news

Thursday afternoon'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. Woman banned from breastfeeding because of her tattoo.

A family court has banned a NSW woman from breastfeeding her 11-month-old child after she got a tattoo.

The matter arose after the father reported his concerns during a “bitter parenting dispute” in the Federal Circuit Court, ABC News reports.

Judge Matthew Myers concluded the tattoo — which was inked on the mother four weeks earlier — provided an “unacceptable” risk to the child.

tattoos breastfeeding
The mother was served with an injunction to stop her breastfeeding. Image: iStock.
ADVERTISEMENT

Even though the woman’s HIV and hepatitis tests came back negative, the judge found this evidence inconclusive.

The move has angered breastfeeding advocates who believe the ruling could set a dangerous precedent.

Australian Breastfeed Association chief executive, Rebecca Naylor, said the ruling was “unreasonable.”

“Tattooing is a regulated industry, so if you go to a tattoo parlour that is reputable then the chances [of contracting an infection] are very low,” she told ABC News.

“I think unless there’s evidence that she has contracted an infection as a result of that tattoo, then it is unreasonable.”

2. Model who lost leg to toxic shock syndrome sues tampon company.

A model is suing a tampon company and grocery store after suffering a life-threatening brush with toxic shock syndrome.

Image: Facebook.

Lauren Wasser, 24, is now suing Kotex and two grocery stores that sell the product – Kroger and Ralph’s – for being “‘negligently, wantonly, recklessly, tortuously, and unlawfully responsible in some manner.”

Vice reports the syndrome took only one day to nearly kill Wasser. On October 3, 2012, Wasser bought some tampons, she passed out once within the same day. The following morning, she was found unconscious in her LA apartment.

ADVERTISEMENT

Lauren was rushed to hospital where they eventually found the TSS had poisoned her body so severely, it had turned into gangrene.

Three years since her horrifying ordeal, Lauren is suing the tampon company for not correctly or adequately labelling their products.

According to the Daily Mail, Kotex prints this warning on its tampon boxes: “‘Change your tampon every four to eight hours, including overnight.”

“You know cigarettes can kill you, so when you use them, it’s your choice,” she told Vice.

“Had I known all the info about TSS, I would never have used tampons.”

3. Boy commits suicide after getting caught in Nigerian nude photo scam.

Trigger warning: This post deals with suicide.

A cruel online scam has caused a 17-year-old boy to take his own life.

Ronan Hughes was the target of a scam in which con artists pose as interested strangers and solicit revealing photos from their victims.

They then threaten to send the photos to the victim’s Facebook friends if a ransom is not paid.

Image: Facebook.

Ronan thought he was chatting to an attractive young girl when he sent her the photos. It was later revealed to be Nigerian scam artists who demanded he pay $6,741 or they would leak the images.

According to News Corp, the attackers were reportedly unmoved when the Irish teen told them he was only 17.

ADVERTISEMENT

The teen reported the incident to his parents, who took it to the police.

“I knew Ronan was looking for help and I told him that all my son wanted is for these images not to be posted. He told us that he couldn’t guarantee that. For Ronan, it was totally dismissive,” his parents told BBC.

It was after a friend contacted Ronan to say she had received the images that the boy took his own life.

The family reportedly found the boy in a field behind their house.

According to BBC News, the Nigerian site was closed two days after Ronan’s death.

4. Family violence on the rise in Victoria.

While most Victorians have enjoyed a drop in criminal activity in recent years — one crime is alarmingly on the rise.

Incidents of family violence have risen more than eight per cent in the space of a year.

The increase was mostly thanks to “newly-introduced” offences, including violating family violence orders, The Herald Sun reports.

Stalking and harrassment offences rose 11.7 per cent on their own.

The Victorian police commissioner reports there are now nearly 70,000 reported domestic violence cases every year in the state.

5. QLD MP Billy Gordon cleared of domestic violence charges.

Billy Gordon says police have “cleared” him of domestic violence charges levelled at him by a former partner.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Queensland MP was forced to leave the Labor party after the allegations were revealed.

Today, Gordon announced he was no longer being investigated.

Billy Gordon. Image: Facebook.

 

The member for Cook has always denied the allegations.

“I’m a good father, regardless of what people may say or think, and [his children] know that, they know that I love them,” Gordon said.

According to ABC News, Queensland Police Services issued a statement on the matter, but said they would not provide a comment.

“The QPS investigation is still ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time,” the statement said.

6. Nine killed in United States church massacre in possible hate crime.

Nine people have been killed and others injured after a shooting at a church in South Carolina.

The shooting occurred on Wednesday evening, when a gunman entered an African American church in Charleston.

Police are still trying to track down the gunman.

According to The Guardian, nine people are dead and police are yet to specify the number of injured.

The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.

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