Thursday's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up all the latest news from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.

1. South Australian mother avoids jail time over fatal crash that killed her daughter, aged 8.

An Adelaide woman who crashed a high powered BMW killing her eight-year-old daughter and whose husband then committed suicide the next day has avoided jail.

Joanne Tedesco, 33, wept in the Adelaide Magistrates Court as she was spared jail after admitting driving without due care.

Her primary school daughter Nicola died after Ms Tedesco crashed while travelling to her son’s soccer game last April.

The Adelaide Magistrates Court heard that the car, which Ms Tedesco had never driven before was in sports mode with the traction control switched off, she had suddenly accelerated, causing the rear wheels to lose traction.

The court also heard that Ms Tedesco’s estranged husband was driving behind her vehicle in a Porsche and saw the crash.

Although the mother-of-three was estranged from her husband they were on “good terms” when the accident happened.

Describing the incident as a great tragedy, Magistrate David Whittle on Wednesday handed Ms Tedesco a three-month suspended prison sentence.

“Nothing this court can impose by way of penalties can match the punishment which you have suffered and will continue to suffer every day,” he told her.

The crash had caused her serious injuries and extreme psychological trauma, Mr Whittle said.

“This was a very brief episode of bad driving,” Mr Whittle said.

“The impact of what you did cannot be understated.”

Ms Tedesco was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond and was disqualified from driving for six months.

For help: Lifeline: 13 11 14 Kid’s Helpline: 1800 55 1800.

2. Pregnant mother bashed for her purse.

A pregnant Sydney woman has been attacked while on her way to the shops.

Natalie Hotait, 24, told News Limited she was grabbed from behind on her way to Blacktown’s Westpoint shopping centre on Monday night.

“When I turned around, I was immediately hit and I fell to the floor screaming out for help,” she said. “I didn’t get a chance to get a good look at who it was.

“They hit me in the face, my ribs and in the left eye.”

The attacker tried to snatch her handbag but ran away after her screaming.

Blacktown police are urging any witnesses to contact 9671 9199 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

3. Fitbit users complain of “unbearable pain” after devices burn wrists.

Fitbit users have taken to social media to complain about “uncomfortable deep tissue pain” after wearing the device on their wrists.

The Advertiser reports that one woman said she felt sharp pains on whichever wrist she wore her device, and she says she received burn marks.

Another, Emma Schouten, of Adelaide, told Fitbit her Charge HR had caused “unbearable” pain.

“I believe my product to be faulty and dangerous,” Ms Schouten told Fitbit on Facebook.

She wrote:

I recently purchased the fitbit charge HR, since first wearing it I am getting really uncomfortable deep tissue pain on whatever wrist I wear it on (I have never experienced anything like this before),’ wrote Emma Schouten on Fitbit’s Facebook page.’I have now discontinued using it as it is too unbearable. The band is loose on my wrist and I have no skin irritation.

As the watch moves the pain follows wherever it goes, left wrist to right and up and down my wrist.

I am extremely concerned about these side effects of a seemingly harmless fitness tracker….I am very concerned about the effects of the fitbit and I am hoping now I have discontinued using it that the pain will not return.

I believe my product to be faulty and dangerous,

Her claims have been echoed by others on the Fitbit pages.

Fitbit told News Limited “a very limited number of users reporting skin irritation” which has led it to develop “stringent standards” for new products.

4. Tasmanian Premier apologises for telling Opposition Leader to ‘slit your wrists, mate’.

The Premier of Tasmania, Will Hodgman has apologised in parliament to the people of Tasmania for comments made toward the state’s opposition leader.

On Tuesday Mr Hodgman told Labor leader Bryan Green to ‘slit your wrists, mate’ during a sitting of the Tasmanian lower house,

“Yesterday in this place I made comments which are entirely unacceptable and deeply offensive,”  the premier said

“While I did apologise then to the leader of the opposition, an apology which was sincere, and an apology which I repeat to the leader now and to all members of this parliament,”

My unconditional apology also extends to the broader Tasmanian people who I’ve let down.

