Sunday's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up all the latest stories from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.

1. Snake Man says Terri Irwin tried to destroy his rival business.

Conservationist and owner of Australia Zoo, Terri Irwin, has allegedly been implicated in an attempt to “destroy” a Melbourne man’s snake handling business.

Raymond Hoser, who has famously been dubbed “The Snake Man”, claims he was contacted by Irwin accusing him of animal mistreatment and threatening to formally intervene with his practice.

According to the Courier Mail, in 2011 Irwin penned the following email to Hoser:

“I am rather shocked to learn this evening from an article how you treat your animals (and children).

“It is very rare that I personally involve myself in matters relating to other organisations however I feel I have no choice but to act.

“I am this evening contacting the Victorian authorities in an attempt to revoke your animal demonstration licence, and if they fail to act I will bring the matter to the attention of a very large number of media organisations.”

The Courier Mail says that Irwin’s claims of Hoser’s animal mistreatment in 2011 were related to the surgical removal of snake venom that Hoser says he ceased in 2006.

Hoser alleges that just days after receiving Irwin’s email, he was raided by Police and the Victorian wildlife department, however, no “major issues” were identified at his property, and that his treatment of animals was in a “proper manner”.

Following the raid, Hoser began legal proceedings with Victoria’s Environment Department, which lasted four years.

The snake handler claims that the initial raid, despite finding nothing wrong with his animal treatment, has caused irreversible reputation damage to his business and a mass loss to his customer base.

“We had every major secondary school in Melbourne doing reptile shows and also every major shopping centre.

“Now no one will touch us with a barge pole because we’re damaged goods,” Hoser told The Sunday Mail.

Mamamia has contacted Terri Irwin for further comment on the allegations.

2. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for shooting down a Russian plane that killed all passengers.

Russian and Egyptian officials have commenced their investigations into the crash of a Russian plane on the Sinai Peninsula, just 23 minutes into the flight.

It is reported that the crash killed all 224 passengers on board, including 17 children, who were travelling from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg. The ABC reports that there were 214 Russians on board the flight, plus three Ukrainians. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed no Australians were recorded to be on-board.

Since the crash, the Islamic State has posted a statement online taking responsibility for the downing of the flight:

“Soldiers of the caliphate were able to bring down a Russian plane about Sinai province.”

The message has been widely circulated by a number of IS supporters on Twitter, and other online platforms.

However, Russia’s transport minister, Maksin Sokolov, has refused to verify the claims of the IS group, saying that they “can’t be considered accurate”.

A spokesperson for the Egyptian army has echoed the statements of Sokolov, reporting:

“They can put out whatever statement they want but there is not proof at this point that terrorist were responsible for this plane crash.”

After checking fuel samples of the plane, investigators have started exploring the possibility of a technical failure that caused the plane to crash, also including individuals who prepared the plane and its crew.

It was Egyptian military planes who first found the wreckage, which has now been described as a “tragic scene”, with many of the dead still strapped into their seats.

3. The Australian Government wants to send refugees to Kyrgystan. But DFAT warns Australians to not travel there.

Fairfax Media has revealed unconfirmed plans that the Government is exploring its options to relocate refugees to Kyrgyzstan, a country located in Central Asia.

The Government’s apparent plans have been brutally attacked by the media. On their own website, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has warned Australian tourists who plan to travel to Kyrgyzstan to “exercise a high degree of caution”.

DFAT’s travel advice makes clear that going to Kyrgyzstan is dangerous:

“We continue to advise Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in the Kyrgyz Republic because of the potential for civil unrest, the threat of terrorism and high levels of crime.

“Women travelling alone and after dark should take extra care for their own security as kidnapping local women for marriage is an ongoing occurrence in the Kyrgyz Republic, and foreigners could mistakenly fall victim to such kidnappings.”

The Immigration department has neither confirmed, nor denied the reports of the resettlement plans, simply stating that the Government is discussing the resettlement of 1500 asylum seeks with a “number” of countries.

4. Mosques celebrate National Mosque Open Day.

Mosques from all over Australia opened their doors, yesterday, to welcome non-Muslim Australians to further understand their faith and teachings.

Lebanese Muslim Association president, Samier Dandan, said that the Open Days were being used to “break down barriers of misconception” and deter “ignorance”, particularly after the rise of extremist Islamic organisations.

“There’s never been a time more so than now…,” said Dandan, “Any particular Islamic organisation needs to open up its doors to embrace all the different concerns and issues that currently do exist.

“The only way to try and break down those misconceptions or that level of ignorance is through a dialogue.”

A number of politicians embraced the day including, Treasurer Scott Morrison, and Opposition Leader, Bill Shorten.

One member of the public, Helen Domench who identifies as Catholic, took up the opportunity to explore the Islamic faith.

“I can hear because I hear so much about Muslim people and the negative things…but I have met the most wonderful people,” Domench said when she spoke to AAP.

5. Feminist curriculum to be launched at Melbourne school.

Fitzroy High School is set to lead the nation by introducing a course for male and female high schools that will address sexism and explore gender equality.

The idea was first raised by a group of students and teacher, Briony O’Keefe, at the high school.

O’Keefe and her students saw a gap in the current curriculum.

“We’re trying to get young men and women to think a bit more critically about the sort of sexist behaviours they might either engage in or see on a daily basis,” said O’Keefe.

“And on a teaching level, I wanted to create free, accessible curriculum for teachers who might want to talk about these issues but don’t know how or where to start.”

The course, which lasts 30 lessons, will cover a broad range of topics, including the objectification of women, links between gender equality and violence against women, deconstruction of sexist images, the patriarchy, gender wage gap, and address the time-worn stereotypes of feminists.

O’Keefe reports that the class has already reached a maximum capacity, with a mix between male and female students. The course will be available to all schools on November 26, this year.

Do you have a news tip? We’d love to hear it. E-mail us at: news@mamamia.com.au

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