We’ve rounded up all the biggest stories from Australia and around the world.
1. Liberal MP confirms he will seek a leadership spill against Tony Abbott.
The leadership spill is on. It’s really on.
West Australian Liberal MP Luke Simpkins has emailed party room colleagues to announce he will move a spill motion against the Prime Minister on Tuesday.
Tony Abbott gave a short press conference this afternoon announcing Julie Bishop will stand with him on a joint ticket.
To read the full story, click here.
2. Did InStyle lighten Kerry Washington’s skin?
InStyle magazine is under fire for allegedly lightening the skin of the beautiful and talented Scandal actress, Kerry Washinton.
Critics have taken to Twitter to express their dismay at Kerry’s “white washing”:
InStyle has denied the allegations, claiming the lighting is to blame:
“We have heard from those who have spoken out about our newsstand cover photograph, concerned that Kerry’s skin tone was lightened,” the magazine said. “While we did not digitally lighten Kerry’s skin tone, our cover lighting has likely contributed to this concern.”
3. ‘Mansplain’ is the Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year.
Macquarie Dictionary has awarded “mansplain” the prestigious title of 2014 Word of the Year.
Each year, a committee made up of academics, journalists, and the Macquarie Dictionary editor selects one word from the lengthy list of those added to the dictionary over the year.
The dictionary defines ‘Mansplain’ as: “verb (t) Colloquial (humorous) (of a man) to explain (something) to a woman, in a way that is patronising because it assumes that a woman will be ignorant of the subject matter. [MAN + (EX)PLAIN with s inserted to create a pronunciation link with explain.”
The People’s Choice award went to ‘share plate’.
4. Pope Francis will be the first Pope to address Congress.
By ABC
Pope Francis will address a joint session of the US Congress in September, marking the first time the head of the Catholic Church has delivered such a speech, lawmakers say.
The pontiff, who is also expected to meet president Barack Obama, will speak before members of the Senate and House of Representatives on September 24.
“That day, His Holiness will be the first pope in our history to address a joint session of Congress,” US speaker of the house John Boehner told reporters.
“We are humbled that the holy father has accepted our invitation and certainly look forward to receiving his message on behalf of the American people.”
Pope Francis confirmed late last year that he would visit the United States in September to take part in a Catholic Church congress in Philadelphia.
During his visit, he will also address the United Nations in New York.
A version of this story was originally published on ABC and has been republished with full permission.
5. Amy Pascal steps down from Sony in the wake of her embarrassing email scandal.
Amy Pascal, the film executive at the centre of a the North Korean hacking scandal, is stepping down as head of Sony Pictures.
You might remember Amy from her series of leaked emails which were leaked to the media last year, in which she made racist jokes about Obama and called Angelina Jolie “a spoiled brat.”
Although she will no longer be co-chair of Sony Pictures, The Guardian has reported that Pascal will be starting a new production venture in May.
“I have spent almost my entire professional life at Sony Pictures and I am energized to be starting this new chapter based at the company I call home,” she said in a statement. She said she had been discussing the move for “quite some time”.
Pascal is currently the only woman heading up a Hollywood production company.
6. Three missing Perth boys were found with family.
Three boys who went missing from their home in Parkerville, Perth on Australia day, have been found with their parents.
Desmond Narrier, 12, Ryheem Davey, 11 and Clive Hart, 12, were missing for 12 days, with the authorities pleading publicly for information about their whereabouts.
WA Today reported the public was concerned due to the lack of media attention paid to the case, but West Australian Child Protection Minister, Helen Morton, said the case was more complicated.
“The decision about when and how the public get informed by the media really has to be a carefully considered, professional judgement. It’s a bit simplistic and naive for people to imagine that somehow there should be an immediate reaction to go public about this sort of case,” she said.
The Department issued a statement saying the children had been found, but no further information was supplied.
Top Comments
Why do we not get offered Julie Bishop or Scott Morrison as an option?? Just for the record, I much prefer Malcolm to either of them, but surely they're stronger contenders than Warren Truss?
A spill isn't "on" - there will be a motion on Tue and it may not pass.