Hantavirus travel warning issued by Australian authorities

Hantavirus travel warning issued by Australian authorities

9News

A fresh alert has been issued from the country at the centre of the outbreak of a virus which spread on a cruise ship.

Smarttraveller says hantavirus, which is spread through contact with infected rodents, "continues to be a risk in Argentina, including in and around Buenos Aires and northern Patagonia."

Three people have died as part of the outbreak.

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"Avoid contact with live or dead rodents, nests, burrows and droppings," the update says.

Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings, and the disease is not easily transmitted between people.

But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one to eight weeks after exposure.

Argentina remains a "green" country, which means to exercise "normal precautions."

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Officials in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province are challenging the idea that the ongoing deadly hantavirus outbreak may have emerged there, pushing instead for investigations into the other Argentine provinces that passengers visited before boarding the ill-fated Atlantic cruise ship.

Current and former officials in the archipelago at the southernmost point of South America insist that the virus did not originate from the trash heap in Ushuaia that national health authorities named earlier this week as the most likely place two Dutch tourists contracted it while bird-watching.

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Meanwhile, Australians on board the ship will have to wait on the vessel, despite other passengers departing, as they await a flight home.

The four Australian citizens, one permanent resident and a New Zealand national are expected to leave the Canary Islands, where passengers have finally begun to disembark, later today and touch down in Perth on Tuesday.

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A federal government spokesperson said Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade consular officers in Tenerife and Canberra had been closely coordinating the response while the Commonwealth and states are working through health and transport arrangements.

Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers who left the ship are infected with hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.

More cases of a deadly, rodent-borne illness could emerge in the coming weeks but the risk to public health is "low", according to the World Health Organisation.

"This is not another COVID. And the risk to the public is low. So they shouldn't be scared, and they shouldn't panic," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says.

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- with AP

Major e-commerce company looking to hire hundreds of workers ahead of seasonal sales

Major e-commerce company looking to hire hundreds of workers ahead of seasonal sales

9News

Amazon Australia has announced it will hire 850 seasonal workers across the country ahead of its annual July sale, Prime Day.

The work involves picking, packing and shipping orders from the company's warehouses across the country.

About half the roles are in Sydney, as well as more than 100 in Melbourne and Perth and smaller numbers in Brisbane and Adelaide. A full list of the roles on offer can be found below.

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Michelle Theophilou, a senior HR manager, said no experience was required.

"We provide all training on-site, so no experience is required, and over the years we've welcomed many people who have never set foot in a warehouse before," she said.

"All we're looking for is enthusiasm and a willingness to get involved."

Prime Day is Amazon's annual shopping event exclusive to Prime members.

At the beginning of last year, the Australia Institute found more than one million Australians were working two or more jobs.

State-based hiring numbers:

• In Sydney, Amazon is hiring for 435 roles across its fulfilment centres and delivery stations, including across its facilities in Kemps Creek, Horsley Park, Chullora, Eastern Creek, West Gosford and Bella Vista.
• In Brisbane, Amazon is hiring for 89 roles across its fulfilment centres and delivery stations, including across its facilities in Lytton and Pinkenba.
• In Melbourne, Amazon is hiring for 159 roles across its fulfilment centres and delivery stations, including across its facilities in Avalon, Dandenong South, Ravenhall and Mulgrave.
• In Perth, Amazon is hiring for 146 roles across its fulfilment centres and delivery stations, including across its facilities in Jandakot and Kewdale.
• In Adelaide, Amazon is hiring for 22 roles at its facility in Cavan.

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Joyce says One Nation will 'go for government' after historic win

Joyce says One Nation will 'go for government' after historic win

9News

Barnaby Joyce said One Nation is looking to target urban seats in parts of Sydney after their historic Farrer by-election win, claiming the party is aiming for government.

One Nation won its first-ever seat in the House of Representatives, with David Farley claiming the seat of former Liberal leader Sussan Ley in a canter, sending shockwaves through Australia's political sphere.

Farley secured 57 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, with the Liberal Party polling at just 12 per cent, raising existential questions about their future.

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However, Joyce insists One Nation won't rest on their laurels, and will target seats in parts of Western Sydney he claims could shift as part of the orange wave.

"I tell you what, I've met some people from the western suburbs of Sydney who are pretty happy that One Nation is on the move," he claimed on Today.

"This is not an issue that is about regional Australia, this is about [all of] Australia."

