Thursday's news in under 5 minutes

1. Abortion law in Victoria

Victorian Maverick independent MP Geoff Shaw is preparing to introduce a bill to change abortion law in that state.

Mr Shaw’s bill will require doctors to provide pain relief for foetuses during procedures and for doctors to resuscitate babies who survive abortion attempts.

The Herald Sun reports that he also wants counselling for families and informed consent included in the Act.

He told the newspaper: “Here in Australia we can’t kill snake eggs but we are quite happy to kill an egg in the tummy and it should be the safest place for a baby to be.”

Premier Denis Napthine has previously promised not to change abortion laws.

2. Teenage girl sexually assaulted on bus in broad daylight

An 18-year-old girl has allegedly been sexually assaulted on a Gold Coast bus in the middle of the afternoon with bystanders doing nothing to assist her.

The girl’s mother has spoken out saying no one did anything to help her daughter.

The incident occurred last Friday afternoon with shocked school children looking on.

The girl was allegedly abused and assaulted by a middle-aged male as she was pinned against a window.

3. Nigeria abductions

As the Nigerian authorities accept help from the US and the UK to search for the nearly 300 schoolgirls abducted, a new attack on a village by Boko Haram has killed at least 150 people.

The United States had classified Boko Haram as a terror organisation last year and has put a $7 million bounty on the group’s leader Abubakar Shekau.

Read more about the abduction here.

4. Bulli rapist orders extended

A judge has ordered the extension of supervision of a rapist who was due to finish his supervised parole period next week.

Terry John Williamson, dubbed the “Bulli rapist”, was responsible for a series of brutal sexual attacks against 11 victims, including a five-year-old girl in 1989 and an 11-year-old boy in 1990.

He served 22 years of his 24-year jail term.

The judge has ordered he continue to take the anti-libidinal drugs he’s been on since 2004 as well as wear an electronic bracelet, abstain from alcohol and drugs and stay away from weapons, pornography and anyone under 18.

5. Budget deficit levy

The Prime Minister is set to go ahead with his controversial deficit tax in next week’s budget despite concern from Liberal MPs.

The Federal government is likely to impose a two per cent levy on high earners, either on the top tax bracket of $180,000 or above $150,000 for up to four years.

Queensland Liberal Teresa Gambaro spoke out yesterday about the tax, saying: “The proposed tax levy will reduce consumer confidence, it will stop people from spending, that in turn will have an impact on the business community and their ability to employ people.’’

6. Botched surgery

An Independent inquiry has been launched in QLD into a surgeon who allegedly cut out a patient’s healthy testicle and removed the wrong kidney from another.

Urologist Antonio Vega was suspended from operating at Rockhampton Hospital in central Queensland after authorities were alerted to four separate cases of surgical malpractice since late 2011.

Rockhampton Hospital’s acting director of medical services and director of surgery were also suspended.

7. Maddie McCann

The UK police investigating the case of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance have reportedly been denied access to the homes of three burglary suspects.

According to The Daily Mail, Portuguese authorities have declined requests from Metropolitan Police.

It comes after it was reported that they had approved plans for officers from Scotland Yard to dig for evidence at several locations in the resort.

8. Shovel Fight girl goes viral

A video of two teenage girls fighting has gone viral after reports that one of them died after being hit in the head with a shovel.

For more, see this post: “Shovel Fight video goes viral”

9. Ovarian cancer signs

Experts say that ovarian cancer symptoms are often dismissed by GPs as stomach bugs and that women need to be aware of the symptoms.

Gynencologist Dr Robyn Sayer from the Royal Women’s Hospital in Sydney told the ABC that symptoms of the disease are general but it is critical that general practitioners more often consider it as a prognosis.

Ovarian cancer symptoms can include bloating, acid reflux, a feeling of abdominal pressure, frequent urination and constipation.

About 1,500 women in Australian are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and about 900 die from the disease.

10. Nintendo says no to gay characters

Despite a massive social media campaign, Nintendo has announced that they will not allow same-sex relationships in the English language version of the game Tomodachi Life.

The game was originally released in Japan last year and features a cast of avatars based on real players living and playing on a virtual island.

11. Great news for flat pack fans

Swedish furniture and homewares giant Ikea has announced its expansion in Australia with three new stores and an entry into online retailing.

The new stores will be in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

The Australian reports that the company operates five wholly owned stores in Australia — two in Melbourne, two in Sydney and one in Brisbane — with another two franchised stores in Adelaide and Perth.

What news are you talking about today?