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. Plane debris found on Reunion identified as being from MH370.

Sixteen months after Malaysia Airlines jet MH370 went missing Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has confirmed that a piece of debris found washed up on the French island, Reunion is indeed from the missing plane.

The wing fragment, known as a flaperon was examined by technical experts in France overnight.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said:

“Today, 513 days since the plane disappeared, it is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts has conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris found on Réunion is indeed from MH370.

“We now have physical evidence that on 31 March last year, flight MH370 tragically ended in the south Indian ocean.”

For more read this post here. 

2. Ten-year old boy dies after being hit by a car.

A ten-year old boy who was skateboarding with friends in the street outside the front of his home at Wamberal on the NSW Central Coast on Monday afternoon has died after being hit by a car.

Brisbane Water police duty officer Inspector George Bradbury said: “Early indications show it appears the child has ridden out on his skateboard into the path of a car and put himself on the road.”

He was airlifted to Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick in a critical condition, and passed away yesterday afternoon.

The driver of the Subaru, a 19-year-old man, was taken to Gosford Hospital to undergo mandatory blood and urine testing.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

Police are urging anyone with information in relation to these incidents to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

3. Detectives door-knock locals about little girl in suitcase.

Homicide detectives have door-knocked 810 homes and businesses over a 250sq km area in the Murray Mallee region over the past two days in an attempt to identify the quilt found with the remains of a little girl on the side of a highway in South Australia.

The distinctive 90cm x 90cm quilt had 25 patches of material with different patterns sewn into it. Police have released a digital recreation of the quilt depicting seven of the 25 patches.

Major Crime Detective Inspector Greg Hutchins said it was “baffling” that nobody appeared to have any link to the girl.

“Somebody out there must know something. A girl of this age can’t be murdered without somebody knowing. It’s baffling.”

4. Bronwyn Bishop’s retirement package.

If the former Speaker Bronwyn Bishop was to take the Prime Minister’s hint and retire at the next election she would receive a taxpayer-funded pension of $255,000 plus 10 free domestic return flights a year reports Fairfax Media.

Mrs Bishop’s office has indicated to Fairfax Media she does indeed intended to renominate for her seat at the next poll.

5. Mother gave daughter to neighbour to sexually abuse in exchange for money.

Warning: This item deals with sexual abuse and may be distressing for some readers.

A 47-year old mother has admitted letting her neighbor sexually violate her daughter for cash.

The woman, from Auckland, pleaded guilty to being party to sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and party to attempted sexual violation in the Auckland High Court yesterday.

The abuse began in 2008 when the daughter was just nine-years old and continued until she was 14 years old.

The court heard that the mother entered into an agreement with a neighbour where he would be able to “spend time with the daughter for his sexual gratification” according to an agreed summary of facts.

The mother told the man, who’s now aged 70, that her daughter needed money for school lunches.

The man would turn up at their house while the girl’s father was out and the mother would watch TV while the neighbor took the girl into her bedroom and abused her.

The little girl was paid between $10 and $30 on each occasion and she would then give the money to her mother.

The New Zealand Herald reports that the victim would “protest and refuse to comply” with the elderly man’s sexual demands until her mother threatened her.

“Just do what he says or I will give you a hiding,” the woman told her daughter.

When the girl gave in, the court heard, her mother would tell her she was “proud”.

The mother was remanded on bail before sentencing next month.

For help: Lifeline 13 11 14. Kid’s Helpline: 1800 55 1800. DV and Sexual Abuse hotline 27/4: 1800 737 732

6. James and Erica Packer’s former home sells for more than $60 million.

News Limited reports that the sale price may emerge as closer to $80m.

Mr Packer will split the proceeds with his former wife Erica Baxter.

The home has six bedrooms, as well as a glassed-in winter garden, a wellness room, gym, 20-seat cinema, a lift and a 20-car soundproofed garage.

7. Newborn with umbilical cord still attached found abandoned in pram.

A newborn baby “dripping in sweat” and with his umbilical cord still attached has been found in a pram in Los Angeles, California.

KABC reports that the baby was found by a local who had seen the pram sitting across the road from a Church for over 24-hours.

Alex Diaz says he found the abandoned baby, his umbilical cord still attached.

Twenty-four hours after he first spotted the abandoned pram he decided to investigate and upon getting closer to the pram he saw a clean blanket.

“When I got up close to the stroller and the blanket was clean, it was just like, ‘Oh, I hope nobody did this, I hope I’m not about to find a baby in here,’ and sure enough that’s what happened,” Diaz told KABC.

The newborn was around a day old.

Under Los Angeles County’s “Safe Surrender” law a parent can give up an infant if the child is no more than three days old and shows no sign of abuse.

Father David Matz from the Church nearby where the baby was left said:

“What saddens me about the whole situation [is] that the child was left across the street under a mattress in a stroller, and they could’ve easily just rang the doorbell and left the child there.”

The baby boy was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.

8. “Scrap The Wrap” campaign gathering support.

A campaign to force large supermarkets to stop using so much plastic packaging on fresh produce is gathering support with a petition now attracting more than 100,000 signatures.

The “Scrap The Wrap” campaign says  in it’s online plea: “Hey Woollies, 
Show us that you’re fair dinkum about scrapping the wrap by committing to stop the use of ALL polystyrene trays in your wrapping of fruit and veggies by the end of 2015.“

Consumer Charles Gream told The Fairfield Advance that the use of packaging is out of hand.

He said it was ironic that organic fruit and vegetables were more frequently subjected to small-scale wrapping than other produce.

Items such as a single head of broccoli, or one solitary sweet potato or zucchini are packaged in cling wrap and styrofoam.

You can sign the petition here.

9. Handshakes are banned on this cruise.

Fearing the spread of contagious diseases such as norovirus large cruise companies are banning the handshake.

The Telegraph reports that luxury cruise line Azamara decided to introduce an alternative greeting style for its captains for hygiene purposes – the fistbump.

Azamara said that its crew use a “fist-bump” rather than a handshake as, “in continuing to improve our hygiene standards, we wanted to encourage a similar friendly meet and greet gesture that maintains physical contact whilst allowing us to limit the spread of germs and bacteria. As another hygiene related measure, the buffet is not self-service on the first day of the cruise.”

How very rock-n-roll of them.

Do you have a story to share with Mamamia? Email us news@mamamia.com.au
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