“There’s no excuse, my comments were inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable and I will now make every effort to right the wrongs I have caused by my comments.’

Former Victorian Liberal premier Jeff Kennett had labelled Mr Hodgman’s remarks as unfortunate and inappropriate.

“It’s inappropriate, and its not something Will would normally do,” Mr Kennett told Fairfax Media.

5. Doctors warn hairdressers sinks can cause strokes.

An American woman has had a stroke after a routine visit to the hairdresser with doctors saying the position of her head in the washbasin was the probable cause.

Elizabeth Smith, 48, visited her hair salon in December 2013 and spent about 10 minutes having her hair shampooed, 10news.com reports.

Just over a week later, she felt weakness in her left arm and leg. After another week, Smith suffered a huge stroke.

Elizabeth told 10news: “I vomited, my head became hot and I couldn’t stand. I had weakness in my arms and legs. They didn’t think I was going to live.”.

Her doctors said she had the rare condition called “ Beauty Parlour Stroke Syndrome”

They say that the mother-of-two sliced an artery when her neck was bent backwards, a clot began forming, later causing a stroke.

She is now suing the hairdresser.

“Several of Ms Smith’s neurologists confirmed with her that the stroke was caused by the vertebra dissecting her artery during her hair wash,” said Smith’s lawyer.

“We believe the personnel didn’t adequately support her neck or adjust the chair properly to compensate for the small frame of our client,” said Spencer Busby, another lawyer representing Smith.
Smith also has the fears that the clot which is still in her brain could kill her. Doctors say if it moves, she could die.

“So I do live with that every night. I go to sleep wondering, will I wake up tomorrow?”

6. Britain is extending the school day to end the “Victorian” finish time of 3.30pm.

The British government has announced a plan to extend the school day to modernize schooling.

Chancellor George Osborne announced in the budget they will spend £1.5 billion on additional lessons and activities at secondary schools over the next four years to end of the “Victorian” finish time of 3.30pm.

They said that by allowing schools to apply for funding for at least five more hours a week of tuition or activities such as sport and arts would ensure that “the next generation have the skills and confidence they need when they leave school to compete with their peers across the world”.

The British Government have also introduced a sugar tax: For more read this post here. 

7. Four people arrested suspected of preparing imminent Paris attack.

French media have reported that four people have been arrested on suspicion of preparing an imminent attack in central Paris.

TF1 television said anti-terror police arrested four Islamist radicals at dawn – three men and one woman – all of whom security forces had files on.

Police also seized an unused cartridge for automatic rifle and computer equipment.

8. Rules that “manbags” are tax deductable while handbags aren’t called outdated and sexist.

An Australian Taxation Office ruling that men’s “manbags” such as briefcases and satchels are tax-deductible, while women’s handbags are not is being called outdated.

Workplace Gender Equality Agency director Libby Lyons told The Australian Financial Review that the tax law reflects an “outdated assumption that business people will be men” and should be changed to acknowledge women are accepted in corporate roles.

“It’s 2016 – manbags and handbags deserve equal treatment,” Ms Lyons said.

The ATO told Fairfax Media a taxpayer can claim a deduction for briefcases, satchels and other business luggage if they are used predominantly for work.

However handbags will not be regarded as a tax-deductible work expense.

“The purchase of a handbag has the hallmarks of a private expense, as a handbag is used for carrying personal use items. That is, handbags are not bought to be used for work purposes and are not used for work purposes and therefore are not deductible,” the tax office said.

There may be exceptions for taxpayers who buy a handbag for work activities said the spokesman but the claimants would have to check before they buy the bag.

Tax lawyer Robert Richards told the AFR that women may be able to claim a handbag although it could be difficult if it is used to carry personal items such as keys and cosmetics.

“A woman can maximise their chance of claiming it on tax if they can show the Tax Office they had a handbag to purely carry work items around. One way of showing that would be if you had a bag for carrying around personal items and another one just to go to meetings and courts,” he said.

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