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. Home birth inquest mother pleaded for help before her death.

An inquest into the death of 36-year-old Caroline Lovell in 2012 after a botched home birth has heard that she pleaded with her husband to call an ambulance, as she was worried she was going to die.

At the inquest yesterday paramedic Marie Daley’s evidence was presented. She claimed that Caroline Lovell’s husband Nick Lovell told her that his wife had “grabbed him by his shirt, looked him in the eye and pleaded with him for help.”

“‘Nick I’m telling you, you need to call an ambulance, I’m going to die’,” she reportedly said.

The inquest had previously heard that the now unregistered midwife Gaye Demanuele believed that Ms Lovell was panicking.

Dr John Campbell, a specialist obstetrician told the inquest that she displayed “classic symptoms” of significant blood loss including anxiety, agitation and shortness of breath.

He said he complained to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority about Ms Demanuele, but was told that because she was unregistered, they had no jurisdiction.

Dr Campbell said Ms Lovell most likely died from postpartum hemorrhage. Ms Lovell had already suffered a postpartum hemorrhage during the birth of her first child in 2008.

The court heard that the midwife, Ms Demanuele was aware of other complications during the first birth, but did not believe it would impact this home birth.

Fairfax Media reports that Ms Demanuele told the inquest last year that she was still attending home births as a support person.

Ms Lovell died in hospital on January 23 in 2012 the night after she gave birth to her daughter in a birthing pool in her home.

Mamamia has reported on this before.

2. New Zealand midwife told teenage mum to be “ladylike” in her recovery.

In New Zealand the Human Rights Tribunal has found that a midwife failed a teenage mother who she was supposed to be assisting with a birth.

The young mother give birth in January 2012, but it was not until a month later, when she visited a doctor, that it was found a tear was infected and needed hospital treatment.

The tribunal said the midwife, Natasha Thompson, told the young mother to be “ladylike” after assessing a tear to her perineum and did not refer the mother to the doctor. It is reported that she laughed at her when she told her she had to tie her legs together with a dressing gown to stop the pain.

 3. Tragedy as five-year old boy killed.

A five-year old boy has been struck and killed by a car near his family home in Victoria.

The Herald Sun reports that five-year old Emerson Beasley was walking along Red Cliffs Ave in Koorlong, near Mildura when he was hit by a car.
Victoria Police spokesman Leading Sen-Constable Paul Turner said. “It’s believed the boy’s mother was driving the car at the time.”

The local community has spoken of the family and how close knit they are – but how they had recently had tough times with the death of the boy’s grandfather and a sick toddler.

“He eats everything, he wants to know everything, he was just a delight,”

“It’s bloody sad, it’s terrible … What do you do?”

4. Universities call for fresh funding debate following defeat of Government’s deregulation legislation.

By James Bennett

Australia’s universities are warning they will be forced to make “difficult decisions” on campuses, courses and staffing levels without more funding.

Universities Australia, the peak representative body for Australia’s 41 universities, said more money was needed to address “historic underfunding” of the sector.

“We will see classes getting bigger, we will see difficult decisions being made around campuses, around courses, around staff permanency,” said Belinda Robinson, chief executive officer of Universities Australia.

“These are the sorts of things that will be affected if we don’t address the issue that there has been a historic underinvestment in universities.”

Ms Robinson admitted Tuesday night’s Senate defeat of the Government’s higher education reform bill was “disappointing”.

If passed, the legislation would have allowed universities to set their own course fees.

But Ms Robinson said she hoped the bill’s defeat would be an opportunity for a new debate “that doesn’t see universities and research continue to be the political football”.

It was the second time the Coalition’s higher education changes had been rejected.

Labor and the Greens were joined by several crossbench senators to defeat the bill, 34 votes to 30.

Independent senators Nick Xenophon, Jacqui Lambie and Glenn Lazarus, Ricky Muir from the Motoring Enthusiasts Party, and Palmer United Party senator Dio Wang opposed the Higher Education and Research Reform Bill.

Family First senator Bob Day supported the bill, along with Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm.

Independent senator John Madigan also voted in favour of the bill, but made it clear he wanted it to progress so that it could be amended.

A version of this story was originally published on and has been republished with full permission.

For more read this post here.

 5. Canberra mother stabbed to death.

Police are investigating their third homicide investigation in the ACT in the past three weeks after a 28-year old mother of two was stabbed to death in her Canberra home early Tuesday morning.

Police were called to the Gordon home after reports a woman had been killed.

The Canberra Times reports that the mother had critical head injuries and several stab wounds.

ACT Policing acting Superintendent Harry Hains said

“The woman suffered significant stab injuries and obviously that speaks for itself.”

A man was helping police with their investigation yesterday but no charges had been laid.

A neighbor told that he often heard arguments, screams and cries in the middle of the night.

Another neighbour Frances Ottewill said she heard a loud argument at the house several weeks ago which prompted her to call police.

For domestic violence support  24/7, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). 

