Australian mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto are set to join the push for an Indigenous voice to federal parliament.

The resource powerhouses are expected to make a joint statement on Thursday supporting the 2017 Uluru Statement From The Heart.

The statement will call for a constitutionally-enshrined advisory body and a commission to oversee
truth-telling and treaty-making.

Doctors, businessmen and other workers protested in major cities across Venezuela on Wednesday, calling for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the country and for President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

Protestors claimed they were tired of not having accessing to medicine and of spending their days looking for food.

Millions have left Venezuela since 2015, fleeing hyperinflation, poverty and food & medicine shortages.

A British politician has been criticised for responding to concerns a no-deal Brexit would create food shortages at supermarkets by suggesting people go to a fish and chip shop instead.

Fellow politicians said Mr Wilson should be ashamed for making the joke about the impact of a no-deal Brexit.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas took to social media to air her anger at the comment, before raising the issue in the House of Commons.

Queensland Police are warning of a disturbing trend of people being ripped off by scammers when selling things online.

Police warn that scammers will not want to meet face-to-face and will contact the buyer via email or text and will normally avoid speaking on the phone.

Scammers will use any means possible to fool buyers, including the names and logos of well-known and trusted companies, banks and organisations, with police warn buyers to be aware.

Toxic smog has forced hundreds of Bangkok schools to close on Wednesday as authorities struggle to manage a pollution crisis that has stirred widespread health fears and taken on a political edge just before elections.

Due to exhaust from traffic, unfettered construction, the burning of crop stubble, and pollution from factories, the Thai capital has been shrouded for weeks and has sparked social media criticism of the uneven response by the government.

According to new research, heavy drinkers can alter their DNA in ways to increase the desire for alcohol which may help explain why addiction is so powerful and hard to resist.

The study, conducted in the US, assessed two genes - one which influences the body clock, and the other which regulates stress responses, finding that the two genes had undergone ‘epigenetic’ changes in both heavy and binge drinkers, but not moderate drinkers.

Scientists say this may contribute to new ways of treating alcoholism, or to prevent at-risk people from becoming addicted.

Websites belonging to Queensland’s Deputy Opposition Leader, a real estate business, and Surf Life Saving Australia are among thousands of pages caught up in the latest international data breach.

Information being shared in hacking forums show usernames, email addresses, passwords, and other personal details were obtained from thousands of websites exposing millions of online users details.

Security analyst Wade Alcorn says the biggest risk is for people who reuse the same password on a number of accounts.

The Western Australian Government is demanding assurances from the Chinese technology firm Huawei over if they can deliver on a project worth $200 million following indictments from the US Government.

Western Australian Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says the State Government is seeking assurances over whether tensions between the US and China may impact Huawei’s ability to import and export technological components.

Huawei Australia chairperson, John Lord, says the Government has nothing to fear and that the project was the company’s number one priority.

A University of Queensland-led study has found an endangered Queensland bird is at risk of extinction due to environmental legislation failing to protect its habitat.

Researchers reviewed Australian and Queensland laws that protect threatened and endangered species, in light of an 80 per cent reduction in the distribution of the southern black-throated finch’s population.

The researchers found that despite the protection laws, extensive finch habitat loss has continued to be approved, threatening the finch population.