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. Russia drops first bombs on Islamic State.

Russia has launched its first air strikes against targets in Syria amidst claims that the strikes did not target IS but that more than 30 civilians were killed after rebel areas were hit.

The airstrikes were launched just hours after President Vladimir Putin was granted permission from the country’s parliament to target Islamic State militants with the action.

A US official told Reuters that the air strikes appeared to have hit areas that were not held by Islamic State.

A French security source told Reuters “If it is Homs, which it seems to be, it is not Daesh (Islamic State) that they are targeting, but probably opposition groups, which confirms that they are more in support of Bashar’s regime than in fighting Daesh.”

Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported that Russian warplanes had targeted “ISIS dens” in al-Rastan, Talbiseh and Zafaraniya in Homs province.”

The Russian Ministry of Defence posted a video claiming to show the airstrikes – the footage shows two large explosions followed by clouds of smoke appearing.

The Russian Defence Ministry said it carried out about 20 flights over Syria on Wednesday, hitting eight IS targets, including a command post and operations centre in a mountainous area.

The ministry denied reports civilian infrastructure was targeted.

Kremlin chief of staff, Sergey Ivanov told local media “The operation’s military goal is exclusively air support of the Syrian armed forces in their fight against ISIL.”

Earlier President Putin, speaking at a government meeting, said his country would not become “mired in the Syrian conflict”.

“This military operation is limited in time. Russian air forces will help Assad’s army while it’s on the offensive mode,” Putin said.

“There will be no Russian boots on the ground.”

2. Police say they have found the “remains” of missing mother-of-two Simone Quinlan.

Police say they have found human remains in the search for missing mum Simone Quinlan.

The 33-year old went missing, near Bendigo, about two hours north-west of Melbourne, more than a month ago.

Ms Quinlan, the mother of two young boys was last seen driving from a service station about 11pm on August 24.

Police have arrested three men, Brendan Neil, 28, Dylan Jez, 23  and Wayne Marmo, 24 over her murder – and ordered them to undergo DNA testing.

Police allege the men murdered Ms Quinlan at Bacchus Marsh on August 25.

Anyone who has any information in relation to the disappearance of Ms Quinlan is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

3. Mother who threw newborn out of 7-storey window hid pregnancy from boyfriend.

A woman who apparently hid her pregnancy from her boyfriend, gave birth in his home and then tossed her newborn daughter out a seventh-story window to her death has been arrested on murder and manslaughter charges.

Police officers in the US found Jennifer Berry’s newborn daughter with her umbilical cord still attached in a courtyard of her boyfriend’s apartment building in New York.

Police had been called after neighbours reported seeing a baby falling from a window.

An autopsy revealed the baby girl died of blunt force injuries, chief medical examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson said Tuesday.

It is believed the newborn was born alive.

Berry’s boyfriend told police he was in another room when the baby was born and when the baby plunged from the window. He claims that he didn’t even realise his girlfriend was pregnant.

Berry previously been employed as a child welfare worker.

The Journal News reports that Berry also had an infant son who died in 2008. According to the report Jennifer Berry’s 2 1/2 week old baby boy, was attributed by the medical examiner to SIDS. The DA now says they are “reviewing that death again.”

For help: Lifeline 13 13 14

4. Half the photos on paedophile sites are pictures parents have shared online.

In a disturbing revelation the Australia’s Children’s eSafety Commissioner Alastair MacGibbon has revealed that at least half the images found on paedophile image-sharing websites are just simply normal pics that parents have shared online of children doing everyday activities

Fairfax Media reports that the images are labelled in folders with titles like ‘kids at beach’, ‘nice boys play in river’ and ‘gymnasts’.

Alastair MacGibbon said, “Many users clearly identify that they have obtained the content through trawling social media accounts.”

“The images are almost always accompanied by highly explicit and very disturbing user comments. Often, users exchange email addresses with invitations to connect outside the site to trade content.”

5. Prisoner takes sexy selfie then escapes from jail.

Beau Wiles posted an image of himself wearing only his red underwear. With the caption “Love u my my princess,”

His girlfriend responded: “Love u too my prince can’t wait to have my hand all ova that sexy body of urz..(sic),”

Wiles is serving an 18-month sentence for shoplifting, assault, robbery, car theft and driving while disqualified but prisoner officer have been embarrassed to discover he has regularly been updating his Facebook account from jail.

Writing at one stage “Just finished in the gym having a tuna and bake beans the good stuff u know it…”

Inmates found with mobile phones can face up to two years imprisonment and visitors also face jail terms and visiting bans if they are found with a mobile phone.

Wiles is described as being of Caucasian appearance, around 180cm tall and 100kg in weight.

He has tattoos on his lower forearms and was last seen wearing his green prison uniform.

Anyone who spots Wiles is urged not to approach him and to contact triple zero immediately.

