Thursday's news in under 5 minutes.

1. Call to change laws on teenage sex

A South Australian judge has called for “draconian” consent laws to be changed to ensure teenagers with consensual sexual relationships do not end up facing criminal charges.

In sentencing a South Australian teenager who had unlawful sex with his 15-year old teenage girlfriend Judge Paul Muscat said that “There needs to be a review of our current laws or at the very least education to explain to young people what is considered sexual activity that is unlawful,”

“It is conceivable, and dare I say not uncommon, that a year 12 student, be they a boy or a girl who has turned 18, may be involved in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with another younger student.”

He said that the laws are outdated, and it is usually males who end up before the courts rather than females who have underage sex.

He said young people should not have their life prospects damaged in many cases of consenting sex.

He imposed a good behavior bond on the 18 year old and refused to record a conviction.

2. Incest cult

News Limited report that the incest cult at the centre of a court case in NSW were investigated after a tip off by a teacher at a local school.

As two of the family members are ordered to undergo DNA tests court documents from Parramatta Local Court have revealed that teachers at a local school overheard one of the Colt brothers saying “my sister is pregnant and we don’t know which of my brothers is the father”.

Raids on the family compound in far Northern NSW showed that 38 adults and children were living in caravans and tin sheds without electricity, town water or any plumbing.

They were the result of four generations from grandparents who were brother and sister.

3. Geoff Shaw suspended

Victorian balance-of-power MP Geoff Shaw has been suspended from Parliament for 11 sitting days for misusing parliamentary entitlements.

The motion received the support of former speaker Ken Smith who had threatened to vote with Labor to have Mr Shaw expelled.

Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said he was confident Parliament would function effectively. “With these matters now resolved, with the budget passed, Mr Shaw’s issues dealt with, we can now proceed to the election in 171 days,” he said.

4. Phone hacking trial

The jury in the phone-hacking trial has retired after a seven-month trial. They will now decide the fate of Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson – along with five others as to whether they are guilty of phone-hacking offences and making illegal payments to officials.

They all denied all charges.

The trial heard evidence that victims included Princes William and Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge.

5. Prime Minister meets President Obama

The Prime Minister will meet with US President Barack Obama tonight (Thursday morning in Washington). The Australian reports that security and the economy are likely to figure strongly in the talks.

Last night he had dinner in New York with Rupert Murdoch after he gave a speech in New York where he urged speech the US to assert its influence in the Asia-Pacific rather than retreating from the region.

6. Retail chain under fire for promoting bullying

The retailer Cotton On is facing social media backlash after releasing a range of clothing with the phrase “You can’t sit with us” printed on it.

The slogan was printed on items including girls’ T-shirts, bags and clutches.

The New Zealand Herald reports that members of the public turned to social media to express their outrage at the use of the slogan, saying it promoted bullying.

“Really, Cotton On? I know it’s a quote from Mean Girls and I know it is meant to be cute, but don’t we have enough trouble with bullying?” one post said.

Several people wrote on the company’s Facebook page that they were boycotting the store because of its use of the term – with one girl pointing out that she had been told this regularly at high school. The phrase is thought to be from the 2004 movie Mean Girls.

Cotton On has since withdrawn the items from sale.

7. Young Mum forced to pump milk near a shed

A young mother who says she was forced to pump breastmilk behind rainwater tank at a festival in South Australia she says she is angry, humiliated and hurt by the ordeal.

For more read this post here.

8. Women with moles on arms higher rate of breast cancer

A new study has found that women with at least 15 moles on their left arm were 35 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than those with none.

The study published in the online journal Public Library Of Science Medicine found that sex hormones played a role in the link.

It found that women with six or more moles had higher blood levels of the hormones oestrogen and testosterone than women who were mole-free.

Researchers said that this was significant as some breast cancers are fuelled by sex hormones.

In a separate study of almost 90,000 US women, published online in the British journal BMJ, a link between red meat and breast cancer has been identified. The study showed that women who ate one serving of chicken, fish, nuts or legumes instead of one serving of red meat were 14 per cent less likely to be diagnosed.

9. Single parents have overweight kids

A report by the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare has shown that being raised by a single parent is the biggest risk factor for obesity.

More than 35 per cent of children with a solo parent were overweight or obese, compared with 24 per cent of kids those living in couple families. The report also showed that girls are more likely to be overweight or obese with 27 per cent of girls being fat, while 25 per cent of boys aged under 15 are overweight or obese.

Meanwhile a COAG report due to be released today will show that nearly 63 per cent of Australian adults are either overweight or obese.

10. Litigious women told to watch where she is going

A woman who tried to sue an RSL after she fell during a night out has been told by the judge to watch where she is going in the future and lost her case.

Kathleen Parker tried to sue Bankstown RSL for $200,000 after she tripped while watching a children’s performance. She claimed the areas she fell was badly lit.

The Judge ruled in favour of Bankstown RSL saying that “The overwhelming evidence was that it was probably illuminated throughout the auditorium during the whole concert,”.

“In my view, Mrs Parker fell because she was not taking reasonable care for her own safety in that she did not watch where she was going.”

11. Jamie Oliver furor

Farmers who were asked to pay a 40c per crate levy on vegetables to pay for the Woolworth’s Jamie’s Garden promotion have hit back at the retail giant saying that the levy will see some face a 30.5% drop in profits because of the new levy.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Ausveg, the group that represents growers, wrote to Jamie Oliver on Tuesday asking him to step in.

