Tuesday's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up all the latest stories from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.

1. SA Police: No links to Madeleine McCann but British police refuse to rule it out.

Police in South Australia have said that while the body found in a suitcase dumped by the side of a highway is believed to be that of a fair-haired girl aged two to four who was killed up to eight years ago — there is “no evidence” to suggest the child is Madeleine McCann.

Grant Stevens, the state’s police commissioner answered growing speculation that the little girl’s identity could be that of  missing British girl Madeleine McCann. He said yesterday “There is absolutely no evidence at this point in time that the child is Madeleine McCann … to suggest something like that at this point in time would purely be speculating to get attention,”

The Mirror, however, reports that British police have refused to rule out the possibility it could be Madeleine. A Scotland Yard spokesman, saying “we cannot rule it out.”

The Mirror reports that British authorities officers have been in touch with the SA Police “We are aware of reports of the remains of a child having been found in South Australia and we have made contact with the Australian authorities.” a spokesperson said.

A “source” close to the McCann’s told The Mirror they believed it does not add up.

“Right now I’m questioning how her body could have got there from Portugal and the clothing doesn’t match” said the unnamed source.

Commissioner Stevens said: “We are focusing our inquiries on South Australia but we would be considering any potential missing child. Until we ascertain the identity of the child we need to be open to all possibilities.”

Police have now identified some of the fabric panels on a pathwork quilt located with the remains.

Detective Superintendent Des Bray said that some of the quilt fabric — coloured musical notes — was manufactured in New York in about 2008.

Det-Supt Bray said they knew that the little girl had been killed in a violent manner. They are still asking for public assistance to identify the quilt.

“We’re certain of how the little girl met her death — why, who and what circumstances, it’s just impossible to tell,” he said.

What police know about the child:
• Believed to be a girl
• Aged 2.5-4 years at time of death
• Likely Caucasian
• Had fair hair, 18cm long
• Was 90-95cm tall
• Was killed at another location
• Was killed some time since the start of 2007

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

2. Actor Maggie Kirkpatrick charged with child abuse.

One of Australia’s leading actor’s Maggie Kirkpatrick has been charged with assaulting a 13-year-old girl in the 1980’s.

Best known for her role as ‘The Freak’ on hit show Prisoner, the 74-year-old star was charged with two counts of indecent assault and one count of gross indecency with a person under the age of 16 by Victoria Police’s Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team.

She denied the allegations to reporters from The Herald Sun. “Allegations have been levelled at me, yes. Are they true? Absolutely not.”

For more read this post here.

3. Manus Island guards face allegations of rape.

Three Australian Manus Island guards were sent home before they could be investigated for allegations of rape, claims local Manus Island MP Ronnie Knight.

The ABC reports that a woman found naked in a room with the three men says she was drugged and raped.

Police in Papua New Guinea have called on Australia to respect the country’s sovereignty instead of interfering.

Commander N’Drasal said he wanted to investigate the incident but the men were promptly sent home.

“I was mad. I blasted the DIBP guys to bring back these guys and be charged in Manus,” Commander N’Drasal said.

If you need help call the DV and Sexual Assault helpline on 1800 737 732

4. Senior Catholic cleric says Australia’s asylum seeker policies are a “moral failure.”

On last night’s Q&A the Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge said our policy on asylum seekers and refugees is simply a moral failure, and is an international disgrace.”

He told the panel that he was puzzled that “systematically cruel policies” were devised by men and women in politics who were “not themselves cruel”.

He said, “The least we could do is process them on onshore.”

“I don’t think there is anyway around the fact that on both sides of politics now federally, our policy on asylum seekers and refugees is simply a moral failure, and is an international disgrace,” Archbishop Coleridge said.

5. Christopher Pyne: “The Liberal Party needs to do more to help young women into Parliament.”

With only two women in the federal Cabinet and only 19 per cent of senior leadership roles in the Government held by women Mr Pyne said he feels that “It is a subject we need to focus on as a party.”

He told 7.30 “We need to make it a lot easier for younger career-minded women to choose public life, to choose politics and to choose families at the same time.”

“It needs to be commonplace in Parliament for young women to feel they can go into politics [and] have families as well.”

Mr Pyne cited examples like Labor’s Kelly O’Dwyer who recently gave birth and Labor MPs Amanda Rishworth and Kate Ellis, both of whom are new mothers.

He said he wants to see more young women run for public office “with the support — if not of a husband or a spouse or a partner — of a network of people who can make that happen”.

