NASA is expected to soon end efforts to contact Opportunity Mars rover, which has been silent since a major dust storm in June of this year.

Acting Director of NASA’s planetary science division, Lori Glaze, says the team intended to keep contacting Opportunity on a daily basis for at least another week before ending efforts.

Former rover controllers say the NASA team have not given Opportunity enough time to be revived if its solar panels were coated in dust from the storm.

Hundreds of pedaphiles have been denied Australian passports after the introduction of tough new laws last year, aiming to stop child sex tourism.

An Australian Passport Office official, Ross Tysoe, says 857 child sex offenders have been denied passports and another 39 have been stopped at the border.

Nine registered pedophiles have been charged since the tough laws were introduced late last year.

New South Wales pharmacists will soon be able to administer a number of new shots, in addition to flu shots.

From January, pharmacists in NSW will able to provide shots against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis shots, whooping cough and measles, mumps and rubella to anyone over the age of 16.

Deputy NSW Premier John Barilaro says a greater range shots available at the pharmacy takes the pressure from doctors.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has criticised the Federal Government's response to drought in Queensland at the Drought Summit in Canberra.

The $100 million federal assistance for farmers won’t kick in until 2020.

The Premier says farmers are struggling now, and Queensland has already paid $670 million in drought relief.

A public examination into collapsed Queensland construction firms Cullen Group and One House are being held by regulator QBCC.

The two companies entered liquidation around early 2017, owing creditors $18 million.

Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni says the collapses are particularly tough on small businesses.

Eight teenagers have been pricked by a hypodermic needle at a Sydney high school following what is believed to be a prank gone wrong.

Acting Inspector Shane Rolls says the incident is the result of childish behaviour and all victims are currently undergoing tests for infections.

The NSW education department has offered counselling and support to students and staff.

Research conducted by the Queensland Government into eating habits has found Queenslanders are not meeting the recommended daily intake for any of the five food groups.

Nutritionist Mathew Dick says unhealthy foods or drinks represent a significant proportion of the state’s diet.

In Queensland, one in four children, and two in three adults are overweight or obese.

Alarmingly, merely 0.6 percent of kids aged five to 17 years are meeting the daily recommendation for consuming vegetables from healthy foods.

A daring climber known as ‘french spiderman’ has been arrested on grounds of being a public nuisance, for causing road closures and putting pressure on emergency services, who had set up a cordon around the building.

Alain Robert, the 56 year old climber has been scaling London’s tallest buildings, without safety equipment or ropes.

He has climbed over 160 skyscrapers and says he feels fully alive when his life is at stake.

Google has fired 48 people in the past two years that were subject to sexual harassment allegations, a Google spokesperson has revealed.

The tech giant says it takes a hard line on misconduct, providing employees with the ability to report harassment anonymously.

Google maintains none of the employees sacked received severance pay.