Thursday's news in under 5 minutes

BY MAMAMIA NEWS

1. Lisa Harnum’s mother

After Simon Gittany was found guilty yesterday of throwing his fiancée Lisa Harnum off a balcony her mother has spoken to A Current Affair saying that her daughter was completely “brainwashed”.

After nearly five hours of listening to the judgment Gittany showed little emotion as the final verdict was read out. His new girlfriend, Rachelle Louise screamed uncontrollably: “You’re wrong! You’re wrong!”at the judge and had to be restrained.

She then left the courtroom in a bizarre scene, where she waited, surrounded by cameras and smoked a cigarette before going back inside.

Gittany will be sentenced on February 5 2014.

For more on the case go to this post here.

2. Gittany’s past

Today reports are coming out about Simon Gittany’s criminal record. In 1995 he was jailed for biting off part of a policeman’s ear. Prior to that he was on a good behavior bond for punching a man while he was being held down by others. He was questioned by police for receiving stolen property and served weekend detention in 2001 for selling cocaine.

3. Parenting checks:

There has been a call in South Australia to introduce compulsory parenting competency checks for every expectant mother in an effort to keep our young from becoming criminals.

The report also recommends that parents should receive annual home visits from authorities until their children start school.

 4. Online shopping GST

Better start that Christmas shopping – for next year – because online shopping is going to get a whole lot pricier. Major retail companies and the state governments believe there will be a GST imposed on overseas buys as low as $20 sometime after March 2014. The current GST-free threshold for online buys is $1000.

 5. Same-sex marriage

A gay couple in the US has become the first same-sex couple that will be allowed to marry in Illinois seven months before the legislation comes into effect, as one of the partners is terminally ill. To read more about this bittersweet love story go to this post here. “Same-sex marriage in US state of Illinois”

 6. Julie Bishop

China has rebuked Foreign Minister Julie Bishop over comments she made condemning its decision to declare an air defence zone in the contested East China Sea. China has reacted angrily warning her comment could damage relations between the two countries.

 7.  US child abuse case

Three girls, aged 12, 13 and 17, have been taken into care in the US after spending up to two years locked in their bedrooms and fed only once a day.

All three sisters were dirty and malnourished and hadn’t taken a bath in six months. The two younger sisters said they had not seen the 17-year-old sibling in about two years, Tucson News Now reported.

 8. Driveway death

A three-year-old boy has died after being hit by a car in a western Sydney driveway. Police are speaking with a male driver of the 4WD that hit him.

 9. iGeneration

A new study has shown that parents are turning more and more to tablets to keep children occupied.  Some 27 % of fathers rely on tablets to effectively babysit their children most of the time they are with them, along with 12 % of mothers.

 10. Worst park ever

Is this the worst bit of parking you have ever seen? The NT News are reporting that the driver in question took up not one, but two disabled parking spots at a local Bunnings store.

The photographer checked and no disabled parking permit was spotted.

11. Best time to have a baby

A survey in the US has revealed that most people think the ideal time for a woman to have her first baby is age 25 or younger.

72% of adults 65 + said that women should have kids by 25, 60% of adults 18 to 29 agreed.
 The LA times reports that:

“Blacks and Latinos were more likely to say a woman should have a baby by 25. Americans with little or no college education were also more likely to say that a woman should have her first child by 25.”

 In Brief:

The parents of a 10-year-old South African girl have been charged with attempted murder after allegedly forcing her to practise too much sport.

3 people confirmed dead after a stadium collapsed in Brazil

Prince William has entertained guests at a charity event at his Kensington Palace residence by singing alongside US singers Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift.

What news are you talking about today?