RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today
A DARWIN man got the shock of his life when he looked over his back fence on the weekend.
TODAY
• A Darwin man got the shock of his life when he looked over his back fence on the weekend.
• The bloodiest single day in Gaza saw at least 100 Palestinians and 13 soldiers killed. There are reports an Israeli soldier has also been captured.
• A Lebanese-Australian cleric with links to al-Qaeda has been arrested in Libya.
• For all the latest developments on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, click here.
• Only one state will receive an extra day off to mark Anzac Day next year.
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.
9.30am
The Australian man responsible for suicide bomb attack in Iraq last week was an 18-year-old from Melbourne.
The federal government has confirmed the teenager was behind the attack last week that killed five people. He was 17 when he left Australia for the region last year.
Terror group, ISIS, has named him as Abu Bakral Australi.
9am
Western Australia will be the only state to receive an extra day off to mark Anzac Day next year.
Anzac Day falls on a Saturday in 2015 and only WA will grant its residents a Monday public holiday. To check out next year’s public holiday schedule, click here.
Victoria Small Business Minister Russell Northe told AAP that the purpose of Anzac Day was to “respect, commemorate and remember the brave soldiers who sacrificed so much for our freedoms”.
“It is not about getting a day off and taking for granted the liberties our soldiers fought so bravely to protect.”
When a public holiday falls on Saturday, an extra day off has been granted in some years, but not every time.
8.40am
Footage of a firefighting helicopter crashing into a residential area in South Korea has emerged.
All five people on board were killed when the aircraft crashed in Gwangju. The helicopter was returning to base after helping to search for the 11 people still missing after the Sewol ferry disaster in April.
There were no other injuries except for one girl who suffered minor injuries from flying debris.
8.10am
Catch up on all the latest developments about Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, click here.
7.50am
A giant inflatable rubber duck remains missing in China after being swept away during a week of torrential rain and flooding.
The duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman has been touring the world since 2007 including a visit to Australia. It was in Guiyang city in China’s south-western Guizhou province on July 16 when it disappeared.
The host of the exhibition is offering a reward for its return but so far there is no sign of it.
But apparently a gold toad has appeared as a temporary replacement.
7.30am
A Lebanese-Australian cleric with links to al-Qaeda has been arrested in Libya.
The Sunni cleric Hussam al-Sabbagh was wanted for “terrorist activity”. He is a prominent backer of the armed revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is suspected of recruiting and sending fighters across the border.
He was stopped at a checkpoint by soldiers acting on “several arrest warrants”.
7.10am
It has been a deadly weekend for those in Gaza with at least 100 Palestinians and 13 soldiers killed in just one day, the bloodiest single day in the region in five years.
It comes as Israel ramped up its military offensive and the heavy shelling brought the Palestinian death toll to 438, Sky News reports.
There are now reports that an Israeli soldier was captured on Sunday, according to CNN.
“He is a prisoner, and if Zionists lie about the dead and wounded, then the fate of this soldier is their responsibility,” a spokesman for Hamas’ military wing said.
The conflict spilt in to the streets of Paris on Sunday with pro-Palestinian French youth setting fire to cars, pillaging stores and throwing stones in protest against Israel’s Gaza offensive.
Police, backed by a helicopter overhead, responded with tear gas and shots from nonlethal guns during hours of unrest in the northern suburb of Sarcelles, home to a large Jewish community.
6.50am
A body has reportedly been found by a security guard at Picnic Point, in southwest Sydney.
A crime scene established in Picnic Point after a body is believed to have been found in a park. @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/dR4fIauHOg
— Chris O'Keefe (@cokeefe9) July 20, 20146.30am
Gerard Baden-Clay’s mistress pressured him to leave his wife the night he murdered Allison, but has denied the argument had fatal consequences.
Toni McHugh said she still wondered what would have happened had they not spoken that night.
In an emotional interview with Channel 9’s 60 Minutes last night, for which Ms McHugh was reportedly paid more than $200,000, the “other woman” revealed she had argued with Baden-Clay about their relationship the night Allison was killed.
The Courier Mail has also asked a former FBI agent known as the “human lie detector” to watch Gerard’s only interview during the search for his wife and analyse his body language.
His verdict: “We don’t see any of the behaviours that we should see consistent with loss. So we don’t see any neck touching, we don’t see the downcast eyes. What we do see from him is he’s in the alert mode. I often see the alert mode in individuals who have done something and are on the alert for being caught.”
6.15am
A Darwin man who heard “something like an earthquake on and off all day” says he was shocked when he later discovered a “cliff face” and “huge sinkhole” had appeared in his previously flat backyard.
Lance Hart, 51, heard some rumbling on Thursday night but thought it was coming from his neighbours but got the shock of his life when he finally looked over his back fence on Saturday.
“I strolled out and looked over the back fence and saw what looked like a cliff face that wasn’t there before,” Mr Hart told the NT News. “I just thought, ‘holy sh**’.”
Mr Hart said a huge sinkhole — about 40 x 30m wide and at least 15 metres deep — had appeared and swallowed “massive trees”.
Meanwhile, another sinkhole emerged in central Florida, US, where the ground depressions have become a way of life.
6am
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.
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