RUSH HOUR: Elon Musk sells $4.3 million worth of flamethrowers in a day

MAVERICK businessman Elon Musk may have started one of his most bizarre ventures yet — but he’s made $4.3 million from it in just 24 hours.

• Peter Dutton’s stark warning to Commonwealth Games athletes
• A second woman has been arrested in Iran for defying the country’s Islamic dress code
• Elon Musk sells $4.3 million worth of flamethrowers in a day as part of a bizarre new business venture
• North Korea cancels a joint cultural performance with South Korea ahead of Winter Olympics
• Tourists deny making pornographic Cambodian party photos
• Police officer stabbed in Sydney opens his eyes after days in hospital
• Aussie student exposes military locations using fitness apps and prompts US security review

Live: Rush Hour

On news.com.au today, North Korea cancels a joint cultural performance with South Korea, Elon Musk sells $4.3 million worth of flamethrowers in a day and women in Iran are holding their headscarves up in protest again, despite a government crackdown.

9:00am

Washed up ‘weird thing’ has Aussie beachgoers baffled

A mystery object washed up on a NSW north coast beach has locals baffled.

Beachgoers at Airforce Beach, Evans Head, described it as two pieces of 3m-long PVC piping, wrapped together in black plastic, then wrapped in fishing net.

Strange object washed up on Airforce Beach, Evans Head. Picture: Ken Miles

Then there is a clear plastic dome on it with “Falcon” written in black text which has faded.

Evans Head resident Ken Miles told the Northern Star he was at Airforce Beach at 10am yesterday when he came across the weird object.

“Inside (the dome) it looks very mechanical but it’s not attached to the initial pipes,” Mr Miles told the Star.

“I lifted one end, the PVC is quite light, it would float like crazy.”

“I don’t know when it got washed up but it wasn’t yesterday because I was on the beach,” he said.

8.30am

Police officer stabbed in Sydney opens his eyes after days in hospital

The police officer stabbed at a Maroubra pub in Sydney on Australia Day has opened his eyes in hospital.

Detective Sergeant John Breda remains in a serious but stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit at St Vincent’s Hospital, according to Channel Nine.

He has, however, been able to recognise family members and communicate using hand signals.

Detective Sergeant John Breda was stabbed during an incident at Maroubra Junction Hotel.

The mother of an accused child sex offender, Nick Newman, who was shot dead after the stabbing says she’s sorry for her son’s actions.

Newman, 33, was shot dead by police in a Maroubra pub on Friday after he stabbed Det Sgt Breda in the chest and stomach as he tried to arrest him. Newman’s mother, Alicia, says she hopes her son’s victim recovers.

Ms Newman said her son had battled mental illness for 20 years. “Since he was 13 years old I struggled with him,” she said.

— with AAP

8:00am

Aussie student exposes military locations using fitness apps and prompts US security review

An Aussie student exposed patterns of movement at military facilities around the world using fitness tracking devices — even in war zones.

Now, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has ordered a review of security protocols.

Nathan Russer, a student at the Australian National University in Canberra, drew attention to data when he wrote on Twitter about the images after stumbling upon GPS tracking company Strava’s Global Heatmap.

“Once you look at Syria you can see a bunch of bright spots,” Mr Russer said.

His discovery prompted others to scour the heat map, turning up other possible locations of US and other mostly Western personnel who typically use high-tech fitness devices, including elsewhere in the Middle East and in Africa.

Although many of the bases cited by Mr Russer and others are well-known outposts that host US and US-backed personnel, there are clear risks that such tracking devices pose, potentially disclosing not just the broad locations where foreign troops operate but the routes they travel.

There is also the risk that Strava itself could become a target of nations trying to mine its data to discover identifiable information about who was wearing the devices.

— with AAP

7:30am

Tourists deny making pornographic Cambodian party photos

Ten foreigners, including five Britons, charged with producing pornographic photos during a party near Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat temple complex have denied any wrongdoing, a prosecutor said on Monday.

Still, there is “enough evidence to prove that they violated the law, and therefore, they must face charges,” Siem Reap provincial court prosecutor Samrith Sokhon said.

