RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today

A PHOTO being shared online has left people stunned after a young thrill seeker pushed the limits while at a famous tourist spot.

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:

A new anti-smoking public service announcement in the US is targeting young people by using real life versions of memes, the internet’s biggest viral celebrities and vomiting unicorns.

The advertisement is due to debut at this weekend’s MTV Video Music Awards and unapologetically smacks the viewer in the face with youth culture. But not everyone is so sure about the chaotic video.

I DON'T KNOW IF I LOVE THIS OR HATE THIS #itsatrap https://t.co/2MIgHJ1que

9:40am:

Federal Labor continues to hold back support for any expansion of Australian military involvement in the conflict against Islamic State until it receives more precise details of a purported US request.

News_Image_File: Prime minister Tony Abbott has spent a week travelling to indigenous communities.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott insists Labor will be fully briefed on the US request and consulted in line with standard practice. “It is obviously a significant move for our country if we were to decide to extend our air strikes into Syria,” he told reporters in Cape York this morning.

“In the end it’s up to them whether they support any extension should the government make that decision.”

-AAP

9:30am:

A painting of Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a Simpsons character has been stolen from an exhibition in Moscow.

The painting, entitled “Man of an Era” was created by Turkmenistan-born artist Amir Kerr and sold just 15 minutes after the exhibition opened. However when the venue housing the exhibition was closed, thieves managed to get past security and leave no trace to swipe the artwork.

According to the Moscow Times, the painting is now believed to be with Koptevo district police.

На выставке молодых художников Who Art Who кто-то стащил картину с портретом Путина. http://t.co/UPFoqQui7z pic.twitter.com/zHTOE652xy

9:15am:

As regional leaders met to tackle Europe’s refugee crisis, a gruesome discovery unfolded a short drive from the Austrian capital. An abandoned truck was found with at least 20 - and possibly up to 50 - decomposing bodies of migrants piled inside.

It was the latest tragedy in a year that has seen tens of thousands of people risking all to seek a better life or refuge in wealthy European countries. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the Vienna conference she was “shaken by the awful news,” and summit participants held a minute of silence.

News_Image_File: Investigators stand near a truck that housed the migrants. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

“This reminds us that we in Europe need to tackle the problem quickly and find solutions in the spirit of solidarity,” Merkel said.

Migrants fearful of death at sea in overcrowded and flimsy boats as they flee turmoil and war in the Middle East have increasingly turned to using a land route to Europe through the Western Balkans.

-AP

9am:

Just weeks after he was forced to cancel his Australian shows, controversial rapper Tyler the Creator has been denied access to the UK.

News_Image_File: Tyler the Creator.

Earlier in the year the rapper, 24, cancelled a string of Australian shows after advocacy group Collective Shout campaigned against the artist being granted an Australian visa.

“Coming to the UK is a privilege, and we expect those who come here to respect our shared values,” a spokesman for the UK’s Home Office told The Fader.

The decision appears to be based on two of his albums, “Bastard” and “Goblin,” that were released when Tyler was still a teen. But in the years since, the rapper has steadily pushed away from that reputation on the albums “Wolf” and “Cherry Bomb.”

BASED ON LYRICS FROM 2009 I AM NOT ALLOWED IN THE UK FOR 3-5 YEARS ( although i was there 8 weeks ago) THAT IS WHY THE SHOWS WERE CANCELLED.

8:45am:

A criminal mastermind is on the loose in the US but luckily the police are on the trail of the man dubbed the Portland Pooper.

Officers took up the case after a disgruntled business owner began posting flyers of the man who had defecated near his office on a number of occasions.

Pictures on the flyers show the man getting caught in the act who appears to be rather upset at the interruption.

Officers say the man pictured in flyers posted around the city has officially been called a suspect, reports KOIN6.

Have you seen the #PortlandPooper? Tonight, the video (this time with his face) #KOIN6News pic.twitter.com/Trm9NcCPAN

8:30am:

Former Labor prime minister Bob Hawke has warned the opposition not to oppose the China free trade agreement as business groups prepare to launch an advertising campaign in support of the deal.

Mr Hawke, a former ACTU boss, has urged Labor and the unions not to go “backwards” on the issue.

“Talk of opposing it is just absolutely against Australia’s best interests,” he told The Australian.

News_Image_File: Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

Mr Hawke, a former Labor prime minister and ACTU president, is at odds with the party, which has refused to support the agreement without substantial changes.

The ACTU is mounting a ­ferocious campaign against the trade deal and has called for it to be dumped. Bill Shorten has ­described it as “a mess” and a “bad agreement”.

