Wednesday's news in under 5 minutes.

BREAKING NEWS:

The 18-month old toddler found on a Sydney doorstep on Monday night was abandoned there by her father, it’s been revealed.

Baby Mai’s 24-year-old mother says she only learned her baby had been abandoned after seeing news reports, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The mother was handed  herself into police yesterday and was subsequently arrested by the Immigration Department.

She is expected to be reunited with her daughter soon, and the pair will live in immigration housing near Villawood detention centre until their immigration status is resolved, the SMH reports.

Police are still trying to track down Mai’s father.

1. Ian Thorpe will never swim again

It has been reported that swimming champion Ian Thorpe is in a Sydney hospital after contracting two potentially deadly infections, and will never swim again competitively.

His manager, James Erskine, says he picked up the infection after having a shoulder operation in Switzerland.

News Limited reports that he may lose his arm, however, his manager has denied this.

2. MH370 search

The search for missing jet MH370 is ongoing with searchers still scouring the waters but their optimism is “more cautious,” said US Navy Cmdr. William Marks.

“As hours pass,” he said, “our optimism is fading away, ever so slightly.”

Recovery crews are urgently searching for the black box before the batteries die.

Peter Goelz, former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board told CNN, “We’re talking now an investigation that could go on months, if not years.”

3. Sophie Collombet murder

A man will appear in court today charged with the rape and murder of French student Sophie Collombet.

The 21-year-old student’s naked body was found in a rotunda at Kurilpa Park on March 28.

Benjamin James Milward was wanted in connection with the murder and was extradited from Coffs Harbour yesterday.

Yesterday, his mother visited a memorial that has been set up in the area Sophie was found. She said she will support her son but was heartbroken for the family of Sophie Collombet.

4. Oscar Pistorius trial

The most emotional day of the Oscar Pistorius trial so far has heard Pistorius’ account of the evening he shot Reeva Steenkamp.

He has pleaded not guilty. For more, read this post here. “ Oscar Pistorius describes the night that changed everything.”

5. Peaches Geldof death

A post mortem will be carried out today on the body of Peaches Geldof, who died unexpectedly at the age of 25.

“After the results of the post-mortem have been received, the coroner will officially open an investigation and decide whether an inquest is necessary,” a council spokesman told The Times.

As the family expressed their shock and grief at her death, her elder sister Fifi Geldof, 31, posted a tribute on Instagram.

6. Navy officers sacked

Up to six Navy sailors have been sacked or ordered to show cause why they should not be sacked after sharing racist posts on social media.

Fairfax Media reported that one posting was a comment on the site of a friend who had written that asylum-seekers, whose boat had sunk, were coming to Australia ”to jump on Centrelink and get free government housing”.

The sailor wrote: ”I’m about to head out today to deal with these f—ers.”

7. Grandparents making our kids fat

A QLD nutritionist has blamed grandparents for contributing to the obesity crisis amoung our kids.

Kate Di Prima of the Dietitians Association of Australia told News Limited that ‘granny treats’ were out of hand.

“They have an emotional attachment to the children and think that treating them is part of the job,” she said.

She told The Courier Mail that she often had to summon grandparents to meetings to tell them they were giving kids too much junk.

“The problem is that these treats are not rare. I have to agree with the research that grandparents play a big role in kids overeating.”

8. Kids who suffer stress have a DNA change

A study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that children who grow up in stressful or unstable environments show signs of early genetic ageing that may in the long run make them more prone to certain diseases.

9. Mum sues over Down Syndrome baby

A doctor in Adelaide has been found negligent by the District Court for failing to detect a pregnancy in a 48-year-old woman who went on to give birth to a boy with Down Syndrome.

The woman saw Dr El Masri complaining of vaginal bleeding, tiredness and emotional outbursts. She was diagnosed as being perimenopausal.

Four months later, the woman took a home pregnancy test which was posititve.

She was then advised that as she was 33 weeks pregnant she did not have the option of a termination.

The woman says that had she known the baby had Down Syndrome, she would have terminated the pregnancy.

The case has been adjourned ahead of an argument over how much Dr El Masri was liable to pay the woman in compensation.

10. Students taught that homosexuality is against the law

A controversial sex-education program in the US state of Mississippi is alarming many for the fact that it teaches young people homosexuality is illegal.

The New Republic points out that this is in fact just the sex-ed program following the law, which mandates that the subject be discussed, at least briefly. Policy dictates that students are to be told that homosexual activity is illegal.

Similarly, Alabama requires that sex-ed teachers teach that “homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offence”.

11. California Sea World may have to shut down whale shows

A proposed bill before the California legislature today could force SeaWorld San Diego to stop using killer whales in its shows and force them to place their 10 killer whales in a bigger pen.

If passed, the bill would also ban importing and exporting of killer whales.

The bill was inspired by the 2013 film “Blackfish”.

12. Women do not apply for male sounding jobs

A study has shown that women are less likely to apply for jobs that ask for “independent” or “analytical” candidates.

Researchers from the Technische Universität München found that if job ads used words commonly associated with men, like “assertive”, “independent”, “aggressive” and “analytical,” the women said they didn’t find the job appealing, and were less likely to apply.

Women instead were attracted to job ads that used words such as “dedicated”, “responsible”, “conscientious” and “sociable”.

What news are you talking about today?