Brisbane student Soumi Gopalakrishnan said she is excited to receive university scholarship offers, which brings her closer to her goal of becoming a doctor.

The young Sri Lankan Tamil and asylum seeker was dux and school captain at St James College this year, but her refugee status meant she was not eligible for a domestic government-supported HECS position at uni.

With her family fighting deportation, the scholarship offers Ms Gopalakrishnan has received from ASU and ANU are her only hope.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he will push on with plans to increase taxes on fuel despite significant protests across the country.

Thousands of protesters gathered at the Champs Elysees on Saturday to call for Macron’s resignation after his policies caused widespread financial hardship.

The protest turned violent after barricades were set on fire, with twenty-four people injured and 130 arrested.

Indian police are consulting with anthropologists to determine whether they can recover the body of American missionary Jonothan Chau after he was killed by the isolated Adaman tribespeople on North Sentinel Island.

Police expect an opportunity to arise when the tribespeople dig up the body and hang it from bamboo poles overlooking the Indian ocean, as they did in the case of two fishermen who trespassed in 2006.

A Productivity Commission analysis has found Australians are wasting thousands of dollars on fund regulations.

According to the paper, the Productivity Commission's major superannuation inquiry, released on Monday, members would reap more benefits if their savings were in larger, low-cost funds.

The Commission's paper also found the lack of real competition in the superannuation industry meant that there is little evidence to suggest benefits have been systematically passed through to members in the form of lower fees.

Animal rights activists believe that the welfare of greyhounds haven’t been addressed properly since reports of mistreatment surfaced.

The ABC’s Four Corners program exposed the industry in 2015 with footage of live-baiting, in the form of piglets, possums and rabbits, being used as a strategy during training sessions throughout Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Animal Liberation Queensland president Chay Neals says that the lack of action is very disappointing, and they’ve had three years to implement their suggested regulations.

Residents in Brisbane’s south-east suburbs are taking a stand against childcare centres being developed in low density areas, protesting the heavy traffic they bring to quiet streets.

Holland Park residents are speaking out against plans to demolish two homes in a character precinct on Abbotsleigh St, to build a two-storey childcare centre on two house blocks zoned for low density housing, opposite the drop-off zone at Holland Park State School.

Tensions are rising between Ukraine and Russia after a conflict between naval ships in the Black Sea on Sunday.

The Ukrainian navy alleges a Russian ship opened fire on its ships and seized three of its vessels after they attempted to pass beneath a Russian controlled bridge in the KERCH Strait.

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has called an emergency meeting of his war cabinet in response to the incident.

Tens of thousands of patients worldwide are suffering or dying as a result of poorly tested medical implants, according to a report released today.

250 journalists from around the globe came together to compile the data, revealing pacemakers, artificial hips, contraceptives and breast implants are responsible for over 84 thousand deaths in the UK and the US alone.

President of the Royal College of Surgeons, Professor Derek Alderson, says the 400 billion dollar industry needs drastic regulatory changes to prevent risk to public safety.

Tasmania's libraries are scrapping the dreaded late fee in an effort to get more people borrowing books.

Tasmania is one of the first states to adopt the change, which is hoped will also help boost the state's status as one of the lowest ranking states in Australia when it comes to literacy, with nearly half the state's population functionally illiterate.

The Coalition Government enters the final parliamentary sitting week for this year with a primary vote of 34%, trailing Labor by 10 points.

The Australian’s latest news poll shows the government is facing ongoing backlash after the August leadership spill, which harmed the government's political position.

Labor is ahead of the Coalition in the two-party-preferred measure 55% to 45%, a weaker result than last weeks 52% to 48%.