Hi there. It's Thursday, November 10 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here
If you're reading this from Queensland, it might be worth chucking that dusty old cloth mask that's been sitting in the bottom of the sock drawer in the washing machine.
The state government is recommending people wear masks again in certain settings from tomorrow after a significant increase in COVID cases both in the community and in hospitals.
"The fourth wave that we have been expecting now we believe has arrived," Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
"No-one should be alarmed. We have been living with this virus for a long time and Queenslanders know what to do."
Queensland's Chief Medical Officer Dr John Gerrard says his biggest concern ahead of the peak of the fourth Omicron wave is the number of people over 50 who aren't up to date with their COVID vaccinations.
What else is going on
- The ABC understands an illegal release of Medibank data overnight includes data linking hundreds of customers to terminating pregnancies. Medibank is emphasising that people may have had terminations for a range of reasons, including ectopic pregnancy, miscarriages and complications. Hackers claim they demanded a $US9.7 million ($15.09 million) ransom not to release stolen customer information
- First home buyers in NSW will have the option to choose between paying stamp duty or a land tax from this Saturday after the premier's signature property reform passed parliament. The scheme is only on offer for properties costing up to $1.5 million or vacant land up to $800,000
What Australia has been searching for online
- Kherson. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered his troops to withdraw from the illegally annexed city and surrounding areas. It's one of Russia's most significant retreats and a potential turning point in the war, now nearing the end of its ninth month, but Ukraine's officials say they remain skeptical of the statement.
- Jennifer Aniston. The 53-year-old actor has revealed her fertility struggles in an interview with Allure, admitting that "the ship has sailed" but saying she has "no regrets".
"All the years and years and years of speculation ... it was really hard. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it. I was throwing everything at it. I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me, 'Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favour.' You just don’t think it. So here I am today."
- Jennifer Aniston to Allure Magazine
One more thing
Remember how a little family of lions breached a containment fence at Taronga Zoo and sent the entire campus into emergency response mode last week?
Well, we've finally got some more information about what happened — and it turns out some of the adventurous felines breached not just one fence, but two.
An investigation into the incident has found the five lions were playing with a section of fence for about 20 minutes before it failed, allowing them to squeeze through a gap.
The zoo this afternoon released a statement this afternoon confirming two lion cubs made it past a second fence — which is at odds with initial updates which suggested all five animals made it out of their enclosure but not into public areas of the zoo.
One of those cubs made its way back into its exhibit and the other was tranquillised.
The lions remain in an outdoor, back-of-house holding area as the investigation into the incident continues.
You're up to date
Catch you again soon.
ABC/wires
