Wednesday's news in under 5 minutes.

1. Pregnant woman drug warning

Researchers have warned women to be careful about which drugs they take during pregnancy after an in-depth study has linked panadol use with ADHD.

The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics found women who took paracetamol – also known as acetaminophen – while pregnant, had a 37 per cent higher risk of having a child who would later be diagnosed with hyperkinetic disorder, a severe form of the condition.

Women also had a 29 per cent higher chance of having children who were later prescribed medications for ADHD, and a 13 per cent higher chance of exhibiting ADHD-like behaviours by age seven.

Concerned women should speak to their medical practitioner.

2. Grant Hackett

Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett has been admitted to rehab in the US after a bizarre series of events that saw him wandering Melbourne’s Crown Casino half naked after ‘losing’ his four-year old son in the early hours of Saturday morning.

For more read this post here “Grant Hackett flies to US to enter rehab”

3. Drought assistance

The Government will this morning announce a $324 million drought assistance package for farmers.

The package which will allow farmers access to low interest loans to restructure debt and will also include funding for water infrastructure will be made available from next week.

4. Devastation in the bush

A report in Farmers Weekly has shown that suicide rates amongst rural Australians has increased six fold as the drought takes its toll.

The report states that in Queensland alone, one farmer takes his life every four weeks and a third of farmers are said to be in a state of depression.

One farmer shot his 400 malnourished cattle after the farm ran out of feed, and then he took his own life.

If you or anyone you know needs assistance call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

5. Schapelle Corby

Fairfax Media report that the Indonesian government have said Schapelle Corby may remain living in the luxury resort she is staying in however they still will not allow her to conduct an interview with the Seven Network.

Indonesia’s Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin told reporters that an interview “still has the potential to cause restlessness in the community”.

Part of Corby’s parole conditions are that she does not cause ‘community unrest’.

6. Asylum seekers faced with a ‘farce’

A migration agent who worked on Manus Island has spoken of how asylum seekers are deceived, and how the system is a farce designed to force the asylum seekers into giving up and returning home.

Liz Thompson has told The Sydney Morning Herald that detainees rioted last week after realising that there were no plans in place for their resettlement.

7. North Korea virtually in the dark

NASA has released an image taken from space of North Korea which shows the nation practically dark in comparison to its neighbor South Korea.

In the image taken from the International Space Station North Korea is so dark it could be mistaken for a stretch of ocean.

8. Tree audit

The NSW Education Minister has refused to order an audit of trees in the State’s public schools after an eight-year old girl was crushed under a branch on Friday.

The NSW P&C have called for a complete audit of trees on school properties, but the Education Minister Adrian Piccoli has instead answered in typical politico language saying ”A number of inquiries will take place as a result of this tragic incident and the government will consider any recommendations made by these inquiries.”

9. Students killed as they slept

Islamists have killed up to 40 students aged 11 to 18 in Nigeria while they slept as gunmen opened fire in a dormitory.

The Boko Haram islamists proclaim that “Western education is forbidden”.

10. Gay names

A Ugandan newspaper has published a list of what it calls the country’s “200 top” homosexuals a day after the Government enacted a harsh anti-gay law.

The Red Pepper tabloid published the names – and some pictures – of alleged homosexuals in a front-page story under the headline: “EXPOSED!”

US Secretary of State John has warned that the law could lead to Washington cutting aid to Uganda’s government.

11. Broken hearts

Researchers have proven that grief can literally lead to a broken heart.

Findings published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine show that loss of a loved one can double the risk of a heart attack, and has the same effect on the chances of suffering a stroke.

The heightened risk among bereaved men and women starts to fall after 30 days, according to the findings.

12. Arizona’s controversial new law

Arizona has passed a law that will allow shopkeepers to refuse to serve gay people if it goes against the owners’ religious beliefs.

The legislation, which awaits final confirmation from the Governor rules that any obligation to serve gays is a violation of a person’s religious freedom if their beliefs tell them that homosexuality is wrong.

The new law provoked outrage from gay groups and prompted the Democratic Party to declare it “state-sanctioned discrimination” and an embarrassment.

13. Kids don’t know how to play

QLD and SA are launching a program previously underway in WA which encourages parents to get their kids away from screens and let them play outside in a way that the majority of children these days don’t know how to do.

The goal is to promote unstructured outdoor play.

Nature Play WA chief executive Griffin Longley told The Australian that Aussie kids were spending less time outdoors than maximum-security prisoners.

“We’re intensively parenting in a way no other generation ever has,” Mr Longley said.

What news are you talking about today?