Friday's news in under 5 minutes.

1. Jews in east Ukraine city told to ‘register’ with pro-Russian forces.

In abhorrent news, Jews living in the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk have reportedly been told to ‘register’ with the pro-Russian forces in the area.

People of Jewish faith were apparently told they would need to hand over a list of the property they own and pay a fee – or face deportation.

The US authorities have said that the leaflets making the orders appeared even as pro- and anti-Russian tensions have been rising in the area.

Previously, it was reported that Jews leaving a synagogue in Donetsk were told they had to ‘register’ and ‘sign up’ with the Ukrainian groups working to make the city part of Russia.

UPDATE: The authenticity of the leaflets has now been called into question. The papers were allegedly signed by Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic, the newly declared (and unrecognised) group in Ukraine. However, this and other pro-Russian groups have denied having anything to do with the leaflets.

Alexander Maltsev, a spokesman for the People’s Republic, told The New York Times, “This has nothing to do with us; it is a provocation.”

Lesley Weiss, deputy director of the National Conference Supporting Jews – a group that focuses on Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic States – told the Daily Dot, “It’s a fake flyer… It’s not true that they have to register or be deported.” 

At this stage it is not known who distributed the leaflets.

2. The Royals have arrived at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney.

It seems only appropriate that the visiting Royals should spend some time at the Royal Easter Show while they’re in Sydney.

The couple has reportedly had a look at the Hollywood Horrors haunted house and the produce displays in the Fresh Food Dome so far today.

3. NSW Premier Mike Baird hints at changes to lobbying laws.

The new NSW Premier Mike Baird has hinted at changes to lobbying laws in NSW, saying that people are “incredibly disappointed and shocked” by the ICAC investigation this past week.

Mr Baird said, “We will in coming days and weeks have more to say about additional measures to bring that confidence back in government.”

Former Premier Barry O’Farrell resigned this week after giving misleading information to ICAC about the gift of a $3,000 bottle of wine.

You can read more about the new Premier, Mike Baird, here: 6 things you need to know about the new NSW Premier.

4. Attorney-General George Brandis says keeping climate change deniers out of climate change debate is “deplorable”.

The Attorney-General George Brandis has said it is “deplorable” that climate change deniers are being excluded from the climate change debate. He further called the believers, or people who say the science is settled, “ignorant” and “medieval”.

In an interview with online magazine Spiked, the Attorney-General said he was “really shocked by the sheer authoritarianism of those who would have excluded from the debate the point of view of people who were climate-change deniers”.

“One side [has] the orthodoxy on its side and delegitimises the views of those who disagree, rather than engaging with them intellectually and showing them why they are wrong,” Brandis continued.

“In other words, ‘I am not even going to engage in a debate with you.’ It was ignorant, it was medieval, the approach of these true believers in climate change.”

Brandis also reiterated that he is not a climate change denier.

5. Disease carrying mosquitoes found in NSW.

A number of mosquito-borne diseases have been detected in NSW, such as Murray Valley Encephalitis, which can lead to permanent brain damage or death.

ACT health services have warned Canberra residents to dress conservatively over the long weekend, as mosquitoes carrying the disease could cross the border. ACT chief health officer Dr Paul Kelly said people should use repellant and cover up when outside.

“NSW is seeing ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes carrying Ross River virus, Barmah Forest virus, Kunjin and Murray Valley Encephalitis,” Kelly told Fairfax. “These infections can cause symptoms such as tiredness, rash, fever, sore and swollen joints.”

6. Edward Snowden surprises Vladimir Putin with phone call.

Edward Snowden – the former National Security Agency contractor who made headlines when he leaked classified documents to the American media – made an unexpected appearance on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual televised phone-in session with his constituents last night.

Snowden, who was granted asylum in Russia after leaking the documents, had called in to ask Putin if Russia conducts mass surveillance like the United States.

Snowden asked: “Now, I’ve seen little public discussion of Russia’s own involvement in such surveillance… So I’d like to ask you: does Russia intercept, store or analyse in any way the communications of millions of individuals, and do you believe that simply increasing the effectiveness of intelligence or law enforcement investigations can justify placing societies, rather than subjects, under surveillance?”

President Putin described how the Russian intelligence services operate before concluding, “And of course, we are doing it.” He also added, “We don’t allow ourselves to do it on a massive and uncontrolled scale, and I hope very much we will never allow that.”

7. A man about to be executed is saved by his victim’s mother.

A woman in Iran has spared the life of the man who killed her son. She approached the convicted murderer as he had the noose around his neck and slapped him across the face before sparing his life.

This comes after a recent campaign in Iran to save the life of Balal, the convicted murderer – who knifed another man, Abdollah Hosseinzadeh, in a 2007 street fight when he was 19 years old.

8. Earth-like planet discovered in another solar system.

Scientists believe that we may have discovered an Earth-like planet in another solar system. The excitingly named Kepler-186f looks like a rocky planet that is almost the same size as Earth and is far enough from its own ‘sun’ to allow surface water.

It’s not yet known if the planet has lakes or oceans but if it does it would increase the chances of extraterrestrial life having developed there. The journal Science said that the discovery of this planet is a “landmark on the road to discovering habitable planets”.

9. US woman says ex-cop boss raped her 18 times.

A 47-year-old social worker in the US has brought a federal lawsuit against her ex-cop boss, who she alleges raped her 18 times in a “veritable torture chamber”.

The room in question was a locked office in a New York hospital and the woman – named as Jane Doe in the court documents – has spoken to The New York Post about her alleged ordeal.

“I was scared every single day,” she revealed to the paper. “He told me he had a gun. I didn’t pick up the phone and call the cops because he was one of them.”

Jane Doe was hired in July 2012 to work at the hospital and care for AIDS patients. Her boss and alleged rapist has been named as 53-year-old Michael Reingold, a retired NYPD officer, who was in charge of the facility.

10. Gabriel Garcia Marquez passes away at 87.

The Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez has passed away at the age of 87. He is widely considered to be one of the world’s most popular Spanish-language writers and his famous novel One Hundred Years of Solitude has been sold in more than 25 languages around the world.

 What news are you talking about today?