Wednesday's news in under 5 minutes

1. Tanilla’s Mum testifies

A court has heard harrowing evidence against a man accused of murdering two-year old Tanilla Warrick-Deaves. Warren Ross is accused of murdering Tanilla on August 25, 2011, by inflicting severe blunt force trauma to her head in the bathroom of the home they shared on the NSW Central Coast. Her mother testified against Ross in court yesterday.

Read more of Tanilla’s tragic story and the on-going court case in this post here.

2.Typhoon Aid

The Red Cross says it has ordered 10,000 body bags in preparation for the number of bodies in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan. They are calling for $A84 million to help more than 10 million people devastated by the super storm. The country is preparing itself for even more deaths as food and water runs out and sanitation threatens to cause unprecedented levels of disease. A team of Australian medics will arrive today in the devastated region.

If you wish to help:

Australian Red Cross

UNICEF Typhoon Haiyan Children’s Emergency Appeal

Save the Children

3. Balcony death trial

The judge presiding over the Simon Gittany trial will hear closing addresses today. Yesterday the accused murderer was taken into custody after his bail was revoked. Gittany has pleaded not guilty to murder after his fiancé fell to her death from a Sydney apartment balcony. His current girlfriend Rachelle Louise, wept as he was taken from court.

4. Parliament today

The Prime Minister will today introduce the legislation to parliament to repeal the carbon and mining taxes.

Labor and the Greens have vowed to block legislation in the Senate, but business groups have joined forces to pressure them to let it through before the end of the year.

5. King hit laws

NSW has introduced ‘one punch laws in response to the sentence given to the killer of Thomas Kelly. The maximum penalty is 20 years double the penalty for similar laws in Western Australia.

6. St Kilda rape hearing

On the opening day of a committal hearing in Melbourne’s magistrate court the woman who has accused former St Kilda forward Stephen Milne of raping her says she was not told of an agreement struck between the former AFL player, his then St Kilda teammate and another woman to swap sexual partners.

7. Phone hacking trial

In the phone hacking scandal in London the court has heard testimony that Kate Middleton’s name appeared on a handwritten note by a private investigator who hacked phones for the News of the World.

8. Paid to breastfeed

New mothers in two areas of Britain are to be paid to breastfeed their babies, it has been announced, under a trial scheme aimed at boosting the practice in poor areas where it is “stigmatised”.

9. Malala honoured

Malala Yousafzai has received one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year awards to great acclaim and adoration. One of the event’s other honorees Lady Gaga, praised Malala later saying: ‘Everyone deserves to be on the cover, but if I could forfeit my Glamour cover, it would be to Malala.’

9.Post Natal depression Mum

In the UK a young mother who killed her six-week-old baby daughter after she stopped taking post-natal depression medication has been spared jail.

10. Digi Nappies

Parenting just got even more high tech. A ‘smart nappy’ that alerts parents when their baby needs changing is set to go on sale in Britain. No need to check your baby’s bum now as this nifty little product has a special bracelet worn by Mum or Dad that vibrates to alert them when a change is needed.

In Brief:

The Tasmanian tiger has been declared alive and kicking by an intrepid group of British naturalists.

Study shows that Australians fear they will be sacked if their employer knows they have depression

Victoria’s parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse is due to be tabled today