G'day. It's Tuesday, 22/2/22 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here
The NSW government has dropped its case against the rail workers' union in the Fair Work Commission.
The decision to withdraw the case followed what Transport Minister David Elliott described as a "full and frank" meeting with union officials today.
The NSW Rail, Bus and Tram Union said today's decision to abandon the Fair Work case came after the union asked to see the "risk assessment" used to justify the decision to shut down the rail network on Monday.
"The risk assessment hasn't been forthcoming," union state secretary Alex Claassens said.
The Transport Minister revealed he personally had not seen the risk assessment by Transport NSW that triggered the shutdown of services but he said the decision was justified.
The state government says it hopes the rail network can continue to run on a "COVID timetable" for the rest of the week before returning to full weekday services on Monday.
What else is going on?
- The tensions between Ukraine and Russia have reached a new peak over the past 24 hours or so. Chief of the Australian Army Rick Burr told the ABC just this afternoon that Russia was the only country that had control of the next phase of the conflict, and that he remained "deeply concerned by Russia's activities"
More on Russia-Ukraine tensions:
- The federal government is considering a range of visa options for Ukrainians who may have to flee the country in the event of a Russian invasion
- The United States has told the UN Security Council the deployment of what Russia calls a peacekeeping force in eastern Ukraine is "nonsense"
- Boris Johnson says Russia's move to recognise the independence of two Ukrainian breakaway states is in 'breach of international law'
- US President Joe Biden has vowed to respond "swiftly and decisively" to further "Russian aggression" against Ukraine
- You can also follow updates as they come through with our live blog
- Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says relaxing isolation requirements for household contacts of COVID-19 positive cases will be the next step in living with the virus. The national expert health panel is considering whether to change the rules
News alerts you might have missed
- Tonga's international internet and phone cable has been reconnected more than a month after it was cut off by a volcanic eruption and tsunami
- A Melbourne father who gunned down his own daughter and her husband has been sentenced to life in prison over the "cold-hearted" killings
Don't forget we've got a stack of dedicated alert topics so you can tailor the news that's delivered to your fingertips exactly the way you want. Find out more here.
What Australia has been searching for online
- Mask rules in Victoria. Yep, they're changing again. Premier Daniel Andrews announced today that masks would no longer be required in most indoor settings from this Saturday (but they're still required on public transport, in hospitals, in some school settings and for workers in hospitality and retail). Queensland also announced it was easing some mask restrictions
- Novak Djokovic. The Serbian tennis player has won his first match of the year at the Dubai Championships after a rocky start to 2022 which saw him deported from Australia before the Australian Open in January
One more thing
It's been a year since some of the world's biggest social media platforms banned former US president Donald Trump from their services.
Trump's Truth Social app is available to download from the Apple App Store for a limited number of subscribers who have pre-ordered. Others who joined a waiting list are set to be given access over the next week or two.
The site is not expected to be available to anyone who wants it until next month.
The company is already facing financial hurdles, with a potential merging partner being investigated by regulators, and the app reportedly experiencing technical glitches shortly after it launched.
Before Twitter permanently barred him from posting last year, Mr Trump had tweeted nearly 60,000 times and had almost 90 million followers. Earlier this week his Truth Social followers were listed at 12,000.
You're up to date
Thanks for reading.
ABC/wires
