Eleven young people from across Queensland have been chosen to represent their peers and help shape Queensland’s future following their selection for the new Queensland Youth Engagement Panel.

Minister for Youth, Di Farmer says she is looking forward to hearing from the young members about their views on a range of issues and ideas across a broad range of government business.

A pair of Brisbane twins are the first of their kind to be identified as semi-identical twins via genetic testing while still in the womb.

The now four-year-old boy and girl are only the second set of semi-identical twins identified worldwide, sharing 100% of their mother’s DNA, but are likely only siblings on their father’s side.

The case has been reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by QUT clinical geneticist Dr Michael Gabbett.

AFP News reported that a bill to decriminalize abortion in Argentina will be submitted in March, following an 11-year-old girl being forced to give birth to a child of rape via C-section.

The case renewed debate over the right to an abortion in Argentina after a vote to legalize the procedure failed in August, 2018.

Argentina’s Health Minister estimated there are more than 350,000 illegal abortions performed in the country each year, with social activists estimating even more.

The Video Media Company Youtube announced a new policy to permanently remove the comments on videos made for kids.

This new policy came into place after several brands stopped advertising on YouTube after discovering a trend of predatory comments on videos of children.

Creators expressed concern that being forced to disable comments on their videos will affect the growth of their channels as comments and audience engagement are important metrics for exposure.
 

Three people have been treated after a chemical spill at Sydney’s Lucas Heights nuclear facility.

According to a spokesman for Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, the workers were exposed to sodium hydroxide when a cap came off a pipe in the nuclear medicine manufacturing building.

NSW Ambulance said the chemical splashed onto the arms and faces of the victims who have all been taken to Sutherland Hospital for further assessment.

Australian housing prices have fallen by 0.7% last month as the property price downturn has now become nationwide, extending beyond just Sydney and Melbourne.

Although Sydney and Melbourne suffered the worst fall of the past year, Darwin and Perth lead the monthly decline in prices, decreasing at 1.5% and 1.7% respectively.

Hobart was the only capital city to have an increase in prices, with even the Brisbane market seeing prices fall over the past quarter.

Regional electricity consumers could see their power bills drop by $58 and small businesses by $180 next year resulting in two years of falling prices.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the draft determination showed her Government’s energy policy was pushing prices lower.

The Premier said her Government has an unwavering focus on continuing to push power prices lower for Queensland households and businesses in an initiative to support more job growth.

Townsville council members have urged insurance companies to not overlook local contractors in the rebuilding of Townsville’s flood damaged areas.

Townsville Local Content Sub Committee Chair Glenys Schuntner wants to ensure that local contractors are involved in the immense amount of work ahead, instead of sitting by idly as companies from out of town are given repair contracts.