The Loop: China's special 'military operations', the fruit and veges facing shortages, and BTS on hiatus?

Hi there, it's Wednesday, June 15. Here's what you need to get going today.

One thing to know right now: China green-lights special 'military operations'

Here's the lowdown:

• China's leader Xi Jinping has authorised non-war "military operations" for Chinese forces overseas
• Mr Xi's decision to legitimise these has raised eyebrows because it comes just months after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine under the guise of a "special military operation"
• Here's Eugene Kuo Yujen, an analyst with Taiwan's Institute for National Policy Research:

Chinese state media says Mr Xi's order would provide a legal basis for protecting "property, and maintaining national sovereignty, security, development interests, and regional stability". (Reuters)

One thing you’ll be hearing about today: Masks to go in airports

But it hasn't *officially* happened yet. Here's what we know:

• Australia's top health officials last night said masks no longer needed to be worn in the nation's airports
• They're telling states they can ditch the requirement from Friday — but we'll have to see who acts on the advice and changes the rules
• But the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee says they must still be worn on planes (so don't ditch that mask too soon) 

The AHPPC notes that all states and territories have relaxed mask mandates in most settings within the community. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)

Also:

• The Fair Work Commission will announce its annual wage review today
• The federal government has recommended a pay increase of 5.1 per cent for Australia's lowest-paid workers (to keep up with that skyrocketing inflation)

News while you snoozed

Let's get you up to speed.

• RBA's governor Philip Lowe says inflation could hit 7 per cent by Christmas and not fall until the first quarter of next year. In his interview with 7.30, he declared the RBA would do "what's necessary" to get inflation back to between 2-3 per cent:

Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe speaks about interest rates and inflationary challenges.(Leigh Sales)

• Coles and Woolworths are flagging fruit and vegetable shortages due to recent cold weather and this year's devastating floods. They're warning supplies of berries, fresh herbs and tomatoes will be impacted in the short term, along with broccoli and lettuce
• Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been transferred to a "secret location" to serve the rest of his 11-year sentence. Mr Navalny appeared via video link in an appeal last month -- when he criticised the Ukraine conflict as a "stupid war" that was butchering innocent people
• The members of BTS say they are taking time to focus on solo projects, but the company behind the K-pop group say they are *not* taking a hiatus. In a video posted showing the group at dinner, the word "hiatus" was used on English subtitles included on the video, prompting the concern by fans:

The news Australia is searching for

• Nature Strip: That's an Aussie horse that romped home at (arguably) the home of racing, Royal Ascot, taking out the 1000-metre King's Stand Stakes. It's the first time there has been an Australian-trained winner there since Black Caviar in 2012:

• Internet Explorer: Yep, that's trending this morning because it's officially being retired today. It's been around since 1995 — and Microsoft has replaced it with its Edge browser

One more thing: A fast-growing black hole gobbling one Earth a second

An Australian-led team of astronomers has discovered a black hole — and it's 500 times bigger than the one at the centre of the Milky Way.

The team of researchers say the supermassive black hole gobbles up the equivalent of one Earth every second.

Black holes devour everything that veers too close — including light itself. (Supplied: ESA/Hubble, ESO, M. Kornmesser)

It's the brightest and fastest-growing supermassive black hole of the past 9 billion years (that we know of).

And you *can* glimpse it from your backyard (with the right telescope).

How?

Supermassive black holes — which have a mass of millions or billions of suns — are the engines that drive some of the brightest objects in the sky: quasars.

From Earth, these luminous objects look a bit like stars, but their light actually comes from the ring of gas, dust and stars swirling around the black hole.

This quasar's light shines around 7,000 times brighter than all of the light in the Milky Way — so you can check it out yourself.

That's it for now

We'll be back later on with more.

ABC/wires