Good morning, it's Thursday, March 10. Here's what you need to get going today.
One thing to know right now: The ADF is going to expand to its largest size since the Vietnam War
Here's the lowdown:
- Later today Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be unveiling a $38 billion plan to boost the number of full-time uniformed personnel in the Australian Defence Force to almost 80,000 by 2040
- That's an extra 18,500 troops, which is 6,000 more than the "critical minimum" recommended by Defence
- In the short term, there will be an extra 800 uniformed ADF troops, 250 public servants and an unspecified number of Australian Signals Directorate personnel added by 2024
- The overarching plan doesn't appear to include anything about establishing a dedicated disaster relief service within the ADF or boosting reserve numbers
What's the latest on the Ukrainian war?
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of carrying out an air strike that severely damaged a hospital in the southern port city of Mariupol
- Mariupol's city council said the hospital had been hit but it did not know casualty figures
- Russia said it would hold fire to let civilians flee besieged cities, but efforts to evacuate Mariupol appeared to fail again, like several previous attempts since Saturday
- Local officials in other cities said some civilians had left through safe corridors, including out of Sumy in eastern Ukraine and Enerhodar in the south
News while you snoozed
Let's get you up to speed.
- The first person to ever receive a heart transplant from a genetically altered pig has died two months after the experimental procedure. David Bennett, 57, had severe heart disease and signed up for the transplant knowing it might not work
- Some residents in Victoria's far east are being told to prepare to move to higher ground, with flooding warnings issued for the Snowy River, which may exceed moderate flood levels this morning. A Watch and Act alert was issued for areas downstream of Basin Creek and Jarrahmond
- South Korean opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol has been elected president after an unusually bitter election campaign marred by scandals and smears
The news Australia is searching for
- Dolly Parton: The country singer was on Apple Music Country’s The Kelleigh Bannen Show and shared some advice her mother gave her: "Always keep something back for you." As CNBC points out, it's advice you can apply to a lot of things — your career, your relationships, life in general … and when slicing up a cake. She went on to explain: "You can give what you’ve got, but don't give it all away."
- Wheels or doors: That is the question, apparently. While you were minding your business, the internet debate was raging on about whether there are more doors or wheels in the world. Makes you think:
One more thing: Some sharks actually do sleep
We've all heard that sharks don't sleep.
But a group of Aussie and Kiwi researchers have come up with the first documented physiological evidence of sleep in sharks — but they don't always shut their eyes like you and me.
They compared metabolic rates and posture of draughtsboard sharks across a 24 hour period and found their systems slowed down and they displayed "flat body posture", which was consistent with sleep.
And while they sometimes closed their eyes during sleep, it was more often during the day than at night, so researchers think it's more about blocking out the light than needing to have their eyes shut to get a bit of figurative shut-eye.
So why did we think sharks didn't sleep?
Because some sharks — but not draughtsboard sharks — have to keep moving to be able to respire through their gills and, if they stop, they die.
But the study's lead author, Michael Kelly of La Trobe University, told The Guardian that animals don't have to be still to be asleep:
"The idea was ... those animals aren't sleeping because they move continuously.
"Staying still is not a criteria for sleep.
"We see that in marine mammals — whales and dolphins are able to keep swimming and sleep — [and] we know that birds are able to keep flying and sleep."
That's it for now
We'll be back later on with more.
ABC/wires
