Wednesday's news in under 5 minutes.

1. Terrorism suspect shot dead

An 18-year-old man has been shot dead by counter-terrorism police  and two policemen have been stabbed in Melobourne.

Police said the two officers met the man outside the Endeavour Hills police station in Melbourne’s outer south-east before he attacked the officers with a sharp instrument.

He then ran towards the police station and was shot, Fairfax Media reports.

The man had been asked to come in to the station by police to answer questions regarding an ongoing terrorism investigation. The ABC reports that the man’s passport had been confiscated and he had made threats in the past towards the Prime Minister.

The ABC also reports police have confirmed reports the man was seen recently with an Islamic State flag.

According to The Age the AFP officer was in hospital in a critical condition but has stabilised.

 2. Airstrikes against Islamic State

The United States and “partner nations” have carried out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria says the Pentagon.

“It must be clear to anyone who would plot against America and do Americans harm that we will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people,” President Obama said.

According to CNN an Al-Qaida branch in Syria known as Khorasan was targeted by the US as they had intelligence to believe it was “nearing the execution phase” of a planned terror attack on the US or Europe.

CNN reports that the planned attack involved a bomb made of a nonmetallic device, toothpaste container, and clothes dipped in explosive material.

One of the plots Khorasan were looking at involved concealed bombs on airplanes CNN reports.

Meanwhile air strikes against the Islamic State held city of Raqqa are said to have killed at least 70 militants and wounded more than 300 according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

3. Julia Gillard interview

Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard has spoken to the Nine Network saying that when she deposed Kevin Rudd it was because people wanted change.

“I asked Kevin for a ballot. By the time I got back to my office it was filling with supporters and that I’d have to say just had the sense of kind of, you know, almost uprising about it. People wanted change. ”

For more read this post here. 

4. Chloe Valentine inquest

An inquest into the death of four-year old Chloe Valentine who died after being forced to ride a 50-kilogram motorbike despite repeatedly crashing has heard that Chloe begged not to live with her mother, Ashlee Polkinghorne.

Ashlee Polkinghorne, and her former partner Benjamin McPartland, are serving jail sentences for manslaughter through criminal neglect for the little girl’s death.

The ABC reports that the inquest heard evidence from Chloe’s godmother who said Chloe often stayed with her overnight when her mother went out. At times her mother forgot to pick her up – at one stage leaving her there for more than five weeks.

Krystal Lee Benyk said Chloe hated her mother and did not want to go home.

“At three years old she told me that she hated her mum.”

“She’d scream and the only way Ashlee could get her to go was by conning her with things, buying her dolls, telling her she was going to the beach.”

Polkinghorne, and Benjamin McPartland will be eligible for parole in 2018.

5. Hunt family funeral

The funeral for the five members of the Hunt family who died two weeks ago in the NSW town of Lockhart took place yesterday.

Under blue skies, a crowd of 1000 heard Kim Hunt’s sister tell them that Kim was “her idol”.

For more read this post here.

6. Rozelle Store owner charged

The owner of a store in the Sydney suburb of Rozelle has been charged with 25 offenses including the murder of Bianka O’Brien, her 11-month-old son Jude and their neighbour Chris Noble.

Police will allege that Deel Khan knew people were asleep above his shop when he set up a petrol bomb that included plastic petrol containers full of almost 39 litres of fuel.

News Limited report that Khan owed money which he could not repay.

It is claimed that when he was pulled from the fire he told paramedics “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it, I’m so sorry”, the court documents allege.

News Limited reports that in his trouser pocket was a carbon fibre breathing mask.

He was refused bail.

7. Isofix cars seats finally approved

Isofix car seats have finally been approved in Australia – however a design change will mean that those seats bought overseas will not be legal in Australia.

Australian ISOFIX seats will require a top “tether” strap that attaches to a bolt behind the car’s back seat.

This change will mean that babies in the seats will be twice as safe. Anyone breaking the new rules could be fined up to $300 and lose three demerit points.

News Limited reports that Isofix seats range from $200 to $650.

8. Rise in Ebola cases

The Ebola outbreak could reach 1.4 million cases by the end of January, according to new estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That means there could be 21,000 new cases by the end of this month.

According to CBS News there are fears the true death toll for Liberia, the hardest-hit nation, may not ever be known as bodies are just disposed of in the river.

9. Hollywood’s gender gap isn’t closing

According to a new report by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the gender gap in Hollywood is just as wide as ever with only 23% of the films distributed internationally from 2010 to 2013 featured female protagonists and only 31% of the speaking characters were women.

Women were also sexualised more often than men. The report showed they were over two times more likely to be shown in revealing attire or fully naked.

Female characters were also less likely than men to have what they call accomplished careers in these films.

14.8% of doctors in movies were women, 13.9% of executives, 9.1% of lawyers, 8.9% of engineers and 4.1% of sports figures.

10. Robert Xie murder trial aborted

The trial of Lian Bian “Robert” Xie who is accused of murdering five members of the Lin family from North Epping in Sydney has been aborted for the second time this year.

The judge has withdrawn after health issues meant he could not continue. Earlier this year the first trial was also aborted.

Mr Xie, who is married to Mr Lin’s sister, is accused of murdering Min Lin, 45, Mr Lin’s wife Yun Li Lin, 44, their sons Henry, 12, and Terry, 9, and Mrs Lin’s sister, Yun Bin “Irene” Lin, 39, with a hammer-like weapon as they slept in their home.

He has pleaded not guilty

11. Rape t-shirt pulled from shelves

A t-shirt with the slogan “‘It’s not rape. It’s a snuggle with a struggle” has been removed from the shelves of a large department store in the Philippines after a Facebook post of the t-shirt went viral.

The t-shirt was in the teenage boys section of the store.

The department store, SM Supermalls put out a statement saying, “Appropriate action will be taken to ensure this does not happen again. Thank you for informing us.” Reports News Limited.

12. Zelda Williams thanks public

The daughter of Robin Williams, Zelda Williams, has thanked the public for their support following the death of her father on August 12.

The actress took a break from social media following her father’s death after trolls bombarded her with distressing images mocked up to look like her father’s body. “

I just want to say thank you for all the stories and letters I’ve been receiving, especially from those who’ve also lost loved ones,” she tweeted.

“I don’t come online often, but reading of others who have dealt with this loss & gone on to live happy, full lives is helpful.Truly.”

13. UN Climate Change Summit

Leonardo DiCaprio has appeared before the UN Climate Change Summit saying, “I stand before you not as an expert but as a concerned citizen.”

He warned the world “you can make history or be vilified by it”.

In his powerful three-minute speech he called for action on climate change.