Wednesday's news in under 5 minutes.

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

1. Nurses noticed bruises on twin girls but failed to detect abusive mother who shook and squeezed one of the babies to death.

A coroner has criticised the actions of maternal and child health nurses for failing to pick up red flags in the abuse of twin girls.

One of the twins died at the hands of her mother at just two months old in 2012.

The baby died in her cot from a brain haemorrhage. An autopsy found she had multiple skull, rib and other fractures.

Similar injuries were sustained by her sister, who now has severe and permanent cerebral palsy.

The girls’ mother – who suffered post natal depression – admitted to repeatedly shaking and squeezing the babies while trying to settle them. She was convicted and sentenced to a one-year community corrections order after pleading guilty to infanticide and recklessly causing serious injury.

At a coronial inquest in to the death of the twin yesterday Coroner Ian Gray criticised the treating maternal and child health nurses for not responding appropriately to highly unusual injuries in non-mobile infants.

At the age of four weeks a nurse noticed the twins had unexplained bruising on the babies’ faces.

A month later a second nurse noticed more bruising. The concerns were noted in the electronic medical records of the babies.

Judge Gray ruled the nurses should have been more “rigorous” in exploring the cause of the bruises and more proactive in referring it to a doctor for further investigated The Herald Sun reports.

The Coroner said the nurses failed to read the twins’ electronic medical histories ahead of their eight-week examination, saying it was a “lost opportunity to detect the harm to which the twins were exposed, to protect them from further harm”.

Judge Gray recommended a database be created to store all health records of infants and children passing through the maternal and child health system.

The babies father said he wanted to ensure this never happened again “to make sure this never ever happens again”.

“It is an absolute tragedy that (my daughter) died at eight weeks of age, and her twin sister suffered horrific lifelong injuries because multiple bruising they had sustained on more than one occasion was not reported,” he said.

“It is heartbreaking for our family to think that if action was taken by the Moreland City Council maternal nurses, these gorgeous girls would today be leading normal, happy lives.”

For help: Lifeline 13 11 14. Kid’s Helpline: 1800 55 1800.

2. Tara Brown addresses “manhandling” headlines from prison.

A photo of 60 Minutes presenter Tara Brown being shoved into a car by police in Beirut after her court appearance yesterday made headline news. It reported that the TV star, currently under arrest in Beirut, was “manhandled” by police as they left court.

Speaking from prison Ms Brown has said she was not “manhandled” police were simply trying to avoid having her photograph taken.

Tara Brown told News Limited “It looked much worse than it was.”

“They were trying to protect me from the cameras, it might have been easier for me to turn my head.”

She said that reports she had blow-dried her hair also were false.

“I don’t even have my hairbrush in here,” she said. “Did they seriously think we have some sort of beauty salon here?”

Brown told media that she was being treated well.

“Please explain I cannot talk, I don’t want to jeopardise anything. it has been fortifying to get messages of support, support from my family, friends and colleagues. I am being treated extremely well and the other women here are incredibly generous and kind.”

3. Elite girls school students expelled after found with drugs at school formal.

A number of students from an elite private girls school in Melbourne have been busted at their year 12 formal with drugs, including a number of ecstasy pills reports The Herald Sun.

Melbourne Girls’ Grammar has expelled one of the students and suspended two others.

It is reported that security raised concerns about suspicious activity in a bathroom at formal and the principal searched several girls’ bags.

One girl was caught with ecstasy, cannabis and alcohol, and another with a “significant” number of pills.

Principal Catherine Misson confirmed drugs had been discovered.

“We are extremely disappointed and saddened that this situation has occurred but we stand by our decision to take immediate action, as we will not compromise on student safety,” Ms Misson said.

4. Court blocks father from having sons circumcised until they can make “individual choices”.

A court has ruled that two boys aged four and six should not be circumcised in accordance with their father’s religious wishes, until they are old enough to make the decision themselves.

The Muslim father had wanted his boys to be circumcised in accordance with his “Muslim practice and religious beliefs” – and in the youngsters’ best interests.

But the boys’ mother, who is separated from their father, disagreed.

The case, before the high court in Devon in the UK saw the judge refuse to rule in favour of the procedure reports The Guardian. 

She said it was better to defer a decision until the boys reached a stage where they could make “individual choices”.

