The opposition council has criticised Brisbane City Council for jumping the gun in claiming victory after the development application for the controversial Mt Coot-tha zipline project was approved, because they’re still awaiting approval by the state government.

The wreckage of the plane that vanished with the footballer Emiliano Sala on board has been found within hours of a search starting in the sea off the Channel Islands.

A search boat hired privately by Sala’s Argentinian family – thanks partly to a crowdfunding appeal – located the wreckage yesterday morning.

Peace talks aboard a United Nations ship anchored in neutral Red Sea territory could build on a landmark ceasefire agreement between the Yemen government and Houthi rebels.

Security fears and disputes over meeting locations have prevented leaders of the opposing forces from addressing the UN brokered agreement that would see a new security force taking over the city of Hodeida.

The UN says progress on the ceasefire is critical to opening humanitarian corridors, preventing famine and halting further violence in Yemen.

The South Australian Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick is calling for cotton exports to be banned in an attempt to draw attention to the plight of the Murray-Darling river system and the over-extraction by irrigators.

The senator is preparing to introduce a bill when parliament resumes next week, and would impose a ban on exporting cotton in three years’ time.

The final four children on the Nauru processing centre are preparing to leave to the United States as part of the Coalitions Operation Sovereign Borders policy.

Greens Leader Richard di Natale says the move to vacate the 109 children from Nauru since August was long overdue and the children face many years of counselling.

Asylum seeker advocates praise the resettlement but warn of the continuing medical crisis for the thousand remaining adults.

Brisbane City Council’s chairman has been accused of allowing bullying and being partisan during full council meetings, prompting calls for an investigation.

LNP councillor Angela Owen was elected in 2008 and started running the council meetings at City Hall in the role of chairman of the council when Margaret de Wit retired in 2015.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming wrote to the council’s chief executive Colin Jensen on Friday to formally complain about Cr Owen, describing her actions at a recent meeting as ‘ruthlessly biased’.

A new Royal Flying Doctor Service training simulator will be unveiled in Brisbane today to assist paramedics in developing muscle memory for treating patients in the field.

Trainers will now be able to simulate specific regional locations so doctors and nurses can treat patients confidently without having been there before.

Community donations made the life saving technology possible by bridging the 13 million dollar funding gap.

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro warns his country faces civil war if the EU proceeds with its plans to recognise opposition leader Juan Guaido as the rightful leader of Venezuela.

The United States already recognises Mr Guaido as president and president Donald Trump says he will consider sending military assistance if Mr Maduro does not adhere to the EU’s eight day deadline to call an election.

India has lodged a protest with the United States government after several Indian students were detained there in connection with their enrolment in a fake university, following an undercover operation.

Indian news reports say as many as 129 Indians were among those detained on January 30 by US immigration, promoting a rare “démarche” to the United States Embassy in New Delhi, telling it that Indian officials needed immediate consular access to the detainees.