
One thing you’ll hear today is home state (for budgets)
Any approach will be purely financial, as both Queensland and New South Wales are slashing their budgets. Here’s what we know so far:
- First of all, the leaders of the series: I mean Queensland: it’s the third budget of Treasurer Cameron Dick, and we already know that there are $ 3.5 billion for rail projects over the next four years and $ 750 million for a standalone cancer hospital in Brisbane.
- But he keeps his lips shut about any planned increase in the coal gift rate
- During the mid-December budget update, net debt was projected to reach $ 35 billion by 2024-25.
- And the Blues ‘budget (also known as New South Wales) is expected to return to the surplus in three years’ time; a government source has told the ABC that it is expected for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
- Treasurer Matt Kean’s first budget also makes NSW the first Australian state to offer first home buyers the option to pay stamp duty in advance or opt for an annual property tax.
- And there is $ 12 billion to address female inequality (in areas such as daycare, preschool, and public and job security), a public sector wage increase, and an additional $ 4.5 billion in health care.
News while you sleep
We will update you.
- The Prime Minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett, will dissolve his parliament, causing the country’s fifth electoral cycle in less than four years. Bennett has struggled to keep his eight-party rebel coalition together since he took office a year ago.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s move will lead to a fifth election in three years. (Reuters: Jack Guez / Pool)
- The Australian Patients’ Association has warned that long delays in mental health care are endangering lives. Their survey found that 59 percent of people seeking mental health support have been waiting more than three months for care. The director general of the Association, Dr. Stephen Mason, says more needs to be done:
“Many patients and their families and caregivers are worried that they will simply not be able to receive treatment. If they are unable to receive treatment, they will deteriorate and some people could risk their lives.”
The news that Australia is looking for
- Fatima Payman: She has claimed the sixth seat in the WA Senate and will make history as the first Muslim woman to wear a hijab to sit in the Australian Parliament
Senator Fatima Payman described Australia as the “land of opportunity” after winning the sixth seat in the Washington Senate. (ABC News: James Carmody)
- The shortest day of the year: Yes, this is happening today: today Hobart will have only nine hours of sunshine. Are you curious about how people get the most out of it? We did it for you (and yes, it includes some very happy capibares).
Capybaras also love yuzu baths (apparently). (Supplied by: Izu Shaboten Zoo)
One more thing: a * very * big fish
This catch surprised researchers, and probably the fisherman who caught it.
It’s a big one: this is the 300 kg streak. (AP: Wonders of the Mekong / Chhut Chheana)
It is the largest recorded freshwater fish in the world, a giant stingray caught in the Mekong River in Cambodia.
The statistics? It is just under 300 kg and 4 meters long (the previous record was a giant catfish of 293 kg).
Scientists working on a research program there received a call after midnight and were amazed at what they saw.
Here is the leader of Wonders of the Mekong, Zeb Hogan:
“Yeah, when you see a fish this size, especially in freshwater, it’s hard to understand, so I think our whole team was stunned,” he said.
“The fact that the fish can still get so big is a hopeful sign for the Mekong River.”
That’s all for now
We will be back later with more.
ABC / children