Brisbane First-Time Home Buyers Must Save For At Least 5 Years

A new report shows although Brisbane may be one of the cheaper cities in Australia to buy a house, first-home buyers are still likely to spend at least five years saving for a 20 per cent deposit.

However, the good news is those wanting to buy a unit will only need to save for about 4 years.

Place New Farm agent, Steve Yates, says it’s crucial first time buyers keep on track of rising house prices to keep up with changing market prices.

Italy's Prime Minister Threatens EU Migration Summit

Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has threatened to block a joint EU statement on migration, potentially sinking a summit.

Conte, the anti-immigration and populist leader of Italy, is looking to demand more support for Italy’s handling of migrants before signing onto the statement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is trying to rally EU delegates around the issue, saying migration could end up defining Europe’s destiny.

Bali Volcano Eruption Delays Flights

More than 20 Australian flights to Indonesia have been cancelled following another eruption from Bali’s Mount Agung.

Altogether, 22 flights from airlines Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin and Air Asia have been affected, over Thursday night and this Friday morning.

The mountain has been feared to fully erupt since September of last year; travellers are encouraged to check with their airline for updates.

BAE Wins $35 Billion Australian Warship Building Program

British defence company, B.A.E Systems, has won the $35 billion contract to build Australia's fleet of new navy frigates.[FRIG-ITS]

The federal government announced the company's Type 26 Global Combat ship will be the design for the naval program.

The nine new ships, which will be built in Adelaide, will be officially known as the Hunter class and will begin entering service in the late 2020s.

WTO Backs Australia's Plain Tobacco Packaging Landmark Ruling

Australia has won a victory at the World Trade Organisation over its plain packaging tobacco law.

In it’s ruling, the WTO panel said Australia’s ‘plain packaging’ law contributed to improving public health by reducing use of and exposure of tobacco products.

WTO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic says, “Tobacco plain packaging is an evidence-based measure that the World Health Organisation recommends as part of a comprehensive approach to tobacco control.”

Abortion Reform Report to be Given to State Government

The Queensland Law Commission is expected to give the state government their highly anticipated abortion reform report tomorrow.

The report will address Queensland’s restrictive laws from 1899, which place abortion in the criminal code.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has said she would like the laws changed, after suggesting the state Government’s 50 percent female cabinet would be in a prime position to amend the existing laws.

Brisbane fog causes transport delays

Brisbane suffers transport delays, as a thick fog covered inner city suburbs earlier this morning.

Translink advised CityCat users to expect delays of up to 30 minutes for all ferry services.

Planes have also been delayed, and are expected to impact arrivals and departures up to mid-morning.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the fog put Brisbane visibility at 20 metres.

Shoeb Ahmad: "quiver"

- “quiver” is the latest full-length record from Canberra based musician and sound artist Shoeb Ahmad. “quiver” paints a picture of Shoeb’s internal monologue throughout personal change and trauma. Each title is, unusually, presented lowercase within inverted commas, evokes a game of word association, with the title being quoted spontaneously in response to the story contained. Sometimes the meaning of the title is clear while sometimes it’s more abstract and personal as in the case of “mask-ed”.

The PBs: My Actual Dad

- One of the best things to happen to someone who’s forced to listen to music all the damn time is to hear something go somewhere completely different from where you expected it to, different and good.