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Friday's news in under 2 minutes.

Skaf rapist Mohammed Sanoussi

 

 

 

1. Skaf rapist released.

Skaf rapist Mohamed Sanoussi has been released from Silverwater prison overnight on parole after serving 13 years of a sentence in connection with gang rapes. The 29-year-old had been jailed over his role in the rape of several women by a gang led by Bilal Skaf.

He had previously been granted bail to stay in a family home but it was revoked after his brothers were charged over a bashing.

2. Student stabs classmates at Finnish school.

A 16-year-old student who had threatened “to kill the whole school” stabbed three students and a janitor at a school in northern Finland overnight. All four victims were seriously injured but were in stable condition. The 16 year old had previously made threats against the school on a games page on the internet saying that he would ‘kill the whole school’ if he had a gun.

3. Malala wins human rights prize.

Pakistani schoolgirl and campaigner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban, has won the EU’s Sakharov human rights prize. The 16-year-old activist was shot a year ago for campaigning for better rights for girls.The Sakharov Prize for free speech is awarded by the European Parliament annually .US whistleblower Edward Snowden had been a contender for the prize. The 50,000 euro prize is considered Europe’s top human rights award.

Malala Yousafzai also appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart recently. Throughout the segment she described her experiences articulately and humbly, and impressed the audience who cheered and laughed. Jon Stewart was also suitably impressed, and later in the interview asked if he could adopt her. You can watch the interview below:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f506lCk6Tos

4. US stocks rally.

In the US stocks rallied overnight on reports that lawmakers could be close to striking a short term deal to avoid US default.

5. ACT gay marriage bill sees wedding boom

The Australian reports that the ACT could experience a wedding boom by Christmas if it passes a law allowing same-sex marriage. But Commonwealth Attorney-General George Brandis warns it may be distressing for same-sex couples if, their marriages are later invalidated by a High Court challenge. The Attorney General has confirmed the Coalition government would mount a High Court challenge to the legalisation as soon as it passes the ACT Legislative Assembly.

6. Hells Angels arrested in dawn raids

Dawn raids across Victoria has seen HELLS Angels bosses arrested and gang strongholds broken open. More than 700 officers bent on unearthing military-style weapons used in a recent spate of shootings swooped on 60 Angels homes and properties across Victoria. Among those taken into custody were veteran Angels Stephen “Stiffy” Rogers and Peter “Skitzo” Hewat, two of the gang’s most powerful figures.

The Duggar family already have 19 kids. But they said they’d like one more…

7. Michelle Duggar tries for number 20

Michelle Duggar – a reality television star from the show “19 Kids and Counting” – is currently trying to become pregnant with her 20th child. She suffered a tragic miscarriage at the end 0f 2011, but the 47-year-old and her husband Jim Bob Duggar say that this year they are hoping to be “blessed” with another child.

8. Risks of “extreme” gaming

Experts are divided over whether brutal games increase the likelihood of aggressive behaviour and desensitise people to violence. The chief executive of the young and well co-operative research centre at the University of Melbourne, Jane Burns, said gaming could provide stress relief and social engagement for adolescents.

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While there were risks associated with ”extreme” gaming, she said the vast majority of young Australians were not in that category.

9. Reports Ariel Castro died from autoerotic asphyxiation.

In The US there are reports Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro may have died from autoerotic asphyxiation. Castro instantly became one of America’s most notorious criminals in May after police discovered three young women who had been kidnapped, raped and held in his home for roughly a decade. His conviction, life sentence and even his death provoked little sympathy from a disgusted public.

And in brief:

10. Canadian author Alice Munro wins the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature, making her only the 13th woman to receive the award since its inception in 1901.

11. The Queen has voiced her concerns about children turning to e-readers rather than printed books. Her expressed her opinion to author Joanne Harris at an awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

12. And still in the UK it seems some royal noses may be put out of joint as they didn’t get invited Prince George’s christening. The Daily Mail has said his parents want it to be an “intimate, family affair”. Prince William’s aunts, Princess Anne and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, have been left off the guest list, along with George’s great-uncles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. The hugely anticipated event is on October 23.

Have you seen anything in the news you want to talk about?

 

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