A new Catalan nationalist government is in power after being sworn in on Saturday, marking the end of Spain’s rule over the region.

Quim Torra, a close ally of sacked leader Carles Puigdemont, is now leading the new government alongside 13 councillors.

This election result is a blow to the Spanish government who attempted to contain a separatist push in the region.

Newly elected president Pedro Sanchez, says he wants talks on Catalonia but is opposed to another independence referendum.

An accident off Tunisia’s southern coast led to the drowning of 46 migrants while dozens were rescued by the coast guard.

Security officials said 180 migrants were on the boat with a rescue operation still ongoing.

Tunisia is increasingly being used as launch pad for migrants heading into Europe due to tightened controls from Libya’s coastguard.

This latest accident is the most deadly shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea since February when 90 people drowned off the coast of Libya.

Brisbane City Council has purchased 90 hectares of bushland across the city as part of their bushland acquisition program this weekend.

This includes 16 hectares at Kholo, forming part of an ecological corridor with the existing council-owned Kholo bushlands.

The council plans to acquire 750 hectares of land as part of a fast-track program started in 2016.

The State Government has welcomed the Fair Work Commission’s decision to lift the national minimum wage and award rates of pay by 3.5%.

Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said this will provide a much-needed real wage increase for almost half a million low-paid private sector workers in Queensland.

This follows the Queensland Government’s submission to the Fair Work Commission that called for an increase to the national minimum wage of 3.9%.

Former deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has admitted he knew he would lose his deputy PM position in a paid interview with Channel Seven.

Mr Joyce said he knew of the pregnancy before the New England by-election, which was triggered due to his dual citizenship.

Mr Joyce said the money from the 150,000 dollar interview will go into a trust account for their son Sebastian.

An ABC investigation has uncovered dozens of Australians who were seeking online tech support were secretly filmed using their own webcams and without their knowledge.

The investigation found that remote-access scammers used fake tech support websites to trick their victims into handing over money for fake fixes,  as well as control of their computers.

The victims were asked to read from a script to confirm work was completed, which was recorded and posted on YouTube as endorsements for the scam service.

North Korean state media reports Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is visiting North Korea, making it the first visit by an international head of state since Kim Jong-un came into power in 2011.

The two countries maintain good relations since close military cooperation during the Arab-Israeli War in October 1973.

There is no immediate comment from the Syrian president’s office.

The Slovenian election has left no party with a majority and a coalition government will need to be installed.

The anti-immigrant SDS party of right-wing leader Janez Jansa won the election with 25% of the vote but now must seek a partner to govern with.

The anti-establishment LMS party also won 12% of the vote in the election centred around immigration.