Friday's news in under 5 minutes.

UPDATE:

The police have reportedly issued both James Packer and David Gyngell criminal infringement notices for “offensive behaviour”.  According to media reports on Twitter, the notices carry fines of $500 if they’re not contested.

The move comes after Packer and Gyngell were photographed fighting on the streets of Bondi last weekend. You can read more about that story here.

1. Mother of disabled boy told to “F*** Off”

An image of a Gold Coast wedding photographer’s car parked illegally in a disabled parking spot has gone viral after the mother of a disabled child took to social media to vent her frustration at not being able to park.

The Gold Coast Bulletin reports that the mother sent the company an SMS telling them to move their vehicle and the only response she got was “Seriously f*ck off”.

Sharyn Thompson has since posted the image on Facebook with a statement saying:

“I have a disability permit for my nine-year-old son — he has a terminal muscle wasting disease and uses a mobility device,”

“His mobility device is parked in the teacher’s staffroom, which is located right next to the car park.

“I posted this image because enough is enough,” she wrote.

“We seem to be a society of undeserved entitlement, thinking we have the right to do what we want and when we want, but that’s wrong.

“Do you think I want to have a disability permit? Do you think I want to have to use these parking spots? Believe me when I say, I would rather walk a mile with my able-bodied, healthy child than use these spots.

Coastline Weddings has apologised.

2. Fuel Excise

Plans to raise the fuel excise in next Tuesday’s budget will hit consumers hard, with the prices of everyday goods set to rise.

Queensland Liberal National MP Ken O’Dowd said lifting the fuel excise will put pressure on inflation, the ABC reports.

“I’m concerned that it does put all the costs up,” he said.

“Whether it be tomatoes or lettuce, premium beef products… anything that you buy virtually will all go up and [it] will have that inflationary effect on the economy.”

3.#Bringbackourgirls

US intelligence has revealed the 276 girls abducted last month in Nigeria may have been separated, CNN reports.

The search for the girls will be more complicated if they are spread out throughout Nigeria.

CNN reports that seven members of the US military are scheduled to arrive today to join a team of advisers supporting the Nigerian rescue efforts.

Britain, France and China are also providing assistance.

4. Cleaner finds $100,000

A janitor who found $100,00 stuffed into a sanitary bin in a toilet at Melbourne’s Channel Nine‘s Docklands headquarters has been told by a court that he can keep $81,000 of it.

The police were unable to establish the origins of the cash.

Magistrate Michael Smith said: “There’s no reason why such honesty should go unrewarded.”

5. Man arrested over sexual assault

The police on the Gold Coast have arrested a man over the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl on a Gold Coast bus in broad daylight.

The alleged attack took place last Friday — and no one watching did a thing to assist the victim.

For more, see this post: “Teenage girl sexually assaulted on a bus.”

6. ACCC recalls carcinogenic clothing

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a warning about a dangerous dye found in jeans on sale in Australian stores.

The ACCC has uncovered more than 121,000 items of clothing with high concentration of the dye.

Clothes recalled over dye risk:

• Rivers – Doghouse style children’s dark-denim and black jeans
• Just Jeans – Junior girls jeans and skinny jeans; junior boys pants, shorts and denim shorts
• Trade Secret – Firetrap Blackseal super skinny girls jeans
• Pillow Talk – 50/50 poly/cotton 225 thread count plain dye range (red)
• Myer – Milkshake classic jeans, Wayne Junior acid wash jeans
• Target – Kids’ and ladies’ denim jeans

7. Oscar Pistorius trial

The jury in the trial of Oscar Pistorius has heard speculation over when Reeva Steenkamp ate her last meal.

The prosecution attempted to use the evidence surrounding traces of food in her stomach to show that perhaps she had eaten later than Pistorius had testified. It argued she was awake and perhaps arguing with Pistorius.

A defence witness has demonstrated this might not necessarily be true, and that her age, sleep and other factors may have allowed her stomach to still contain traces of food.

8. NAPLAN begins

With over a million students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 to sit the NAPLAN tests over three days next week, the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority has urged parents and students not to take the “low stakes” tests too seriously.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that parents are increasingly sending their children to coaching after the NAPLAN results are released. The Australian Tutoring Association say there is a notable rise in parents seeking out tutors from public schools.

9. Church bans boy for wearing a dress

A mother has expressed her outrage after her five-year-old son was banned from their Church playgroup for wearing girls’ dress up clothing.

Romeo Clarke, from the UK, has three older sisters and between them they own a collection of over 100 girls’ dress ups.

His mother Georgina Clarke told The Daily Mail she has lodged a complaint saying the Church discriminated against her son by banning him.

The Church told the family the boy’s princess dresses were ‘confusing’ the other children.

They say he can only rejoin the group if he wears gender-appropriate clothing.

10. Man asks court for permission to marry his computer

A man in the US has applied for a court to allow him to marry his computer after he claimed he was addicted to porn, Fox 13 reports.

“Over time, I began preferring sex with my computer over sex with real women,” he told a court in Florida.

The Florida court refused him permission to marry the MacBook Air so he applied to the Utah court.

The court has ruled against the marriage.

11. Midwife struck off registry

A homebirth midwife who was arrested after she attempted to flee the country to avoid paying damages to the family of a boy who developed cerebral palsy after his home birth has had her nursing registration cancelled.

The Civil and Administrative Tribunal cancelled Akal Kaur Khalsa’s registration as a nurse and midwife.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the tribunal has also banned her from reapplying for two years after finding her guilty of professional misconduct and unsatisfactory professional conduct.

 12. US broadcaster in trouble over ‘fat jokes’.

US sports broadcaster Charles Barkley, who presents Inside the NBA, is under fire after he made fun of the women of San Antonio saying: “Some big ol’ women down there… that’s a gold mine for Weight Watchers.”

“Victoria is definitely a secret [in San Antonio]… they can’t wear Victoria’s Secret down there.”

It is not the first time the sports presenter has mocked the city’s women.

13. Toddler narrowly misses being hit on busy road

A toddler has narrowly avoided being hit on a busy freeway by two cars after he wandered onto a busy Singapore road.

The dramatic vision shows a driver forced to brake heavily and honk.

The toddler’s mother then runs after him and catches him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FouY8-QYwUs

What news are you talking about today?