A catastrophic fire has engulfed the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, already claiming the spire and stained glass rose windows of the 850 year old building.

It is unclear what started the blaze, but the Paris fire brigade says the fire is “potentially linked” to a renovation project on the cathedral’s spire.

First responders are trying desperately to salvage priceless art from within and a spokesman for Notre Dame reports that the entire wooden frame of the structure will likely be destroyed before the fire is under control.

Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Gianulli have pleaded not guilty to two conspiracy charges in the college admissions scandal that broke late last month.

Loughlin’s not guilty plea to the charges is her first substantive response in the case - after it was revealed that the couple allegedly paid five hundred thousand dollars to a fake charity to get their two daughters accepted into the University of Southern California.

A 10-year-old from Britain is set to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan if she makes the next qualifiers.

Sky Brown will be 12 years old by 2020 and in order to be eligible to participate must be ranked in the top 20 skateboarders in the world based on  discipline and points in qualifiers.

Skateboarding at the Olympic games will be introduced for the forthcoming 2020 Olympics.

Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko was forced to debate an empty lectern after opposition leader and comedian Volodynyer Zelenskiy failed to turn up.

Zelenskiy says although him and Poroshenko suggested for the debate to occur, neither of them agreed on a date. However, Zelenskiy wished for the debate to be two days before the April 21 election.

Zelenskiy currently polls higher than Poroshenko.

Private school students are given an advantage into university courses thanks to exclusive International Baccalaureate (IB) not on offer in public schools.

The IB is an alternative course to the High School Certificate (HSC) or Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) being offered to private school students in order to be ranked against a smaller pool of students when entering university.

Overnight 60 minutes has released their investigation into Australia’s efforts to recycle.

The investigation uncovered that Australian recycling was sent to dozens of illegal processing sites in Malaysia, where discarded plastics are often dumped, buried or even burned.

Australia as a nation has dumped 71,000 tonnes in 12 months exacerbating illegal practices while harming the environment and people of Malaysia.

Students who marched against the Prime Minister earlier this year for climate change want to hold local forums so local politicians can listen to them.

The forum will consist of a panel of young speakers, parents and teachers who will present their points of view on the issues raised, with candidates from major parties to respond to these.

The event will take place this Tuesday (the 15th of April) at AHEPA Hall in Boundary Street, West End.

Ecologists fear freshwater crayfish in Queensland are being targeted by poachers.

The Lamington Spiny Crayfish is found in specific mountains in south-east Queensland  and Northern New South Wales, however, they are being poached from the Gold Coast hinterland and used for BBQ’s. Ecologists worry this could have an impact on climate change.

A $522 fine will be issued for those caught poaching the crayfish.