Good evening!
It's Thursday, February 3. Here's what's been happening today.
One thing to know: New Zealand is reopening to the world... gradually
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the plan to open the nation's international borders in a press conference today. Here's the gist of it:
- New Zealanders who have been stranded in Australia will be able to return home from February 27 — there won't be hotel quarantine, but they'll have to isolate at home for 10 days
- But Kiwis stranded in other countries will have to wait until March 13. That's also when skilled workers and people on working holiday visas will be able to enter
- Temporary visa holders, people with critical workforce exemptions and up to 5,000 international students will be able to go to NZ from April 12
- Anyone from Australia will be able to enter by July — but no concrete date has been set yet
- And the border will fully reopen by October
A wreck that may or may not be Captain Cook's ship
- At 11am AEDT, the Australian National Maritime Museum announced that a shipwreck in Newport Harbour, off Rhode Island in the US, had been confirmed as Captain Cook's Endeavour
- "Based on archival and archaeological evidence, I'm convinced it's the Endeavour," the museum's director and CEO Kevin Sumption said
- But about an hour later, the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP) said that announcement was "premature" and a "breach of contract"
- The project's director, Kathy Abbass, said there was "no indisputable data" to prove the wreck was the Endeavour and there were still "many unanswered questions" that, if answered, could suggest it's actually a different ship
- "When the study is done, RIMAP will post the legitimate report on its website," she said
News you might have missed
Let's get you up to speed.
- The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) approved COVID booster shots for 16- and 17-year-olds from three months after a second dose. That's effective immediately
- Aerial skier Laura Peel and figure skater Brendan Kerry were this evening named as Australia's flag-bearers for the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony
The news Australia is searching for
- Rudy Giuliani: Remember that name? You might recall him from Donald Trump's presidency and associate him with Four Seasons Total Landscaping or dripping hair dye. The latest story doing the rounds is that he reportedly appeared on the US version of The Masked Singer — according to Deadline, judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke "quickly left the stage in protest" after the reveal. But the entertainment site wouldn't reveal which costume he was in, because the show doesn't air for another month
- NASA: The US space administration plans on crashing the International Space Station (ISS) into the Pacific Ocean in January 2031, when the station will be officially retired. NASA says operations on the ISS were extended until 2030 to allow for more research to be done and to prepare for the transition to "one or more commercially-owned and -operated low-Earth orbit destinations"
One more thing: A hen has been taken into custody for wandering into a Pentagon security area
This suss lookin' chook was found sticky beaking around the US Department of Defense headquarters in the early hours of Monday morning.
She ended up with the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Virginia.
"We are not allowed to disclose exactly where she was found," the league's spokesperson Chelsea Jones said.
"We can only say it was at a security checkpoint."
Ms Jones described the bird — who has been named/given the alias of Henny Penny — as "sweet" and "nervous" but said she has allowed some people to pet her.
That's it for now
We'll be back in the morning with a fresh batch of the good stuff.
ABC/wires
