Australian News

A MAJOR air and sea search is underway off the central Queensland coast for a diver who has been missing since late Saturday.

Cardinal George Pell will be the final witness in the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse when he gives evidence on Monday.

A Pennsylvania woman who fatally stabbed her husband-to-be just hours before their wedding was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday. After three hours of deliberation, jurors found 32-year-old Na Cola Franklin guilty of murdering her fiancé, 36-year-old Billy Brewster, on August 11, 2012. The two got into an argument at their Whitehall Township apartment around 2 am — their wedding was scheduled for 10 am that same day. According to defense attorney John Waldron, Brewster came home drunk after an impromptu bachelor party and allegedly attacked Franklin before trying to leave with the couple’s 9-month-old son. Waldron claimed that Franklin, who stabbed Brewster in the chest and torso, did it to protect her child and asked for a voluntary manslaughter conviction. Prosecutors, however, said the child wasn’t in any danger, and pushed for a first-degree murder conviction. Franklin said she “did not mean to kill him on purpose” at her arraignment, and couldn’t believe that her fiance was dead. She pleaded with the judge to “check again,” and the District Judge Donna Butler told her, “He was pronounced dead by he Lehigh County coroner earlier today.” While she cried often over the course of the three-day trial, Franklin showed no emotion when she was convicted of first-degree murder. The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole in Pennsylvania, but Waldron asked that Franklin’s sentencing be delayed until July 16. Waldron added that Franklin would likely appeal the conviction. First Assistant District Attorney Steven Luksa said the jury’s decision was “fair and just,” and that they were able to conclude that “at that moment in time, she had the desire to take his life.” Billy Brewster’s first cousin, Nakia Kali — who was present when Brewster was stabbed — said he was happy with the verdict but declined to comment further. His wife Monique, who also witnessed the murder, had testified against Franklin. Bride-To-Be Found Guilty Of Murdering Fiance Hours Before Wedding is a post from: The Inquisitr

