RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today
MALE hostages who fled the fatal Sydney siege should not receive bravery awards, says NSW MP Fred Nile.
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
A homemade bomb found on a footpath near a Bundaberg school has been detonated by police.
A member of the public found the crude explosive device in Thabeban, in the regional Queensland town, on Tuesday afternoon. An exclusion zone was set up and the bomb squad safely detonated the device about 1am on Wednesday. An investigation is continuing.
Meanwhile police in NSW are searching for a man whose mother phoned emergency services last night after she found a homemade bomb in his bedroom in Western Sydney.
Officers were called to Warburton Crescent in Werrington County, near Penrith, at 10.30pm and confirmed the device was a crude explosive.
Specialist police removed the device from the 22-year-old man’s bedroom and it was detonated in nearby vacant parkland.
9.30am
An inquest into the Lindt Cafe siege that left two hostages dead will begin at the end of the month.
The inquest will open on January 29, a spokesman for the NSW Coroner’s Court confirmed.
Extremist Man Horan Monis held 18 people captive in the Martin Place cafe in mid-December for more than 16 hours before police stormed in.
Barrister and mother of three Katrina Dawson and cafe manager Tori Johnson both died in the siege.
9.10am
Want to know your financial future? Consult your astrologer here, just for fun of course.
8.50am
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has spoken to 3AW this morning about Charlie Hebdo and free speech.
“I rather like that cartoon”, Mr Abbott said about the front of the latest edition, but “I’m not sure I would have liked everything Charlie Hebdo would have produced.”
“During the course of having a robust democracy, a lot of people will be offended,” Mr Abbott said during the interview, although he is “technically” still on holidays.
Mr Abbott also said he would like to proceed with changes s18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, but an attempt to amend it last year generated a lot of division.
“I made the decision not to amend at this time.”
8.40am
The Socceroos are through to the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup after another commanding display swept aside Oman 4-0 at ANZ Stadium.
Only defeat to South Korea in Saturday’s final pool game will prevent Ange Postecoglou’s side going through as winners. A win or draw mean they will finish top of the group.
8.10am
Hundreds of asylum seekers in the Manus Island detention centre are on a hunger strike, according to the Refugee Action Coalition.
Asylum seekers in Mike compound were refusing to return to their compounds yesterday and a Coalition spokesman said the strike was continuing this morning.
Other compounds were expected to join the hunger strike as chants of “Freedom, What do we want, Freedom” were going back and forward between Mike, Foxtrot and Delta compounds last night. At least one asylum seeker has stitched his lips in protest.
The protest began on Tuesday morning as running water stopped on Manus Island - meaning there is no water for the showers or to wash. Hundreds of plastic bottles are piling up in shower blocks.
7.50am
Some smartphone users were woken an hour early this morning due to a glitch impacting Brisbane residents who are customers of Optus and Virgin.
It seems the glitch is only affecting some customers, with phones automatically changing to New South Wales time.
The cause of the glitch remains unknown, but it is believed to be isolated to Optus and selected Virgin users.
Those impacted can manually change their clock back by switching the date and time back to Brisbane in their settings.
Queensland Police tweeted a cheeky message saying: “Usual amount of traffic on Qld roads early this morning. It’s almost like some people are up an hour earlier than normal? #optuswrongtime”
Unusual amount of traffic on Qld roads early this morning. It's almost like some people are up an hour earlier than normal? #optuswrongtime
— QPS Media Unit (@QPSmedia) January 13, 2015
Others were not quite as chirpy about the situation.
@Optus Thanks for the early wake-up call. And since when have you lot been able to set the time on my phone? Are you Skynet?
— Lezabella (@LFC5xEuroChamps) January 13, 2015#optuswrongtime not cool.
— Saskia Brunet (@SaskiaBrunet) January 13, 2015#optuswrongtime meant @frank_trainor and I were fooled into thinking our children slept to a reasonable hour. Damn you!
— Alicia (@aliciaweiderman) January 13, 2015An extra hour of daylight in Qld today! Curtains will fade Cows will be confused! #optuswrongtime
— Lee (@Shhazzz) January 13, 2015Poor Mark, ready for work an hour early thanks to #optuswrongtime @612brisbane @SpencerHowson pic.twitter.com/I1j9uJrOKN
— Terri Begley (@TerriReports) January 13, 2015With today's #optuswrongtime issues... Does no-one own a watch or wall clock anymore? Or can you not look outside and see that it's darker?
