news

Monday's news in 5 minutes.

1. Fears over public fountains and splash parks after children fall ill from contaminated water.

There are fears over the health and safety of “splash parks” after it became apparent that many of them hold contaminated water.

Fairfax Media reports that the NSW Baird government plans to change the Public Health Act to make splash parks and interactive water fountains included in the definition of a public swimming pool and thus subject to the same health and safety rules.

In Western Australia, a toddler developed an eye infection that left her partially blind after playing in a water park at Elizabeth Quay.

But similar parks, such as the one in Sydney’s Darling Harbour are not grouped under the same rules that apply to swimming pools.

Fairfax Media reports that the state government agency Property NSW has refused to confirm if three new interactive water fountains that will open to the public at Darling Harbour in the next fortnight a meet the swimming pool safety standard.

On social media, parents have reported children becoming ill with diarrhea and eye infections after playing in local splash parks.

2. Two monkeys found alive after being stolen from Wildlife Park.

Two monkeys have been found after being stolen from a wildlife park south of Sydney.

The monkeys were two of three rare pygmy marmosets taken from Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh on Saturday morning.

The ABC reports that police arrested two men and recovered the baby monkey and a second monkey.

One other stolen monkey is still missing.

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The marmosets taken were Gomez, Sophia, and the four-week-old baby monkey that had yet to be named.

3. Father finds “meth” in supermarket ice-cream.

A father has claimed he found methamphetamine in a bowl of ice cream he served his son.

The Perth man wrote on Facebook that he purchased the tub of Coles brand vanilla ice-cream on November 11 and then went to serve some to his five-year-old son on Saturday night.

He told WA Today he saw the substance about “five minutes into my son eating it, when he told me there was ‘glass’ in his ice-cream.”

“My first reaction was shock and then I examined the shard, and realised it didn’t quite have the structure of most glass, so I firmly pressed it between my fingers and a little piece broke off.”

The man said he is a recovering drug addict and knew what it was.

“It has a very similar taste and structure as methamphetamine so I am led to think that’s what it is,” he said.

Under advice from the hospital he monitored his son who showed no ill effects.

He said he did not blame Coles as the product was properly sealed.

“The manufacturing company are the ones who will need to investigate this further to find out how it happened… all I hope is the manufacturer take this information and do the best they can to ensure there isn’t a repeat of this and any other possible products that could hold contaminants are removed from sale.”

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Coles have not commented on the claims.

4. Cirque du Soleil acrobat Lisa Skinner injured after fall.

Brisbane Olympic gymnast, Lisa Skinner, a performer in Cirque du Soleil, has been injured during a performance.

Paramedics were called to the scene just before 2pm yesterday while performing in Brisbane.

The 35-year-old was taken to hospital in a stable condition.

A witness, Anastasia Astridge, wrote on Facebook that the performer “plummeted to the ground”.

“She didn’t even try to do anything, just plummeted and laid flat face down … they carried her away, I heard sirens which is good but I am in no mood to watch the rest of the show,” she said.

5. Man charged after pushing women onto train tracks.

A 47-year-old man will appear in court today charged with attempted murder after a group of women were randomly attacked and pushed onto the train tracks at a Melbourne train station yesterday.

The Age reports the man had used a kitchen knife to allegedly slice a woman’s handbag but when the knife broke, the man attacked passengers who were waiting at Glenhuntly station. He began pushing them off the platform as a train approached.

Five women were pushed onto the tracks.

Paramedics treated the injured, including two women in their 80s with leg and hip injuries and a woman in her 70s with facial injuries, reports The Age.

A teenager suffered cuts, abrasions, and was treated for shock.

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A 47-year-old man from Carnegie was arrested at the scene. He was charged with four counts of attempted murder, intentionally causing serious injury, affray, and making threats to kill.

6. Victoria to introduce compulsory swimming lessons.

Swimming lessons will be compulsory. Via I-Stock.

The Herald Sun reports that under the new part of the curriculum, all children at Victorian public schools will have to be able to swim 50 metres by the end of primary school.

The new water safety benchmark will be part of the curriculum from next year.

Education and Emergency Services Minister James Merlino said teaching kids to swim would “save lives”.

“That’s why students will learn about water safety, how to float and swim as part of their physical education classes under the new Victorian curriculum from term one next year,” Mr Merlino said.

7. Ten people shot in New Orleans French Quarter.

One person has died and nine others were injured in a shooting on a busy tourist street in New Orleans overnight.

Two people were arrested after the incident on Bourbon Street, the historic French Quarter's famous road of bars.

New Orleans Police Department said it is unclear as yet what sparked the shoot out. The eight male and two female victims are aged between 20 and 37.

Two men were arrested at the scene, one of whom had also been injured in the shooting.

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