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Tuesday's news in less than two minutes.

Sarah Cafferkey

 

1. The Victorian Supreme Court has heard grim details of the life and crimes of the man who murdered 22-year-old Melbourne woman, Sarah Cafferkey.

47-year-old Steven James Hunter pleaded guilty to killing Ms Cafferkey in November of 2012. During yesterday’s plea hearing, the court heard Mr Hunter had spent 13 years in prison for murdering a co-worker and had only recently finished his parole period, when he stabbed Ms Cafferkey to death.

Cafferkey’s parents sat in court holding a picture of their daughter during the proceedings. Her mother described Hunter’s crimes as an “unforgivable act of violence.”

2. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has admitted to using notes during Sunday night’s leaders debate but has laughed it off, saying that he “acted in good faith”. The ABC reported Mr Rudd saying:”If someone had have said to me it was not proper to take notes along to a debate then sure, that’s fine… I was in receipt of no such advice.” The debate rules stated that both Mr Rudd and Mr Abbott were allowed to bring in paper and a pen.

3. Meanwhile, a photo of Mr Rudd’s 20-year-old son Marcus smoking a cigar has prompted anti-smoking advocates to say it “is not a good message to be sending to young people.” The photo was posted in February last year which was, as a spokesperson for the Prime Minister pointed out, before the government announced an increase in smoking taxes.

Siriyakorn “Bung” Siraboon

4. Police in Victoria have resumed a search for missing school girl Siriyakorn “Bung” Siraboon after new information about her disappearance came to light.

They’re searching in a nature reserve around Old Joe’s Creek in Boronia and using earth moving equipment. Siriyakorn Siriboon was 13-years-old when she was last seen on June 2, 2011, when she was traveling from her Boronia house to go to school.

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5. Norway’s Prime Minister has admitting to posing as a taxi driver in order to talk to locals and better understand their concerns. Jens Stoltenberg spent an afternoon driving a taxi in June and his conversations were picked up by a secret camera. “As Prime Minister, it’s important to listen to people’s opinions,” he said.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m40acU01vL4

Norweigens are going to the polls two days after Australians, on September 9.

6. Apple is rumoured to be releasing the next iPhone in September. If predictions about the iPhone 5S (or iPhone 6?) are correct, the release will be almost a year to the day since the iPhone 5 hit the market.

7. A 27-year-old woman has become the first Indigenous Australian to complete a degree at Cambridge University in England. NSW’s Lilly Brown completed a Masters of Philosophy in Politics and when she returns to Australia, she plans on working in national indigenous affairs. “For me, I see education as really being a vehicle where we can think about change,” Brown told The Herald Sun.

8. During an interview with a national radio station, Tony Abbott’s sister has indicated that she thinks her brother’s beliefs about gay marriage are changing. Christine Forster, who is in a long term relationship with a woman, told Triple J: “He said it after the last vote in Parliament last year, that he felt conflicted about voting against marriage equality.”

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