RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today
A MOTHER has made a worrying discovery inside a Woolworths party pie she bought from a Gold Coast branch of the supermarket.
- Mum finds stainless steel bolt in Woolies pie
- Salim’s ‘mistress’ reveals love story video
- 60 Minutes crew freed from Lebanon jail
- Court rules Breivik’s human rights violated
- Islamic State releases bleak footage from camp
- Did Shorten steal campaign slogan?
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to Rush Hour! We’ll be bringing you the latest on the 60 Minutes crew’s release in Lebanon and all the stories you need to know today.
10.00am
And that’s all for today! See below to get across the stories of the morning or visit the news.com.au homepage for all the latest headlines.
9.50am
Billionaire doesn’t notice missing Picasso for seven years
A billionaire New York socialite says she didn’t notice a valuable Picasso painting missing from her home for seven years.
Wilma “Billie” Tisch is suing a Florida gallery owner for trying to sell a $1.3 million Picasso that was stolen from her Manhattan home “sometime after December 2009”, according to court papers.
Tisch, 88, only recently discovered the 1928 portrait of the famed painter’s mistress, Marie-Therese Walter, was gone.
“What took everyone so long to figure out it was missing?” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Joan Kenney asked Tisch’s attorney at an emergency hearing Wednesday.
“They have a significant collection of art,” attorney Luke Nikas explained.
Read the full story on the New York Post
New York Billionaire says Aventura gallery owner is selling her stolen Picasso painting https://t.co/LBYZ2ytdnd pic.twitter.com/7xuXe7rVCw
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) April 20, 2016
9.39am
Basketball fan lovingly munches pizza on kiss cam
She’s the woman after our own hearts.
When the “kiss cam” turned on the crowd at the NBA playoffs in Atlanta, this fan stole the show with her passionate pizza eating in the background.
The pretty blonde tucked into two slices at once, taking alternate bites from each hand as the Hawks played the Celtics.
Woman of the match, right here.
A LOT going on in the Kiss Cam from Atlanta tonight... pic.twitter.com/lVJ0HbLnwe
— UPROXX Sports (@UPROXXSports) April 20, 2016
9.28am
Secret formula for Tinder success
Tinder CEO Sean Rad has revealed the secret formula for finding your perfect match on Tinder.
The dating app guru claimed a picture that says something about who you are is most likely to lead to romance.
“The data shows this: When your photo expresses something about your interests — like a skier skiing — or something about your personality, you do better,” he said.
With the app matching up more than 11 billion couples said, it might be advice worth heeding.
Read the full story on The Metro.
9.18am
Gwyneth Paltrow shows funny side in toddler dance routine
Hollywood star and health guru Gwyneth Paltrow can seem a little serious sometimes, so this hilarious video was a breath of fresh air.
Dressed in 80s-style leggings and headband, the actor gamely performed a dance routine choreographed by toddlers on James Corden’s The Late Late Show.
The kids put Paltrow and Corden through their paces with a string of creative moves in the segment dubbed Toddlerography.
9.10am
Carrie Fisher reveals Star Wars line she can’t stand
Star Wars legend Carrie Fisher has revealed there’s one line from the movies she just hates.
The Princess Leia actor told a Q&A session at the Tribeca Film Festival her least favourite line of dialogue is from Episode IV: A New Hope, the first in the series, Uproxx reported.
In the scene from the 1977 classic, she begs Obi Wan Kenobi for help, saying: “I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit.”
It’s certainly quite a mouthful.
9.00am
Murder accused Glen McNamara faces grilling
Glen McNamara is expected to face more grilling from Roger Rogerson’s lawyer when he returns to the witness box at his Supreme Court trial.
On Wednesday, McNamara denied he had intended to kill student Jamie Gao when he left home on May 20, 2014 wearing a hoodie, cap and sunglasses and carrying a plastic bag.
Rogerson’s lawyer George Thomas told the NSW Supreme Court McNamara left home an hour before Mr Gao, 20, was shot dead.
Mr Thomas accused McNamara of donning a disguise and carrying a .25 calibre firearm.
“Your purpose was to engage in drug supply and kill Jamie Gao,” Mr Thomas put to the accused man.
“No, it wasn’t,” McNamara replied.
