RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today
THIS guy is in the running for father of the year. But after he got a tattoo of his daughter’s favourite band, there was just one problem.
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:
To mark the one year anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown which cast the eyes of the world on Ferguson, Missouri, protesters took to the street in droves — this time in a far more peaceful manner.
Those who gathered to commemorate Brown observed four minutes of silence to symbolise the four hours that his body lay in the street after he was killed. They began their silence at 12:02pm, the time he was killed and two doves were released at the end.
Police largely remained away from the ceremony.
The U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute the officer responsible for the killing, who resigned in November, but the shooting sparked a national “Black Lives Matter” movement.
However rage has been sparked once again by a Facebook post by an online group apparently dedicated to police officers in the country.
The post shows an image of a gravestone for Michael Brown with a disgustingly tasteless epitaph.
The photo has since been removed.
Cops Make Disgusting Online ‘Memorial’ Mocking Death of Ferguson’s Michael Brown. http://t.co/FRxKln5LBN #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/3ImoYLeYvs
9:40am:
Victorian MP Tony Smith is the new Speaker of the House of Representatives after being elected this morning by the Liberal Party to replace Bronwyn Bishop.
9:35am:
Five women in India have been brutally murdered after they were accused of engaging in witchcraft.
Police in eastern India were reportedly searching Sunday for a woman described as a “village quack” who was suspected of inciting the mob killing of five other women accused of witchcraft.
Police said the woman is thought to have stirred up an angry mob which lynched the five after blaming them for recent deaths of children in the village.
The five women were dragged out of huts by their hair and beaten to death with sticks, knives and stones. Families of the victims recalled how they watched helplessly as their loved ones, mostly aged between 40 and 55, were killed while villagers looked on yelling “Witch! Witch!”.
-With AFP
9:25am:
If you enjoy a good prank, you should live with this guy.
A Norwegian housemate has given his friend a serious scare in an apparent payback prank. In the video posted to YouTube, a man awakes from his slumber to find a horrifying scene.
According to the caption, the prank was in response to a similar one involving a chainsaw.
That’s some pretty serious revenge.
9:15am:
A typhoon has killed 14 people in eastern China with another four missing after parts of the country were hit by the heaviest rains in a century, state media reported Sunday.
About 1.58 million people in the city were affected by the typhoon by Sunday afternoon, the agency said, estimating direct economic losses at 4 billion yuan ($644 million).
Nearby Wencheng county saw downpours of 645 millimetres in 24 hours — the heaviest in 100 years.
-AFP
9:05am:
As allegations of lavish spending continue to be hurled at both sides of politics, parliament will be asked to back a new system for MP entitlements that includes monthly reporting and an independent umpire.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon has drafted a private member’s bill that requires the system to have more transparency.
He told reporters at Parliament House in Canberra the bill would give power back to the people to complain about the travel expenses of individual MPs
-With AAP
8:55am:
An off-duty policeman in Florida has made the catch of his career while fishing in the Golf of Mexico when he reeled in over 22 kilos of cocaine.
The sheriff says the 25 bricks of the drug could be worth up to US$12 million once they are cut, reports the Review Journal.
The name of the officer has been kept secret due to safety concerns.
“We know cocaine is out there, we know it’s coming in through the waterways but it’s not something we see on a regular basis,” local Sheriff Bill Prummell said.
Off-Duty Cop Finds $10 Million Worth Of Uncut Cocaine While Fishing In The Gulf Of Mexico — http://t.co/l645tAE3Wn pic.twitter.com/zyBA63oCLj
8:45am:
A woman who crashed her car into Sydney Harbour last night was allegedly drink driving.
Emergency services were called to The Esplanade in Drummoyne just after 11pm on Sunday to find a Volkswagen Beetle in the water.
A 30-year-old woman was treated at the scene for minor injuries and allegedly returned a positive breath test reading, before being taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for mandatory blood tests. A 33-year-old male passenger was unharmed.
