Sydney Schools Tested For Asbestos

SCHOOLS TESTED FOR ASBESTOS
See these signs? Well, Sydney has been flooded with them after a mineral called asbestos was found in mulch at 22 confirmed sites around the city, and the government is worried there could be even more. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that's fire and water resistant and very hard to destroy. It became pretty popular in the 20th century in building material and a heap of other things, but then the people working with it started to get really sick. It became a global health issue in the 70s and 80s and mines closed and companies stopped using it in their products. And in 2003, the Australian Government banned it completely. Now, Authorities aren't quite sure how it's made its way into mulch in Sydney. Seven schools have been closed for testing, along with lots of parks and even a hospital. The Environment Protection Austhority has also launched it's biggest investigation ever to figure out how this happened, and is working to get rid of the mulch to keep everyone safe.
PERTH'S HEATWAVE
People in Western Australia have been sweltering through a massive heatwave. Yesterday, Perth had its fifth day of temperatures over 40 degrees - a new record for February. And there are even more high temps forecast for next week.
LUNAR NEW YEAR
Happy New Year! Yes, New Years was like a month and a half ago, but this is the Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year is a big deal for more than one and a half billion people. So, why is it being held now? Well, a Lunar Calendar uses the phases of the moon to count the passage of time. This means every year lunar new year is on a different date. The celebration is also called the spring festival where they celebrate by using like fire crackers. They give out red envelopes to people, and wear gold and red clothing and make big loud noises. The colour red and loud noises are part of a tradition to scare away an ancient monster that, according to Chinese legend, would appear at the end of winter. Lunar New Year is named after one of 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. According to legend, when the gods decided to create this system, they held a race to decide which animal would be first and the rat won! Each year the animal changes in the order they finished that race. This year is the Year of the Dragon, and anyone born this year is thought to take on its characteristics.
SPACEX MISSION
This SpaceX rocket is on route to the moon, and it's a pretty special journey because, if successful, it'll be the first privately-owned lander to touch down on the lunar surface - bon voyage!
SWIFT MANIA TAKES OVER MELBOURNE
We now orbit back to Earth where it seems Taylor Swift has tay-ken over Melbourne. The Australian leg of the Eras Tour starts tonight, and over the next couple of weekends, she'll entertain Aussie fans across seven sold-out shows. Watch out Sydney, Taylor's coming for you next.
FRESH APE STUDY
And finally, a new study has revealed that apes are rather silly - just like us! Yep - it showed that playfully teasing their mates comes naturally to chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and bonobos.
__________________________________________
Subscribe kzbin.info...
TikTok: / behindthenewstv
Facebook: / abcbtn
Instagram: / behindthenews
For the past 55 years, Behind the News has been helping to break down current issues and events for young people all around the world. The program is a high-energy, fun way for people to learn about the stories we see in the news while providing background information that isn’t usually given by other news bulletins.