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News in 5: Dad dies after sneezing fit; New iPhones; Boy critical after playground incident.

-With AAP

1. Family grieve dad who died suddenly after a sneezing fit.


Paul Doe was looking forward to spending Father’s Day with his son, but before he could even give him a hug, tragedy struck.

The 34-year-old Hunter Valley man was in the kitchen, while his wife and 18-month-old son Travis gardened outside when he had a sudden sneezing fit and lost consciousness. He couldn’t be revived.

His wife Belinda told Nine News that at first, she didn’t realise anything was wrong when she heard Paul sneezing repeatedly.

“This was normal for him. It was a running joke if he sneezed he didn’t just sneeze once, he sneezed 20 times in a row. That was just him.”

And when Belinda and her son immediately went to go inside to greet their husband and dad, Belinda still wasn’t concerned to see him lying on the floor, thinking he was joking around, and “fake snoring”.

Once inside, she realised something was very wrong and phoned Triple Zero while performing CPR on him. Paramedics also attempted to revive Paul, but they could not.

Although Paul’s cause of death had not been determined, initial autopsy results show he had faulty aortic valve in his heart, and the healthy-seeming man had actually developed emphysema.

Belinda described her husband as a “great dad”, who was patient and understanding with their son. She said his many friends had been sharing “crazy hilarious stories” with her since his passing.

Paul did not have life insurance. Concerned friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help Belinda, who will struggle financially without his income.

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2. Apple has unveiled three new iPhones.

Apple has unveiled three new iPhones, including its biggest and most expensive model yet, as the company seeks to widen the product’s appeal amid slowing sales.

CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday showed off the Apple XS, which has a bigger screen than the one on last year’s dramatically designed model, the iPhone X.

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You can read all the details about the new phones in our full story.

3. Ten-year-old boy in critical condition after playground incident at Sydney school.

A primary school student has been left fighting for life after an incident in a Sydney schoolyard.

Nedal Chemaisse, 10, was involved in a game with other students on Tuesday when he was allegedly pushed by another student and fell backwards at Wattawa Heights Public School in Bankstown, police have been told.

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It’s believed this may have triggered a cardiac arrest in the boy, who remains in a critical but stable condition in Westmead Children’s Hospital.

“It’s understood the boy has a pre-existing medical condition,” a NSW Police spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

Officers have spoken with Wattawa Heights Public School students but no further police action is expected.

The NSW education department said the school was working with police to determine how the boy was injured.

Nedal’s mother Rana Zahed Chemaisse told Nine News: “We are grateful for the quick response from the school, paramedics and the NSW Police for all their efforts for saving my son’s life.”

4. Pope announces summit on preventing sexual abuse within church.

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Pope Francis is summoning the presidents of every bishops conference around the world for a February summit to discuss preventing clergy sex abuse and protecting children.

Francis’ key cardinal advisers announced the decision on Wednesday, as the latest chapter in the Catholic Church’s long-running sex abuse and cover-up scandal has thrown Francis’ papacy into crisis.

The February 21-24 meeting is believed to be the first of its kind, and signals a realisation at the highest levels of the church that clergy sex abuse is a global problem and not restricted to the Anglo-Saxon world, as many church leaders have long insisted.

Francis’ papacy has been jolted by accusations he rehabilitated a top American cardinal from sanctions imposed by Pope Benedict XVI for having molested and harassed adult seminarians.

The Vatican hasn’t responded to the accusations by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, but has promised “clarifications” that presumably will come sometime after Francis’ meeting Thursday with the US delegation.

The Vatican said the meeting would be headed by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, and also include Francis’ top sex abuse adviser, Cardinal Sean O’Malley.

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Di Nardo has said he wants the Pope to authorise a full-fledged Vatican investigation into ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was removed as cardinal in July after a credible accusation that he groped a teenager.

The Vatican has known since at least 2000 that McCarrick would invite seminarians to his New Jersey beach house and into his bed.

