The former Mayor of Ipswich is set to appear before a Brisbane court.

He is scheduled to make his first appearance in court over seven counts of fraud.

He is the second former Ipswich Mayor to appear before a court in the last year.

Cereal company Kellogg will be pulling out of Venezuela as workers were prevented from entering their factory in Maracay.

The South American country’s economic decline is to blame, with strict currency control, limited raw materials and inflation affecting businesses and residents.

But during an upcoming election rally in the wake of ongoing national crises, current President Nicolas Maduro says he intends to hand over the Kellogg facility to the workers.

Another Mexican journalist has been assassinated in Mexico, marking the fourth killed so far in 2018.

The journo was shot dead on Tuesday morning as he was driving away from his home in Villahermosa.

The Committee to Protect Journalists have stated that two of the four killings this year have been confirmed due to the reporter’s work.

Brisbane vacant rental properties have dropped below 10,000.

The vacancy rate in Brisbane dropped from 3.2% to 3% from March to April, proving good news for real estate investors.

Despite the decrease in empty properties, Brisbane is still above the 2.1% national average.  

Diagnosed asthma in preschool aged children has halved by managing the condition in expectant mums’.

Birth difficulties including pre-term birth and low birth weight are linked to asthma and every year it kills 400 Australians, with 37000 being hospitalisations.

Researcher, Joerg Mattes says asthma prevention is the holy grail and these findings have significant implications for patients and ongoing research.

The Northern Territory seabed mining moratorium has been extended through 2021.

The ban sees a pause on growing interest in deposits of manganese along the coast of Arnhem Land and the Gulf of Carpentaria.

This follows the ban beginning in 2012 by the then country liberals over concerns about potential environmental impacts.

Brisbane City Council’s Julian Simmonds has been called a “walking conflict of interest,” as he is set to campaign for a federal seat while remaining as chairman for city planning.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming has called for Simmonds to resign from his chairman role immediately o avoid a conflict of interest following his selection as the LNP’s candidate.

Opposition councillor Jared Cassidy has also queried whether Simmonds would rule out accepting developer donations through the federal division of the Liberal Party.