A UN envoy in Myanmar warns nearly a quarter of a million people have been displaced by the February 1st military coup. 

At least 700 people have been killed by military forces, and 3,300 people are in detention, including 20 who have been sentenced to death. 

UN special envoy Tom Andrews said Myanmar is a mounting humanitarian catastrophe and is urging the world to act immediately.

Booker prize-winning author Richard Flanagan has criticised Tasmania's salmon industry claiming the product being sold is not as healthy as advertised. 

Flanagan alleges up to two-thirds of the salmon is processed industrial chicken, including beaks, feathers, fat and claws. 

The author stated he was compelled to speak out after watching the slow destruction of natural habitat.

The Gold Coast City Council will re-advertise their chief executive position. 

This follows the sudden resignation of David Edwards last week, after less than a month in the role. 

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said although the hiring process is expected to take a few months, he is confident they will find a top candidate for the role. 

Chief operating officer Joe McCabe is currently filling in as acting chief executive.

Parents are concerned about the fate of East Brisbane State School amongst plans to redevelop the neighbouring Gabba stadium.

South Brisbane Greens MP Amy MacMahon said the redevelopment plans show the neighbouring school will be affected.

"The visualisations put out by the government... show the school being completely transformed, and from my understanding, the school is yet to have any formal consultation," said Ms MacMahon.

The EU has drafted new artificial intelligence rules to rein in ‘high-risk’ uses of the technology. 

Officials say this ‘risk-based approach’ aims to balance the need to protect rights, such as data privacy, against the importance of innovation. 

European Commission official Margrethe Vestager said the regulations are necessary as there is “no room for mass surveillance in society.” 

The federal government has torn up four deals between Victoria and foreign nations, including the state's Belt and Road Initiative agreement with China. 

This is the first time the federal government has used new powers that allow it to cancel agreements between state governments, local councils, public universities and other nations. 

The Chinese embassy says the move is unreasonable and provocative. 

Red Bloom poetry and The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annarn have teamed up to promote the Poem Forrest Prize. 

Children, students and teachers have the chance to win a cash prize if they write and enter poems inspired by nature -- a mission aimed to raise awareness for caring for Country. 

Trees will be planted in Mount Annarn for every poem entered to aid endangered plants and wildlife.

Two statues in Brisbane's CBD have been defaced with Black Lives Matter statements following the guilty conviction in the George Floyd trial yesterday. 

The defaced statues are of Scottish poet Robert Burns and former Queensland Premier Thomas Byrnes. 

The statements labelled the historical figures as racist, reading "genocide occurred here" and "black lives matter."

Renters across rural Queensland are being forced to live in tents and move back in with family members due to low rental vacancy rates. 

Leading property data provider CoreLogic shows migration to Queensland last year was up 90 per cent and is a factor in housing shortages.

Real Estate Institute of Queensland's chief executive Antonia Mercorella says the current rates have not been seen in over a decade.

"Of course since this pandemic has hit, that demand from interstate buyers — particularly New South Wales and Victoria — has grown even stronger," she said.