6 Monday news bites (July 25)

Morning team Mamamia. It was a terribly sad weekend in all ways. Terror attacks in Norway, the death of a drug addicted singer and a bullet train crash in China. Not to mention the ongoing famine in the Horn of Africa. Catch up on some of what you missed right here.

1. Norwegian gunman and bomber admits responsibility for 92 deaths

The 32-year-old man arrested following the deadliest attacks in Norway since World War II has admitted responsibility for his attacks, apparently admitting they were cruel but that he had to go through with them. And as the Prime Minister, whose office was targeted in the Oslo bombing, and members of the Norwegian royal family met with the families of the victims it emerged the police took so long to respond because they had trouble finding a boat and their helicopter wasn’t on standby. It was 90 minutes after the gunman opened fire on the island holding the youth retreat before police made it ashore. Meanwhile, the suspects diary reveals him as an Islamophobic anti-Marxist Nazi. He said he would be revealed as the most shocking Nazi since World War II. The diary also indicated he had been planning the attacks since at least 2009.

2. Cadel Evans becomes first Australian to win the Tour de France

He couldn’t be challenged in the final stage and cyclist Cadel Evans knew it. The yellow jersey was his. Cadel rode down the Champs Elysee with a glass of champagne in hand and Australia’s newest national sporting star. Evans said the win was a culmination of years of trying. He had been runner-up twice before but, as they say, victory itself is sweetest. The Prime Minister,while congratulating Evans, had to play down talks of a public holiday for the sport obsessed. No deal.

3. Amy Winehouse died from a drug overdose: reports.

The death of the 27-year-old soul singer is still being investigated by police, but some are reporting the star suffered from a drug overdose or bad ecstasy pill. Others reported yesterday the star suffered a seizure brought on by heavy drinking, not drug use. Tributes have poured in from around the world. Friend of the singer Russel Brand, a former addict himself, wrote a moving tribute to the star. He wrote:

“Now Amy Winehouse is dead, like many others whose unnecessary deaths have been retrospectively romanticised, at 27 years old. Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today. We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease. Not all addicts have Amy’s incredible talent. Or Kurt’s or Jimi’s or Janis’s, some people just get the affliction. All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill.”

4. Bosses who demand medical certificate for one sick day are wasting time.

Steve Hambleton, the new boss of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has called on the Federal Government to put a stop to unreasonable bosses demanding medical certificates for one day’s sick leave. He said it was idiotic and was wasting doctors’ time. Requests for doctor’s certificates have more than doubled in the past decade, equating to about an extra 1.5 million visits just to get a signed form.

5. Asylum seeker cuts throat, others hunger strike at detention centre

Two men have cut themselves, one in the throat and another on his arm, in protests at the Scherger Detention Centre near Weipa in far north Queensland. They are among 60-80 asylum seekers who are on a hunger strike, protesting long processing times at the centre. Some have been locked up for almost 2 years. A spokesperson for the department said the injuries were ‘minor’.

6. Bidding has begun for the first Casey Anthony interview

And it will probably make the woman, acquitted of murdering her young daughter Caylee, a millionaire. Mega networks NBC, ABC and CBS are all vying for the first interview. They say they don’t pay for interviews, but they do pay big bucks for licensing deals on photos and visuals. The going price at the moment seems to be $1 million.