An endangered Queensland bird is at risk of extinction because environmental legislation is failing to protect its habitat, according to a University of Queensland-led study.

Researchers found that despite the protection laws, extensive finch habitat loss has continued to be approved resulting in an 80% reduction in the distribution of the southern black-throated finch’s population.

A university student has narrowly escaped serious injury after being hit in the head by a collapsing roof whilst at the gym in far north Queensland.

The alarming incident comes as Townsville has been declared a disaster zone as huge rains have caused major flooding.

The rains where heavy enough to cause a landslide in the CBD yesterday, leaving weirs and dams overflowing.

January was Australia’s hottest month since records began according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The average mean temperature across the country was above 30C for the first time.

A senior climatologist at the bureau, Andrew Watkins, says January's hear was unprecedented: “we saw heatwave conditions affect large parts of the country through most of the month, with records broken for both duration and also individual daily extremes”.

India's unemployment rate is the highest it has been since the 1970s, according to a leaked government jobs report.

The unemployment rate is particularly high among people between 15 and 29 particularly in urban India where 18.7% of men and 27.2% of women in this age group are looking for jobs.

Just months before the next Indian general election, job creation and promises of new employment opportunity is likely to be a big issue with voter.

A report into toxic workplace culture within the ACT Health has revealed rampant bullying, favouritism and lack of skills development among staff.

Commissioned by ACT Government, the review found ACT Health’s most senior executives had failed to manage a series of misconduct and bullying complaints.

The report surveyed more than 350 staff, 200 of which alleged bullying in the workplace had not been addressed.

Heavy snow is sweeping eastwards across the UK, disrupting travel and leaving around 100 drivers stuck on a major trunk road in cornwall.

The South West is worst affected - with teenage students at one college in Bodmin having to stay there overnight.

The freezing weather is moving across southern England and Wales, affecting Wiltshire, Hampshire, Sussex and Kent.

More than 400 schools in Bangkok have been closed for the week due to increasing concerns over dangerous air pollution.

Faced with a possible health crisis, the city’s governor has declared the city a ‘pollution control zone’, which allows authorities to take special measures in combating the threat including road closures and diversions.

It is believed still air and heavy traffic is causing a build-up of particles in the air.

Lebanon has agreed to a new government of national unity, ending nearly 9 months of political wrangling.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister - now in his third term - says Lebanon must “now turn the page and start working.”

The 30 member cabinet includes lebanon's first female interior minister and 3 other female leaders.

Community groups in Alice Springs have invited Kerri-Anne Kennerley to visit their town camps, following her criticism of Australia Day protests on TV.

Kerri-Anne recently accused Australian Day protesters of ignoring issues within indigenous communities saying “children [and] babies are being raped, their mothers raped, their sisters are being raped”; and was challenged by Yumi Stynes who said her comments were racist.