Street artists are transforming Brisbane for the third Street Art Festival which kicked off on Saturday.

The festival director says street art is helping to redefine Brisbane.

The annual event, which runs until April 15th, will see double the number of artworks from last year and in notable locations such as Fish Lane, Ric’s Bar and Brisbane Powerhouse.

Seven people have died as a result of shots being fired following violent protests by Dalit organisations in India.

These organisations, which represent the lower castes, were protesting against a Supreme Court decision to change the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act.

The Dalit leaders say that the changes to this act will result in more violence and discrimination against the lower castes.

Thousands of teachers in Oklahoma and Kentucky rallied on Monday to demand more funding and better pay.

Demonstrators were inspired by a nine-day strike last month that won West Virginian teachers their first pay-rise in four years.

Walkouts have closed schools in Oklahoma and Kentucky. Teachers are primarily protesting changes in pension benefits.

Footage has emerged of six Melbourne police officers assaulting a man during a welfare check requested by the man’s psychologist.

The video was captured by the home owner’s own security cameras, which he installed after a burglary.

The man didn’t take the footage of his own assault to the police, stating he had no faith that the police would investigate fairly, and has instead taken his case to Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission.

Child protection advocates are calling for a dramatic shake up of the system after it was revealed that in the last five years more than 12 people convicted of child sex crimes and assault have obtained a ‘working with children check’ in Victoria.

Offenders have won the right to work with children through legal challenges at Victoria's highest tribunal, in circumstances that advocates say drastically undermine Australia’s child protection system.

Over $12,000 has been raised for vision impaired Queen Street Mall busker, Graham Pampling, a local icon who has busked 6 days per week for the last 30 years.

The GoFundMe campaign was set-up to support Mr Pampling after a recent hip replacement put him 11 weeks out of play.

The campaign was also set-up to support his financial troubles and raise awareness that this year marks Mr Pampling’s 30th year of busking in Brisbane.

The owner of Rankins on the Mall which has been slated for demolition, has started an online petition to save his shop.

The owner of the Queen street mall news agency, Ross Peterson, is determined to save his business which has been open for 35 years.

Peterson says the petition has already received over 1000 signatures since it launched last Thursday.

Winnie Mandela, South African anti-apartheid campaigner and former wife of Nelson Mandela, has died at age 81.

Winnie has been hailed as a mother of the ‘new’ South Africa and a ruthless ideology prepared to sacrifice laws and lives in pursuit of revolution.

Her spokesman says she died after long illness, which had her in and out of hospital since the start of the year.