“You were in possession of a .25 calibre firearm,” Mr Thomas said.
“No, that’s not true,” McNamara said.
He said he didn’t remember what was in the plastic bag.
Rogerson and McNamara have both pleaded not guilty to Mr Gao’s murder and blamed each other for the shooting.
The crown case is the two men shot the alleged drug dealer before stuffing his body into a surfboard bag and dumping it at sea.
The body was spotted by fishermen on May 26, 2014, wrapped in a surfboard bag and a blue tarpaulin, bobbing in waters off Cronulla.
— AAP
8.50am
Police hunt predator who lured kids from holiday school
A man has been released without charge as police continue to hunt a predator who lured two children from a holiday care program and sexually assaulted them.
Police are looking for the person who lured two young children — aged just four and five — away from a holiday school care facility in North Perth on Tuesday.
A public plea was issued on Wednesday to help catch the man responsible for the horrific, broad daylight crime, Perth Now reports.
Detectives say a four-year-old girl and five-year-old boy were under the care of the facility at a property when they walked off with a stranger sometime after 11.15am.
The children were found in a playground at Hyde Park about an hour later by a female member of the public.
Police believe the man sexually assaulted the children at “a nearby unknown location” before leaving them in Hyde Park.
Read the full story on Perth Now here
8.40am
Mum shares candid photo taken by her five-year-old
Perth mother Kelli Bannister has shared a beautiful picture of herself cradling her sick daughter — and the best part is who took it.
Her five-year-old son snapped the emotional photo of his mum and sister Summer cuddling in the bathroom on a mobile phone.
The 30-year-old photographer shared the image on her Facebook page, The Barefoot Mum, writing: “I was debating whether or not to post this, but this is real, raw, and one of the absolute worst parts of Motherhood that at some stage, we will all go through!!
“The part nothing or no-one can prepare you for, the part where you would give every ounce of your entire being to make your poor baby feel ok again.”
The black-and-white photo has gained almost 20,000 likes in two days.
8.30am
Canada to legalise cannabis in 2017
Canada will legalise marijuana in around 12 months’ time, fulfilling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s election promise.
The PM said last year his Liberals would legalise recreational marijuana, following the states of Washington and Colorado, but the time frame has been unclear.
Canada’s health minister Jane Philpott told a special session of the UN General Assembly in New York that the nation will introduce legislation to legalise and regulate recreational marijuana next northern hemisphere spring.
She emphasised that law will ensure marijuana is kept away from children and will keep criminals from profiting from its sale.
“We will work with law enforcement partners to encourage appropriate and proportionate criminal justice measures,” she said. “We know it is impossible to arrest our way out of this problem.”
— Reuters
8.20am
Hackett in hospital with major throat infection
Grant Hackett admitted himself to a private hospital in Queensland for day surgery yesterday — just days after the former Olympian was accused of tweaking the nipple of a fellow traveller on a domestic flight.
Hackett’s latest health crisis continued last night with reports the swimmer was in a Benowa hospital having an infected growth in his throat attended to.
His manager confirmed his client had admitted himself to hospital but would offer no further details.
Read the full story on the Daily Telegraph
8.10am
Prince George steals the show in Queen’s stamp collection
The Queen’s adorable great-grandson stole the show in a series of photos taken for her 90th birthday commemorative stamps.
Britain’s Royal Mail released images that include the reigning monarch pictured with the youngest members of the royal family, and another with the three heirs to the throne — Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George.
Who knows who’ll inherit the crown, but it’s pretty clear who’s the most photogenic.
8.00am
Celebrities pay tribute to beloved comedian Victoria Wood
Stars inspired by Victoria Wood have paid tribute to the legendary British comedian after she died aged 62.
Eddie Izzard and Sarah Millican took to Twitter to express their sorrow after award-winning TV star passed away at her home after a short battle with cancer.
Friend Julie Walters said in a statement: “Too heart sore to comment. The loss of her is incalculable.”
Writer Caitlin Moran tweeted: “Seeing Victoria Wood on TV — working class, bookish, silly, clever, doing stand-up, singing, acting — made me think Girls can do this.”
Absolutely Fabulous creator Jennifer Saunders said “she was truly an inspiration and had so much left to give and we won’t see it”.
Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted that Wood was “a national treasure loved by millions”.
— AP
7.50am
Did Shorten pinch campaign slogan?
One Bill has borrowed from another, in the second case of an Australian leader taking inspiration from their US political counterparts this year.
But at least Opposition Leader Bill Shorten took his “people first” slogan from a real politician and his more famous namesake Bill Clinton, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull famously took his “continuity and change” slogan from US TV’s political satire show Veep, which its creators called the “most meaningless election slogan we could think of”.
7.40am
Japan ‘weakest’ contender in race to build Australia’s subs
France’s bid to build Australia’s new fleet of submarines is shaping up to be a frontrunner.
Japanese, German and French companies are vying for the project and the federal government is expected to announce the long-awaited decision next week.
The Japanese bid is considered the weakest out of the trio, The Australian reports.
7.35am
Outrage after YouTuber dresses girlfriend’s dog as Nazi
A Scottish man has caused outrage on social media after creating a disturbing video in which he dresses his girlfriend’s dog as a Nazi.
Markus Meechan, 28, sparked a firestorm on social media after posting a video on YouTube in which he said his girlfriend was always “raving” about her two-year-old pug, so he wanted to do “the least cute thing I could think of.”
The former security guard taped himself repeatedly asking the pup, Buddha: “Do you want to gas the Jews?”
Meechan then shows Buddha a Hitler speech on TV and tries to teach him to perform the Nazi salute.
7.25am
Nudist restaurant to open in London
London is about to get its first naked restaurant, in a trend we’re hoping isn’t going to go global.
The Bunyadi, meaning natural, describes itself as a “secret Pangea-like world, free from phones, electric lights and even clothing (optional).
“Revisit the beginning where everything was fresh, free and unadulterated from the trappings of modern life.”
The pop-up restaurant, which will open in the next few months, already has 7000 on the waiting list for tickets.
Are you ready for this food trend?
7.18am
Jenner kisses friend Candis Cayne
Caitlyn Jenner shares a kiss with her friend Candis Cayne in a new clip from her popular TV show.
In the season finale of I Am Cait, the women are at a dinner party when they’re dared to kiss each other.
Ella Giselle tells them she’ll only sing if the close friends lock lips.
“You might as well use your lips, both of you have gorgeous lips, just like smack them together a little,” adds their friend Courtney Nanson, before the pair lean in for a pash.
7.08am
Grizzly bear showers under waterfall
This is the amazing moment a man spotted a grizzly bear taking a shower under a waterfall.
YouTube user Shawn was admiring the view when the huge creature lumbered out of a cave and decided to have a quick wash.
It’s not every day you a bear showering, certainly not with a giant leg bone in lieu of a rubber duck.
7.00am
Flight delayed after passenger says ‘bomb’
A United Airlines flight has been delayed at a New York airport after a male passenger uttered the word “bomb.”
Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said another passenger alerted the flight crew at Albany International Airport yesterday, and the man was taken into custody.
The pilot requested a search of the aircraft, which was bound for Newark, New Jersey. All passengers were evacuated and everything was unloaded from the plane while K-9 units searched it.
No bomb was found.
— AP
6.53am
Obama meets Saudi Arabia’s king after 9/11 revelations
President Obama met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman in Riyadh on Wednesday amid increasingly strained relations between the two countries.
Questions have been raised over the US outreach to Iran, approach to Syria and potential release of documents that could implicate Saudi officials in the 9/11 attacks.
Underscoring the growing tensions, Obama was greeted at King Khalid International Airport not by the monarch, but by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the governor of Riyadh, the New York Post reports.
Saudi state media did not broadcast Obama’s arrival for his fourth trip to the country as it did during his visit last year to pay respects after the death of Salman’s predecessor, King Abdullah.
Read the full story on the New York Post
6.42am
Pistorius ‘attacked girlfriend with cricket bat before shooting her dead’
Oscar Pistorius attacked Reeva Steenkamp with a cricket bat before shooting her dead, a new report claims.
The Paralympian, 29, told his trial he battered down the toilet door at their home in South Africa with the bat after shooting her by mistake, thinking she was an intruder.
But forensic expert brothers Calvin and Thomas Mollett claim two wounds on the model’s back match the tip of the bat while marks on its torn and twisted handle suggest a struggle, The Sun reports.
