Friday's news in under 5 minutes.

1. Oscar Pistorius cleared of murder.

Oscar Pistorius must wait to discover if he is guilty or not of manslaughter after a South African judge ruled that there is not enough evidence for the charge of murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

He could still be found guilty of culpable homicide, carrying anything from a suspended sentence to a lengthy prison stretch, or he could be acquitted.The Blade Runner will find out his fate tonight.

For more read this post here.

2. Mel Greig at British Inquest.

Radio personality Mel Grieg has appeared at the inquest into the death of British nurse Jacintha Saldanha overnight.

The Coroner however ruled that she could not give evidence. She had made a request to testify about Ms Saldanha’s demeanour during the prank call. But the Coroner Dr Wilcox said the nurse’s state of mind during the call was not relevant News Limited reports.

The focus of the inquest was how Jacintha Saldanha reacted after learning she had been duped. “Therefore, Ms Greig can’t help,” the coroner said.

Her appearance was a surprise after reports earlier in the week that she would not appear.

Mel Greig tweeted yesterday that she would make herself available to the family and answer any of their questions. “I made a commitment to the Saldanha family that I would answer any questions they have, on or off the stand, I’m here to uphold that promise,” she said.

British nurse Jacinta Saldanha committed suicide on December 7, 2012, just days after answering a prank call from Mel Greig and co-host Michael Christian. They were pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles inquiring about Prince William’s pregnant wife Kate who was suffering acute morning sickness during her first pregnancy.

The inquest heard from Ms Saldanha’s husband Benedict Barboza who told the court his wife was a ‘happy, bubbly’ woman prior to her death.

3. US pauses for September 11

Victims’ relatives have joined dignitaries and politicians across the US to commemorate the nearly 3,000 people killed 13 years ago on September 11.

During the ceremonies the victims names will be read aloud, punctuated by moments of silence to mark the times when each of the four hijacked airliners crashed and the World Trade Center’s twin towers fell.

4. Baby dies of meningococcal disease

A six-month-old baby girl has died from meningococcal disease in Adelaide – one of five cases of the disease just this month in Adelaide alone.

Health authorities are warning people to be on the lookout for symptoms of the disease.

For more on symptoms and what to look out for visit this page here.

 5. NSW Man jailed for sexting.

A judge has jailed a Sydney man in the first case of a sexting offence, saying he was depraved.

The 42-year old man who worked in a swimming pool maintenance business sent sexually explicit messages and videos to nine women without their consent.

Fairfax Media reports that the Magistrate said: “If you had to look up the word depraved, you would find an entry: Peter Sheather.”

He is believed to be the first person in NSW prosecuted for “sexting”.

6.  Ebola scare in QLD

The man who triggered a nationwide Ebola scare has been cleared of the virus.

The Gold Coast Bulletin reports that tests taken from the 27-year old man returned a negative result.

7.  Mums cause social media frenzy

A Facebook group of Mums from Sydney’s Northern Beaches has caused a frenzy after one posted she saw an alleged abduction of a young girl.

The mother wrote that she had seen a five or six-year-old girl being dragged from a bus stop around 10.30pm on Wednesday night. A frenzy followed with mothers reporting the incident to police. There were more than 350 comments in 40 minutes and mothers began to take matters into their own hands by driving around the area searching for the “abducted child.”

The Manly Daily reports that police confirmed they had investigated the incident and found nothing, but were then inundated with calls asking for information from concerned mothers.

Inspector Graeme Pickering from Dee Why told The Manly Daily that an” administrator on the site contacted Mona Vale police who confirmed they had found nothing and asked her to remove the post to stop the growing hysteria.”

Strath Gordon, NSW police social media spokesman said that people need to exercise some common sense.

8. Fred Nile calls to ban the burqa

NSW MP Fred Nile has introduced a private member’s bill to state parliament would prohibit the wearing of the burqa and other face coverings in public.

Under the bill a person who covers their face in public would face a $550 fine and a person who forces someone else to cover their face would be hit with an $1100 penalty.

The MP said that under certain circumstances faces would be allowed to be covered, such as during a parade or if “Sydney is suddenly hit by a blizzard and ski masks are the latest fashion.”

Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi told Fairfax Media that the bill was another example of “conservative men trying to control what women do”.

9. Father-to-be suffering morning sickness

A Man in the UK has been receiving media attention for being diagnosed with suffering male morning sickness – in sympathy with his pregnant wife.

The father to be Harry Ashby who is expecting a baby with his fiancée began suffering weight gain, exhaustion and then began vomiting.

For more read this post here.

10. Victorian cyclists may be allowed to run red lights

The Herald Sun reports that a range of options are being considered for cyclists under the Victorian government’s overhaul of the road rules.

These include the possibility of letting cyclists run red lights, and banning motorist from entering bike lanes completely. Currently, drivers can enter bike lanes for up to 50m in order to park or turn.

