Wednesday's news in under 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. Budget targets families and small business.

The Treasurer has unveiled his “have a go” budget with $4.4 billion committed to families, another $5.5 billion for small business, tradespeople and sole traders and a deficit of about $7 billion forecast for 2018-19.

Peter Strong, executive director of the Council of Small Business, said his members were “over the moon” about the budget.

“We’re extremely pleased,” he said.

“It’s the first time you can really call a budget a ‘small business budget’, and it is – it’s focused on us, it sends the right message, and there are no hidden surprises.”

The Australian Council on Social Services (ACOSS) however weren’t as happy, saying the budget still retained many of the harsh cuts from last years budget and left many people on the “lowest incomes worse off”.

“The pension changes, youth employment strategy and higher investment in child care show the way forward and are a welcome change of direction, reducing the Budget deficit without creating a fairness deficit,” chief executive Cassandra Goldie said.

Women’s Electoral Lobby spokesperson Emma Davidson said that the government needed to commit more to tackle family violence.

“Domestic and family violence services are grossly under-resourced in Australia,” she said. “Women are being turned away at outrageous rates, transitional housing is scarce and much-needed legal services are hanging on by the skin of their teeth.”

Economists praised the budget overall receiving it as fair. AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said it was heading in the right direction.

“They’ve done the right thing in terms of not scaring people and avoiding the confidence hits that occurred last year, but I do worry though that in the longer term, further out, the return to surplus will be somewhat slower than what the government is projecting,” Dr Oliver said.

Key points for Families:

• Childcare initiatives: The government has committed to a $3.5 billion overhaul of the childcare system. Families using childcare that have a combined income of between $65,000 and $170,000 will be about $30 a week better off from July 1, 2017.
• Paid Parental leave scheme double dipping:  Almost $1 billion saved by stopping women accessing work and government PPL schemes
• Young unemployed will have to wait four weeks instead of proposed six months to access the dole.
• Newstart people between 22 and 24 will have access to higher Newstart payments (instead of Youth Allowance) until July 2016.
• Jobseekers over 50: Employers will receive up to $10,000 over 12 months, up from 2 years in the previous budget if they hire and keep an older worker
• Aged pension: $2.4 billion saved over five years by increasing asset test threshold and taper rate for the pension.
•  Nanny trial: $246 million over two years for a nannies trial
• Anti-vaccinators lose childcare subsidies and family benefits if children aren’t vaccinated

Key points for Health:

• New drug listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme worth $1.6 billion
• A two-yearly pap smear test for Australian women will be replaced by a test required only every five years.

Key points for Small Business:

• Small business reforms:  the tax rate will be cut from 30 per cent to 28 per cent or a tax discount of up to $1000 for small businesses not run as companies.
•  Small businesses with turnover less than $2 million will be able to claim $20,000 tax deduction for every item they purchase.
• The fringe benefits tax on portable electronic devices for small businesses will cease.

Key points for Defence and infrastructure:

• Northern Australia will get a $5 billion infrastructure concessional loan scheme.
• ASIS, will receive almost $300 million over six years in a major expansion in the foreign war on terrorism.
• More than $450m in additional funding set aside for the fight against homegrown extremism.

Key points for Foreign Aid:

• Cuts to Foreign aid: Foreign Air will be slashed to $4.1 billion in 2015-16.
• Aid to Indonesia has been cut by 40 per cent from $542 million to $323 million for 2015-16.
• Australia’s foreign aid to Africa has been cut by 70 per cent.

Other key points:

• Cuts to Climate Change spending: Climate spending will drop from $1.35 billion in 2014-15 $550 in 2018-19 on reducing Australia’s carbon emissions.
• The government will continue the school chaplains program which they will fund with $60.0 million every year for the next four years.
• Foreign backpackers will no longer qualify for the $20,000 tax-free threshold

For more on the budget:

A guide to the winners and losers in the 2015 Federal Budget.

Waleed Aly slams the Government for not spending more to prevent violence against women.

Budget 2015: Welfare budget cut by $1.6 billion.

2. Nepal hit by another earthquake.

Dozens of people have died after a powerful new earthquake hit Nepal last night just two weeks after more than 8,000 people died in a devastating quake.

At least 66 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured.

The quake had a magnitude of 7.3. The quake in April had a 7.8 magnitude.

A helicopter carrying eight US Marines has also gone missing in the area.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala called for “courage and patience” and urged all those who had assisted Nepal since the 25 April quake “to once again extend your helping hand”.

To help:

Save The Children Nepal Appeal 

Unicef Appeal

3. No charges for Facebook woman.

A mother who posted an image of a father who took a selfie and branded him a creep will not face charges reports The Herald Sun.

