A man is missing off the central Queensland coast after he disappeared from a charter boat.

A search has not found any trace of Jeffrey Costar, who was last seen at 2am on Sunday.

The fishing boat had over a dozen passengers on board when he disappeared.

A new United Nations report says at least 36 people, including 30 children, were killed in a helicopter raid by the Afghan government as they attended a religious ceremony.

The Afghan government said the April 2 attack was intended to hit members of a Taliban special forces group as well as a senior leadership group.

The UN could not confirm any allegations of the helicopters deliberately targeting civilians.

Red-hot lava is seeping through the streets from the Kilauea volcano, known to be the most active volcano in Hawaii.

In its latest update, twenty-six homes have already been destroyed says Hawaii’s Civil Defence Agency.

The residents were prepared with evacuation orders in place Monday for the hundreds of residents in the eastern part of Hawaii.

The New South Wales state government has referred the state’s consent laws to the law reform commission following a four corners investigation of a high profile sexual assault case last night.

A Sydney man was found not guilty of sexual assault despite that the jury and two judges finding that the victim did not consent.  

The complicated laws surrounding consent that impacted the outcome of this particular case has caused New South Wales Attorney General, Mark Speakman to refer these laws to the Law Reform Commission.

The federal government will announce their budget tonight and is warned not to be ‘mammoth’.

The government is set to unveil tax cuts worth $10.50 a week which may affect low and middle-income earners.

The ABC reports the budget will also include plans to increase funding for home care packages, reducing the backlog.

Companies that steal wages from employees may soon face higher penalties in Queensland.

On Monday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a parliamentary inquiry which will listen to workers’ stories about wage theft around Queensland.

Ms Palaszczuk said the inquiry could result in larger fines for businesses that violate the rules.

Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has stated she hopes the federal government will allocate some funding for the Cross River Rail in the new budget to be announced tonight.

Cross River Rail is planned to be an over 10 kilometre rail line between Dutton Park and Bowen Hills but has taken a back seat since extra funding was allocated to the Brisbane Metro project.

Malaysia’s upcoming election this Wednesday could be a major turning point in the country in it’s 14th election since independence.

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s party, Barisan Nasional, has been in power since 1956 but is facing fierce opposition from a former party member.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad who retired in 2003 after being in charge for 22 years has returned and switched sides to the opposition to contest the current government.