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Happy Tuesday!
Awards season continues today with the 2023 Emmy Awards. The Emmys are happening months later than scheduled due to delays from the Hollywood actors and writers strikes.
Succession leads the nominations; the HBO drama is up for 27 awards, including a nomination for Aussie Sarah Snook. Other Australian nominees include Murray Bartlett and Elizabeth Debicki.
You can watch the awards on Binge and Foxtel at midday AEDT.
I've got 10 seconds
The quote
"We're grateful to the police and fire brigade who attended. There's no reason for vandalism and we'll continue to liaise with Queensland police." — A statement from Woolworths Group to media after a Brisbane supermarket was vandalised following the chain's announcement it will not sell Australia Day merchandise this year.
The stat
40%
The percentage of jobs around the world that will be impacted by AI, according to new analysis by the International Monetary Fund. Researchers said artificial intelligence is "threatening to replace humans in some jobs and to complement them in others."
Today in history
2022: World No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic, who was not vaccinated against COVID-19, was deported from Australia ahead of the first grand slam of the year on “health and good order” grounds.
I've got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
More packages of cocaine have washed up on NSW shores, after police discovered several suspicious packages last month. Since 22 December, over 200 kilograms of cocaine bricks have washed up on beaches from Wollongong and Sydney’s north, to the Central Coast and Newcastle. Investigators are working with ocean current analysts to determine where and when the packages may have entered the water. Early estimates indicate the packages were in the water for around four to six weeks.
The wealth of the world’s five richest people has more than doubled since 2020, according to a new report on inequality from Oxfam. The report found that the most wealthy 1% owns 43% of the world’s financial assets, and are individually responsible for the same amount of carbon pollution as two-thirds of the poorest people in the world, combined. Oxfam also found the wealth of more than five billion people has fallen since 2020.
I've got 1 minute
A pill testing site in Canberra has discovered three never-before-seen substances in recreational drugs.
CanTEST said researchers identified the new psychoactive ingredients in samples of drugs brought by members of the community for testing.
Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) said the substances are synthetic, meaning they are designed to mimic the effects of "established" drugs like cocaine, heroin, LSD, ketamine, and MDMA.
Pill testing site
Pill testing is a harm reduction service aimed at helping people understand the ingredients and potential risks of a substance they plan to take.
The CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service is the first fixed-site pill testing service in Australia.
The service is free to use, and supported by the ACT Government. Some drug samples submitted to CanTEST are taken to ANU for further analysis.
New substances
ANU chemists discovered a potentially lethal substance in a stimulant drug derived from Ritalin (an ADHD medication) in a sample submitted to CanTEST.
The substance is a new derivative of cathinone — commonly referred to as 'bath salts'.
Researchers said finding a new variant of 'bath salts' was concerning "because we don't know how it will affect people or what the health consequences are."
A new type of benzylpiperazine stimulant was also found, which can be used as a synthetic substitute for MDMA.
The third new substance is called propylphenidine, a stimulant drug from the same category as amphetamines, ice (methamphetamine), and MDMA.
It's not yet known how dangerous these substances are, according to ANU.
Impact
Since July 2022, CanTEST has analysed over 1,700 samples. Within six months of opening, half of the drugs it tested contained ingredients the user was not expecting.
Researchers emphasised CanTEST's pill testing capabilities to identify emerging drugs before they circulate in the "unregulated drug market".
"This is potentially of huge public health importance."
I've got 2 minutes
Penny Wong is travelling to the Middle East, including to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (what the Albanese Government officially calls the West Bank and Gaza), for the first time as Australia's Foreign Minister.
It comes as the weekend marked 100 days of violent conflict since Hamas launched an attack on Israel, to which it responded by declaring war.
Background
On 7 October 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel killing about 1,200 people, according to the UN. Roughly 240 hostages were captured by Hamas, and 136 remain captive.
In response, Israel declared war and nearly 24,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since, according to figures cited by the UN. Israel's war in Gaza has caused a humanitarian crisis. It has said it will not stop fighting until all hostages are returned and Hamas is destroyed.
100 days
The United Nations has marked 100 days of war by saying an "immediate ceasefire is more urgent than ever".
Martin Griffiths, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said in a speech that the war has been "conducted with almost no regard for the impact on civilians".
"There is no safe place in Gaza. Dignified human life is a near impossibility."
Griffiths added that 1.9 million people within Gaza (85% of the population) have been displaced.
Griffiths also said more than 100,000 people have been displaced within Israel.
He called for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas.
"The families of the hostages have been waiting for the release of their loved ones... or at least for some information about their well-being."
Wong visit
Penny Wong will visit Jordan, Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the United Arab Emirates during her trip.
Wong said she will use her visit as an opportunity to "advocate for a pathway out of this conflict".
The Minister said she would also "discuss international efforts to re-start a political process that leads to a future Palestinian state". She said she would also call for the "unconditional release" of all hostages held by Hamas.
Israeli settlers
Penny Wong has said she's visiting the Occupied Palestinian Territories, without specifying where. These territories include the West Bank, where some Israelis have set up settlements since the war of 1967, which the UN has declared illegal.
Since 7 October, there has been a surge in violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
In December, the U.S. banned visas of "extremist settlers who have committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank". The UK made a similiar decision to impose travel bans on "those responsible for settler violence".
Wong is under pressure from her own party (Labor) to follow the U.S. and the UK in banning visas of Israeli settlers who engage in violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Labor MP Julian Hill said "it's clear that firm words and stern finger pointing are not enough. The international community needs to attach consequences for settlers and the Israeli authorities of this continued illegal behaviour".
Wong did not directly indicate whether the Government will implement the visa ban. She said "settler violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories must be condemned, and we do so."
Opposition criticism
Penny Wong is meeting with some of the families of Israeli hostages and survivors of Hamas' 7 October attack.
However, Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham has criticised Wong for not planning to visit any of the sites of the attacks.
He said the decision will "deprive Senator Wong of a full appreciation of the atrocities committed". Birmingham led a group of MPs from multiple parties to the region in December.
A message from our sponsor
Yesterday, we brought you the news that Tash Sultana will be hitting the AO Finals Festival Stage for Pride Day (that’s on January 25).
But that’s not all - Sultana will also be joined by rising pop star Peach PRC and Raingurl singer DJ Yaeji. After selling out Kia Arena last year, AO Finals Festival is scaling up to a bigger and better three-day event staged in John Cain Arena.
To get your tickets to Finals Fest, click here.
Give me some good news
NASA has unveiled a new aircraft that could change the way we travel. The X-59 Quiet Supersonic Aircraft is designed to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound - around 1,500 kilometres per hour. Its narrow shape was designed to allow the aircraft to move quickly, while keeping noise to a minimum. It’s expected to fly for the first time later this year.
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A TDA tidbit
A 26-year-old man in the UK has tried to sell a walking stick, previously owned by Queen Elizabeth II, on eBay.
Except… it was just a random walking stick.
Dru Marshall, from southern England, impersonated someone who worked at Windsor Castle. Marshall listed an “antler walking stick” for bidding on eBay, stating that the proceeds would go towards cancer research.
The highest bid was just over $AU1,000 until the listing was cancelled because police were investigating the sale.
Last week, Marshall was sentenced to a 12-month community order after being found guilty of fraud by false representation.
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