Two prominent Catholic Church cardinals have written an open letter blaming church sexual abuse cases on what they call is a plague of the homosexual agenda.

Cardinals Burke and Brandmuller said the sexual abuses cases have been caused by clergy who have “gone away from the truth of the Gospel”.

The letter comes as bishops begin to meet in Rome for a summit organised by Pope Francis to discuss sexual abuse cases which have rocked the Church.

There are growing calls to ban spinal manipulation on babies after a Facebook video emerged showing a Melbourne chiropractor performing treatment on a two-week-old boy.

The video shows chiropractor Andrew Arnold performing on the baby as well as dangling him upside down.

Health experts have condemned the video, with Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos calling the video "extremely disturbing."

Almost one-in-ten people using Medicare services have decided to opt-out of the electronic medical record system known as My Health Record.

New data shows 2.5 million Australians have chosen not to be included in the record system.

Australian Digital Health Agency chief executive Tim Kelsey has confirmed the figures, but he said the figures meet the expected target of 90 per cent participation.  

Moreton Bay Regional Council has voted for an external review of the organisation, days after allegations of widespread bullying and intimidation were published online.

Mayor Allan Sutherland said the council is determining the terms of reference and contractual arrangements for the review.

The council has declined to say whether it will publicly reveal any findings of the investigation.

The decision to clear five hectares of protected Brisbane koala habitat to expand a rifle range in Belmont is expected to be raised this morning when Queensland’s new Koala Advisory Council is set to meet.

The managers of the Belmont Shooting Complex have already cleared two hectares of bushland, habitat to endangered wildlife and flora, to accommodate their expansion.

US teenager, Nick Sandmann, who features in a viral video confrontation with a Native American elder, is now suing the Washington Post for $349 million for defamation.

The lawsuit claims that the newspaper “wrongfully targeted and bullied” the teen to advance its “bias” against President Donald Trump because Mr Sandmann is a white Catholic who wore a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat.

The Washington Post's communications vice-president  Kristine Coratti Kelly said the paper is "reviewing plans to mount "a vigorous defence".

Vigilante cow-protection groups in India have reportedly killed at least 44 people in the past four years.

A report released by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated that there have been over 100 attacks across 20 Indian states between May 2015 and December 2018.

The human rights agency said these crimes go unpunished due to the support of law enforcement and by members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to spur a violent vigilante campaign against eating beef.

Canberra politicians are debating legalising marijuana for recreational use.

The law has been proposed by Labor backbencher Michael Pettersson and would allow Canberra residents to carry, use, and grow small amounts of cannabis.

The sale of marijuana would still be illegal, but residents would be allowed to carry up to 50 grams of the drug and grow two plants.

A NSW prison officer has been charged with ongoing sexual abuse of female prisoners at a prison in Berkshire Park in western Sydney.

The crime was uncovered following police investigating prisons as part of Strike Force Nautilus in October 2018 after receiving reports that prisoners were being sexually assaulted.

The 62-year-old man will face court today on six counts of aggravated sexual assault.