6. Sophie Collombet accused killer was “high on ice” court hears.

Warning: this item deals with the rape and murder of a young woman and may be distressing for some readers.

The man accused of raping and murdering French student Sophie Collombet in March 2014 was allegedly high on ice and had drunk part of a bottle of Jim Beam, beer and wine.

Benjamin James Milward appeared before Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday accused of murder, rape, deprivation of liberty and robbery with personal violence.

Ms Collombe, a 21-year old French student was on her way home after a night class when she was attacked in South Brisbane on March 27, 2014.

Her naked and battered body was found by a jogger the next morning in a rotunda which sat between the William Jolly Bridge and Go Between Bridges, sparking a major police investigation involving about 60 officers.

The court heard that DNA found under the fingernails of the French student was 1.1 million times more likely to have come from Benjamin James Milward than anyone else.

The ABC reports that six witnesses testified yesterday that Milward drank wine, beer and Jim Beam on the day Ms Collombet died as well as the fact he bought ice and injected it twice.

The 26-year old did not enter a plea and is expected to stand trial in the Supreme Court at a later date.

7. Taxi Council claims Uber could be haven for predators.

The Taxi Council of Queensland has claimed that passengers should be careful as Uber could be a potential “sexual haven for predators”

Last week a 51-year-old man from Perth was charged with indecent assault after his 20-year-old passenger alleged he had sexually assaulted her during her trip in his Uber.

Taxi Council Queensland CEO Benjamin Wash has told Fairfax Media he expected more attacks, “because the illegal taxi service refuses to abide by government safety regulations that include cameras”.

“If a driver inappropriately touches a passenger in a taxi we can prove it.”

“But in an illegal taxi like Uber X, it becomes a ‘he said – she said situation’, meaning it is far more difficult for prosecutors to secure a conviction.

“In fact I believe many victims of Uber drivers will not even bother reporting it.”

An Uber spokeswoman told Fairfax Media the accusations were unwarranted.

“These accusations are no more than desperate attempts by the Taxi Council to protect their monopoly by trying to scare people away from using Uber. It isn’t working,” she said.

“Every Uber driver partner in Queensland has a Driver Authorisation by the Department of Transport and Main Roads.”

8. Mum saves son as she is killed by an escalator.

A 30-year old mother has been captured on security camera saving her son’s life seconds before she dies in a tragic accident in central China.

The footage shows the mother travelling on an escalator in a shopping mall with her young son. As they almost reaches the top she lifts up her young son to get ready to step off.

But as she does, a metal panel suddenly collapses under her feet and she falls into the gap.

The footage shows her struggling with only her upper body free – she pushes her son forward where he is pulled to safety by two workers standing at the top of the escalator.

Two other employees try to drag the trapped woman out but she disappears through the hole, into the escalator shaft.

A four-hour rescue operation failed to save the woman.

It is reported that workers forgot to screw down the panel that the woman fell through.

Family members took to social media about the terrible tragedy.

Her sister in law writing on Weibo. “An ordinary Sunday shopping trip ended up in such a sudden tragedy, almost ruining an entire family,”

“The shopping mall is still open and the killer escalators are still running,” she added. “Shoppers have no idea about the tragedy upstairs and no one knows if such disasters will strike again.”

9.  Survey shows women would rather get a trip than diamonds.

Listen up menfolk the women of Australia have spoken and it seems that what they want isn’t made from diamonds after all.

A study by Bookings.com has found most Australians would prefer a surprise trip away with their partner, with just 8% of particpants craving a jewellery or a watch.

Three out of four people (76%) said a spontaneous trip would put the romance back in to their relationship, with nearly three quarters of female (74%) and 60 percent of male respondents saying they wished their partner would plan a surprise getaway for no reason.

10. Police believe a man shot in self-defence may have been a serial killer.

A woman in West Virginia who shot a man in self-defence may have taken down a serial killer.

The woman realised something was wrong after Neal Falls arrived at her apartment after answering an ad she’d placed for an escort service on Backpage.com.

The woman told KPTV that she knew the man was there to kill her. “I could tell that he had already done something because he said that he was going to prison for a long time.” she said. “And that’s when I knew he was going to kill me.”

After a struggle, the woman grabbed Falls’ gun and shot him. When police arrived, they found a “kill kit” in the man’s Subaru. A list of names, believed to be of future targets, was found in Falls’ pocket.

He is now being investigated in relation to other violent, unsolved murders. The woman has been treated for a broken vertebrae and lacerations, but has since been released from hospital.

Do you have a story to share with Mamamia? Email us news@mamamia.com.au
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