Friday's news in under 5 minutes

1. Russia invades Ukraine

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko has called for the UN to intervene as he confirms Russian regular forces have invaded eastern Ukraine.

NATO has released satellite images that it says show Russian combat troops and “sophisticated heavy weaponry” inside Ukraine.

In a statement, NATO said the images provide “concrete examples of Russian activity inside Ukraine” but represent “only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the overall scope of Russian troop and weapons movements”.

NATO Brigadier General Niko Tak said more than 1,000 Russian troops were operating inside Ukraine, both supporting the separatists and fighting on their side.

Meanwhile Fairfax Media reports an emergency session of the UN Security Council will discuss the crisis in the next few hours.

 2. Brad and Angelina marry

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie announced overnight they married last Saturday in France.

For more details, see this post.

3. Joan Rivers in critical condition

TMZ reports that Joan Rivers is in a critical condition after her heart stopped beating and she stopped breathing during a procedure on her vocal cords in a clinic.

The 81-year old has been rushed to hospital.

Her daughter, Melissa Rivers, has flown to her side.

For more details, see this post.

4. Doubts cast on story of boy who died after tripping over dog lead

Nine News

The aunt and uncle of Joey Woodcock have said they don’t believe his parents version of the story.

Joey’s uncle George Hudd – who had previously cared for Joey when his mother gave up his custody – said he didn’t recognise his nephew after the incident.

“They (Joey’s parents) told me that the dog’s leash pulled his legs from underneath him and he fell on his back.” He said.

“But I didn’t understand how he could have a busted lip, two huge gashes on his forehead, a bruise deep inside his hairline, from tripping over a dog’s lead.”

Police have established a strike force to investigate Joey Woodcock’s death.

5. Qantas loss

After Qantas announced a $2.8 billion loss yesterday, there have been calls for changes to the Qantas Sales Act.

Businessman Ron Walker and former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett urged the removal of the 49 per cent cap on foreign ownership, according to The Herald Sun.

6. ISIS kill 160 troops

ISIS has said it has executed more than 160 troops captured in recent fighting in northeastern Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the men were executed in three separate locations.

Images showing them lined up wearing only underwear, and then executed, have surfaced on Twitter.

7. MH370 further south

New information has emerged suggesting missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 is further south than previously thought.

Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss told media yesterday: “The search area remains the same, but some of the information that we now have suggests to us that areas a little further to the south – within the search area, but a little further to the south – are of particular interest and priority in the search area.”

His comments come as Australia and Malaysia sign a memorandum of understanding over the next phase of the hunt for the plane.

8. Children’s book pulled from shelves

A supermarket chain has pulled a classic children’s book from the shelves after complaints it contained offensive language.

A spokeswoman said Aldi removed the book, Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes after “comments by a limited number of concerned customers regarding the language used in this particular book”.

The move has caused outrage.

For more, see this post.

9. MP’s change of heart

The Federal Liberal MP for Dawson, George Christensen has had a change of heart, as he announced in a two-page advertisement in the Whitsunday Coast Guardian.

He has announced he now supports land based dumping of dredge spoil from the Abbot Point coal terminal. “Politicians don’t often say they got it wrong, but here it is,” Mr Christensen says “I got it wrong,”

“I didn’t foresee the angst the dumping of dredge spoil in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park would cause to tourism operators and to residents in the Whitsundays,” he said.

10. MP apologises

Another Queensland Politician, Newman Government MP Vaughan Johnson, has had to say sorry after claiming “Asian people” have “no comprehension of road rules”.

“Many of those Asian people … and I’m not against Asian people and don’t get me wrong … but a lot of those Asian people come from an environment where they have no comprehension of road rules in their own countries, let alone come here and think they can just meld into the system here,” he said.

He has since apologised for his inappropriate comments.

11. ‘Mass hysteria’ in small South American town.

A small South American town may be suffering a rare case of mass hysteria after 200 girls have come down with symptoms ranging from fainting to numbness in the hands and headaches.

The town’s hospital has been under strain since May with the cases.

Over the weekend 120 girls presented to hospital with the symptoms. All were released.

Rumours that the “illnesses” are linked to the cervical cancer vaccine have been categorically ruled out by the Health Minister, who has critisised the media for stirring panic. CBS News reports the town demonstrated on Wednesday demanding answers.

“Some have hinted that the town of 95,000 near Colombia’s Caribbean coast could be experiencing a rare case of mass hysteria,” CBS News reports.

12. This is how you can tell if he loves you

A study has answered an age-old question – ‘how can I really tell if he loves me?’ – and it seems the answer is in his voice.

Research by Scotland’s University of Stirling has found men vary their tone when they speak to women they find attractive – subtly speaking in a ‘sing-song’ voice.

The Daily Mail reports that the study found that the changes were so minor they are probably not produced consciously by the speaker.

“They help make a person sound more attractive to the opposite sex, people do not seem to be aware of why they find the voice more attractive,” said the research published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour.

The study also found men reached a lower minimum voice pitch, compared with when they spoke to women they considered less attractive.

 What news are you talking about today?

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