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RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today

A UNIVERSITY has come up with an ingenious plan to accommodate those who can’t stop looking at their phones. And some people are calling for it to be embraced everywhere.

Nick Whigham and WIRES
10 min read
June 18, 2015 - 5:42AM
TODAY'S HEADLINES: Thursday 18th June

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.

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.

9:55am: Message in a bottle gets response after 44 years

A man has received a reply to a message in a bottle which he sent adrift 44 years ago.

The bottle travelled just 70 kilometres along Scotland’s north east since it was written by Raymond Davidson when he was just 14 years old, reports the Metro.

Apparently it was discovered by Aussie tourists Sean and Shelley Thomas in a sand dune at Rattray Head, and they managed to track him down through a family finding service.

The note said: “This bottle was thrown in the sea at Cove Aberdeen on 15/1/71 by Raymond Davidson, 62 Ullswater Road, Carlisle.”

When the Australian couple managed to track him down, he was still living in Carlisle.

“It was a bit of a surprise because I don’t really remember writing it,” Mr Davidson, now 58, said.

9:45am: Unis still in limbo on deregulation

Universities are still in limbo as they wait for the federal government to take its plans for fee deregulation back to parliament.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne had insisted he would ask parliament a third time to deregulate university fees and expand federal funding to more students and courses.

He could have done that on Wednesday after sitting out a mandatory three-month waiting period from the time the Senate knocked back his legislation in March.

-AAP

9:40am: Sunrise host gets cockroach bath

Sam Armytage gets coated in cockroaches

Sam Armytage got the raw end of the deal on Sunrise this morning in a Fear Factor style challenge.

The co-host endured a bucketful of cockroaches being poured all over her body with only a pair of goggles and a paper-thin suit covering her.

“No! Not near my face!” she screamed as hundreds of critters landed on her. “This is torture and it stinks!”

Still, she handled it as well as could be expected, lying in the bed of bugs until the 60 second challenge was completed.

Read more here.

9:30am: Florida woman caught having sex with dog

An 18-year-old woman is facing charges by police after they found photos on her mobile phone of her receiving oral sex from her pit bull dog.

Florida authorities found the photos on Ashley Miller’s phone while they were working on a sexual battery investigation.

When they opened a folder called “2-face fun”, they allegedly found 17 photos of a dog — later found to be named “2-face” performing oral sex on Ms Miller, reports the PIX 11.

According to a police report obtained by The Smoking Gun, Ms Miller explained she would call the dog into her room, take her pants off, open her legs and the dog would perform the grotesque deed.

An act she told police she had committed upwards of 30 to 40 times.

9:15am: Allegations Shorten did dodgy deals as trade union boss

The Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten.
The Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten.

The federal government says Labor leader Bill Shorten needs to respond to fresh allegations about his days as a trade union boss before a scheduled appearance at a royal commission.

Chemical manufacturer Huntsman allegedly paid the Victorian branch of the Australia Workers’ Union hundreds of thousands of dollars while Mr Shorten was state secretary under an agreement to make sure workers “didn’t disrupt” operations, The Australian reports.

As well, the AWU is alleged to have received more than $211,000 from building company Thiess John Holland shortly after Mr Shorten negotiated a favourable wage deal.

Mr Shorten has agreed to front the royal commission into union corruption in August, but is coming under increasing pressure to respond before then.

9:05am: Thick fog causes chaos in Brisbane

Morning fog around Brisbane. Pic Mark Cranitch.
Morning fog around Brisbane. Pic Mark Cranitch.

Heavy fog has blanketed Brisbane, causing major chaos for commuters.

Flights have been delayed and cancelled, ferry services have been stopped and traffic is banking up due the low visibility, which has been described as matching Queensland’s post Origin mood. The fog, which caused visibility to drop to about 100 metres at Brisbane airport, is beginning to lift.

8:50am: Teacher resigns for reading homosexual fairytale to kids

A North Carolina primary school teacher has resigned after receiving heated backlash for his decision to read his class a “gay fairytale”.

Omar Currie read his students “King and King,” a story about a prince who finds his prince charming after one boy was teased with anti-homosexual sentiment. When parents and guardians of the children found out, there were vigorous protests and a community hearing was attended by 200 people.

One grandmother said, “this is nothing more than bringing homosexuality into a school where it does not belong,” reports the LA Times.

The teacher has since handed in his formal resignation but the course of events has sparked a huge debate in the country with many feeling Mr Currie was dealt an injustice.

8:35am: Teen shot dead after using Find My Phone app

Jeremy Cook was killed looking for his phone.
Jeremy Cook was killed looking for his phone.

