Thursday's news in under 5 minutes.

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A man has been breaking into people’s homes in Boston and watching them sleep or tickling their feet, police have confirmed.

There have been at least 10 confirmed sightings of the so-called Boston Tickler, News.com.au reports.

“This is no myth,” Boston Police Sergeant Michael O’Hara said, adding that the Tickler has been sighted in the US city’s Brighton area, popular with students living off campus.

Victims have described him as a 172cm black male, wearing dark clothing and a hoodie. He has also reportedly been seen wearing a Gator-style mask.

At least three students reported having encountered him on the same night — April 7.

Some witnesses said the man watched them through their windows as he committed a sex act, News.com.au reports.

1. Rolf Harris trial

Rolf Harris has faced cross-examination by prosecutor Sasha Wass QC in his trial in the UK.

“This was not a consensual relationship, this was child abuse – grooming,” Ms Wass said

“You effectively psychologically dominated that girl.”

The entertainer, 84, has admitted that he admired the girls’ body in a bikini when she was 13 years old.

“When she was 13, you admired her body,” Ms Wass said

“On one occasion,” Harris said.

“You admired her sexually,” Ms Wass said. “Saying ‘your body looks good in a bikini’, that’s a sexual remark.”

“In hindsight, I suppose so,” Harris said.

Harris denied ever sexually assaulting her on the holiday, repeatedly saying “it never happened”.

Rolf Harris faces 12 charges of indecently assaulting four girls between 1968 and 1986. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

2. Elliot Rodger addicted to muscle pills

California gunman Elliot Rodger was addicted to the supplement Creatine, an organic acid which increases the body’s ability to produce energy rapidly, a UK newspaper reports.

Whilst not illegal, Creatine has been linked to mood swings and depression.

Chris Akin, a friend of Rodger said his mood changed after he began to take the supplement, The Mirror reports.

3. Education Minister floats idea of HECS debts for the dead

Federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne has indicated his support for an idea floated by the Grattan Institute – to collect HECS debts from the estates of former students who died owing money to the government.

“[If] an elderly person passes away with a HECS debt, they wouldn’t be able to say to the bank, we’re not paying back our mortgage, yet they are at the moment entitled to not pay back their HECS debt,” Mr Pyne told The Australian Financial Review.

He did say that safeguards would be needed to ensure the families of young deceased students would not be affected.

Labor higher education spokesman Kim Carr called the proposal a “death tax”.

4. Jamie Gao Case

Jamie Gao was facing court on kidnapping and assault charges a week before he was allegedly shot dead by two former detectives, it’s been revealed.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports Jamie Gao allegedly kidnapped a man by forcing him into a car in a Sydney suburb and detaining him in January.

Friends of Goa’s have expressed their disbelief at his alleged connections to drugs.

The men charged with his murder, Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara, are due to face court in July.

5. Turnbull steps in to save Peppa Pig’s bacon

After yesterday’s shock announcement from ABC boss Mark Scott that Peppa Pig might face the axe amongst the ABC’s forthcoming cuts, the Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has stepped in to vow he will save the feisty little pig.

“Media reports that Peppa Pig is at risk are not true. If she were, I would lead the charge to save her bacon.”

“With crackling dialogue like Peppa’s, how could she be given the chop? Peppa’s is one snout we are happy to have in the ABC trough,” he posted to his Facebook page.

6. Kidnapped baby saved by Facebook

An amazing story has developed in Canada where a young mother innocently handed her newborn baby over to a kidnapper pretending to be a nurse.

An amber alert was issued over the missing newborn.

Four 20-year-olds who saw the alert on Facebook then decided to take up the search.

For more on this story, read this post.

7. Maya Angelou dies

American author and poet Maya Angelou, best known for her groundbreaking autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” has died at age 86 in North Carolina.

The prolific African-American writer died quietly at her home in Winston-Salem, Angelou’s family said in a statement on Wednesday.

“She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace. The family is extremely appreciative of the time we had with her and we know that she is looking down upon us with love.”

8. Australian woman jailed in Cambodia

An Australian woman has been jailed for 23 years for attempting to smuggle 2.2kg of heroin to Australia in a backpack.

Ann Yoshe Taylor, 41, was convicted for drug trafficking charges in a Phnom Penh court on Wednesday.

9. Forbes Most Powerful Women

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has topped the Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list.

She was followed by US Federal Reserve Chair, Janet Yellen, Melinda Gates, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and IMF chief Christine Lagarde. Michelle Obama was ranked eighth.

Australia Gina Rhineheart was 27th on the list, while Westpac CEO Gail Kelly was 56th.

10. PayPass crime increases

The rise of tap and go technology for credit cards have seen a rise in the number of thefts of these cards.

In Victoria alone tap-and-go bank cards are being blamed for a 45 per cent surge in deception offences.

Deputy Police Commissioner Lucinda Nolan told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell “A significant proportion of residential burglaries and theft from motor cars is directly linked to stealing of credit cards and using the tap-and-go functionality.”

11. Government considers banning deadly dyes

The Federal government is considering banning potentially carcinogenic dyes.

The National Toxics Network says there are potentially millions of pieces of clothing containing these particular azo dyes still for sale in Australian stores.

In March, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission voluntarily recalled 208,000 items involving about 37 product lines from retailers including: Myer, Target, Target Country, Cotton On, Rivers Australia, Jeans West, Trade Secret and Pillow Talk. The dyes are already prohibited in Europe.

For more on which items are recalled go here.

12. “Leggings are not pants”

The Gulf State of Qatar has launched a campaign to remind tourists how to dress and behavior in the strict Islamic country. And high on their hit list for offensive clothing? Leggings.

“Legging are not pants,” state the pamphlets distributed by the Qatar Islamic Cultural Center in preparation for the 2022 Football World Cup Qatar is hosting.

13. Lost something?

It seems we’re a forgetful nation. A new study shows a quarter of Australians have been left stranded without cash in the past 12 months, while one in three of us have lost our wallet or have had it stolen within the last 10 years.

Research by the Westpac Bank shows that 39 per cent of Australians have been forced to ask a friend or family member to help pay for them as a result of being cashless, however over half (54% pr cent) are embarrassed to have to do so.

Women are more embarrassed to be caught without cash at a petrol station (50 per cent), whereas men are more embarrassed than women to be caught without cash on a date.

14. Is this nappy advertisement “pornographic”?

A new advertisement for Israeli Huggies nappies, created by advertising agency McCann-Erickson, is causing controversy. The campaign shows toddler swearing denim-printed nappies, and posing as if they are participating in a fashion shoot.

Soon after the images were revealed, commenters on Facebook and Twitter started calling the campaign out for making the children pose in “tempting” or “provocative” stances, with some even going so far as to call the campaign “pornographic”.

What do you think?

15. Bernard Tomic allegedly takes underage girls to party.

Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic is at the centre of controversy again, after a Channel Nine report linked him to a party where alcohol and drugs were supplied to underage girls.

The Nine report alleged that 21-year-old Tomic brought two 16-year-olds to a party in Surfers Paradise, where the girls saw a pile of white power and were offered alcohol.

A reporter questioned Tomic at the French Open about the incident, to which replied, “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, this is very interesting, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

In November last year, Tomic was similarly embroiled in scandal after being photographed receiving a lap dance from a girl while schoolies was on.

And in brief: NSW have beaten the Maroons 12 – 8 in the State of Origin.

What news are you talking about today?