Tuesday's news in under 5 minutes

1. Health Insurance premiums to rise

Private health insurance premiums are set for their biggest rise in nine years after the Abbott government approved an average 6.2 per cent increase across all providers.

Health Minister Peter Dutton said he was confident the increases were fully justified following a close examination by the private health insurance regulator.

The average family policy that includes ancillaries such as dental costs is likely to rise by more than $200 a year. It will be the biggest jump in premiums since 2005. The increases will take effect in April.

2. Father who set sons on fire

A Tasmania man, Paul Brian Edward Connelly has been jailed for 20 years, to serve a minimum of 15 after being found guilty on two counts of attempted murder by setting his two sons now aged nine and five alight in the family car. For more on this – and to see how the boys are now read this post here.” Fletcher and Spencer home for Christmas”

3. Husband wants wife to be left to die

In the US a husband who’s pregnant wife is on life support after suffering an embolism has said he wants her taken off even though the move would also leave their baby dead.

Erick Munoz says his wife Marlise, 33, would not have wanted to live life hooked up to a machine.

But Texas gives rights to the unborn fetus over the mother’s wishes even when a DNR has been signed. The couple had merely discussed their mutual desire to never be kept alive by a machine and hadn’t actually signed a do not resuscitate order.

Doctors now must take all life saving measures to preserve the life of their unborn baby, which in this case remains too immature to survive outside the womb.

‘I don’t agree with this law,’ Erick told ABC News.

‘They don’t know how long the baby was without nutrients and oxygen. But I’m aware what challenges I might face ahead.’

The couple already have a 1-year-old son Mateo.

4. Rolf Harris

Rolf Harris will be prosecuted over three further allegations of assault the Crown Prosecution Service in London announced yesterday.

The 83-year-old Australian appeared in court earlier this year charged with nine counts of indecent assault and four of making indecent images of children.

But the prosecution announced a review of evidence by police had seen a further two alleged victims come forward.

5. Melbourne mother murder

A young mother, Maddison Murphy-West, who was found dead in her home in Melbourne in October in a suspected homicide may have known her killer.

The Herald Sun has revealed that homicide squad detectives have been investigating, and believe Ms Murphy-West was attacked by someone who then manipulated the murder scene to give the ­appearance the victim had killed herself.

6. Pussy Riot members slam Russia

Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who was freed yesterday in a Kremlin-backed amnesty, slammed Russia’s prison system and said the whole country was built like a penal colony. She said she and released bandmate Maria Alyokhina will be working on a project focusing on rights of prisoners, using experience of spending a year and ten months in prison.

Alyokhina used her first interview after her release to slam the amnesty as a mere publicity stunt, and said that she would have preferred to remain in prison.

7. Tragic father and son death

A 35-year-old man has thrown his three-year-old son to his death from the roof of a 52-story skyscraper and then jumped killing himself, after a judge ordered him to hand over the boy to his estranged wife.

His son plunged 46 stories after being pushed from a ledge on the roof of the building. He landed on a sixth floor landing before crashing down onto a building next door to the highrise.

He was alive when paramedics arrived on scene, but died minutes later.

 If you or anyone you know needs help please call Lifeline on 131 114.

8. Clive Palmer’s baby name

Clive Palmer has revealed his new baby daughter’s first name and five middle names – along with a call for women to take on more leadership positions.

He announced, via Twitter, that the couple have decided to name her Lucy Diamond Stelina Mary Anna Nancy Palmer.

Mr Palmer called on his 31,000 followers to help foster greater opportunities for women.

“We need more women across the country in leadership positions leading our nation forward,” he tweeted.

Go Clive! We agree!

9. Power couple shop where?

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have stocked up on last-minute Christmas gifts at a Gold Coast Target store.

Their after hours outing with their six children was tweeted by the manager who wrote: “Team at our Target Robina store are thrilled that Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and their children shopped at Target today.”

The celebrity family is reported having their Christmas at a private villa on Hamilton Island.

10. BA flight slices into terminal building

A British Airways jumbo jet carrying 202 passengers and crew has sliced into an office building at Johannesburg’s main airport after following the wrong taxiway prior to take-off for London, injuring four people on the ground. The 185 passengers on the BA plane escaped unharmed

11. Santa packs the sleigh

Reports from the North Pole that Mrs Claus and the elves have started packing the sleigh in preparation for the big night tonight. It seems that Santa has been busy taking selfies with the reindeer. You can track Santa’s movements through the Santa tracker web site.

In Brief:

A teenage girl has avoided serious injury after her glasses deflected a bullet fired in a drive-by shooting at her Seattle home.

Australians are among 3000 foreigners trapped in a South Sudan city experiencing bouts of heavy machine gun fire.

 What news are you talking about today?