By Sarah Gill
03rd Feb 2023
03rd Feb 2023
Your speedy summary of today's must-read stories.
Minister appeals for refugee accommodation
Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman asked fellow ministers to find “sports centres… conference facilities, arts centres, student leisure centres [and] any other large buildings that are deemed safe” in order to house refugees amid the current shortage of accommodation. He went on to say that camp beds, mattresses, and sleeping bags are required.
Nick Kyrgios assault charges
Nick Kyrgios — an Australian tennis player — has had an assault charge dismissed by a magistrate after pleading guilty to shoving over his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari following an argument outside her apartment in 2021. Magistrate Beth Campbell threw out the charge, accepting the seriousness of the matter was “low-level” and indicating Kyrgios was not a risk of reoffending.
Iowa care centre fined
A care home in Iowa has been fined $10,000 after a funeral home discovered a 66-year-old woman sent to it in a body bag was still alive. The Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals said the woman was declared dead at the Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Centre on 3 January. She had been in hospice care since 28 December due to early onset dementia, anxiety and depression. Once found breathing but unresponsive, the woman was taken to hospital and ultimately returned to hospice care, where she died on 5 January.
Chinese spy balloon
US officials have said that a Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a couple of days. This comes ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Beijing. Fighter jets were mobilised but military leaders advised President Joe Biden against shooting the balloon out of the sky for fear debris could pose a safety threat.
Australia to legalise MDMA and magic mushrooms
Psychedelic substances MDMA and psilocybin – ecstasy and magic mushrooms – will soon be used in the treatment of depression and post-traumatic stress, and will be available via prescription after finding “sufficient evidence for potential benefits in certain patients”. Authorities in Canada and the United States are among those who have already permitted the medical use of MDMA and psilocybin.
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