Good afternoon. The Albanese government confirmed it will permit salmon farming to continue in Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania, despite concerns from conservationists about the risks to the endangered Maugean skate.
The environment minister, Murray Watt, wrote to three environment groups on Wednesday to notify them of the widely expected decision, which follows the passage of amendments to Australia’s nature laws to protect the salmon industry earlier this year.
The groups had asked the government in 2023 to reconsider a 2012 decision to allow a salmon farming expansion in Macquarie Harbour without an assessment under Australia’s environmental laws.
Watt said all relevant information had been carefully considered before reaching his decision, but the Bob Brown Foundation and the Australia Institute accused Watt of condemning the skate to extinction.
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In pictures
The CSIRO has officially opened a new Diversity building in Canberra, which includes a combined 13 million specimens from the Australian National Wildlife Collection and Australian National Insect Collection. Inside temperature-controlled vaults are 55,000 birds, 17,000 orchids preserved in ethanol and the world’s largest collection of Australian insects and related invertebrates – including 2.4 million moths and butterflies and more than 1 million beetles.
What they said …
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“I did it. I threw a sandwich.”
A criminal complaint alleges Sean Charles Dunn, 37, said the above after being arrested for allegedly throwing a Subway sandwich at a US Customs and Border Protection agent in Washington DC. Captured in a now viral video, the man authorities have identified as Dunn could be seen yelling “fascists!” and “shame!” at a group of officers as they patrolled the district on Sunday night. Dunn has been charged with assaulting a federal officer – a felony that could result in up to a year in jail and significant fines.
Full Story
Al Jazeera’s managing editor on Israel’s killing of journalists in Gaza
Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif was on air until Sunday, when the 28-year-old correspondent was killed along with five other journalists in a targeted strike carried out by Israel.
Al Jazeera’s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, tells Nour Haydar why al-Sharif refused to leave Gaza, even though “he knew this day would come”.
Listen to the episode here
Before bed read
Twenty years after they first hit the shelves, five-toed “barefoot shoes” are apparently having a big fashion moment. But what is it like to wear them in public? Tim Dowling spent a week in the world’s most divisive shoes, and found them ugly, mortifying – and strangely addictive.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: URDE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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