Some of Australia's best baton twirlers will be heading to the world championships in France next week and for some the journey hasn't been without considerable pain.

William Barton, a Kalkadunga man who grew up in Mount Isa, performs on stages all over the world, from Carnegie Hall to Finland, and even for the likes of the Royal family.

The story of a rare sapphire found in Queensland's Gemfields more than 80 years ago captures the hearts of enthusiasts at a nationally renowned gem festival.

Police declare a crime scene at a home in Rockhampton after human remains are found following a suspicious house fire overnight.

A slumping sugar price and demand for reliable irrigation areas for cotton is spurring new interest in growing it in the tropics.

A 76-year-old man has died in a hit-and-run accident in central Queensland overnight as police search for the driver after finding a car believed to have been involved in the crash.

A central Queensland community has donated thousands of dollars worth of food to visiting hockey teams from developing countries.

Far north Queensland's largest and oldest piggery is closing after 49 years, impacted by drought, cheap imports, and rising costs as the agricultural profile of the area changes.

A 24-year-old man covered in fake tattoos drawn on with a black marker who robbed a service station with a replica gun in Rockhampton in central Queensland is sentenced to nearly four years in jail.

Sydney FC go back on top of the ladder with a 3-1 win over Brisbane, after the Mariners surprise the Phoenix in Wellington.

Neither side really looked like scoring in a dour New Year's Eve contest leaving the Wellington Phoenix last and the Central Coast Mariners in eighth.

Thousands of homes were left without power and Sydney Airport experienced flight delays due to the storm system.

A blue-tongue lizard with two functioning mouths is found on the NSW Central Coast, intriguing reptile experts who say his life expectancy in the wild would not be great.

A major program to combat fruit fly is underway in two Australian states where the Queensland fruit fly is not native to those areas.

Grant personally responded to a video of the boy recreating his character Phoenix Buchanan's musical number from the film.

(United States Supreme Court) - In a class action under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) against church-affiliated nonprofits that run hospitals and other healthcare facilities, brought by current and former employees of the hospitals, alleging that the hospitals' pension plans do not fall within ERISA's church-plan exemption because they were not established by a church, the Seventh Circuit's judgment affirming the District Court's decision that a plan must be established by a church to qualify as a church plan, is reversed where a plan maintained by a principal-purpose organization qualifies as a 'church plan,' regardless of who established it.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - In a suit for trademark infringement and unfair competition brought under the Lanham Act by a producer of karaoke music tracks, alleging that the defendants performed karaoke shows using unauthorized 'media-shifted' files that had been copied onto computer hard drives from the compact discs released by the plaintiff, the district court's dismissal is affirmed where plaintiff did not state a claim under the Lanham Act because there was no likelihood of consumer confusion about the origin of a good properly cognizable in a claim of trademark infringement.

(United States Second Circuit) - Held that a copyright ownership claim was timely filed. The statute of limitations was not triggered by the defendants' act of registering their competing claim of ownership in the Copyright Office. Denied a petition for rehearing, in a dispute over ownership of renewal term copyrights in certain musical compositions and sound records.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - In a suit for trademark infringement and unfair competition brought under the Lanham Act by a producer of karaoke music tracks, alleging that the defendants performed karaoke shows using unauthorized 'media-shifted' files that had been copied onto computer hard drives from the compact discs released by the plaintiff, the district court's dismissal is affirmed where plaintiff did not state a claim under the Lanham Act because there was no likelihood of consumer confusion about the origin of a good properly cognizable in a claim of trademark infringement.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Affirming that a 1999 amendment to trademark statutes did not eliminate the plaintiff's requirement that they establish wilfulness to justify the award of defendant's profits in a trademark infringement case, but reversing the holding that the defendant's mark was not likely to cause confusion and remanding for inquiry into intent.

(United States Fifth Circuit) - Held that an education services company could not proceed with its Lanham Act lawsuit against a school district for using its marks in the course of operating a summer reading program. Affirmed summary judgment for the school district, finding that the allegedly infringing marks created no likelihood of confusion as a matter of law.

(United States Seventh Circuit) - Addressed a damages issue in a case where a jury found that a musical instrument retailer infringed another retailer's trademark. Affirmed the denial of the plaintiff's motion amend the judgment.

(United States Supreme Court) - This case involved the State of Washington's tax on fuel importers who travel by public highway. The Yakama Nation contended that its 1855 treaty with the United States forbids that tax from being imposed upon fuel importers who are tribal members. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed with the tribe. Justice Breyer's plurality opinion was joined by only two other justices. Justices Gorsuch and Ginsburg concurred in the judgment.