The World Today

Obtaining a medical certificate or a prescription no longer requires visiting a GP's clinic. Over the past year, there has been a growth in the number of doctors providing medical service over a video call. It's being touted as a convenient and cheaper option for basic health care needs - but there are concerns that this form of online medicine is a largely unregulated industry.

A huge toxic fire at a recycling plant in Melbourne's north could keep burning for days. Eight people have been treated for smoke-related illnesses and 110 homes have been advised to evacuate since the fire began at Coolaroo yesterday morning. It's the third fire at the rubbish tip this year, and the Victorian Government is promising a full investigation.

China's most prominent dissident, Liu Xiaobo, has died at the age of 61 of multiple organ failure, brought on by liver cancer. The leader of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations of 1989, Liu continued to call for political reform with his 2008 charter before being arrested. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 whilst in state custody, with the award presented to an empty chair in his absence. In a controversial step sure to anger Beijing, some of Liu's closest friends and colleagues are renewing calls in his honour for greater democracy in China.

China is set to extend the global reach of its military with ships on their way to Djibouti. The World Today speaks to Sam Roggeveen, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute and a visiting fellow at the Australian National University's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre.

The parents of a baby with a rare disease have returned to London's High Court, demanding a fresh look at their wish to take the critically ill boy to the United States for treatment. The boy's own doctors argue that experimental treatment in America won't help, and may only cause more suffering. But a US doctor says there's now a small but significant chance that the therapy could help.

Sydney has become the latest Australian capital city to get a bike sharing scheme, after a local entrepreneur launched a new app in the city. Bike sharing schemes, supported by local governments, are already in place in Melbourne and Brisbane. But experts say Australia's bicycle infrastructure and driver attitudes have a long way to go before bike sharing schemes will be as successful here as they have been overseas.

Our view of the people of the bush as a mix of rusted on Anglo-Saxon farmers and Aboriginal people may be wrong. According to the latest Census, data migrants are driving population growth in many small towns, their influx saving dying regional communities. One-hundred-and-fifty-one regional local government areas across the country increased or stabilised their population thanks to overseas-born settlers.

In the multicultural heartland of Logan, south of Brisbane, the ethnic diversity of the region is having an impact on the humble Meals on Wheels service. Branching out from the traditional sausages and mash, the service is widening its scope to include a variety of international fare. Older women who have been holding the team together for years are learning tips from new team members, eager to pass on recipes from their homeland.

One of the biggest difficulties of helping a family member or friend through a rough patch is knowing exactly what to do and when to do it. But the makers of a new online tool are hoping to take away that mystery. Gather My Crew is an Australian website which lets people struggling with tragedy or illness tell their loved ones exactly what they can do to help.

Victoria Police has apologised to the family of murdered Melbourne woman Maria James, after admitting it bungled DNA evidence linked to the case. Police investigating the cold case murder have discovered a DNA sample used to rule out suspects - including a known paedophile priest - was in fact from another, unrelated crime. There are now calls for the Victorian Coroner to reopen the case, as police reinstate potential suspects and re-examine the evidence.