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Tuesday's news in 5 minutes.

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

1. Teenage father admits to killing baby son.

A teenager father has pleaded guilty to killing his newborn son in Perth last year.

The 16-year old boy from Bunbury was visiting his son who had been born prematurely last February at Bunbury Regional Hospital.

The father was 16 at the time of the baby’s death.

The baby was airlifted to Princess Margaret Hospital but died several days later in his teenage mother’s arms.

At the time the mother posted heartbreaking messages to social media.

“Omg what do i do sitinq here so lost missing my son rip mummys boy love you to the moon nd bak,” she wrote.

“You Went In My Arms I Lovee Yhu So Much.”

The teenager was initially charged with assaulting the 27-day-old boy but after the baby died the charges were upgraded to unlawful killing of the baby.

The 16-year old will be sentenced next month.

2. Leaked emails from Liberal Party federal treasurer Philip Higginson address ‘conflict of interest’ posed by Loughnane and Credlin marriage.

By political editor Chris Uhlmann and political reporter Anna Henderson.

The latest shot in the campaign to depose the Prime Minister was fired last night with the leaking of a letter of resignation from the Liberal Party’s honorary federal treasurer Philip Higginson.

Leaked emails undermining PM again.

The ABC has obtained two letters from Mr Higginson, an avowed long-time friend of Tony Abbott.

One letter, foreshadowing Mr Higginson’s resignation, attacked what he saw as the organisational conflict of interest created by the marriage between Liberal federal director Brian Loughnane and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Peta Credlin.

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“How this party ever let a husband and wife team into those two key roles where collegiate competitive tension is mandatory and private consultations between colleagues to see that each side is served well is a complete mystery,” the letter said.

“The persons in our party’s history that allowed it to occur should hang their heads in collective shame.

“The federal director has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the organisation at all times, repeat, at all times.

“How can this possibly happen when the COS [chief of staff] to the PM is his wife?

“It immediately brings about the cessation of open communication to the federal director, contributes to wooden and unreliable communication, and a reluctance towards open and trusting lines of communication and, dare I say it, retribution.

“In corporate Australia the chairman of the board would never allow his EA [executive assistant] to be wife of the managing director, or the managing director would never allow his EA to be the wife of the chairman.”

President of the Liberal Party Richard Alston responded to the letters by writing to the federal executive saying he was not aware of any breach of duty by Mr Loughnane.

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“On the contrary, I have always found Brian to possess the highest ethical standards, as well as being a devoted and highly committed servant of the party,” Mr Alston wrote.

“In my experience he forcefully represents the interest of the party in discussions with the PM and his office. I have no reason to expect anything less.”

Party sources told the ABC that the leaking of the letter was designed to keep up the pressure on Mr Abbott and Ms Credlin.

They said there had been a steady drip of leaks in the fortnight since the failed leadership spill aimed at getting the Prime Minister to sack Ms Credlin, or force him out of office.

 A version of this story was originally published on ABC and has been republished with full permission.

3. PM up in latest poll, but Labor still ahead.

A newspoll taken by The Australian has shown the Prime Minister’s approval rating to rise with 51% considering Mr Abbott more capable of handling national security compared with 31% for Opposition leader Mr Shorten.

The newspoll shows the Coalition and Labor tied on a primary vote of 38 per cent.

Mr Shorten still is ahead as best prime minister, by 43 % to 35%.

4. One million children harmed by other people’s drinking.

A major study to be released today by Rosie Batty has found that more than one million children are harmed by other people’s drinking.

One million children harmed by other people’s drinking.

The report produced by The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) and the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR), The hidden harm: Alcohol’s impact on children and families, reveals the full extent of alcohol-related family and domestic violence in Australia.

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It found that almost half of domestic violence incidents and 47% of child protection cases involved alcohol.

For more read this post here. 

5. Anti-domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty says the process for reporting abuse ‘has to change’ to help victims break their silence.

By ABC

Australian of the Year Rosie Batty says the process involved in reporting abuse “has to change” if victims are to escape violent situations.

Ms Batty said on ABC’s Q&A program that harsh judgments and criticism from people who were meant to support victims were not uncommon.

“You can’t always trust the response from the people that you need to turn to [to] help you in a way that is non-judgmental,” she said.

“That is something I would very much like to change in the short term.

“So your journey is as tough going through that process as it is for the abuse that you’ve been subjected to. And that has to change.”

Q&A panellist and Victoria Police Acting Chief Commissioner Tim Cartwright said the way in which courts dealt with some matters of domestic violence was “archaic” and could be frustrating for police.

“We don’t have all sorts of information which might help us on the ground to protect the woman, or at least understand the situation and understand the risk that we are seeing.”

