The UN says more than 200 mass graves have been uncovered in Iraq, in areas previously controlled by the Islamic State.

The graves are yet to be properly excavated, due to booby traps but are thought to hold between six thousand to twelve thousand bodies.

Suki Nagra, the director of the UN’s Human Rights office in Iraq, said the sites need to be protected and treated as crime scenes until they can be dug up by properly trained forensic experts.

CSIRO researchers have released a statement saying the invasive African big-headed ant has been eradicated from World Heritage listed Lord Howe Island.

The team responsible for the eradication used around two hundred thousand lures to assess the insects’ presence and eradicate them.

Researcher and exotic ant specialist Dr Ben Hoffmann was part of the team responsible for the eradication and says the six year project was one of the most significant invasive ant eradications in the world.

Federal Government funding for the Gold Coast light rail project has decreased, according to Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced $112 million in funding on Monday for stage 3A of the project, which will extend the light rail another 6.4 km from Broadbeach to Burleigh, as well as develop 8 new stations and upgrade pedestrian and cycling facilities.

With the total cost of stage three of the project currently estimated around $670 million, the federal contribution comprises only 16% of the project’s total cost.

The US midterm polls have opened on Tuesday morning, and will determine which party controls the US Congress.

After a diverse campaign made up by fierce clashes over race, immigration and other cultural issues, opinion polls show that voting could go either way with 40 million early votes already cast.  

Voting will shape the future of Donald Trump’s presidency as if Democrats control the House of Representatives they can exert greater control over Republican legislation.

Sunshine Coast farmers are riding a boom following the increased interest in pastured eggs as an alternative to caged and free range production.

Following a CSIRO survey conducted by Australian Eggs, Animal Welfare is becoming more apparent as a growing concern for consumers.

Chickens kept in pastures are allowed to chase insects and roam in open paddocks, laying and sleeping in a series of mobile sheds that need to be moved every two days for fresh pasture.

A 43 year old man has been taken to Lismore Base Hospital after he was bitten by a shark at Shelley Beach near Ballina at 7:10 this morning.

This follows a string of shark attacks on the east coast over the last few months which have primarily been occurring in the Whitsundays.

After the September attacks, drum lines were installed in Queensland, but have since been taken down following the baiting of six sharks.

Chinese authorities have started using new surveillance technology on the streets of Shanghai and Beijing to identify people based on the way they walk.

The gait recognition software can analyse people’s movements on normal surveillance footage to create a model of how each person walks, and uses this to establish who they are.

CEO of Chinese artificial intelligence company Watrix, Huang Yongzhen, said its system can identify people from up to 50 metres away, even with their back turned or face covered.

Archaeologists studying an ancient Egyptian quarry may have discovered how large blocks of stone were moved when building the pyramids using ramps with staircases and post holes.

This technology was discovered while studying inscriptions at an ancient quarry and potentially showed work on the pyramids was able to be completed faster than had been suggested by previous scientific theories.

It has been revealed, plans to proceed with Adani’s North Galilee Water scheme were put ahead, despite the advice of governmental water experts.

The proposed extraction of 12.5 billion litres of water from a river in Queensland to support the Carmichael coal mine, faces backlash following reports of community water shortages from last September.

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources says the proposed action of the mine could have a significant impact on water scarcity.