A state of emergency has been declared in Christchurch and the surrounding districts of New Zealand’s southern island, after Cyclone Gita made landfall last night.

Authorities are warning residents in low lying and seafront areas of flood risks, high speed winds and waves up to 7 meters which will further the devastation.

Schools and roads have been shut, while community refugees have been set up in affected areas.

An anti-Adani documentary screening has been cancelled in Townsville due to “emerging community tension”.

The local council named community safety concerns for the cancellation, however North Queensland Conservation Council President, Wendy Tubman, says she was instructed to cancel the screening by her supervisor as the film was deemed “political”.

State Greens MP Michael Berkman says “whichever way you interpret the Townsville City Council’s actions here, it seems pretty rotten”.

Plans proposed by the Brisbane City Council will result in the removal of 55 square metres of mangroves in Dutton Park.

The demolishment of an old ferry terminal will make way for a pontoon in which Dutton Park locals can park their watercraft.

The pontoon is the first glimpse of the council’s four year plan to implement $18 million worth of mooring facilities.

Younger people on the disability pension as a result of mental illness are predicted to be on pension for 20 years.

A Parlimentary Budget Office report has found between 2011 to 2017 a decrease in physical impairments claims but an increase in psychological impairments claims.

The PBO warns that younger people with psychological conditions could remain on the pension for twice as long as the average just a decade ago.

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad have launched dozens of airstrikes in eastern Ghouta over the past two days, resulting in the deaths of almost 200 Syrian Civilians.

This attack follows more than 700 civilians who have been killed in the last three months alone, leading to warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe, eclipsing that of the past atrocities in the seven year war.

Mount Sinabung on the Indonesian island of Sumatra shot ash more than five kilometres into the atmosphere.

The regional volcanic advisory centre in Darwin issued a ‘red notice’ to airlines.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said there are currently no injuries or fatalities to report.

New research conducted by the National University of Ireland showed that the effects of plastic in oceans are not limited to surface marine life.

The research demonstrated that the high-levels of microplastic in the ocean are consumed by deep-sea fish and the effects are worrying.

Co-author of the study, Dr Tom Doyle, says the study highlights that seemingly remote fish located thousands of kilometres from land and 600 metres down in our ocean are not isolated from pollution.

Efforts to protect Brisbane's rare red-brick schools may see three inner-city schools added to the Queensland heritage register.

The schools, located in Ashgrove, Morningside and West End, are all made out of red bricks, a rarely used construction material at the time of their construction.

If the schools are successfully added to the Queensland Heritage Register, any proposed changes, additions or construction of new buildings will be assessed under a set of criteria for heritage buildings.

Coastal erosion in Lewisham, Tasmania, has claimed an unsuspecting victim, with a woman on a morning walk who fell several meters when the land gave out beneath her.

The woman was taken into hospital over concern for her recent hip replacement, she said she is fine but the fall could have been more serious had it happened to a child.

On Tuesday, the state government admitted it had allocated $100,000 for sand scrapping works in Lewisham, but the project had been delayed because of concerns about the effect on aquatic life in the area.