6 Friday news bites (August 5)

Morning girls and guys!

The end of the week has been as bizarre as it has been busy for all things news. Catch up on the latest developments right here. Oh, and have a super fab weekend:

1. Unaccompanied children to be among first asylum seekers sent to Malaysia.

19 minors, 14 of whom weren’t travelling with any family or acquaintances, are among the first 55 to be transferred to Malaysia. The Government has been tight-lipped about who will definitely be sent as part of the ‘swap’ until after assessments of the asylum seekers have been made at Christmas Island, where they currently are. However, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has said there would be no blanket exemptions. Those deported will be filmed and the footage uploaded to the Internet as a crude warning to people smugglers and asylum seekers that they will not be kept in Australia if they try and arrive by boat.

2. Facebook adds drop-down option to tell everyone about your pregnancy

Just like your relationship status, or your gender, Facebook has now provided a quick-hit option to let everyone know you’re expecting, in case you were too lazy to write it as a status update. The move has baffled some, angered others and otherwise caused another ripple in the argument of whether social networking is sapping all the fun from those special moments in life. What do you think?

3. Parents of ‘collar bomb’ girl thank police as hunt for extortionist goes on

The parents of Madeleine Pulver, both successful in business, yesterday held a brief press conference to thank the rescuers for their efforts in helping keep their daughter calm. A mystery man entered their home about 2.30pm on Wednesday and strapped what was later found to be a fake bomb to the girl’s neck. The ordeal lasted for 10 hours before it was removed. A female officer stayed with the girl the entire time. Experts said the attacker may not, after all, be a determined extortionist but an elaborate attention seeker who did it for the media attention and thrills. The note left by the attacker was reportedly signed by a literary villain, Dirk Struan, from the novel Tai-pan. The fake bomb also contained a USB stick.

4. American President Barack Obama celebrated his 50th birthday at a Chicago fundraiser.

He was serenaded with a Happy Birthday rendition by singer Jennifer Hudson. Mr Obama said he had noticed a few more grey hairs since taking to the job in 2008 but that other, he felt good.

5. British Skydiver falls 1000m … and only breaks her ankle

Talk about luck. Zoe was on a normal skydive when her first parachute failed and her reserve chute became tangled in the other. She was hurtling without a stop 1067m to the soggy ground below. It was the soggy marsh that saved her. In the end she suffered only a broken ankle … and the trauma of the ground approaching at speed etched into her mind.

6. Queensland widow wins the right to collect dead partner’s sperm

Kelly Floyd’s soon-to-be-husband was struck and killed by a train in July and, in a state of grief, she made an emergency application to have his sperm stored so she could have his child. The couple had spoken about children and made medical appointments before trying to conceive. The woman had the support of the man’s family.

Oh, and don’t forget…

It’s showtime! Mamamia is back on Sky News this evening.

We’re back on air tonight (at 9:15pm on Sky news) with a rejigged format that feels a lot more, well, us. Mia will be joined in the new studio with guests Sam de Brito, journalist Kellie Connolly, Punch Deputy Editor Anthony Sharwood and our very own MM Deputy Ed Rebecca Sparrow. There will also be some punchy interviews on drugs and sport. We’re very excited!