Wednesday's news in under 5 minutes.

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

1. Julie Bishop accused of being a traitor.

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party Julie Bishop has been accused of being a “traitor” who failed to warn Tony Abbott as soon as she knew a coup was imminent.

In a media blitz yesterday she said that she knew of the coup in the days running up to Monday but only told Mr Abbott in the hours leading up to the spill.

Appearing on The Project last night, she was asked why she didn’t tell Mr Abbott immediately.

Waleed Aly asked: “If Malcolm Turnbull said he was going to challenge and he told you that, don’t you get straight on the phone to Tony Abbott if you support him loyally and tell him that?”

She said: “I provide the information when I think it’s at a point where the Prime Minister must know. But I am not the only person who provides the Prime Minister with advice and information,”

“Do you think hearing that tonight, Tony Abbott would feel let down by you as Waleed point out? You are his deputy. Someone tells you that they are about to knife him. You don’t pass it on?” Steve Price asked.

“That isn’t how it worked … people have been talking about Malcolm and I had no idea of the timing until the day before, and that’s when I informed the Prime Minister. As soon as I could,” Ms Bishop replied.

She had earlier told the Seven Network she felt very sad for Tony and for his family when she was asked if she was a traitor.

“It was not a easy decision for anyone to make. No-one took this decision lightly.”

2. Cabinet re-shuffle: who, what and when and how many women?

The speculation is growing about which members of the Cabinet will be dumped and who will get a boost in the new Cabinet under the Turnbull Prime Ministership.

Defence Minister Kevin Andrews said yesterday that dumping him from the portfolio would be “crazy” as there were reports that Christopher Pyne would get the gig.

“It would be crazy to change defence ministers now. The more delays, the longer before you get work in SA.” Mr Andrews told The Advertiser.

Scott Morrison is expected to be the new Treasurer and more women are expected to be promoted with The Australian saying Michaelia Cash and Human Services Minister Marise Payne look set to be promoted to Cabinet.

Other female MPs set for promotion are Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Science Karen Andrews.

3. He pledged to kill the next woman who took out a domestic violence order against him.

One week after giving birth to her daughter Tara Costigan was brutally murdered with an axe in February this year.

A court has now heard that the attack took place just moments after Tara had fed her seven-day old daughter and while she was holding her in her arms.

The man accused of brutally killing the Canberra mother-of-three appeared in court yesterday.

40-year old Marcus Rappel was committed to stand trial on four charges relating to the domestic violence attack.

The court heard that Ms Costigan applied for and obtained an interim domestic violence order on February 27 against her former partner.

According to court documents, when he was served with the order he allegedly told his new girlfriend “I did say if another girl slapped another DVO on me I will kill her.”

It is alleged that Rappel then drove to Ms Costigan’s home with an axe and forced entry into the home.

The Canberra Times reports that Ms Costigan, carrying her daughter in her arms, ran to the laundry but Rappel struck her with an axe.

Ms Costigan’s other two children, boys aged 11 and nine, were in the house at the time.

Rappel is expected to appear in the ACT Supreme Court next week.

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

4. Lionel Patea to face court today.

The man accused of beating Gold Coast mother Tara Brown to death will face court today.

24-year old Lionel Patea, 24, was charged with Ms Brown’s murder after he allegedly forced her car off the road and beat her with a cast iron fire hydrant cover last week.

Ms Brown died the following day from her injuries after her life support was turned off.

He will appear at Southport Magistrates Court.

5. Two-year old who drowned accessed pool through faulty gate.

A two-year-old boy, Elijah Meldrum, who drowned after accessing a pool at a friend’s Melton South home on Monday afternoon got into the pool area through a faulty gate, The Herald Sun reports.

His parents Lisa Carter and Craig Meldrum released a statement about their son.

“To our baby boy, Elijah, you are everything to us. You were so precious and the most beautiful.

You were so cheeky and had the most beautiful smile. Mummy and Daddy will ­always love you. You were taken away too soon from us. Rest in peace, baby boy; you will forever be in our hearts. You are in a better place now.”

Hi grandmother Natalie Jennings told The Herald Sun that the pool gate didn’t lock properly, had broken bolts and was flimsy.

According to The Herald Sun Melton Council compliance manager Ian Stewart said officers had inspected the pool while police and the Victorian Building Authority were investigating.

A fund has been set up to help pay for Elijah’s funeral. ­

6. Woman gets suspended sentence after burning boyfriend’s penis with a hair straightener.

A Victorian woman has received a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to recklessly causing serious harm when she burnt her boyfriend’s penis with a hair straightener after he was unfaithful.

22-year old Bronwyn Joy Parker was sentenced yesterday over the assault.

It was claimed that her partner agreed to be burned – but that she left him with third degree burns.

Bronwyn Joy Parker, told the police she thought as she only applied the straightener for just a few seconds it would feel like sunburn.