8:20am:

Apple’s virtual assistant Siri is again proving to have her fair share of sass. The AI helper has some loaded responses for people asking her about the upcoming launch of the Apple iPhone 6s. Those soliciting insider information from their device are met with a handful of cheeky retorts including: “You’re cute when you’re desperate for information” and “The only hint I can give you right now is a hint of lime. And that there’s a big announcement on 9 September.”

Siri give me a hint. pic.twitter.com/QLG5jjsEnz

More #Apple #Siri fun, ahead of Apple event in SFO next month (new iPhone expected). Ask for a hint ... pic.twitter.com/SrAGQHHaRe

8:10am:

Australia managed to escape potential embarrassment with a narrow victory over lowly-ranked Ireland in the first ODI. In the end, the Aussies got the new captain’s tenure off to a positive start.

Constant weather interruptions brought Duckworth-Lewis into play and gave the plucky home side hope chasing a revised target of 181 off 24 overs.

However, in the end a brilliant 139-run opening partnership from debutant Joe Burns (69) and David Warner (84) proved enough of a platform to help Australia secure a 23-run win.

News_Rich_Media: Cricket: Australian quick Pat Cummins sees some unexpected action in Australia’s ODI clash with Ireland, snapping the bat in a chaotic over

8am:

At least 30 people have died when a boat carrying around 200 migrants bound for Europe sank in the Mediterranean off the coast of Libya, the country’s coast guard said.

“We have recovered 30 bodies so far and rescued dozens of people, with dozens more still missing after a boat carrying around 200 migrants sank off (the western port of) Zuwara,” officials told the AFP.

The migrants so far accounted for were all of African origin, the official said, adding that rescue efforts were ongoing but would be “intensified” on Friday morning.

News_Image_File: Migrants wait in Catania harbour after being rescued by the Italian coast guard on August 26, 2015. About 50 bodies of migrants were found in the hold of a boat heading for Italy which was rescued by a Swedish navy ship off Libya.

“We are working with very limited resources. Most of the boats we use are fishing boats that we borrow from their owners,” he said.

The sinking comes a day after at least 55 bodies were discovered on three overcrowded migrant boats, 52 of whom were found in the hold of one wooden vessel off Libya’s coast.

-AFP

7:45am:

McDonald’s and its US supplier are under fire after an undercover video showing factory farmers who supply chicken to the restaurant chain beating the birds with spikes and stepping on their heads to break their necks.

The animal rights group, Mercy for Animals released the undercover video to raise awareness about animal cruelty.

“We’re working with Tyson Foods to further investigate this situation and reinforce our expectations around animal health and welfare at the farm level,” McDonald’s said in a statement after cutting ties with the farmers.

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT

7:30am:

A police officer has been run over by a car in Melbourne after finding the driver asleep at the wheel.

Police found a driver slumped over the wheel of his car at a Heatherton fast-food restaurant carpark early this morning. When an officer alerted the driver, he reversed into an ambulance and a police car before driving forward over the officer.

The driver sped away from the scene and the officer was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police say the vehicle, which was captured on CCTV, did not have number plates.

-AAP

7:20am:

If you’re terrified of heights, you should probably keep scrolling.

Just looking at a picture of Toby Segar’s latest stunt is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

The thrill seeker visited the famous tourist spot Trolltunga — or ‘Troll’s Tongue’ — in Norway and decided to engage in some much-loved parkour.

The 21-year-old played down the danger of his antics but a photo of him backflipping on the cliff’s edge has amazed people after it was widely shared online.

News_Image_File: Toby completing the backflip 700m up on Trolltunga.

7:10am:

A Former teacher at an elite English school has been jailed for nearly four years after secretly filming students using hidden cameras he positioned around the school.

Jonathan Thomson-Glover, 53, from Wadebridge in Cornwall pleaded guilty to 36 charges of making, taking and possessing indecent images while working as a teacher at Clifton College in Bristol.

News_Image_File: Cameras were placed around school grounds. News_Image_File: Teacher filming students.

“There is a clear suggestion he may have used pinhole or spy cameras during the later stages of his offending. He’s proved himself to be a manipulative and devious sexual offender who had the ability to keep his compulsion a secret from everyone around him,” police said after raiding his home and finding over 2,500 hours of material.

Read more here.

7am:

The NSW police have thrown their support behind the Wear it Purple day which hopes to promote the wellbeing of young people by encouraging them to celebrate themselves and discourage bullying.

In a show of solidarity with the day’s message police will be out in force in purple uniforms across metropolitan and rural areas on the state.

“The NSW Police Force values and respects diversity, and Wear it Purple day gives us an opportunity to show our support for young people as well as our awareness of the challenges facing them today,” Detective Superintendent Tony Crandell said in a statement.

