Scientists are trialing a medical drug that could be a promising cure for both the Ebola and Nipah virus.

Emmie de Wit, virologist from the U.S. National Institute of Health, says the drug would give doctors extra resources to respond to epidemics faster.

The drug is being tested against Ebola in the recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Louisiana has passed a law banning abortions after a heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

The bill was supported 79 votes to 23 and was signed into law on Thursday.

This is the latest in a wave of anti-abortion laws that have been passed in the United States this year.  

Small businesses across North West Queensland are struggling to apply for disaster relief funds, in the wake of the February floods.

Over $250 million dollars has been given to Queensland's North West, but many small producers are struggling to claim due to destocking during the drought.  

Over 1,100 disaster recovery grants have been paid to primary producers in the past three months, but many small [cattle] businesses report feeling left behind.

Firefighters rescued a miniature donkey this morning after it fell into a septic tank, North of Brisbane.

The firefighters had to pump out the waste to remove the donkey from the tank.

Caboolture fire station’s Scott Marles said the donkey didn’t seem to have any injuries as a result of the fall.

Three towns in Queensland have recorded their coldest mornings on record, with the temperature in the South getting as low as minus 6.1 degrees this morning.

The temperature is expected to warm up over the weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Lachlan Stoney says there could be another burst of cooler weather mid-next week.

A multi-million dollar sediment management facility will support tourism, jobs and businesses in the Gold Coast Marine Industry Precinct.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey says the Coomera River dredging program will improve navigational access to the Coomera River.

Minister Bailey says dredged material started flowing into the settling pond while inspecting the facility yesterday. 

The captain of a vessel involved in a boat crash in Budapest has been arrested, after colliding with a tour boat that had 33 South Korean Tourists on board.

The crash killed seven people, while twenty-one are still missing.

Hungarian officials have called it the most deadly crash in the country in the past 75 years.

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg admits they “fell short” when designing the safety alert system on the 737 Max aircraft.

Mr Muilenburg says that the safety feature could have alerted pilots of the problem earlier in the flight.

The Boeing 737 was involved in two fatal crashes in five months.

A new study has revealed the Australian government has slashed the legal protection of nature reserves to support business interests.  

The changes, which have been occurring since 1997 have weakened protection for about 400,000 square kilometres of land.

Monash University's Carly Cook says  Australia is seeing a shift towards commercialisation and exploitation of protected areas.