RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today
THE wife of the Israeli minister responsible for US relations just made her husband’s job a lot harder with her racist and awkward joke about President Obama.
- Amber Heard takes swipe at Barnaby Joyce
- The world celebrates the first international yoga day
- Meet Korea’s version of Peter Pan
- Brisbane servo robbed with meat cleaver and baseball bat
- Large earthquake hits Fiji
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.
9:50am: Block winners Chantelle and Steve break up
Just 14 months after walking away with a whopping $736,000 in prize money, The Block winners Chantelle and Steve have decided to go their separate ways.
The underdog couple, who shocked The Block fans when they took out the popular Fans V Faves series last year, took to their official Facebook page Sunday night to announce their split.
“We interrupt your Sunday night to let you know that we are no longer a couple,” the post read.
The pair explained that the separation was a mutual decision, adding: “We’ve had an incredible 3.5+ years together and remain the best of mates, but both agree that we are better off as friends,” they posted.
It's only ever official once you update your Facebook relationship status, soooo.... Details at http://t.co/rh15A7ZptM
— Chantelle and Steve (@ChantelleSteve) June 21, 20159:45am: Boy in coma after being hit by bike
An 11-year-old boy is in an induced coma with skull and facial fractures after being struck by a trail bike rider on the NSW Central Coast.
Police are appealing for witnesses, after the child was struck on Sunday afternoon in Lisarow and has since been flown to The Children’s Hospital in Westmead.
The male rider did not stop to offer help, police were told.
9:35am: Amber Heard takes swipe at Barnaby Joyce
Amber Heard, the wife of Johnny Depp has taken a not so subtle swipe at Agricultural Minister, Barnaby Joyce in the wake of the fiasco that saw the couple flee the country for being in breach of quarantine laws when they brought their two dogs into the country.
The Hollywood actress slammed the Australian politician over the way he handled the issue saying they would try and avoid the land down under in the future.
“I guess everyone goes for their 15 minutes (of fame) ... including some government officials,” she said.
9:20am: Dog breed that attacked baby among most aggressive, says vet
A pet dog that mauled a seven-day-old baby girl as she slept in a bassinet in Sydney’s southwest, is rated in the top 10 dogs that attack people, says a vet.
The Alaskan malamute bit the newborn girl on the face in the family home at Campbelltown at 3.30am this morning.
She’s been transferred to The Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick with injuries that are not believed to be life threatening.
Sydney vet Rob Zammit said the breed is known and reported in the top 10 list of dogs that will attack people.
“They’re a big dog, and it hears a baby crying ... it goes `what the hell’s that’ and bang, it attacks,” he told 2GB radio.
9:10am: Hopes that new 3D printed horns will save rhinos from poachers
A San Francisco biotech start-up has been able to 3D print fake rhino horns that carry the same genetic fingerprint as real-life horns in an effort to stop the growing problem of poaching.
The US based firm uses keratin — a type of fibrous protein — and rhino DNA to produce a dried powder which is then 3D printed into synthetic rhino horns, reports the Digital Journal.
For almost all intents and purposes, they are identical to the original.
Demand for rhino horn in China and Vietnam has caused an unprecedented surge in poaching throughout Africa and Asia bringing the animal to the brink of extinction. The company plans to flood the Chinese market with the 3D printed versions in order to bring down the demand for the horns in a move which could save the agony of thousands of rhinos.
8:50am: Hundreds strip nude for Hobart skinny dip
It was colder out of the water than in, according to some of the 752 people who indulged in a nude solstice swim in Hobart’s Derwent River this morning. With all the media and cameras out to capture the event, the men and women bravely revealed all.
Nude swim: Hundreds brave the cold to skinny dip in Hobart's River Derwent for winter solstice http://t.co/FN5Rc6PeDx pic.twitter.com/mCHN4g7fDc
— ABC News Tasmania (@abcnewsTas) June 21, 2015The sunrise event marked the longest night and shortest day of the year as part of the Museum of Old and New Art’s winter festival, Dark Mofo.
While the air temperature hovered at about one degree Celsius, the water temperature was 11 degrees.
8:40am: Tinder president boasts of 8 billion matches
Love is in the air, in large part due to Tinder.
The app’s growth continues to accelerate, as it registered 2 billion matches in the last two months, according to co-founder and President Sean Rad.
The two-and-a-half year old hook-up app hit an astonishing 8 billion matches and gets 16,000 swipes a second, said Mr Rad, speaking at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which kicked off yesterday.
As of April, Tinder had a total of 6 billion matches, according to its download page on iTunes — which translates into roughly 195 million matches per month.
