RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today
A WOMAN has woken up from a coma to find that she’s had a baby boy. Her family refused to name him and he’s referred to as “Baby L”.
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.
9.50am
UPDATE: The Sydney Cricket Ground will be open today from 10am to 4pm, and this weekend for those who would like to pay their respects to Richie Benaud.
Public are welcome to pay their respects & visit #RichieBenaud sculpture. Entry via Alan Davidson Gates 10am to 4pm today & all weekend.
— Sydney Cricket Grnd (@scg) April 9, 20159.40am
Police in Gaza say they have seized a door bearing a drawing by British graffiti artist Bansky after the door’s owner said he was tricked into selling it for less than $200.
Claiming to be unaware of its potential worth, Rabie Dardouna sold the door to a local artist.
The court is expected to decide the door’s rightful owner.
9.20am
The mother of Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has promised that the US “will pay” for convicting her “innocent” son and killing his older brother.
Just moments after learning that her 21-year-old was found guilty of all 30 counts in the Boston Marathon bombing trial on Wednesday, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva sent an angry tirade to the technology website Vocativ through the WhatsApp messenger service.
“[The US] WILL PAY FOR MY SONS AND THE SONS OF ISLAM, PERMANENTLY!!!” she fumed in Russian. “THE TEARS OF THEIR MOTHERS WILL BE FUEL FOR THEM IN HELL.”
8.50am
BREAKING: Cricketing legend Richie Benaud has passed away in his sleep overnight, according to Channel 9.
8.45am
The partner of school teacher Stephanie Scott has visited a floral tribute at her workplace Leeton High School, and the likely place his fiancee met her alleged killer.
Aaron Leeson-Woolley, tears streaming down his face, sunk to his knees in front of the floral tributes and candles left by Ms Scott’s devastated students.
The couple was expected to be married this weekend but a cleaner at the school has now been charged with Ms Scott’s murder. Police inquiries are continuing.
8.30am
A truck that caught fire on Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge is causing a peak-hour nightmare for commuters.
About 10 firefighters responded to the blaze just before 7.30am, an MFB spokesman said.
It was controlled it in under 10 minutes.
The driver was out of the truck, believed to be a B-double, by the time crews arrived and was uninjured.
8.10am
Football club Barcelona has posted a vine of “an impossible basketball hit” made during a training session. Impressive.
7.55am
Just how much does the average American know about Australian culture? Surely they know what a capsicum is? Or a flat white? That’s not what news.com.au reporter Matt Young found.
7.45am
For the first time, an Australian citizen fighting in Syria has been targeted for assassination by the US military.
The Australian is reporting that a high-ranking al-Qa’ida jihadist, former Sydney man Mostafa Farag, has been placed on a kill list.
Farag, who goes by the nom de guerre “Abu Sulayman al Muhajir’’, was placed on the list due to his association with Jabhat al Nusra, al-Qa’ida’s official affiliate in the Syrian conflict. The 30-year-old has become a member of the group’s sharia council, a position that places him among the top echelon of leaders.
7.35am
Jason Day is the leading Aussie at the US Masters golf tournament as round one draws to a close. Click here for live coverage from Augusta National.
7.25am
A team of Australian spies and unarmed special forces personnel have been sent into Turkey ahead of Anzac Day celebrations at Gallipoli amid heightened security concerns that the event is a significant terrorist target.
The Daily Telegraph reports that a contingent of ASIO, ASIS and Australian Federal Police have in recent weeks been sent to Turkey before as many as 10,000 Australians arrive for the 100th anniversary.
It is also understood Australian Defence Force special forces personnel had been sent in as part of an evacuation team under contingency plans for Australian officials visiting the Gallipoli site on April 25.
7.15am
UPDATE: Police have charged a 28-year-old man with manslaughter after the death of a man in Boondall.
7am
There are reports that a man has died after a fight with neighbours about loud music.
Police say officers found a body in the Brisbane suburb of Boondall on Thursday about 10.30pm (AEST). The Courier Mail reports that the man was king hit, while 7 News tweeted that a 55-year-old man was dead after a fight between neighbours. “Apparently his music was too loud. 28yo man in custody”.
A crime scene has been set up at the Muller Rd house.
A 55yo man is dead after a fight between neighbours at boondall. Apparently his music was too loud. 28 yo man in custody @7NewsBrisbane
— Erin Edwards (@ErinEdwards7) April 9, 20156.45am
A Cairns resident wanting to go on a “dirt finding” mission against new Queensland MP Rob Pyne accidentally emailed his intentions to Mr Pyne himself.
The amateur sleuth must have missed the latest state election results, emailing the Cairns electorate office hoping to enlist the help of former member Gavin King.
“Dear Gavin, I’ve tried to find out more about Rob Pyne’s diving incident in 1991 ... can you help me,” the email reads.
He got a reply, but not from who he expected, Mr Pyne himself responded saying: “Thank you for emailing my office ... if you require any information ... please have the integrity to contact me directly. Warmest Regards, Rob.”
6.30am
Actor Javier Bardem decided to swap swashbuckling for sunbaking with his gorgeous wife Penélope Cruz at Byron Bay yesterday, as Pirates of the Caribbean officials insist filming will soon restart on the Gold Coast.
There’s still no word on when star Johnny Depp will return to Australia following a hand injury which sent him back to Los Angeles for surgery.
6.10am
A woman has woken up from a coma to find that she’s had a baby boy.
Sharista Giles was five months pregnant when a car accident left her in a coma in December.
Her family were told she would never wake up but on Wednesday the 20-year-old opened her eyes. Giles was shown a photo of her baby, which was delivered prematurely in January.
“He (her father) showed her a picture of her baby, and she followed the picture,” Aunt Beverly Giles told ABC News in the US.
The family did not name the baby, and he’s referred to as “Baby L”.
“We never gave up. She’s fought this hard,” she said.
6am
The brother of a black man shot dead by a white officer in the US state of South Carolina says he hopes his death will spark change.
Walter Scott, 50, was killed on Saturday as he was running from an officer who pulled his gun and fired eight shots, five of which hit him.
A bystander caught the incident on camera and the officer, Michael Slager, 33, was later charged with murder and fired from the force.
“There has to be accountability for officers, and they have to think twice about firing their firearms and shooting down people,” Anthony Scott told AFP.
5.50am
The number of enslaved fisherman found on a remote Indonesian island has now reached nearly 550, after a fact-finding team returned for a single day to make sure no one had been left behind in a dramatic rescue nearly a week ago.
Many of the men in the island village of Benjina and surrounding waters have said they were tricked or even kidnapped before being put on boats in Thailand and taken to Indonesia. They were forced to work almost non-stop under horrendous conditions, some brutally beaten by their Thai captains when they were sick or caught resting.
Read more on the original story here.
5.30am
Scores of prostitutes took to the streets of Amsterdam overnight to protest moves to rejuvenate the city’s famed Red Light District by shuttering windows where scantily-clad sex workers pose to attract clients.
About 200 people — prostitutes and their supporters who wore masks to protect their identities — marched through the Red Light District carrying red umbrellas and banners including one that read: “Don’t save us, save our windows!”
Supermarket worker killed in stabbing
A man has died after being stabbed at a supermarket in Darwin, police are still searching for the alleged offender.
Warning to drivers this weekend
Double demerits are coming back into full force as drivers are warned to drive safely with Anzac Day around the corner, right after the Easter weekend.
GG to represent Australia at Pope’s funeral
Governor-General Sam Mostyn will lead Australia’s delegation to Vatican City for Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday following the 88-year-old’s death.