RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today
THE woman who told President Obama’s daughters to “dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar”, has resigned from her position as a Republican aide.
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.
9.30am
Australia’s first Test will begin on Tuesday, December 9 in Adelaide after the series was delayed following the death of Phillip Hughes. To read more, click here.
About 5000 people are expected to attend Hughes’ funeral tomorrow in Macksville High School sports stadium at 2pm.
9.10am
More than $30 billion was wiped from the value of the Australian sharemarket yesterday as investors continued to be shaken by a global collapse in commodity prices.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index closed at a seven-week low of 5209.3 points.
The slowest wage growth since the global financial crisis and falling company profits mean that tomorrow’s September quarter national accounts are likely to show that income across the economy has fallen for the second quarter in a row, even though rising volumes of mineral exports will still generate reasonable economic growth.
9am
Video of a huge number of birds flying off from one overworked tree has gone viral on YouTube.
8.50am
Two heavily pregnant women who were transported from Nauru to give birth in Darwin have been sitting on a bus with their families at Wickham Point Detention Centre for over 40 hours and refuse to get off.
Refugee advocate Ian Rintoul said the women and their families were prepared to wait “as long as it takes” to be returned to Nauru.
“They’re not getting off,” Mr Rintoul told the NT News.
Mr Rintoul said the Iranian families, including a 10-year-old boy, had been tricked into coming to Darwin.
8.35am
Greens Senator Larissa Waters has urged Christmas shoppers to rethink buying bright pink jewellery or dolls for little girls.
The minor party’s gender spokeswoman has endorsed the ‘No Gender December’ campaign, set up by grassroots group Play Unlimited, which calls on retailers to stop using old-fashioned gender stereotypes as marketing ploys this Christmas, linking the toys to domestic violence and pay inequality.
8.25am
A video showing two sisters in northern India hitting back at men who allegedly harassed them on a crowded bus has drawn huge attention in a country where hundreds of thousands of women silently endure sexual harassment daily.
The video, filmed by a passenger and aired on several television channels Monday, shows the two young women hitting, punching and beating their harassers with a belt, as other passengers silently look on. The women, identified only by their first names, Arati and Pooja, told reporters that they lashed out at the men after enduring lewd comments and pawing from them.
8.05am
The third season of award-winning political drama House of Cards is to return on February 27.
Netflix announced the news on Monday in a “special message from the White House” video posted on the show’s Twitter and Facebook pages.
A special message from the White House.https://t.co/YxFcHfA5qy
— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) December 1, 20147.45am
Health authorities are investigating how a dead mouse ended up in a rice paper roll bought at a Gold Coast supermarket.
According to the Gold Coast Bulletin, a Robina woman claims she bit into the mouse after taking two bites of the freshly made roll she purchased from Woolworths at Broadbeach.
To see the uncensored photo, click here. Warning: Graphic content.
7.35am
Actor Christian Bale has blasted former “Batman” George Clooney for “whining” about being hounded by paparazzi.
In a WSJ. Magazine cover story, Bale calls Clooney’s complaints “boring,” adding, “It doesn’t matter that he talks about it.
“It’s like, ‘Come on, guys, just shut up. Just get on with it and live your lives and stop whining about it.’ I prefer not to whine about it.”
7.25am
Police have arrested a gunman who allegedly held two women hostage during a dramatic five-hour siege following the fatal shooting of a man in Melbourne’s inner-north.
Police held lengthy negotiations with the 39-year-old man who barricaded himself in a bungalow with the women - believed to be his girlfriend and elderly mother - on the Donald St property in Brunswick following the discovery of a body in the backyard at 9.30pm.
The man was arrested by the Special Operations Group without incident just after 2.30am.
7.04am
Karl Stefanovic landed a nice zinger on the Prime Minister Tony Abbott this morning during his appearance on the Today show.
Mr Abbott’s approval rating is at a five month low according to the latest Newspoll. “The polls aren’t so great but no one said that the task of budget repair would be easy”, Mr Abbott said.
“Labor is doing its best to sabotage ... I’m not complaining”, to which Stefanovic quipped, “yes you are”.