In the last two months, it added 2 million matches — or 1 billion a month — kicking up the monthly average matches by five fold, as the app is now available in 159 countries.
Read more at The New York Post.
8:30am: Large earthquake hits Fiji
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake has struck off Fiji.
The US Geological Survey says the quake was 42km east northeast of Ndoi Island and 563km deep.
JUST IN: Earthquake hits off Fiji islands http://t.co/0cRhHcQ4ZY pic.twitter.com/GBdMkzy5RS
— SBS News (@SBSNews) June 21, 2015There is no word yet of the impact of the quake but authorities say there is no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland.
More to come.
8:20am: Wife of Israeli minister apologises for awkward and racist joke
The flamboyant wife of Israeli Interior Minister Silvan Shalom published an “inappropriate joke” Sunday about US President Barack Obama on her Twitter account, only to later delete it and apologise.
“Do u know what Obama Coffee is? Black and weak,” Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes wrote to her 74,400 followers.
Online shock, condemnation and accusations of racism later led her to delete the incriminating tweet.
“I apologise, that was a stupid joke somebody told me,” she wrote on her @JudyMozes Twitter account in English.
“President Obama I shouldn’t have written the inappropriate joke I heard,” she also wrote, addressing the US leader directly. “Sorry if I caused any offence to anyone. I hope I will stay married when my husband will land and hear what I did,” she added.
Her husband, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, is also the minister charged with strategic ties with the United States. Whoops!
8:10am: The world celebrates the first international yoga day
Millions of yoga enthusiasts across the world bent and twisted their bodies in complex postures Sunday to mark the first International Yoga Day.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spread his mat among rows of people, including his Cabinet members and foreign diplomats, at New Delhi’s main thoroughfare, which was transformed into a sprawling exercise ground.
Thousands of people dressed in white sat on yellow mats under the Eiffel Tower, and similar events were held in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Beijing, Manila and other places. Modi had lobbied the U.N. to declare June 21 as the first International Yoga Day.
“We are not only celebrating a day, but we are training the human mind to begin a new era of peace and harmony,” Modi told participants. “This is a program for the benefit of mankind, for a tension-free world and to spread the message of harmony.”
Times Square in New York was also filled with people doing yoga under the watchful eyes of police.
7:55am: Panda’s incredibly cute fall
A panda at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland is proving that the animals a far from the most graceful creature in the animal kingdom.
Tian Tian was caught falling out of her hammock while playing with a log in her room. The fall which appears to leave the animal a bit stunned, was generously dubbed a “ninja roll” by zoo keepers.
The clumsy panda has been at the zoo since December 2011 after arriving from China. However despite the zoo’s best efforts, she has yet to fall pregnant.
Uploading the footage to YouTube, zoo officials wrote: “She eschewed her dinner for playtime instead, and quickly dug out the log which she then pushed off her hammock, before performing a ninja roll after it.”
7:45am: Teens charged over stolen joy ride in Adelaide
Two teenage boys have been charged and a man is in hospital under police guard after a stolen car crashed in suburban Adelaide.
Police say they weren’t chasing the car when it rolled at Dry Creek after hitting another vehicle at 4pm on Sunday.
All three occupants fled but were quickly caught, with the man, 18, hospitalised with injuries.
The boys, aged 14 and 15, are facing charges including illegal use of a motor vehicle and dangerous driving.
7:35am: Taylor Swift blasts Apple in angry open letter
Taylor Swift isn’t happy with tech giant Apple.
The pop star tweeted an open letter overnight, blasting the company for refusing to pay artists royalties during the three-month free trial of the streaming service.
“I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company,” she wrote.
“This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt.
“These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call.”
7:25am: Meet Korea’s version of Peter Pan
He’s the real life Peter Pan — well at least in a physical sense. Korean man, Shin Hyomyung says he’s yet to reach puberty, despite the fact he is 26 years old.
Although looking at him, you wouldn’t know it. But he does have the ID card to prove it.
According to pop culture website, KoreaBoo.com, he is afflicted by a rare condition known as the “Highlander Syndrome” which is said to cause him to age very slowly. However such a condition has not been recognised by the medical world.
Mr Shin recently took part in a local TV show which filmed him getting dressed up for an incongruous night out on the town, downing shots and dancing with women in the club, reports the Mirror.
Photos from his childhood shown on the program appear to show him develop normally until he entered his teens, where his growth seems to have slowed to almost a halt.
