The Dutch court, the Hague, will rule on whether fossil fuel companies are responsible for the effects of climate change in a landmark case today.

Shell was sued by the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth whose lawyers argue that the company is violating human rights by extracting fossil fuels.

The verdict will only be legally binding in the Netherlands, however, the case may guide deliberations by judges elsewhere.

The royal commission heard allegations of a forged signature yesterday from long-time racing, gaming and liquor bureaucrat Nick Toyne who said he did not write a report which led to the Crown casino watchdog making it easier for junket operators with criminal links to come to Crown Perth.

Another issue being considered in the commission is conflicts of interest, with Mr Toyne discussing how he married a casino employee while he was working as a casino inspector.

Victoria's Department of Health says there were 10 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 detected in the state yesterday.

That includes five cases announced yesterday, which were all part of the City of Whittlesea cluster.

The five latest cases are said to have strong links to existing cases in the cluster.

The positive cases were detected from 26,180 test results

16 people have been killed in a remote region of Peru known for coca production in deadly clashes with a dissident faction of Shining Path, a Maoist movement.

The  mountainous region is where 75 percent of cocaine is produced in the South American country, according to authorities.

Queensland LNP Senator Gerard Rennick is rejecting pressure on the government to speed up the vaccination rollout so borders can open. 

Senator Rennick says it’s better for local wage growth if “foreign immigrants” are kept out and he is “looking forward to wage growth actually coming back.”

The federal government pledged to have 4 million jabs by the end of march, however, just 3.69 million vaccine doses administered to date

The royal commission heard allegations of a forged signature yesterday from long-time racing, gaming and liquor bureaucrat Nick Toyne who said he did not write a report which led to the Crown casino watchdog making it easier for junket operators with criminal links to come to Crown Perth.

Another issue being considered in the commission is conflicts of interest, with Mr Toyne discussing how he married a casino employee while he was working as a casino inspector.

Victoria's Department of Health says there were 10 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 detected in the state yesterday.

That includes five cases announced yesterday, which were all part of the City of Whittlesea cluster. The positive cases were detected from 26,180 test results

16 people have been killed in a remote region of Peru known for coca production in deadly clashes with a dissident faction of Shining Path, a Maoist movement.

The  mountainous region is where 75 percent of cocaine is produced in the South American country, according to authorities.

Australian Conservation Foundation is celebrating a win over the federal government and mining giant Adani in its court case concerning the multinational’s proposed water use at its coal mine in central Queensland.

The Federal Court handed down its decision yesterday, finding the Environment Minister should have applied the “water trigger”, which exists to ensure the impacts of large mining projects on water resources are properly and thoroughly scrutinised.  

The project will now undergo further assessment.

Six months after a mobile phone tower was built in the outback, the Queensland town,  Urandangi is still without phone reception. 

The mostly Indigenous town was promised service almost seven years ago in the federal government's Mobile Black Spot Program in 2015.

A Telstra spokesperson said the isolated location has made it hard for the company to deliver coverage and it expected to connect the area in June.