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He said recent results in Farrer and in the South Australian state election had removed previous tags over the party, and that One Nation was aiming to be in power rather than "maintaining the status quo."

"I don't think people see One Nation as racist; they view them as tough," he said.

"People say Labor are so strong in the western suburbs, Labor didn't even turn up to the Farrer by-election, that's how strong they are."

He also dismissed the idea that the route back to power for the conservative side of politics is to win back inner-city seats.

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"[People say] 'You've got to win back Teal seats', no you don't, you've got to look after people in the regional areas and the western suburbs of the major capitals," he claimed.

Some commentators have suggested the Liberal Party and One Nation could come together to form a Coalition government that could challenge Labor, an idea that was not dismissed by Liberal MP Tim Wilson yesterday.

However, Joyce insisted this was off the table, saying he would rather chase "policy outcomes" than ministries.

"We don't want your ministries, keep your ministries and your salaries. You've got all of the prizes, but you will deliver policy outcomes, because we will not be constricted by cabinet solidarity that has done over the Australian people," he said.

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Details of evacuation plan for hantavirus cruise ship revealed

Details of evacuation plan for hantavirus cruise ship revealed

9News

Passengers and crew stranded on the MV Hondius, which has been hit by a hantavirus outbreak, are set to finally leave the ship in the coming hours.

However, they will be under strict protocols, including only being able to take limited belongings with them when they disembark the ship when it docks on the Canary Islands.

The ship will not dock but will remain at anchor, with people ferried off in small boats. Everyone disembarking will be checked for symptoms and won't be taken off the ship until a flight is already in Tenerife waiting for them.

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The details were announced by Spain's Health Minister Monica Garcia during a news conference in Madrid, where she and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus looked to reassure the local community on the Canary Islands that there would be no outbreak on land.

"I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word 'outbreak' and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment," Tedros said in a statement to the people of Tenerife.

"But I need you to hear me clearly: This is not another COVID. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now."

Garcia said passengers and some crew would disembark in Tenerife "under maximum safety conditions".

There are more than 140 people from more than 20 different countries on board, including four Australian citizens and one permanent resident.

Authorities are aiming to complete the evacuation flights on Sunday and Monday, the director of the WHO's Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, Maria Van Kerkove, said in a briefing.

Those disembarking will leave behind their luggage, Garcia said, and will be allowed to take only a small bag with essential items, a mobile phone, charger and documentation.

Some crew, as well as the body of a passenger who died on board, will remain on the ship, which will sail on to the Netherlands, where it will undergo disinfection, the minister said.

Operation could be delayed as residents express concern

The operation to let passengers leave the stricken ship could be delayed, with Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo claiming some of the repatriation flights that were to take passengers back to their home countries had not arrived on time.

In an impromptu press conference held this morning, he claimed he was looking to cancel the operation due to the health risks it would pose to his community.

He is not the only one who is concerned.

Some on Tenerife say they are worried, on board the cruise ship, some Spanish passengers have voiced concern about being stigmatised.

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"I tell you, I don't like this very much," 69-year-old resident Simon Vidal said.

"Anyone can say what they want. Why did they have to bring a boat from another country here? Why not anywhere else, why bring it to the Canary Islands?"

Others said they empathised with the boat's passengers, but were still concerned.

"The truth is that it is very worrying," 27-year-old Venezuelan immigrant Samantha Aguero said.

"We feel a bit unsafe, we don't feel as there are 100 per cent security measures in place to welcome it.

"This is a virus after all and we have lived this during the pandemic. But we also need to have empathy."

Reported with Associated Press.

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Iran warns the US against attacks on its oil tankers and other ships

Iran warns the US against attacks on its oil tankers and other ships

9News

Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy warned that any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a “heavy assault” on one of the US bases in the region and enemy ships, even as a tenuous ceasefire appeared to be holding.

Iranian state TV reported the warning a day after the United States struck two Iranian oil tankers, casting doubt on the month-old ceasefire that the US has insisted is still in effect.

The US military said the tankers were trying to breach its blockade of Iran’s ports.

Meanwhile Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s regional headquarters, said it arrested dozens of people it alleged had links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

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Washington awaits Iran's response to its latest proposal for a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and roll back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow's proposal to take enriched uranium from Iran to help negotiate a settlement remains on the table.

Bahrain says arrests were linked to Guard funding attempt

Bahrain said it had arrested 41 people it said are part of a group affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard.

