The Brisbane City Council has refused a plastic straw ban despite pressures from other Queensland councils.

Councillor Steve Griffiths, said ‘we must do everything in our power to keep rubbish out of Moreton Bay and out of the stomachs of marine life’.

The council has been encouraged to pursue the ban following Moreton Bay and Cairns Regional council pledge to phase out single-use plastic straws at council operated events in April.

The Canadian province of Ontario has issued its first non-binary birth certificate after a successful human rights claim against the provincial government.

Joshua Ferguson identifies as non-binary and was able to change their birth certificate from male to non-binary after petitioning the provincial government for nearly a year.

Ferguson said this is “a victory for the trans community”.

The Trump administration will begin separating parents and children that cross the border into the United States illegally.

This is part of a new scheme to increase criminal prosecutions for those entering the country without permission by taking adults directly to the Federal court while taking children into the custody of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Australia’s largest waste collector Cleanaway said it could be forced to send some recyclables to landfill or stop collecting kerbside bins in three Perth Metro Councils unless local governments involved do not agree to higher fees.

Australia sells the vast majority of recyclables to majority traders who then on-sell to markets such as Indonesia, Korea and China for remanufacturing with China being the biggest buyer until recently.

An Iranian refugee allegedly attempted suicide Monday night on Nauru after her application for resettlement in the US was rejected.

Several Iranians have now had their applications rejected while Nepalese, Rohingyan and Pakistani refugees have been accepted, leading to tensions on the island as people are becoming convinced Iranians and Somalians will not be accepted for resettlement, according to refugee action groups.

Somerset regional Council is considering a 1500-megawatt solar farm north-east of Toowoomba, which if completed, will be one of the largest in Australia.

Somerset Mayor, Graema Lehmann, said the development application has been referred to various government departments.

Ms Lehmann said the solar farm would include two substations, facilities for up to 60 employees and provision for battery storage.

Queensland Corrective Services have revealed the extent of overcrowding in Queensland prisons as part of a watchdog investigation into corruption risks in jails.

Since January 2012, the states prison population has increased by more than 50 per cent and as of March this year, Queensland correctional centres were operating at a capacity of 131 per cent.

Hezbollah, a Shi’a islamist political party and militant group, have won a majority of seats in Lebanon’s recent election.

This was the first time Lebanon has held an election in nine years and was marked by a lower turnout than before, reflecting voter frustration over endemic corruption and a stagnant economy.

An Israeli minister said the election results now mean Lebanon and Hezbollah are indistinguishable.