The Refugee Action Collective are holding a rally this Friday 5 February in Kangaroo Point to call on the government to free medevaced refugees.

The medevac legislation was established in early 2019 and refugees have been detained in a kangaroo point hotel since, prior to that they were detained in offshore detention centres since 2013.

Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge says that after refugees have obtained their medical treatments they should return to their home countries.

Researchers at the Royal Brisbane and women's hospital in Brisbane are developing a new, more efficient test to detect gestational diabetes.  

Currently, testing for gestational diabetes requires women to fast for 8 to 14 hours, then take 3 blood tests in 3 hours. 

The new test was developed in response to safety concerns relating to coronavirus. Not only does the current test potentially put pregnant women at a greater risk of contracting the virus, it also takes up much needed pathology resources. 

The leader of a Russian opposition party has been sentenced in Moscow today as protests against the trial continue

Opposition Leader and Kremiln Critic Alexei Navalny will serve two years in gaol on charges of fraud.  This comes after days of protests outside the court protesting the charges which opposition figures have said are politically motivated.

The Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council has launched a class action against the federal government for loss of culture after the chemical contamination of Jervis (Jarvis) Bay water.

The residents of Wreck Bay, on the New South Wales south coast, allege Defence negligently allowed the harmful PFAS chemicals to leech into groundwater.

Traditional Owner James Williams says that he can’t teach the younger generation like he was taught, Defence has erected signs warning against fishing from waterways in the area.

The former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne’s lobbying firm have engaged in another weapons manufacturer called DroneShield.

Mr Pyne, as a former minister, was barred until November last year for lobbying on official matters previously dealt with in his portfolio.  Pyne’s lobbying firm is now directly courting federal MP’s. 

There is currently no law that prevents former ministers from lobbying after 18 months on previous portfolio matters once they have left office.

University of Queensland researchers are studying the unique digestion of marsupials in an effort to understand their low-methane-production.

Methane-producing archaea found in some native Australian herbivores like kangaroos, wombats, and koalas appear to be quite different to those found in other animals.

By understanding native animal digestion better, UQ researchers hope to reduce methane emissions in livestock, decrease greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector, and positively impact climate change.

A new gas exploration company has been given the go-ahead to prospect for fossil fuels in the Bowen and Surat basins. 

This has been one of the many projects given the green light in the area in the last year. 8,205 square kilometers of land has been released for gas exploration in the area. 

The Palaszczuk government is investing 5 million dollars into developing a proposed 500 kilometer gas transmission pipeline to connect the Bowen Basin to domestic and export markets.

Iran’s foreign minister has asked Europe to mediate negotiations with the United States regarding a return to the 2015 deal.

This is the first time Iran has expressed interest in negotiating with Washington since the US withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018.

The deal limits Iran’s uranium enrichment program, preventing it from achieving nuclear weapons capabilities, while easing Western economic sanctions on the country.