The interior ministry said investigations confirmed they were in contact with the Guard and collected funds “with the aim of sending them to Iran” to support its "terrorist operations.”

The small Persian Gulf island is led by a Sunni Muslim monarchy but, like Iran, has a majority Shiite population.

Rights groups have said the kingdom has used the war between Iran and the US, which bases its Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as an excuse to crack down on dissent.

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Iran issued a warning to Bahrain: “Siding with the US-backed resolution will bring severe consequences. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital lifeline; do not risk closing it on yourselves FOREVER," Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission of Iran’s parliament, said on social media.

Iran has mostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, causing a global spike in fuel prices and rattling world markets.

The US has imposed its own blockade of Iran’s ports. US Central Command said on Saturday its forces had turned back 58 commercial ships and “disabled” four since the blockade began April 13.

Britain deploys warship to the Middle East

Britain’s defence ministry said it was deploying a warship to the Middle East to join a potential mission to protect commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end.

The ministry said the HMS Dragon will “preposition” in the region, ready to join a UK and French-led security plan.

France announced this week it was moving its aircraft carrier strike group into the Red Sea in preparation.

Britain and France have led meetings involving several dozen countries on a coalition to re-establish freedom of navigation in the strait.

But they stress it won’t start until there is a sustainable ceasefire and the maritime industry is reassured ships can go through the strait safely.

Diplomacy continues ‘day and night’

US President Donald Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn’t accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program.

On Friday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the country was not paying attention to “deadlines,” according to state-run IRNA.

Diplomacy continues. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country has been in contact with the US and Iran “day and night” in an effort to extend the ceasefire and reach a peace deal.

Russia’s foreign ministry said that it, as well as Saudi Arabia, was calling for diplomatic efforts to reach a “sustainable, long-term agreement” to end the war.

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Separately, Putin told reporters in Moscow that taking enriched uranium from Iran to help negotiate a settlement would allow everyone to see “how much of it there is, and where it is located,” and “all of this would be placed under the control of the IAEA,” the UN nuclear watchdog.

Egyptian and Qatari top diplomats reiterated that diplomacy is the sole path to a solution, according to a readout of a phone call between the two foreign ministers.

Still publicly unseen and unheard since the war began is Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, fuelling speculation about his status.

On Friday, a top Iranian official said Khamenei was in “complete health” and eventually would appear in public.

Mazaher Hosseini, affiliated with the office of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the war, made the comment at a pro-government gathering.

Hosseini said Mojtaba, Khamenei's son, had knee and back injuries in the war’s opening attacks but they’ve largely healed.

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Woman fighting for life after Melbourne hit and run

Woman fighting for life after Melbourne hit and run

9News

Police are searching for the driver involved in an alleged hit and run that has left a woman fighting for life in Melbourne.

Police were told a woman in her 40s was walking on Swan Street near the intersection of Scott Street in Melton in Melbourne's west when she was hit by a small white hatchback at about 12.30 this morning.

The car failed to stop and was last seen driving away from the scene heading east along Swan Street.

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Items of clothing and shards of broken glass were seen at the site of the accident.

The woman was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police are urging anyone who witnessed the collision or anyone with footage or further information to contact Crime Stoppers.

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Jamie stood up to a $279b company. He won the battle

Jamie stood up to a $279b company. He won the battle

9News

Communities around Australia are rebelling against the Golden Arches.

It is often a classic David vs Goliath battle when civic-minded residents decide to challenge the deep-pocketed fast food giant as it attempts to move into a new suburb or town.

In many cases, councils are left with little choice other than to approve the Macca's.

But sometimes, the "little guy" actually wins.

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There are currently 18 petitions in NSW, Victoria, WA and Queensland on Change.org – known colloquially as the 'I'm not Lovin' It movement – which are attempting to block or amend development applications from McDonald's Australia.

Thousands of people from Cowes on Victoria's Philip Island to Boonah in Queensland have joined this movement.

Last year, when Crows Nest resident Jamie Vachon caught wind of a proposed 24/7 McDonald's near his home on Sydney's North Shore, he quickly mobilised a group of community advocates to try and stop it.

McDonald's had launched an application to open at an old Westpac branch office on Willoughby Road.

Vachon, who has lived in the area for 17 years, said he understood why McDonald's had eyed that site for a new restaurant.

Still, he felt "protective" over his community.

"Crows Nest is a developing area... the Metro is here now, we can't stop it from growing, but we already had a Subway, Oporto, Ogalo, an El Jannah nearby," Vachon told Nine.com.au.