Almost 90 foreigners were detained. Source: Cambodian National Police via AP.

The 10 people charged Sunday include five from the United Kingdom, two from Canada and one each from Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Since they are in jail they could not be reached for comment and it was not immediately possible to find the lawyer representing them. They face up to a year in prison if convicted.

Police said they raided a rented villa in Siem Reap on Thursday where the foreigners were taking part in what organisers called a pub crawl and found people “dancing pornographically”.

While almost 90 foreigners were detained, all but 10 were released.

— with AAP

7:00am

Peter Dutton’s stark warning to Commonwealth Games athletes

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton issued a strong warning to athletes coming for the Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast.

It comes after athletes in the Sydney Olympics and Melbourne Commonwealth Games went on the run, overstayed visas or claimed asylum.

“Australia welcomes the thousands of athletes, support staff and sports fans who will travel to the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games,’’ Mr Dutton told the Courier Mail.

Peter Dutton has told athletes to behave. Source: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas.

“I’m sure the city, the state and the nation will do all we can to make sure they have a fabulous time.

“However visitors are expected to abide the conditions of their visa and there are penalties for those who do the wrong thing.

“Australia’s reputation on being tough on border security and cancelling visas of people who don’t abide by Australian laws won’t be compromised.”

6:30am

A second woman has been arrested in Iran for defying the country’s Islamic dress code

“White Wednesday” protests against mandatory clothing rules for women in Iran have flared up again, leading to another arrest.

A second woman was arrested in for protesting against the country’s compulsory hijab rules after standing on a telecoms box on a Tehran street, taking off her headscarf and holding it aloft on a stick, The Guardian reports.

However, another woman who was arrested for protesting has been released after nearly one month in detention, a lawyer said.

A lone Iranian woman having removed her hijab and placing at the end of a stick has become a symbol of protest in Iran. Source: Supplied.

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a renowned human rights lawyer, told AFP she saw the woman’s file at the prosecutor’s office and was told by a judicial official that she had been “freed”.

The woman has not been seen in public since she stood on a pillar box at one of Tehran’s busiest thoroughfares without a headscarf or long coat required under Islamic law.

Images posted on social media showed her waving a white scarf on a stick — an apparent reference to so-called “White Wednesday” protests against mandatory clothing rules for women.

— with AAP

6:10am

Elon Musk sells $4.3 million worth of flamethrowers in a day as part of a bizarre new business venture

Maverick businessman Elon Musk has launched an incredible new venture which has earned him more than $4.3 million in 24 hours.

Last week, he pledged that if The Boring Company sold 50,000 baseball caps at $25 each he would start selling flamethrowers.

The multi-billionaire founder of electric car company Tesla and tunnelling company Boring started selling the $US500 flamethrowers on Sunday, tweeting: “Guaranteed to liven up any party!”

When the zombie apocalypse happens, you’ll be glad you bought a flamethrower. Works against hordes of the undead or your money back!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2018

In a video post on Instagram, Musk said “don’t do this” and then proceeded to run towards the camera with the flamethrower alight. “Also, I want to be clear that a flamethrower is a super terrible idea. Definitely don’t buy one. Unless you like fun.”

Anyone fancy a go?

5:45am

North Korea cancels a joint cultural performance with South Korea ahead of Winter Olympics

North Korea has cancelled a joint cultural performance with South Korea blaming South Korean media for encouraging “insulting” public sentiment regarding the North, South Korea’s unification ministry says.

The North said it had no choice but to call off the February 4 performance, which was to be held in the North Korean territory of Mount Kumgang, as South Korean media continued to insult what Pyongyang called “sincere” measures regarding the Winter Olympics Seoul will host next month, the ministry said on Monday.

Early in January, North and South Korea launched rare talks to bring North Koreans to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics after the North’s leader Kim Jong Un said he was willing to open up discussions with Seoul.

The two Koreas had been in discussions regarding final details over the joint performance. They were also talking about a different concert in South Korea by a North Korean orchestra and sending South Korean athletes to train at a North Korean ski resort.

— with AAP