Friday's news in 5 minutes.

1. Two Australians injured in London attack.

An Australian man and woman have been injured during a knife attack in central London that police initially believed was related to terrorism.

A Norwegian man of Somali origin with a knife attacked people in Russell Square.

An American woman in her 60s (pictured above) was treated at the scene but pronounced dead a short time later; she was named as Darlene Horton, 64,  the wife of a university professor from Florida. The couple were hours away from flying home when she was attacked.

The Australian man and woman who were injured were taken to hospital. One has since been released. A third Australian was at the square but was uninjured.

Police used a Taser while detaining the 19-year-old suspect, he was later formally arrested on suspicion of murder – but police now believe the man is mentally ill and it was not terror related.

2. Banks asked to explain their interest rate actions.

A day after the big four banks failed to pass on an interest rate cut the Prime Minister and Treasurer Scott Morrison have announced they will force the banks to appear annually before an economics oversight committee to explain how they set their interest rates.

“The banks should have passed on the full rate cut,” Mr Turnbull said.

“We don’t run the banks, but they must provide a full account of why they have not done so; they owe that to the people.”

“If they decide not to pass on an interest-rate cut from the Reserve Bank, they will know that they’re going to have to front up to a House of Representatives committee and explain that and take questions about that and justify their actions in front of the elected representatives of the Australian people.”

4. One Nations Senator questions climate change.

Newly elected One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts has told Sky News that he is a skeptic about climate change and he has spent almost a decade “exposing the corruption of climate science”

“It comes back to one thing on climate change – where is the empirical evidence that proves cause and effect that production of carbon dioxide by humans, is affecting global climate.

“It is unilateral that there is no such evidence anywhere in the world. None.”

Senator Roberts has called for an investigation into the CSIRO and the Bureau of Metrology.

“We have to bring back integrity and restore the application of our constitution. That involves One Nation senators asking the awkward questions that others seem to be afraid of asking… Questions about the budget, questions about horrific debt, questions about taxation.”

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party has won four seats in the Senate, with two seats in Queensland and one each in WA and NSW.

5. Stuart Kelly farewelled with hundred of mourners.

Hundreds of mourners, including the Prime Minister and the Premier of NSW have joined the parents and sister of Stuart Kelly to say farewell at his former school, The King’s School in Sydney, one week after his death.

The 18-year-old’s body was found last Monday, four years after his older brother died following a one-punch attack at Kings Cross.

At his memorial service his mother, Kathy Kelly said that while Stuart had been a little lost since graduating from King’s last year his humour often shone through.

She said she kept “hoping to see the light” in Stuart’s eyes again.

She urged parents to go home and hug their children.

Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800

6. Study finds girls do better at maths and science at single sex schools.

A study has found that sending girls to all girls’ schools boosts their performance in maths and science.

According to the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute only 6.7 per cent of female year 12 students undertake advanced mathematics and only 17.5 per cent undertake intermediate mathematics.

Fairfax Media reports that a Melbourne University study has found that girls at single-sex schools grew more confident in maths. The study compared the attitude and achievement of girls and boys at both single-sex and co-educational schools. In year four, boys were slightly more confident in their maths ability than girls in a co-ed environment, but even if their ability was on par by year eight male students were far more confident than the female students.

But girls in all girls’ schools reversed the trend.

The paper’s author, Dr Chris Ryan, said “high achieving girls in maths are less encouraged in that direction at co-ed environments.”

7. Street artist who painted Hillary Clinton in bikini covers her image in niqab after complains.

A street artist in Melbourne who painted a controversial mural showing Hillary Clinton in a bikini has covered her image with a niqab after the local council threatened to impose a fine.

The artist known as Lushsux depicted the US Democratic presidential candidate in a stars-and-stripes swimsuit with $100 bills tucked into her waist.

The local Maribyrnong council deemed the mural sexist and ordered that it be removed within ten days.

Lushsux then proceeded to dress Mrs Clinton in a full-body veil, writing alongside the mural: “If this Muslim woman offends u, u r a bigot, racist, sexist Islamophobe.”

In a social media post, he added: “This is no longer a wall of a supposed ‘offensive and near naked’ Hillary Clinton, it is now a depiction of a beautiful Muslim woman. No reasonable person would consider this offensive.”

7. Daycare kids practice ‘lockdowns’ to prepare them for the worst scenarios.

Children hiding under chairs in lockdowns. Image via IStock.

Daycare operators and kindergartens are teaching children to hide under chairs and in cupboards in mandatory lockdown procedures to help children prepare for a scenario such as terror attack or a lone wolf.

News Local reports that children up to the age of six are learning lockdown procedures in some daycare centres.

Education and Care Services National Regulations state that approved daycare providers must ensure that emergency and evacuation procedures, including lockdowns, are rehearsed every three months.

Mona Vale Kindergarten assistant director Sonia Spoard told News Local “It is a sad reflection of the times but it’s something we need to do.

“Even though we live in a privileged and safe area, we need to do it and we are required to do it.”

At some kindergartens a code word is used and then the children hide, while the blinds are shut and the doors are locked.

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