Hello folks, welcome to another thick news day. That’s right, the planet isn’t slowing down as we all prepare to head into November. Here are some of today’s biggest headlines:
Australia to Train Ukraine to Repel Russian Forces
In another boon for Ukraine, up to 70 Australian Defence Force personnel will soon be training its country’s troops. The Australian Defence Force will be doing this to aid Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. This exercise will be taking place in January 2023.
It’s worth noting that our military won’t be heading into Ukraine to conduct this training. These exercises will instead be taking place in the United Kingdom.
Moreover, Australia won’t be the only country assisting Ukraine in January. This programme will also be supported by New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, and Finland.
“Our soldiers will be part of a large training programme in the United Kingdom to help prepare their Ukrainian mates for their struggle against Russia’s unwarranted and unlawful aggression,” said Australia’s Deputy Prime minister and Defence Minister, Richard Marles.
The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, also said regarding this matter, “This is not just about Ukraine’s sovereignty. The brave people of Ukraine are defending international law, rules, and norms.”
The Socceroos Call Out Qatar’s Human Rights Record
In the country of Qatar, too many migrant workers have died while building infrastructure and stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. While the number of deaths is highly disputed, with The Guardian claiming over 6500 and the tournament’s organising committee claiming three, this ongoing event has been a source of controversy.
The treatment of Qatar’s migrant workers has now been called into question by the Socceroos. They are the first FIFA World Cup contenders to release a collective statement regarding Qatar’s human rights record.
In this statement, the Socceroos also called for Qatar to decriminalise same-sex relationships.
“We stand with FIFPro, the Building and Wood Workers International, and the International Trade Union Confederation, seeking to embed reforms and establish a lasting legacy in Qatar. This must include establishing a migrant resource centre, effective remedy for those who have been denied their rights, and the decriminalisation of all same-sex relationships. These are the basic rights that should be afforded to all,” said the statement.
Moreover, Football Australia made its own statement: “Whilst we acknowledge the highest levels of assurances given by HH Amir of Qatar and the President of FIFA that LGBTI+ fans will be safely welcomed in Qatar, we hope that this openness can continue beyond the tournament.”
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The Phillip Island’s Little Penguin Big Population Boom
In some very wholesome and very good news, the little penguin population on Phillip Island is breaking records. On October 22, 5,440 of these critters waddled on Penguin Parade Beach within a 50-minute period. The previous record was from May, with 5,219 little penguins being on this beach.
“This is indicating that our research-led conservation work that we’re doing, minimising a lot of these particularly terrestrial threats and maximising their habitat, is having a great pay-off,” said Phillip Island Nature Parks’ Research Technical Officer, Paula Wasiak.
“The penguin population did drop down in the mid-80s, down to 12,000 penguins, now we have about 40,000 little penguins.”
The little penguin population boom is also thanks to the La Niña weather pattern. This is because sardines and anchovies breed more in wetter conditions. These fish are an A+ meals for the little penguins.
“This year from May, we’ve had a small percentage of penguins doing an autumn breed, and that continued until the spring breed, so, most of this year, we’ve had rebreeding penguins, and we attribute that to La Niña,” said Wasiak.
“We know that in previous years our penguins are more successful in breeding in La Niña years.”
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