Some of the options being considered are. (From The Herald Sun)

• A ban on cyclists’ use of headphones
• Letting motorcyclists to share bike lanes with cyclists
• Allowing cyclists to treat red lights like Give Way signs
• Allowing those aged 12-17 to ride on a footpath if with a child aged under 12
• Letting cyclists with kids under 10 in a trailer or child seat to use the footpath
• Allowing all riders to use the footpath, provided that they give way to pedestrians.

11. PMDD a form of sexism against women

A study has called PMDD – premenstrual dysphoric disorder  – and PMS a “social construct” rather than psychological disorder.

The study has called for PMDD to be removed from the DSM5 after the American Psychiatric Association included premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) as a psychiatric disorder in the latest edition of its bible of psychiatric diseases.

The Australian study’s author says, “ I am hoping PMDD will be seen as a form of sexism against women and that people will call for it to be deleted from the manual because I don’t think it should be there at all,” Dr Browne said. “It is not actually a medical disorder but a problem with their lives that should be addressed,” she said.

“This could result in discrimination against women in general because if women are more subject to hormonal imbalances than men it could be seen as making us unreliable, unfit for positions of responsibility.”

12.  Indecent assault normalized.

A disturbing study from the UK has shed light on the fact that young women see inappropriate or unwanted physical attention or groping as the norm when they are out drinking at a pub or club.

The study of 18 to 24-year-olds says that 31% said they were touched inappropriately on a drunken night out – but only 19 per cent said they were surprised by it.

More than ¼ say they have put up with inappropriate sexual comments or abuse on a drunken night out.

13. Prince Harry uninjured after crash

Prince Harry has been involved in a high-speed car crash — but he has escaped uninjured.

One of his police outriders reportedly smashed head-on into a taxi near London Zoo.

Bodyguards had to treat both the unconscious driver — who had to be cut free from the wreckage by firemen — and the police rider. Both are in a stable condition.

Royal aides confirmed that Prince Harry’s convoy had been involved in the crash, but that he had not been injured, the Daily Mail reports.

A spokesman for Prince Harry said last night: ‘The prince was obviously very concerned and wanted to make sure the men were OK. He is relieved to hear they are both in a stable condition.’

14. Eight-year-old girl dies at the Adelaide Show

An eight-year-old girl has died after falling around from a spinning ride at the Royal Adelaide Showat about 12:30pm today.

An ambulance spokesman said crews rushed the unconscious child to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Police were seen gathered around a brightly coloured ride called ‘Air maxx 360’ at the show after the accident.

15. Woman living with only part of her brain

Doctors at a Chinese hospital have discovered that one of their patients is missing part of her brain, New Scientist reports.

The 24-year-old woman, from in China’s Shandong Province, came to the PLA General Hospital of the Jinan Military Area Command complaining of nausea and dizziness. She said she had also experienced difficulty walking throughout her life.

A CAT scan discovered something incredible –she was missing an entire region of the brain, the cerebellum.

The space where her brain should have been was entirely devoid of tissue, and instead was filled with cerebrospinal fluid, a liquid that cushions the brain from impacts.

16. Canapes for Fashion Week socialites

Applicance brand Miele has come up with a range of food that is says provides the vitamins and antioxidants equivalent to ‘five-a-day’ fruits and vegetables –but without the need to prepare or cook.

Three canapes and one fruit cocktail from the range will provide enough nutrients for the whole day, the company claims, according to The Daily Mail.

The range was created to combat fatigue at London Fashion Week — and it can be eaten standing up, so it’s perfect for socialites at Fashion Week events.

17. High Court sets limits on Australia’s policy of mandatory detention

The High Court of Australia ruled yesterday that Immigration Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to grant a man a temporary protection visa is invalid.

The case is especially significant because it set significant new limits on Australia’s mandatory detention policy, and made clear there are only three lawful reasons for detaining people: to consider whether to let someone apply for a visa, to remove someone, or to consider an application for a visa, as Joyce Chia reports for The Guardian.

The court clarified that detention is only lawful if these purposes are being “pursued and carried into effect as soon as reasonably practicable”.

While the court said these rules are consitutional  — which means parliament cannot override them by introducing new laws — a spokesperson for Mr Morrision said fewer than 50 cases that will be be affected by the judgement.

The future for thousands in detention therefore remains unclear, the ABC reports.

18. Three-year old NSW boy missing

A three-year-old boy has gone missing from a front yard on NSW’s mid-North coast.

William Tyrell has been missing from the front yard of a relative’s home in Kendall since 10:30am today. He is believed to be wearing a Spiderman suit and is of caucasian appearance, with dark hair and hazel eyes.

The NSW dog squad and State emergency services have converged on the remote property, 35 kms south of Port Macquarie, close to Kendall State Forest to conduct a thorough search of the area.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000, or visit the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.

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