7:10am: Government’s radical proposal for public schools
In a radical proposal by the federal government, means testing could be introduced into the nation’s schooling system meaning wealthy parents could be required to pay for their children to attend public schools.
The idea was outlined in a leaked federal government discussion paper.
Under another scenario the Commonwealth could abandon funding for all schools or just public schools, which would leave the states $2 billion worse off a year, Fairfax reports.
Another option is for the Commonwealth to provide funding for all students based on needs and the ability of families to contribute.
Australian Council of Social Service chief executive Cassandra Goldie said there no merit in the proposals. “Socially it’s really important that we have everybody, regardless of your walk of life, in (public) schools,” she told ABC radio.
7:00am: Charlie Sheen bashes former wife in bizarre tweet
Charlie Sheen has celebrated father’s day in the United States in a strangely belligerent way — by slandering his ex-wife and mother of his three daughters, Denise Richards on Twitter.
In a tweet sent on Sunday June 21, Sheen praised the mother of his two sons, Brooke Mueller, while slamming Richards.
“Brooke M is a sexy rok star whom I adore D Richards a heretic washed up piglet Shame pile Happy Father’s Day!!!” he wrote.
Among other fairly nonsensical tweets, he also tweeted a message that suggesting that Richards may have prevented his daughters from seeing him today. “Cadre: on FD; Father’s Rights! I INSIST we devour the mendacity of these “kidnapping” D Richards “types” & bring justice to “us”.
6:45am: Fiery crash to cause delays in Sydney
A fiery crash between two trucks in Sydney’s west has caused delays early this morning with motorists being urged to avoid the M7 highway if possible.
The incident took place at about 1:00am this morning between two northbound trucks near the Walgrove Road off-ramp at Eastern Creek, with one vehicle breaking into flames.
Motorists warned of severe delays on M7 in Eastern Creek after fiery truck crash: http://t.co/A9lOGurn5R #9News pic.twitter.com/zIfD0xGEKt
— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) June 21, 2015Police have warned motorists to expect significant delays for those heading north on the M7 while several lanes are closed as debris is cleaned from the road.
6:35am: Charleston church reopens four days after shooting
The congregation at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal swayed and sang and welcomed the world into their sanctuary Sunday, holding the first worship service since a gunman opened fire during a Bible study group and killed nine church members.
Messages of love, recovery and healing were interspersed throughout the service, which was marked by fervent singing and shouting, so much so that many congregants waved small fans in front of their faces.
Police officers stood watch over the worshippers at the church known as “Mother Emanuel” because it is one of the oldest black congregations in the U.S. South.
“It has been tough, it’s been rough, some of us have been downright angry, but through it all God has sustained us and has encouraged us. Let us not grow weary in welldoing,” said the Rev. Novel Goff, a presiding elder of the Church in South Carolina.
Reverend Goff was appointed to lead the historic Charleston church after Emanuel’s senior pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, was shot and killed.
A black sheet was draped over his usual chair, which sat empty Sunday.
6:20am: Brisbane servo robbed with meat cleaver
Three men armed with a meat cleaver and a baseball bat have robbed a service station in Brisbane’s south. Police say the men entered the Learoyd Road business in Acacia Ridge at around 12:50am this morning and demanded cash from a male employee before leaving on foot with a sum of money.
6:10am: Aussies stun Brazil in World Cup upset
The Matildas have won through to the last eight of the Women’s World Cup in stunning style, eliminating powerhouse Brazil in the upset of the tournament.
Kyah Simon’s 80th-minute goal was enough for Australia to cause the mammoth shock in Moncton, Canada.
After an afternoon labouring in cold and damp conditions, two substitutes began and finished the decisive goal.
Katrina Gorry’s fine pass released captain Lisa De Vanna on the right, whose shot was fumbled by Brazilian keeper Luciana into the path of Simon.
Running with intent to the back post, Simon sidefooted a volley into the open net to give Australia their first tournament win over Brazil.
6:00am: Britain’s fattest man dies at age 33
Four weeks ago Britain’s fattest man Carl Thompson appeared on morning television and pleaded for help in losing weight. He said he was consuming 10,000 calories-a-day and had been warned his diet was going to kill him.
Unfortunately, his prediction came true sooner than he would’ve wished.
Mr Thompson, who weighed 412 kilograms was found dead in his apartment in Dover, Kent, by police overnight. He was 33 years old.
Neighbour Ronald Williams said the operation to remove Carl’s body “took emergency crews several hours.”
News of Mr Thompson’s death, who became somewhat famous after he appeared on morning TV live from his bed, has sparked numerous online tributes.
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.