Friday's news in under 5 minutes

1. Man jailed for stomping on girlfriend’s head

Trigger warning: This news item deals with domestic violence and may be triggering for some readers.

A Sydney man has been jailed for pushing his 19-year-old girlfriend against a set of concrete stairs rendering her unconscious, then smashing a 6.8-kilogram terracotta pot on her head before stomping on her.

Trent Keith Wainwright, 32, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm with intent over the violent attack on his girlfriend on January 16, 2010.

The court heard Wainwright had been drinking when he attacked her outside their home. The couple met via a social networking site in early 2009 and she moved from Tasmania to live with him.

The victim had to have a plate inserted in her face and was on a restricted liquid diet for up to six weeks following the attack.

Judge Norrish said the victim was ‘‘in absolutely no condition to defend herself’’ during the attack, especially after she was unconscious. Wainwright was sentenced to a maximum sentence of eight years and one month in jail.

He will be eligible for parole in October 2016.

2. Terrorist group ISIS gaining ground

US President Barack Obama has said his government is looking at “all options”, including military action, to help Iraq fight Islamist militants.

He said the US had an interest in making sure jihadists did not gain a foothold in Iraq. Led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), the insurgents are believed to be planning to push further south to the capital, Baghdad, and regions dominated by Iraq’s Shia Muslim majority, whom they regard as “infidels”.

An unconfirmed audio recording of ISIS spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani urged the militants to continue their fight. “Continue your march as the battle is not yet raging,” the audio said “It will rage in Baghdad and Karbala. So be ready for it.”

The Iraqi Defense Ministry said in a statement that the military carried out airstrikes overnight, targeting the al-Ghazlany military base, just five kilometers south of Mosul where a group of ISIS militants are believed to be based. 

Closer to home, Foreign minsiter Julie Bishop expressed her deep concern at ISIL’s actions, Fairfax reports.

“The Australian government condemns in the strongest terms the attack, and taking of Turkish consular staff as hostages by ISIL,” Ms Bishop told AAP in a statement.

“We join Turkey and the international community in calling for the immediate release of Turkey’s kidnapped diplomatic personnel,” she said.

3. US prisoner of war to arrive home.

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the US soldier held captive in Afghanistan, is due to arrive back in Texas today.

Bergdahl was recently released after five years as a prisoner of the Taliban. In exchange, the US released five detainees from a detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

He will be taken to an Army Medical Center where he will be slowly reintroduced to his family.

4. Report shows how one unvaccinated child sparked a massive measles outbreak.

A study in the online journal Pediatrics has shown how just one small child sparked a massive contamination.

The 2011 outbreak infected 19 children and two adults and exposed 3000 people to the disease.

It offers a case study into how the disease is transmitted throughout the world.

For more, see this post.

5. More claims Miss Universe is rigged

A second Miss Universe contestant has claimed the competition is rigged.

Alexandra Ivkovic, a Miss Universe finalist, told News Limited that she had “an issue” with the way the judging process was performed.

“I do not believe that there should be a separate judging panel to the one that is used on the night of the final,” Ms Ivkovic said.

“The prejudging is a major factor in the result of the competition. In regard to claims that the final was audited, there was no independent company to monitor the voting system, even during rehearsals,” she said.

6. Fourth woman hanged from a tree in India

A teenager has been found hanging from a tree in a village in northern India, the fourth woman to die in such a way in recent weeks in Uttar Pradesh state in India.

Police said the woman was not raped.

A day earlier, another woman’s body was found hanging from a tree in the state. The BBC have reported that police were investigating whether her death could have been a so-called “honour killing”.

Late last month, two teenage girls were found hanging from a tree in Uttar Pradesh after being gangraped.

7. World Cup

The World Cup is seeing its first game with Brazil opening the tournament against Croatia this morning.

The month-long tournament sees 32 nations compete for a place in the final in Rio on Sunday, 13 July.

The opening match was preceded by a ceremony in Sao Paulo that paid tribute to nature, people and football.

Australia’s first game is against is at 8am(AEST) on Saturday against Chile.

