World food prices declined in November to their lowest level in more than two years, led down by much weaker vegetable oil, dairy and cereal prices, the United Nations food agency says.

The Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 160.8 points last month, down from 162.9 in October, reaching its lowest level since May 2016.

Last weeks violence in France has forced authorities to close off major tourism sites, including the Eiffel Tower, due to fears the riots might re-occur.

Cultural Minister Franck Riester said “France cannot take the risk when they know what the threat is, adding that far-left and far-right agitators were planning to hijack rallies by “yellow vest” protests in France.”

The Louvre Museum, Osray Museum, Grand Palais and The Two Operas will remain closed for another week after rioters and looters defaced the Arc de Triomphe.

Ecuadorian President has increased pressure for Julian Assange to leave their embassy in London, saying Britain has provided enough guarantees that they won’t extradite him to face death penalty overseas.

During a radio interview, the President suggested that the UK and Ecuador have undergone months of quiet diplomacy to resolve Assange’s situation.

Mr Assange has been residing within the embassy since 2012 after he was granted asylum whilst facing allegations of sex crimes in Sweden that he said were a guise to extradite him to the US.

A landmark study has shown that renewable energy has reduced electricity prices by far more than the subsidies costs.

The study conducted by the Victoria Energy Policy Centre, mainly focused on the South Australian electricity market and confirmed that households in that state have on average the highest electricity prices in the world and that wind and solar have helped bring these prices down.

The study’s lead author, Associate professor Bruce Mountain, said the research has provided evidence that renewables drive down prices.

The Labour government has passed the Morrison Government’s controversial encryption bill which would allow security agencies to force tech companies to write codes to help them crack encrypted messages.

Coalition MPs have expressed their “disappointment”, whilst Labor frontbencher blasted the bill as “nonsense legislation” that the government “still hadn’t got right”.

The longevity of this bill is unknown as the opposition has promised to review the bill in Parliament when it resumes in February.

A new report predicts that the uptake of robotics in Queensland could boost the state’s economic growth by up to 2% each year for the next decade

The report also identifies that embracing automation could provide anywhere between 492,950 and 1.165 million jobs by 2028.

The report prepared partly by QUT finds that the potential benefits from robotics and automation, particularly for productivity improvements and new jobs, will be “substantial” for the state.

The Queensland Government has decided to close two agricultural colleges within the state which has been viewed by many as disappointing. 

Following a review by the former Vice-Chancellor of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the Longreach Pastoral College and the Emerald Agriculture College were seen as financially impractical. 

Senegal has unveiled its first Museum of Black Civilisations in the capital city, Dakar. 

Following calls from Sengalesians for France to return art stolen during the colonial era; this Museum is a welcome addition. 

The artwork includes pieces from Mali, Burkina Faso, Cuba and Haitian artists; and the Museum was constructed after a US$34 million Chinese investment.