“He is a devout Muslim and … is committed to the principle of ensuring that, as part of their dual heritage, his two sons grow up as Muslims observing all the tenets and practices of that religion,” said Mrs Justice Roberts.

“Just as the father is passionate in his cause and the reasons for circumcision, the mother is resolutely opposed to it at this point in time.”

“First and foremost, this is a once and for all, irreversible procedure,” she said.

“There is no guarantee that these boys will wish to continue to observe the Muslim faith with the devotion demonstrated by their father, although that may very well be their choice.

“They are still very young and there is no way of anticipating at this stage how the different influences in their respective parental homes will shape and guide their development over the coming years.

“I am deferring the decision to the point where each of the boys themselves will make their individual choices once they have the maturity and insight to appreciate the consequences and longer-term effects of the decisions which they reach.

“Part of that consideration will be any increase in the risks of surgery by the time they have reached puberty.”

5. MP’s head home until budget.

Our pollies have now left Canberra after parliament was adjourned until the budget is handed down on May 3.

Yesterday Malcolm Turnbull confirmed there would be a double dissolution election on July 2nd.

Fairfax Media reports today that the Turnbull government is planning on trumping Labor in the budget by cracking down on high-income superannuation tax concessions to raise four times as much as the opposition’s policy.

Labor promised to cut the income threshold for more heavily taxing contributions from $300,000 to $250,000, according to The Age the Coalition now plans to cut it to $180,000.

Sky News reported earlier this week that a draft script of an advertisement to be screened by the government after the budget said it would save $16 billion over four years through changes to superannuation, multinational taxation and other tax measures.

6. New Domestic violence ad campaign to focus on changing attitudes.

Starting this weekend a new domestic violence awareness campaign will begin.

The $30 million campaign will try to change dangerous and entrenched attitudes about violence towards women.

The TV, radio, print and online ads will target so-called “influencers”, such as mums, dads, teachers and coaches, who unwittingly excuse unacceptable behaviour towards women reports the ABC.

Social Services Minister Christian Porter said the campaign represented a new approach to tackling domestic violence.

“What you’ll see with these ads, which all Australians will see very shortly, is that we’re highlighting the type of attitudinal problems that we can’t let persist,” he told the ABC.

“They’re sometimes attitudes that parents just let go through to the keeper when they should be addressed to try and get young boys and young men thinking in a way that’s respectful towards women in their lives.”

Research released by the Federal Government last year showed that that dangerous attitudes about violence towards women are deeply entrenched.

“It’s incredible how often the behaviour is either minimised, excused or there’s this inquiry into what it is the girl must’ve done to have brought about this behaviour,” Mr Porter said.

“And those type of almost engrained reflex attitudes and responses that do seem to exist all across Australian society are clearly very unhelpful in terms of establishing the type of thinking, behaviour and attitude that we want and need.”

For domestic violence support 24/7, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). 

7. Donald Trump has mistakenly referred to 9/11 as 7/11.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has mistakenly referred to the September 11 terrorist attacks as 7-Eleven during a campaign event yesterday.

Mr Trump was speaking at a rally in Buffalo, New York. He referred to the well-known convenience store’s name in place of 9/11.

“I was down there, and I watched our police and our firemen, down on 7-Eleven, down at the World Trade Center, right after it came down,” Mr Trump said during his speech.

While Trump has not responded to criticism over his gaff, Twitter has erupted.

8. The world’s oldest dog died in Victoria.

Maggie the Kelpie – thought to be the world’s oldest dog, at the age of 30, has died peacefully in her sleep.

Her owner, dairy farmer Brian McLaren, said she died “tucked up in her bed” at the farm, just north of Warrnambool in Victoria’s southwest.

“She was 30 years old, she was still going along nicely last week, she was walking from the dairy to the office and growling at the cats and all that sort of thing,” Brian said.

“She just went downhill in two days and I said yesterday morning when I went home for lunch … ‘She hasn’t got long now’.

“I’m sad, but I’m pleased she went the way she went” he told The Weekly Times.

‘Officially, the world’s oldest dog in history was Bluey, who was also an Australian farm dog who worked with sheep and cattle.

The Guinness Book of Records says his owner bought him in 1910 and he worked on the farm until he was put down in 1939.

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