RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today

A MAN with Asperger’s syndrome who was attacked by a group of thugs didn’t press charges, instead he came up with his own style of justice.

• Asperger's sufferer devises perfect response to attackers
• Man dies after lighting fireworks on his head
• Sharrouf’s daughter defiant about fate
• Ellen DeGeneres, Hillary Clinton offer support to young gay boy

Good morning, and welcome to our morning news coverage. We will be bringing you the best of what’s happening this morning, so you can get across the news quickly.

10am:

That’s it for our live #RUSHHOUR news blog. You can get across the stories you need to know today below or go to news.com.au for the latest headlines.

9:45am: Aussie confidence is key amid European financial uncertainty

Australia is enjoying strong levels of confidence at a time of uncertainty on the other side of the world, a federal government minister says.

Simon Birmingham says business confidence and employment growth is up while government restoration of confidence in the budget is paying dividends for investment and productivity in small businesses.

“It is particularly important when you look at the result of the Greece referendum and the uncertainty on the other side of the world that we do have these strong levels of confidence in Australia,” he told Sky News this morning.

9:30am: WA radio telescope hears signal from before solar system was born

A ground-breaking radio telescope project in remote Western Australia has captured a signal emitted before the solar system was born.

Six of the Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder project’s 36 dishes, situated 300km inland from Geraldton, have picked up a wisp of cosmic radio waves coming from the galaxy PKS B1740-517 in the direction of the southern constellation of Ara.

The discovery has astronomers salivating because the five-billion-year-old signal shows ASKAP will be able to detect galaxies other telescopes can’t.

The signal carries the ‘imprint’ of cold hydrogen gas — the raw material for forming stars and plentiful in most galaxies — that it passed through on its way here. Astronomers can detect a galaxy from its hydrogen gas even when its starlight is faint or hidden by dust.

“This catch shows we’re going to bag a big haul of galaxies,” research leader James Allison of the CSIRO said.

-AAP

9:15am: Sleepwalking woman wakes up in the ocean

A 39-year-old British woman sleepwalked straight into the sea — and only woke up when she swallowed a mouthful of seawater.

Marie Lord, 39, got out of bed at 1.30am, let herself out of the house and walked through the streets onto the beach at the seaside town where she lives, reports The Telegraph.

After covering a considerable distance to make it to the water’s edge she began wading into the ocean when she was jolted awake by the taste of salt water in her mouth.

Marie Lord rescued after sleepwalking into the sea - http://t.co/tZvJQeWPdk pic.twitter.com/biTTQGuAmV

— ViralMediaLife.com (@viralmedialife) July 5, 2015

Upon waking, she managed to crawl up onto the beach and called for help which were eventually heard by a night porter at a nearby hotel.

Mrs Lord was treated for the early onset of hypothermia before she returned to her home — more than half a mile away from where she was found

8:55am: Car stolen after roadside punch-up

A fight on the side of a Melbourne freeway left two men with numerous injuries as two other men stole their car.

Two cars collided on the Ballarat off ramp on the Western Ring Road at midnight on Sunday, leading to a fight between four men. One pair made off with the other pair’s car, leaving the men in their 30s with serious injuries.

They were taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious condition.

Police later found the stolen car dumped in Albion.

-AAP

8:40am: Cameron Smith shocked by Alex McKinnon book revelations

Cameron Smith during the Queensland Origin team training.

Maroons players and staff have rallied around Cameron Smith, concerned for his mental welfare after their captain was left “shocked” by allegations levelled against him by Alex McKinnon.

In further developments that are set to rock the Maroons just two days out from the decider, extracts from McKinnon’s soon to be released book Unbroken reveal the depth of anger he carries toward Smith since the incident more than 12 months ago.

Smith’s club Melbourne Storm went into damage control on Sunday releasing a statement before McKinnon’s highly publicised 60 Minutes interview, revealing attempts by the NRL club to reach out to the injured Newcastle Knight were rejected

McKinnon makes it clear in extracts from his book that his anger towards Smith stems from comments made on the field that the ducking of his head contributed to the injury.

“But if my dream had come true to captain Australia, I know I would’ve had the decency to at least get in touch with someone in my situation via a phone call or text message after the accident, especially if I had witnessed the distressing scenario with my own eyes,” McKinnon writes in his book.

Read more here.

8:25am: DeGeneres, Clinton offer support to young boy

The photo that has garnered a lot of love and support.

Ellen DeGeneres is the latest high profile personality to offer support and love to a young boy who appeared in a Human’s of New York post.

