News in 5: Cult leader's 'death pact' plan; Time's person of the year; Trump's dangerous move.

1. ‘Death pact’ plans of cult leader who disappeared from a WA town with his family.

The leader of an internet doomsday cult who disappeared in WA a decade ago told online followers he was planning a suicide pact involving his partner, five-year-old daughter and another man, an inquest has heard, reports AAP.

However one of his overseas disciples or so-called "servers", a US woman, advised him against it, saying it would cost constitute murder to involve his child.

Gary Felton, a self-styled spiritual leader who went by the alias Simon Kadwell, predicted a looming doomsday or judgment day in several books he sold on his website, AAP reports.

However the 45-year-old had been increasingly despondent about life in posts leading up to disappearing in July 2007 along with his 27-year-old partner Chantelle McDougall, six-year-old daughter Leela and friend Tony Popic.

A coronial inquest is being held over three days in Busselton this week into what is one of the nation's most unusual missing persons mysteries.

No trace of the four people has been found since they disappeared.

Coroner Barry King suggested to investigator Senior Sergeant Greg Balfour that it was difficult to be sure beyond reasonable doubt that they were dead because of possible sightings, the possibility they left by boat, and Mr Felton's history of having false identities.

"Yes, I could not say one way or the other that they were missing persons or deceased," said Sen-Sgt Balfour, who investigated the case.

When the group disappeared they left all of their furniture in the Nannup farmhouse they rented, and their computer and other electronic gadgets.

However they sold their dogs and cars, took all of their clothes and the house had been cleaned and was "spotless", said landlord Elizabeth Crouch.

They told numerous people and left a note at the farmhouse stating that they were moving to Brazil to live an alternate lifestyle in an Amazonian religious group.

Mr Felton was described in court as an odd and quiet person who did not have a job, stayed up all night on his computer and slept during the day.

He tried to ban Leela from seeing her grandparents, who would "poison her", and had a psychological and controlling hold over Ms McDougall and Mr Popic, who were described as "avid followers" and "subservient", despite the fact they were hard workers who provided the income he lived off.

Sen-Sgt Balfour said Mr Felton was skilled at manipulating people and had stolen the identity of the real Simon Kadwell, a former colleague in his native UK.

The police investigation failed to find any evidence of any of the four after their disappearance, including in Brazil.

Mr Popic - and possibly Mr Kadwell - likely travelled under false names on trains to Kalgoorlie and Bunbury on the same week.

Their bank accounts were never accessed.

If you or someone you know needs help you can call Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyondblue 1300 224 636.

2. Meet Time's Person of The Year: The brave "silence breakers" that spoke out about sexual harassment and assault.

Find out why the Silence Breakers were chosen as TIME's Person of the Year 2017 #TIMEPOY https://t.co/jOS7zksnw7

— TIME (@TIME) December 6, 2017

Time magazine has named the "the Silence Breakers", the social movement aimed at raising awareness about sexual harassment and assault, as its "person of the year" for 2017.

The movement is epitomised by the #MeToo social media hashtag, through which people made their accusations public and shared their own stories of assault and harassment.

The recognition comes amid a wave of public allegations of sexual misconduct that have targeted some of the most prominent men in US politics, media and entertainment, leading to multiple firings and investigations.

"This reckoning appears to have sprung up overnight. But it has actually been simmering for years, decades, centuries," the issue's cover story reads.

"Women have had it with bosses and co-workers who not only cross boundaries but don't even seem to know that boundaries exist. They've had it with the fear of retaliation, of being blackballed, of being fired from a job they can't afford to lose.

"These silence breakers have started a revolution of refusal, gathering strength by the day, and in the past two months alone, their collective anger has spurred immediate and shocking results: nearly every day, CEOs have been fired, moguls toppled, icons disgraced."

"This is the fastest moving social change we've seen in decades and it began with individual acts of courage by hundreds of women, and some men, too, who came forward to tell their own stories," Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal told NBC News, referring to them as "the Silence Breakers".

As more people made their accusations public, other individuals also shared their own stories of assault and harassment, often with posts on social media platforms using the hashtag #MeToo.

"I could never had envisioned something that would change the world. I was trying to change my community," Tarana Burke, who created the hashtag, told NBC.

"This is just the start. It's not just a moment, it's a movement. Now the work really begins."

Women like Ashley Judd - the first star to go on the record with allegations about abuse she suffered at the hands of movie producing mogul Harvey Weinstein - Rose McGowan, Alyssa Milano and Taylor Swift, who successfully countersued radio DJ David Mueller earlier this year after alleging he had reached under her skirt and grabbed her rear end, appeared on the cover.

There's also the image of the back of a woman's head, a Texan hospital worker who spoke to Time on the condition of anonymity about her experience with sexual harassment in the workplace. She represents the thousands of women, and men, who may be inspired to come forward with their own stories of abuse thanks to the movement.

Time's annual distinction recognises the person, group, thing or idea that it has determined had the greatest influence on events for the year.

If you or someone you know is in need of help, please call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800 RESPECT.

