Possibly disease ridden bats are dropping from trees and biting residents in Cairns as soaring temperatures in far North Queensland have prompted the animals to seek shelter on the ground.

Tropical Public Health Services Director Dr Richard Gair said six people have been either bitten or scratched by bats in the past week, in spite of a public health warning issued last week.

Queensland Health have urged residents to not pick up bats, which may be infected with the potentially deadly Australian bat lyssavirus.

Australians look certain to head to the polls in May, with Scott Morrison announcing the federal budget would be delivered in April.

Mr Morrison would not disclose the exact date of the election, but May 11 or 18 look most likely, given Easter and school holidays in April.

The news comes after his power has been further diminished by backbencher Julia Banks quitting the Liberal Party, with the government now only holding 74 of 150 House of Representative seats.

The Pedestrian Council of Australia is pushing for new fines to be issued to distracted pedestrians after the introduction of diagonal crossings in Brisbane’s CBD.

Chairman of the Council, Harold Schruby is a strong supporter for the proposed $200 fine on distracted pedestrians, and said it will lead to “significant reduction in dangerous behaviour while crossing roads.”

If approved, council officers and police would have the power to issue a fine to people distracted by their phones or headphones while crossing the road.

Gang of Youths have called for ticket reseller Viagogo to be banned in Australia, saying the company has become one of the most disgraceful scams encountered by the live music industry.

The band has asked fans to send them examples of how they’ve been affected by the “fraudulent operation”, and plan to send these reports to the Labour Party in an effort to shut the site down.

The global ticket company allows scalpers to inflate prices on its platform while also adding substantial fees.

The restriction of townhouses and apartments in Brisbane’s outer suburbs forms part of major changes to Brisbane’s City Plan proposed at yesterday’s Council Meeting.

According to Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, the plan acts as an attempt to save Brisbane’s suburban backyards from townhouses, as well as accommodate the city’s ageing population.

The plan will implement new multi-storey retirement and aged cares zones in order to cope with an extra 44 000 people over the age of 70 in 8 years.

A Seattle based tech startup has developed a solution to the vast deforestation caused by the California wildfires on the US west coast.

The company, DroneSeed, uses drones equipped with multispectral cameras and 3D maps of an area to gather information about soil and vegetation and determine ideal areas to plant trees.

After many successful trials, DroneSeed is planning on beginning it’s first post-fire restoration project in California in December.

A Syrian man who was forced to live in a Malaysian airport for close to seven months has been granted asylum in Canada.

37 year old Hassan al-Kontar left his homeland to avoid mandatory military service after war broke out in Syria in 2011, and was deported from the UAE to Malaysia after moving through several countries.

Multiple human rights groups campaigned for Kontar’s wellbeing while he documented his time in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, with Canadian sponsors recently helping to arrange his asylum.

The NSW State Emergency Services have made six rescues in Sydney after unprecedented downfalls have led to commuters becoming trapped in rising waters.

The bizarre torrential rain saw almost a months worth of rainfall in two hours, leading to dangerous road conditions and power outages across the region.

Sydney Airport has cancelled a number of domestic and international flights as a result of the rain, and the SES is urging drivers not to risk their lives driving through flood waters.