The Loop: COVIDSafe's dismal track record, Australia's financial outlook, Princess Mary tests positive for COVID-19 and octopuses feel pain

Good morning, it's Thursday, December 16. Here's what you need to get going today.

One thing to know right now: Remember the COVIDsafe app? It hasn't been doing much lately...

The COVIDSafe app was launched by the government in mid-2020. (ABC News)

Here's the lowdown:

• From the middle of May to the middle of November, a time period that took in the NSW, the ACT and Victorian outbreaks, just 13 people consented to using their data for contact tracing
• Of that, just nine useful "encounters" were identified and just two of those were considered close contacts ... that's two close contacts in six months 
• However, to be fair, for most of that time, the app only picked up interactions of 15 minutes or longer — it was recalibrated in mid-October to allow contact tracers to see interactions between people of just one minute or more
• In its latest report on the app, the federal Health Department acknowledges contact tracing will become less relevant as more states learn to live with the virus, but argues it'll still have a role to play
• Labor, however, says it should be either overhauled or abandoned 
• Back in September, the total cost for the app had reached $9 million — it's not clear if it has cost us any more in the months since

One thing you’ll be hearing about today: MYEFO

• That stands for Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook — and when we're talking "mid-year", we're talking financial years, not calendar years (because with all this tinsel and festive cheer going around, I'm very aware we're not mid-calendar year)
• The Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will give an update on how the economy is faring at 12:30pm AEDT
• He's tipped to reveal the nation's economic recovery from the pandemic is tracking better than originally expected, however, economists are warning it all rests on the pandemic remaining under control 
• Today's update will also forecast that unemployment will drop to its lowest level since 2008 within the next two years
• It could be the last budget document we get to see before the federal election, so don't be surprised if Mr Frydenberg's speech comes off as a bit of a pre-election pitch to voters

News while you snoozed

Let's get you up to speed:

Princess Mary is isolating in the Danish royal palace.  (AAP: Ben Rushton)

• Princess Mary of Denmark has tested positive for coronavirus. The Australian-born royal is isolating in a wing of the Amalienborg Palace in the heart of Copenhagen. The virus has not been detected among other members of the Danish royal family
• The UK reported 78,610 new cases of COVID-19, which is Britain's highest daily total of the pandemic — it's about 10,000 cases more than the previous record in January 
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr Putin made it clear he considered China an ally and was keen for the Russian delegation to participate in the Games

• Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has pleaded guilty to charges he violated George Floyd's civil rights as he killed him in 2020— that's a reversal of the not guilty plea he entered in September. Chauvin had already been sentenced to 22-and-a-half years earlier this year for killing Mr Floyd by kneeling on his neck during an arrest

The news Australia is searching for

• Bluesfest: George Benson, Morcheeba, The Marcus King Band, The Wailers, Amadou & Mariam, The War And Treaty, Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram and Cory Henry have been added to lineup for the festival, which is due to be held in Byron Bay this coming Easter. Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, Crowded House and Jimmy Barnes are headlining the event
  
• Doomsday Glacier: Researchers have told the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union that Thwaites Glacier, which is about the size of the US state of Florida, could collapse in five to 10 years. Erin Pettitt, a glaciologist at Oregon State University says if the entire structure collapses, it could drastically raise the sea level — hence the nickname "doomsday glacier".

One more thing: Lobsters and octopuses have feelings

The UK has recently recognised that decapods (like lobsters and crabs) and cephalopods (such as octopuses, squids and cuttlefish) as "sentient beings."

That means they can feel pain, but also pleasure, excitement and joy.

A report commissioned by the UK government found there was "very strong evidence" for sentience among octopuses in particular — in fact, a study from 2018 found that if octopuses were given the party drug ecstasy, they were increasingly sociable with one another.

Animal rights advocates say Australia should have better protections for decapods and cephalopods. (Supplied: Jayne Jenkins)

The UK's new bill is set to reclassify these animals as sentient, but controversial practices like boiling lobsters alive or declawing crabs won't be changed, at least for now. 

But there are calls for Australia to take similar steps. When it comes to decapods and cephalopods, many Australian jurisdictions don't even recognise them as animals, meaning they miss out on protections in existing animal welfare legislation.

Decapods are not included within the definition of an animal in South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia. And cephalopods are not included within the definition of an animal in NSW, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

That's it for now

We'll be back later on with more of the good stuff.

ABC/wires