Friday's news in under 5 minutes.

1. Carbon tax repeal bill defeated; Clive Palmer storms out of  interview

Legislation to scrap the carbon tax was defeated in the Senate yesterday when Clive Palmer’s three Palmer United Party senators voted against the legislation.

Mr Palmer appeared on the ABC’s 7:30 via video-link from New Zealand last night and discussed the carbon tax, but stormed out of an interview with journalist Sarah Ferguson when questioning turned to his legal battle with a former business partner.

“Don’t talk to me about allegations and bullshit,” he told Ferguson.

“I’m not discussing it with you any further, Madam. It’s subject to court proceedings.”

Mr Palmer then ended the interview, saying: “I’m not answering any more for you, so goodbye, we’ll see you later.”

2. Five-year-old missing off Pearl Beach, NSW

Search efforts to find a missing five-year-old boy are continuing this morning.

The boy was hit by a wave and washed off Pearl Beach on NSW’s central coast at about 1:50pm yesterday, Fairfax Media reports.

An air and sea search was launched yesterday afternoon, but there was no sign of the boy at sundown yesterday.

Fairfax Media cite a spokeswoman for Surf Life Saving NSW as saying the boy’s family members may not have known how to swim and could not save him when the wave swept the child out.

“They’re not sure whether anybody could actually swim,” the spokeswoman reportedly said. “It’s deep water straight off the beach there.”

3. Man hands himself in after teens take his picture

A man has been charged with indecent assault after two 17-year-old girls took pictures of the alleged perpetrator on a tram.

Detective said the alleged victims were travelling together on a Melbourne tram on June 20 when a man assaulted them.

The teenagers took photographs of the accused man on their phones before leaving the tram — and the police released those images along with CCTV footage yesterday, asking for the pictured man to come forward for questioning, Ninemsn reports.

Victoria Police said a 28-year-old Maidstone man handed himself in yesterday.

He was charged with two counts of indecent assault, police said.

4. Meteor spotted in sky in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania

A spectacular meteor blazed across the sky last night and was sighted in Victoria, NSW and parts of Tasmania.

The spectacle was seen at about 10pm, with witnesses saying the object looked like a flame and was visible for about 20 seconds.

The Herald Sun reports police and the CFA were inundated with calls from witnesses who feared they had witnessed an aircraft crashing.

The Astronomical Society of Victoria confirmed a meteorite travelling from south to north, the Herald Sun reports.

5. Couple get a criminal record for taking children out of school for 13 days

A UK couple who took their children on holiday, making them miss 13 days of school, have been given criminal records.

The parents were refused permission to take the children out of school to visit relatives in Australia – but went ahead with the trip anyway, the Daily Mail reports.

When they returned, they were faced with a council enforcement notice, a fine, and threat of prosecution. When they refused to accept the penalty, they were issued with a court summons and yesterday found guilty. 

The couple were also ordered to pay £800 — about $1450 — towards prosecution costs, the Daily Mail reports.

6. UN chief warns of all-out war in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says there is a threat of an all-out ground offensive as the exchange of air strikes and rockets between Israel and Gaza continues.

Ban told the Security Council yesterday: “We face the risk of an all-out conflict in Israel and Gaza. We face an all-out ground offensive unless Hamas stops firing rockets.”

He said Israel has legitimate security concerns, but that he remained “concerned at the many deaths caused by Israeli operations.”

“Civilians are caught between Hamas’ irresponsibility and Israel’s tough response… My primary concern is the well-being and safety of all civilians no matter where they are,” he said.

At least 90 Palestinians have been killed and 550 wounded since 8 July, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

But Israel has said it will continue to strike Gaza until rocket fire from Gaza stopped, The Guardian reports.

“Further stages yet await us,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

President Obama told Netanyahu the US is willing to negotiate a ceasefire, the AP reports.

7. Mother allegedly kills baby son and post pictures on Facebook

Warning: this news story is graphic and may be extremely distressing for some readers.

A New York mother has been accused of smothering her baby son and posting images of his body on social media, the New York Post reports.

Nicole “Nikki” Kelly reportedly uploaded an image of 11-month-old Kiam Felix Jr with the caption “RIP Tinkabutt” on Monday. Alongside the image was another with a picture of the child’s body in a hospital bed.

Kelly reportedly posted a lengthy status on Facebook saying she wished there was some way to bring him back to life, the New York Post reports.

“I feel horrible knowing he passed away Am his Mother I was supposed to protect him I know his spirit will always be around me…” she status reportedly said.

Officials allege she killed the boy on Sunday by putting a sheet over his face as she tucked him into bed.

Queens District Attorney says Kelly watched Kiam struggle to breathe before callously leaving him alone to die, the New York Post reports.

8. Aussie teens are financially literate: study

Australian teenagers are impressively financially literate compared to many elsewhere in the world, according to a new global study.

Australian 15-year old performed fourth on financial literacy out of 18 countries surveyed in the global study,  News.com.au reports.

The study, which was released by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), tested the teens on financial concepts ranging from everyday banking to interest rates and income tax.

China was first on the list, followed by  Belgium and Estonia.

Colombia was last on the list.

9. QLD unveils new immunisation app

The Queensland government has launched an immunisation  smartphone app.

Premier Campbell Newman said the ‘VacciDate’ app allows parents to track vaccine and booster dates.

The app forms part of a broader strategy implemented by the government, including a whooping cough vacine for pregnant women — which aims to protect their newborn babies from the deadly disease — and the option for adults to be immunised at their local pharmacies against a range of contagious diseases.

“This strategy will extend the range of our current work aiming for higher vaccination rates of 95 per cent of Queensland children and 85 per cent of adolescents,” Mr Newman said.

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