Fuel prices in inner Brisbane suburbs are at record heights.

The RACQ is warning motorists that the cost of unleaded fuel is at an all time high in Brisbane’s inner and western suburbs.

The average cost of unleaded fuel rose to an expensive 173.1 cents per litre which smashed the previous record of 169.4 cents per litre from October last year.

The University of Queensland has found a stool test that measures protein can reduce the number of patients undergoing colonoscopies, reducing costs for individuals and the health system.

University of Queensland researcher Dr Yoon-Kyo An says levels of the calprotectin protein in poo can differentiate between gastrointestinal diseases.

Arsonists may have been responsible for Victoria’s first Code Red fire warning in a decade.

More than 140,000 homes and businesses lost power across the state as the grass fires threatened towns and forced families to evacuate.

Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said, "we had to lock down the state, we had to put it into a total fire ban, in order to minimise the risk of having major fires.”

Sydney’s water restrictions have been raised to Level 2 as the regions dams deplete.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has fast-tracked the restrictions in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra regions as water levels depleted faster than expected.

The restrictions will take effect from December 10 and apply to water use outside the home, with people required to use buckets when watering their gardens and washing cars.

Australia’s key maritime exercise with Indonesia commenced yesterday in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Exercise New Horizon 2019 was designed to improve the ability of the Royal Australian Navy and Indonesian Navy to work together at sea.

The Commander of Navy’s Maritime Task Group, Captain Andrew Quinn, said the relationship between the two is positive and focused on a wide range of security-related matters.

The US-China trade deal became even more complicated by a decision of US Congress to approve two bills aimed at supporting human rights in Hong Kong after months of unrest. 

The House overwhelmingly approved the bills yesterday, a day after the Senate passed them on voice votes.

China has threatened to take unspecified, “strong countermeasures” if the bills are signed into law.

Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, will lead a team to The Hague to defend Myanmar against allegations of genocide.

Once an icon of democracy, Ms Kyi, spent decades under house arrest in Myanmar for campaigning for democracy, is tainted by her associations with what UN investigators have described as a crime against humanity.

The Gambia lodged a 46-page application to the UN’s highest court alleging Myanmar had carried out mass murder, rape, and destruction of communities in Rakhine state, including against Rohingya people.

Iran is entering its fourth day of an internet shutdown following protests on Saturday against a sharp increase in fuel prices. 

Internet traffic has plummeted to 5% of normal levels since the protest, according to internet monitoring non-for-profit Netblocks. 

Many Iranians living or traveling abroad have expressed their distress in being unable to communicate with loved ones, and are still waiting for news of their welfare. 

Energy Minister Angus Taylor has planned to meet with state and territory energy ministers to discuss the emissions reduction fund overhaul, a move following the government’s decision to quietly appoint an expert panel to come up with new ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the draft agenda for Friday’s Coag energy council meeting, the commonwealth has scheduled a discussion about the $2.55bn ERF, now rebadged the Climate Solutions Fund.