news

Thursday's news in 5 minutes.

1. ACCC investigates Thermomix over injuries to owners.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is investigating the popular kitchen device, the Thermomix, over injuries to owners. After a freedom of information request by News Limited it was discovered that the ACCC was scrutinizing “safety concerns and reports of confidentiality requirements.”

Earlier this year Choice sent the ACCC a report cataloguing 83 incidents involving TM31s and four about the newer TM5. At least 18 people needed medical treatment after being hurt using a Thermomix.

Choice said there should have been 10 mandatory notifications to the ACCC, which is the national product safety regulator.

A spokeswoman told News Limited that an investigation had been launched:

“The ACCC has been investigating this matter in relation to reported safety concerns and reports of confidentiality requirements since March 2016.”

“Safety concerns have been reported in relation to both the TM31 and the TM5.”

Thermomix issued a statement in response to the claims saying “The safety, welfare and support of our customers is and always has been our highest priority. TiA and Vorwerk are aware of the ACCC investigation. We have always fully co-operated with the relevant authorities and will continue to do so. We do not wish to prejudice the outcome of the review by the ACCC by commenting further at this time.”

2. Government says: No census data was compromised and no data was lost.

The Government has assured Australians that no census data was compromised and no data was lost when the site was shut down on Tuesday night.

But the government have refused to call it a “hack” with the Minister in charge of The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Michael McCormack telling reporters “this was not an attack, nor was it a hack. It was an attempt to frustrate the collection of data.”

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“The ABS wanted to take the service online to make sure the worst case scenario – a loss of data – doesn’t occur.”

“No census data was compromised and no data was lost,” Mr McCormack said.

University of Melbourne Cyber Security expert Suelette Dreyfus told AAP that it may not be a hack but it was still an attack.

“It’s not a hack attack where someone necessarily breaks into the system. Rather it’s an attack that makes it difficult to use the system.

“It’s a different sort of attack but it’s still an attack”

The website was still down on Thursday morning.

3: All the latest from Rio including a record broken overnight.

Cate Campbell has broken an Olympic record overnight – in her heat of the 100m freestyle, she swam 52.78. Her sister, Bronte finished third in her heat nearly a second behind.

Today in the pool Australia has another shot at gold in the women’s 200m butterfly. Maddie Groves qualified fastest and will also be joined by Brianna Throssell in the final.

Our Matlidas have a tough quarter-final against Brazil today while the Hockeyroos have beaten India in a 6-1 victory, meaning the women will play world no.2 Argentina coming up tomorrow.

Meanwhile swimming Champion Michael Phelps has won his 21st Olympic gold medal in the pool at Rio.

Medal Tally:

USA     10 GOLD   8  SILVER     9 BRONZE

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CHINA     9 GOLD    3 SILVER     6 BRONZE

SOUTH KOREA   4 GOLD  2 SILVER 1    BRONZE

JAPAN    4 GOLD  1 SILVER    10 BRONZE

HUNGARY   4 GOLD  1 SILVER    1 BRONZE

4. Mother given suspended jail sentence after nearly starving her baby to death.

A mother, who is a maternity ward nurse has been given a suspended jail sentence after nearly starving her baby to death after going on a raw food diet.

The mother pleaded guilty to a charge of ‘failing to provide’ in a Sydney court earlier this year.

She went on the raw food diet, police allege, on the advice of Marilyn Bodnar in order to treat her child’s eczema. Bodnar, a naturopath, told her that her son’s condition was her fault and that she should stop using steroid creams and instead leave her son’s skin exposed to air.

During a sentencing hearing lawyer Richard Kouchoo argued his client was a “victim” and went on the diet “out of desperation” to fix her son’s infected eczema.

“It is quite clear – in her desperation, my client turned to the naturopath and unfortunately took advice to take the raw diet which she shouldn’t have,” Mr Kouchoo said.

Prosecutor Alex Brown argued the woman, who should have known better as a nurse, deprived her child who was only days away from dying.

“She was a nurse, she was a nurse who decided to blindly follow this naturopath,” Ms Brown said.

Court documents showed Ms Bodnar made the mother feel guilty for eating “rubbish” during her pregnancy.

“Are you 100 per cent raw? You have to be 100 per cent raw if you want to see your son heal,” Ms Bodnar allegedly told the mother.

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Ms Bodnar has been charged with reckless grievous bodily harm and is expected to face a committal hearing next Monday.

5. Man dug grave for his partner three weeks before he killed her, court hears.

A Darwin man accused of murdering his fiancé dug her grave three weeks before he killed her according to prosecutors.

Danny Deacon is on trial for the murder of his partner Carlie Sinclair.

A court heard that Ms Sinclair had told friends, family and neighbours that she hated and feared her fiancé and spoke to lawyers about separating from him and taking their toddler son to Brisbane.

Deacon is accused of strangling Ms Sinclair on Tuesday June 18, 2013, after they had an argument at their decorative concreting business in inner-city Darwin and then returning the next day to bury her in a grave he had dug three weeks before in Berry Springs.

Prosecutor Paul Usher said Deacon concocted a plan to say Ms Sinclair had walked out on him and their two-year-old son reports the ABC.

The court heard in December 2014 in Perth, Deacon confessed to an undercover police officer in a hotel room that he had killed and buried Ms Sinclair.

Deacon has pleaded not guilty to Ms Sinclair’s murder.

6. Students at elite school under investigation by sex crimes police.

A teenager at one of Melbourne’s elite private schools is under investigation by sex crimes police.

The 16-year-old, a student at St Michael’s Grammar reportedly created a Dropbox folder which contained photos of several girls from the St Kilda school.

Spokeswoman Anthoula Moutis told The Herald Sun police had received a report of “inappropriate images being distributed by students in St Kilda East”.

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The principal Simon Gipson said in an email to parents that a fellow student first raised the alarm.

He said the school was committed to supporting student welfare and “we will continue to protect all members of our school community from anti-social behaviour”.

A parent of a child at the school told Fairfax Media the incident highlighted the negative impacts of pornography on teenage sexuality.

“The boys are creating their own pornography and become desensitized. We need to have a conversation as a society about the impact of porn on teenage sexuality and respectful relationships.”

7. Twelve babies die in hospital fire.

At least 12 premature babies have been killed in a fire at a hospital in Baghdad.

The blaze broke out late on Tuesday inside the maternity unit at the Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in the west of the Iraqi capital.

Iraq’s health ministry says it was probably caused by an electrical fault.

Firefighters took three hours to extinguish the blaze, but eleven other babies were rescued and  survived.

Pictures posted on social media are said to show the hospital in a state of neglect. With claims of cockroach infestations, overflowing garbage, dirty toilets and patients lying on stretchers outside. The danger is also enhanced by a lack of fire escapes.

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