All Australian victims of MH17 have been identified.

Dutch authorities have confirmed that the bodies of 38 Australians who died on board Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 have now been formally identified.

Elaine Teoh and Emiel Mahler both 27

Fatima Dyczynski 24

Gerry, 70 and Mary Menke, 65

Helena Sidelik 56

Hans van den Hende his wife Shaliza Dewa and their children Piers 15 Marnix 12 and Margaux 8

Howard and Susan Horder, both in their 60's

Jack O'brien, 25

Marco Grippeling, 48

Marie Rizk, was in her 50s

Sister Philomena Tiernan

Albert Rizk in his 50s

Arjen, 55 and Yvonne Ryder, 54

Carol Clancy, 64

Edel Mahady, 50

Emma Bell in her 20's

Evie, 8 and Otis Maslin 10

Frankie and Liam-Davison

Liliane Derden 50

Mo Maslin 12

Mona And Gary Lee

Nick Norris, 68

Roger, 57 and Jill Guard, 52

Wayne, 55 and Teresa Baker, 52

The Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop have said that over the next few weeks Operation Bring Them Home will be underway to ensure the remains of the deceased are returned from eastern Ukraine to their families.

A joint statement from the pair reads:

“The successful recovery, identification and repatriation of the victims has been a painstaking and meticulous process.

“It has been a tremendously difficult period for the families and for all Australians.

“After such a long wait, we can now be assured that the Australian victims have been accorded the dignity and respect they deserve.”

Tony Abbott backflips on his signature paid parental leave policy.

The Prime Minister has conceded his Paid Parental Leave Scheme in its original state would be unlikely to ever pass through the Senate.

Tony Abbott. 

Concessions have now been proposed to reduce the maximum payment for women earning $150,000 per year from $75,000 to $50,000. This is likely to be cut back further.

The ABC reports that the savings this will create will go towards a 50 per cent rebate for home carers, including nannies.

However, the funding for the scheme will still come through a 1.5 per cent levy on big business.

You can read more here.

 US journalist, teacher killed by Al Qaeda during rescue attempt in Yemen.

A US journalist, Luke Somers, and a South African teacher, Pierre Korkie, have been killed in Yemen during an operation to rescue the men who were being held hostage by Al Qaeda.

US Secretary of Defence, Chuck Hagel, has said that the hostages were murdered by their captors during a US-led raid.

“US Special Operations Forces conducted a mission in Yemen to rescue a US citizen, Luke Somers, and any other foreign nationals held hostage with him by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) terrorists,” Mr Hagel said.  “Both Mr Somers and a second non-US citizen hostage were murdered by the AQAP terrorists during the course of the operation.”

US Forces undertook the raid because they believed that Mr Somers was in imminent danger after a video threatening his life was released by his captors.

It is believed that a barking dog may have alerted the Al Qaeda operatives to the raid. You can read more about this story here. 

Alleged drug trafficker Kalynda Davis could face firing squad.

The arrest of Kalynda Davis, 22, and Peter Gardner, 25, brings the number of Australians held in a Chinese prison on drugs charges to nine.

Kalynda Davis. (Photo: MySpace)

Davis and Gardner, who were allegedly attempting to smuggle 75kgs of methamphetamines from China to Australia, could face a minimum of life imprisonment and probably death by firing squad, according to Chinese lawyers who spoke to