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Saturday's news in less than two minutes.

A man has been charged with marrying a 12-year-old girl.

Man charged with child abuse after marrying 12-year-old girl

A Lebanese university student has been charged with child abuse after having intercourse with a 12-year-old girl he had married. The 26-year-old University of Newcastle student is accused of having sex with the girl 25 times during the month of January after they were married in an Islamic ceremony.

The pair then moved to Sydney’s south-west, where they were discovered by authorities.

 

Schapelle Corby to be released early next week.

It is expected that Australian convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby will be released from prison on Monday, after Indonesia’s Justice Minister confirmed that he had signed her parole papers in a press conference yesterday. Officials from Indonesia’s Jail and Justice Ministry have told the media that, as Corby’s parole application was signed so late on a Friday afternoon, her release is most likely to happen early next week.

Abbott warns of serious budget cuts

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned the Australian people to expect serious cuts when the Federal Budget is released in May. Mr Abbott told Fairfax, “I don’t want people to think that it’s all doom and gloom because there’s a purpose to all of this, and the purpose is to strengthen our economy over the medium and the long term, but inevitably in this budget there will be things that people won’t like much.” Australians have been told to expect cuts in addition to those that have already been foreshadowed, such as the baby bonus.

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The more stringent budget plan is said to be a strategy for establishing Australia as an economically sound country when the 2014 G20 Leaders’ Summit is held in Brisbane in November.

Woman’s body washes ashore in Sydney suburb

A woman’s body has washed ashore on Tamarama Beach, in Sydney’s east. The body was found by an early morning walker at around 6:25am on Friday. It is believed the woman was in her 50s.

The Queensland electorate of Griffith goes to the polls after Rudd’s resignation

The electorate of Griffith are voting for a new member today, after their previous representative, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, quit politics late last year. Rudd won the seat with a margin of 3 per cent over Liberal member Bill Glasson, who is contesting the seat again today.

Sochi 2014 kicks off in style

The Winter Olympics have begun in style with an impressive display at the Fisht Olympic Stadium. The games’ Opening Ceremony featured a Nikki Webster-esque ‘girl in a harness’ moment, as well as a Dove of Peace release performed by the Bolshoi Ballet.

While there were a couple of technical glitches (one pyrotechnic snowflake that refused to turn itself into the fifth Olympic ring was particularly noticeable), the biggest controversy occurred during the pre-show when girl pop duo t.A.T.u. performed and nearly kissed at the end of their song, possibly as a protest against Russia’s controversial anti-gay legislation.

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