The Vatican is convening senior bishops from around the world this week to discuss the management and prevention of sexual abuse within the Catholic church.

The unprecedented meeting will attempt to tackle the two-decade long scandal that saw predator priests relocated from parish to parish, rather than reported to authorities.

Father Federico Lombardi says the credibility of the Catholic church is at stake and no member of the hierarchy is immune to repercussions.

The Financial Times reported yesterday Berlin will stop extraditing Germans to Britain immediately after Brexit even if it leaves the European Union with a deal, citing a formal notification submitted by Germany to the European Commission last week.

The notification cites concerns faced by Britain and the EU in maintaining their security cooperation at the current level after Brexit, according to the report.

Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29.

One billion trees will be planted across Australia over the next 30 years, as part of a new forestry deal intended to assist the country in reaching its Paris Agreement climate target.

The deal will remove 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gas per year, offsetting the current production of 500 million tonnes per year.

Environmentalists say the importance of coal to the Australian economy is the country’s main obstacle to hitting its carbon emissions target and efforts must be intensified to lower emissions by 2030.

Members of NSW's festival industry, including those from the cancelled Psyfari and Mountain Sounds events, will attend a meeting today on a proposed licensing system.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian's new licensing system is due to start in March, with interim measures currently in place for summer festivals deemed high risk.

Steve Demian from Psyfari says the meeting is a chance for their voices to be heard and added to the many voices calling for the licensing scheme to be scrapped.

Queensland miners are calling for financial support for sufferers of dust diseases such as black lung and silicosis.

Protesters gathered outside of BHP’s Brisbane offices to ask for the development of a medical and living expense fund for victims to access after their workers compensation expires.

Former coal miner Jim Pearce says mining companies are so far resisting the call to help over one hundred Queensland miners affected by the diseases.

The former chief executive of Ipswich City Council, his wife and two businessmen have been sentenced in Brisbane District Court on Friday for corruption.

Carl Wulff, 66, his wife Sharon Oxenbridge, 50, and businessmen Wayne Myers, 64, and Claude Walker, 61, all pleaded guilty in December after they were charged following a lengthy Crime and Corruption Commission investigation into the council's dealings.

American rock band R.E.M. has clashed with US President Donald Trump after he retweeted a video using their music to mock the Democrats during his State of the Union speech.

A well-known pro-Trump meme-maker created the video to the soundtrack of the band's early '90s song "Everybody Hurts" and Trump retweeted it.

R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills has been retweeting a surge of critical comments against him by pro-Trump tweeters since he posted a tweet saying the band were taking steps to stop the video's circulation.

Rising regional tension could soon lead to a clash in the Middle East, according to a statement by Iran’s foreign minister on Sunday.

In an address to the Munich Security Conference, Mohamad Javad Zarif criticised European powers for turning a blind eye to Israel and the United States’ violations of international law.

Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu says Iranian belligerence is to blame for destabilising the Middle East and Israel plans to continue to block Iran’s military entrenchment in Syria.

Senior Labor MP Tanya Plibersek says Prime Minister Scott Morrison is helping people smugglers by saying Australia's border protection regime has changed.

Ms Plibersek said Mr Morrison had been dishonest about legislation passed in parliament last week, despite the government's opposition, which allows two doctors to recommend asylum seekers currently on Manus Island or Nauru to be transferred on medical grounds.