RUSH HOUR: The stories you need to know today

A UK teenager thought she was buying MDMA but what she took has left her in a wheelchair, barely able to speak. To warn others, her family have released a video showing her dramatic change.

• Teen’s family releases video after MDMA put her in coma
• FBI and NSW police arrest five, including Melbourne music promoter
• Hungarian camerawoman faces criminal investigation
• Reports Abbott considering major shake up to his frontbench

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:

Unhealthy eating not only expands your waistline, it can shrink your brain.

Australian researchers have shown for the first time the part of the brain used for learning, memory and mental health is smaller in people with poor diets.

The study by Deakin University and Australian National University also suggests older Australians who drink sweet drinks, eat salty snacks and processed meats have smaller hippocampi (a ridge in the floor of each lateral ventricle of the brain that consists mainly of gray matter and has a central role in memory processes).

Associate Professor Felice Jacka says while people typically worry about the affects of bad food on their waistline, the study shows brain health is also affected.

“It’s becoming even clearer that diet is critically important to mental health as well as physical health throughout life,” Professor Jacka said.

-AAP

9:35am:

Elon Musk appeared on an episode of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert yesterday in the show’s first week with the new host.

The Founder of SpaceX and Tesla has long been an advocate for the colonisation of space and offered up an interesting way in which to make Mars a little more habitable. He said the easiest way to warm up the planet and make it suitable for humans would be to launch a nuclear strike.

“The fastest way is to drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles,” Musk said, straight-faced. Naturally, the dramatic idea prompted Colbert to joke that he was in fact a super villain but the idea is sure to get tongues wagging in the sci-fi community.

9:20am:

Bank customers are finding themselves cashless as the company experiences major tech issues with ATMs and eftpos machines this morning.

The difficulties meant that some customers were in a spot of bother when they tired to pay for their breakfast or get cash out and were undone by failing technology.

Taking to social media Commonwealth Bank said they are trying to sort out the issue as quickly as possible while countless customers took to social media to complain.

Should we keep our cash at home instead? Where is my money? #commbank #nomoney #friday @commbank @PlanAfs

— Joonie (@_jooniejoonie_) September 10, 2015

@CommBank hiya, two of us are trying to buy breakfast and having our debit cards declined despite having money in our accounts.

— Jessjess (@TheJessjess) September 10, 2015

9:10am:

The federal government has flagged it may take more refugees from the conflict in Syria and Iraq than the one-off intake of 12,000 it’s announced to address a rising humanitarian crisis.

“We’ll have to assess in due course what the next wave of support might be,” Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told ABC radio, ahead of a meeting with migrant resettlement groups and ethnic community leaders in Canberra today.

The 12,000 places are on top of Australia’s annual humanitarian intake of 13,750.

-AAP

9am:

New photos of the northern lights taken from a satellite above shows the aurora borealis in a whole new way.

The series of photos was captured by the Suomi NPP satellite this week using infra-red technology which collects data measuring various aspects of Earth’s land, atmosphere and oceans in order to learn more about how global climate is changing, according to Mashable.

The photos shows the wispy phenomenon in black and white beauty.

Suomi NPP #VIIRS reveals less active #NorthernLights last night. #RealEarthâ„¢ composite at http://t.co/5KOWKjtOMD pic.twitter.com/Q1U6PeeReo

— UW-Madison CIMSS (@UWCIMSS) September 10, 2015

8:45am:

As the opening game of the much anticipated NFL season kicks off in just over an hour, Jarryd Hayne fans may have to wait weeks to see their man make his regular season debut.

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Tomsula has made some strong hints that Hayne won’t be required in their opening game on Tuesday morning in Australia unless he can contribute in more ways than in the punt return facet of the game.

“He’s done a good job. From where he was to where he is, it’s terrific. So I don’t want to take anything away from what Jarryd has achieved. But all he’s achieved is an opportunity to be in the locker room.

“So (the learning) has to continue. And Jarryd is the kind of guy who will do that. You feel confident he’ll continue to ascend with his approach and the way that he does things.”

Read more here.

8:30am:

Apple announced a range of new products to much fan fare yesterday. But buyers of the new iPhone should be aware of a tricky little feature of the device. The default setting on the phone means the device will automatically record everything going on whenever the camera app is open.

Regardless of whether the user is pressing the shutter button or even if the camera isn’t set to video mode, the device will be recording everything. So if you don’t like the idea of that, it’s best to jump into the settings menu.

8:20am:

The Hungarian camerawoman who was seen tripping and kicking migrants could face criminal charges.

