A cloudy day ahead, with a high chance of showers – Bendigo 17, Maryborough 17, Castlemaine 16, Redesdale 17, and Echuca 19.

See what’s making headlines here:

Bendigo Health has revealed it is now seeking expert advice about the closure of the hospital’s microbiology lab, amidst widespread disquiet about the move among medical staff. More here.

Five gold mining projects north of Bendigo – including one bankrolled by mining magnate Gina Rinehart – have received state government grants totalling $1.2 million. More here.

Risk-taking motorists have been hit with almost 113,000 fines for using a mobile phone while driving in Victoria in the past three years, clocking up more than $40 million in fines. More here.

South Bendigo’s worst fears were confirmed on Monday with star forward Kaiden Antonowicz to be sidelined for up to 10 weeks. More here.

MORE BENDIGO NEWS, CLICK HERE

►BALLARAT: Victoria Police is investigating if an off-duty police officer was involved in a Ballarat neighbourhood dispute that led to a woman sustaining serious injuries. Read more 

►NSW: A stranger accused of whipping an eight-year-old child with a dog leash in a Figtree park has left an unmistakable mark on the boy, prompting an angry outcry. Read more

►TASMANIA: Tasmanian wildlife rescuers are calling for help from the public to identify those responsible for the death of a Wedge-tailed eagle. Read more

►ACT: You've probably watched The Simpsons intro 18 million times but this is the version that tops them all.

Canberra has been officially Simpson-ised in a clever two-minute animation developed by ANU students for this year's ANU Med Revue. Watch the video

►WAGGA WAGGA: The history of unique coins and stamps were rediscovered by hundreds of collectors across the country in Wagga at the weekend. 

More than 400 people headed to the fair, held at Sturt Public School, buying or selling items from their precious collections. Read more

►WARRNAMBOOL: A single mother with two boys is devastated after her Commodore station wagon was torched early Monday morning.  Read more

►NSW: All people receiving the Parenting Payment with children five years or under will be eligible for the Federal government’s new work training scheme, which is compulsory for some parents. Read more

National news

►For Andrew Forrest and his wife, Nicola - as for so many people - the fight against cancer is personal.

Both sides of their family have been afflicted, dating all the way back to Mr Forrest's great-great-uncle John - the first premier of Western Australia - who was killed by melanoma 99 years ago. More recently, both have watched close family members struggle against the "emperor of all maladies".Read more

►Former Prime Minister John Howard has thrown cold water on the idea that Tony Abbott might soon return as Coalition leader and prime minister, saying there is "no appetite for change" within the party. Read more

►BANGKOK: A bomb exploded in the reception room of a military-owned hospital in the Thai capital on Monday, the third anniversary of a 2014 coup.

Twenty-five people were wounded in the blast at the Phramongkutklao Hospital near Bangkok's historic Victory Monument, which is popular with retired military officers. Read more

►LONDON: Rolf Harris has attended his trial on groping allegations for the first time since leaving prison on Friday and heard as one of his accusers testified that she would never seek compensation and was motivated only by the quest for "justice" and "vindication." Read more

Emma Banks is missing a big chunk of her brain. A stroke she suffered before she was born left a large fluid-filled cyst where part of her brain was supposed to be.

Not that you’d know it to look at her.

The gregarious two-year-old has hit all her milestones except one – she’s yet to walk unaided, but is almost there. Read more