The United Nations weather agencies has found that 62 million people worldwide were hit by extreme weather last year and forced 2 million people to relocate as climate change worsened.

The World Meteorological Organisation's annual state of global climate report says Earth is nearly 1 degree Celsius warmer than when the industrial age started. World leaders are trying to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius.
 

The Federal Government's foreign influence laws have received criticism from the Chinese community, with some Australians of Chinese heritage saying they felt their loyalty was being doubted.

The main point of contention is the new Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme, which quietly came into effect earlier this month, and works as a publicly available list of political lobbyists working "on behalf of" a foreign power.

Faulty alarms at the Royal Adelaide Hospital have sent Hospital Staff to the wrong rooms, which the nursing federation says could pose a risk to staff and patients.

The opening of the hospital's 10-bed psychiatric intensive care unit was delayed by 16 months because of problems with the alarm system, but the state's chief psychiatrist on Thursday imposed new conditions because of "inconsistent performance".

In a major milestone for Queensland tourism, Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones yesterday announced work has begun on the first projects under the government’s $25 million Great Barrier Reef Island Resorts Rejuvenation Program.

Clean-up work is under way at Green Island Resort, 27 kilometres off the coast of Cairns. Ms Jones says Green Island was one of 10 Great Barrier Reef Islands to receive government funding to rejuvenate the areas resorts.

Tough new bail and parole laws for offenders convicted of terrorism or those with links to terror activities have been passed by the Queensland Parliament.

Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath says the Palaszczuk Government is sending a strong message that terrorism has no place in Queensland.

Mrs D’Ath says the legislation passed yesterday establishes a presumption that those involved in terrorism, those supporting terrorism, or those with links to terror activity will not be eligible for bail or parole.

The small southeast Asian kingdom of Brunei is set to punish gay sex and adultery under punishment of stoning as of next week.

Beginning on April 3, any individuals found guilty of the offenses will be stoned to death, with the punishment to be ‘witnessed by a group of Muslims’.

The country's strict new laws were announced in 2014, and have been rolled out gradually. The latest phase of implementation, including the brutal new provisions, was quietly announced on the Brunei attorney general's website on December 29, 2018.

The World Meteorological Organization’s annual State of the Climate report shows that the physical and financial impacts of global warming are accelerating ‘at a dangerous rate’.

The report comes at the same time the International Energy Agency reported a surge in CO2 in 2018, with levels having risen by 13.6% in 25 years.

Women with breast cancer have secured commitments from both the major parties for additional funding for MRI scans – $32.6m from the Morrison government coming in next week’s budget, and $47m from Labor if it wins in May.

The Coalition will use next Tuesday’s budget to create two new Medicare items for MRI of the breast, scans that will enable more accurate diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Federal Labor has announced it will withdraw support for a major part of Murray-Darling Basin Plan, if elected.

Opposition spokesperson Tony Burke has announced that Labor would change the way in which 450 gigalitres of water is recovered by restoring the socio-economic definition for delivering water.

It comes less than a year after the Government and basin states agreed on a way to measure the socio-economic impact of recovering water.