We’ve rounded up all the latest stories from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.
1. Coroner investigates baby’s death from possible co-sleeping with evidence parents were drunk and stoned in hours before her death.
The Victorian Coroner is investigating the death of a one-month-old baby, Isabella-Rose found not breathing in her home in Seaford home on the morning of August 23, 2013.
The coroner, Paresa Spanos, is investigating whether Isabella-Rose asphyxiated while co-sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the lounge.
The surname of the family has been suppressed to protect the identity of Isabella-Rose’s sibling.
The cause of the baby’s death was recorded in an autopsy report as “having occurred in circumstances consistent with mechanical asphyxia”.
The Age reports that parents Max and Melissa had been drinking and Max had been smoking marijuana.
Melissa’s brother, Mark gave evidence saying that when he visited the home there was alcohol scattered around the room.
“I didn’t know if they were on drugs. They were both a bit drunk and Max was a bit stoned,” Mark told the court.
There is also a report saying that Max had told hospital staff he had taken Xanax that night.
Leading Senior Constable King Taylor, the counsel assisting the coroner, suggested that Max had fallen asleep on his one-month-old daughter.
A housemate, Scott Smith, said he had heard “that theory from “some random” after the baby’s death.”
After Isabella-Rose’s death, Melissa, Isabella-Rose’s mother told hospital staff she had used cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana and drank alcohol during the first time trimester of her pregnancy.
The inquest continues today where parents Max and Melissa will give evidence.
2. Police are pleading with the public for an information about missing Brisbane woman Rebecca Mackenzie.
Ms Mackenzie, 22, was last seen celebrating a friend’s 23rd birthday at Met nightclub in Fortitude Valley, in Brisbane’s nightclub precinct on Saturday night.
She got into an argument with her boyfriend at around 2:00am on Sunday and her belongings were left with a friend before she “stormed out”.
She has not been seen since.
The hashtag #findbec is trending in Brisbane as locals and Ms Mackenzie’s friends try to spread the word of the young woman’s disappearance.
She was last seen walking towards the Story Bridge.
3. The Royal baby has a name.
Kensington Palace has announced the name of the newest Princess and in true royal style it seems to have pleased everyone – with a nod to both Kate Middleton’s side of the family, the Queen and the sentimental favourite Diana.
Kensington Palace announced that the new Princess would be called Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
post here.4. Australian Twitter user urged an attack on a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest in Texas.
Nine News reports that an Australian Twitter user, known as “Australi Witness” urged an attack on a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest in Texas.
Yesterday two gunmen attacked the venue and were shot dead by police.
The man from Melbourne last week tweeted a map of the community centre where the event was held. He called for “brothers in Texas” to go there “with your weapons, bombs or with knifes”.
Police in Texas have now named the gunmen Elton Simpson, 30, and Nadir Soofi, 34.
The two men were shot and killed by the officer, Bruce Joiner, who normally works a traffic beat as a local school district security officer .
Time reports that Simpson had previously been suspected of of attempting to travel overseas to wage jihad, or holy war, according to courts documents; Soofi was his roommate.
5. Most obese areas of Australia.
Data released by the Heart Foundation has shown that the Darling Downs, which includes towns such as Dalby and St George, is the most obese part of Australia. More than 44 per cent of its residents are obese, and almost three-quarters do not get enough physical activity to be healthy.
In NSW, the Riverina region has the highest proportion of obese residents. In the Victorian town of Shepparton 36 per cent of residents are obese.
In contrast in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs less than 14 per cent were obese. Across Australia, 27.5 per cent of adults are obese, and 57 per cent do not get enough exercise for good health.
Heart Foundation chief executive Mary Barry said the statistics were both alarming and sobering.
“Far from being the fit and active, outdoors type often portrayed, this data shows us that nearly one-third of Australians are obese and more than half are living sedentary lifestyles with little or no physical activity in their day.
“The truth is as a nation our waistlines are increasing while our physical activity time is decreasing.
“We are creating bodies that are breeding grounds for heart disease,” Ms Barry said.
6. Government to tighten age pension.
News Limited reports that Federal Cabinet is set to tighten access to the age pension for wealthy retirees who have enough private assets to pay their own way.
