Saturday's news in less than two minutes.

Indonesian volcanic ash cloud travels towards Darwin, disrupting fliers

A huge volcanic ash cloud has started to travel towards Darwin, prompting flight cancellations. Qantas and Virgin Australia have confirmed that their flights to and from Darwin this morning have been cancelled due to the cloud, which was caused by the eruption of Mount Sangeang, a volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, erupted overnight. Flight cancellations at other airports may be necessary if the cloud fails to dissipate as it passes over the Northern Territory.

Salvation Army defends Reza Barati’s accused killer

The Salvation Army have defended the man accused of killing Manus Island detainee Reza Barati.In its submission to the Senate inquiry into the violent uprising at the facility, which saw Barati killed and several other asylum seekers injured, the Salvation Army has said that their staff member was helping to protect asylum seekers caught in the uprising, and not inciting violence.

Abbott reassures Australians that budget will pass through the Senate

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that he expects his controversial budget will pass through the Senate, saying “governments get their budgets through”. Speaking at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney, an organisation set to benefit significantly from the budget’s proposed $7 GP co-payment, Mr Abbott said that he expected all of the budget’s measures to “gain a passage”.

Elliot Rodger’s family: “We are crying in pain for the victims and their families.”

The family of University of California killer Elliot Rodger have released a statement, read by family friend Simon Astaire on the Today show in the US.

“We are crying in pain for the victims and their families,” Peter and Chin Rodger, Elliot’s parents, wrote. “It breaks our hearts on a level that we didn’t think possible.

“The feeling of knowing that it was our son’s actions that caused the tragedy can only be described as hell on earth. It is now our responsibility to do everything we can to help avoid this happening to any other family. Not only to avoid any more innocence destroyed, but also to identify and deal with the mental issues that drove our son to do what he did.”

Putin creates Eurasian Economic Union

Russian President Vladimir Putin has created a Eurasian Economic Union. While Putin has long been pushing for a Eurasian organisation to rival the EU, his new group has underwhelmed the international community. While the European Union has 28 members, Putin’s new group has just three: Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Cases of measles hit 20-year high in the US

U.S. cases of measles are at their highest level in 20 years. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the country has seen 288 cases of measles this year, the highest number since 1994. The upward trend has been attributed to a combination of declining vaccination rates and increases in overseas travel.

Blue Mountains mayor rejects photographer’s proposed donations from sale of Duchess Catherine pic

The mayor of the Blue Mountains has spoken out against the photographer who took a picture of the Duchess of Cambridge while her skirt was being blown by the wind, during the Royal Tour. The photographer, in his apology for any insult caused to the Duchess by the photograph has suggested that he should donate the profits from the sale of the photo to the Blue Mountains Bushfire Relief Fund, but Blue Mountains Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill has said that such donations will not be accepted.

In a statement on Facebook, Greenhill said:

It is my position, supported by the Council, that notwithstanding the charitable intent of the photographer, any donation made to the Blue Mountains Bushfire Mayoral Relief Fund sourced from the proceeds of the sale of this photograph, will not be accepted, irrespective of the monetary value of that donation.

This position is informed by a deep respect for the Duchess of Cambridge and the strong view that the offending photograph:
1. Is a source of humiliation for the Duchess, as an individual and a woman;
2. promotes the distasteful and gratuitous sexualisation of all women;
3. trivialises the impact of the October 2013 Blue Mountains bushfires; and
4. embarrasses the community of the City of Blue Mountains.

 Cindy McCain calls out Gwyneth Paltrow

Cindy McCain has criticised Gwyneth Paltrow for saying that life as a celebrity targeted on social media is akin to that of a soldier in battle. The wife of Arizona senator (and former presidential hopeful) John McCain tweeted: Gweneth [sic] Paltrow is a joke. Her life is like taking bullets for a soldier. What a joke! My 2 sons serving in the military should talk to her. Paltrow made the comments when speaking at a “Code Conference” as the founder of successful lifestyle website, goop.com.

Is this the truth about Andy’s dad in Toy Story?

Jon Negroni, the man behind The Pixar Theory as well as the popular theory about the history of Andy’s mum in Toy Story has finally responded to requests that he explain another Toy Story backstory: that of Andy’s dad. But, as Negroni prefaces in his article for The Huffington Post, “it’s depressing”.

Negroni believes that Andy’s father must have recently left the family recently and under hostile circumstances. This explains why there are no pictures of him on the walls of their house, as Andy’s mum must have taken them down quickly, in a way that would not have happened if he had passed away. Andy’s family is also moving from a bigger house to a much smaller one, suggesting that Andy’s dad is gone for good.

Do you agree?

Could “thefties” be the answer to finding stolen mobile phones?

Mobile phone devices could soon be able to take pictures of their users once stolen. The “theftie” is a picture taken by a mobile phone’s front camera once a phone has been reported as stolen, and it’s a feature that mobile phone security company Lookout are currently marketing as part of their new security package for both iOS and Android. Most phone security software currently works solely by using GPS tracking technology, but a “theftie” could provide additional information including the thief’s face and immediate surroundings.