Wednesday's news in under 5 minutes.

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

1. Mother arrested after teenage boy found chained up in home.

A woman has been arrested after a 16-year old boy was found chained up inside a home in Blacktown in Sydney’s west.

Charity workers visiting the home found the boy after hearing him calling out for water.

The boy, who is believed to have autism, was chained to a bed in a back room of his home while his mother was out shopping.

The mother was arrested upon her arrival home and taken to Bankstown Police station while the boy was freed by paramedics and taken to hospital.

Neighbours told Fairfax Media that the boy, one of several children who lived in the home had developmental problems.

“He can walk, he can jump, he can play. But he can’t talk. He can’t understand,” said a neighbour, who did not wished to be named.

She told Fairfax Media that the boy would often run in the street, sometimes naked.

“They are beautiful kids. We only say hello and goodbye, that’s it,” she said.

Another neighbour told media that the mother’s husband was away and she was caring for the children alone.

“No one can help her,” the neighbour said.

Last night the mother was released from Blacktown Police Station after being questioned for several hours. No charges have been laid.

2. Fifth man arrested over gang rape in Geelong.

A fifth man has been arrested over the gang rape of a14- year old girl in Geelong on November 1st

The 27-year-old Corio man handed himself into detectives late yesterday, he was charged with rape and abduction of the schoolgirl and has been remanded to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.

Last week three men from the same family were charged over the gang rape.

A fourth man had been questioned but released without charge.

3. Queensland mother jailed for failing to get medical treatment for her daughter after repeated rapes.

Warning: this item deals with child abuse.

A Queensland mother has been jailed for four-years for failing to get medical treatment for her three-year-old daughter after she was repeatedly raped and assaulted by the woman’s ex-partner.

The woman pleaded guilty to one charge of cruelty to a child under 16.

Her ex-partner is serving a 12-year sentence after being found guilty in 2013 of torturing, raping and assaulting the girl over a five-month period in 2009 reports AAP.

 For rape and sexual assault as well as domestic violence support 24/7, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). 

4. SES to scour areas around Marsden Stage High School.

SES crews will search the areas surrounding Marsden State High School today in a search for clues into the murder of 12-year old Tiahleigh Palmer.

The 12-year-old went missing on October 30 after she had been dropped off at Marsden High by her foster carer, her backpack and school uniform are still missing.

Police are asking anyone with dashcam footage or CCTV from the area on the morning of October 30 to come forward.

Sky News reports that Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has written to the Queensland Family and Child Crime Commission to seek a whole-of-government systems review into how agencies respond to missing or absconding children in out-of-home care.

The delay in publicity about when Tiahleigh went missing has been blamed on restrictions about just what can be released to the public regarding a child in care. It was six days before the public was made aware she had disappeared.

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

5. Qantas accused of homophobia after trying to separate same-sex couple.

A Melbourne woman has accused Qantas of “blatant homophobia” after staff asked her female partner to change seats so that an elderly married couple could sit together on a recent flight.

Kristina Antoniades wrote on Facebook that she “experienced awful discrimination” on a Qantas flight from Brisbane to Melbourne on the weekend.

She says she had checked into the three business class seats for her, her partner and their daughter online.

“I was seated with Lily on the left side of the isle and Merrin was seated on the isle seat on the right side. We had three consecutive seats. Shortly before boarding Merrin was called over the intercom and asked to see Customer Service. Merrin was advised that Qantas had made the decision to move her seat to another row so that a married couple could be seated together.”

She says, “They did not acknowledge that we were a family and wanted to sit together. I argued the point that they should not take priority over our family being seated together. “

Once the flight took off she says that the issue came up again.

“I thought that would be the end of it but once the plane took off the Flight Manager asked why Merrin was seated next to the man and his wife seated behind them. I again advised the Flight Manager that we were a family and wanted to be seated together”

She says that she was forced to explain they had “just as much right to be seated together as the married couple.”

“I have never experienced such blatant discrimination. It was a terrible experience and I am saddened that our daughter had to witness this. I don’t normally post serious status updates but I thought that this needed to be acknowledged for what it was, blatant homophobia and discrimination.”

Fairfax Media reports that Qantas has now apologised saying staff had contacted the passengers about the “unfortunate misunderstanding”.

“We have been in contact with the passengers to apologise for the situation, where we were faced with two separate groups of customers asking to switch seats to sit together, including an elderly couple,” she said.

