Launceston weather forecast: The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a partly cloudy day with a top temperature of 17 degrees. Winds are light, turning northerly 15 to 20km/h in the early afternoon, easing in the evening. A level 4 moderate UV alert is present from 10.30am to 2.10pm.

Launceston taxi driver held up at knifepoint Police are on the hunt for two men who robbed a taxi driver at knifepoint.

Quality of life push for aged care Aged care providers have the necessities covered – food, shelter and a place to sleep. But an expert has urged residential facilities to go beyond the basics and start focusing on their clients’ quality of life.

Active festival promotes youth fitness You don’t have to be an adrenaline junkie to run, raft, or ride – as this year’s North East Rivers Festival provides visitors with the ultimate endorphins boost. 

Tassal rejects salmon concern The proponents of an East Coast salmon farming operation have dismissed comments from a former leaseholder that the site is not suitable to fin-fish farming.

Let’s limit clubs New AFL Tasmania chief executive Robert Auld said clubs have endorsed the existing State League to not consider the return of a third team from Launceston.

Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered. 

► MANDURAH: The grieving father of a man killed in a horrific crash just north of Mandurah in July says he will chain himself to his son’s roadside memorial rather than let it be torn down. More here.

► SILVAN: Mark Tromp has apologised “without reservation” for the hurt and concern caused by his bizarre disappearance. More here.

► BALLARAT: Ballarat diocese will cement itself as a national leader when it sets aside former Bishop Ronald Mulkearns’ estate to help survivors of sexual abuse. More here.

► DORRIGO: Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey’s Icon Productions has acquired the movie rights to ex-Dorrigo local Mark Donaldson’s bestselling autobiography The Crossroad. More here.

► NSW: Cats roaming the bush aren’t feral – but “free-living” – and deserving of equal consideration to the native wildlife they prey on, NSW budget estimates has heard. More here.

► GRIFFITH: A Riverina woman has warned people about a “Tinder con man” who has left a trail of emotional and financial damage in his wake. More here.

► MOUNT ISA: An Amnesty International report said methods of searching of juvenile prisoners is inappropriate, and that police dogs are being used to intimidate children. More here.

► FORBES: Family members, including his father, were in the public gallery at Parkes Local Court on Monday morning when Alex Briggs appeared charged with the alleged murder of his mother Vivienne Slessor. More here.

► BENDIGO: A driving instructor has proposed a radical rethink of L-plater education, recommending compulsory, professional lessons for new drivers and calling on parents to take a back seat in their children’s learning. More here.

► WOLLONGONG: A Wollongong city Council lifeguard who drilled peep holes through the wall of the Helensburgh swimming pool female change rooms was busted by one of his fellow employees, a court has heard. More here.

► Australia's marine environment - already beset by coral bleaching and kelp forest dieback - could face further pressures if the federal government acts on recommendations to wind back protection, green groups say. More here.

► The Immigration Department and Border Force says its public servants could score pay rises of nearly 11 per cent in the next three years, if they sign up to a new enterprise bargaining deal. More here.

► NSW hospitals have been hit by a "tsunami" of sicker patients in greater numbers than they've dealt with before, as Nepean Hospital scores a new low on the latest public hospital report card. More here.

► An Australian man has died after he was bitten by a shark while kitesurfing in New Caledonia on Tuesday afternoon. The 50-year-old from Western Australia was on a reef at Koumac with a group of others on a nearby catamaran at around 3.40pm local time (2.40pm AEST) when he fell into the water. More here.

► BANGKOK: A four-year-old girl hugging her father on the back of a motorcycle while being taken to buy popcorn is among the latest victims of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's shoot-on-sight crackdown on drug pushers in the Philippines that has left 2400 people dead since July 1. More here.

► SYRIA: The many foreign powers involved in the Syrian conflict won't intervene directly - unless their worst-case scenarios are in danger of being realised. More here.

► JAKARTA: An Australian expert who testified that Indonesian woman Wayan Mirna Salihin was unlikely to have died from cyanide poisoning after drinking a Vietnamese iced coffee will be deported and banned from entering Indonesia for six months. More here.

Stephen Neville is living proof of how a father's love can lead him to do something a bit bizarre.

The professional drummer, from Thurgoona, admitted he was “scared” after his idea of a 24-hour drum-off began to gain momentum.

Mr Neville will set-up his drum kit outside Blackline Music in Dean Street on September 30.

From noon, he will attempt to softly play along with various songs for an entire day. Read more here.