Thursday's headlines

07 Nov 2013

Teen’s charges upgraded to murder over Australian baseball player Chris Lane’s death. In other news, Amanda Knox’s retrial has begun in Italy over the murder of her flatmate.

Reef under attack from thorny starfish

Scientists are warning that the Great Barrier Reef may be on the verge of an outbreak of crown of thorns starfish, the most damaging outbreak on record. Sections of the reef are already in the grip of the outbreak however it may be 12 months until the reef off Cairns is hit. ABC News has more on the impact of the outbreak.

Teen faces murder in Chris Lane case

A US teenager has had his charges upgraded to first-degree murder as he faced court over the murder of Australian baseball player, Chris Lane. Michael Jones was allegedly involved in other shootings earlier in the day. A gag order has been set in place by the judge. Read more.

Knox retrial begins

Amanda Knox’s retrial began in Italy overnight as the US student’s former Italian boyfriend pleaded his innocence. Raffaele Sollecito claims he is the victim of gross persecution that has no logic. DNA evidence from a kitchen knife was presented at the hearing. Seven News has the full story.

Mystery woman in Dublin is Australian

A young woman found on the streets of Dublin last month has been identified as 25-year-old Australian, Samantha Azzopardi. She allegedly has 40 aliases and was unable to communicate when she was found. News.com.au has the story.

Tiger stops traffic

Tiger Woods has stopped traffic on some of the world’s most well known bridges to hit a few golf balls. The six-lane Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul was recently shut down so Woods could tee off on the stretch that links Europe and Asia. See the picture and read more on ABC News.