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Sunday's news in under 2 minutes.

The racist image that was tweeted by a Russian MP

 

 

 

By MAMAMIA TEAM

1. 64-year-old Russian MP Irina Rodnina has been accused of racism after she tweeted an image of Barack and Michelle Obama gazing at a banana, that has since gone viral.

The image depicts the Obamas staring at a banana that has been placed in the foreground of the image. Ms. Rodnina has since taken the image down after the post caused extreme backlash, but followed up by tweeting, “Freedom of speech is freedom of speech! Deal with your hangups yourself”.

2. Meanwhile the United States and Russia have agreed on a deal to combat Syria’s chemical weapons, aiming to have it complete by the middle of next year. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have given Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a week to hand over details of the weapons. The deal has been welcomed by the West, but members of the Free Syrian Army are less than impressed, saying that mid-2014 is too far away.

3. Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott has opted to stay at the Australian Federal Police recruits barracks when in Canberra, as the Lodge prepares for major renovations. Having rejected expensive motel accommodation, News Corp is reporting that Mr. Abbott is set to stay in the same modest flat that Julia Gillard did whilst she was Prime Minister.

4. A 23-year-old man has died after a suspected drug overdose yesterday at Sydney music festival Defqon. The dance festival that is held in Penrith annually saw 14 others taken to hospital due to drug-related causes, and over 87 people arrested for drug offences.

5. Floods in the American state of Colorado have claimed the lives of 4 people, with over 170 still missing. National guard troops arrived on the ground yesterday, searching for those who had been cut off from communities for the past 3 days. The floods, which started last Wednesday have affected over 11,000 kilometres of land, with more rain expected to fall as the week goes on.

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