3. Frances Abbott has just given the world a glimpse at the engagement ring she received after two weeks of dating her fiancé.

After a whirlwind two week romance, Olympian Sam Loch has given fans a rather unconventional first look at the ring he proposed with to fiancée Frances Abbott.

In the image, shared on Sam's Instagram, the 26-year-old daughter of former primer minister Tony Abbott pokes her tongue out and gives the camera the finger.

It's the first time we've seen Frances' engagement ring, which looks to feature a dark gemstone or jewel in place of a traditional white diamond.

The pair met in mid-October after a mutual friend suggested Abbott message him, thinking they'd get on.

LISTEN: The Mamamia Out Loud team discuss how soon is too soon to be engaged. Post continues after.

"Next thing he is standing in my lobby with a coffee. As soon as I met him, I knew it was something special," she told Stellar Magazine last week.

The pair became engaged two weeks later, with Loch standing by the kitchen door holding a bottle of champagne.

"He said, ‘Why aren’t you asking me why I’m holding champagne?’ So I said, ‘OK... why are you holding champagne?’ He said, ‘Well, I thought we could drink it after I asked you to marry me'," she said.

They waited two weeks to announce their engagement and have since moved in together.

Read the full story here.

4. Donald Trump has broken with seven-decades of US policy to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Pres. Trump: "Today, we finally acknowledge the obvious -- that Jerusalem is Israel's capital. This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality." https://t.co/agZ28xxCJL pic.twitter.com/MNyKoWmLtb

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 6, 2017

Palestinians are seething with anger and a sense of betrayal over US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise the disputed city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Many heard the death knell for the long-moribund US-sponsored talks aimed at ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel. They also said more violence could erupt.

Jerusalem, specifically its eastern Old City, home to important shrines of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

LISTEN: Flynn has flipped! Mia Freedman and Amelia Lester discuss Flynn's flea bargain with the FBI, and whether or not this is the beginning of the end for Trump. 

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East War then later annexed it in a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want it to be the capital of a future independent state and resolution of its status is fundamental to any peace-making.

Trump announced on Wednesday, US time, that the US recognises the city as Israel's capital and will move its embassy there from Tel Aviv, breaking with seven decades of US policy.

"Today, we finally acknowledge the obvious - that Jerusalem is Israel's capital," he told the press, AAP reports.

"This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It's also the right thing to do."

During his speech, Trump acknowledged there will be disagreement and dissent on his Jerusalem announcement but said it marks the beginning of a new approach to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

He said the US remains deeply committed to helping facilitate a peace agreement acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians and he intends "to do everything in my power to help forge such an agreement".

Palestinian leaders have warned the move could have dangerous consequences.

5. Tough new fines introduced for social media networks that fail to stop the spread of 'revenge porn' in Australia.

Social media sites that fail to take action to stop the spread of 'revenge porn' on their networks could soon face fins of up to $525,000, Sky News reports.

On Wednesday, Communications Minister Mitch Fifield laid out the tough new penalties in legislation introduced to federal parliament.

The legislation is part of an effort by the government to crack down on the sharing of sexually explicit images without a person's consent online.

Senator Fifield said the sharing - or threats to share - of revenge porn was driven by a "desire to cause harm, distress, humiliation and embarrassment".

"Often such threats are made in an attempt to control, blackmail, coerce, bully or punish a victim," he said.

"Other motives might include sexual gratification, entertainment, social notoriety or financial gain."

The new legislation comes almost seven months after the NSW government introduced a bill that proposed people who post revenge porn images of former partners could be jailed for up to three years.

6. Government to 'boost' funding to help improve the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Australian women living with endometriosis.

Efforts to improve the lives of women living with endometriosis have been boosted, with the Turnbull government announcing the development of an action plan for the painful and often misunderstood gynaecological condition.

Endometriosis affects an estimated one in 10 women and diagnosis of the condition takes on average about eight to nine years.

"This condition should have been better acknowledged and acted upon long ago but today we are taking action so the struggle that women face will no longer be silent or their battles private," Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement.

"We will work with the medical community and key stakeholders to look into what gaps might be present in training, support and care."

The action plan will be developed in collaboration with the Australian Coalition for Endometriosis and members of the Parliamentary Friends for Endometriosis Awareness, AAP reports.

Also announced on Wednesday was a research grant of $160,000, through the National Health and Medical Research Council, for Professor Grant Montgomery to use genomics to investigate better treatments for women with endometriosis.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other parts of the body, commonly in the reproductive organs but often in the bowel and bladder. It often causes severe pelvic pain and can cause infertility.

Women and researchers have long been campaigning for doctors to start taking the medical condition seriously.

One of those experts pushing for greater awareness was Dr Robert Markham, a scientist and senior lecturer in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Sydney.

He revealed earlier this year that research was underway to develop a rapid, non-invasive test for endometriosis to make diagnosis faster and easier.

The test would involve simply urinating in a cup to test for specific proteins uniquely linked to endometriosis.

Advocacy group EndoActive welcomed the move to put endometriosis on the national health agenda and said it looked forward to working with the government.