8. Ginia Rinehart

Trigger warning: This post deals with suicide and may be distressing for some readers.

An inquest at Westminster’s Coroners Court into the death of the bodyguard of Gina Rinehart’s daughter, Ginia, has delivered an open finding.

The coroner delivered an open verdict on 35-year old Jerry Rouwhorst’s death ruling that the level of alcohol in his system and a distressed text message sent to Ms Rinehart offering his resignation as her bodyguard meant she could not be sure he intended to kill himself.

The bodyguard was said to have been ashamed of being drunk and not performing his duties properly.

If you need help please call Lifeline on 131 114, or visit

9. Charges dropped against man accused of giving alcohol to 9-year-old

A New Zealand man accused of giving alcohol to a 9-year-old-boy has had his charges dropped, while another man accused of the same crime has been fined just $750.

Earlier this year, footage filmed in a New Zealand skate park of a drunken 9-year-old boy went viral. The boy had consumed two half-cans and two full cans of the eight-percent mixer, as well as shots.

In court yesterday, one man had his charges dropped as the judge said there was not enough evidence against him. Another man was fined $750.

A woman who also faces charges has not yet appeared in court.

10. Madeleine McCann’s parents optimistic

The parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann have said that they are pleased no evidence has been turned up in the search in Portugal as they feel this reinforces their belief that she is still alive.

“We are very pleased that significant activity has taken place in Praia da Luz over the last 10 days.” said the statement from Gerry and Kate McCann.

“We are further encouraged that despite the intensive searches, no trace of Madeleine has been found and this reinforces our belief that she could still be alive.”

11. US governor’s controversial homosexuality remarks

The governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has compared homosexuality to alcoholism.

“Whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle or not, you have the ability to decide not to do that,” said Perry, The San Francisco Chronicle repots.

“I may have the genetic coding that I’m inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that, and I look at the homosexual issue the same way,” he said.

The comments have sparked a massive backlash on social media.

Perry leaves the governor’s office next year, and is reportedly considering a presidential bid in 2016.

12. “Cool kids” struggle later in life

A study in the journal Child Development has shown that children at the top of the popularity food chain in high school may not be so cool by time they hit adulthood.

They are also more likely to face challenges with relationships and drugs, the study reveals.

“It appears that while so-called cool teens’ behaviour might have been linked to early popularity, over time, these teens needed more and more extreme behaviors to try to appear cool, at least to a subgroup of other teens,” study co-author Joseph P. Allen said.

“So they became involved in more serious criminal behaviour and alcohol and drug use as adolescence progressed. These previously cool teens appeared less competent -socially and otherwise – than their less cool peers by the time they reached young adulthood.”

 13. Shock elimination in MasterChef

Sarah Todd, formerly one of the favourites to win this year’s series of MasterChef, has just been eliminated from the competition.

The 27-year-old Queenslander was sent packing from  the Channel 10 cooking show after a cook-off against Colin Sheppard and Tracy Collins.

The model, who attracted controversy earlier this year when images of her from a topless photoshoot surfaced, served up raw chicken roulade on last night’s show– and the judges refused to even taste it.

“I had a bad day in the kitchen — it was so disappointing,” Sarah told News Corp Australia today.

“It only takes one mistake to send you home.”

14. Wheelchair-using couple win discrimination case after being refused entry into nightclub

A couple with disabilities has won a discrimination case and been awarded £2000 in compensation after they were refused entry into a Scottish nightclub.

Nathan and Robert Gale, who both use wheelchairs, claimed bouncers wouldn’t let them into the Polo Lounge in Glasgow.

Robert Gale, 33, and partner Nathan Gale, 28, had been to the popular venue before but on this occasion, door staff said they may not enter because the venue lacked disabled facilities, Stv News reports.

Robert Gale, who has cerebral palsy, pulled himself from his wheelchair and crawled up the stairs, and the pair say they spent 15 minutes trying to reason with the management team.

Venue staff eventually called the police.

The Gale then took legal action against against a leisure firm G1 Group, which owns the venue.

On Wednesday, a hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court ruled the couple had been discriminated against under Scotland’s Equality Act.

What news are you talking about today?