BRISBANE, Australia — Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination program looks set to be simplified to two phases as debate rages over its slow pace. Concerns have been raised that the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are not being rolled out quick enough, with state governments keen to get cracking on a faster program. So far, 1.59 million doses have been administered nationally — well short of the federal government’s initial target. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state and territory leaders, on April 19, reached an in-principle deal to bring forward the vaccination of over-50s and prepare mass vaccination sites for the rest of…
Author: zenger.news
MELBOURNE, Australia — Melbourne will again turn blue to mark the first anniversary of a horror crash on the Eastern Freeway that killed four police officers. Leading Senior Constable Lynnette Taylor, 60, Senior Constable Kevin King, 50, and constables Glen Humphris, 32, and Josh Prestney, 28, were killed while on duty on the Eastern Freeway at Kew on April 22, 2020. Mohinder Singh, who was high and severely sleep-deprived when he plowed his prime mover into four police officers on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway, has been jailed for 22 years. The crash was the single greatest loss of life in Victoria Police‘s…
SYDNEY — Australia’s Defense Minister Peter Dutton has said lifting the military’s morale is key to ensuring the nation’s security. Undertaking a tour of military bases around the country, Dutton, on April 19, revealed he had blocked a decision by Chief of the Defense Force Angus Campbell to strip unit citations from special forces troops who served in Afghanistan. More than 3,000 soldiers will no longer have their awards taken away. Instead, only those convicted of war crimes will lose their meritorious unit citations. Peter Dutton said he had blocked a decision by Chief of the Defense Force Angus Campbell to strip unit…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A new study has suggested that New Zealand’s massive Alpine Fault is due for a monster earthquake within the next 50 years. Victoria University of Wellington’s (VUW) modeling suggests a 75 percent chance of an earthquake of the South Island fault line in the next 50 years — most likely of magnitude eight or higher. One of the researcher’s findings reveals that a curious “earthquake gate” on the fault south of Jackson Bay, near Martyr River, appears to determine how large an Alpine Fault earthquake gets. Some ruptures stop at the gate, producing “major” earthquakes in the magnitude…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian researchers say they’ve figured out a puzzle that’s been a mystery since the dawn of time — how to mend a broken heart. The landmark study by Monash University in Melbourne has for the first time uncovered a way to prevent and reverse damage caused by broken-heart syndrome, also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The syndrome causes a weakening of the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber. It is brought on by stressful, emotional triggers often following traumatic events — such as the death of a loved one or a family separation. The condition mimics a heart attack with chest…
Oleg, Shlomi, Ruchama, Karin, Aloha and Yoni were in critical condition when they were rescued from an oil spill along Israel’s Mediterranean coast in February. The six young sea turtles, three brown and three green, washed up on the beach with black tar stuck to every part of their bodies, including eyes, nostrils and mouth. Another 21 turtles were found dead nearby, unable to survive the tar coating. The sticky substance restricts the turtles’ ability to move, see, breathe and eat. Any tar accidentally ingested clings to the walls of the digestive tract, blocking the absorption of nutrients and releasing…
Can yogurt cure COVID-19 and Crohn’s disease? Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have identified molecules in kefir, a type of yogurt, that have the potential to combat pathogenic bacteria by blocking communication between cells. This approach also holds promise for fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Yogurt is a fermented probiotic dairy drink made by inoculating milk with microorganism mixtures, particularly yeast and bacteria. People have relied on the probiotics in yogurt for years to calm stomach troubles and balance the negative effects of antibiotics. Probiotics are also thought to boost immune system function. This is the first time, however,…
A video showing how crooks “glue” shut the money slot on ATMs in order to rob unsuspecting bank customers has been shared by police. Two Ukrainian men were arrested in Moldova after “cash trapping” an estimated 50 ATMs in the country. In this scheme, criminals physically insert a device known as a glue trap into the ATM. The device traps the money allotted by the cash dispenser and prevents it from being released to the bank user. Unable to access the money, the victim usually goes in search of another ATM, while the offender removes the device and grabs the…
Two Ukrainian policemen rescued an unnamed woman who intended to jump off a bridge. The rescue operation took place on the New Bridge in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on April 18. A driver reported to police he saw a woman sitting on the edge of the bridge’s barrier. The information was confirmed by surveillance cameras. At the scene, two police officers, Tatyana Ostapchuk and Mykola Kotenko, quickly acted. Footage captured on video and by body cameras show officers grabbed her and dragged her away from the ledge. An ambulance arrived at the scene and specialists examined the woman. Local…
Taronga Zoo’s endangered tree kangaroo joey has managed to emerge from his mother’s pouch for the first time. Video from the zoo in Mosman, Australia, shows the young kangaroo hopping on the trees and balancing on a thick rope. Then, in the company of his mother, he enjoys eating to prepare for new acrobatic challenges. At 10 months old and weighing just over four pounds, the late bloomer was a little reluctant to venture out of his mother Kwikal’s pouch, earning the nickname “pouch potato.” But Taro has become incredibly active and self-assured in the last few weeks, according to…