The accompanying caption with the (above) photo read: “I’m homosexual and I’m afraid about what my future will be and that people won’t like me.”

“Not only will people like you, they’ll love you. I just heard of you and I love you already,” she wrote from the official Twitter page of her show.

The tweet came just hours after a similar message of support from presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton.

“Prediction from a grown up: Your future is going to be amazing. You will surprise yourself with what you’re capable of and the incredible things you go on to do. Find the people who love and believe in you — there will be lots of them,” she wrote in the comments section of the photo on Facebook.

8:10am: Majority of Aussies support indigenous recognition

The vast majority of Australians support recognising indigenous Australians in the constitution, a poll has found.

As Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten prepare to meet with about 40 indigenous leaders in Sydney today, the Fairfax Ipsos poll shows 85 per cent of voters support amending the document. Just over 10 per cent oppose the move.

Labor’s indigenous affairs spokesman Shayne Neumann said today’s meeting is an important milestone.

The MP, who will be attending the gathering, hopes there will be unanimous agreement on a mechanism to go forward, including the establishment of a body to oversee the process.

“There’s a lot of goodwill in the community,” he told ABC radio.

-AAP

8:00am: Social media calls out Warnie with claims of cosmetic surgery

Warne has sparked a new round of rumours that he has gone under the knife after he uploaded a picture of himself with Nicky Whelan overnight.

The star cricketer turned ladies’ man, 45, posted two photographs from Vegas with the blonde Neighbours star celebrating the 4th of July.

What looked like an innocuous snap has turned into a rumour mill.

“Great to see my friend the super hot @nickywhelanx tonight & be naughty on #july4thweekend,” he wrote on his Instagram page.

Social media users wrote back: “Warneballs cmon mate? Looking very plastic.”

Another said: “OMG Shane what the hell have you done to yourself. A bit too much Botox.”

7:45am: Sharrouf’s daughter defiant about fate

The teenage daughter of Islamic State fighter Khaled Sharrouf has suggested she has no desire to return to Australia.

The Daily Telegraph reports a Twitter account linked to Zaynab Sharrouf — the 14-year-old widow of slain IS fighter Mohamed Elomar — has been used to attack those who want to imprison her, and to endorse Islamic martyrdom.

Karen Nettleton with her granddaughter Zaynab

“What can enemies do to me? My paradise is with me in my heart wherever I go. To imprison me is to provide me with seclusion,” she reportedly tweeted, contradicting her Australian grandmother’s claims Sharrouf’s family wants to return from Syria.

Sharrouf’s Australian mother-in-law Karen Nettleton has made public appeals for Australia to help her daughter Tara and grandchildren, including Zaynab, return home.

She claims Australian Federal Police refused to help get the family out of Syria but the agency says it has never discussed the matter with her.

-AAP

7:35am: People are taking baths in crude oil to heal ailments

Looks like fun.

Anyone fancy a bath in crude oil? Well if so, Azerbaijan, in western Asia, is the place for you. The oil rich country has health centres which offer the chance to take a dip in one of the world’s most precious natural resources.

An Australian tourist named Seb, described the experience to the International Business Times:

“It’s pretty OK, it’s about the same temperature as a normal bath, it’s a bit like chocolate I suppose in texture, reminds me of those chocolate fountains at the malls. Pretty warm, pretty painless, does not really smell much,” he said

Apparently the practice dates back to the sixth century and is believed to have beneficial properties.

The spa’s doctor Hashim Hashimov said the treatment could cure up to 70 ailments.

“Naftalan kills everything, viruses, bacteria and fungi. It’s consistence is unique and pure, it does not contain any dirt,” he said.

7:20am: Plane crashes on crowded beach, hits 12-year-old boy

Families celebrating the Fourth of July holiday watched in horror as a plane towing a banner crashed on a California beach, hitting a 12-year-old boy.

The single-engine Piper PA18 lost power before flipping and landing upside down at the water’s edge near a jetty in Carlsbad about 3pm Saturday, authorities said.

Witness Darrel Hicks said beachgoers screamed as the plane barrelled towards them.

“People were yelling for people to get out of the way, ‘get out of the water’,” Mr Hicks told CBS.

“As soon as he hit the ground his tail flipped over, I could see a couple kids duck over.”

Officials said a boy, 12, suffered a head gash after being clipped by the plane. He was taken to hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown.

7:05am: Lindsay Lohan turns down humiliating commercial role

Lindsay Lohan is struggling for roles. Source: Pal Hansen/The Sunday Times/News Syndication/Headpress

Embattled actress Lindsay Lohan has turned down what her management termed a humiliating role in a Burger King commercial.

