Donald Trump has kicked off his tour to Ireland by likening its border with Northern Ireland to the US-Mexico wall.

Talking to taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Trump said Ireland should want to keep the country the way it works now.

Varadkar was keen to clarify that Ireland wished to avoid a border or a wall.

New figures show Australia’s average housing affordability is the best it's been in years with property in some cities and regions the most attainable it's been in decades.

The ANZ report found that housing affordability in Brisbane is at its best level since September 2016, with Springfield and Redbank among the most affordable suburbs.

ANZ Senior Economist, Felicity Emmett, says it follows a sustained period where prices increased at a much faster pace than household incomes.

Queenslanders are being warned about upcoming changes to superannuation which may impact their insurance cover.

Under the reforms which come into effect on July 1st, the tax office will have the power to consolidate inactive super accounts with balances below $6,000.

Suzie Brown from Integrity Life says people with insurance inside those superannuation accounts could find it cancelled, unless they take action now.

Brisbane City Council is interested in purchasing part of the former ABC Toowong site from its private owners to construct a green bridge from West End to Toowong.

Deputy mayor Krista Adams says that West End-Toowong is a fantastic opportunity to cross that river at a pinch point to connect it with the Millennial Bikeway.

The council is willing to purchase only part of the site, not all, after a Greens-led campaign to have the site returned to public hands.

Environmentalists from across Australia are in Brisbane for the second day of the Climate Reality leadership training.

The conference is run by Al Gore’s Climate Reality project and aims to promote climate discussion and leadership.

Al Gore, who welcomed everyone yesterday, said the training is made up of over 60% women for the first time.

Thailand's junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha was elected late Wednesday as the kingdom's first civilian prime minister since 2014.

Prayut swept aside his sole challenger garnering 500 votes , while Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit had 244 votes.

Critics say Prayut represents a narrow elite and lacks the vision to govern as a civilian leader, having failed as junta leader to reboot Thailand's economy.

In India, over 100,000 kids are killed each year from air pollution, a report finds.

The UN found India has 14 out of 15 of the world’s most polluted cities, and it causes 12.5 per cent of all deaths in the country annually.

Despite calls for action against pollution around the globe, Indian politicians have repeatedly failed to address environmental concerns.

A United Nations working group has called on the Australian government to immediately release and compensate a 35-year-old Tamil refugee with multiple disabilities, who has been in detention for more than nine years

The man is legally blind, has a number of mental health issues and an acquired brain injury which occurred in Sri Lanka.

The man's lawyer and director of Human Rights for All- Alison Battisson, said to the press this is highly embarrassing for Australia’s record as his client is a good international citizen.

The AFP have raided the ABC yesterday for information about a piece the ABC had written in 2017 called the Afghan files.

ABC reporter John Lyons via twitter has reported there have been approximately 50 files that the AFP have seized from the ABC.

The Australian federal police have said  about the raid via a press release “This is the result of supporting documentation or material being presented to the court which provides sufficient suspicion that a criminal offence has been committed.”