-AAP
8:35am:
As thousands of people took to the streets in marriage equality marches across Australian cities yesterday, those on either side of the debate are vying for space on the airwaves.
An ad opposing same-sex marriage by Marriage Alliance group has been banned from appearing on air by both Channel Seven and Channel 10, sparking heated debate online.
The controversial ad features a doomed ship heading towards an iceberg and states that same-sex marriage isn’t “as simple as you think.”
The iceberg ad is playing on Sky pic.twitter.com/Fq2Y2pHvHa
Meanwhile, those championing marriage equality launched a television ad campaign yesterday entitled #WeCanDoThis. The ads feature actor Hugo Weaving, comedian Julia Morris, and several Aussie rules football stars.
8:20am:
A Houston man has been arrested after police discovered an entire family murdered in their home on Sunday.
The family of six children and two parents were killed at a Houston home by a man with a violent criminal history who had previously been in a relationship with the mother, authorities said.
David Conley, 48, has been charged with capital murder over the eight deaths.
“We do not — cannot — fully comprehend the motivation of an individual that would take the lives of so many innocent people. Especially the lives of the youngest,” Harris County Chief Deputy Tim Cannon said. “The killer’s motives appear to be related to a dispute with Valerie, who was a former domestic partner.”
Read more at the New York Post.
8:10am:
Labor hopes the appointment of a new Speaker will end what it considers “undisguised partisanship” in the umpire’s chair.
Choosing a new Speaker to replace Bronwyn Bishop will be the first order of business for the lower house when parliament resumes from the winter today.
Opposition frontbencher Mark Dreyfus told ABC radio Mrs Bishop had failed to understand there needed to be the appearance of neutrality in the role and “almost anybody from the Liberal side of the parliament will be able to do a better job”.
-AAP
8am:
A player from German football club Schalke became a bit bored during a weekend match after his team took a 5-nil lead.
So much so that when Franco Di Santo found a spider on the pitch, he decided to have some fun. The player picked it up and put it down the back of his teammate’s shirt.
Needless to say, Leroy Sane wasn’t pleased at the former Chelsea striker’s idea of a practical joke.
7:45am:
A French family has managed to do their best to re-enact the famous Home Alone movies.
On their way to the French Riviera for their holidays, the family left their three-year-old daughter in a motorway rest-stop Sunday and drove more than 150 kilometres before realising they had “forgotten” her, police said
They only realised what they had done when an alert was issued on French radio, officers said.
When the girl was discovered by other holiday-makers, all she could tell them was that she had a brother and a sister and that she was “going to the seaside” when she saw “daddy’s car pull away”.
The parents were be questioned by French police on Sunday night.
-With AFP
7:35am:
A Texas judge has dished out arguably one of the most bizarre forms on justice ever handed down.
He presented Josten Bundy, 21, the ultimatum of choosing between going to jail for 15 days or marrying his 19-year-old girlfriend.
Mr Bundy was facing assault charges after punching his girlfriend’s ex-partner for speaking ill of her, he said. During the trial, Smith County Court Judge Randall Rogers asked the young man if she was worth fighting for, reports KLTV.
Judge Rogers asked Bundy if he was married to Jaynes and then said, “You know, as a part of my probation, you’re going to have to marry her … within 30 days.” Additionally, the pair had to copy out bible verses.
Afraid of losing his job if he went to prison, he decided to put a ring on it and the couple are now newlyweds.
The father of the bride was reportedly outraged that a judge could order someone to get married.
“I contacted a couple of lawyers but they told me someone was trying to pull my leg … that judges don’t court order somebody to get married,” Kenneth Jaynes said.
7:20am:
They must be putting something in the water.
Three pairs of giant panda twins have been born in a five day period in China, reports ITV News.
Seven-year-old mother Ni Ni gave birth to a pair of female cubs in southwest China’s Sichuan Province over the weekend. The tiny female cubs weighed 145.6 grams and 204.1 grams respectively.
