Thursday's news in under 2 minutes.

1. 250 dead in Cairo protests

At least 250 people have been killed in Egypt after a police crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi in the capital city of Cairo. A cameraman for Britain’s Sky News was among those killed.

2. A New Zealand woman has reportedly driven 300 kilometres while sleep driving.

Police started searching for the woman after a friend who was concerned for her welfare contacted them to say she’d taken out her car after taking sleeping pills. They found her after five hours and she had no recollection of the journey. Senior sergeant Dave Litton told the media: “We have sought an urgent order forbidding her to drive and to seek medical advice on her suitability to remain holding her driver’s licence.”

3. Naval tragedy in India

India’s worst naval disaster in 40 years has seen up to 18 sailors die, after a submarine accidentally exploded underwater on Wednesday. Navy divers yesterday entered the submarine, but detected no signs of life. An inquiry into why the submarine exploded is currently being conducted.

4. Latham comments on Abbott’s “sex appeal” slip

Former Labor leader Mark Latham has commented on Opposition leader Tony Abbott’s comments about candidate Fiona Scott, who he said had “sex appeal”. Latham told Melbourne Radio Station 3AW that Abbott’s comments, “showed very bad judgement and it shows he has low standards.”

Shockingly, Latham continued, “She’s a rather plain ordinary-looking woman and Abbott has exaggerated massively to try and win her vote among the blokes …Tony had the beer goggles on and in politics they say it’s showbiz for ugly people and I don’t think she’ll [Fiona] be out of place.”

5. Jill Meagher’s husband goes home

Tom Meagher has gone home to Ireland almost a year after his wife Jill was brutally raped and murdered in a Melbourne lane way. Moreland Mayor Oscar Yildiz reportedly told local press: “He’s a broken man but I just can’t believe how mentally tough he really is.”

6. Immigration Minister Tony Burke defends reforms

Immigration Minister Tony Burke has said that his “face-to-face” conversations with asylum seekers prove that Labor’s deal with PNG will work in deterring asylum seekers. According to Burke, asylum seekers he spoke to indicated that they have decided to return home since learning of Labor’s offshore settlement policy. Mr Burke said he spoke to one man who indicated, “directly that had he known about the policy he would not have boarded the vessel.”

In brief:

7. North and South Korea have agreed to reopen the joint industrial zone in Kaesong that was closed back in April when military tensions were at their height. The seventh round of talks between the nations was held on Wednesday, with both sides committing to making “active efforts” to improve relations.

8. Norway has banned Apple from taking aerial shots of Oslo for its maps application. According to officials, it would constitute a national security issue. A spokeswoman for the Norwegian National Security Authority said: “I can confirm that Apple was not authorised to take aerial photographs because the level of detail in the shots is considered too high for some of the restricted zones.”