John Paul II made him archbishop of Washington and a cardinal in 2001, presumably because Vatican officials were impressed by his fundraising prowess and considered his past homosexual activity a mere “moral lapse” and not a gross abuse of power.

DiNardo has also said recent accusations that top Vatican officials – including the current Pope – covered up for McCarrick since 2000 deserve answers.

5. Malcolm Turnbull calls for Peter Dutton to be referred to High Court.

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Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has been lobbying his successor to have Peter Dutton referred to the High Court.

Mr Turnbull, who is holidaying in the US after stepping down last month during the Liberal leadership crisis, said Mr Dutton’s constitutional position needs to be clarified.

“The point I have made to @ScottMorrisonMP and other colleagues is that given the uncertainty around Peter Dutton’s eligibility, acknowledged by the Solicitor General, he should be referred to the High Court, as Barnaby was, to clarify the matter,” he tweeted early Thursday morning.

Mr Dutton, whose leadership ambitions precipitated the events that led to Mr Turnbull’s demise, has a family financial interest in two Brisbane childcare centres which receive Commonwealth funding.

At issue is whether this makes him ineligible to sit in parliament under section 44 of the constitution which disqualifies anyone who has a “direct or indirect pecuniary interest” in any agreement with the Commonwealth.

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While advice was sought from Solicitor General during the leadership crisis, Solicitor General Stephen Donaghue could not categorically determine Mr Dutton’s status, saying only the High Court could decide.

Mr Dutton has dismissed questions over his eligibility, saying Mr Donaghue’s advice, and other “unequivocal” legal advice he has sought himself “puts to rest” any constitutional issues.

Section 44 of the constitution has tripped up several MPs over the past year including Barnaby Joyce, who was forced to recontest his seat after he was flushed out as a dual citizen.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said Mr Turnbull should cease his pursuit of Mr Dutton.

“I wish he’d just go and enjoy his life with Lucy,” Senator Hanson told the Nine Network.

“He’s had his go at running the country.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is checking whether Home Affairs Minister Mr Dutton stepped out of the cabinet when changes to child care funding were discussed.

Mr Dutton is also facing calls to withdraw a disparaging comment he made in parliament about former Australian Border Force boss Roman Quaedvlieg as part of a public spat over his intervention in at least two immigration cases.

The stoush between the two former Queensland police officers erupted over a disagreement over the chain of events that led to Mr Dutton’s decision to grant visas to two au pairs held in immigration detention when Mr Quaedvlieg was head of the ABF.

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6. Researchers finally think they’ve found a cause for migraines.

Image: Getty

Victorian researchers have found a key "villain" in causing migraines, new research reveals.

Monash University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences researchers discovered the molecular details of one of the key initiators of migraines, with the findings published in the Nature science journal on Thursday.

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A neuropeptide called calcitonin gene-related peptide has been found to be a main offender of initiating migraines and causing pain, the research reveals.

The peptide interacts with a receptor in the brain which causes the pain response.

But this receptor doesn't respond to the neuropeptide unless there's another partner protein.

This study reveals the first high-resolution structure of the activated receptor, together with the neuropeptide and its main signal-transmitting partner.

"Our work, solving the structure of activated receptor complex, allows design of novel drugs that can activate the receptor," one of the researchers Dr Denise Wootten said.

"Excitingly, the CGRP receptor is not just a villain, but can also be activated for beneficial outcomes. For example, there is accumulating evidence that activation of the receptor could be used to treat inflammatory bowel disease, or resistant hypertension".

About two million Australians experience migraines with symptoms including pain, nausea and poor sleep, Monash University states.

"This research could pave the way for novel drug development in areas of ongoing therapeutic need," institute director Professor Christopher Porter said.

The research was a multi-disciplinary effort with collaborators also in Germany, the UK, New Zealand, China, and the Mayo Clinic in the US.