Hello. It's Friday, January 28 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's top headlines.
Let's start here
Thousands of school students in NSW are due to return to the classroom next week — but a public Q&A with the state's Department of Education has revealed that many parents were uncomfortable about the return-to-school plan.
- One Sydney mum says the Q&A and the department's "vague" explanations left her feeling even less confident than she was before
- Many parents were concerned about the perceived lack of enforcement behind surveillance testing for rapid antigen tests
- Others were put off by fellow parents publicly declaring they wouldn't subject their children to two nasal swabs a week or encourage their children to wear masks
- The department clarified after the meeting that students "should" return a negative test before going back to school, but it's not compulsory.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said yesterday that more than 80 per cent of 6 million rapid antigen tests had been delivered to schools and the rest would be distributed by the end of tonight.
Something you’ll be hearing about today
A Russian foreign ministry spokesman has told a briefing that even the thought of a war breaking out between Russia and Ukraine was "unacceptable".
It's the latest in a series of official statements aimed at quashing fears of a looming Russian invasion.
Ministry spokesman Alexi Zaitsev told the briefing that the NATO military alliance should pull back forces from Eastern Europe, which could help reduce military tensions in the region.
"We have already repeatedly stated that our country does not intend to attack anyone. We consider even the thought of a war between our people to be unacceptable," Zaitsev says.
US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby is also due to hold a briefing this morning (Australia time).
News while you snoozed
- Both the Matildas and the Socceroos have had wins overnight in the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers respectively. The Matildas have locked in a spot in the Asian Cup quarter-finals after a disjointed 2-1 win over Thailand and the Socceroos' 4-0 victory against Vietnam means they remain in the running for an automatic World Cup qualifying spot
- Jewish survivors have spoken at the 77th memorial on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. One survivor, 87-year-old Inge Auerbacher, told the German parliament she still remembers the "terrible time of horror" and that a "hatred of Jews is commonplace again in many countries in the world" (that comes amid increasing reports of antisemitic behaviour and slurs across multiple countries).
What Australia has been searching for online
- Andrew O'Keefe. The former television host and White Ribbon ambassador has been charged after allegedly assaulting a woman at his Sydney apartment earlier this week
- Sam Schröder. Most of us were watching yesterday as the 22-year-old Dutchman defeated our very own Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott, to win the quad singles final at the Australian Open.
One more thing
It's Friday, which means it's News Quiz day.
If you're reading this far into The Loop, we reckon that means you've got a pretty good chance of making a good score — can you prove us right?
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