Military training exercise will see 8,500 troops near Shoalwater Bay
A major military training exercise will take place in Central Queensland for about 8,500 soldiers before deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan this August.
Troops from the Australian Army, Air Force and Navy as well as US marines and New Zealand forces will participate in high intensity training over the course of three weeks.
The camp is located in Shoalwater Bay, a military training area near Rockhampton.
Black market fishing operation sees four men fined over $30,000
Four men have been fined over $30,000 for a black market fishing operation, including the catch and unlawful sale of female and undersized blue swimmer crabs around Brisbane.
Two commercial fisheries will appear in Caboolture Magistrates Court in April, charged with 59 offences and fined over $29,000.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries, Mark Furner, said the black market has a real potential to impact commercial fisheries and lead to unsustainable fishing practices.
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616 migrants have been rescued off the coast of Spain as authorities picked up 20 vessels on Monday, including a kayak.
An EU mini summit was held on Sunday to discuss the migration issue, but no concrete measures were agreed on.
12,155 people have arrived in Spain this year, with more than 290 migrants dying in their attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea.
Thousands protest in Iran following devaluation of rial value
Thousands of traders have gathered in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar to protest the devaluation of the Iranian rial.
Abdollah Esfiandari, head of the Bazaar’s administrative board, says the striker’s demands are legitimate as they want the situation on the foreign exchange market to be clarified.
The value of the rial has dropped by almost fifty percent in the past six months, and Iran faces further economic trouble.
Tasmanian government delays provision of additional beds for mental health facilities
New mental health beds promised by the Tasmanian State Government are facing delays due to a lack of available space in which to move current medical specialists.
10 new beds were expected to be provided by March 2019 at the Mistral Place facility, however the time frame is now an area of uncertainty.
A further 15 beds are also estimated to be given to the Peacock Centre in the next two years, however the government has not given further comment on the certainty of this.
Women's self-defence group holds classes near Eurydice Dixon memorial
The memorial for Eurydice Dixon in Melbourne’s Princes Park is now holding a self-defence course for women wanting to learn how to fight off male attackers.
It is known as the “Women Fight Back” self defence course and has received extremely positive feedback, with more than 600 expressions of interest on social media.
The group of 20 women who are taking the course are taught which parts of their bodies to use, how to avoid dangerous situations and how to target weak spots on an attacker.
$400,000 donation funds Queensland stem cell research for spinal cord injuries
A donation of almost $400,000 will provide funds for the University of Queensland as they research the potential of stem cells to repair spinal cord injuries.
Dr Marc Ruitenberg, who will be heading the research, says this money will enable researchers to “investigate stem cell-based therapies to treat chronic spinal cord injury finding and assist in finding a cure for spinal cord injuries.”
The research hopes to transplant nerve cells into spinal cord injury sites to improve broken circuits and return lost functions.
Brisbane house prices expected to increase by 13% within three years
Brisbane is expected to experience the highest house growth of all capital cities over the next three years, according to industry forecaster BIS Oxford Economics.
The forecaster predicts house prices in Brisbane will increase by 13%, while house prices in Melbourne and Sydney are expected to decrease by 10%.
This anticipated increase is attributed to an increase in interstate migration and population growth in Queensland.
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The Queensland Milk Bank is facing an unprecedented shortage of life-saving breast milk after an increase in demand for its services.
Doctor Pieter Koorts says the bank currently holds less than 100 litres, and the 85 litres pasteurised in the last fortnight will go quickly.
The milk bank provides supplies for about a dozen hospitals across the country, and fed fifty-one babies at the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital last month.
Houthi missiles intercepted over Riyadh, Saudi Arabian officials confirm
Saudi Arabian officials have confirmed they intercepted two Houthi missiles over the capital Riyadh on Sunday night.
Eyewitnesses heard six loud blasts and described bright flashes of light in the sky, as well as shrapnel raining over the diplomatic quarters where most embassies are located.
The attack was the first to target the capital since the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive on June 12 to capture Yemen’s Hodeidah port city.