Welcome to The Headlines: A resource that will improve your dinner party facts and infuriate your conspiracy theory frothing uncle. There’s some massive news that’s been swirling around, so let’s drive straight into this tornado.
Masks Have Been Scrapped in South Australia and NSW
Two more states are making it so that mask mandates on public transport are a thing of the past. Those being: South Australia and NSW. South Australia’s change comes into effect from today, while NSW’s one starts on September 21.
Tassie, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory have already removed their mask mandates on public transport. This leaves Queensland, Victoria, and the ACT as holdouts.
“Removing masks on public transport is yet another step towards our post-pandemic future,” claimed the South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas.
Meanwhile, NSW’s Premier, Dominic Perottet, said, “This is a common sense approach that brings the rules into line for people travelling on buses or trains with those for planes and airport terminals.”
It’s worth noting that the science around masks preventing COVID from spreading hasn’t changed. “Next time you are wondering if you should wear a mask, the answer is yes,” wrote environmental health scientist, Laura Kwong, for The Conversation.
“Cloth masks are likely better than nothing, but high-quality surgical masks or masks with even higher filtration efficiency and better fit – such as KF94s, KN95s, and N95s – are the most effective at preventing COVID-19.”
Serial’s Adnan Syed Has Been Released From Jail
On August 19, Adnan Syed was allowed to walk out of prison for the first time in over 20 years. As per The New York Times, Syed was the focus of the first season of Serial, a podcast that questioned whether he murdered his former high school girlfriend.
Judge Melissa M. Phinn overturned his life sentence “in the interests of justice and fairness.” This is partly because the prosecutors didn’t turn in evidence that might have changed the outcome of Syed’s original trial.
So, what happens next? Well, prosecutors now have 30 days to decide if a new trial will take place. Otherwise, Syed will be a free man. In the interval, Syed has been released from jail and is currently awaiting the decision under home detention orders.
Related: Adnan Syed of ‘Serial’ Podcast Fame Has Been Freed
Related: If You Can’t Get Enough of True Crime, These Are the Documentaries for You
A Skatepark in Queensland Lets Folks With Disabilities Go Buckwild
In legitimately radical news, Alley Oops Skate Park, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, has two custom-built frames that allow people with disabilities to have a go at skateboarding. According to the ABC, these frames work by being on wheels and having harnesses.
Jaymi Ferguson, a self-confessed daredevil who has cerebral palsy, stated that these frames are awesome. She said, “I’ve always wanted to do it since I was a kid.”
Now, these frames just need to be mass-produced. Your move, skating industry.
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