The people of India are heading to the polls today in the first phase of India’s general election, with 543 seats in the lower house up for contest.

The election is both the largest and most expensive in the world, with almost $10 billion dollars spent in advertising to 900 million eligible voters, and with 11 million election officials to be deployed at polling stations.

More than 100 000 people have taken to Melbourne streets as a part of a union rally, calling for a “fair go”.

The march on Wednesday shut down multiple city streets, going from Union headquarters to parliament house.

Unions say the largest decline in living standards in 30 years has been seen by the federal government, and that low-paid workers are demonstrating in 14 locations across the nation.

A former Newman government minister will be among three new Brisbane councillors to be sworn in within the next few weeks, as several LNP councillors prepare to depart City Hall.

Former child safety minister Tracy Davis has received the LNP endorsement to replace outgoing McDowall Ward councillor Norm Wyndham when he retires next month.

Ms Davis said it was an exciting time to start work as a councillor, following the appointment of Adrian Schrinner as mayor.

A concerned group of Gold Coast residents on Hope Island are establishing Neighbourhood Watch groups with Coomera police in light of a growing population in the Coomera police district.

Hope Island resident Diane Woods believes growing housing development is bringing more petty crime to the area, and says Hope Island is one of the suburbs furthest away from both Coomera and Runaway police precincts, which increases time to callouts to crime incidents.

The Federal Government has launched an urgent investigation into a remote work for the dole provider who is facing claims of repeated safety breaches.

The investigation was ordered after the ABC acquired images raising questions about some work practices in a West Australian community.

In a photo obtained by the ABC, a participant appeared to be preparing to operate a saw without any shoes, eye protection, or hearing protection.

WikiLeaks has accused the Ecuadorean embassy of spying on their founder Julian Assange, with Spanish police now investigating an extortion attempt threatening to publish sensitive documents.

The organisation’s editor-in-chief says he met a group in Spain threatening to publish private legal documents, video, audio and photos unless they were paid three million euros.

The news comes after recent reports that the Australian may soon be evicted from Ecuador’s London embassy which he has sought refuge in since 2012.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won a re-election in what would be his fifth term as head of a coalition government.

With more than 99 per cent of votes counted, Netanyahu's conservative Likud Party has won following his challenger conceding defeat.

Netanyahu is poised to become the longest-serving Israeli prime minister in July, overtaking the country's founding father, David Ben-Gurion.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that the federal election will be held on Saturday the 18th of May 2019.

The announcement was made at a press conference held by the Prime Minister on Thursday morning, following an early meeting with the governor general, Sir Peter Cosgrove.

Morrison says there is a “clear choice” at this election, with “so much at stake,” and that the decision Australians make will not only determine the economy for the next three years, but the next decade.

A new international report warns of the growing threats from job automation, saying that middle-class Australians are facing lower incomes or absolute poverty at some of the fastest rates in the developed world.

Ahead of an election campaign that will be dominated by appeals for equality, a report from the OECD released on Thursday said high-income earners in Australia were gaining access to a larger share of national income, leaving less for everyone else.