The Northern Territory News reports that the couple had made an agreement that if the victim ever cheated on her he would let her burn his testicles with the straighteners.

“He was unfaithful to you and had spent two nights with his ex-girlfriend and had sex with her. “When you found out about that, you reminded him of his promise to you.” District Court Judge Paul Muscat said in sentencing.

“He asked you ‘What about it?’ referring to the promise he had previously made.”

“You told him to remove his penis from his shorts, which he did.

“He said that you could ‘tap it’ with the straighteners after he removed his penis, after you said that you were not going to burn his testicles.”

The Judge said neither of the couple realised the “seriousness of what you were about to embark on.”

“You took his penis in your hand and then, with the other, you placed the straighteners on either side of the shaft of his penis before squeezing them momentarily.

“I need not here say anything of the pain and shock which he then experienced.”

In an interview with police Parker said she had only applied the straightener for a couple of seconds.

“To start off with, it looked brown around the outside and it didn’t look too bad, it just looked as if you had cooked a piece of meat.”

The victim, too embarrassed to seek help immediately said his penis was “swollen, blistering and pussy and black in colour.”

The judge said the victim was scarred for life.

“In short, his penis will be scarred for life and he will suffer from a number of issues, including the proper function of his penis, not to mention the cosmetic and psychological problems associated with the scarring to such a sensitive site,”

Parker was sentenced Parker to nine months’ jail but it was suspended upon her entering an 18-month good behaviour bond.

For help: DV and Sexual Abuse hotline 27/4: 1800 737 732

7. Reports finds frequent use of computers does not improve education results.

An OECD report has found that Ipads and computers do not improve results in schools and in some cases can make them worse.

The report, Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection shows Australia is one of the highest users of technology in schools yet found it failed to improve results.

“No appreciable improvements in student achievement in reading, mathematics or science in the countries that had invested heavily in (information technology) for education.”

Students in countries using fewer computers for schoolwork improved more rapidly in reading.

“Students who use computers moderately at school [once or twice a week] tend to have somewhat better learning outcomes than students who use computers rarely. But students who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning outcomes.”

8. Vladimir Putin ‘reaches out’ to Sir Elton John.

Just days after Sir Elton John requested a meeting with Vladimir Putin to discuss gay rights the Russian leader has reached out to the singer suggesting they meet.

On the weekend Sir Elton told the BBC Mr Putin’s attitude to gay people was “isolating and prejudiced” and “ridiculous”.

“It’s probably pie in the sky but I’d love to meet him and say, ‘come on, let’s have a cup of tea let’s talk about this’. He may laugh behind my back when he shuts the door, and call me an absolute idiot, but at least I can think I have the conscience to say I tried,” he said.

Overnight he has thanked the Russian leader for reaching out to his writing on Instagram:

“Thank you to President Vladimir Putin for reaching out and speaking via telephone with me today. I look to forward to meeting with you face to face to discuss LGBT equality in Russia.”

9. Migrants stranded at Hungarian border.

Hungary declared a state of emergency in two southern counties as tough new laws to stop migrants entering illegally came into force.

Many of the men and women now seem to be on a hunger strike with some people holding up signs reading “No food” and “No water”.

Germany too has introduced temporary border controls, while Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands have threatened the same.

Aleksandar Vulin, Serbia’s minister for labour and social policy – where thousands of refugees are stranded after being prevented from crossing into Hungary – said that Serbia will not become a “concentration camp” for the rest of Europe.

“These people don’t want stay in Serbia.” He told The Telegraph “They want to travel to Europe or wherever they want. We are not a concentration camp and we do not expect anyone to consider us as a concentration camp.”

10. An image going viral might just reveal the shocking cost of climate change. Or might not.

It is making the rounds as a striking poignant image of the horrors of climate change.

The shockingly thin bear was photographed on the Norwegian island of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean in August. The photographer, Kerstin Langenberger posted it on Facebook with a disturbing account of how the bear had been affected by climate change.

Ian Stirling, professor at the University of Alberta who has studied polar bears for decades, told Mashable this bear was most likely an older, sick or injured bear and despite media headlines pointing to the contrary it was not likely suffering from a lack of ice cover and available prey.

However Geoff York, senior director of conservation for Polar Bears International told Discovery News that he has seen other similar photos recently of polar bears in terrible condition.

“Reports and images of thin or dead adult bears from the Barents Sea region of late are concerning, and are also consistent with what we expect to see in a warming Arctic.  While there have always been good and bad years for polar bears, we expect that there will be more bad years as the Arctic warms and sea ice habitat is reduced over time.”

Walter Vetter of the University of Hohenheim said that “While no individual picture is proof of global climate change impacts, we seem to be seeing reports of more skinny bears, and more dead bears.”

He and other scientists are calling for an aggressive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

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