Bleaching and some dead coral around Jarvis Island, which is part of the US Pacific Remote Marine National Monument. Photo / AP
Bleaching and some dead coral around Jarvis Island, which is part of the US Pacific Remote Marine National Monument. Photo / AP
1 Meeting on reefs
More than 2000 international reef scientists, policymakers and stakeholders are gathering in Hawaii to discuss the latest coral science and what can be done to stop widespread death of the world's reefs. The International Coral Reef Symposium convenes today to try to create a more unified conservation plan for coral reefs. In the face of global warming and after decades of increasingly devastating coral reef destruction, the world's top marine scientists are struggling to find the political and financial wherewithal to tackle the loss of these globally important ecosystems.
2 Black boxes tested
Investigators have begun analysing the two severely damaged black boxes from EgyptAir flight MS804 as they seek to explain why the plane plunged into the sea, killing all 66 people on board. It would require "lots of time and effort" to fix the two badly damaged black box recorders, sources on Egypt's Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee said. The committee said it started the analysis of the devices, with representatives from France and the United States, which are crucial to explaining why the Airbus A320 crashed on May 19 en route from Paris to Cairo. The memory units from both the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the Flight Data Recorder were extracted and dried in a military facility for eight hours. Investigators are now conducting electrical tests on the memory units, the final step before trying to extract data.
Labor and the Coalition sit deadlocked at 50-50 in the latest poll as the Australian election enters its final two weeks. The latest Newspoll published in the Australian shows on a two-party preferred basis surveyed voters were evenly split over their support for the major parties, while giving the two leaders an almost identical low satisfaction rating. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's satisfaction rating fell one point to match a record low of 36 per cent, while his dissatisfaction rating was static at 52 per cent, giving him a net negative satisfaction rating of 15 points. Opposition leader Bill Shorten sits on a negative net satisfaction rating of 16 points, an improvement from 19, while his satisfaction rating rose to 35 per cent, with 51 per cent of surveyed voters dissatisfied.
4 Hospital shootout
A group of heavily-armed men stormed a Rio de Janeiro hospital to free a suspected drug trafficker, sparking a shootout with officers that left a patient dead and a nurse and an off-duty policeman wounded. At least five attackers entered the Hospital Souza Aguiar before dawn to rescue the 28-year-old suspect, who was being treated there for a gunshot wound, Rio de Janeiro police said. As many as 15 other gunmen were outside during the attack, witnesses told police. Investigators were studying security camera footage, and Rivaldo Barbosa, head of the state's homicide unit, said two of the assailants had been identified. Souza Aguiar is one of five hospitals designated to treat tourists during the Olympic Games in August.
A child posts a photograph of Alejandro 'Jano' Fuentes outside Tras Bambalinas music school in Chicago. Photo / AP
A Chicago singer who appeared on the Mexican version of The Voice in 2011 has died after he was shot in an ambush while celebrating his birthday with friends. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office confirmed that 45-year-old Alejandro "Jano" Fuentes died yesterday. He was shot three times in the head on Friday outside his Tras Bambalinas School on Chicago's southwest side. The attack happened less than a week after the killing of Christina Grimmie, who appeared on the US version of the show. WGN television said police were investigating whether the Fuentes shooting was an attempted carjacking or a robbery.
6 He's mine
A 6-year-old girl who donated an inheritance she'd received to a tiger conservation programme will officially name a cub at the late Steve Irwin's Sunshine Coast zoo. Steve's daughter Bindi Irwin will be on hand at Australia Zoo today to welcome Audrey Spendlove, who will meet and announce the name of the zoo's newest Sumatran tiger, born in early April. Audrey, who lives in Canberra, became the cub's official sponsor after donating an inheritance she'd received from her grandparents to the Wildlife Warriors' programme, which protects tigers in Sumatra. The newest cub has joined fellow youngsters, Scout and Delilah, for walks at the zoo and is on display.
7 Freak storm
A freak storm has left a path of destruction on the Sunshine Coast, while other parts of southeast Queensland are preparing to assess the damage from the weekend's big wet. The Mooloolaba street of Akeringa Place seems to be hardest hit, with homes and cars significantly damaged. "We have roofs off houses power poles down smashed cars and stuff everywhere," local resident Tamika Cahill posted on the Sunny Coast Community Board. More than 70mm of rain fell in Brisbane in an hour on Sunday, thousands of homes lost power, and there was flash flooding on several roads. A woman and her daughter were rescued from their stranded car in the southern Brisbane suburb of Coopers Plains.
8 Fishing row
China accused Indonesia of firing on its fishermen and injuring one of them in the South China Sea. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing launched a strong protest over what it termed the Indonesian Navy's harassment of Chinese fishermen. It said several Indonesian naval ships opened fire on the boats in a disputed fishing ground on Friday. One crew member was injured, while another fishing boat and seven crew were detained. "China strongly protests and condemns such excessive use of force," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency. The agency said the incident took place in a "traditional Chinese fishing ground" where the two countries have overlapping maritime claims. Indonesia's Navy confirmed the incident, saying a Chinese-flagged vessel was detained, but that nobody was harmed. The navy said it intercepted 12 foreign vessels illegally fishing which fled as the warships approached. Navy vessels pursued and fired several warning shots, until eventually a Chinese-flagged ship was stopped and boarded.
