Victoria is expected to experience its hottest day since 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, with its main power stations at reduced capacity after a third of coal-fired generator shut down overnight.

Temperatures in Melbourne reached 35 degrees by 8am this morning and hovered at 30 degrees overnight.

Melbourne was forecast to reach 44 by mid-afternoon, approaching the all-time hottest day of 46.4 degrees for 7 February 2009.

FIfty first-year medical students have begun a new chapter in their lives after attending the inaugural orientation of Griffith University's new Doctor of medicine program at the Sunshine Coast.

Students will be the first ever to experience their medical degree at the new Campus at Kawana, with Griffith’s Gold Coast campus previously being the closest Griffith campus which offered the medical degree.

A low-pressure system is expected to bring heavy rain to Queensland’s far north and could develop into a cycle according to forecasters.

The weather system is currently over Cape York Peninsula and is expected to develop further over the next 24 hours.

The system has a 20-50% chance of becoming a cycle with communities warned to expect heavy rain that could cause flash floods.

Thousands of students have skipped school in Belgium to take part in a protest demanding more action to combat climate change.

The Students banging drums and carrying signs gathered around the European Parliament to draw attention to the problem they feel is being ignored.

This is just the latest in a range of climate change protests across the globe, with school students in Australia skipping class last year for the same purpose.

Parliament in Angola has abolished a law which has widely been seen as a ban on homosexuality.

The Angolan government has prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation: including refusing employment, or providing services to those because of their sexual orientation.

Those who do could face up to two years in prison.

The recent Queensland drought has resulted in the closing of a free-range pork producers’ ethical pig farm due to the rising cost of grain and production.

The farm, located in Queensland’s North Burnett region, must now dispose of more than 500 breeding and specialty pigs.

This closure follows increased pressure on the pork industry as with many pig farmers across Australia  being forced to shut their production because they can’t afford to continue.

A new Indigenous Australian superhero will be launched in Darwin on Australia day through a web series. 

The series called Zero Point, is created by Darwin artist, Jonathan Saunders, who wanted to create a hero that reflected an Aboriginal man - wearing a headband and wielding a spear. 

Jonathan remarks that he has never seen an indigenous Australian depicted as an hero and he is “super excited to be involved in creating one and to see where it goes”.

A young girl has been rushed to hospital after being attacked by a goanna on a Brisbane beach on Thursday afternoon. 

The eight-year-old was left with wounds on her foot after it took 3 people to free her from the jaws of the lizard at a campground on South Stradbroke Island. 

Queensland ambulance operators described the attack as “nasty” and “savage” after taking the girl to the Gold Coast University Hospital for treatment. 

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that Queensland has continued to show strong job growth with 6000 new jobs created in December last year.

This brings the total amount of jobs created in Queensland in the last year to over 35 000.

Deputy Premier Jacki Trad, says that the majority of these are full time jobs which ensures well-paid, secure work and opportunities for working people across the state.