Tuesday's news in under 5 minutes: Nelson Mandela funeral preparations underway.

UPDATE: Arrest over disappearance of  Siriyakorn ‘Bung’ Siriboon.

Authorities have reportedly arrested and questioned a man who is believed to be responsible for the disappearance of Siriyakorn ‘Bung’ Siriboon, a Melbourne school girl, over 2 years ago.

The ABC have reported that the 24-year-old  man has said he hit Siriboon with his car while driving one morning, killing her. He then panicked, and buried her body at a nature reserve.

Our thoughts are with Siriyakorn Siriboon’s family at this time.

1. Nelson Mandela funeral

In South Africa the nation prepares to say goodbye to Nelson Mandela  in what will be the funeral of the century.

Nelson Mandela’s body will not be at the memorial service to be held in Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium today, in an apparent attempt to cool emotions from spilling over.

Among the dignitaries attending are Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, British PM David Cameron, US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, and all living former presidents – except George H.W. Bush.

Celebrity guests will include U2 singer Bono, chat show queen Oprah Winfrey and billionaire Richard Branson.

2. Newspoll survey

The honeymoon period is officially over as the coalition slumped to its lowest rating in three years.

Labor now leads on preferences for the first time since Julia Gillard was elected prime minister, according to a Newspoll survey taken last weekend.

After three months of an Abbott-led government, more voters are dissatisfied with the prime minister than satisfied, shows the Newspoll, which is published in The Australian today.

Labor’s two-party-preferred support has jumped five percentage points to put the ALP in front 52 per cent to 48 per cent.

3. Catholic Church abuse inquiry

The Catholic Church has admitted paying at least $43 million in hush money to victims of its pedophile priests. In some cases, victims were not even allowed to tell their husbands, wives or children about the secret settlements negotiated through the church’s controversial Towards Healing process.

4. Father accused of setting fire to sons

A Tasmanian court has heard that a father deliberately set fire to his two sons in the family car to stop their mother gaining custody of them after a separation. In an emotionally charged Supreme Court in Burnie Paul Brian Edward Connelly is facing an attempted murder charge. He has pleaded not guilty. For more on this read this post here. “Father accused of setting fire to his two young sons.”

5. Melbourne murders

A man murdered a Melbourne couple by repeatedly stabbing them after an argument over a debt for plaster work he had done at their home, a court has heard.

Police found a 54-year-old man and 35-year-old woman dead in their Moonee Ponds home on Sunday evening.

Their three children, aged between two and five years old, were found in another room uninjured. Mustafa Kunduraci, 44, of Meadow Heights has been charged with the couple’s murder and will appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court this morning.

6. Sarah Hanson-Young

Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has won the right in court to argue that ZOO Weekly magazine sexually objectified her when they photoshopped her head onto the body of a lingerie-clad model.

Senator Hanson-Young is suing the magazine for defamation over the photo and article entitled “ZOO’s Asylum Seeker Bikini Plan”, published in July 2012.

Bauer Media, which owns ZOO magazine, has claimed the article was plainly intended as a joke.

7. Judge says parents should be married

A UK high court judge has said that Couples should not have children if their relationship is not stable enough to merit getting married.

Sir Paul Coleridge said couples had no right to have children, “you only have responsibilities if you have them”.

Sir Paul criticised warring parents’ obsessions with their own “rights” instead of their responsibilities to do the best for their children.

8. Granny nannies

Grandparents are babysitting nearly half of Australia’s young children while their parents work, new official figures show.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies has found that baby boomer grandparents are caring for 40 per cent of babies, toddlers and preschoolers whose parents work.

Parents now rely almost as much on “granny nannies” as they do on formal daycare.

9. QLD pedophile

Queensland pedophile Peter Truong, who bought a newborn boy for $US8000 and then allowed men around the world to abuse the child, has been sentenced in a US court to 30 years’ jail.

10. Natural Born Killers couple

In the US a newlywed couple killed a man ‘for thrills’ after luring him to his death with a Craigslist ad, police have said.

Elytte Barbour and his wife of three weeks, Miranda, posted an advert online promising companionship in return for money.

Mr Barbour told officers they wanted to kill someone together.

 11. Outdoor time for Christmas

Parents in the UK are being encouraged to give their kids “outside time” for Christmas. A National Trust group is distributing vouchers to be given as gifts by parents to their children. The  vouchers sign each parent up to spending time with their child outdoors.

More than four in five adults say their children spend less time playing outside than they did at their age, according to research.

In Brief:

Three would-be asylum seekers, including a toddler, were killed off the coast of Java on Monday when their wooden fishing vessel sank on the way to Christmas Island.

In the UK a leading head teacher has warned that bad language in family TV shows is to blame for an explosion of swearing in classrooms and playgrounds.

What news are you talking about today?