Hungarian prosecutors said Thursday they had opened a criminal investigation for breach of peace against a camerawoman caught on film as she tripped and kicked migrants who were fleeing border police.

This video grab made on September 9, 2015 shows a Hungarian TV camerawoman kicking a child as she run with other migrants from a police.

In the footage, which sparked global outrage, Petra Laszlo can be seen tripping up a man sprinting with a child in his arms, and kicking another running child near the town of Roszke, close to the border with Serbia.

It later emerged that Laszlo, who was fired over her actions, had been working for N1TV, an Internet-based television station close to Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party.

-AFP

8:05am:

Australia is in the grip of a national domestic violence crisis and much more must be done to stop women being murdered, Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese says.

Queensland is reeling from a spate of shocking domestic violence attacks this week, including the death of Gold Coast mother Tara Brown.

“It is beyond belief that a woman could go into a police station, show those police officers the text messages that clearly indicated that there was a very real threat to her and she was turned away,” Mr Albanese has told the Nine network referring to Ms Brown.

This domestic violence needs to stop 4 females deaths this week in Qld #STOPTHEVIOLENCE

— Brad Hore (@HoreBrad) September 10, 2015

"Women are still dying. The message isn't getting through. Whatever we are doing isn't working". - Karl. #StopTheViolence #Today9

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) September 10, 2015

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced yesterday her government will fast-track domestic violence legislation through parliament and boost funding for support services.

“What I want to say to Queensland families today is, we must do more,” she said.

7:55am:

A high-profile Melbourne music promoter is among five men who have been arrested over an alleged international drug trafficking and money laundering syndicate. A Sydney lawyer was also among the men who were taken in by authorities following a joint sting by the FBI and NSW police.

Music identity Andrew McManus, 54, was arrested at Melbourne airport last night which followed the arrest of Sydney crime figure Craig Haeusler, Kings Cross solicitor Michael Croke and Auburn pastry shop owner Zeki Atilgan, Fairfax is reporting this morning.

The group, working with men in the United States is allegedly responsible for the importation of 300 kilograms of cocaine into Australia.

NSW detectives started investigating the alleged syndicate in August 2011 following the seizure of $702,000 cash from a man at Sydney’s Hilton Hotel.

7:40am:

Police have released photos of the booby trapped apartment of the Colorado cinema shooter James Holmes.

Holmes, 27, who opened fire during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20, 2012, rigged the bombs and incendiary devices to detonate at his apartment as soon as someone entered.

Evidence photos show the booby trapped apartment of Colorado movie theatre shooter James Holmes.

The madman, who killed 12 people and wounded 70, was sentenced last month to life in prison for the slaughter.

Authorities in Colorado decided to release the video and photos for the first time today. The images, some captured by a remote-controlled robot, show about 20 black spherical bombs tied with fuse wires which look like something out of a Looney Toons cartoon.

See more here.

7:25am:

A Scottish woman who spent a month in a coma after taking what was presented to her as a crystallised MDMA has made a video of herself which her family hopes will educate others on the potential dangers of taking unknown drugs.

Amy Thomson collapsed at a house party in Glasgow in June and remained on life support for several weeks after, reports The Guardian.

Amy Thomas wants people to understand the dangers.

The 16-year-old is now a far cry from her former self and the video — shared on Facebook by her family — shows her sitting in a wheelchair struggling to lift her hand to wave to the camera.

“Thank you everyone, thanks for your support,” she says, clearly struggling to articulate her words.

It remains unknown what caused the severe reaction and according to Scottish police, the toxicology report detailing the taken substances has not been released because of pending criminal cases.

“Some people may have cried, laughed or been shocked seeing the video. But this is what a tiny pill can do to you. If this isn’t an eye opener for everyone who continues to take stuff, I dunno what is!” Amy’s cousin Kayla posted with the video.

7:10am:

Former NRL players Matt Seers and John Touma are due to appear in a Queensland court today over an alleged cocaine trafficking ring that operated in the state’s southeast.

Touma is accused of acting as a kingpin of the drug syndicate that was dismantled during a Crime and Corruption Commission probe, resulting in charges against a raft of current and former Gold Coast Titans players.

Code-hopping footballer Karmichael Hunt pleaded guilty to four counts of cocaine possession earlier this year and was fined $2500 after conviction.

It was previously alleged in court that Touma had supplied cocaine to Hunt at least four times last year.

Seers and former Australian rugby league representative Jason Smith have also been charged as a result of the investigation.

-AAP

7am:

Tony Abbott is believed to be planning to axe up to six ministers in a wholesale reshuffle of Cabinet and the outer ministry as he comes under increasing pressure to dump “dead wood”.

