The four-lane upgrade of the Telegraph Road corridor in Brisbane's north has been completed under-budget, Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk says.

The suburban arterial road running through Bracken Ridge, linking Carseldine and Deagon and surrounding suburbs, was originally budgeted for a $260 million upgrade.

French president Emmanuel Macron plans to break his silence and address protesters after the fourth consecutive weekend of civil unrest.

The president is accused of being arrogant and out of touch after his policies contributed to the rising cost of living.

The protests are causing chaos and damage nationwide, with ministers describing it as a social and economic catastrophe.

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service is funding exploitative working factories in Malaysia, according to a new investigation by The Guardian.

The factories allegedly subject migrants to forced labour, overtime, debt bondage, withheld wages and passport confiscation.

Workers tell reporters they are trapped in factories working 12 hour days, seven days a week, with only one day off per month.

The New South Wales Greens party has been ‘infiltrated by extreme left forces’, according to NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann.

The comments come after the party forced fellow MP Jeremy Buckingham to resign amid accusations of sexual violence against a former employee.

Ms Faehrmann says the MP was effective in his role and alleges the party used deliberate manipulation tactics to wear down fellow MPs, ‘one-by-one, and bully them into submission.’

A specialist police team is conducting new inquiries 30 years after Scott Johnson was found dead as an act of gay hate at the bottom of a cliff near Manly, Sydney in 1988.

His family hope a new $1m reward will help find the truth about his death and bring his killers to justice.

New South Wales police commissioner Mick Fuller, appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

A University of Queensland researcher has been awarded a $70,000 grant towards a HIV-test vending machine pilot program to target people who may avoid traditional testing methods in Brisbane.

UQ senior researcher Dr Owain Williams' project proposes using technology of a saliva-based HIV testing kit and trialling access to these through two vending machines in two sex-on-premises locations in Brisbane.

Brisbane's busiest rail stations south of Roma Street will shut down over the Christmas period to allow for a $56 million signalling upgrade.

The upgrades are planned for the line between Roma Street and Corinda, with all trains stopped between Saturday, December 22, and Saturday, December 29.

Queensland Rail chief executive Nick Easy says the installations will "future-proof" the rail lines and reduce the need for future maintenance.

Thousands of Hungarians have taken to the streets to demonstrate against a proposed new labour law and for more academic freedom in the country.

The draft bill, introduced earlier this week, seeks to allow employers to ask for up to 400 hours of overtime work a year. If passed, the law would add an extra eight working hours to a week or result in a six-day work week.

Gulf leaders and officials met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit yesterday as a diplomatic crisis continues to grip the Gulf region.

The coalition continues to trail Labor on a two-party preferred basis while Labor leader Bill Shorten has narrowed the gap as preferred leader in the latest Newspoll.

The national poll of 1731 voters was conducted between December 6-9.

The poll reveals Mr Shorten has gained two points to 36 per cent as preferred prime minister, while current Prime Minister Scott Morrison dropped two points to 44 per cent.