Wednesday's news in under 5 minutes.

1. Robin Williams’ death

As the world mourns the loss of Robin Williams details have now emerged about his death with Marin County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Keith Boyd confirming he died by suicide.

Williams was found in a bedroom by his personal assistant who called 911. His wife Susan Schneider was asleep in another room. He did not leave a suicide note.

TMZ reports he was suffering severe depression saying he checked into rehab last month for depression.

From the UK, the Prince of Wales has paid tribute to him saying “”He was a remarkable man, whose wonderful frenetic humour brought a special kind of laughter into people’s lives.”

For more on the passing of Robin Williams read this post here.

To celebrate his life with some of his funniest moments read this post here.

If you need help with depression contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

2. Ebola death

Ebola has claimed its first life in Europe, with a Spanish missionary priest who was flown to a Madrid hospital from Liberia dying on Tuesday.

TheWorld Health Organisation said last night it was ethical to use untested drugs to treat patients infected with the Ebola virus according to the BBC.

The World Health Organization says 1,013 people have died so far in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa — and authorities have recorded 1,848 suspected, probable or confirmed cases of the killer virus.

3. Gable Tostee

Police have seized home-made porn from the apartment of Gold Coast man Gable Tostee as they try to piece together what happened to Warriena Wright when she fell from his balcony and died.

The Courier Mail, which is now labeling him a “love rat”, say he had rigged up his apartment with motion sensor cameras to record his sexual conquests.

It is also claimed that he used a drone and a telescope to watch neighbours from his apartment.

4. Iraq “genocide”

UN rights monitors have called for the global community to take urgent action in Iraq to avoid a potential genocide against the Yazidi community.

Thousands of members of the Yazidi religious minority have been trapped on a mountain in northwestern Iraq for days with little food or water after Islamic State jihadists overran the region.

The Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, in London for security briefings, has told the ABC Australia will be involved through humanitarian efforts.

“At this stage I want to stress that this is very much a humanitarian mission to try to ensure that tens of thousands of people are not exposed to the murderous zealotry of the Islamic State,” he said.

5. Will hate laws be revived?

Fairfax Media reports that the controversial ‘race hate laws’ which the Prime Minister abandoned last week could be revived by three senators.

Laticia Burke writes that Family First senator Bob Day wants to introduce into Parliament the now-dropped legislation and is supported by South Australian senator Cory Bernardi and West Australian senator Dean Smith.

She says that Queensland Liberal senator James McGrath is also understood to be “mulling his options”.

6. Swine flu is back

If you know someone struck down by the flu you aren’t alone: swine flu is currently sweeping through Australia.

The Influenza Specialist Group reports more than 21,000 Australians have been struck down by the flu so far this year – that is 36% higher than last year.

Dr Alan Hampson told the ABC it is not too late to get a vaccination.

7. Driveway tragedy

Heartbreaking news from the US where a young woman has accidentally backed the family car over her sister who was sunbaking in the driveway.

Marli Hamblin, 15, died in hospital.

For more, read this post.

8. Women ashamed of IVF

It seems that 85% of Australian women believe there is a stigma associated with seeking IVF, and one in two think it means you have failed.

Research conducted by IVF clinic, Bump, found that almost a third of 25-44 year old women believe that women feel responsible and guilty even when it’s their partner who has the fertility problem.

9. The restaurant where you can’t share a meal

A Brisbane restaurant has taken the extraordinary step of saying customers can not share a meal – with a rule they must order at least one meal per person, either main or dessert and a drink.

The Courier Mail reports the restaurant, Freestyle Tout in Fortitude Valley, say customers sharing food and drinking tap water are damaging business.

10. PMS is simply evolution

A scientist has proposed the theory that PMS is not a disease or syndrome but a normal consequence of evolutionary adaptation “similar to morning sickness.”

A paper published in the journal Evolutionary Applications argues PMS is a way women “can rid themselves of an infertile male to clear the way for new partner to increase their chances of passing on their DNA.”

Professor Michael Gillings from Macquarie University’s Department of Biological Sciences told News Limited: “the rise of PMS is a consequence of our control over our reproduction not as a consequence of infertility.”

11. Bosses prefer to hire men

A study by law firm Slater & Gordon has shown one in three bosses would prefer to hire a man in his 20s or 30s than a woman of the same age, as they are concerned that women will leave their job to peruse family life.

The study also showed that 40% of employers would be “wary” of hiring a mother for a senior role.

12. Allergy-free nuts?

News today that the US Department of Agriculture is one step closer to creating allergy free cashews — and that other nuts could be developed too.

Scientists have found a way to modify the proteins that cause allergic reactions in the cashews.

The nuts may be a long way off for consumers, but allergy experts have welcomed the research.

13. Should primary schools serve fast food?

An Adelaide primary school selling Subway sandwiches in its canteen is creating debate around whether schools should be serving fast food to their students.

The Golden Grove Lutheran Primary School began the service as they could not attract volunteers to the canteen.

SA Primary Principals Association president Pam Kent told The Advertiser schools were impacted by a State policy limiting unhealthy food which had affected turnovers.

14. Chinese Panda triplets

A miracle birth has occurred in a Chinese Zoo, with the world’s first known surviving Panda triplets born.

The three are thought to be the only known panda triplets that have ever survived the Guangzhou’s Chimelong Safari Park said in a statement.

16. Musical ability: is it in the genes?

It turns out practice may not make perfect after all.

Some aspects of musical talent are built into the genes, a new study published in Psychological Science suggests.

The Swedish study, which compared 1,211 pairs of identical twins and 1,358 pairs of fraternal twins, revealed that no matter how hard one twin had practiced, a co-twin who had practiced much less could still prove equally able in certain musical skills, the Huffington Post reports.

The research was lead by Dr Miriam Mosey of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, the Economist reports.

17. Spike in calls to mental health lines

“We want people to call us. We have trained people waiting to have that conversation to relieve distress, and very often we’ll save a life,” she said.

If you or a loved one need to talk to someone, please consider calling Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.  You can also get help online here.

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