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RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today

A GROUP of bemused cows got a huge surprise when they were visited by a lost seal pup. And they didn’t quite know what to do with the unusual sight.

NICK WHIGHAM and WIRES
11 min read
July 21, 2015 - 5:25AM

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:

There clearly isn’t much to occupy a young lad over a Scottish summer. So much so that a nine-year-old YouTuber decided to make a video of himself eating a British chilli lolly called a Carolina Reaper — something which he quickly regretted.

The lolly is shaped like a chilli and by all accounts, is explosively hot.

“It burns!”
“It burns!”

“I’m gonna eat a whole one,” he exclaims to the camera. “And I’m only nine!”

He then proceeds to ingest the fiery treat after assuring the camera of its authenticity.

“You’re not supposed to swallow it,” says a voice in the video which sounds like his father.

“It burns,” is the boy’s only response as he begins frantically downing milk, realising the error of his ways.

“The first few chews were very hot but just about manageable. Then the volcano erupted,” the boy said.

9:40am:

An armed man has barricaded himself in a house in Launceston.

Police are negotiating with him after responding to a domestic disturbance at a house at Rocherlea about 2am this morning.

He’s believed to be armed with an “edged” weapon, officers say. The man is known to the home’s occupants, who left soon after police were called

Police say there is no danger to others but the standoff continues.

9:35am:

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has teamed up with a Russian billionaire to launch a venture to search for extraterrestrial life.

The British scientist has given his backing to Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Initiatives project, which will provide $US100 million ($135.49 million) over the next decade to those searching for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Russian entrepreneur Yuri Milner and British scientist Stephen Hawking.
Russian entrepreneur Yuri Milner and British scientist Stephen Hawking.

Milner, an entrepreneur who made his fortune through investments in companies such as Facebook, said he will harness the innovation of Silicon Valley to scan the skies for signs of life, including searching the entire Milky Way and 100 nearby galaxies.

Announcing his support for the project, Professor Hawking said science had discovered many things about the universe, such as the forces that bind atoms and the secrets of black holes, but while this had helped explain the light of stars it could not explain “the lights that shine from planet Earth.”

Read more here.

9:25am:

Disturbing footage has been found on a mobile phone left behind in a taxi in Fiji.

The vision shows an Asian fishing boat crew who can be seen shooting at men bobbing in the water, believed to be refugees.

“Shoot, shoot, shoot!” commands a voice over one of the ship’s loudspeakers as a number of men are gunned down in the ocean, turning the water red. Soon after, a group of men on deck who appear to be crew members laugh among themselves, then pose for selfies, reportsThe New York Times.

Despite dozens of witnesses on at least four surrounding ships, the killings, and those responsible remain a mystery

9:10am:

Two men have been arrested over the shooting of a police officer in Melbourne.

A 22-year-old man was arrested in Morwell and a 24-year-old man was arrested in Oak Park early this morning.

The police officer was shot through the driver’s side window of a police vehicle after he and his partner tried to intercept a four-wheel drive with two people inside in Moonee Ponds on July 7. Police from the State Anti-Gangs Division executed search warrants in Melbourne’s northwest, south and east this morning and are still searching a number of properties.

The scene where a police officer was shot on July 7.
The scene where a police officer was shot on July 7.

The 31-year-old first constable took a number of shotgun pellets to his head and was lucky to survive.

The shooting occurred just 10 minutes after gunshots were fired into the Broadmeadows home of George Williams, the father of slain underworld figure Carl Williams.

-AAP

9am:

A Greek fighter pilot has managed to find a very cheeky way around the country’s limits on ATM withdrawals.

Greek residents have had to endure a 60 euro daily limit on ATM withdrawals over the past week as the country negotiated a new austerity deal with their UE counterparts. This week banks opened but there remains certain limits around the amount of cash people can withdraw.

However one crafty pilot found away around the restrictions.

According to French website RadiCocpit.fr, Greek fighter pilot Homere Sipostopoulos allegedly landed his F-16 in Turkey, withdrew money from local ATMs then returned back to base.

Upon landing, it’s been reported that the Greek pilot then taxied his plane into one of the dilapidated hangars nearby to hide it before heading to the nearest ATM to withdraw 700 euros each from three separate machines.

Greek Air Force F-16 jet fighter aeroplane.
Greek Air Force F-16 jet fighter aeroplane.

However, it appears he might not get away with his sneaky detour as the Turkish government has reportedly made a formal complaint with the Greek authorities.

8:45am:

An air traffic controller was found drunk and passed out while on shift at an airport in Arkansas, according to US police.

Airport authorities were notified after a pilot who was awaiting takeoff instructions couldn’t make contact with the flight tower, reports Sky News.

A maintenance worker then found Philip Maschek shirtless and asleep at the controls. When police arrived, he was having trouble maintaining his balance.

