real life

Cheat Sheet: Today's news in 60 seconds

Your speedy update on all the day’s big stories, Friday, May 2 2014

Obese babies buddy up to lose weight.

A baby who weighed 21 kilos at the age of eight months has joined together with another obese baby who weighs 20 kg and the two are on a journey to lose weight together with the help of a charity. After being removed from their families, the 10-month-old babies, Santiago Mendoza and Isabela Caicedo, are following a special weight-loss program with the help of Colombian health charity Gorditos de Corazon (Chubby Heart). Isabela’s mother came into contact with the group when she saw Santiago’s story in the media and decided something had to be done to help their children. The babies have so far lost 1.5kg each.

Hughes' victims' heartbreaking testimony.

Former Hey Dad! star, Robert Hughes, who was found guilty on April 5 of sexually and indecently assaulting young girls, is set to be sentenced today. This morning in court during the sentencing hearing, one victim said that they wished Hughes "nothing but misery", while another said she has "never truly felt safe again", adding that "as a child, I never wanted Santa to come into my room at night to leave presents." Another victim said: "I will never have children because of Robert, I never want to risk having a kid going through what I did." In April the jury conceded that Hughes assaulted three girls aged 6-15 between 1983 and 1991.

220 abducted school girls sold for $12

Hundreds of school girls from Nigeria have reportedly been kidnapped by Islamic extremist abductors and are being forced to marry them, while they desperately wait to be saved. Over 200 girls between the ages 16 and 18 were taken over two weeks ago from Chibok Girls Secondary School by the Boko Haram terrorist group. Asabe Kwambura, the school principal, says that 50 escaped but, to the embarrassment of the Nigerian government, 220 are still missing. The girls have been paid $12 to marry the militants, who are currently negotiating over the girls' fate for a ransom.

ADVERTISEMENT

Budget shocks continue

Treasurer Joe Hockey has today announced that Australians born after 1965 will have to work until they're 70 before they become eligible for the age pension. Mr Hockey explained that anyone currently on the pension would not have to suffer from the change, while the retirement age continues to climb. “Increasing the pension age to 70, we are intending for that to occur in 21 years time . . . that’s when you will be entitled to the pension, when you turn 70,’’ he said this morning on radio station 2GB. It's also been revealed that Medicare as it runs today will be ending, with bulk-billing coming to a close and anyone earning over $88,000 denied access to benefits. Consumers will have to pay $15 to see a doctor, get an x-ray or a blood test under the audit commission's proposed reforms. This will drop to $7.50 after 15 services within a year.

The last people you'd expect to belt out Let It Go?

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past six months you'll know the lyrics to popular Disney film Frozen's song Let It Go. These American marines were filmed by a friend watching the movie and their reaction to character Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) 'letting go' midway through the song is hilarious/lecherous. Bill Nuche, who posted the clip, said on his Facebook page today: "One of our NCOs came to inspect the barracks. Apparently a Facebook friend of his shared my video. He requested I take it down. So I shall. But it's already out there. There is no stopping it now, mwah ha ha!" Watch the video below...