1. New footage of Jill Meagher’s final moments has been uncovered during the committal hearing for her alleged murderer Adrian Bayley. The footage shows a man sprinting towards Ms Meagher as she walks along a street in Brunswick. Mr Bayley was committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court yesterday after he admitted raping and strangling Meagher. Meagher’s husband Tom reportedly stormed out of the courtroom after hearing Bayley’s pleas.
2. The European Union has put a ban on all cosmetics that contain ingredients tested on animals. The EU commissioner for health and consumer policy Tonio Borg said the ban gave “an important signal on the value that Europe attaches to animal welfare.” They’ve also pledged to work with other countries to put similar laws in place.
3. Black smoke billowed out of the Sistine Chapel chimney at Vatican City overnight meaning the 115 cardinals inside have failed to elect a new pope in their first vote. The cardinals will continue to vote four times a day until a new pontiff is elected. When a two thirds majority is reached, white smoke will billow from the chimney.
4. Yesterday we brought you the news that a baby was born on a train, and today we bring you the news that a baby has been born at 38,000 feet on a plane. Seventeen-year-old Fatoumatta Kaba was on a flight from South Africa to New York when she went into labour. Her baby boy was delivered with the help of two off-duty doctors and a nurse on board.
5. In the wake of two reviews of the Australian media industry, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has announced a set of dramatic changes to Australia’s media regulation laws. The changes aim to “secure diversity and fairness in the media” and include a option for broadcasters to halve their license fees by showing 1500 hours of Australian content by 2015. They also require media mergers to face a public interest test.
6. Tokyo Disneyland has hosted its first gay wedding. Koyuki Higashi and her partner Hiroko got married in front of 300 friends. Mickey and Minnie were signatures on their certificate. Sadly however the marriage will not be officially recognised because gay marriage is not legal in Japan.
Top Comments
This government has already had Australua on the Reporters Without Borders 'watch list' of governments threatening the autonomy of the press and limiting free speech.
Wihere is the outrage?!!!
People are sheep you talk about things like this and they don't get it. Good jod he can't shut down the Internet like he wanted to.
I know this is really grisly, and I feel bad asking - but in the the interests of education, does anyone know why Bailey was charged with three counts of rape? If she is deceased, how can they tell it was three times? Or is the likely explaination because it was oral, anal and vaginal? It feels like such an invasion of Jill's privacy that the public know these details.
The whole thing is just so horrific. I hope he gets life, then killed in jail. No sympathy for that monster.
He admitted to raping her three separate times when he led them to her body.
If you feel bad about asking that question, trust your instinct and don't.
Yet he has now pleaded not guilty to two of the charges. I'm interested to know what the specific legal arguments will be in support of a not guilty plea, after telling police he did it three times. Legally, how can you feasibly argue your way out of it, after admitting it?
I think that's a fair enough question. I was wondering the same thing.