The flame-haired actress was asked to wear a Spicy Chicken Fries box, smoke a chicken fry like a cigarette, and vamp a “spicy” monologue.

“We were gobsmacked. It was making fun of her issues,” an insider told the New York Post.

Lohan and her managers at Untitled Talent suggested some alternate concepts but to no avail.

Another source said Lohan was too demanding. “She wanted creative control,” they said. Exasperated reps for Burger King said, “Forget about it.”

“She’s broke, sleeping at different guys’ apartments, but she thinks she’s Elizabeth Taylor,” the source said.

Read more at the New York Post.

6:50am: Agricultural Minister pulls out of Q&A appearance

Barnaby has pulled out of his scheduled appearance on Q&A.

Tony Abbott continues to have sour grapes over the ABC and won’t let his frontbench appear on the show dedicated to political debate.

Federal government frontbencher Barnaby Joyce has pulled out of an appearance on Q&A after the prime minister ordered a boycott of the ABC show.

The agriculture minister was due to appear on tonight’s program, a fortnight after the public broadcaster allowed convicted criminal Zaky Mallah into its live audience.

A spokesman for Mr Joyce says Tony Abbott doesn’t want any frontbencher to appear on Q&A.

6:40am: Asperger's sufferer devises perfect response to attackers

An Asperger's sufferer, Gavin Joseph has served up the perfect response to a group of thugs who beat him up for being creepy and different. Instead of pressing charges, he did something far better.

Mr Joseph was reportedly lured over to a group before being choked and punched in front of them and left bruised, concussed and with a fractured nose, reports the Mirror. When the attackers were identified to police, Gaving Joseph thought his administer his own type of justice.

Gavin Joseph.

He asked that the offenders be made to watch, with their families present, a 20-minute video message he taped so they could see the damage done and hear things from his perspective, then write an essay on Asperger’s syndrome.

His mum was so proud that she decided to post the story on Facebook and so far it has been shared over 100,000 times.

“I am so proud of him, and I hope a lesson will come of this to all that hear about it.”

She urged any parents reading her post to tell their teens about disabilities that can’t been seen and to be “tolerant of people who are different and get to know them.”

6:25am: Melbourne man stabbed to death at home

A man has been stabbed to death in a Melbourne house.

Paramedics were called to the Werribee residence about 8pm last night but the injured 83-year-old man died on the way to hospital.

Homicide detectives have arrived at the home but the man has not been identified and the circumstances of his death aren’t yet clear.

-AAP

6:15am: Greece votes ‘No’ at referendum

People celebrate in front of the Greek parliament as early opinion polls predict a win for the Oxi (no) campaign in the Greek austerity referendum

The euro zone has officially broken up with the exit of Greece following the country’s Sunday referendum. A strong rejection of further austerity from help Athens heal its wounds, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said.

Armed with this result, the radical left government would now extend a “hand of cooperation” to its EU-IMF creditors, he said.

“From tomorrow, Europe, whose heart tonight beats in Greece, starts healing its wounds. Our wounds,” the maverick economist said in a televised address.

“Today’s ‘No’ is a big ‘Yes’ to democratic Europe. A ‘No’ to a vision of the eurozone as a boundless iron cage for its people,” he said.

An official tally of over half the ballots cast showed a resounding 61 per cent of Greek voters had backed the government’s ‘No’ in the plebiscite.

Supporters of the No vote react after the results of the referendum at Syntagma square in Athens, Sunday, July 5, 2015.

6am: Man dies after lighting fireworks on his head

Independence Day in the United States is a fireworks-filled night of celebration but unfortunately this year produced a candidate for the Darwin Awards.

A 22-year-old man, Devon Staples, were drinking and setting off fireworks with his buddies when he decided to place some fireworks on his head, and set them off — which proved to be a fatally bad idea.

Man killed in Maine after he put a fireworks mortar on his head and set it off: http://t.co/7pPF9KCgde #breaking pic.twitter.com/tMBaFK5awT

— Heavy.com (@HeavySan) July 5, 2015

Mr Staples and his mates were setting off fireworks on Saturday night in the backyard of a friend’s home in the small eastern Maine city of Calais, said Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety. Mr Staples placed a fireworks mortar tube on his head and set it off, he said.

The firework exploded, killing Staples instantly, McCausland said.

His death is the first fireworks fatality in Maine since the state legalised fireworks on Jan. 1, 2012, authorities said.

In 2011, lawmakers voted to repeal a 1949 law banning fireworks, reasoning the industry would create jobs and generate additional revenue.