Friday's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up all today’s major news stories – and a few that aren’t so major – from Australia and around the world.

1. Maternity Ward explosion

A gas truck has exploded near a Children’s hospital’s maternity ward killing at least seven people including four children and injuring scores more.

The Mexico City Children’s Hospital is in ruins as rescuers try and free sick children and patients.

Jose Martinez, a spokesman for the Mexico City mayor, told NBC News 52 people were rescued and 25 of them were being treated.

“There’s more people inside, under the bricks,” he said.

One man told Telemundo that he was looking for his wife and baby.

Many of the injured were hit by flying glass. Television images showed much of the structure shattered, with a column of smoke rising, and at least one fire burning in the rubble. A nearby hospital asked for blood donations.

“There was a super explosion, and everything caught on fire,” Ismael Garcia, who lives a block away, told Associated Press. He said that he and other charged into the hospital and managed to save eight babies.

 2. MH370: an “accident.”

Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation has declared the disappearance of MH370 an “accident” after an investigation by seven nations failed to turn up any sign of the airline which went missing in March last year.

In an announcement overnight Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the department’s director-general said that the safety and criminal investigations have been limited by a lack of physical evidence, particularly the plane’s flight recorders.

“Therefore at this juncture there is no evidence to substantiate any speculations as to the cause of the accident.”

It is therefore, with the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow that, on behalf of the Government of Malaysia, we officially declare that Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 an accident … and that all 239 of the passengers and crew on board are presumed to have lost their lives,”

This opens the way for the families of the missing passengers to be compensated for their loss.

Mr Azharuddin said that the only conclusion they had come to was that MH370 ended its flight in the southern Indian Ocean west of Perth.

Four ships are still trawling the area searching for any sign of the missing plane.

 3. Leadership speculation

Fairfax Media writes that senior Liberals are weighing up their options as to who should lead them after Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s Prince Phillip controversy.

Mark Kenny writes for Fairfax that MP’s are debating the pros and cons of switching to either Foreign Minister Julie Bishop or former leader Malcolm Turnbull.

Saturday’s Queensland election is not looking good for Mr Abbott with the LNP struggling to contain losses.

 4. QLD elections

Tomorrow’s state election in Queensland will be won by the LNP but with a major swing back to Labor predicts the ABC’s political analyst Dr Paul Williams.

“I am still tipping the LNP for a narrow victory, the Labor party should pick up about 25 seats, but the LNP should be returned in the high 40’s a comfortable majority, but sadly for Mr Newman, he may not be amongst those numbers,” he said.

Dr Williams told the ABC that the election is a “referendum on the major parties and the ‘Can-Do’ style of the Newman government.”

“Given there was a 13 per cent swing, to the LNP last time, the swing (away) was always going to be bigger than average, we call that the ‘natural correction’, so it was always going to be in the order of six or seven percent, but could be even bigger, ” he said

He predicted that Campbell Newman would lose his seat

“But the opinion polls also tell us that a lot of that anti-LNP vote is also tied up with anger against Tony Abbot.”

Dr Williams says the next LNP government could be lead by Lawrence Springborg.

“You would have to say Lawrence Springborg, the former leader who’s taken the LNP to the elections three times before and was defeated three time before, but he would have to be a pretty narrow favourite.”

“Obviously he is going to get rivalry in Tim Nicholls, but the feed back I am getting is that Lawrence Springborg is firming as the favourite.”

 5. Co-pilot flying plane

It has been revealed that when AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crashed into the Java Sea the co-pilot was flying the plane. Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee has told a media briefing that as the plane made a sharp ascent to 37,400 feet in about 30 seconds the stall warnings – which blare the words “Stall, Stall” – went on and continued until it crashed.

Mardjono Siswosuwarno, the chief investigator for the transportation committee told the briefing that they gained this information from the flight data recorder.

The warning is triggered when the angle of attack, which is the angle at which the wing tackles the oncoming wind, hits eight degrees.

Channel News Asia reports that while the preliminary report was not released investigators said they hope to complete a final report in seven to eight months, which will be made public.