The new policy is a shift from last year’s proposal to adjust the indexation of the pension in favour of tighter rules on the value of the assets people can hold while still allowing them to qualify for a part-pension.
The reforms will not touch the family home.
The Australian reports that Social Services Minister Scott Morrison will take the plans to the parliament in the hope of securing a budget saving that could be worth $1 billion a year.
7. Newspoll: PM at a high.
A week before the budget the PM seems to be doing something right with his personal approval rating jumping to a seven-month high after the fifth consecutive rise.
The latest Newspoll reported by The Australian shows that Mr Abbott now is level with the Labor leader, Bill Shorten.
The ALP however continues to hold a two-party-preferred lead over the Coalition, of 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
The Conversation8. Violence against women “an epidemic.”
On Last night’s Q&A program on the ABC US comedian Adrienne Truscott described the level of violence against women in Australia as “epidemic”.
“I think we don’t take notice because we have grown accustomed to some kind of violence against women in our society,” Ms Truscott said.
The panel that featured Philosopher and ethicist, Peter Singer discussed the issue with Singer saying said it was important to send a message “about the dangers of walking across parks at night.”
“You can’t expect the state to protect you everywhere. We don’t really want to have a state in which there are police in every park 24/7, so I think, you know, advising people how to stay safe is a reasonable sort of thing to do,” Mr Singer said.
“If you’re startling women that they can’t walk in the park, you should probably startling them they can’t necessarily go home, they can’t necessarily join the military.. Most instances of rape happen with somebody you know and trust,” she said.
“I find that conversations that even begin with, “Well, she should have been careful in this day and age,” is just widely irresponsible.”
9. Mystery South Australian loses $25,000 gets $9000 back.
A South Australian who lost $25,000 cash has been thankful to have some of it returned.
The Advertiser reports that an unnamed person lost $25,000 in cash and some private papers last month. After a public appeal $9,000 was returned.
A spokesperson for the person who lost the money told The Advertiser “Thank you to the person who kindly did that … the papers were very private and sentimental.”
Forensic psychologist Luke Broomhall who had appealed for the return of his client’s missing cash last month told the newspaper that it was “fantastic that someone had looked into their conscience and returned the money”.
“It’s disappointing that it’s only part of the money and less than half of what was originally lost,” he said.
“Even having that money back will be of great assistance to the client and the family of the client.”
He also said that the person who lost the money was a victim of crime not a criminal.
“This person is not someone who has been convicted of a crime or done anything wrong at all.”
10. Dangers of water beads.
There are warnings over the dangers of water beads – marketed as sensory child play toys after a two-year old South Australian girl was admitted to hospital and needed an endoscope after she swallowed five of the beads.
The beads expand up to 400 times their size when they come into contact with moisture.
reports that four children have required medical procedures after swallowing the beads.
Overseas a six-month-old baby died after a similar bead blocked his bowel.
The small coloured toys are easily mistaken for lollies but expand up to the size of a golf ball.
11. Dave Goldberg died in a treadmill accident.
Sheryl Sandberg’s husband, Dave Goldberg, died of head trauma following a treadmill accident, according to a Mexican government official.
Goldberg, the chief executive of SurveyMonkey, died on Friday night after falling off the treadmill and cracking his head open.
He was at at a private resort in Mexico at the time, and his brother Robert found him on the floor of the gym at the resort at around 4pm local time on Friday with blood around him, Fairfax Media reports.
Mr Goldberg was transported to hospital, where he died, said the spokesperson.
Chief executive of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg previously said the death occurred while Mr Goldberg was on holiday with Ms Sandberg.
Ms Sandberg herself has not publicly spoken of her husband’s death.
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Top Comments
jesus - I have panic attacks when I start running fast on the gym treadmill. I always thought my anxiety was uncalled for but now my fears have been confirmed. Somebody pass me my valium
That baby didn't die because the parents were avid co-sleepers. That baby died because the parents were affected by drugs and alcohol - which you should NEVER have in your system if you co-sleep.
Poor baby. Parents should be charged with manslaughter.
I'm astounded as to why Mark didn't notify DoCS when he saw the conditions the baby was living in. Her life could have been saved if she was taken away from her drunk druggy parents.