Pistorius’s culpable homicide conviction was overturned last December when he was found guilty of murder. He will be sentenced in June.
Read the full story on The Sun
6.30am
Man killed in ambulance collision at tram stop
A man was killed at a Melbourne tram stop after he was pinned against a pole by a car that had collided with an ambulance.
Victoria Police said they believed the ambulance was performing “urgent duty driving” when it collided into the car, which struck the man.
‘I pulled the back end of the car and there was a couple of other people pushing the front of it and we got the car away from the pole and the poor guy just sort of fell to the ground,’ witness Jason Biderman told Nine News on Wednesday.
Flemington: Boundary Rd CLOSED Both directions EAST of the Newmarket bridge following a smash #victraffic pic.twitter.com/6K7xgT6XSx
— Jimmy Traffic (@JimmyTraffic) April 20, 2016
6.25am
Islamic State releases bleak footage from camp
The Islamic State-affiliated Amaq News has released footage from inside the Yarmouk Refugee Camp in southern Damascus.
Clashes around the camp have been ongoing since April 7, but a relative lull in fighting has occurred over the past 72 hours due to IS’ virtual takeover. Footage shows empty streets in the southern section of the camp, where IS fighters have allegedly pillaged and tortured local residents. Palestinian Liberation Organization envoy to Syria Anwar Abed al-Hadi was quoted in Arab media claiming local Palestinian residents are starving due to lack of resources.
6.15am
Court rules Breivik’s human rights violated
Norway violated mass killer Anders Behring Breivik’s human rights by keeping him in a “completely locked world”, a court has ruled.
Wednesday’s ruling, which took many by surprise, found that the killer had been subjected to strip searches, had been woken up hourly by guards for long periods and that the authorities had done little to alleviate the impact of his isolation.
Breivik murdered eight people in a bomb attack in Oslo in July 2011 before attacking a youth meeting of the Labour Party on an island to the northwest of the capital, killing 69 people.
- Reuters
6.01am
Woolworths customer finds bolt in party pie
A mother discovered a three-centimetre stainless steel bolt inside a Woolworths party pie.
Cindy Wilson, from the Gold Coast, found the unexpected item in the filling of a Homebrand pie from the Palm Waters branch.
The supermarket gave her a refund and offered $50 compensation, but Mrs Wilson said she was more concerned about the safety of other customers.
5.56am
Tara Brown and 60 Minutes crew freed from Lebanon jail
Australian mother Sally Faulkner, reporter Tara Brown and her 60 Minutes crew have been released from prison after charges against them were dropped.
Brown, Ben Williamson, David Ballment and Stephen Rice walked free around 4pm local time, with “smiles as wide as the Harbour Bridge” according to Nine News reporter Tom Steinfort.
They got straight into a waiting mini-van without making any comments and headed for the airport. They have since flown out of Lebanon.
5.49am
Salim’s ‘mistress’ reveals love story video
The “mistress” of Salim Mehajer claims she began a relationship with the controversial former Sydney deputy mayor two years after he proposed to his wife.
Hooda, who claims to be his mistress, shared a tribute video of loved-up photos of the pair exclusively with A Current Affair.
The program reported that she is well known to Salim’s friends and reportedly used to work for him.
His wife Aysha reportedly packed her bags and left their Sydney mansion three weeks ago.
See the full story on A Current Affair
5.40am
Candyman shares photo of den filled with girls and cars
Notorious tycoon Travers “The Candyman” Beynon has shared an Instagram photo of a garage packed with pricey cars and half-naked girls.
The photo, which shows Rolls Royces and a Ferrari parked at “Candyshop Mansion” is captioned: “Each one is beautiful in its own way, but they all drive different.”
The Candyman made headlines last year for wild parties and leading women around his Gold Coast mansion on a leash.
Inside feud that brought Sydney to a halt
Five months of transport disruptions and chaotic commutes were brought to an abrupt halt this week after a fiery fight between the unions and the government.
Driver charged over meat cleaver incident
A man has been charged after reports a driver allegedly wielded a meat cleaver at other drivers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Commuters warned of further travel chaos
Commuters are being urged to brace for another day of cancellations and delays as the rail union and the NSW government take their fight to court.