6. Mum angry at airline not providing wheelchair

Heike Fabig says she was told to change his nappy in his seat. “He is a 13-year-old boy who has recently lost the use of his legs and became incontinent. I will NOT put him through the indignity of changing his nappy in front of a hundred people.” she said.

For more read this post here. 

 7. Sydney siege inquest

The inquest into the Sydney siege continues today after distressing details were released yesterday about what occurred during the siege.

For more on that read this post here.

It has been revealed today that a warning by homicide detectives to not release Man Haron Monis on bail over the murder of his ex-wife was never received by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

News Limited reports that the lapse will be examined as part of the inquest.

8.  Colleen McCullough dies

Australian award winning author Colleen McCullough has died, aged 77.

Her publisher, HarperCollins Australia confirmed her death last night saying ““Ever quick-witted and direct, we looked forward to her visits from Norfolk Island and the arrival of each new manuscript delivered in hard copy in custom-made maroon manuscript boxes inscribed with her name,” HarperCollins publishing director Shona Martyn said.

“The world is a less colourful place without Col.

She died on Norfolk Island, where she lived.

The author of 25 novels, she was best know for The Thorn Birds, which sold 30 million copies worldwide.

 9. Bali Nine vigil: Hundreds gather in Sydney to support death row inmates Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan

By ABC

The grandmother of drug smuggler Myuran Sukumaran has made a desperate plea at a vigil in Sydney, urging the Indonesian president to intervene to save his life.

Sukumaran and Andrew Chan are facing death by firing squad in Indonesia for organising the so-called Bali Nine heroin trafficking attempt in April 2005.

Hundreds of supporters gathered in Sydney’s Martin Place on Thursday for a candlelight vigil and concert featuring high-profile music artists after the pair had their clemency bids rejected by Indonesian authorities.

No date has been set for their executions.

Sukumaran’s grandmother, Edith Visvanathan, thanked the crowd but said she felt “sad and very, very weak”.

She begged Indonesian president Joko Widodo to spare her grandson’s life.

“I come here to ask pardon from the president, the president and the people of Indonesia, to forgive my grandson and give him a second chance,” she said.

“I don’t ask him to come home. I only ask him to give him life and let him do something in the prison.

“Don’t kill him, please don’t kill him.”

The master of ceremonies for the event, actor David Wenham, read a message from Sukumaran.

“Please tell everyone at tonight’s concert in Australia that we’re amazed at how kind and supportive everyone has been and it has touched our hearts,” Wenham said.

“It has helped our families so much. It makes us even more determined to be better people and to do more to help people, to show kindness like that which everyone has given us, especially our families.”

 A version of this story was originally published on ABC and has been republished with full permission.

 10. Pocket money

Lucky Aussie kids got a rise last year – must have been all those extra chores they did with a study showing that the average child now receives $10.36 pocket money, up from $10.17 in 2013.

The study by the Commonwealth Bank found that 14% of parents pay kids pocket money through online transfer, but that 1 in 3 children do not understand where digital money comes from.

 11. US Measles cases still growing

The fallout from the Disneyland measles exposure is still going with 79 confirmed measles cases in California.

There are 16 cases linked to Disneyland outside California (seven in Arizona, three in Utah, two in Washington, one in Colorado, one in Oregon, one in Nebraska and one in Mexico).

Federal health authorities reported that the number of U.S. cases in 2014 more than tripled any total in recent years.

 12. Parents furious as kids told to write letter of complaint to Santa

The kids, in years three and four were told to ‘use adjectives’ to describe their gifts and how they felt when they tore off the wrapping paper.

The task asked kids to “Write a letter to Father Christmas to complain about the presents you received for Christmas. Use adjectives to describe the presents and how you felt when opening them. ”

One parent complained on Facebook “I teach him to be grateful for what he’s given not complain about it as other children are not so fortunate.”

Another said “I was appalled when Cole come home with his homework stating this…sufficed to say he’s not doing it!’

The Daily Mail reports that the Principal said it was a misunderstanding.

“Lots of the children understood what the home work was about – writing a letter of complaint.”

“We chose Santa as they are used to writing letters to Santa”

 What news are you talking about today?