Victorian school-leavers have to achieve higher ATAR results if they want to become a teacher, with the minimum score required to study an undergraduate course set at 65

The change coincided with a decline of 22 percent in the number of first round offers received by aspiring teachers

Victorian Education Minister James Merlino welcomed the change saying that by raising the bar in order to become a teacher, the standard of teaching will have risen as a consequence.

December in 2017 set a new record for being the darkest month to date in Moscow.

Although winters in Russia are notoriously dark, meteorologists report the sun only shone for 6 minutes throughout the entire month, despite usually getting dozens of hours of sun.

The previous record for darkness in Moscow was set in 2000, with only 3 hours of sunshine reported in December.

Pro-life campaigners may be banned from protesting outside a London abortion clinic after allegedly harassing and intimidating patients.

Ealing councillors are taking steps to ban the protesters from loitering outside the Marie Stopes clinic in West London, after voting in favour of the ban last October.

Council leader Julian Bell says similar behaviour is occurring at clinics around the country, and a national solution to this problem must be developed to protect women seeking abortions from harassment.

The Minerals Council of Australia has revealed it makes donations to political parties in order to gain access to politicians.

The revelation was found in the lobby group’s submission to the Senate inquiry which is examining the role of donations in Australia’s political system

It was also revealed the organisation donated more than $90,000 to political parties in the past two financial years.

Delays in installing CCTV cameras in the Caloundra CBD on the Sunshine Coast could be risking lives according to a state MP.

Caloundra MP Mark McArdle has been on a decade-long crusade for the surveillance technology to be installed in the area, following the bashing of an elderly man who required facial surgery.

In May 2017 Mr McArdle was part of a group of politicians who gathered to celebrate receiving $140,000 for 23 CCTV cameras, however, the funding does not cover the cost of ongoing maintenance and replacements if necessary.

Researchers have found a link between freckles and moles appearing in the iris of people’s eyes and an increased risk of developing melanoma.

The Dermatology Research Centre’s Associate Professor Rick Sturm said the presence of pigment lesions in irises is an effective predictor of susceptibility to melanoma, particularly in people aged under age.

Professor Sturm explained despite recent advances in medical treatments for melanoma, long-term prognosis was still poor for patients and early detection is crucial.