Friday's news in under 5 minutes

1. Corby parole to be signed today

A media contingent outside Schapelle Corby’s Bali prison is waiting anxiously for 5.30pm (AEST) to see if her parole application has been successful. Indonesian Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin has more than 1700 applications for parole before him. He told media during the week that Corby would be treated the same as all the others.

He is expected to give a press conference at 1.30pm local time. Meanwhile the Prime Minister has weighed into the debate on whether she should make a profit on selling her story telling Fairfax Radio ‘‘the old principle is crime should not pay.” The Australian report that her sister, Mercedes Corby is “running the auction” with the media.

The frontrunner to secure the rights to her story is the Seven network. The report states that the Seven Network has 17 crews from Australia and seven locals in Bali. Channel Nine has eight crews and the Ten Network has six.

 2. Police officer face court over rape

Two QLD police officers will appear in Mackay Magistrates Court today charged with five counts of raping a woman on Sunday morning. The 29-year-old and 28-year-old constables are also accused of deprivation of liberty and assault with intent to commit rape. Both men have been suspended. Police will not say whether the officers are denying the charge.

 3. Simon Gittany

The Crown Prosecutor has called for Simon Gittany – who was found guilty of killing his fiancé by throwing her off a balcony – to receive 20 years jail when he is sentenced next Tuesday. But his Barrister has asked for a sentence significantly below that with over 40 character references tendered to the court. However Justice Lucy McCallum said that the Gittany family and friends who continually profess his innocence may be “harming his chances of rehabilitation.”

 4. Lack of insurance leads to homebirthing

A call today for indemnity insurance to be made available to midwives who perform birthing services in women’s homes, after the $6.6 million payout ordered by a judge to a Sydney couple by a midwife who botched the birth of their son. The SMH report that the lack of insurance, since the collapse of HIH, is leading to the practice of free-birthing – where a woman gives birth unattended by a medical practitioner. It is estimated free-birthing has now overtaken home birthing as a birth choice.

 5. Breastfeeding Mum

A NSW mother is calling for other women not to judge each other so much after her decision to continue breastfeeding her school aged daughter has sparked controversy. For more read this post here: “ I will breastfeed my daughter until she is ten if she wants”

6. Iron pill overdose

An inquest has found that a toddler died after being fed iron tablet by his sister when she mistook them for “Mummy’s sweets”. The tragic set of events took place in the UK. Corbin Littlewood was 16 months old when his sister climbed onto a bathroom shelf bench and retrieved the iron tablets. They both mistook the pills for lollies. The two toddlers were taken to hospital where it was discovered that Corbin also had swine flu. An inquest has concluded that Corbin died from bronchopneumonia and lung damage caused by iron poisoning and H1N1 flu. The Daily Mail report that iron overdose has been one of the leading causes of death caused by toxicological agents in children younger than six because they look like lollies.

7. Flagbearer named

Alex Pullin has been named as the Australian flag-bearer at the opening ceremony for the Sochi Olympic Games. The snowboarder is one of Australia’s leading medal contenders. He will lead Australia’s largest ever winter Olympic contingent at the Opening Ceremony later tonight – which starts at 2.50am AEST.

8. Boat turned back with kids on board

An asylum seeker boat has been forced back by the Australian Navy just before they arrived at Christmas Island. Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young told the ABC that children – some as young as 18 months old were on board the lifeboat. “I’m very concerned that there are reports that there were children as young as 18 months old, toddlers on board this boat,” she said. “It is never safe to turn back a boat, push a boat back to the high seas with children that young on board.” She said.

 9. Selfie scandal

A student has faced condemnation across the world after snapping a selfie with a dead body whilst on a University field trip. The New York Daily News report that the Alabama high school student faces disciplinary action after she took the pic with a cadaver during a field trip to a university’s medical center. She uploaded the image to her instagram account.

 10. Screen time guidelines

New physical activity guidelines to be released today will urge parents to turn off their kid’s devices. The Department of Health guidelines will call for children’s use of “electronic media for entertainment” to be restricted to no more than two hours a day. Children and teens will be advised to do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical exercise activity every day, including aerobic activities.

11. Canadian man’s heartbreaking blog

A Canadian man who’s pregnant wife is in a coma is writing a heartbreaking day-to-day blog about his wait for the day his son is born and his brain dead wife’s life support is turned off. He has started a fundraising page to assist with the care of his son when he is born. On it he writes:

“I lost my wife to a sudden hemorrhage of blood to her brain. At the time, she was 22 weeks pregnant. On that Saturday morning, she threw up, and then instantly started suffering from a piercing headache and asked me to go to the store to get some Tylenol for her. When I came back, she was unconscious, but still breathing in our bathroom. I called 911 immediately. . Devastatingly, my wife, Robyn, became brain dead. “

12. WTF has happened to swearing laws

Be careful what you say in public in NSW as you might end up with a significant fine. As a part of the raft of new laws to combat alcohol and drug fueled violence the fine for swearing in public has increased from $150 to $500. IndependentAustralia.net report that last year in NSW police recorded more than 4000 incidences of offensive language. What news are you talking about today?