Friday's news in under 5 minutes.

1. Church links celibacy to abuse

A landmark report to be released today by the Catholic Church links the vow of celibacy taken by Catholic priests with child abuse.

The Australian reports that it is the first time the church has linked the vow and the abuse of thousands of children by priests.

The  “Activity Report” by the Australian church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council says that priests should undergo “psycho-sexual development” training.

The report also criticizes a church culture “geared to power over others” and calls for “greater clarity around the role of the Vatican and its involvement with the way in which church authorities in Australia responded to abuse allegations” says The Australian.

It is in stark contrast to a recent US study that said celibacy could not be blamed for the epidemic of abuse.

2. Indigenous referendum vote

By political reporter Eliza Borrello

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has indicated he would like the referendum on whether to recognise Indigenous people in the constitution to happen on the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum.

Mr Abbott revealed his preferred date at a fundraising dinner for the RECOGNISE campaign in Sydney.

“I hope that it might happen on the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum, May 27, 2017. That would be a richly symbolic time to complete our constitution,” he said.

“But I do not want it to fail because every Australian would be the loser.

“It is more important to get this right than to try to rush it through.

“We will get constitutional recognition and, when it comes, I suspect that it will take the form of a pact, a heartfelt pact between Indigenous people and conservative Australia,” he said.

 A version of this story was originally published on ABC and has been republished with full permission.
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3. 9-month old boy hit by forklift dies

A nine-month old boy who was hit by a forklift driven by his father has died.

Angus Blackley was described by his parents as “tough as nails” yesterday as they thanked the staff at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.

The family who were car enthusiasts had just moved into the premises of their business, Blackley Automotive a few days before the tragic accident.

“We love him very, very, very much and he’ll always be in our hearts and always be around us,” Samantha Blackley told The Herald Sun.

 4. Audio of balcony death leaked online

Fairfax Media reports that audio of the moment Warriena Wright plummeted to her death off Gable Tostee’s Gold Coast apartment balcony has been posted online.

The 199-minute audio recording was leaked to a Canadian file-sharing website anonymously. It is expected to be a key piece of evidence for both police and Gable Tostee’s defence.

It allegedly contains conversations between the two, their alleged violent struggle in the apartment, her screams as she falls from the balcony and further conversations between Gable Tostee on the phone to his father.

Superintendent David Hutchinson said police were aware that the audio file had been published and are “making enquiries” to confirm who the author is.

“If it is Mr Tostee, we don’t believe he has breached any conditions of his bail” he said.

It has been reported that Gable Tostee was not on the balcony at the time Warriena Wright died.

This news comes a day after a person claiming to be Gable Tostee wrote an online post of over 2000 words on a body-building forum denying any involvement in the death of Warriena Wright.

5. Mother found guilty of murder after drowning baby in bath

A mother who drowned her baby in the bath after being obsessed with the idea there was a genetic abnormality with her six-month old -when Doctors proved otherwise has been found guilty of murder.

The woman had said her baby’s death was an accident and that she had drowned when she went out for shampoo.

As Mamamia previously reported the mother had become obsessed with the idea her daughter had dwarfism, despite medical experts telling her otherwise.

For more read this post here.

6. Call for intervention in Peeping Tom’s sentence

A 21-year old woman whose housemate was convicted of spying on her with a hidden camera in a ceiling fan in their bathroom has started a petition calling for his sentence to be increased.

Amy Peterson has said she is left traumatized after his original 2-year jail sentence was reduced to 17-months home detention.

For more read this post here.

 7. Five trillion bits of plastic

A major new study of the world’s oceans has concluded that there are now over 5 trillion pieces of plastic, weighing more than 225,000 tonnes, floating in water around the world, that’s nearly 700 pieces per person.

The study, published in the journal PLOS One by Marcus Eriksen of the Five Gyres Institute in Los Angeles and a large group of colleagues, is based on data from 24 separate ocean expeditions, conducted between 2007 and 2013, to sample plastic pollution.

8. Breastfeeding cuts cancer risk

Breastfeeding can cut a woman’s cancer risk by 1/5 according to studies in the US.

The study by researchers from Washington University in St Louis, Missouri found that women who breastfed for any length of time reduced their risk of breast cancer by 10%.

The Daily Mail reports that the study showed women were also 20% less likely to get triple negative cancer.

Just three months of breastfeeding ‘significantly reduced the risk’ of breast cancer.

Dr Graham Colditz said “Importantly breastfeeding was clearly protective for triple negative breast cancer – the subset of this disease for which we have limited treatment options.”

 9. Baby dies from Legionnaires’ disease

A newborn baby has died from Legionnaires’ disease just a few weeks after being born in a heated birthing pool at his home.

The tragic death highlights the need for pregnant women to understand the risks of water births.

The death in Texas in the US occurred when the baby was infected with Legionella bacteria which was in the birthing pool he was born in.

CBS News reports that the baby died 19 days after his birth.

They say that giving birth in water is generally not recommended because there are no proven benefits, and there are potential risks to the baby.

His is the first documented case of this infection linked with water birth in the United States, but there have been reported cases in the UK and France.

10. Police officers charged with rape

Two police officers have been have been committed to stand trial after being accused of raping a woman in their car while on duty.

Trent Christopher Birthisel and Rudy Clarence Nonis are accused of raping the woman after she asked for a lift home.

The committal hearing took place behind closed doors.

 11. Teen ordered to tour Jewish museum

A teenager who terrified Jewish school children after storming a bus they were on and screaming racist taunts has been ordered to tour the Jewish Museum and undergo a school “harmony program”.

The offender came face to face with one of his victims yesterday as a part of a youth justice conference.

He said he was said he was drunk at the time of his tirade and was sorry reports News Limited.

As a part of his rehabilitation he has been ordered by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff to go on a two-hour ­guided tour of the Sydney Jewish Museum and enroll in the board of deputies’ “Respect, Understanding, Acceptance” program with around 100 schoolchildren.

It was also suggested he read Primo Levi’s If This Is A Man and Night by Elie Wiesel.

12. Bin fine? Or a load of rubbish

A Melbourne Council have proposed to fine residents who do not take in their bins after 24 hours.

Nine News reports that Banyule Mayor Craig Langdon said his council receives issue a notice to anyone who fails to bring their bins in within 24 hours of collection, and if that warning is ignored, a $200 fine will follow.

13. Men who do housework get less sex

A study reported in The Telegraph today is one we are just going to relay without comment.

The study showed that men who do housework get less sex (than men who sit on their butt and watch their partners do it) as their partners find them less sexually attractive.

The Telegraph reports that sociologists from the Juan March Institute in Madrid did a 20-year study of married couples and found that men who regularly cook and clean have less sex than those who let their wives do the work.

Do with that information what you want.