Joe Hockey is unlikely to be among them, despite increasing concerns among senior colleagues the PM’s leadership may not survive if he sticks with the Treasurer, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Pressure is mounting on the Prime Minister to make swift, significant Cabinet changes, with speculation growing in the Coalition that a leadership challenge from Malcolm Turnbull is in the planning.

A senior source claimed the changes being contemplated by the PM would “surprise” colleagues, with a cabal of ­former Howard era ministers in the firing line.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne appeared on Today along with Anthony Albanese this morning and refuted the reports calling them “distracting”.

6:50am:

You may remember a Hahn beer commercial a while back in which a man jumped off a balcony onto a beanbag sending a woman flying into a nearby pool. Well, it works a lot better with a small child.

When Sean’s friend Ciaran purchased a bean bag recently, the two decided to test it by placing Ciaran’s young son, Luke, onto one side and jumping onto the other side. The result was so impressive that they posted it to YouTube this week.

The sole caption for the video reads: “H was supposed to land on the pillow next to the beanbag.”

6:40am:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that there’s no legal limit to the number of people fleeing political persecution her country can shelter — and also making clear anew that people who aren’t entitled to asylum must return home quickly.

Germany has seen more migrants arrive than any other European country and expects 800,000 to come this year.

A migrant family arrives to Hungary in a rainy weather at the Hungarian-Serbian border near Roszke on September 10, 2015.

Asked in an interview with the daily Rheinische Post how many refugees per year it can accommodate, Merkel replied that she can’t give a simple figure. She said: “The fundamental right to asylum for the politically persecuted knows no upper limit; that also goes for refugees who come to us from the hell of a civil war.”

But she also noted that many people from “safe” Balkan countries are coming and said they must go home quickly if they have no grounds for asylum, which almost all don’t.

-AFP

6:30am:

A Melbourne man was fined over $800 yesterday after police put a stop to a very ambitious trailer load. He was seen hauling a trailer with everything including the kitchen sink — quite literally.

The 43-year-old Ferntree Gully man pulled over with his trailer filled to the brim with old whitegoods, fridges, a stove, chairs, a treadmill and much more.

“This was a rolling disaster waiting to happen,” said Nunawading Highway Patrol’s Senior Constable Everett. “Some drivers just don’t seem to take into account the consequences of losing part or all of their load.”

Quite the load. Pic: Victorian Police.

Police issued a defect notice and the man was fined $228 for having an insecure load, $379 for using an unsafe vehicle and $228 for failing to have a clear view to the rear.

6:20am:

Thousands of taxi drivers took to the streets of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane yesterday afternoon in protest over the lack of regulation around controversial ride sharing service, Uber.

But their angry actions may have just played into Uber’s hands.

Ever since the California-based business entered the market, the taxi industry has claimed not only that UberX drivers had taken a chunk of their revenue, but they were doing it illegally.

UberX drivers are independent operators and are not subject to the same regulation and fees as taxi drivers and can therefore offer cheaper fares.

The move was meant to bring attention to taxi drivers plight, however all it did was create further traffic chaos for commuters in Melbourne.

To capitalise on the situation UberX in Melbourne was offering free rides to “new” customers.

Read more here.

6:10am:

A Queensland man remains in a critical condition after allegedly shooting his ex-partner dead in front of terrified diners at a McDonald’s restaurant before turning the gun on himself.

The 57-year-old Maryborough man was meeting with the 49-year-old woman at the Helensvale fast food outlet early on Thursday morning when the shocking incident unfolded.

Witnesses say he walked into the restaurant, put his arm around her, pressed the gun to her chest and fired.

“Then he did the same, he put the gun to his own head and collapsed over the top of her,” the man told reporters.

Detectives and forensic officers spent Thursday afternoon speaking to witnesses and collecting evidence from the scene and are likely to return this morning.

-AAP

6am:

A Chinese man has undergone an emergency operation to remove a lighter from his stomach after he swallowed it whole.

The man who has not been named, turned up to Yangzhou hospital in the Jiangsu province in the east of China recently after having a night of debauchery.

According to reports, it’s believed the man was on drugs at the time but how or why he ingested his lighter is unclear.

But what is clear in the footage from the camera used to help doctors retrieve the lighter from his innards. The gruesome vision shows the lighter being carefully draged to safety and is certainly not for the faint hearted.

It’s fairly fiddly work as one can imagine and on a number of occasions it appears as though the doctor may drop the lighter. However he manages to retrieve the item and an audible sigh of relief can be heard.

Certainly a night to remember.