Thursday's news in under 5 minutes

UPDATE: The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has confirmed that debris washed up on a West Australia beach is not from the missing jet MH370.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan had previously described the object as appearing to be sheet metal with rivets.

Today he said: “We’ve carefully examined detailed photographs that were taken for us by the police and we’re satisfied that it’s not a lead in terms of the search for MH370.”

1. Rosie Batty hate mail

Rosie Batty, the mother of Luke Batty who was murdered by his father at his cricket practice, has received hate mail.

Ms Batty has told the Herald Sun that it is important for her to speak out about the hatred.

“It basically says they hope no man gets caught up with a woman like me because I’m a disgrace.”

“What the writer is basically saying is, ‘what did you do to him? I’d like to hear his side. What did you do to cause it?'”

“But you can never do anything to cause family violence, because it’s never acceptable, but that very prominent attitude is exactly what we’re facing in the community.”

For support and information about domestic violence prevention contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

2. Debris washed up on West Australian beach

Debris is being examined that has washed up on a West Australian beach to see if it is linked to the missing plane MH370.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan has described the object as appearing to be sheet metal with rivets.

At a news conference overnight, Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia’s acting transport minister, said that so far, all of the objects found in the search have not been related to the missing plane.

Australian authorities expressed concern over the debris.

“The more we look at it, the less excited we get,” Martin Dolan said.

3. Treasurer warns of budget pain

Treasurer Joe Hockey has warned Australians from all walks of life to brace for a serious tightening of federal government expenditure in the upcoming budget.

In a speech made in Sydney, he foreshadowed a clamp down on welfare payments.

“Means testing must become an even more important part of Australia’s transfer system to ensure the sustainability of our income support payments. Support must be targeted to those in most need.”

 4. Gang-rape of 8-year-old

The police in Far North Queensland are investigating the gang-rape of an eight-year-old girl on Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The Courier Mail reports that four boys aged 14 to 16 were arrested and relocated to Mt Isa for questioning.

Far North Regional Crime Co-ordinator Bruno Asnicar said no charges had yet been laid.

5. Mother arrested over the deaths of three of her children

A mother has been arrested over the deaths of three of her four children. The children, all aged under five, were believed to be suffering from spinal muscular atrophy.

For more, read this post here “Mother arrested over the deaths of three of her children.”

6. Small class sizes for better outcomes

A Monash University study has de-bunked the theory that class sizes do not matter with a new study showing that small classes over the first four years of a child’s schooling have a lasting impact right through Year 12.

In a paper published today in the peer-reviewed journal Evidence Base, Dr David Zyngier says that the impact is greatest on disadvantaged children.

7. Formula shortage

A shortage of the most popular brands of baby formula has left parents desperate.

Parents are reporting supermarket and chemists have been completely cleaned out of Danone Nutricia’s Karicare and Aptamil brands of formula.

In a statement on their website, the company has explained that after a botulism scare in NZ, “our base powder will now be sourced from a number of other suppliers in Australia, New Zealand and Europe that have all met Danone Nutricia’s rigorous quality and safety standards”.

“We are sorry that some parents and carers are having difficulties purchasing the products.”

8. Powdered alcohol

There is alarm amongst public health advocates after a company has tried to get approval to sell powdered alcohol in the United States.

You can already buy powdered alcohol in Germany, Holland and Japan – consumers just need to add water to the powder to transform it.

There are concerns that it could lead to consumers snorting it, or smuggling it into venues where alcohol is banned.

 9. World’s Longest Experiment

The Pitch Drop experiment – renowned as being the world’s longest-running laboratory experiment – has delivered 13 years after its last drop, and eight months after the man who watched over it died.

It was set up at the University of Queensland in the 1920s to demonstrate to students that objects that appear solid can flow like liquids.

On Thursday, the ninth drop to fall in 83 years landed and was caught on camera. Until last week, no one had ever seen one land.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEnNCAQDUi8

 10. Child discrimination

A Victorian councilor from Knox has questioned whether children are being discriminated against because there are not enough child-friendly bathrooms around.

“We wouldn’t discriminate against the disabled but I think maybe without realising it, we may be discriminating against small children,” Cr Adam Gill said.

 11. Call for bike riders to be registered

A Facebook page set up to call for bicycle riders to be registered and pay compulsory third-party insurance has been hit with controversy with the pages’ creator saying he is receiving death threats.

Jai Christensen has called for compulsory registration for all bike riders over 16 (unless on a closed circuit road), compulsory third-party insurance for all riders over 16, and that registration would be a once-off fee to acquire a plate and cover administration costs.

His site has over 5,000 likes but is also getting many negative comments.

 12. Camilla’s brother dies

The Duchess of Cornwall’s brother has died overnight after a serious head injury sustained in a fall in New York.

Mark Shand, 62, was taken to hospital on Tuesday night after reportedly slipping while lighting a cigarette and hitting his head on the pavement outside an after-party for a charity event.

A Clarence House spokesman has said, “The Duchess, the Prince of Wales and all her family members are utterly devastated by this sudden and tragic loss.”

What news are you talking about today?