8 Tuesday news bites (Oct 11)

1. Paul McCartney marries for the third time

The former Beatle, 69, married Nancy Shevell at London’s Old Marylebone Town Hall, the same place he married the iconic Linda in 1969. The wedding was attended by friend and former bandmate Ringo Starr and American journalist Barbara Walters, a relative of the bride. The bride wore a simple ivory gown, cut just above the knee, which was designed by McCartney’s daughter Stella. McCartney divorced his second wife Heather Mills in bitter proceedings in 2008.

2. American council ‘decriminalises’ domestic violence

Why? To save a little money from its cash-strapped budget. The Topeka, Kansas City Council was moved to begin the decriminalisation of domestic offences when faces with the worst economic conditions in the United States since the Great Depression. But does that make it OK? It’s not that these offences are now legal, but the Council has just stopped prosecuting them along with other misdemeanours. So far 30 cases have been turned back.

3. Demi Moore reportedly seeks out divorce lawyer

So we heard the rumours and now it seems Demi Moore is actively looking for divorce from her younger hubby Ashton Kutcher. This follows a strange unravelling of the couple’s lives on Twitter when each began tweeting vague allusions to a broken relationship. Oh, so complicated. The pair are worth a combined $300 million.

4. New Zealand oil slick disaster worsens

A cargo ship which ran into a reef during calm waters 22km out from Tauranga beach in New Zealand has yet to be salvaged. The ship, which is holding 1700 tonnes of oil, was leaking after the incident but has since been sealed. Some of the oil which leaked has begun washing up on the New Zealand beaches in clumps. So far only 10 tonnes of oil has been removed from the ship and it is estimated it will take 40 hours to remove it all. Specialist equipment has been flown in on a 747 to help with the operation.

5. Australia Post announces new parcel system for online shoppers

Parcels bought with just the ‘click of a mouse’ now make up around $1 billion in revenue for Australia Post so it was only a matter of time before it restructured with new parcel services. The company announced yesterday it would introduce a new eBay express post satchel or box at a low price available anywhere in Australia. Under the new changes, customers will have the ability to collect parcels from an initial 100 extended-hours locations across Australia and access parcel lockers 24 hours a day.

6. Work smarter or harder?

A News.com.au survey of more than 17,000 people found that men and women would prefer to work four, 10-hour work days in exchange for a three day weekend. Although the more women earned, the less keen they were on the subject. Interestingly, men earning high salaries preferred the option of a ‘dress down’ day while women earning top salaries did not – with suggestions it reflected the way they were judged on looks in the workplace.

7. Actress in Australian film to be jailed, lashed

Life imitating art? An Iranian woman who appeared in an Australian film about the limitations of a budding theatre actress whose work is shut down in Iran will be jailed for a year and receive 90 lashes for her role. Marzieh Vafamehr appeared in the film My Tehran for Sale which was released in 2009.

8. Crowdsourcing shop spies

Retailers can now take advantage of a new app called ‘Field Agent’ which helps regular customers report back from their own shops about the level of service and professionalism they’ve encountered. Companies just need to list what ‘jobs’ they want done – such as taking a photo of how promotional displays are set up – and users can jump on it if they are nearby. They get paid for it too, anywhere between $4 and $20. It’s a win-win situation, really.

News brought to you by Rick.