A study conducted by researchers at Charles Sturt University suggests encouraging native bird populations to live around farmland can be highly beneficial to the environment.

In the past, the presence of birds on farmland has been considered harmful since they eat farmer’s crops, although new research suggests the benefits outweigh the costs.

The man who replaced Jacqui Lambie in the Senate says he has no intention of stepping down to allow her to return to her post.

Steve Martin, the Devonport mayor, says he will serve as a Jacqui Lambie Network senator, representing Tasmania and its people.

Mr Martin intends to remain a Senator for the full term of 6 years as he was allocated and will have to step down from his position as mayor, although he hopes to do so without having a by-election.

The Danish government proposed a ban on  full face veils being worn in public spaces on Tuesday.

The government is likely to present a bill to parliament in the coming months and while  the country’s second largest party, the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party also supported the move which would see a ban on face covers including burqas, niqabs and balaclavas.

In an embarrassment for the Brisbane City Council, a new fleet of buses will not fit in all of the city’s bus stops.

The council announced yesterday that 20 new buses, costing $736,000 each would begin servicing the city’s busiest routes in January of 2019.

The new buses can carry up to 116 people with 56 seats and standing room for 60 passengers.

Medical researchers from the University of Queensland have discovered a way to control and reduce inflammation caused by a range of diseases.

The team of scientists have learned how inflammation processes effectively ‘switch off’ in healthy cells, and are attempting to apply that knowledge to to manually halt the process of inflammation when it occurs.

Researcher for UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience Associate Professor Kate Schroder says the information could be key to stopping inflammation caused by gout, liver cirrhosis and Alzheimer’s

An extra $747 million is being invested into the country’s elite private schools, according to Catholic Education Commission of Victoria.

The CECV will today publish a list of schools which it estimates charge fees which are equivalent of the School Resource Standard which determines the amount of funding each child needs for their education.

The CECV concedes 10 Catholic schools are on the list, while there are also 2 Queensland schools reported to be on the list.

A new vaccine is being trialled which is hoping to lead to a human vaccine against the deadly, dengue and zika viruses.

Kunjin virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, causes lesions in the skin of crocodiles but there is hope that a newly developed vaccine can have broad applications, include pathogens of mosquito borne diseases which affects humans.

Professor Roy Hall says scientists are still trying to learn about how the transmissions occur.

A Palestinian man was killed after being shot in the chest by Israeli soldiers in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank.

According to local media, Khaled Walid Tayeh, a 22 year old from Iraq al-Tayeh, died at a nearby hospital on Tuesday from gunshot wounds, while 6 other Palestinians remain critically injured.

More than 40 other people were injured in the conflict, which broke out when Israeli soldiers entered the city in search of a suspect involved in the stabbing of an Israeli settler earlier this week.

Airstrikes by the Syrian government against rebel-held regions killed 23 civilians in Eastern Ghouta, a rebel-stronghold suburb in Damascus.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Monday night’s attacks by the Syrian government and Russian allies injured at least 70 people around Damascus.

Human rights activists said it was difficult to access the area to assist the estimated 400,000 residents and provide them food and shelter.