The World Today

The act of telling a joke is a familiar form of storytelling and now a new wave of Indigenous comedians are honing their craft. Contestants from across the country are preparing for tomorrow's grand final of a national Aboriginal comedy contest

The Women's March on Washington in January not only brought some renewed public attention to women's rights, it's also helped to promote a new song. 'Quiet' by American artist Milck appears to have been unofficially adopted as an anthem for the movement after a video of protestors singing it went viral. Tomorrow choirs from around the world, including in Sydney will again be singing it.

As Donald Trump does an about face on Syria, International pressure is building on Russia to use its influence on the Assad regime. Leaders from around the world including Australia have united to condemn the horrific chemical weapons attack that killed more than 70 civilians, including children. At an unusually heated security council meeting, Russia supported the Syrian government's claims that it was not involved. But the Trump administration is holding the Syrian regime directly responsible and put the UN on notice that a failure to act could see unilateral action by the United States.

As the flooding Fitzroy river peaks in Rockhampton this lunchtime, locals are preparing for an inundation that could last several days. One of the more flood prone suburbs is Depot Hill.

A father whose intellectually disabled daughter was physically assaulted up to three times while living in a group home has called for massive reforms to the sector. He says the court system did not cater to his daughter's needs and the only way to catch offenders is with security cameras. It comes after the ABC's Four Corners program last week documented a series of examples of assault, abuse and neglect in group homes for people with a disability.

Scientists working on the Great Barrier Reef say they may have found the key to stopping the Crown of Thorns starfish in its tracks. They say they've cracked the chemical code that the animals use to communicate with each other, and are now looking to use that as a weapon against them.

Facebook has introduced important changes to its various social media platforms to crack down on the sharing of intimate images without consent. Experts hope the move will prompt other social media companies to also strengthen their policies around what's often referred to as 'revenge porn'. The practice has been difficult to control, because of legal ambiguity between jurisdictions, but the office of the E-Safety Commissioner says very early discussions are underway to try to create national consistency for victims.

'Reputational issues' are undermining the case for big business tax cuts, the Treasurer Scott Morrison is warning bosses. He's asking them to do more to solidify their standing with everyday Australians and help clear the political path for tax cuts for large businesses, which the Government's promising to revisit despite their defeat in the Senate last week.

As the first term of the school year comes to a close parents and teachers are becoming increasingly worried about education funding arrangements for next year and beyond. The country's Education Ministers are meeting in Hobart tomorrow but the Federal Government is keeping its funding plans under wraps until June.

Experts are warning about the rise of a black market for prescription drugs. One addiction specialist says the number of Australians who are getting scripts for prescription pain killers has quadrupled in the last two decades. The suburb of Campbelltown has seen a sharp increase in the amount of prescription drugs available on the streets. One 15 year old girl spoke to The World Today about her prescription pill-induced rage.