Prince Andrew has announced that he will be stepping down from public duties with the Queen’s permission following his connection to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

The Prince said in a statement yesterday that it was clear his association with Epstein was a major distraction from the royal family’s charitable work. 

The decision for a senior royal to step away from his duties is extremely unusual and indicates the degree to which charities and educational institutions had been questioning their associations with him.

An advertising campaign to address methamphetamine use in the US state of South Dakota has sparked controversy for its bizarre catchphrase: “Meth. We’re On It”. 

The ad created by a Minnesota agency which cost almost half a million dollars left some locals concerned it outed its own advocates as meth others, while others praised its self-aware wording.

Governor Kristi Noem said the campaign was "working" and is confident South Dakota can lead the country in an effort to aggressively combat addiction. 

NAB is the first of the big four banks to crack down on poor treatment of animals by implementing animal welfare principles that will guide future lending decisions. 

A spokesperson for the bank says it understands the agricultural industry is a fundamental part of Australia's economy and maintaining its integrity was critical to its long-term sustainability.

"The new animal welfare principles reflect balanced input from a number of industry associations, animal welfare organisations, and other stakeholders," the spokesperson said.

The wife of a Sydney retiree sentenced to 12 years in a Vietnamese prison has questioned Prime Minister Scott Morrison on whether the Government’s ‘weak’ response would have been stronger if her husband was a white Australia. 

70-year-old Van Kham Chau was last Monday convicted and sentenced for the “crime of terrorism against the people’s government” in a Ho Chi Minh City courtroom - he will lodge an appeal against the conviction. 

A Queensland grandmother charged with drug offenses is calling for the legalisation of cannabis after benefiting from the drug’s medicinal benefits. 

Debra Leigh Lynch, who suffers from PTSD and a rare auto-immune disease faces charges of producing and possessing the drug and has been fighting the courts since 2017. 

Ms Lynch’s case was adjourned yesterday in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court until February 26, pending the outcome of a Supreme Court appeal that could have implications for her case.

A 16-year-old boy has been accused of starting a bushfire that destroyed 14 homes in central Queensland. 

Police say the teenager has not been charged with arson but will be dealt with under the Youth Justice Act.  

The Coorabell fire near Rockhampton started around 1.30 pm on Saturday and continues to burn.

Two top national security aides who listened to President Donald Trump's July call with Ukraine's president, are testifying at US House impeachment hearings as the inquiry probes deeper into goings-on the White House.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, an Army officer at the National Security Council, and Jennifer Williams, his counterpart at Vice President Mike Pence's office, say they had concerns as Trump spoke on July 25th  with the newly elected Ukraine president about political investigations into Joe Biden.