8 Wednesday news bites (12 October)

1. Carbon tax vote today; passes lower house

UPDATE: The Carbon price legislation has now been passed in the House of Reps in a narrow vote, 74-72.

The Federal Parliament will today vote on the package of bills colloquially known as the ‘carbon tax’ – or as the Government prefers to call it the ‘price on pollution’. With Greens in the Senate it is certain to pass there too which means the new pricing system will become law on July 1. Ms Gillard challenged the Opposition yesterday to be ‘on this side of history’. The carbon tax will have a starting price of $23 per tonne, charged to 500 of Australia’s biggest polluters and includes a range of tax cuts and reform for lower income earners. The Government’s job was made easier today after Opposition MP Sophie Mirabella was suspended from all votes until 10.30pm tonight after defying the Deputy Speaker Peter Slipper yesterday.

2. Turkish woman receives world’s first womb transplant

A 21-year-old Turkish woman who was born without a uterus has become the first woman in the world to successfully receive a womb transplant from a deceased donor. Derya Sert underwent the groundbreaking surgery at Akdeniz University Hospital in Antalya on 9 August.  The success of the surgery is expected to give hope to millions of women around the world. It is estimated that one in every 5000 women is born without a uterus.

3. Bali cocktail leaves Aussie nurse brain damaged

Jamie Johnston, a 25-year-old Aussie nurse from Newcastle, has suffered brain damage and kidney failure after drinking a cocktail laced with methanol while on holiday in Bali. Johnston has spent the past three weeks in intensive care in Bali and Darwin hospitals after ordering a jug of arak — a popular rice wine.  According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, in 2009 a batch contaminated with methanol – a toxic chemical compound often used as an anti-freeze or in paint – and sold in Bali killed 25 people,

4. Teen expected to avoid jail and criminal charges in Bali

There is new hope the fourteen-year-old boy being held in the Denpasar Police Headquarters will avoid jail and escape criminal charges. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, Indonesian drug squad head Mulyadi told local media yesterday that his team would recommend the youth be charged under article 128, which states the minor will not be sentenced to a jail term.

5. Actress gets early Oscar buzz for Marilyn portrayal

Finally, actress Michelle Williams is getting early Oscar buzz following her portrayal of the iconic Marilyn Monroe in the biopic, My Week With Marilyn. The actress’s performance has been described as a ‘revelation’ despite the pic itself receiving a lukewarm response.  My Week With Marilyn also stars  Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench and Emma Watson.

6. Meet Blendr:  it’s Grindr for non-gays!

From the makers of Grindr (the infamous  “casual sex app” for the Gay and Transgender community) comes Blendr,  a new social networking app for straight people.  The new app – open to both straight and gay users – features a “heat map” which uses Google maps to indicate the geographical area where the most people have checked in.  Grindr, launched in 2009, has  two million users across 192 countries.

7. Cher breaks down watching son Chaz on stage

Cher has finally appeared in the audience of the US version of Dancing With The Stars to publicly support her son Chaz. The singer-actress broke down in tears watching him perform the paso doble with partner Lacey Schwimmer. She later tweeted “OMG! I WAS CRYING ! WASNT EXPECTING 2 B SO NERVOUS ! BROKE MY BRACELET CLAPPING ! IM SO PROUD !! CHAZ WAS GREAT! LOVED DAVID ARQUETTE 2nd.”

8. Anna Rexia Halloween costume for sale in the US.

In today’s WTF news item, a “sexy” Anna Rexia Halloween costume featuring a black dress with a skeleton print and measuring tape belt has been found to be on-sale in the US.   Equally disturbing is the tag line used to promote the costume: “Make no bones about it this girl is as disciplined as they can get.” Understandably, the costume has been criticised by the National Eating Disorders Association.

Today’s news was brought to you by Bec.