French authorities are bracing for a huge oil slick to hit the country's coastline after an Italian ship capsized near La Rochelle on Tuesday.

The container vessel, Grande America, caught fire on Sunday during a trip from Hamburg to Casablanca.

All 27 crew have been rescued, but 2,200 tonnes of fuel has reportedly spilled into the ocean.

The uploading time of Australian coal exports to China has almost doubled to 40 days in recent months, with Chinese protectionism and environmental checks being blamed for the delays.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said the protectionist pressure stems from China’s support for it’s own coal industry and the delayed times of exports are not country specific.

A higher level of environmental quarantine checks has also impacted the wait-time of Australian coal exports.

At risk students in Alice Springs will soon return back to a permanent school building after weeks of being unable to attend class as they were moved off the premises.

Students at St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre had to move from its previous premises at the end of last year to make way for the planned $150 million national Indigenous art gallery.

Despite the school’s new building not being ready at the start of the term, the school worked to hold classes with staff attempting to conduct home visits for its 75 students.

An immersive and interactive art installation will be popping up around Brisbane today until April 3rd.

The series will comprise of 15 pieces that combine art and science to provide a multi-sensory experience to the public, leading a trail from South Bank to New Farm.

Artistic Director at Brisbane Powerhouse Kris Stewart said the event is designed to spark conversation and a bit of ‘civic pride’.

The artwork has been sourced from a range of local, national and international artists.

The drought affected city of Toowoomba may be forced to take millions of litres from Brisbane's water supply via a yet-to-be-used pipeline.

Toowoomba's three dams were at 35.7 per cent on Thursday – the lowest level since before the 2011 floods.

When the level falls below 40 per cent, the Regional Council is permitted to take water from Wivenhoe Dam – the main reservoir for Brisbane and Ipswich – via brand new $187 million Toowoomba Pipeline.

All Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft will remain grounded until May after the fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday

The tragic incident was the second deadly occurrence involving this model of Boeing aircraft in 6 months.

Many in the international community have found it appropriate to ground or ban the model outright until Boeing can fix the problem.

Though the investigation is still underway, reports of a software malfunction seem to implicate that certain features of the on board flight software were unknown to the pilots.

The Chief Executive of Volkswagen has apologised for evoking a Nazi slogan to describe the importance of boosting the group's profits.

Herbert Diess used the line "Ebit macht frei" at a company event on Tuesday, which echoes the maxim “Arbeit Macht Frei”, a phrase famously emblazoned on the gates of Auschwitz.

In a statement, Mr Diess said he was sorry for what he described as "definitely an unfortunate choice of words".

Sydney is in clean up this morning after a supercell hit the city overnight with giant hail falling in some parts.

The supercell moved through Sydney’s basin which saw heavy rain, strong wind and intense lighting smash areas in every direction according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The worst hail damage was reported in the west of Sydney with 163 calls to the State Emergency Service coming from Blacktown.

44 flights at Sydney’s Airport were cancelled during the storms with more flights being grounded this morning.  

Thousands of school and university students nationwide are expected to miss classes today in support of climate change protests.

The protests have divided political leaders with some backing the cause and others reminding the public that skipping school is breaking the law.

New South Wales Education Minister Rob Stokes says the law is clear and always has been, kids are required to be at school on school days.