Are you confused about how Microsoft will be handling used games with the Xbox One? Well, it looks like you’ll be staying confused for awhile. In an effort to try and “clarify” all of the confusion surrounding Microsoft’s Xbox One used games policies, Microsoft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb posted the following on his blog: “The ability to trade in and resell games is important to gamers and to Xbox. Xbox One is designed to support the trade in and resale of games. Reports about our policies for trade in and resale are inaccurate and incomplete. We will disclose more information in the near future.” The confusion began when Wired ran a report stating that a fee would be required to play used – and possibly borrowed – copies of games. Instead of outright denying it Microsoft sent to a note saying that while a used games plan is in place, no details have been shared. In a post on the Xbox Support Twitter page, however, a representative stated that there would be “no fee” associated with used games. It’s easy to pin the blame on the media for the confusion, but the media wouldn’t be the only one to blame. Calling what was posted on Major Nelson’s blog “clarification” suggests that either Microsoft jumped the gun by talking about it at all, forgot to tell all of its key employees what the policy actually is, or the company needs a refresher on what “clarity” actually means. After all, if what the customer service representative said is true then why would Microsoft not come out and say it on a more official platform? Xbox One: Microsoft Blames Press For Confusion Over Used Games is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Mississippi Supreme Court is currently considering a case which could lead to the prosecution of women who suffer miscarriages and stillbirths, according to Mother Jones. In 2009, Nina Buckhalter gave birth to a stillborn girl (whom she named Hayley Jade) following the use of methamphetamine during her pregnancy. Two months later, a grand jury in Lamar Country, Mississippi, indicted her for manslaughter, claiming that she ”did willfully, unlawfully, feloniously, kill Hayley Jade Buckhalter, a human being, by culpable negligence”. The prosecution claimed that the methamphetamine found in Buckhalter’s system caused the death of her unborn child. The Mississippi Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on April 2, is expected to rule soon. Should the judges permit the prosecution to move forward, it will likely create a ”dangerous precedent” that could lead to the treatment of every unintentional pregnancy “as a form of homicide”, says Farah Diaz-Tello, a staff attorney with National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) who has joined Robert McDuff, a Mississippi civil rights lawyer, in defending Buckhalter. Despite the fact that Mississippi manslaughter laws do not apply to fetal stillbirth and miscarriage, and that lawmakers there has repeatedly refused to amend them to include damage to an unborn fetus by illegal drug use, prosecutors have stated that two other state laws allow them to charge Buckhalter. If they are allowed to continue, Mississippi women could be prosecuted for ”smoking, drinking alcohol, using drugs, exercising against doctor’s orders, or failing to follow advice regarding conditions such as obesity or hypertension”, according to Buckhalter’s attorneys. Supreme Court Justice Leslie D. King raised a similar question during last month’s oral arguments asking prosecutors ”Doctors say women should avoid herbal tea, things like unpasteurized cheese, lunch meats. Exactly what are the boundaries?” The case has already caught the attention of several national medical, legal and public health organizations. The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) filed an Amicus brief with the Mississippi Supreme Court on their behalf in opposition to an indictment of Buckhalter. “A conviction here could create far-reaching bad legal precedent that brands as potential criminals any woman who suffers a lost pregnancy, thus endangering the health and well-being of Mississippi women”, the AMWA said. Mississippi is one of the most anti-abortion states in the US. Despite the defeat of a ballot measure to introduce a “personhood” amendment to the state constitution in 2011 by a wide margin (58% percent of voters opposed it), anti-abortion organizations have stated that they intend to reintroduce the measure in 2015 while lawmakers continue in their attempts to shut down the one remaining abortion clinic in the state. Nor is Mississippi alone in such tactics. Neighboring Alabama recently created a similar precedent by extending its law prohibiting the ”chemical endangerment” of children to include fetuses while in Virginia, Sen. Mark Obenshain, introduced a bill in 2009 requiring women to report their miscarriages to the police, according to the Huffington Post. In addition, 38 other states have “fetal homicide” laws which are supposed to protect fetuses but in reality are used to criminalize women who experience unintentional pregnancy loss, according to Salon. Ironically, should the court allow Buckhalter to be prosecuted, it may lead to more abortion. Buckhalter’s attorneys argued that fear of prosecution “may cause a mother to seek an abortion that she might not have otherwise have sought”. Mississippi Could Start Prosecuting Women for Stillbirths, Miscarriages is a post from: The Inquisitr

