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RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today

THE claws are out. A war of words between Australia and Russia has erupted after a report slammed Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop for “oversized ambitions”.

Matt YoungMatt Young
@MattYoung
7 min read
August 14, 2014 - 5:35AM
Former premier's daughter arrested over stabbing murder

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.

TODAY:

• Russia slams Julie Bishop over “unacceptable” MH17 allegations

• Unearthed footage of Aussie star’s cringe-worthy cameo on Murder She Wrote

• Treasurer Joe Hockey proves he’s out of touch, declares poor people don’t own cars

• Apple store employee slammed for receipt slur

• Daughter of former premier Neville Wran charged with murder

• Robin Williams’ daughter deletes social media, Kurt Cobain’s daughter to the rescue

• Australian among 11 injured after train derails in Swiss Alps after landslide

• Edible lego: yes, it’s really a thing

• No escape — yet — for Northern Iraqi’s trapped by Islamist militants in northern Iraq.

10:00am

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

This might be the most awesome tribute to Robin Williams yet.

9:30am

Looks like there's no escape — yet — for the Northern Iraqi’s trapped by Islamist militants in northern Iraq.

A small party of US troops landed on Mount Sinjar for the first time to assess the situation of thousands of civilian refugees besieged by Islamist militants, the Pentagon says.

Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL (also known as ISIS and Islamic State), a jihadist group that controls a large swathe of northern Iraq and eastern Syria, has attacked the region’s Yazidi religious minority and threatened to march on the city.

Last week, President Barack Obama authorised air strikes to protect Yazidi refugees and US personnel in Erbil, but he has insisted that US “combat troops” will not return to war in the

Iraqi helicopters and Kurdish troops have been trying to come to the aid of the besieged Yazidis, and Washington and its allies have been studying ways to airlift them off Sinjar or open a humanitarian corridor, reports AFP.

Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing to safety, in northern Iraq. Picture: Ahmad Al-Rubaye
Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing to safety, in northern Iraq. Picture: Ahmad Al-Rubaye

9:15am

In case you missed it.

This morning, Treasurer Joe Hockey told ABC News Radio his remarks declaring poor people don't own cars were based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

“The highest 20 per cent of household incomes pay three times more in fuel taxes than the lowest 20 per cent of household incomes. Now the question is: Why? Why is that the case?

“Well, higher household incomes usually have more cars and tend to drive further. Now that is a general statistic, but it also makes a mockery of the Labor Party’s claim that somehow the budget is being unfair,” he said.

Somehow, we’re not buying it.

8:40am

A young man accused of killing his roommate asked Apple iPhone’s intelligent personal assistant Siri for advice: “I need to hide my roommate”.

Is this damning evidence? What accused murder Pedro Bravo asked his Apple iPhone Siri on the night he allegedly murdered his roommate. Picture: WXPI Pittsburgh
Is this damning evidence? What accused murder Pedro Bravo asked his Apple iPhone Siri on the night he allegedly murdered his roommate. Picture: WXPI Pittsburgh

Pedro Bravo is accused of kidnapping and strangling his friend, University of Florida student Christian Aguilar, in the city of Gainesville in Florida, in September 2012 after an argument started over Aguilar dating Bravo’s ex-girlfriend Erika Friman.

When asked “I need to hide my roommate”, iPhone’s Siri answered: “What kind of place are you looking for? Swamps. Reservoirs. Metal foundries. Dumps.”

The prosecution alleges that Aguilar was strangled at the city’s Walmart shopping centre. The pair had gone to Best Buy to buy a Kanye West CD when they had a fight in the car and police allege that Aguilar was strangled, reports News Corp’s Ian Horswill.

Pedro Bravo's defence attorneys look at a photo of slain student Christian Aguilar. Picture: Doug Finger
Pedro Bravo's defence attorneys look at a photo of slain student Christian Aguilar. Picture: Doug Finger
Pedro Bravo looks to his defence team during his murder trial. Picture: Doug Finger
Pedro Bravo looks to his defence team during his murder trial. Picture: Doug Finger

8:10am

Russia has hit back at Australia, in particular Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, over recent allegations of Russia’s involvement in the crash of downed flight MH17.

Haters gonna’ hate, eh Julie?
Haters gonna’ hate, eh Julie?

An English-language report stated Russia’s Ministy of Foreign Affairs deemed the Australian government’s comments ‘‘unacceptable” over “the recent allegations made by Australia that place the blame in the tragic events in Ukraine, including the crash of the Malaysian airliner on Russia”, reports The Age.

“On the whole, it seems that burdened by their own oversized ambitions, some members of the current Australian government have completely lost an adequate picture of the developments in Ukraine and around it”, the report read.

“Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has gone farther than others in making irresponsible innuendos against our country even though one would think that her position presupposes building bridges between countries, not destroying them.”

7:50am

Edible Lego — yes people, it’s real.

A Japanese illustrator and designer has answered every man and woman’s dream after combining the world’s two big loves — chocolate and lego.

Akihiro Mizuuchi designed a modular system for creating the edible chocolate bricks, which after cooling can be made into a range of toys and objects, reports news.com.au’s Debra Killalea.

Here’s hoping they don’t melt before playtime.

Mmm. Lego. Picture: www.behance.net
Mmm. Lego. Picture: www.behance.net
The Lego comes in all kinds of flavours. Picture: www.behance.net
The Lego comes in all kinds of flavours. Picture: www.behance.net
Picture: www.behance.net
Picture: www.behance.net

7:45am

An Australian is among 11 people who were injured when three train cars derailed in the Swiss Alps after being hit by a landslide.