A manhunt is on for three suspects in Canada after an 18-year-old was shot dead after using the Find My Phone app to locate his missing mobile.

Jeremy Cook, 18, left his cell phone in a taxi and used the app to track it down and went to retrieve it. His search led him to the back of a strip mall in the Ontario area where he approached a car along with a relative.

When the car started to drive away, Mr Cook reached for the door and then was shot multiple times.

Authorities have appealed with people not to use to phone-finding app in potentially dangerous situations.

“The app is not what makes the scenario dangerous — it is the human beings or the people you interact with,” Const. Ken Steeves told CTV News Channel.

8:25am: Escaped tiger shot after killing a man

A killed white tiger lies on a stretcher in Tbilisi on June 17, 2015.
A killed white tiger lies on a stretcher in Tbilisi on June 17, 2015.

A tiger that broke loose after severe flooding at the Tbilisi Zoo mauled a man to death in the Georgian capital before being shot by police Wednesday, a day after officials said all the zoo’s tigers had died.

Zoo Director Zurab Gurielidze acknowledged he was to blame for releasing faulty information and said new counts indicated a tiger cub and a hyena could still be on the loose. The city has remained on edge, with runaway predators reportedly seen by some residents.

The Interior Ministry in the former Soviet republic said the tiger was hiding at an abandoned factory that had been turned into a construction market when he attacked the man. The victim, who worked at the market, later died of his wounds at a hospital.

8:10am: Someone paid $35,000 to dine with Julie Bishop, Wolverine

Someone has paid more than $35,000 to dine with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and the Wolverine himself Hugh Jackman in the Big Apple.

The New York dinner was the highest bid item of the parliamentary press gallery’s mid-winter ball charity fundraiser which ended last night.

Breakfast with Prime Minister Tony Abbott at Kirribilli House went for $10,707, while dinner with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen saw a winning bid of $10,750.

-AP

7:55am: Red coloured burgers coming to Burger King

Burger King’s new red burger. Because why not?
Burger King’s new red burger. Because why not?

Burger King outlets in Japan are introducing a set of red burgers.

The fast food chain is taking a chance on an all-red chicken and beef burger which will serve as a counterpoint to the all-black hamburger which is currently being offered by the Japanese stores.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Burger King added tomato powder to its buns and cheese to give the sandwiches their bright red colour. The latest offering will cost ¥540 (A$5.65) and will go on sale next month.

The company has yet to confirm what other colour they will attempt.

7:45am: Man’s elaborate crossword proposal

For Matthew Dick, 38, his proposal of marriage to girlfriend Delyth Hughes, 39, was not a simple case of dropping to one knee.

Mr Dick, a crossword enthusiast, proposed via a hidden message in Tuesday’s Times Crossword in one of the most unusual editions in the 85-year history of the London paper.

A very unique proposal.
A very unique proposal.

The crossword opened with one across: “Pretty Welsh girl widely thought not to be all there”. The answer: Delyth.

Other clues included “’Will you marry me,’ say, that’s forward also rude”. The answer was proposal.

Mr Dick, 38, told Wednesday’s edition of the newspaper that he showed Ms Hughes the crossword at breakfast, with some key words underlined, then “reached into my pocket to reveal the ring”.

“She looked so surprised and didn’t say anything for about 30 seconds, before then saying ‘No’, which she thought was hilarious,” he said.

“But she did then say ‘Yes’ and I had to tell her this was the real Times crossword, not something I had printed out myself.”

-AP

7:35am: QLD fire destroys Waltzing Matilda Centre

A Queensland tourism landmark dedicated to the story behind the song Waltzing Matilda has been destroyed by fire.

Fire fighters battled for more than four hours to extinguish the blaze at the Waltzing Matilda centre in Winton this morning but the fire completely destroyed centre, leaving just a few external structures standing, a Queensland Fire Service spokesman said.

Investigators have been called and there are no reports of injuries.

7:25am: Sydney rainbow gets international attention

A woman takes a photograph as a rainbow forms over the Harbour Bridge yesterday.
A woman takes a photograph as a rainbow forms over the Harbour Bridge yesterday.

A “double rainbow” which was splashed across the Sydney skyline late yesterday afternoon has garnered international media attention for its breathtaking beauty.

The internet exploded with pictures of the rainbow with overseas media outlets such as Fox News, The Huffington Post, Mashable, People Magazine and many more broadcasting the phenomena.

Untold Sydney siders witnessed the double rainbow yesterday but it’s unlikely many were as taken aback as this guy.