6. Perth school forced to apologise after banning coming out artwork.

The principal of a Perth high school has backed down from a decision to ban an artwork depicting a footballer coming out as gay – and said he apologises for his hasty decision.

Governor Stirling Senior High School principal Pasco Putrino has said he had made a quick decision based on what he believed the school community’s expectations were when he banned an artwork for an exhibition.

The students, who have protested about the ban and started up a Facebook page “Rainbow for Rights” say the class was told that one of their works wouldn’t be displayed due to the intense “social controversy” surrounding the theme of this piece.

They write on their Facebook page that the year 10 Artsmedia class had been working on street art style pieces for an exhibition.

The theme for this class was “social issues”.

One artwork one student was of an American footballer with the words “IM GAY”.

The students say that the principal Pasco Putrino refuses to allow the artwork to be displayed.

“But still a similar piece with the words “LOVE IS LOVE” written on it was allowed to be displayed.”

They write: ”The class demanded an explanation on why the piece was banned from the exhibition and finally on Wednesday the 23rd they were given a very flimsy explanation. This sent the entire class into outrage and they planned a way to show that what had happened was not okay. The idea they settled on was to wear shirts with the banned artwork on them and get the school to wear rainbow to support them of Friday the 25th. “

The student say say the whole school rallied behind them.

“As a fight back against homophobia in schools the students of Governor Stirling have started a hashtag, ‪#‎RainbowforRights.”

In a statement principal Pasco Putrino said his decision was the wrong one. “Had there been more time I may have seen things differently, however I realise in hindsight this was the wrong move and I apologise to the student who didn’t have the opportunity to see their art on display.”

7. 400,000 children in primary schools “being discriminated against.”

A decision by the NSW Government to change the enrolment form for NSW Public schools will see up to 400,000 children miss the opportunity to enrol in ethics instead the form gives preference to enrolment in major religions.

Primary Ethics has started a campaign to inform parents about ethics classes saying they can’t rely on the government or the Department of Education to tell parents about all available options.

Bruce Hogan the Chairman of Primary Ethics wrote for Fairfax Media that “Although parents have a legal right to send their children to ethics, the only choice on the form will now be scripture. The decision deliberately discriminates in favour of scripture classes to the disadvantage of ethics classes.”

He continues “It is indeed a sad state of affairs where, rather than celebrating and facilitating the rights of parents to choose as they see fit, the Premier and the churches have successfully colluded to undermine what once was a fair selection process.”

8. So is childcare good or bad for our kids?

An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report has produced mixed findings on whether childcare benefits our kids.

The report found that childcare was of most benefit to children from a disadvantaged background as a good quality preschool was a better way to tackle disadvantage than later interventions like school funding subsidies and lower pupil-teacher ratios.

But for children from middle class homes, frequent long days in childcare centres can heighten the risk of children developing anti-social behaviour.

The report says, “High levels of attendance at child care, particularly group care in the first two years, could elevate the risk for developing anti-social behaviour.”

Unless a child is coming into care from a disadvantaged background high quality childcare had no strong effect on their cognitive and language development.

Heather Finlayson, from Goodstart Early Learning told News Limited the report was further evidence Australian kids must have access to high quality childcare.

“What this report shows is that it’s particularly important that the final package ensures that vulnerable children can access high quality early learning and care.”

9. US state of Georgia executes a woman for the first time in 70 years.

47-year old Kelly Gissendaner was the first woman put to death in the southern US state in 70 years.

Gissendaner planned but did not carry out her husband’s murder in 1997.

Her former lover, Gregory Owen, who killed Douglas Gissendaner, was given life in prison as part of a plea bargain.

While he was in the US Pope Francis urged the review board to reconsider. But the board announced it was not granting clemency.

Hours later, the US Supreme Court said it had rejected three applications for a stay of execution.

Witnesses to the execution told local media that she sang Amazing Grace before being given a lethal injection.

“Bless you all,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports she says. “Tell the Gissendaners I am so, so sorry that an amazing man lost his life because of me. If I could take it all back, I would.”

Gissendaner’s former lover Owen will become eligible for parole in 2022. He took a plea deal and testified against Gissendaner, and for his co-operation was sentenced to life in prison.

10. Women able to collect own tissue samples and send them off for cervical cancer testing.

In a world first Australian women will be able to collect their own tissue samples for cervical cancer testing.

Fairfax Media reports that the initiative will be in place from 2017 under changes to the National Cervical Cancer Screening Program.

Program committee member Louise Farrell said the option to avoid the invasive test would encourage indigenous women, victims of sexual abuse and those reluctant to get pap smears for cultural reasons to get screened.

She said only women who had never had a pap smear, or were long overdue for one, would be able to collect the self-testing kits from their doctor.

From May 2017 women improvements in testing will mean women will only have to be screened for cervical cancer once every five years and the age at which women are advised to start screening will be raised to 25.

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