Babies born via cesarian section at an increased risk of becoming obese later in life than babies delivered vaginally, according to a recent study of more than 10,000 UK infants. A research team led by Dr. Jan Blustein from the New York University of Medicine analyzed data from 10,219 born in the UK between 1991 and 1992. The children who were delivered by C-section were 83 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than their peers who were delivered vaginally. This was determined after other factors were taken into account, such as the mother’s weight and how long they were breastfed. Researchers also noted that children delivered by C-section were on average 2 oz lighter than their counterparts. Blustein noted that, at 6 weeks old, C-section babies had already started to surpass children delivered vaginally. The children were retested at various points in their lives — ages three, 11, and 15 — and children born via cesarian section were consistently heavier than their peers. The link between C-section births and obesity was especially strong in children born to overweight mothers. Blustein said women electively considering a C-section should be aware of the other risks associated with the surgery, such as future pregnancy complications, and higher chances of bladder or bowel injuries. She also said that studies haven’t been able to prove whether the C-section itself causes children to gain more weight later in life, or if there was another factor. Blustein specualted that the higher weight gain was linked to C-section babies not having any exposure to friendly bacteria present in the birth canal. According to Teresa Ajslev, a researcher at the Institute of Preventive Medicine and a Ph.D. student at Copenhagen University, said there may be a specific type of bacteria that is protective. There could also be a bacteria imbalance that disrupts intestinal function in a way that makes it easier for a child to gain weight. Still, Blustein points out that normal-weight mothers who had C-sections didn’t have the same link to obesity as overweight or obese mothers. The study was published in the May 14 issue of the International Journal of Obesity. C-Sections Linked To Childhood Obesity is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phthalates are odorless, colorless additives mainly used as plasticizers – substances added to plastics to increase flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity – and are also frequently used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Phthalates are widely used in a variety of products. These can include pharmaceutical, gelling agents, stabilizers, lubricants, emulsifiers, and in the manufacture of adhesives, electronics, building materials, detergents, plastic wrap, toys, printing inks, paints, textiles, and present in processed food and personal care products. But in recent years phthalates have been gradually phased out of many items in the US, Canada, and Europe due to health concerns – as research has found, for example in rodent models, evidence that in elevated doses phthalates can cause hormonal and metabolic abnormalities, and birth defects. Environmentally, phthalates are easily released into the environment because there is no covalent bond between the chemical and plastics. As plastics age and break down, the release accelerates. Because phthalate plasticizers are not chemically bound to PVC, they too can easily leach into the surrounding environment. Research published in The Journal of Pediatrics also suggests that phthalate exposure may compromise heart health in children. Investigators at NYU Langone Medical Center, in collaboration with the University of Washington and Penn State University School of Medicine Data, culled data from a nationally survey of nearly 3,000 children and teens – documenting connections between dietary exposure to DEHP (di-2-ethyhexylphthalate), a common class of phthalate widely used in industrial food production, and elevated systolic blood pressure, a measure of pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts. Dr. Leonardo Trasande – associate professor of pediatrics, environmental medicine and population health at NYU Langone Medical Center – led the study. According to Dr. Trasande, “We wanted to examine the link between phthalates and childhood blood pressure in particular given the increase in elevated blood pressure in children and the increasing evidence implicating exposure to environmental exposures in early development of disease.” Six years of survey data administered by the National Centers for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was examined. Phthalates were measured in urine samples. Phthalates were found to inhibit function of cardiac cells, create oxidative stress, and negatively impact the health of the arteries – leading to the potential for pre-hypertension. Hypertension is one of the two primary causes of cardiovascular disease – the other atherosclerosis – and is clinically defined as a systolic blood-pressure reading above 140/90 mmHg; 90 being the diastolic reading. This chronic elevation in blood pressure forces the heart muscle to labor harder in order to circulate blood. Hypertension is a major risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction (heart attacks), heart failure, and aneurysms of the arteries. Moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure is associated with a shortened life expectancy. High blood pressure is more common in people over 50, but the condition is becoming increasingly prevalent among children. National surveys indicate that 14 percent of American adolescents now have pre-hypertension or hypertension – citing obesity as a contributor. Dietary and lifestyle changes can improve blood pressure control and decrease the risk of associated health complications. Otherwise drug treatment is used for those whose lifestyle changes prove ineffective or insufficient. [Image via Shutterstock] Chemicals Commonly Found In Plastics Linked To Elevated Blood Pressure In Children is a post from: The Inquisitr

Rona Newton-John, the older sister of Olivia Newton-John, has died in the US.The 70-year-old British-born and Melbourne-raised model and actress was diagnosed with brain cancer last month.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will reportedly tell broadcasters to ban betting commentary during live sports or face strict new laws.

The TSA announced this week that it seized 54 loaded guns at airport security checkpoints. The government agency confiscated 65 firearms in total at airports around the country this week. The agency found that 54 of those guns were loaded and another 17 had a bullet in the chamber. The TSA writes on its blog that passengers may transport weapons in checked luggage (as long as they declare it first) but they aren’t allowed to bring weapons onto the plane in carry-on bags. The agency also notes that there is no evidence that any of the loaded weapons that were confiscated this week belonged to people who had malicious intent. The TSA did say, however, that security lines were slowed down this week due to all of the guns. The TSA writes: “Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested.” The passenger can face a penalty as high as $7,500.00. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that’s for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items.” MSNBC notes that in addition to the 54 loaded guns, the TSA also seized a dozen stun guns, a couple of inert grenades, some ammunition and a few razor blades. The TSA also said that it stopped a few passengers who claimed that they had bombs with them. The TSA noted that both individuals were joking about the bombs but warned future passengers that jokes about bombs would undoubtedly slow down security lines. 54 Loaded Guns Seized At Airports By TSA is a post from: The Inquisitr