7:10am: France’s Ecology Minister apologises for crazy Nutella remarks

French minister for Ecology, Segolene Royal.
French minister for Ecology, Segolene Royal.
Contributing to climate change. What?
Contributing to climate change. What?

France’s Ecology Minister Segolene Royal has apologised for telling people not to eat Nutella because it contributed to deforestation and climate change.

“A thousand apologies for the row over Nutella,” she wrote on her official Twitter account.

The mea culpa related to comments she made on French television this week, when she said “we should stop eating Nutella ... because it’s made with palm oil” — an ingredient that ensures the soft but not liquid consistency of the popular chocolate-hazelnut spread.

In the interview, she argued that oil palm plantations were supplanting forests, leading to deforestation and causing “considerable damage to the environment”.

Those assertions drew fire from Italy, where Ferrero, the company that makes Nutella, is based.

“Segolene Royal should leave Italian products alone. The menu tonight: bread and Nutella,” Italy’s environment minister, Gian Luca Galletti, said in a tweet.

-AFP

7:00am: Utah University’s genius idea

We’ve all had someone nearly walk right into us because they were staring at their phone. Or likewise, it can be pretty frustrating getting stuck walking behind someone who is slowly dawdling due to their preoccupation with Facebook. Well a Utah university thinks they have the answer.

The school has divided up one of their staircases into three separate lanes. Running, walking and texting.

The idea seems to have inspired people with one enthusiastic admirer saying: “It’s time for the texting lane to come to every walkable surface on planet earth”.

6:45am: Trump wants Oprah to be his running mate

Perfect running mate?
Perfect running mate?
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

As if his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President wasn’t ridiculous enough, Donald Trump has gone and outdone himself.

A day after announcing his run at the White House, Mr Trump appeared on ABC and said Oprah Winfrey would complete his presidential dream ticket.

“I think Oprah would be great. I’d love to have Oprah,” Trump said. “I think we’d win easily, actually,” he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

“She’s a good person. I’ve been on her show. In fact, I was on her show last week, she said, could I be on her show with the whole family.”

Maybe it’s not such a bad idea, Oprah would probably be the only thing that could save his campaign.

Read more at the New York Post.

6:35am: Man accused of having 4 children with his own daughter

A French man as been arrested, accused of fathering four children with his 30-year-old daughter through a string of sexual attacks, reports the Mirror.

According to police, the 50-year-old was taken into custody in the French town of Dunkirk, near the Belgium border and is being questioned.

France only made incest a crime in 2010 — reinstating it into the country’s penal code more than 200 years after French revolutionaries threw it out as a “religious taboo”.

6:25am: China trade deal weakens Aussie sovereignty, says Nick Xenophon

Independent Senator for South Australia Nick Xenophon is not happy with trade deal.
Independent Senator for South Australia Nick Xenophon is not happy with trade deal.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon has slammed Australia’s freshly-inked free trade deal with China, claiming it will damage the nation’s sovereignty.

Senator Xenophon said this morning official figures have shown that free trade agreements “have not met the rosy predictions of governments of both stripes” over the past decade.

He warned that the deal signed with Australia’s biggest trading partner on Wednesday jeopardises the nation’s sovereignty by including a clause which allows Australian federal and state governments to be sued by Chinese firms.

6:15am: Blues take Origin II to even the series

The NSW Blues won Origin II 26-18 last night in front of 90,000 fans to take the series to a much anticipated decider in Queensland.

But the game was not without controversy. A try by Greg Inglis who ran the length of the field late in the game was disallowed after the video referee ruled there had been a slight knock-on. It would have given the Maroons the lead and the momentum with just over 10 minutes remaining.

New South Wales rode its luck to respond with a matchwinning try to fullback Josh Dugan with just minutes left on the clock and held on for victory.

6:00am: Remote Australian pub makes hilarious plea to the internet

A remote Australian pub in Tatura, Victoria has come up with a novel way to raise funds for a much needed facelift.

Someone gave them the idea of turning to that thing called “the internet” and the pub’s owner has made a pretty charming (and very Australian) video in an effort to solicit donations.

And for those kind enough to contribute, the pub will put your names on just about anything in the pub, or even hang an oil painting of those who are particularly generous.

“Always wanted to own your own pub? Well, this is the next best thing.

We’re offering ‘The internet’ a chance to become part of the Tatura Hotel. If you contribute to our fund, we’ll shamelessly name parts of the pub in your honour,” the video caption reads on YouTube.

So, good idea or another entitled crowd funding campaign?

More related stories

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/national/rush-hour/rush-hour-the-stories-you-need-to-know-today/news-story/35d3d63d7907b676c13914a721d9fbf9