— Lily Ball (@lilyball93) January 13, 2015
7.30am
The Sydney seal made a reappearance on the steps of the Opera House yesterday, delighting visitors and the online community.
It is unclear if it is the same seal that stopped for a sunbake in October.
Latest visitor to #sydneyoperahouse today! #cityofsydney #seal #sealion pic.twitter.com/th9tXCebHD
— biglenslittlelens (@biglenlittlelen) January 12, 2015The Sydney seal is literally frolicking in the waves off the Opera House steps. #sydneyseal pic.twitter.com/rjtgizWoKC
— Campbell Simpson (@csimps0n) January 13, 2015c
7am
It appears Brad Pitt and Billy Bob Thornton really do like the same women. The Fargo actor says his “lifetime goal” is to be with Jennifer Aniston.
Access Hollywood played a game of Who Would You Rather after his Golden Globes win.
Pitting the former Friends star against Reese Witherspoon, Thornton was quick to answer.
“Jennifer Aniston. Lifelong goal, that’s all I’m saying,” he said.
6.40am
A Charlie Hebdo cartoonist has defended his front cover cartoon of a weeping Prophet Mohammed after Muslims around the world slammed it as blasphemous.
Renald ‘Luz’ Luzier wept as he told reporters that terrorists had lost perspective, admitting he cried after drawing the cover.
“The terrorists, they were kids, they drew just like we did, just like all children do. At one point, they lost their sense of humour. At one point, they lost the soul of their child which allowed them to look at the world with a certain distance,” he said.
“I’m sorry we’ve drawn him yet again, but the Mohammad we’ve drawn is just a little guy who’s crying. He is much nicer than the one followed by the gunmen.”
Muslim leaders in Australia have backed the controversial cover, saying while some may find its subject matter “offensive, freedom of speech is essential to a functioning democracy”.
Meanwhile, a new video of the Charlie Hebdo attack has emerged of the gunmen leaving the scene in Paris.
6.20am
Australian Andrew Chan is among 20 death row prisoners scheduled for execution in Indonesia this year, an official says.
Chan’s name is on the list even though a letter rejecting his bid for presidential clemency has yet to be issued.
A spokesman for Indonesia’s attorney-general says the list assumes President Joko Widodo will stick by his pledge to deny mercy to drug smugglers.
“That’s what the president said,” Tony Spontana told AAP.
“It’s clear and so we’re confident.” Chan, who turned 31 on Monday, joins Myuran Sukumaran, 33, the other Bali Nine ringleader, on that list.
6am
NSW MP Fred Nile says male hostages who fled the fatal Sydney siege shouldn’t receive bravery awards. He said Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson, who were both killed along with gunman Man Haron Monis in the 16-hour siege, should receive the awards.
But the men who escaped from the Lindt Cafe shouldn’t.
On Sunday he tweeted: “So every #sydneysiege hostage will get a bravery award? Even the men who fled leaving women behind? Don’t shame, but don’t reward.”
Mr Nile later told Fairfax Radio that he thought hostages should get recognition for what they suffered as hostage but he didn’t think they should get bravery awards.
“Maybe they could have done something more to protect the women. “Normally bravery awards are given for an act of bravery - that somebody actually does something. They haven’t done anything.” Giving bravery awards to those male hostages who fled would diminish the worth of the medal, he added.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has requested Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove support a push to honour the victims, surviving hostages and emergency services with bravery awards.
While there was some support for Mr Nile’s position on Twitter, others defended the hostages.
@frednile @JustinSmith954 don't agree with Fred often, but he is on the moneybravery awards are for those who act in a brave selfless manner
— David Savage AM (@harryds63) January 13, 2015The men who escaped the Lindt cafe now touted as cowards, should simply ignore such bafoon comment, have a chuckle and carry on #feminism
— Polly Ester (@ozpoljunkie) January 13, 2015
Shock diagnosis for beloved radio star
Sydney ABC radio host James Valentine has revealed a sad health update, months after he had a tumour removed.
Popular TV newsreader out after shake-up
A popular newsreader is leaving a state’s television screens after more than eight years following a Seven West Media restructure.
Why Aussie shouldn’t worry about oil prices
The price of crude oil is on the rise but Australians should remain calm until the impact is known.