"My biggest problem was the location – we didn't need it there.

"I thought it would have been better suited at the Metro."

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Vachon began a small-scale petition opposing the round-the-clock restaurant, which was signed by nearly 700 people.

He warned the Macca's would bring "crime, vandalism, litter, and random delivery drivers on footpaths and streets at all hours".

"This is nothing but a money grab by McDonald's with no care for the community," Vachon said.

Around 70 residents also lodged formal objections with North Sydney Council.

Following the community backlash, the council recommended that McDonald's reduce its trading hours and amended plans were submitted for a 5am-12am restaurant.

Soon after, McDonald's abandoned the $2.65 million proposal altogether.

Vachon said it was a huge "relief" to hear McDonald's had backed down.

Nearly 12 months on, he is proud of how his small but mighty community rallied for a common cause.

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Council knocks back Macca's in Ipswich

Alyson Lewis also joined a fight against a proposed Macca's development in Raceview, Ipswich in 2014.

She began a petition urging the council to reject an application to build a restaurant at a site which was only zoned for residential use.

Other residents protested outside council, citing the proposed site's proximity to two primary schools as a major concern.

Lewis told Nine.com.au that the Ipswich City Council rejected the drive-through restaurant before her petition gathered enough steam.

"We had multiple McDonald's nearby already, we just didn't need it," Lewis said.

"I doorknocked around the area at the time, I spoke to mums near the school, the community just didn't want it."

In August 2014, Ipswich City Council rejected the development application and the site remained a residential area.

Over the past 12 years, Lewis said Raceview has remained happily Macca's-free.

And if locals want a tasty fast-food meal from the Golden Arches, the closest outlet is just a 10-minute drive away in Booval.

In a statement shared with Nine.com.au, a spokesperson for McDonald's Australia acknowledged community concerns around development applications.

The spokesperson said the fast food giant is continuing to invest in Australia by recruiting franchisees.

"As we continue to grow, we're delivering more new restaurants, creating tens of thousands of new jobs, recruiting new franchisees, increasing our spend with our Aussie supply chain, and investing in more innovative ways to deliver great value, convenience, and a great customer experience," the spokesperson said.

"We are committed to engaging with councils and communities to ensure we're listening to feedback and submitting development applications for restaurants that are thoughtfully designed for the community.

"This includes limiting the impact of common concerns such as traffic, noise, and waste, and promoting our potential to contribute as a local employer and a business committed to giving back to the neighbourhood."

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Communities losing fight against Golden Arches

The story doesn't always end happily for community advocates.

In Northcote, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, residents opposing a 24/7 McDonald's on High Street were left disappointed when the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) reversed a decision by Darebin City Council to block the restaurant.

A similar narrative is unfolding in Newtown in Sydney's inner-west.

Despite furious backlash from locals, McDonald's has re-lodged an application to open a restaurant on busy King Street. The renewed application, with shorter opening hours, is under council review.

Locals on the Mornington Peninsula also lost their six-year fight against a Macca's which is set to be built metres from the foreshore.

Nine.com.au has contacted McDonald's Australia for comment.

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Thousands of staff at $60bn Aussie company suddenly stop working

Thousands of staff at $60bn Aussie company suddenly stop working

9News

Thousands of staff at Australia's most valuable technology company have stopped work for an entire week, swapping their usual duties for an intensive artificial intelligence (AI) experiment.

Over 5300 people at multi-billion dollar software giant Canva's global workforce joined the company's second-ever "AI Discovery Week", which kicked off on Monday.

During the optional week-long program, staff ditched meetings and paused all projects to "go deep on AI" and upskill in the rapidly developing technology.

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It involves over 60 talks from speakers at fellow tech behemoths Open AI, Anthropic and Google, workshops and "hackathons".

While it was not a mandatory program, it is understood so many staff at Canva's Sydney headquarters opted in that the office ran out of desk space.

"We see this as an opportunity for folks to tune out of the noise and tune in to what it is they've been wanting to achieve with AI, but haven't been able to crack yet," said Canva's co-founder and chief product officer Cameron Adams.

"The part I'm most excited about this year is the company-wide Hackathon at the end of the week.

"The brief is to build something that would have been impossible without AI. Not faster workflows, but genuinely new ones that didn't exist as a realistic option before."

The first Canva Discovery Week took place in July last year.

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Adams said at the time that the idea was to help upskill Canva employees into an "AI-savvy workforce".