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Commissioner Cartwright also said there was a “need for cultural change” to help victims who were reporting abuse.

“[The] first thing we need to do is acknowledge and believe the women … one of the things we need to do as a community is to support women in these situations as friends, as family, as leaders in the community,” he said.

Ms Batty said she believed a more “coordinated approach” between police and the courts was important in improving the reporting of domestic violence.

“We work a lot in silos and if there is some kind of coordinated approach, where a continuum of violence was monitored and looked at, that would be a great help,” she said.

“I have great faith in our police force in Victoria. I can see the improvements, I can see the transparency, their keen desire to continue to improve and evolve, and their passion for [stopping] family violence.

“I just hope that passes through into the court process. I do think you will see some dramatic changes.

A version of this story was originally published on ABC and has been republished with full permission.

 If you need help contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Domestic Violence hotline on 1800 737 732.

6. Victoria vows to combat domestic violence.

Meanwhile as the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence gets underway this week Premier Daniel Andrews has said it is time for a re-think on family violence.

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“It’s cowardly. It’s wrong. It’s a crime. It’s unacceptable. And it won’t be tolerated in 2015 in Victoria.’’

One area it will examine is whether jail terms for breaching IVOs are adequate.

The Premier told News Limited “The royal commission will investigate the whole system, including IVOs, which so often fail to protect the vulnerable,’’

“It will be wide-ranging, it will look at prevention — some of the attitudes I think drive ­violence against women and children. Everything from education all the way through to drug and alcohol systems, health and mental health systems, then the justice system, courts, the way Victoria’s corrections system works.

7. Likely execution will take place this week.

As the legal team for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran prepare to mount a legal challenge in the state administrative court today there is news that it is “very likely” their executions will take place this week.

“Likely” they will be moved this week.

Momock Bambang Samiarso, Bali’s chief prosecutor told reporters yesterday that his officers were ready to transport the organisers of the Bali nine drug smuggling ring “at any time”.

Fairfax Media reports that the case is based on revelations that Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo was making his clemency decisions without full information on each individual case.

8. Muslim leaders angry over PM’s implications re extremism.

The Muslim community is unhappy with the Prime Ministers comments yesterday about national security. Mr Abbott’s national security speech criticized Muslim leaders for not doing enough to stamp out extremism. “I’ve often heard western leaders describe Islam as a ‘religion of peace’. I wish more Muslim leaders would say that more often, and mean it.”

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The head of the Arab Council of Australia, Randa Kattan told Guardian Australia that the comments were incorrect. “It’s not helpful, it’s divisive. It labels our community as being responsible for the actions of a few,” Kattan said. “It’s not helpful for anyone to make these statements … How much more can we condemn?”

9. Toddler dies from measles.

A toddler has died from measles in Berlin.

An 18-month old boy has died from measles.

The 18-month old boy was amoung more than 574 cases of measles recorded in Berlin alone since last October.

Experts said that the spike in the number of measles infections in Berlin had been traced to unvaccinated refugees. At least two cases, however, appear to have originated from the United States.

10. Search for British girls continues.

British Police officers have travelled to Turkey as the search continues for three missing schoolgirls believed to have fled to Syria to join Islamic State.

Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-old Amira Abase.

Relatives of Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-old Amira Abase, yesterday issued heartfelt pleas for the girls to come home amid fears they may have been recruited by jihadists online.

The girls, who were “straight A students” at Bethnal Green Academy in east London, boarded a flight from Gatwick Airport to Istanbul in Turkey on Tuesday.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said its officers were in Turkey but refused to confirm whether they were involved in the search for the girls.

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“Officers are working closely with the Turkish authorities who are providing a great deal of assistance and support to our investigation,” he said.

Meanwhile the headmistress of the school they attended said there is no way the radicalization of the girls took place at school.

For more read this post here.

11. Grandmother allegedly ‘ran’ her granddaughter to death.

A Grandmother is on trial charged with the murder of her granddaughter after she allegedly made the nine-year old girl run until she collapsed and died several days later as a punishment for eating chocolate.

Savannah Hardin with her sister.

The accused, 59-year-old year old Joyce Hardin Garrard from Alabama in the US has pleaded not guilty to capital murder.

Prosecutors say she made nine-year old Savannah Hardin run and was captured on camera saying she would make the girl run “til she can’t run no more.”

The defence disputes this saying the girl has a pre-existing medical condition.

The stepmother of Savannah, Jessica Mae Hardin, is also charged with murder and is awaiting a separate trial. It is alleged she sat by as Garrard made Savannah run for hours.

What news are you talking about today?

 

 

 

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