Mr Maschek was arrested and charged with public drunkenness while the Federal Aviation Administration is launching an investigation into the incident.

8:35am:

It's a debate that has been raging in Australia over recent months with the government going back-and-forth over how to deal with the citizenship of Australian foreign fighters. The UK government is also grappling with the issue and Prime Minister David Cameron now says he will grant parents the ability to revoke their children’s passport.

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a speech on extremism in Britain.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a speech on extremism in Britain.

Cameron announced new powers in a speech Monday, designed to put those who radicalise young people “out of action,” together with plans to allow parents to cancel their children’s passports to prevent them from travelling abroad to join a radical group. The measures are meant to crush the infrastructure that has made it possible for as many as 700 young Britons to join radicals abroad, he said.

Britain must “deglamorise” such groups by making the young aware of the stark reality of life under their control, he said.

“You won’t be some valued member of a movement. You are cannon fodder for them. They will use you,” he said. “If you are a boy, they will brainwash you, strap bombs to your body and blow you up. If you are a girl, they will enslave and abuse you. That is the sick and brutal reality of ISIL.”

-With AP

8:20am:

This could very well be the cutest thing you’ll see all week.

A five-day-old seal pup got lost, and stranded in a field of bemused cows in Lincolnshire, England.

It apparently managed to waddle out of the water and find its way to a muddy puddle where it became the centre of attention for the 30-strong herd of cows, which gathered around and started gently nudging their unusual visitor, reports The Telegraph.

The stranded pup was spotted by birdwatcher, Ian Ellis, after he noticed the cows acting strange. So he peeped through his binoculars and found the reason for all the fuss.

Wildlife officials quickly turned up to rescue the baby seal.

Natureland director Richard Yeadon said: “We think she got separated from mum and get caught in the tide and then became stranded when the tide went back out again,” reports The Telegraph.

“Her main problem is that at only five days old she was orphaned and therefore had not fed for a while, she had lost quite a lot of weight and was dehydrated,” he said.

8:10am:

A body has been found by fire fighters inside a burning home on the south coast of NSW.

The house at East Nowra was well alight when emergency services arrived around 1am this morning and the body was recovered an hour later when fire fighters were able to get inside the building.

A crime scene has been established and the fire is being treated as suspicious until a cause is determined.

8am:

A Kazakhstani father and son duo clearly love to bond over their need for speed.

Many young boys are car enthusiasts, but young Timofey has developed a love for the hobby at a particularly early age. Anton Avdeyev, who regularly competes in drifting competitions, took his five-year-old son on the drive of his life — and Timofey’s priceless facial expressions say it all.

As his dad whizzes around the track, the boy can’t stop screaming in delight before the G force appears to take its toll.

7:45am:

Mates and surfing rivals Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson are due to return to Australia on today after the terrifying encounter during the final of the J-Bay Open at Jeffreys Bay which saw the Australian world champion attacked by a shark during competition.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will recommend Wilson for a bravery award for fearlessly swimming towards Fanning when he realised the three-time world champion was in mortal danger. Wilson’s mother says the gratitude and pride she and Fanning’s mum feel is overwhelming.

“All we’ve got to do is be so grateful that they’re coming home with all their bits,” Ms Wilson laughed.

“Of course I’m always proud of Julian, but, you know, that’s just his nature. He would have been so concerned for Mick that it wouldn’t have even entered his head to do anything else.

“They’ve always been friends and I guess they will be friends for life now.”

-With AP

7:30am:

An Iowa man has been found guilty of rigging the lotto in an effort to pocket A$19 million.

The lottery security official was found guilty on Monday in the US of rigging a computerised Hot Lotto game so he could win the jackpot, then trying to get acquaintances to cash the prize.

Prosecutors said Eddie Tipton inserted a stealth program into the computer that randomly picked the numbers then deleted it so it could not be detected. Although Tipton, 52, never got his hands on the winning total, he was charged with two counts of fraud.

Eddie Tipton looks over at his lawyers before the start of his trial.
Eddie Tipton looks over at his lawyers before the start of his trial.

Iowa prosecutors allege Tipton bought the same numbers that he had programmed into the lottery computer a month earlier. He then gave the ticket to a friend in Texas who prosecutors say reached out to attorneys in Canada and Texas to try and cash it in without divulging the name of the original ticket buyer.

Jurors found him guilty after just five hours of deliberation.

Read more at The New York Post.

7:15am:

Let’s face it, it’s easy to make a cheeky joke at the expense of hipsters. But after a London fire brigade decided to make the group of bearded, coffee aficionado trend-setters the butt of their joke, they were met with a mixed reaction.

The fire department took to Twitter following a blaze on Sunday in Shoreditch, which caused damage to a building containing a restaurant.

Along with photos of the aftermath, the London Fire Brigade tweeted: “#Shoreditch restaurant blaze early this morning. Thankfully no hipsters were injured.”

