Tuesday afternoon's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up all the latest stories from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.

1. Mother loses court appeal to stop her son from being vaccinated.

A Brisbane mother who sought a court injunction to stop her husband from vaccinating her son has lost her case.

The woman — known as Ms Moss — took her husband to court in order to stop him from vaccinating their six-year-old child.

According to the Australian Women’s Weekly, Ms Moss stated she “has a conscientious objection to vaccination on the basis of her research” and holds the belief vaccinations cause cancer.

Family Court Judge Jenny Hogan ruled against Ms Moss, instead siding with the child’s father and his doctor who described Ms Moss’ research as “nonsense” and “bunkum”.

2. Two children and a man killed in QLD caravan explosion.

A man and two children have been killed when a caravan exploded in the Queensland town of Mount Isa.

ABC News reports the explosion could be heard throughout the suburb, and that the caravan was burnt beyond recognition.

The man, 39, and two kids aged four and seven were inside the caravan when it erupted.

Police believe two gas bottle contributed to the explosion. Investigations are ongoing.

3. Celebrities campaign against Amnesty International’s bid to legalise sex work.

Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Lena Dunham are among a high-profile group of people campaigning to stop the legalisation of sex work.

A leaked Amnesty International draft paper revealed the organisation is in favour of decriminalising the entire sex industry.

According to The Guardian, Amnesty argues sex work can not be adequately policed or regulated if it is illegal — and that sex workers who suffer abuse often don’t report it, out of fear they will be penalised.

However, some are arguing that decriminalising the entire industry — including pimping and brothels — will pave the way for further exploitation of female sex workers, instead of protecting their rights.

In order to stop the adoption of Amnesty’s recommendation, people — including Dunham, Streep and Hathaway — have now signed a letter, requesting some aspects of the sex industry, such as brothels, pimps and buying sex, remain illegal.

Related content: “As a sex worker, being told I am victim is offensive.“

“We firmly believe and agree with Amnesty that human beings bought and sold in the sex trade, who are mostly women, must not be criminalized in any jurisdiction and that their human rights must be respected and protected to the fullest extent,” the letter says.

“However, what your ‘Draft Policy on Sex Work’ is incomprehensibly proposing is the wholesale decriminalization of the sex industry, which in effect legalizes pimping, brothel owning and sex buying.”

4. Topshop to ditch ‘skinny’ mannequins after customer complaint.

British clothing company Topshop has agreed to get rid of its skinny mannequins in response to a customer’s Facebook rant.

Shopper Laura Kate Berry posted a complaint to the Topshop Facebook page, asking the company to “justify the ridiculously tiny mannequin in [its] Bristol Cribbs Causeway store”.

“Young women aspire to the somewhat cult image your store offers,” Berry wrote.

“Yet not one mannequin in your store showed anything bigger than a size 6.

“So today, I’m calling you out Topshop, on your lack of concern for a generation of extremely body conscious youth.”

Related content: The department store using plus size mannequins.

Topshop has since responded, explaining its choice of mannequins for that store, and promising to change the style, The Mirror reports.

“As the mannequins are solid fibreglass, their form needs to be of certain dimensions to allow clothing to be put on and removed easily; this is therefore not meant to be a representation of the average female body,” the company wrote on Facebook.

“That said, we have taken yours and other customers’ opinions and feedback on board and going forward we are not placing any further orders on this style of mannequin.”

5. Research finds sleep deprivation is as bad for you as smoking.

An Oxford University professor and neuroscientist has suggested a poor night’s sleep is as bad for you and others as smoking.

According to Professor Russell Foster, the brains of those who are sleep deprived function at a level similar to those who are drunk.

“There certainly is a culture of, ‘well I only had five hours of sleep last night how fantastic am I?'” he said, according to Fairfax Media.

“In fact, we should be looking down on those sort of things in the same way that we frown upon smoking I think we should start to frown upon not taking our sleep seriously.”

Related content: How to get a better sleep.

Dr Foster said sleep deprived people are putting others and themselves at risk as they are not as capable of quick decision making.

Do you have a story to share with Mamamia? Email us at news@mamamia.com.au.
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