Month: March 2021

Justice Department to Conduct Review on Combating Hate Crimes

Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered the Justice Department on Tuesday to conduct a review on combating hate crimes amid increased scrutiny on reports of assault against Asian Americans. The attorney general issued a department-wide memo announcing the 30-day review, citing the “recent rise in hate crimes and hate incidents, particularly the disturbing trend in reports of violence…


Vaccine Passports May Not Be Effective in Reducing Spread of COVID-19: Experts

Experts say that relying solely on vaccine passports to allow people to engage in certain activities again is not an effective mitigation tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and may distract from other necessary interventions or from the message of vaccination itself. “I think pinning all our hopes on and putting all our efforts…


Vaccine Passports May Not Be Effective in Reducing Spread of COVID-19

Experts say that relying solely on vaccine passports to allow people to engage in certain activities again is not an effective mitigation tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and may distract from other necessary interventions or from the message of vaccination itself. “I think pinning all our hopes on and putting all our efforts…


Byron Bay Bluesfest Cancelled Due to CCP Virus

The Byron Bay Bluesfest has been cancelled for a second consecutive year as a preventative measure to minimise the risk of transmission of the CCP virus which has been spread in the local area. The NSW Minister for Health Brad Hazzard signed a public order on Wednesday afternoon to cancel the popular annual music festival…


Australia Joins 13 Countries in Voicing Concerns Over the WHO Study on CCP Virus Origin

Australia has joined 13 other countries in expressing their shared concerns about the veracity of a World Health Organization (WHO) study into the origins of the CCP virus. The WHO study, written jointly by a team of Chinese and international scientists, declared that the possibility of virus transmission from bats to humans via an intermediary…


Watergate Figure G. Gordon Liddy Dies at Age 90

G. Gordon Liddy, a former FBI agent who helped orchestrate the 1972 Watergate break-in, a crime that began the unraveling of Richard Nixon’s presidency, died on Tuesday at the age of 90. Liddy, who leveraged his Watergate fame into a 20-year career as a conservative talk-radio host, died surrounded by family at the home of…


Pets Now Protected in Domestic Violence Orders in New South Wales

Pets of domestic violence victims in New South Wales (NSW) will now have greater protection from abuse under new laws, which states that companion animals will be also be protected when a domestic violence order is granted. NSW Attorney-General and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Mark Speakman said the protection of pets will now…


ACCC Calls for Comprehensive Overhaul of Murray-Darling Water Markets

An independent agency should be established to oversee trading activity in the water markets for the Murray-Darling Basin, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). It’s one of the 29 recommendations made by the consumer watchdog in its 700-page final report (pdf) of the Murray-Darling Basin water markets inquiry. Prime Minister Scott Morrison…


3 Brazilian Military Chiefs Quit Following Bolsonaro’s Replacement of Defense Minister

The leaders of all three branches of Brazil’s armed forces jointly resigned Tuesday following President Jair Bolsonaro’s replacement of the defense minister. The Defense Ministry reported the resignations—apparently unprecedented since at least the end of military rule 36 years ago—in a statement released without giving reasons. Replacements were not named. The announcement came after the…


104 Years Old Music Teacher Playing Beethoven

Her music and energy are incredible.