Botswana’s High Court has ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in a landmark decision for LGBTQ rights.

The court rejected laws imposing up to seven years in prison for same-sex relationships, with the court’s three judges unanimously ruling they were unconstitutional.

Activists welcomed the decision as a significant step forward for gay rights in Africa, where same-sex relationships are outlawed in 31 out of 54 countries.

An Australia-first trial using medicinal cannabis was launched yesterday to treat defence personnel suffering from PTSD who haven’t responded to conventional treatments.

The Cannabis Access Clinic will coordinate the twelve-month-long trial which will see 300 individuals prescribed a small dose of CBD cannabis oil for up to five weeks.

Lead researcher Dr Sharron Davis says traditional treatments are ineffective for PTSD and hoped CBD-only would become a freely available supplement in the future.

A new study has found almost two thirds of Indigenous toddlers in far north Queensland are suffering from iron deficiency.

The study’s lead author Dympna Leonard says young Indigenous children with iron deficiency risk missing out on key developmental milestones.

Ms Leonard says many children do not receive adequate nutrition, showing the need for more food supplies in remote Indigenous communities.

Queensland farmers have spent thousands on water to keep their fruit and veggies alive in what they call the worst drought in living memory.

Stanthorpe farmer Tim Carnell told the ABC he has spent over eight hundred thousand dollars to cart in water each day since late last November.

Bundaberg farmer Anthony Rehbein says moving his entire ginger and watermelon crops to a greenhouse was his only option for minimising the drought impact.

Kicking Goals Together, a local program run by the Australian Catholic University, supports refugees, migrants and international students with Football championships.

Robi Alam, team captain of Rohingya United, says they previously had no rights in refugee camps, leaving kids with nothing to do but play football.

The program involves ‘skill-up’ sessions before games aimed at the development of off-field skills including job seeking, job keeping and insights into Australian workplace culture.

Energex is warning residents in South East Queensland of an increasing number of reports regarding scammers asking for people’s personal and banking details.

Reports are based around Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and the Gold Coast, with scammers seeking information such as Medicare numbers and driver’s license details, as well as offering fake discounts on power bills.

According an Energex spokesperson, the distributor will never call requesting personal information, and anyone who does receive these calls is advised to contact Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au

High ranking Victorian police officer, Stuart Bateson has been charged by anti-corruption investigators with leaking sensitive information.

Commander Bateson is facing three charges on unauthorised disclosure of ‘restricted data’ after an investigation by Victoria’s Independent Broad- based Anti-corruption Commission.

Though it remains unclear what the alleged leaks contain, Bateson will face Melbourne Magistrates Court in early July.
 

South Korea’s leading manufacturer of advanced lithium- ion batteries has formed a partnership with Australia’s recycle pioneers 'Envirostream'.

This partnership aims to develop safe and innovative management solutions to increase Australia’s low recovery rate concerning batteries.

With batteries presenting some of the biggest emerging challenges to Australia’s waste stream, advocates of the partnership hope it will help ‘carve a new path towards preserving’ the planet.