Prime Minister Scott Morrison has scrapped plans to raise the pension age to 70.

The PM announced the decision to leave the pension age at 67 on breakfast TV this morning before Cabinet had formally agreed to it.

This marks the first major policy back down since Morrison became PM.

A Sydney woman has been ordered to pay $83 000 after cutting down two of her neighbour’s trees because they were dropping leaves in her pool.

The woman is one of two home owners in the area who are required to collectively pay more than $150 000 for illegal tree lopping and clearing.

The local council hopes it will act as a deterrent to others.

Protesters gathered in Iraq’s southern oil hub of Basra mourning the death of a protester killed a day earlier through violent demonstrations resulting in at least 6 deaths.

The demonstrations were held near a provincial government building on Tuesday when protesters stormed the office and set it alight.

Reporters say security forces are using live ammunition and tear gas to break up the demonstrations.

SBS News has released an investigation on an Indonesian pasung centre where the mentally ill are shackled in chains, despite the practice being outlawed in the 1970s.

Mental health research assistant Anto Sugianto, a pasung survivor, is trying to alter Indonesia’s regressive approach to treating mental illness through education.

Mr Sugianto said if people get the right education about mental health and how to deal with mental illness so they can seek the right treatment, there will be no pasung.

Over 100 childcare centres in Queensland will be closing their doors today as workers walk off the job to fight for higher wages.

Over 7000 staff nationwide will walk out in protest over the sector’s "wage crisis” as staff are currently being paid as little as $22 an hour - almost half the national average wage.

A rally is due to be held today at 3pm in Queens Gardens in George Street.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has announced a speed limit reduction on Ann Street from 60 to 40 kilometres per hour in response to the council’s pedestrian safety review.

Opposition councillor Jared Cassidy said the speed reduction is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done.

Cassidy said the speed limit should be reduced to 30 kilometres per hour, as research suggests the rate of fatality is almost completely eliminated at this limit.

Seventy-five per cent of Australians who speak English as a second language have below adequate health literacy.

Health Literacy and Diversity Health Manager Fiorina Mastroianni said patients forget between forty and eighty per cent of information provided by medical professionals.

This has prompted the theme for this year’s Multicultural Health Week to be on clearer communication.

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove has announced he will step down in March next year when his five-year term finishes.

The Governor-General said the job deserves and demands new vigour, despite calls from Labor leader Bill Shorten to extend his tenure.

Shorten wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison to extend the term for six months until September next year, or until after the next general election.

Japan has been hit by its strongest typhoon in 25 years on Tuesday causing at least 6 deaths, 160 injuries and leaving thousands without power.

Typhoon Jebi caused landfalls in western areas, bringing heavy rain and reports of winds up to 172km/h.

Officials ordered more than a million people in affected areas to evacuate their homes amid warnings of high waves, flooding and mudslides.

Hundreds of flights, trains and ferries have been cancelled with Japanese officials urging the people to move to safety.