Mr Abbott also backed Treasurer Joe Hockey saying, “of course his job’s safe”.
I think Karl Stefanovic may have just been struck off Tony Abbott’s Christmas Card list. What a beating. #auspol pic.twitter.com/StP11PCiQd
— Let it Di Stefasnow (@MarkDiStef) December 1, 2014
6.55am
Counting continues in the Victorian election with five lower house seats still too close to call including Melbourne, which The Greens have already claimed.
More than 70 per cent of votes have been counted with the battle for Prahran looking like it will go down to the wire. Labor, the Liberals and the Greens are all in with a chance.
The ALP led the Liberal incumbent Clem Newton-Brown by a mere 14 votes in the two candidate preferred basis late on Monday with about 68 per cent of votes counted.
Greens candidate Ellen Sandell looks like she has secured her historic Melbourne win.
She is ahead of sitting Labor MP Jennifer Kanis by about 506 votes on the two candidate preferred count. Victorian Greens leader Greg Barber said he was confident the seat was theirs, despite the ALP saying they have not yet conceded.
The VEC says the seats of Frankston, Bentleigh and Morwell are also close.
6.25am
A Republican aide has resigned after telling President Obama’s teenage daughters to “try showing a little class”.
Elizabeth Lauten, spokeswoman for Congressman Stephen Fincher of Tennessee, wrote a Facebook post slamming Malia, 16, and Sasha, 13, after they appeared next to Obama — looking a little bored — during the annual thanksgiving turkey “pardon”.
Ms Lauten was not impressed with the teen’s attitude, saying: “I get you’re both in those awful teen years, but you’re a part of the First Family — try showing a little class,” she wrote in the now-deleted post.
She also advised them to “dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar”, apparently referring to the girls’ short skirts.
“Rise to the occasion. Act like being in the White House matters to you.”
6.10am
Singer Taylor Swift has announced her Australian tour dates.
She is due to tour Australia next year, in Sydney on November 28, Brisbane on December 5, Adelaide Entertainment Centre on December 7 and Melbourne’s AAMI Park on December 11 as part of her 1989 world tour. Swift will not play Perth on this tour — her third tour of Australia.
Tickets go on sale December 12 at 9am for Melbourne and 10am for other states.
6am
Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s approval rating has dropped to a five-month low and Labor continues to hold a substantial two-party-preferred lead over the Coalition.
The latest Newspoll, conducted for The Australian at the weekend, shows the government and the opposition are tied on a primary vote of 37 per cent. Bill Shorten retained his lead as better prime minister, as satisfaction with Mr Abbott’s performance fell for the fourth consecutive survey.
Mr Abbott’s stocks fell three points to 33 per cent in the past fortnight and tumbled by eight points since reaching a high mark of 41 per cent in mid-September when there was strong support for his handling of foreign affairs issues including his response to the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
5.40am
Jailed paedophile Rolf Harris has abandoned his push to appeal 12 convictions for sexually assaulting four girls in the United Kingdom.
A Judicial Office spokesman on Monday confirmed to AAP that the 84-year-old hadn’t renewed his application to appeal “and he is now out of time”.
Harris was sentenced in July to five years and nine months’ jail for indecently assaulting four girls in Britain between 1968 and 1986. However he’s expected to serve less than three years behind bars.
In mid-October a British newspaper reported Harris could face fresh charges as a result of more than 10 new victims claiming they were abused by the disgraced artist and singer.
It was claimed Operation Yewtree officers were looking at the British cases while any assaults that took place in Australia or New Zealand would be handled by local police.
It was also reported in mid-October that Harris had to be moved to a new prison for his own safety after being bullied by inmates.
Confronting reason teens carrying knives
Principal lawyer of major law firm reveals knife crime is more common than you think, and the reason kids are still carrying will shock you.
Ousted rebel Lib plots surprise return
Just weeks after she lost her seat to a Labor newcomer, Bridget Archer has announced her return to politics eyeing a seat in a yet-to-be announced election.
Teen charged over alleged hit-and-run
An elderly man has been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after he was allegedly run down by a teen driver.