We’ve rounded up all the latest stories from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.
1. Low paid workers $10,000 worse off under Government’s parental leave plan.
New research has found that parents in low-paid jobs will be $10,500 worse off under the Turnbull government paid parental leave plan.
The University of Sydney’s Women and Work Research Group found that mothers who work in healthcare, teaching and retail could lose between $3942 and $10,512 under the policy created to soften the blow of the Abbott government’s “double dipping” plan.
The Turnbull government’s compromise plan allows for the paid leave from the parent’s employer to be deducted from the government’s 18-week scheme, payments are capped at the equivalent of 18 weeks at the national minimum wage.
Fair Agenda, who commissioned the research, told Fairfax Media that under their modeling an example of a part-time teacher in South Australia would loses $10,512 in payments.
Renee Carr, Fair Agenda’s CEP said “The government want to drastically cut the paid time at home available to 80,000 new parents, leaving many without support after their baby’s first 18 weeks.”
2. Grandfather dies of shock after hearing of family’s deaths.
In a tragic twist to an already heartbreaking story a grandfather has had a heart attack and died after hearing that five members of his family died in a car crash.
The Adelaide family died in a car crash in India when a tyre on their SUV burst, causing the vehicle to careen into a safety barrier, then flip onto its roof on Sunday.
Anamika Datta, 45, her daughters Neetika and Pipasa, aged 12 and 15, and sister Sonia, 25, died at the scene, while her 20-year-old son, Tirvijai, died in hospital a short time later.
The ABC reports that Anamika’s husband, Rupendra Datta survived the crash. But her father N K Paliwal, who was also in the car, died in hospital from a heart attack after finding out about his family.
“When he heard that the whole family had passed away he had a cardiac arrest and died,” family friend Anand Bhatia said.
“He passed away out of shock.”
3. Curtis Cheng murder: fresh terror charges lain against cell.
Three men allegedly involved in the murder of Curtis Cheng had fresh charges lain against them yesterday.
Raban Alou, 18, Mustafa Dirani, 22, and Talal Alameddine, 23, are the first to be charged with being members of a terrorist group.
The offence carries a maximum jail term of 10 years.
The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team yesterday laid the new charges against the men.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the new charges did not mean the men were alleged to have been members of a particular terrorist group but that they had allegedly formed their own terror cell to plot the shooting of Mr Cheng outside Parramatta police headquarters last year.
One of the men, Alu, is already accused of giving 15-year-old Farhad Jabar the gun he used to murder Mr Cheng.
4. Two students and teacher dead after French avalanche.
Two teenage school students are dead along with a teacher after an avalanche at the French ski resort of Deux Alpes.
Five pupils are still missing after the accident, according to French media.
The two teenage students were part of a group of 10 from France who, accompanied by their teacher, were on the closed track when the avalanche struck.
5. Woman loses hand in crocodile attack.
A woman in her 70’s has been flown to Darwin for medical treatment after being attacked by a crocodile in WA’s far north.
The woman, believed to be in her 70s, was attacked in a creek in Wyndham sometime on Wednesday.
According to the ABC the woman is a local resident of Wyndham. She has lost a hand and may have also suffered an injury to her leg.
6. Mother charged after baby left in hot car in 35 degree heat for an hour.
A Sydney mother has been charged after allegedly leaving her two-year-old son in a parked car at Bankstown in 35-degree heat.
Shoppers alerted police to the little boy locked in the car with no windows open.
Police said the little boy was in a distressed state when officers arrived at the scene.
After they forced their way in the boy was treated by NSW Ambulance Paramedics and taken to Bankstown Hospital where he was treated for dehydration.
The mother, 29, was paged in the shopping centre and returned to her car.
She was given a court attendance notice for leave child in motor vehicle causing emotional distress and will appear at Bankstown Local Court on February 24.
7. American tourist gang raped on PNG’s Kokoda Track.
A British man and an American woman, walking the Kokoda Track without an organised tour group have been brutally attacked in Papua New Guinea.
Assistant Commissioner Sylvester Kalaut told the ABC the pair, both 31, were robbed, the man was beaten and the woman raped by three local men before the tourists escaped and were helped by villagers.
“That happened on Monday morning, about eight [o’clock]. The culprits assaulted them and dragged them into the bushes and that’s where the female trekker was raped,” he said.
Mr Kalaut told The National newspaper that the suspects, armed with bush knives and spears, ambushed the pair as they were heading towards the Templeton Two campsite.
The three men were later arrested.
DFAT’s Smartraveller website has issued advice saying the pair were hiking without a licensed tour operator, and tourists should ensure they only travel with guides from reputable trekking companies.
8. Iran frees 10 US Navy sailors held in Gulf.
Iran has released 10 US sailors detained after entering its territorial waters.
The sailors were detained on Tuesday when one of their two vessels broke down while training in the Gulf.
They were held overnight, but then released.
The US expressed its gratitude to Iran for swiftly resolving the issue.
The naval commander of the Guards, Gen Ali Fadavi, said investigations found a navigational failure was to blame.
“We have concluded that passage of Americans in our territorial waters was not a hostile passage or for espionage or similar acts,” he told Iranian television.
9. Cadbury changes recipe to the Crème Egg. Loses a fortune.
Chocolate giant Cadbury has lost a motza after changing the recipe of their Easter treat, the Crème Egg.
Last year, in order to cut costs, Cadbury changed the shell to standard, traditional Cadbury milk chocolate instead of Cadbury Dairy Milk.
Research by British analysts IRI for trade magazine The Grocer found Cadbury’s best-selling seasonal lines were A$21m (£10m) lower in 2015, cutting the confectioner’s market share from 42% to 40%.
And the report found that filled and shell Creme Egg sales were down by A$12million (£6m.)
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Top Comments
Violence against women in Papua New Guinea is disgusting. The rape culture is revolting. I can't remember the exact statistics but more than half the woman in PNG have been on the receiving end of physical/sexual abuse. Population of PNG is quite large (7 something million) yet the country is really lagging behind. Access to healthcare is poor, vaccination levels are poor, cancer rates are high. It is really third world. This is 2016, it shouldn't be happening, particularly so close to us.
Wait, there's a difference between Cadbury Milk chocolate and Cadbury Dairy Milk? I always just assumed it was ALL Dairy Milk!