A Woolworths spokeswoman said that the levy was “entirely voluntary”.

12. Shoppers given a quiet room for children with autism

In an Australian first a Melbourne shopping centre has built a “quiet room” for people with autism to retreat when they experience a sensory overload.

Northland Shopping Centre has built the ‘quiet room’, which provides a calming sensory space for people with autism. It features two curtained cubicles privacy, sensory friendly furniture like beanbags, a soft rocking chair and some toys specifically made for children on the spectrum.

The areas can also be used by adults with the disorder who may need a quiet space.

13. Mother arrested after son brings grenade to school

A mother in the US has been arrested after her 11-year-old son brought a grenade to school for show and tell.

Lisa Miguel of Stratford was charged with risk of injury to a minor, reckless endangerment and illegal possession of an explosive.

Police say she told them the grenade had been a gift from her father, a war veteran, who had told her it was not functioning. AP reports that police said simulator grenades can combust and cause injuries within a 6-metre radius.

14. Lego thieves

A series of break-ins at toy stores targeting Lego has seen tens of thousands of dollars worth of the popular toy swiped from stores across the country.

One thief stole $20,000 worth of Lego bricks, using a trolley to transport 300 boxes through the front door from a store in Lismore.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the Lego bandits are targeting the City and Technic Lego sets leaving behind the Duplo and the smaller box sets.

15. Catfishing prank backfires

A US teenager has been arrested after her aunt caught her plotting their family’s murder whilst playing a ‘catfish’ prank on Facebook.

Marissa Williams, 19, was thought to be spending too much time on social media, so her aunt, whose name has not been given, played a deceptive prank and posed as a fake profile under the name Tre ‘Top Dog’ Ellis.

The court documents say Willams gave out personal details to her aunt, posing as Ellis, as early as the first day of contact.

Days later, the documents allege, Williams insisted that Ellis kidnap her, and gave him instructions to kill her aunt if she was to try and stop him. She allegedly proceeded to give “Ellis” details of how to get into her aunt’s bedroom, and suggested he kill the whole household, including her cousin and the family dog.

The aunt soon contacted the police and Williams is currently under arrest and on a $US30,000 bond.

16. Wallabies hopeful Nathan Charles to make his Test debut

Rugby union player Nathan Charles, the only rugby player ever to have cystic fibrosis, is poised to make his Test debut on Saturday.

Although the athlete, 25, has a life expectancy of just 38 due to his genetic disease, he says he wishes to be judged solely on performance.

The Wallabies hooker said: “The thing I want to be judged on is my performance on the weekend rather than the disease I carry,” the Courier Mail reports.

He didn’t mention the illness to his coach when he first joined the squad in 2010, as he was determined to be judged on his performance, the Courier Mail reports.

Charles, a national ambassador for Cystic Fibrosis Australia, is also the only person with the incurable condition in the world who is playing a professional contact sport.

 He starts on the replacements bench against France in Melbourne on Saturday night, the ABC reports.

 17. Iraqi cities taken over by Islamist militants

Two cities in Iraq have been taken over by Islamist militants.

Yesterday, hundreds of Islamist militants took control of Mosul, freeing about 1400 prisoners and forcing as many as 500,000 people to flee, the International Organisation for Migration says.

Now, the Iraqi city of Tikrit has been seized by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), security sources have been reported by Al Jazeera as saying.

The head of the Turkish mission in Mosul, along with dozens of consulate officials have been seized.

International human rights organisation Amnesty International has expressed concern at the devleopment.

“The takeover of Mosul by armed opposition groups is a deeply concerning development with grave consequences for human rights in Iraq,” said the group’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Programme Director, Said Boumedouha.

“Both sides in the conflict must ensure that civilians do not bear the brunt of the violence as they battle for control of the city,” he said.

The fighting in Anbar has reportedly displaced close to half a million Iraqis since January and caused 5,520 civilian deaths, Amnesty International said.

ISIS- which is an offshoot of al-Qaeda – is a threat to the entire region, according to US authorities.

18. A boy has died from meningococcal disease in NSW.

A young boy has died in a Hunter Valley hospital, from meningococcal disease.

This is the fourth case of the disease in the region this year, and the first death.

Last year, there were 11 confirmed cases of meningococcal in the district.

People who thinks they might have meningococcal disease are advised to seek medical help immediately. Symptoms can include abnormal skin colour, pain in the legs, or cold skin. More developed symptoms include committing and a rash of reddish-purple spots that appear to look like bruises.

Physician Dr David Durrheim told NBN News: “Meningococcal infection does not spread easily. It is spread by secretions from the nose and throat of a person who is carrying it and close and prolonged contact is needed to pass it on. It does not appear to be spread through saliva or by sharing drinks, food or cigarettes.”

“The number of cases of this rare disease has been falling over the past 10 years due in part to the success of the meningococcal C vaccination program.”

19. Florida woman arrested in May has very unique name.

Jezebel has reported on an unbelievable story, of a Florida woman who was arrested in May after shooting a missile into a vehicle. But that’s not the unbelievable part of the story. The unbelievable bit is the name of this woman.

Crystal Metheny.

Mark Shrayber, who filed the story for Jezebel, called the sheriff’s department to confirm the woman’s name. He spoke to a helpful lady named Linda, and had the following conversation:

[Mark]: [The name is] not an alias?

Linda: No.

Me: That’s a pretty amazing name.

Linda: (Sighs) Sir, this is Florida. We have a lot of interesting names here.

What news are you talking about today?