The Government has announced new and improved theme park safety measures after the Dreamworld tragedy of October 2016.

Major ride inspections by qualified engineers will strip down rides for weeks at a time every ten years to ensure maximum safety. A new safety and licensing system will be introduced and the training of ride operators will also be improved. Those who fail to follow the new regulations will face large fines.

Brisbane City Council has agreed to pay $5.2 million to purchase three residential blocks of land in Mount Gravatt East for koala conservation efforts.

The acquisition comes after sustained community protest against a townhouse development application lodged in December last year.

The land will be restored to native bushland to act as a wildlife corridor between surrounding koala habitats as a part of the council’s Bushland Acquisition Program.

Two councillors in north-west Queensland have declared they don’t believe in paid parental leave after a new policy was passed last month giving new mothers up to 14 weeks paid leave.

Councillor Damien McGee was one of the naysayers, arguing the federal government should foot the bill, rather than burdening ratepayers.

The policy is the first of its kind for the Cloncurry Shire Council and was passed by three of the five sitting councillors.  

Researchers say planting trees may be the answer to protecting residents of aged care facilities from extreme heatwaves.

Residents in these facilities are more open to heat stress and associated issues due to the pre-existing conditions already taking a toll on their health.

Heatwaves are by far Australia’s deadliest natural disaster, responsible for more deaths than cyclones, earthquakes, bushfires, and floods combined.   

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree, officially suspending Russia’s participation in the Cold War-era nuclear weapons treaty with the United States.

Russia announced it was suspending the treaty last month after the US said it would withdraw due to violations by Moscow. This accusation has been denied and Russia has accused Washington of breaking the accord itself, which has also been rejected.

Australia and Indonesia trade ministers signed a free trade agreement yesterday after eight years of negotiations between the two G20 nations.
 

Australian farmers are set to be some of the first to benefit from the deal which will see Australian tariffs gradually reduced by 100% and Indonesian tariffs reduced to 94%.
 

The agreement also opens the door for Australian Universities to expand into Indonesia while retaining up to 67% ownership compared to the current 40% cap.

The site of a South Korean waste-to-energy recycling business is filled with piles of burning trash after rubbish built up to more than 80 times than the site’s 2000 ton limit.

It is reported gas build up beneath the piles is what caused the site to combust.

This case has drawn public attention to the increasing 1.2 million tons of illegally abandoned waste across South Korea, according to their Ministry of Environment.

A US Democratic Congresswoman has been falsely linked to the 9/11 attacks in a poster displayed at Republican Party-sponsored event.

The poster has been condemned by the featured Democrat Ilhan Omar and her colleagues and has reportedly encouraged threats of violence against her.

Democrat Omar took to twitter to share images from her local petrol station of graffiti calling for her assassination.

It is not yet clear who is responsible for the poster.