Brunei is set to introduce new laws where LGBT people could be whipped or stoned to death for same-sex relations, according to human rights groups that have urged the country to abandon the plan.

Currently, homosexuality in the sultanate is illegal and punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, but the changes would see Brunei become the first Asian country to make homosexuality punishable by death.

Parents are being reminded to keep an eye on children playing in the backyard after a drowning scare in Morayfield yesterday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to the home at 4:30pm after two toddlers were found at the bottom of a pool.

It is not known how long they were underwater for before paramedics arrived on scene. Both children are now in critical condition at the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme has come under fire after refusing to fund a $10,000 hearing upgrade for a deaf man.

The NDIS instead provided $15,000 to be used for core supports to assist with daily living and participation, but funneled these funds directly through to the support provider.

Rockhampton local Mr Dobson had his first cochlear implants 15 years ago, and was planning to use the money to purchase a new speech processor, capable of connecting to a smartphone to make calls easier for the deaf and hearing impaired.

An elderly woman in Port Fairy, Victoria has been hospitalized after being bitten by a fur seal near a boat ramp over the weekend.

The woman was walking by with her dog and approached the seal, which then lunged out of the water and bit her leg. Paramedics report that the bite went “through to the bone”.

The Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning said the incident was under investigation and they have put up signs warning people of the seal's presence, urging them to keep their distance.
 

A new tech start-up business has developed a way to count the number of fruit on trees at a rate 6000 times faster than a human could.

The device, dubbed the Cartographer, utilises a combination of satellite information and a specialized camera mounted to a quad bike to develop mapped data that can be compared year by year.

It is hoped that the data will give farmers in-depth information about the quantity and distribution of their crop from its flowering stage through to its harvest.

Thailand’s election results are facing further delays as allegations of cheating continue to sprout from both parties.

The election results were originally expected on Sunday night, mere hours after the polls closed, but the Election Commission has now announced final results won’t be ready until Friday.

This is the nation’s first democratic election since the 2014 military coup.

On Saturday, A Viking Sky Cruise Ship stranded off the coast of Norway was towed to shore after facing harsh conditions, leaving many passengers traumatized.

Carrying 1373 passengers and crew, The Viking Sky struggled against heavy seas and engine trouble when it issued a mayday call. Out of these,  479 passengers were airlifted to land by helicopters facing wind gusts up to 69 kilometres an hour.

After docking, the Viking Ocean Cruises Company confirmed all of the passengers and crew on the ship were safe.