Newly-born female panda twins in Chengdu, SW China's Sichuan, on August 7, 2015. pic.twitter.com/70Mlq7bHN7
The Chengdu Research Base dedicated to Giant Panda Breeding said the mother and twins were all doing well.
7:10am:
The Pacific Highway in Sydney’s north has reopened after a truck rolled over onto its side.
Police say the incident happened just after 3am this morning near the intersection of the highway and McIntyre Street in suburban Gordon.
Both directions of the highway were closed this morning, but it has now reopened. There are no delays to traffic in the area.
7am:
The Australian government is considering placing certain limits on the sale of Vegemite amid concerns it’s being used to make home-brew alcohol in dry communities.
Indigenous affairs minister warned Sunday about the use of popular spread Vegemite to make home-brew liquor in remote communities where alcohol is banned, describing it as a “precursor to misery”.
“Addiction of any type is a concern but communities, especially where alcohol is banned, must work to ensure home brewing of this type does not occur,” Nigel Scullion said in a statement.
The problem has been so prolific in certain parts of the Northern Territory that there has been reports of people buying up to 20 jars at a time of the yeast-heavy spread.
6:45am:
The retirement of Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke from the long form of the game following the fourth Test in the Ashes shocked many. Despite his poor form with the bat, few fans thought Pup would go out like this.
But according to the Herald Sun, there’s a myriad of reasons Clarke why has walked away.
• A long-running feud between the wives of two senior players;
• Clarke’s refusal to travel on the team bus or socialise with teammates;
• The sacking of popular player Brad Haddin following time off for family reasons;
• And the mishandling of selection announcements.
6:25am:
A US woman is recovering after being attacked by an alligator that bit off her arm while she swam in a river in central Florida.
Rachel Lilienthal, 37, was swimming in the river when she was rescued by two nearby canoeists who heard her screams, reports a local NBC affiliate.
They found the woman naked and bloody and managed to pull her from the water. The alligator was later seen with her blue bathing suit.
Witnesses said the woman was bloody, in shock and missing most of one arm when she emerged out the river.
She was rushed to hospital where she remains in a stable condition. After an extensive search, the alligator has been found and euthanised.
6:10am:
As the federal government prepares to release its post-2020 pollution reduction target a new poll shows nearly two-thirds of Australians think the issue should be taken more seriously.
The 63 per cent result in the Climate of the Nation 2015 survey for the Climate Institute, released today, is a six per cent increase on last year.
Gen Y is still the most vocal, with 70 per cent of those aged 18-34 holding the view.
The poll of more than 1000 people conducted by Galaxy also shows support for renewable energy on the rise, with 84 per cent preferring solar among their top three energy sources, followed by wind.
Support for gas and nuclear energy is down, both falling seven points to 21 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
But not all are critical of the government’s policies.
Nearly half of those surveyed agreed with the statement that the ALP’s carbon policies would “just increase electricity prices and not do much about pollution”.
-AAP
6am:
This Tennessee dad has made a serious case for winning father of the year honours.
Roger Fraser, 37, recently got a tattoo dedicated to boy band One Direction. Why on earth did he do that?
In an effort to win his daughter VIP tickets to one of their upcoming concerts.
A local radio station 99.5 WZPL were calling on dad’s to dress up like members from the band. Roger Fraser thought he’s go the extra mile to ensure his daughter would win by permanently inking a tattoo on his left arm which reads: “I
However despite his dedication, there was just one problem which disqualified his efforts. Mr Fraser was actually unable to enter because he wasn’t a permanent member of the state.
He took to social media to share his mistake: “got this tattoo to help my daughter win a contest well lol we can’t win because we are not a resident, retweet !!!!!” he tweeted.
But what he lacks in attention to detail, he certainly makes up for with enthusiasm. Mr Fraser did end up taking his 14-year-old daughter to the concert, they just didn’t have VIP tickets.
“I got involved with something that they love,” Mr Fraser told ABC News. “And it’s brought us together even closer than we ever were.”
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.