According to the report Victoria Police said officers had spoken to the woman, but no action would be taken, as the man did not want to pursue the matter.

“I don’t need or want people to be put in a worse position just to make me feel better,” the man said.

4. The Bureau of Meteorology has finally confirmed that El Niño has returned.

The BOM has confirmed that the El Niño  weather phenomenon has returned.

Assistant Director for Climate Information Services, Mr Neil Plummer, said yesterday that El Niño is often associated with below average rainfall across eastern Australia in the second half of the year, and warmer than average daytime temperature over the southern half of the country.

“The onset of El Niño in Australia in 2015 is a little earlier than usual. Typically El Niño events commence between June and November,” Mr Plummer said.

“Prolonged El Niño-like conditions have meant that some areas are more vulnerable to the impact of warmer temperatures and drier conditions.

The BOM has said that despite El Niño increasing the likelihood of drier conditions later this year, the Bureau’s May to July Climate Outlook indicates much of Australia is likely to be wetter than average.

5. Mother gave sons sleeping pills, then burnt them alive.

Warning: this item contains distressing details and may be upsetting some readers. 

The Melbourne Coroner’s Court has heard horrific details of a mother who allegedly fed her two sons, aged five and nine cake and the sleeping pill Stilnox and then set fire to the house because she believed her husband wanted to take them to India against her wishes.

Anitha Mathew aged 37 died alongside her sons, Mathew George, 5 Philip George, 9 in June 2012.

An inquest into their deaths at the Melbourne Coroner’s Court has heard that Ms Mathew had a troubled relationship with her husband who had not spoken to her for months after a fight about her cooking.

According to a report by News Limited she purchased cake, petrol and the sleeping pill, Stilnox, which she fed her children before starting the fire.

The relationship troubles had forced Ms Mathew to seek refuge at a women’s shelter after he had “tapped her thigh” following another argument over food.

Mr Philip however told the court his marriage was not a violent one.

“I was not a forceful husband to my wife, I was quite accommodating. I even allowed her to keep her maiden name.”

Detective Senior Constable Peter Dechene said that there was a series a series of events that have caused this catastrophic event to take place,” He said that Ms Mathew had threatened to kill her husband, and then her family, in a phone call with a cousin in Canada.

She was reported as saying “If nothing happens, I am going to kill him. I am going to die. I’m going to kill everybody. I will try my luck in the next life.”

“I believe my wife, Anitha, murdered our two children and took her own life due to receiving false information,” her husband said in a statement.

“I can’t believe that my wife Anitha would harm our kids.”

The State Coroner Ian Gray will hand down his findings in August.

If you need help call call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

6. Medical experts warn parents not to always give children Nurofen or paracetomol for fevers.

New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics has advised that parents have a misplaced “fever phobia” where they too frequently use both ibuprofen and paracetamol medicines to bring down even slight temperatures.

They warn that children can receive accidental overdoses as a result.

The research also showed that as many as half of parents are giving their children the wrong dosage.

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ new advice says that a high temperature is often the body’s way of fighting an infection, and if parents bring it down with drugs it could actually lengthen a child’s illness.

Family GP’s often tell parents to give their children alternate doses of paracetamol and ibuprofen – known as combination therapy – believing the risk of side effects to be minimal.

The authors write that doctors should begin “by helping parents understand that fever, in and of itself, is not known to endanger a generally healthy child”.

“It should be emphasised that fever is not an illness but is, in fact, a physiological mechanism that has beneficial effects in fighting infection.”

The academy says many parents administer paracetamol or ibuprofen even though there is only a minimal fever, or none at all.

“Questions remain regarding the safety” of combination therapy, say the authors.

Parents should consult their own doctors regarding what advice they should regard for their own children.

7. Prince Harry meets his old matron.

Prince Harry, on tour in New Zealand, has had a touching reunion with his old school matron.

He immediately recognised her, laughed at photos with her and chatted to her family. She said to Sky News “He remembered me, which was really nice. He’s really tall!”

Meanwhile Harry has re-entered the world of social media sending out his first tweet in a year after last year saying he hated twitter. Harry had just finished a workout and sent off his new foray into the twitter sphere.

8. Social media user furious over image of baby smoking.

An image of a baby smoking which was uploaded by a Spanish mother has provoked a furious reaction on social media.

Since being posted the image has attracted 2,000 likes and more than 36,000 comments, with many branding it child abuse.

The Daily Mail reports that the Spanish police are aware of the image.

Do you have a story to share with Mamamia. Email us news@mamamia.com.au
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