“Onboard, a misunderstanding occurred about the seating arrangement. This was an unfortunate misunderstanding and we’ve since apologised to the customer.”

6. 20-year old surfer attacked by shark at Byron.

20-year old surfer, Sam Morgan, is in an induced coma after being mauled by a shark off Ballina.

The junior surfer champion was attacked while surfing off Lighthouse Beach about 6.15pm yesterday.

The Courier Mail reports that he remains in a stable condition, but in an induced coma.

It has been reported that heavy rain on the state’s north coast had left creek and river mouths dirty, providing ideal conditions for sharks.

At least 11 other shark attacks have taken place on the same stretch of coastline this year, including two fatal attacks.

7. Man who died in shopping trolley incident named as Swede Robin Wahlgren.

Police have named the man who died after a shopping trolley stunt overnight Monday.

28-year old Robin Wahlgren died on Monday night after he and a friend decided to ride a shopping trolley down Randwick’s steep Coogee Bay Road in Sydney.

The Swedish student, who had been living in Australia for two-years ,was flung from the trolley after it crossed to the wrong side of the road and struck a car.

Superintendent Gavin Dengate said the driver had not been speeding and was not under the influence of alcohol when the tragic collision occurred.

“The man that was travelling in the shopping trolley was catapulted out, landing on a kerb,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we all know what shopping trolleys are like, they’re very difficult to control.”

The other man in the trolley was a visitor to Australia who had just arrived he is in hospital with a broken leg.

Police have not indicated whether he will be charged.

8. Aung San Suu Kyi confident her party has majority.

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi has given her first interview since her country’s election telling the BBC she believes her party has a majority.

While early results point to a sweeping victory for her National League for Democracy (NLD) final official results will not be known for days.

Ms Suu Kyi said the polls were not fair but “largely free” though there had been “areas of intimidation”.

A quarter of Myanmar’s 664 parliamentary seats are set aside for the army, and for the NLD to have the winning majority it will need at least two-thirds of the contested seats.

Ms Suu Kyi told the BBC that her party has surpassed that, and has won around 75%.

9. One in five people think that being called a feminist is an insult rather than a compliment.

Of those surveyed 19% thought feminist was an insult with just 15% saying it was a compliment.

The British study found that only 27 per cent of men and 35 per cent of women consider themselves to be feminist but 81% believe that men and women should be equal in every way.

Dr Helen Pankhurst – a descendant of the suffragette figurehead Emmeline Pankhurst told Metro that the label was becoming unpopular.

Dr Pankhurst said, “I’ll ask the class if they consider themselves to be feminists and there’s silence. So I ask if they think girls are equal to boys and all their hands shoot up. There’s more engagement with ideas but a lot of people still don’t like the label.”

10. Daniel Fleetwood, first Star Wars fan to see ‘The Force Awakens,’ dies.

Daniel Fleetwood, the terminally ill young man who was granted his dying wish was to see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” has died at age 32.

Fleetwood suffered from spindle cell sarcoma, a rare connective tissue cancer, and in July, his doctors gave him only two months to live.

On Tuesday morning, his wife, Ashley, confirmed his death on Facebook: “Daniel put up an amazing fight to the very end. He is now one with God and with the force. He passed in his sleep and in peace. He will always be my idol and my hero. Please hug uncle Marc for me and give Lucy lots of kisses. Rest in peace my love. This was the last selfie we ever took together. ‪#‎forcefordaniel”

The “Star Wars” fan’s last wish was to see “The Force Awakens,” and it was granted by Disney, Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams, who showed Fleetwood an unfinished cut of the film at his home last week. Abrams also called Fleetwood to deliver the good news, which his family said meant a lot to him.

11. Drink five cups of tea a day.

This will make the tea drinkers out there rejoice – and maybe consider a move to the land of cheese and windmills.  Official health guidelines in the Netherlands have called for adults to drink between three and five cups of tea a day.

The Health Council of the Netherlands, an independent scientific body that advises parliament has published new guidelines recommending that people drink more tea. School children in the Netherlands as young as four are already served milky tea as a lunch time drink.

Eert Schoten, a spokesman for the health council said, “We noted that in the scientific literature in the last 10 years, there are clear signs that drinking tea is good for your health,”

“Three to five cups a day reduce blood pressure, diabetes and stroke risks, so this comes as one of our 16 guidelines.”

The guidelines state that the tea must been green or black.

Now we just need to get the bikkie to dunk approved as well.

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