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Friday afternoon'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. A 37-year-old mother of two dies following the Ravenshoe cafe blast.

A woman injured in the Ravenshoe cafe blast has passed away in hospital.

Nicole Nyholt, 37, was pronounced dead in the early hours of this morning, three days after the blast that burned 80 per cent of her body.

Ms Nyholt, who also went by the name of Nicole Dempsey, was the daughter of the two cafe owners — and a mother of two.

ravenshoe cafe death
Nicole Nyholt. Image: GoFundMe.

She was reportedly helping out in the cafe on Tuesday, when a ute ran off the road and into the cafe. The vehicle collided with gas bottles in the cafe, causing an explosion that injured 20 people — eight critically.

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ABC News reports the driver may have suffered a heart attack or stroke behind the wheel, but authorities continue to investigate the incident.

Seven people remain in critical condition in hospitals throughout Queensland.

A GoFundMe donations page has been set up to assist the Nyholt family following Nicole’s tragic death.

2. UN peacekeepers accused of trading goods for sex.

A UN report has revealed peacekeepers are commonly trading money, jewellery, dresses and mobile phones for sex.

A draft study conducted by the Office of Internal Oversight Services surveyed hundreds of women — mostly in Haiti and Liberia — found that sex between locals and UN peacekeepers is commonplace.

UN peacekeepers. Image: UN Peacekeeping Facebook.

Yet despite the assumed prevalence of these activities, abuse is routinely under-reported.

In 2014, only 51 allegations of sexual assault against UN Peacekeepers were recorded.

Reuters reports the UN draft study found “480 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse had been made between 2008 and 2013, of which one-third involved children”.

The largest number of accusations were made in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Liberia and South Sudan.

The study found that women in these nations are often selling sex to escape poverty and hunger.

3. Man forcibly covers up woman breastfeeding in public.

A man reportedly covered a woman’s breasts while she was feeding her child in public.

According to the mother from Alice Springs, the man approached her, took her feeding cloth and covered her breasts while she was feeding her baby in the Desert Park.

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“I didn’t react like I would have hoped to,” she told News Corp.

“But I still told him off and grabbed the cloth.”

According to the Herald Sun, the man defended his actions by arguing someone else might be offended.

4. Five-month-old baby born in Australia has been sent to offshore detention centre.

A baby born in Australia is the first to be transferred to a Nauru detention centre under new federal laws.

Legislation passed last year required any baby born after December 4, 2014 to be taken to Nauru.

ABC News reports the five-month-old is the first baby since the change to be returned to offshore detention.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the ordeal was very traumatic for the family.

“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.

Nauru has notoriously rough conditions, particularly for infants.

A former Save The Children staff member told the ABC she wouldn’t rest until the baby was returned to Australia.

“There are a lot of paediatricians and various other experts, including Save the Children, who have advised this environment isn’t safe for infants because of the high risk of communicable diseases,” she said.

“It’s due to the lack of hygiene, overcrowding, and the inherent difficulties in trying to keep up a child’s hygiene in that type of environment.”

5. Australia’s biggest companies pledge their support for marriage equality.

Australia’s four big banks, McDonald’s and Twitter are among the latest businesses to pledge their support marriage equality.

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The Australian Marriage Equality organisation has rallied businesses to show their support for legalising same-sex marriage.

There are now 154 businesses in the mix, including some of the biggest businesses in Australia.

A range of fashion brands, telcos, financial, food, and media companies have joined the campaign, including names like Telstra, Virgin Australia, Google, Qantas, AirBnb, and the Mamamia Women’s Network.

6. Penis transplant recipient set to become a father.

The man who received the world’s first penis transplant has announced he will father a child.

The man’s penis was amputated during a botched circumcision, leading him to become the first recipient of a penis transplant at the age of 21.

The groundbreaking nine-hour surgery took place in Cape Town, South Africa earlier this year.

Doctors are pleased with the news their patient will become a parent.

“Our goal was that he would be fully functional at two years and we are very surprised by his rapid recovery,” lead surgeon, Professor Andre can der Merwe said.

A paternity test was performed to confirm the man was the father.

ABC News reports there are nine other people currently in line for a penis transplant in South Africa, where complications arising during circumcisions are relatively common.

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