Many thought it was funny, but others failed to find the humour in the joke.

Following the mixed reaction and offence expressed by some Londoners, the fire brigade took to their Twitter page to apologise. No jokes this time.

7am:

Child soldiers for the Islamic State are being taught to cut the heads of dolls in a harrowing training exercise, according to The Associated Press.

“The children each received a doll and a sword. Then they were lined up, more than 120 of them, and given their next lesson by their Islamic State group instructors: Behead the doll,” the exclusive report reads.

Among the abducted boys taking part in the exercise was a 14-year-old, renamed Yahya by his Islamic State captors, who initially struggled to cut the head off the doll.

“Then they taught me how to hold the sword, and they told me how to hit. They told me it was the head of the infidels,” the boy said.

A girl beheads a doll during instructional video.
A girl beheads a doll during instructional video.
A masked child has re-enacted the murder of James Foley.
A masked child has re-enacted the murder of James Foley.

It is part of a concerted effort by the extremists to build a new generation of militants, according to a series of AP interviews with residents who fled or still live under IS in Syria and Iraq. The group is recruiting teens and children, using cash, gifts, intimidation and brainwashing.

“They are planting extremism and terrorism in young people’s minds,” said Abu Hafs Naqshabandi, a Syrian sheikh in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa, where he runs religion classes for refugees to counter IS ideology. “I am terribly worried about future generations.”

6:50am:

The planet has set another monthly climate record, with scientists in the US recording the hottest June in 135 years.

The first six months of the year also set a record for warmth, according to the monthly report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), released on Monday.

The earth has recorded its hottest June on record.
The earth has recorded its hottest June on record.

“The globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for June 2015 was the highest for the month of June since record keeping began in 1880,” said NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

“The June average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 0.88C above the 20th century average.”

-AFP

6:40am:

Embattled FIFA President Sepp Blatter has been showered in bank notes at a press conference by a prankster who claimed it was to buy a World Cup bid for North Korea.

British comedian Lee Nelson posed as a member of the media at the Zurich press conference before approaching the under-fire FIFA boss with a wad of apparently fake bank notes.

Nelson — real name Simon Brodkin — interrupted the conference, which was held to announce dates for an election to replace Blatter, stepping on to the dais and telling Blatter: “Sepp, this is for North Korea in 2026”

An angry-looking Blatter summoned security guards who threw Nelson out, but not before the comic had managed one last joke at the FIFA leader’s expense, telling him: “Cheers, Sepp — it’s all there.”

And if the culprit looks a little familiar, it’s because he’s the same prankster who interrupted Kanye West during his recent performance at the iconic Glastonbury Festival.

Read more here.

6:25am:

Residents of Seoul got to enjoy a giant, 350 metre-long water slide over the past weekend as revellers and slide enthusiasts took to the streets in the thousands.

Too much fun.
Too much fun.

Set up on a main street in the city’s CBD, people could jump on inflatable rings and slide their way through downtown Seoul.

The giant water slide event has previously taken place in major cities around the world, including London, Las Vegas, Sydney, Paris and Amsterdam but it is the first of its kind in Korea.

“The event will help citizens relieve stress during the hot summer days,” Moon Suk-jin, head of the district office, told The Korea Times.

The slide is over 350 metres.
The slide is over 350 metres.
Thousands turned out.
Thousands turned out.

6:10am:

Support for Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has fallen to a record low of 27 per cent, despite backing for the ALP rising to a four-month high.

The latest Newspoll conducted by The Australian shows federal Labor has extended its two-party preferred lead by two percentage points in the last fortnight, with the Opposition now leading 53 per cent to 47 per cent.

Tony Abbott has won back support as preferred prime minister, sitting at 39 per cent compared to Mr Shorten’s 36 per cent.

Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten appears to be slipping in the polls.
Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten appears to be slipping in the polls.

6am:

It’s a website dedicated to facilitating extramarital affairs but millions of users will be shaking in their boots after a breach of the website by a morally righteous hacking group threatening to expose members.

The hackers are seeking to shut the Canadian based company down and say they will leak user’s data.

Avid Life Media, which owns Ashley Madison, said that an “unauthorised party” was able to gain access to the data through various points on the website.

A group calling itself “the Impact Team” claimed responsibility and said it was part of an effort to shut down Ashley Madison, known for its slogan, “Life is short. Have an affair.” The hacker group, in statements posted online, said that Ashley Madison and a related site called Established Men “must shut down immediately permanently.” “Shutting down AM and EM will cost you, but non-compliance will cost you more,” the statement said.

“We will release all customer records, profiles with all the customers’ sexual fantasies, nude pictures and conversations and matching credit card transactions, real names and addresses.”

“Life’s short, have an affair”
“Life’s short, have an affair”
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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/national/rush-hour/rush-hour-the-stories-you-need-to-know-today/news-story/3ebafba2b817807df5b7827452cd9c63