6. Ireland slams PM’s St Patrick’s Day message

Tony Abbott’s St Patricks’ Day video message hasn’t been taken very well in Ireland with Enda Kenny, the Irish Prime Minister criticising him for his “stage Irish” tone.

“It’s safe to say that this is the one day of the year when it’s good to be green,” sais Mr Abbott in the video message.

“It’s been said of us that the English made the laws, the Scots made the money, and the Irish made the songs.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be there to share a Guinness or two, or maybe even three.”

Mr Kenny said it was patronising.

“I think that it is perfectly in order for so many Irish people in Australia to have an enjoyable celebration of St Patrick’s Day and St Patrick’s week, and to do so in a thoroughly responsible fashion.

“There has been a long-term view of a stage Irish perception. I reject that.”

7. Fears as Cyclone Nathan coincides with high tide.

Residents of the Douglas Shire in Far North Queensland are preparing for the arrival of Cyclone Nathan that is expected to make landfall on Friday morning.

The category three cyclone will coincide with one of the biggest tides of the year – and the resulting storm surge that will threaten Douglas Shire infrastructure.

 8. Accused suitcase killer gives birth.

The teenager accused of murdering her mother in Bali then stuffing her body in a suitcase has given birth in Bali.

Heather Mack, 19, gave birth to a baby girl that she called Stella on Tuesday.

Mack and her boyfriend 21-year-old boyfriend Tommy Schaefer have told the court that the argument which resulted in Heather’s mother, Sheila von Wiese Mack’s death was about the baby.

Schaefer had secretly flown out to Bali to help Mack tell her mother she was pregnant, but an argument took place where they say Mrs Mack made racial slurs against him and demanded Heather Mack abort the baby, and that Mrs Mack tried to strangle Schaefer

He then hit her with a metal bowl.

Mack and Schaefer face charges of premeditated murder, which carries the death penalty, and of murder reports NBC. 

They will be sentenced next week.

Under Indonesian law Mack can keep her daughter with her in prison until she turns two.

 9. Tennant Creek woman convicted of manslaughter could not escape alcohol-fuelled violence, judge says.

By Rosa Ellen

A woman who stabbed her partner in the thigh during a drunken argument, causing him to bleed to death, has been described by a judge as being trapped in a cycle of alcohol abuse.

Anancia Daniels was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for the reckless manslaughter of her partner in the Alice Springs Supreme Court on Friday.

In August last year, Daniels, then 28-years-old, was living in Tennant Creek with her partner, referred to as Mr Richards for cultural reasons.

After an evening of drinking she wanted to continue on to another house to play cards.

Mr Richards refused and Daniels took a steak knife and hid in her room, threatening self-harm.

After being calmed down by a relative, she again approached her partner with the knife and wrestled with him, stabbing him in the femoral artery.

The court heard that as a 12-year-old Daniels had seen her own mother murdered by an uncle during an instance of alcohol-fuelled violence.

Daniels had helped her siblings escape the house, the court heard.

Daniels’ lawyer told the court she and Mr Richards had given up drinking together, even moving towns to get away from grog, but had been drawn back into it after the birth of their child.

In sentencing, Justice Stephen Southwood, said the case was a sad one.

“The offender comes from a very deprived background which was marked by alcohol misuse and violence,” he said.

“She lost her mother and was separated from her siblings as a result of drunken violence.”

In a letter of apology to Mr Richards’ family she described the victim as her “life … from the bottom of my heart”.

 A version of this story was originally published on and has been republished with full permission.

 10. France considers anti-anorexia laws.

Ultra thin models could be banned from the catwalks of France as the nation debates a ban on skinny models.

The “anti-anorexia” amendments mean that managers of modeling agencies could face six months in prison for employing unhealthily thin women.

The promotion of excessive skinniness would also become a criminal offence in a move aimed at sites that encourage eating disorders with “pro-anorexia” or “thinspiration” to achieve a thigh gap or bikini bridge.

The debate is currently before the French parliament.

For more read this post here.

 11. Lindt Cafe to open Friday.

The Lindt cafe in Martin Place – the scene of the Sydney siege in which a gunman and two hostages were killed – will reopen on Friday at 10am with a plaque inside the cafe in memory of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson.

 12. Prince Harry to serve with Australian Army.

Big news for royal watchers with everyone’s favourite Prince coming for a bit of Aussie life with a stint with the Australian Army.

have reported that Prince Harry will spend four weeks in April and May seconded to the Australian army spending time at army barracks in Darwin, Perth and Sydney, where he will “take part in a range of unit-based activities, training exercises and domestic deployments”, according to the palace.

13. Sephora in trouble over lipstick name.

Beauty retailer Sephora is under fire over the name of a lipstick. The store collaborated with reality TV star Kat Von D on a lipstick colour which has made many social media users furious. The controversial colour“Underage Red,” was first picked up by US writer Parker Molloy who tweeted:

There are reports the store will soon pull the line.

What news are you talking about?