Thursday's news in under 5 minutes

UPDATE: Derryn Hinch to face jail, after refusing to pay fine.

Outspoken and controversial broadcaster Derryn Hinch has decided to face 50 days in jail, rather than pay a $100,000 fine for breaching a suppression order during the Jill Meagher case.

Hinch had until 4pm today to pay the fine, but decided instead to face prison – on principle.

He told the Herald Sun, “While I believe it’s the biggest personal fine ever, my decision is not about the money at all … I couldn’t care less about that. It’s the principle of the matter.”

In the 80s Hinch served 12 days jail for naming priest Michael Glennon, while he was awaiting trial on child sex abuse charges.

“For anyone going inside, it’s scary. Twelve days was scary. Fifty is going to be tough,” he told the Herald Sun.

It is likely Hinch will spend his 70th birthday in prison.

1. Gang Rape

A 51-year old Danish tourist has been gang raped in India after becoming lost near the main backpacker area of New Delhi.

Up to six “youngsters” dragged her to a secluded part of a garden near the New Delhi railway station where they robbed and assaulted her at knife-point, police said.

Two people have been arrested in connection to the alleged rape.

 2. Judge’s rape comments

A Judge in Sweden is facing worldwide scrutiny after writing an opinion piece defending a verdict he gave in a rape trial.

Swedish Judge Ralf G. Larsson acquitted a man accused of rape, he explained his rational saying it couldn’t have been rape unless the accused rapist thought it was rape.

During the trial it was reported that the 27-year-old accused rapist told police that his female companion enjoyed rough sex. The woman screamed so much that she lost her voice.

The man told investigating officers that “I recognised the way she said no as part of the sex; I recognised it from other girls.”

The judge argued in his Op-Ed, “If the thought had not occurred to him, that she did not want to have sex with him, then he didn’t have any intention to do what he did.”

3. Young businesswoman dies

A family has spoken of their anguish at being given 15 minutes to decide whether to save the life of businesswoman Casey Kinnaird after she was hit by a car whilst training for a triathlon on Saturday.

For more read this post here “Casey Kinnaird’s tragic accident“

 4. Mother and daughter Bali deaths

An Australian tourist has claimed he fell ill after eating at a Bali restaurant where Noelene and Yvana Bischoff dined before their mystery deaths.

Queensland police contacted relatives of the Bischoffs yesterday to advise that the Victorian man came forward after returning to Australia.

The family was told the complaint may have related to a different day than when Noelene and Yvana were at the restaurant.

 5. Food Giant and Allergy Charity encourage nuts

Nestle and the charity Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia – which receives funding from Nestle – are under fire for encouraging schools to allow a new range of Uncle Toby’s ”lunchbox friendly” muesli bars into playgrounds, even though they could be dangerous for people with nut allergies.

The charity and Nestle admit they should not be eaten by anyone with a nut allergy. A&AA is also asking schools to reconsider bans on nuts in the schoolyard.

It has written a letter to all schools directing them to the A&AA website, where the charity is opposed to banning nuts from schools.

”It is impossible to think we can remove all traces of allergens from within a school environment,” Ms Said told Fairfax Media. ”That would mean we ask kids to bring water bottles to schools, and not much more.”

 6. Climate change report

A new climate report has told us to expect more heatwaves, and that they are getting longer.

The Climate Council’s new report, Australian Heatwaves: Hotter, Longer, Earlier and More Often has said that climate change “is making heatwaves more frequent and severe and they are starting earlier in the season,”

 7. Hot in the City

Adelaide will be officially the hottest city in the world today according to a global forecast by the United Nations.

Gathering official predictions from around the globe, the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation estimated Adelaide’s 46C would not be topped in any major population centre.

8. Australian Open

British tennis champion Andy Murray has accused Australian Open organisers of putting players’ lives at risk, saying he feared the heat could cause someone to suffer a heart attack.

“It looks terrible for the whole sport when people are collapsing, ball kids are collapsing, people in the stands are collapsing. That’s not great.”

9. Asylum Seekers

Concerns are growing over nine asylum-seekers who have stitched their lips together on Christmas Island.

The Australian reports that immigration officials fear some protesters may begin sewing their eyelids shut in the next 48 hours

Seventy-eight detainees have also told immigration officials over the past week they are on hunger strike.

There are concerns that the Iranian men may attempt to use contraband needles and dental floss to sew their eyelids shut.

The men have been held on Christmas Island since July, August and the first week of September.

 10. Train derailment

A metal bar has pierced through the floor of a Sydney train causing chaos in last night’s peak hour services.

The curved piece of metal, measuring several metres, speared through the floor in the vestibule in one of the carriages, narrowly missing passengers.

11. 6-year old

In the US a six-year old girl has been told she cannot talk about religion to other children for fear of offending them.

The six-year old was giving a ‘show-and-tell’ about her Christmas star when she mentioned Jesus.

The teacher told her to ‘stop right there’ and would not allow her to continue.

The principal told the girls’ mother “ It was to protect the other students from being offended by Brynn’s presentation.”

She said that the child was not allowed to share her beliefs aloud to any other student.

Her mother is demanding the school change their policies limiting religious liberty.

In Brief:

Governor-General Quentin Bryce will attend the funeral of ‘coward’s punch’ victim Daniel Christie ”as an expression of the community’s revulsion” of violence on Sydney’s streets.

In tennis Samantha Stosur has beaten Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 6-0.

What news are you talking about today?