A helicopter flies over the train after it was derailed by a landslide. Picture: Michael Buholzer
A helicopter flies over the train after it was derailed by a landslide. Picture: Michael Buholzer
One carriage plunged into a ravine. Picture: Michael Buholzer
One carriage plunged into a ravine. Picture: Michael Buholzer

The severity of the Australian’s injuries are not yet known, with police confirming that five people were seriously injured while a further six sustained only slight injuries.

One carriage slid down a steep slope, saved from a ravine only by large trees.

The accident occurred in a deep wooded valley between Tiefencastel and Solis, southeast of Zurich in the canton (state) of Graubuenden.

Police said about 140 people were on board at the time of the accident, about lunchtime. The landslide followed heavy rains over the past 24 hours.

A victim is recovered by helicopter. Picture: Arno Balzarini
A victim is recovered by helicopter. Picture: Arno Balzarini

7:25am

The daughter of Kurt Cobain has come to the rescue of Robin Williams’ bereaved daughter, Zelda.

Ms Williams announced she was deleting her social media accounts after receiving sick messages on Twitter and Instagram by trolls who posted a fake photo claiming it was her dad’s body.

“I’m shaking. I can’t. Please. Twitter requires a link and I won’t open it. Don’t either. Please,” she said.

The photo was a fake that was photoshopped to look like Williams. The two accounts that tweeted the message, @PimpStory and @MrGoosebuster, have been suspended.

Ms Williams is offline, but not before releasing a statement on her blog, writing: “While there are a few things I know for certain right now, one of them is that not just my world, but the entire world is forever a little darker, less colourful and less full of laughter in his absence.”

7:00am

The daughter of former premier Neville Wran was last night charged with murder over the stabbing death of a man at a Sydney unit block, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Harriet Wran, the youngest daughter of the former Labor state leader, who died at the age of 87 on April 20, was yesterday confirmed by police as a person of interest in the murder of 48-year-old Daniel McNulty and the stabbing of another man, Brett Fitzgerald.

She was charged early this morning with murder, attempted murder and aggravated break and enter. She was refused bail to appear in Liverpool Local Court today.

Murdered ... Daniel McNulty.
Murdered ... Daniel McNulty.
Harriet Wran, daughter of the late former premier Neville.
Harriet Wran, daughter of the late former premier Neville.

6:30am

Note to store employees: don’t hate on your customers.

Because otherwise, you could end up like this Apple store employee, who has the internet up in arms after allegedly handed an Oregon man a receipt with a homophobic slur in place of an email address.

Somehow, we don’t think f@g.com is a legitimate account.

Adam Catanzarite, who identifies as “queer”, posted the receipt to his Facebook page slamming Apple and calling them “undeserving” of his money.

Mr Catanzarite had purchased a $29 pair of earpods from the Pioneer Apple Store in Portland on July 8, but posted the receipt on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for Apple tol The Oregonian that the company had been alerted to the issue, but did not release a statement.

Post by Adam Gregory Catanzarite.

He posted this follow-up overnight: “The impact that seeing the f@g.com on my receipt has brought about a feeling of great disappointment that this happened and it has made me feel that doing something banal as going to a store is now an unsafe activity”.

Post by Adam Gregory Catanzarite.

6:20am

Chauffer-driven federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has shown just how out of touch he is with working mums and dads by declaring poorer people won’t be affected by the fuel tax because they don’t own cars or drive very far — and he’s not backing down either.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who ­described Mr Hockey, pictured with Finance Minister Matthias Cormann, as the “cigar-chomping, Foghorn Leghorn” of Australian politics.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who ­described Mr Hockey, pictured with Finance Minister Matthias Cormann, as the “cigar-chomping, Foghorn Leghorn” of Australian politics.

Mr Hockey had tried to argue that the Budget would hit high-income families, citing hikes to the fuel tax — ­because the rich drove their cars further, writes The Daily Telegraph’s National Political Reporter Daniel Meers.

“Well, change to the fuel excise does exactly that; the poorest people ­either don’t have cars or actually don’t drive very far in many cases,’’ he said.

Mr Hockey was given an opportunity to back away from the comments late yesterday but refused. When asked if he stood by his view that poorer people did not have cars, he replied: “Yes.”

“Everyone can see that the fact is there is a clear trend in Australia that the higher the household income the more fuel taxes are paid by that household,’’ he said.

6:00am

This is just like Johanna Griggs’ guest cameo on Home and Away, but better.

You might know her as the loyal trophy wife of Pearl Bay’s scheming real estate agent Bob Jelly on the hit ABC drama Seachange, but Australian actor Kerry Armstrong had a few acting notches up her belt before her big break. And we think we’ve unearthed a corker.

Armstrong appeared in a 1984 episode of family favourite Murder She Wrote, starring Angela Lansbury.

Actors John Howard & Kerry Armstrong in Seachange in 1998.
Actors John Howard & Kerry Armstrong in Seachange in 1998.
A 26-year-old Kerry Armstrong guest stars on Murder She Wrote.
A 26-year-old Kerry Armstrong guest stars on Murder She Wrote.

Armstrong plays a ballet dancer for the Soviet Russian Rostoff ballet, who finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery when two of its star dancers defect and are consequently accused of murder.

We don’t want to give too much away; but let’s just say Armstrong’s character, Irina Katsa, has more to do with the mystery than we think.

The acting is so bad, it’s good.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/national/rush-hour-the-stories-you-need-to-know-today/news-story/e26b4e59013720868d58da039ea4074e