Link road to ease Everton Park peak hour traffic

A new link road connecting Stafford Road and South Pine Road has opened to traffic six months ahead of schedule.

The new Everton Link Park Road will redistribute traffic through the retail district, in hopes that it will ease traffic during peak hour. 

The Queensland Government has reported that the project has supported over 60 jobs over the past year

Australians miss out on repatriation flight from India

The first repatriation flight after the government's travel ban ended on 15 May arrived without half of it’s passengers over the weekend.

The Australians were prevented from boarding the flight, which landed on Saturday, after they tested positive for COVID-19 or were identified as a close contact of someone who was a positive case. 

Two more repatriation flights have been booked for 23 and 31 May, but demand far outweighs the supply with around 9,000 Australians still stranded in India.

Extinction Rebellion protester to remain in custody

An extinction rebellion protester will remain in custody in the Australian Capital Territory after refusing bail.

Lesley Mosbey, 58, glued her hand to the door of Parliament House on Thursday and remained there for over an hour being removed. Ms Mosbey took part in three other days of combined protests last week, culminating in the event at Parliament.

Thousands evacuated after Indian cyclone

Thousands have been evacuated from low-lying areas in Gujarat, India, after six people died from the first reported cyclone of the year.

Officials are saying the cyclone has put further strain on the already difficult COVID-19 vaccination rollout. 

Gujarat Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani, asked officials to ensure that electricity supplies to COVID-19 hospitals and other medical facilities are not disrupted and the supply of oxygen is maintained, however vaccinations have been suspended for the next two days.

Refugee rights activists protest at BITA

Refugee rights activists gathered outside of the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation over the weekend.

It was the latest protest against the indefinite detention of refugees who were brought to Australia from offshore detention centres for urgent medical attention as a part of the now-repealed medivac legislation.

Speakers at the Pinkenba event on Saturday included Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters and Jeremy Fernando, Vice President of External Australian Medical Students Association.

New fencing on K'Gari to protect dingoes

The Queensland Government has announced a 2 million dollar investment into the protection of dingoes on K’Gari.

The funds will go into fencing infrastructure on K’Gari, also known as Fraser Island, to reduce the interactions between the dingo population and visitors. 

The new fencing will be in addition to the protections already in place across 24 campgrounds, as well as the townships of Eurong, Happy Valley and Kingfisher Bay Resort.

First school strike since pandemic set for Friday

Thousands of students will walk out of school on Friday to join School Strike 4 Climate marches across the country.

The planned protest will be the organisation’s first since before the pandemic, with rallies planned in most capital cities, along with regional centres and country towns. Brisbane’s rally will be held from 1:00pm in King George Square.

The events on Friday are aimed at the Coalition’s inaction on climate policy, with protestors set to call on greater investment in renewable energy and protection for First Nations communities and Country.

Two US men compensated for decades of wrongful imprisonment

A content warning for the next story, which mentions sexual offences against a minor.

Two African American men wrongfully convicted of the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in the United States in 1983 have been awarded $US75 million in compensation.

The two men, Henry McCollum and Leon Brown, were exonerated in 2014 after DNA evidence linked a convicted murderer to the crime.