A double-pronged aid effort is getting up a head of steam in Tuvalu this week, as more than 300 New Zealand Defence Force staff descend on the tiny nation north of Fiji and nearly 4000km from New Zealand.

The accused is alleged to have sent emails to tourist operators warning of an imminent tsunami.

A strong earthquake shakes vans back and forth in Osaka, Western Japan. Source - @NewsKali

A mudslide has destroyed about a dozen buildings in the fruit-growing region of southern British Columbia.

Whakatane District Council has an estimated $3.2 million clean-up bill following last week's flood that left more than 110 houses uninhabitable.

The NSW town of Lennox Head will appeal to the state government to declare the area a natural disaster.

A wife took a block of her husband's favourite Lancashire cheese on an epic 24,000km, 10-country journey after being grounded by the Icelandic volcanic eruption.

Air New Zealand flights to and from London are operating as normal again, after restrictions due to volcanic ash were lifted overnight.

Evacuated families have begun returning to their homes after flooding in the Nelson region during the weekend.

Heavy rainfall has left families isolated in the Tapawera area, south-west of Nelson, with 20 households evacuated so far.