1. Seven-year-old NSW boy confirmed dead after Barcelona terror attack.

“We are so blessed to have had him in our lives” – Family of Julian Cadman confirm he died in Barcelona attack. https://t.co/zh9sLbSq0m pic.twitter.com/XqVbyvupvX

— The Australian (@australian) August 20, 2017

The family of missing Australian boy, Julian Cadman, have confirmed the seven-year-old was among the 13 people killed in Barcelona’s recent terror attack.

Julian and his mother, Jom, had been in Barcelona for a family wedding, and became separated when a van ploughed into crowds in the city’s busy Las Ramblas district on Thursday evening.

Julian’s mother, who is originally from the Philippines, remains in hospital as one of more than 100 people hurt in the attack that has been claimed by the Islamic State.

The family have released a statement via the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

To read more of this story, click here.

2. Drug smuggler returns to NSW home after eight years in a Peruvian prison following the death of her son.

Convicted of drug trafficking, Bronwyn Atherton arrives home in Sydney after eight years in… https://t.co/EatEaUFPam pic.twitter.com/Jl7zLYc3Up

— Sydney Informer (@sydneyinformer) August 19, 2017

Convicted drug smuggler, Bronwyn Atherton, has returned home to the NSW South Coast after spending more than eight years in a Peruvian prison.

She was sentenced to 14 years in jail in 2008 after authorities found 17.4 kilograms of cocaine in her suitcase at Jorge Chavez international airport in Peru.

Atherton told the Sydney Morning Herald the sudden death of her three-year-old son from restricted bowel when she was 24 left her “mentally unhealthy” and lead to a series of poor choices, finally landing her in prison in Peru.

“I knew what I was doing, I don’t deny that, but I wasn’t in a position where I made good decisions,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Things like that don’t happen to mentally healthy people. I needed to heal, I was damaged.”

She is now home in Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast and can see the ocean from her window. “It’s unbearably beautiful and painful at the same time,” she said.

3. Babies born extremely prematurely are surviving in greater numbers than ever before, statistics show.

More extremely premature babies than ever surviving without severe disability, but face greater academic challenges. https://t.co/avtZJjPSyB pic.twitter.com/dCk5nEw5Ue

— 7 News Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) August 19, 2017

Parents of an extremely premature baby have every reason to be optimistic about their child’s future, with more than ever surviving without severe disability.

“We have every reason to be optimistic – back in the 70’s less than 10 per cent of these children survived and now they are surviving in very reasonable numbers,” Associate Professor Jeanie Cheong is a neonatal paediatrician at the Royal Women’s Hospital said.

This comes after a study published in The BMJ this week showed premature babies born in France in 2001 were more likely to survive and less likely to have severe disabilities by age two compared with those born in 1997. Experts say the same numbers can be seen in Australia.

4. Xenophon to refer himself to High Court over citizenship mix-up.

Senator Nick Xenophon urged others to focus on nation’s problems rather than his citizenship status. #9Newshttps://t.co/47V9Lpu13M pic.twitter.com/1mnsfkQjgG

— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) August 20, 2017

Crossbench senator Nick Xenophon will refer himself to the High Court after finding out he’s a British Overseas Citizen.

Senator Xenophon, whose father came to Australia in 1951 from the then British territory of Cyprus, had been awaiting confirmation from the British Home Office as to whether he was a citizen by descent. “The circumstances of this are bizarre and rare,” he told reporters in Adelaide.

The parliament has already referred senators Matt Canavan, Larissa Waters, Scott Ludlam and Malcolm Roberts, and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce to the court to determine whether they are disqualified under section 44 of the constitution, which bans dual nationals. Senator Xenophon will continue to vote in the Senate until his case is determined by the court.

5. Horror flu season in QLD sparks emergency response.

‘It’s been hell’: Australia in grips of worst flu season in at least 15 years https://t.co/JRbdYavaZg (News) #brisbane #qld

— Brisbane News (@BrissieLiveNews) August 15, 2017

The Queensland government is increasing the number of frontline paramedics in response to an uptick in calls to triple-zero from flu patients.

Health and Ambulance Services Minister Cameron Dick said new models of care, an extra 90 hospitals beds and 40 additional paramedics would be brought on by September after a 13 per cent rise in emergency help calls for the flu.

There have been 19,216 flu cases confirmed this year.

6. Melbourne trio accused of IS-inspired mosque terror attack.

Three men have been accused of committing Islamic State-inspired terrorist attacks against a Melbourne mosque. https://t.co/oJCnguqDMX

— The Australian (@australian) August 20, 2017

Three men have been accused of committing Islamic State-inspired terrorist attacks against a Melbourne mosque.

The trio, aged in their 20s, are each accused of engaging in a terrorist act over an arson attack that destroyed the Imam Ali Islamic Centre at Fawkner in December, Victoria and federal police say.

“We’re not saying that these are just arson attacks,” Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Counter Terrorism Ian McCartney told journalists in Melbourne on Sunday. “What we’re going to allege is these were Islamic State-inspired attacks. They were inspired and designed to influence, put fear into a particular community.”

Police said they did not have information indicating that ISIS directed the men to commit the alleged arson attacks.