Ian Thorpe is in ICU, facing the threat of losing the use of his left arm forever.

Breaking:

Former Olympic champion Ian Thorpe, 31, is in intensive care in hospital and facing the terrifying threat of losing the use of his left arm forever.

The report comes from Network Seven, which stated that the swimmer contracted an infection following surgery at a hospital near his home in the Swiss town of Ronco sopra Ascona.

He is now under intensive care in Sydney, News.com reports.

Update:

A woman believed to be the mother of the baby abandoned in the Sydney suburb of Auburn has come forward, police say.

The woman came forward to a police station in the Flemington area at 2.15pm on today, 9 News reports.

She is currently being interviewed.

1. Peaches Geldof dead

Peaches Geldof has been found dead in her home in the UK. A mother of two, she was discovered by the police just after 1.35pm local time.

Her father, Bob Geldof, has confirmed her death. The police say her death was “sudden” and “unexpected”.

For more, read this post here “Peaches Geldof found dead”.

If you are struggling and need someone to talk to, please call Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. 

2. “Hope” in MH370 search

There is fresh hope in the search for missing jet MH370 with Malaysia’s Transport Minister saying, “Miracles do happen.”

The statement came amidst news that underwater sounds that had been detected were consistent with that of an airline’s black box.

“Miracles do happen,” Hishamuddin Hussein told a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur. “We continue to hope and pray for survivors.”

Retired Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston warned yesterday that it could take days to confirm whether the signals picked up by the Australian navy ship Ocean Shield are indeed from the black boxes that belonged to flight MH370.

3. Oscar Pistorius breaks down

Oscar Pistorius broke down in court at the beginning of his testimony.

The Paralympian is on trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines Day 2013.

He said he was “trying to protect” Reeva Steenkamp and said he could not imagine her family’s pain.

“There hasn’t been a moment since this tragedy happened that I haven’t thought about your family.”

“I wake up every morning and you’re the first people I think of, the first people I pray for. I can’t imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that I’ve caused you and your family.

After speaking of his childhood and testifying to being shot at as a child, his lawyer asked for a recess as his client was exhausted.

His testimony continues tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCqjdS8pMOI

4. Baby abandoned

A baby believed to be about 18 months old has been abandoned on a doorstep at a house in the Sydney suburb of Auburn.

The baby girl was left with a bottle of formula and wrapped in a light green blanket with a picture of an owl on the front. She is said to be of Asian appearance.

The man who answered the door said finding the baby was a “surprise”.

‘‘It was a complete surprise last night, so we called (the) police and they came over and the baby was taken care of, and we just hope that she’s okay,” he said in a radio interview on 2UE.

‘‘I couldn’t imagine that anyone would do something like this to their child. If you have a problem, there’s places you can call and they can help you, rather than just abandoning your child.’’

Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward or to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

5. Pregnancy discrimination

An Australian Human Rights Commission report has shown that half of Australia’s working mothers report discrimination during pregnancy, parental leave or when returning to work.

About 18 per cent of mothers had been made redundant, dismissed, had their job restructured or not had their contract renewed, either during their pregnancy, when requesting or taking parental leave, or when they returned to work.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick said, “The most common types of discrimination included negative comments about breastfeeding or working part-time or flexibly and being denied requests to work flexibly.”

6. Corby admitted to ‘several drug runs’

Convicted drug smuggler Renae Lawrence has claimed that her Schapelle Corby “knew” she was carrying drugs into Bali and that the fateful arrest was her fourth drug run.

Lawrence made the statement in a secretly filmed video obtained by Network Ten. For more, read this post here.

7. Sophie Collombet murder

A 25-year-old man is due to face court this morning where police will apply to extradite him to Queensland for questioning over the murder of French student Sophie Collombet.

Benjamin James Milward, 25, was arrested in Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales shortly before 3pm on Monday. A nation-wide alert had been issued for him last Friday afternoon, nearly a week after Sophie Collombet’s body was found in a rotunda at Kurilpa Park in South Brisbane.

8. PM’s Japan free trade agreement

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has secured a historic free trade agreement with Japan, which will see the cost of electrical goods in Australia fall by up to five per cent this year.

The deal will also see tariffs lifted on Australian wool, cotton, lamb and beer exported to Japan.

Under the deal, Japanese cars will be around $1,500 cheaper.

9. Circumcision study

A study has shown that men who are circumcised before the age of one are 14 per cent less likely to develop prostate cancer and that adult men who are circumcised after the age of 35 are 45 per cent less at risk than uncircumcised men.

The research was by the University of Montreal and the INRS-Institut-Armand-Frappier.

It follows a study last week, which found that the health benefits of male circumcision far outweigh the risks by more than 100 to one.

Brian J. Morris, Professor of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney wrote in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings report, “Just as there are opponents of vaccination, there are opponents of circumcision. But their arguments are emotional and unscientific, and should be disregarded.”

10. Dead man found alive and working in a café

A coroner’s inquest has been terminated after a man suspected of committing suicide was spotted by two school friends working in a café on QLD’s Airlie Beach.

They called out to him but he fled.

The 28-year-old Matthew Shirvington of Cooma, NSW, was suspected to have died after his car was found facing a beach on the NSW south coast filled with empty beer and vodka bottles.

A “suicide note” was left in the car but his body was never found.

The police are now attempting to make contact with him.

11. Cyclone Ita

A cyclone which killed at least 18 people as a tropical low in the Solomon Islands is now headed towards North QLD.

There is concern it could cross Cape York and redevelop in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

12. Toddler’s cancer found when he fell out of bed

A mother in the UK has discovered her toddler has a rare form of cancer when he fell out of bed. She noticed a lump in his shoulder. The boy Zack Nicholls, aged three, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma – a rare form of cancer.

Zach’s mum Melanie Bosley is about to take him to the US for a radical proton beam therapy at Oklahoma City Hospital in America. His mother has set up a fundraiser to assist with the hospital costs.

What news are you talking about?