Hi there. It's Friday, May 13 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here: Russian soldiers endangered themselves by occupying Chernobyl meltdown site in Ukraine
- The ABC's Europe correspondent Nick Dole and cameraman Lincoln Rothall have made it inside the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown site, which Russian forces had previously occupied during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine
- The ABC team found that while Russian troops caused widespread damage when they took the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster, they may have also received high doses of radiation, which could shorten their life spans
- Ukrainian officials say some of the Russian soldiers who patrolled the Chernobyl nuclear facility handled highly radioactive materials and some even stole contaminated objects
What you'll be hearing about today: Eurovision and heavy rain in Queensland
- Australia's Sheldon Riley is competing in the Eurovision 2022 semi-finals in Italy today, and there's an entire weekend of the musical extravaganza still ahead of us. Riley, 23, grew up on the Gold Coast and sealed his spot on the plane to Turin with his ballad Not the Same.
- Parts of Queensland are expected to get more heavy rain today, with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warning there is a "very real" threat of flash flooding
News while you snoozed
- Overnight we got some stunning images of glowing gas swirling around the monster black hole that lurks at the heart of our galaxy, the Milky Way. It's the first time scientists have managed to capture the event horizon of the black hole known as Sagittarius A* or Sgr A*, which is 27,000 light-years away from our Sun
- Mr Gurruwiwi, a renowned and celebrated master of the yidaki, more commonly known as the didgeridoo, has died in Arnhem Land after a long illness
- Australia has been confirmed as the host of the men's 2027 and women's 2029 Rugby World Cups. What's more, Rugby Australia estimates that hosting back-to-back World Cups in 2027 and 2029 will inject $1.8 billion into the local economy
- The United States has recorded more than 1 million COVID-19 deaths, according to the White House. That's one death for every 327 Americans
What Australia has been searching for online
- Greg Norman: The Australian golfing great's comments about the Saudi regime — in which he said "we've all made mistakes" when asked about the regime's alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi — have been condemned by the fiancée of the late Washington Post columnist. Did anyone have that on their 2022 bingo card?
One more thing
- There's been a proud moment at Australian Fashion Week, with 24-year-old Nazdana Bakhtiari, who fled from Afghanistan as it was being taken over by the Taliban eight months ago, taking to the runway to model for Afghan-Australian designer Mariam Seddiq. The pair first met when Ms Seddiq was looking for women skilled in traditional Afghan beadwork, known as mora doozi, to use in her garments.
You're up to date!
We'll be back later on to keep you in The Loop.
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