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Thursday'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.  Man accused of involvement in Stephanie Scott murder to be extradited today.

A man accused of being involved with the murder of school teacher Stephanie Scott will be extradited to NSW this morning to face an accessory to murder charge.

Tributes to Leeton High School Stephanie Scott.

The 24-year-old – who cannot be named – is due to fly to Sydney from Adelaide today.

Police claim the alleged killer Vincent Stanford sent items in the post to the man, who allegedly disposed of them, after he allegedly raped and murdered Stephanie Scott.

Facing the magistrate yesterday in Adelaide, the man was asked if there was any reason his extradition to New South Wales should not be allowed.

“I’ve never been there so I wouldn’t need to return,” he said.

He will appear in Central Local Court in Sydney today.

2. Couple claim they will divorce if same-sex marriage becomes legal.

A couple from Canberra have said they will divorce if gay marriage is legalised in Australia.

Nick and Sarah Jenson.

Nick Jenson, 33, works for the Australian Christian Lobby, and his wife, a GP, 33-year old Sarah have two children and have just celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary.

Mr Jenson told The Daily Mail “It is a natural consequence of our decision to be married under the state, and then the state deciding to redefine what marriage is.”

Writing in the Canberra City News Mr Jensen said:

“If our federal parliament votes to change the timeless and organic definition of marriage later on this year, it will have moved against the fundamental and foundational building block of Australian society and, indeed, human culture everywhere.”

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Indeed, it raises a red flag when a government decides it is not content only having sovereignty over land, taxes and the military — but ‘words’ themselves.

This is why we are willing to divorce. By changing the definition of marriage, ‘marriage’ will, in years to come, have an altogether different sense and purpose.”

He says, “The decision to divorce is not one we’ve taken lightly. And certainly, it’s not one that many will readily understand. And that’s because it’s not a traditional divorce.”

He claims they will continue to live together as a couple and raise their children but will legally end their marriage.


3. NSW government considering banning realistic toy guns.

An image of a young boy carrying a realistic toy gun through Martin Place has prompted the NSW Baird Government to consider new laws regulating the sale of realistic toy guns.

The image shows the boy aged about nine-years old walking near the Lindt Café with his father and younger brother. He is holding an imitation toy gun with frightening realism.

Police Association of NSW president Scott Weber told News Limited “In this heightened terrorism environment, if someone sees what looks to be a real firearm, regardless of the age of the person carrying it, they’re going to have genuine concerns.”

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News Limited reports that a “loophole” in the laws banning the sale of imitation guns means that manufacturers can just label their products “toys” put a removable plug in the barrel.

4. Pregnant women facing family violence.

The Herald Sun reports that The Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne has released data from a pilot program training emergency department clinical staff to “sensitively inquire into, assess and respond to suspected” family violence has found a large number of pregnant women being victims of family violence.

Pregnant women facing family violence.

According to the data taken from November to February, 60 women reported abuse.

Of these, 78 per cent were expecting a child and 5 per cent had just given birth.

Of the 60, 28 per cent had a family violence intervention order in place.

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

5. Counter terrorism conference begins today.

A two day counter terrorism conference begins in Sydney today expected to be attended by the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott.

The Regional Summit to Counter Violent Extremism: Challenging Terrorist Propaganda will be attended by ministers from Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Laos and Vietnam, as well as representatives from countries including the US, Indonesia, Pakistan and Britain.

6. Baby born in Australia transferred to Nauru.

The ABC reports that a five-month-old baby born in Australia has been transferred to an offshore immigration detention in Nauru.

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The Greens have said that this is the first baby to be transferred offshore since the Government amended the Migration Act last year.

Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young

Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said the baby and her parents were brought to Melbourne so the woman could give birth because Nauru lacked a specialist obstetrician and were transferred to Nauru a week ago.

“While there were dozens of children, in fact almost 100 children, who were born in Australia who were given reprieve, this child, simply because it was born a few weeks too late, has now been sent off to Nauru,” she said.

7. Boy injured in long weekend crash dies.

A 14-year old boy who was involved in a two-car crash north of Adelaide on Monday, has died in hospital.

The accident took place on the intersection of the Yorke and Copper Coast highways, near Port Wakefield.

A 36-year-old woman travelling in one of the cars died at the scene.

8. Richard Branson’s new policy has won the Internet.

Great policy. Shame about the limitations.

Sir Richard Branson has unveiled a new parental leave policy that will allow new parents – mothers or fathers – to up to a year’s paternity leave on full salary.

The extraordinary offer goes far beyond the new UK recently unveiled by the Government, which allows new parents to divide 50 weeks of leave between them.

Sir Richard said “As a father and now a granddad to three wonderful grandchildren, I know how magical the first year of a child’s life is but also how much hard work it takes.

”I’m delighted that we can offer this support to our staff so that they can enjoy parental leave to the full as we continue to our work in changing business for good.”

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But, as with all good things there is a catch the policy is only available to those employees who have been with Virgin for at least four years. Newer recruits get remunerated proportionately, from 25 per cent for less than two years’ service.

And – and this is the big and – the offer only applies to employees of Virgin Management so it only actually affects around 140 people employed at offices in London and Geneva.

9. Campaign calls for ear piercing in children to be made illegal as it is a form of abuse.

The British petition says, “Severe pain and fear is inflicted upon infants unnecessarily. It serves no purpose other than to satisfy the parent’s vanity. Other forms of physically harming children are illegal – this should be no different.”

It calls on the British Minister for Children, Edward Timpson to “make it illegal for babies/ toddlers to get their ears pierced. Set a minimum legal ages requirement.”

10. Nobel Prize-winning scientist Tim Hunt makes us cry by saying women cry when they are criticised.

It’s worth weeping over this attitude.

Tim Hunt.

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Tim Hunt has said that people should work in gender-segregated labs.

Speaking at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Tim Hunt said “Three things happen when they are in the lab…. You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them, they cry.”

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Hunt has since apologised, sort of telling the BBC he was “really sorry that I said what I said,”

“It was a very stupid thing to do in the presence of all those journalists.”

He said his comments were intended as “a light-hearted, ironic comment” but had been “interpreted deadly seriously by my audience”.

Oh, but, he stood by them.

“I did mean the part about having trouble with girls,” he said. “It is true that people – I have fallen in love with people in the lab and people in the lab have fallen in love with me and it’s very disruptive to the science because it’s terribly important that in a lab people are on a level playing field. I found that these emotional entanglements made life very difficult. I’m really, really sorry I caused any offence, that’s awful. I certainly didn’t mean that. I just meant to be honest, actually.”

On women crying, he said: “It’s terribly important that you can criticise people’s ideas without criticising them and if they burst into tears, it means that you tend to hold back from getting at the absolute truth.

“Science is about nothing but getting at the truth and anything that gets in the way of that diminishes, in my experience, the science.”

 

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