Hi there. It's Wednesday, August 31 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here: COVID-19 isolation rules have changed
A national cabinet meeting earlier this afternoon agreed to reduce the isolation period for asymptomatic cases from seven to five days. Here's what you need to know:
- People who test positive for COVID-19 will only need to isolate for five days from next Friday, September 9
- Workers in high-risk settings, including disability and aged care, and those who have symptoms are still required to isolate for a full seven days
- Support payments for people required to isolate will also be shortened from September 9
- Requirements to wear face masks on domestic flights will also be scrapped from September 9
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the relaxed rules were a "proportionate response at this point in the pandemic"
You can read more about the changes here.
We heard a lot about Mikhail Gorbachev
The former leader of the Soviet Union has died in Russia at the age of 91 after a long illness.
Gorbachev ended the Cold War without bloodshed and forged arms reduction deals with the US and partnerships with Western powers to remove the Iron Curtain that divided Europe since World War II and helped reunify Germany.
But he failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, which began when pro-democracy protests swept across the bloc of communist nations in eastern Europe in 1989 and fuelled aspirations for autonomy in the 15 republics.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Price in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War, but was widely despised in his home country, with Russians blaming him for the 1991 implosion of the Soviet Union.
Political figures around the world have paid their respects to the former leader, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying his "legacy is one we will not forget", while Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to his family.
Others on social media have also remembered Gorbachev as the star of a Pizza Hut commercial — but more on that in a moment.
News alerts you might have missed
- The US Department of Justice says Donald Trump's team likely hid and removed classified documents from his Mar-a-Lago estate to obstruct its investigation
- Four Australian superannuation funds with almost $25 billion in total assets will close to new members after failing the financial regulator's annual performance test for the second time
- The Australian Electoral Commission says it was forced to ask social media platform TikTok to keep footage of its staff offline in the lead-up to the May federal election, after efforts by fringe groups and politicians were using it to promote "stolen election" narratives
What Australia has been searching for online
- Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor has split from his girlfriend, American model and actress Camila Morrone, shortly after her 25th birthday. The pair had dated for four years.
- Phantom Galaxy. The latest photos from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have revealed stunning new details of a galaxy 32 million light-years away.
- Pizza Hut. A commercial from 1998 filmed in Russia is doing the rounds on social media after Mikhail Gorbachev's death. The ad shows a family inside the restaurant discussing his political legacy after seeing him dining nearby with his granddaughter, and is widely considered as showcasing capitalism's victory in Russia.
One more thing
Is Apple about to make its first foray into virtual reality? Trademarks filed in several countries (including here in Australia) appear to say so — and it would mark Apple's first new product category in years.
Apple has long been rumoured to be moving into augmented reality and developing a headset, but trademark filings spotted by Bloomberg show trademarks have been filed for "Reality One", "Reality Pro" and "Reality Processor".
The tech giant didn't make these trademarks themselves, but they do follow a pattern Apple has used in the past of using other companies and law firms to lock down brands without causing suspicion.
So when will we get confirmation? Apple is hosting an event on Thursday, September 8 at 3am AEST where it will unveil the new iPhone 14 and Apple Watch models — but insiders say the company won't tell all then, so a late 2022 unveiling for its virtual reality headset (at the earliest) is looking more likely.
You're up to date
We'll be back with more tomorrow.
ABC/wires