"The potential to get left behind in the AI age is real, and leaders absolutely need to provide clear vision and instruction around where AI fits into their team's daily work," he said.

Canva, which made its Rich List co-founders Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams multi-billionaires, has invested heavily in AI over the past few years.

The $60 billion dollar Sydney start-up snapped up two local AI companies last month in an undisclosed deal.

The deal brought the number of Canva's AI acquisitions to eight since 2024, with a reported total of $400 million investment made in the rapidly-growing technology so far.

Canva reached its highest-ever valuation of more than $60 billion last year following an employee share sale in August.

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Court strikes down Donald Trump's 10 per cent tariffs on everyone

Court strikes down Donald Trump's 10 per cent tariffs on everyone

9News

Donald Trump's sweeping 10 per cent tariff on nearly all imports globally has been found to be illegal by a US court.

The Court of International Trade struck down the taxes that the president applied in February.

Trump brought in those tariffs using a provision in a 1974 law that had never before been used for that purpose.

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But the court found that the law was wrongly invoked to apply the tariffs.

The White House is yet to comment on the ruling, which would require the US government to make another massive refund to importers.

The tariffs applied to most countries, including Australia.

The administration argued that when the 1974 law spoke of "balance of payments deficits", it was the same as a "trade deficit".

But the court was unimpressed.

"It is clear that Congress was aware of the differences in the words it chose," the judges wrote.

Trump brought in the 10 per cent blanket tariff in February after the Supreme Court struck down his other tariffs.

The administration is now mired in the bureaucratic headache of refunding more than $180 billion in unlawful taxes.

"I hate to pay people back," a visibly angry Trump said when speaking about that decision earlier this week.

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The administration will now also have to also refund all the tariff money taken in the past three months.

Trump can still appeal today's decision to the Supreme Court.

But in issuing their ruling today, the judges specifically cited February's Supreme Court decision.

Democrats are now using the refund delays as a cudgel against Trump.

"It's been 75 days since the Supreme Court ruled the president's tariff-taxes illegal," Senator John Hickenlooper said. 

"He still refuses to pay you back."

Australia's biggest export to the US is still under an 100 per cent tariff applied under a different law.

Australia exports $1.6 billion in pharmaceutical products.

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The bulk of the sector's value comes from one company, CSL, a major producer of blood plasma products based in Melbourne.

"This is the wrong decision by a partner of a successful free trade agreement that has endured for more than 20 years," Health Minister Mark Butler said when it was introduced.

"We want the US administration to think again and to reverse this decision."

The minister reassured that the tariffs will not have an impact on pharmaceutical prices to customers here in Australia.

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Gold Coast toddler's condition improves after inhaling cake decorating dust

Gold Coast toddler's condition improves after inhaling cake decorating dust

9News

The mother of a Gold Coast toddler who was put in an induced coma after inhaling cake decorating dust has given a hopeful update on his condition.

Speaking outside Queensland Children's Hospital to the Today Show this morning, mum Katie Robinson said her son Dusty Wildman was doing a bit better after spending days in a coma.

"He's improved a little bit, which has been such a relief for all of us," she said. 

"They are looking at taking out his breathing tube sometime today, so we're very much looking forward to that."

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Robinson, who is a professional baker, was making a Bluey cake for a first birthday last Friday when her Dusty found a canister of cake decorating gold. 

"He just, all of a sudden, got into my drawer and within seconds, had breathed in this dust and inhaled it and ingested it at the same time," Robinson said.

"It was just so fast we didn't even know what had happened. He was just coughing, and it got worse and worse by the minute." 

The little boy was rushed to hospital, where Robinson learnt the dust contained copper, which would not dissolve in blood and gathered in Dusty's lungs. 

The label on the cake dust said the product is "for use on removal parts" and that it is non-toxic. 

There is no ingredients list, which meant doctors had to send the container to a lab to discover it contained copper and zinc. 

The supplier has pulled the product from shelves and contacted all stockists. 

Robinson is now calling for better regulation on cake decorating products.

"I just can't believe that these products are being sold alongside similar products that are edible. It's something that shouldn't be happening," she said.

The family is now waiting anxiously to see how Dusty fares after his tube is taken out. 

Robinson said her son had shown he was a fighter.

"He is so strong. He's been fighting so hard. The doctors are so happy with him," she said.

"He is pushing back, and he's saying that he's ready to have that tube taken out." 

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