News_Image_File: Purple police.

Wear it Purple was started by two Sydney school students in 2010 and has now grown into an international celebration; spreading the simple message that “you have the right to be proud of who you are”.

6:45am:

An elephant in northern Thailand went berserk Wednesday, killing his keeper before running off into the jungle with three terrified Chinese tourists still on his back, police said.

According to local reports, the elephant had not taken easily to his new keeper and turned on him suddenly, goring him to death.

The incident occurred when a Chinese family of three — a father, mother and a young child — took a ride on the back of a male elephant.

Frantic elephant kills its keeper, vanishes in jungle carrying 3 Chinese tourists in Thailand http://t.co/0AiD6APsQV pic.twitter.com/t1nXGZT178

The channel broadcast footage of the three frightened tourists being led back to camp still on the elephant’s back once it had been calmed down by other mahouts and their rides.

Thailand’s roughly 4,000 domesticated elephants outnumber an estimated 2,500 remaining in the wild.

-With AFP

6:30am:

A cameraman at the World Athletic Championships nearly had the worst day in the office one could possibly imagine.

While filming Usain Bolt’s victory lap following his win in the 200m race, the Segway scooter the cameraman was riding ran over the metal railing bolted to the edge of the track and bobbled off course — then slammed directly into the back of the fastest two legs on the planet.

News_Image_File: Usain Bolt taken out by cameraman.

As the Jamaican sprinter takes a serious tumble, thoughts of injuring the world’s greatest athlete must’ve been flying through the cameraman’s head. But fortunately for him, Bolt jumped to his feet and, apart from a few grimaces, appeared to shake it off.

“The rumour I’m trying to start right now is that Justin Gatlin paid him off,” Bolt said, while sitting next to Gatlin in the medallists’ news conference.

Gatlin’s response: “I want my money back. He didn’t complete the job.”

News_Rich_Media: Athletics: Usain Bolt has taken a tumble after a cameraman riding a Segway got a little too close to the Jamaican superstar after he won the men's 200m final in Beijing.

6:20am:

A group of outraged parents, students and teachers have vowed to continue protesting until a Brisbane high school senior is freed from a detention centre.

Yeronga State High School student Mojgan Shamsalipoor, 21, hasn’t been seen since she was taken from the Brisbane Immigration and Transit Accommodation Centre to Darwin by authorities on August 7.

The Iranian asylum seeker’s supporters will take part in a rally, organised by the Queensland Teachers’ Union, at West End today.

.@PeterDutton_MP So, is Mojgan Shamsalipoor free yet? I need some sleep tonight. Hurry up. #FreeMojgan pic.twitter.com/baZcyX2m8q

Milad Jafari, Ms Shamsalipoor’s husband and an Australian permanent resident, will speak at the gathering.

Ms Shamsalipoor arrived in Australia by boat in 2012 after fleeing sexual abuse and an arranged marriage to man in his 60s in Iran.

Her asylum claim was rejected last year after she had lived in Australia for two years on a bridging visa.

-AAP

6:10am:

A man has been charged with murder after the body of missing teenager Jayde Kendall was found near Gatton.

Brendan Bennetts, 18, who owned a car Jayde was last seen getting into on August 14, was arrested last night and later formally charged with murder.

News_Image_File: Jayde Kendall.News_Image_File: Brenden Bennetts.

After police appealed residents to help in the search, a local resident searching their property found Jayde’s body around 9.30am yesterday, roughly 50m off a road and contacted police.

The parents Brenden Bennetts have spoken for the first time, telling The Courier-Mail they are standing by their son but are sorry for the loss of her family and friends.

Police are unsure of the motive at this point.

Read more here.

6am:

A Florida motorist has been caught on camera engaging in a desperate bid to avoid being towed.

Despite the rear end of his car being hooked up to the tow truck and elevated as a 45 degree angle, the man jumps in his vehicle and begins an audacious game of tug-of-war with the tow truck.

News_Image_File: He continually slams the accelerator.

The video, posted to YouTube by Brady Miller, shows the vehicle with its rear end raised in the parking lot of a shopping mall. The man can be heard yelling from the driver seat as he periodically slams his foot on the accelerator in an effort to break free.

The woman who filmed the video can be heard looking on in amazement as she witnesses the bizarre scene. “Oh my god, he’s seriously trying to prevent his car from freaking being towed, or something,” she can be heard saying. “I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life. He’s crazy.”

After trying for more than a minute, his efforts ultimately appear to be futile.

“This guy isn’t having a good day,” Miller wrote in the video’s title.