1. Australian Breastfeeding Association criticised for telling mums breastmilk with alcohol in it is better than formula
The Australian Breastfeeding Association has come under fire after it released a pamphlet telling new mothers that breastmilk with a little alcohol in it was still better for babies than formula. The pamphlet contained the advice: “Breastmilk with a small amount of alcohol is still better for your baby than artificial baby milk.”
Dr Tony Bartone of the Australian Medical Association told 7 News Melbourne: “There is no safe level of alcohol when it comes to breastfeeding. Formula is a perfectly safe and accessible alternative.”
2. Obama: “We will not be sending troops back into combat in Iraq.”
US President Barack Obama has said that the US will not involve itself in the conflict in Iraq, without the express consent and sincere effort by Iraqi leaders to promote stability. Speaking on Friday, Obama said: “We will not be sending troops back into combat in Iraq… any action that we may take… has to be joined by a serious and sincere effort by Iraq’s leaders to set aside sectarian differences, to promote stability, and account for the legitimate interests of all Iraq’s communities.”
Speculation today suggests that the Obama Administration could look to air strikes as a methods of engaging in the conflict without deploying troops.
3. Japan kills 30 minke whales in north-west Pacific
A Japanese =whaling fleet has killed 30 minke whales in its northwestern Pacific hunt during the April-June season, according to The Fisheries Agency. Japan has continued its whaling activity in the northwestern Pacific in light of the ICC’s recent ruling that it must stop all whaling activity in the Antarctic.Japan has suspended next season’s Antarctic hunt, although it is suspected that the program will be resumed in some form.
4. MH370 book authors: “What happened to MH370 was no accident.”
The New Zealand co-authors of the controversial new book about lost flight MH370 have claimed that the plane’s disappearance was no accident. The authors, commercial pilot Ewan Wilson and Waikato Times journalist Geoff Taylor, travelled to Malaysia to speak to authorities and family members of the plane’s pilot. Speaking to stuff.co.nz, Taylor said: “What happened to MH370 was no accident. It was deliberate and it was calculated, and it should never have been allowed to happen.”