There has been at least 15 incidents of wasps preventing flights taking off at Brisbane Airport in the last decade, with 4 planes returning due to sensor probes being blocked by wasps nests.

The report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says while passengers have been alarmed at the risks posed by wasps, the airport’s pest control program remains the most effective measure against interference.

Brisbane Airport’s pest control management programs were reviewed and reformed in 2015 following the headaches insects have posed for airlines.

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a dry spring for Regional Queensland, leaving farmers in a tough position in the coming months.

Dr Anthony Watkins from the weather bureau says Queensland has had “average to well-below-average” rainfall across the state this winter.

Lack of rain combined with increasing temperatures makes this winter one of the warmest and driest on record.

The construction of three dams along the Mitchell River in far-north Queensland could support as much as 14,000 hectares of year-round crop irrigation, according to a new CSIRO report.

Resources Minister Senator Matthew Canavan said the far north could become a major food production centre, bringing significant economic benefits to the region—reaping a direct benefit of $700 million, an economy-wide benefit of $1.5 million and the generation of 7,000 jobs.

A Tamil asylum seeker, admitted to Logan hospital suffering severe depression, has died days after attempting to take his own life.

The man, who leaves behind a wife and four children in Sri Lanka, arrived in Australia by boat in 2012.

He was among the first group of asylum seekers sent to Nauru by the Labor government under Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

For 24/7 crisis support or suicide prevention services, please call 13 11 14. If life is in danger, call 000.

Aboriginal leaders are dismayed and disappointed by the proposal to appoint Tony Abbott as special envoy on Indigenous affairs to the Federal Government.

Co-chair of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, Jackie Huggins said there is a feeling of deflation among the Indigenous community.

Ms Huggins described Mr Abbott’s appointment as an act of punishment to Indigenous affairs, and as the result of a paternalistic government who do not care about the Indigenous community.

Victorian Police and youth workers will launch a joint effort this Wednesday to target youth crime in an attempt to reduce offending.

The Victorian state government has dedicated 1.7 Million Dollars to the ‘Embedded Youth Outreach Program, which will see Police Officers paired up with youth workers every night in some of Melbourne's crime hot-spots such as Dandenong, Casey and Hobson's Bay.

Far-right activists have clashed with anti-fascists in the German town of Chemnitz, following the death of a German national of Cuban descent.

Two men, of Syrian and Iraqi origin, were arrested in relation to the murder, prompting far-right activists to rally in the streets.

A friend of the deceased said the neo-Nazis are exploiting his death for their own purposes, as the media only reported a German death, leaving out who had died and the colour of skin.

Japan and Korea are facing flood threats, as summer typhoons have brought significant rainfall and haven’t yet ceased.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency issued warnings of heavy rain which may cause landslides and floods in Honshu’s Niigata and Ishikawa prefectures.

The slow-moving rain band is predicted to bring up to 250mm more rain to across the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese island of Honshu.