Add Category
Maria Sharapova looks behind her to see what the fuss is all about. More below. Source: Supplied
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.
9.55: Man travelled to Qld for child sex
A man has been caught allegedly travelling from NSW to Queensland to have sex with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl.
The man was arrested and charged when detectives from a Queensland taskforce dedicated to investigating online child exploitation and abuse intercepted him shortly after his arrival in Brisbane on Saturday.
Police allege the man used the internet to co-ordinate a meeting for sexual activity with the girl.
AAP
9.50: Home wanted for 20,000 ‘love locks’
Around 20,000 ‘love locks’ attacked to a Melbourne bridge will be removed because of safety concerns and Melburnians are trying to find a way to save them.
Couples who attached padlocks to the Southgate footbridge as an “permanent†symbol of their relationship were saddened by news the local council would clamp down on what has become a popular tourist attraction, the Herald Sun reports.
20,000 padlocks will be removed from the Southbank footbridge. Pic: Hamish Blair Source: HeraldSun
“There are other ways to commemorate your love than the $3.50 Lockwood and we would encourage people to do that,†Lord Mayo Robert Doyle said.
The Lord Mayor has now called on suggestions for what should be done with the locks now.
9.45: Lambie’s network wins party registration
Jacqui Lambie has won the tick of approval from the electoral commission to set up her own political party.
The Jacqui Lambie Network can now appear on federal election ballot papers and receive public funding if its candidates garner enough votes.
Senator Lambie was elected under the Palmer United Party banner but defected in November.
Senator Jacqui Lambie’s political party is official. Source: News Corp Australia
9.35: NRL to tackle suicide
The NRL is seriously considering scrapping the National Youth Competition after an investigation by The Sunday Mailrevealed it played a major role in the increase of depression among rugby league players, The Courier-Mail reports.
Five NRL-contracted men have taken their own life in the past two years. All came through the NYC system.
Mackay Cutters player Hayden Butler and North Queensland under 20s star Regan Grieve each took their lives earlier this year. Source: News Corp Australia
NRL chief executive Dave Smith said the investigation into a recent spate of suicides among its players was “heart breakingâ€.
9.15: Children of working mums do better, study
A US study says daughters of working mums do better academically and go on to earn more.
The study of more than 50,000 adult fromo 25 developed countries, including Australian figures, showed daughters of working mothers are better educated and earn more while sons of working mothers spend more time on child care and chores, Fairfax reports.
The data, from the International Social Survey Program and analysed by academics from the Harvard Business School, includes Australian figures and comes after the government introduced their new family package in last week’s budget, designed to encourage mothers back into the workplace.
9.05: Girl, 9, in suspected forced marriage
Police probing allegations of forced marriage have been asked to investigate a suspected case involving a nine-year-old girl.
It is one of 34 cases under investigation across the country, according to startling Australian Federal Police data provided to the Herald Sun.
Nine of the cases are in Victoria and 19 from New South Wales.
8.55: Kite surfer fights off croc with board
A Darwin kite surfer thought he was “going to die†as he fought his way out of the jaws of a saltwater crocodile that kept coming back to try and eat him, the NT News reports.
A croc had Chris Keeper’s shoulder between its jaws. Source: Supplied
Chris Keeping, 29, said he was waiting in the water for his kite to untangle, about 100m off the beach at Casuarina Coastal Reserve, when he was attacked by a 2.5m saltie around 11.30am on Saturday.
The surfer fought off the croc by poking it in the eye and fending him off with his board.
8.50: 100 migrants die in sinking boat off Indonesia
More than 2,000 desperate members of Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingya community fleeing persecution and Bangladeshis trying to escape poverty have landed on the shores of Indonesia’s Aceh province in recent weeks, as well as in neighbouring Malaysia.
Thousands more are still believed to be stranded at sea, with Southeast Asian nations unwilling to accept them amid an escalating humanitarian crisis.
An armed Indonesian police officer stands guard at a temporary shelter in Langsa where migrant have landed. Pic: Binsar Bakkara Source: AP
Many of the migrants have described killings, extortion and near-starvation after a long, harrowing journey.
Most of those reaching Indonesia were crammed onto three boats that Indonesian fishermen towed ashore in the Aceh city of Langsa.
It is believed about 100 people have died of starvation and had their bodies thrown out to sea.
AP
8.35: IS recruiters ‘groom teens like paedophiles’
Vulnerable Australian teenagers being lured to fight with terror outfit Islamic State are being “groomed†with practices akin to those employed by paedophile, The Australian reports.
Authorities believe the highest-ranking Australian to join IS, Neil Prakash, is responsible for grooming up to three Australian teens charged with terrorist attacks this year.
Authorities are calling paedophile-like strategies employed by recruiters, targeting 15- to 19-year-old Muslims mark an alarming shift in strategy, according to The Australian.
Former Melbourne man Neil Prakash has reportedly “groomed†several young Australians to turn them into terrorists. Source: News Corp Australia
8.25: Man’s shooting spree after son’s wedding
A Serbian man has run amok after his son’s wedding, killing six people including the bride before committing suicide, police say.
The 55-year-old, reportedly opposed to his son’s marriage, went on the shooting spree with a hunting rifle on Sunday a day after the wedding took place near Kanjiza, 200 kilometres north of Belgrade.
He had been drinking heavily the entire previous day and overnight, reports said. The bride and her parents were among the victims.
AAP
8.10: Blanche d’Alpuget says Bob Hawke couldn’t be PM today
The wife of former prime minister Bob Hawke has said his leadership wouldn’t survive today’s “intrusive†media.
In an interview with The Australian, Blanche d’Alpuget said Australia was better off for the media not reporting on certain aspects of politicians’ private lives in the past.
Blanche d'Alpuget pictured at home in Northbridge, Sydney. Pic: Britta Campion Source: News Corp Australia
She says her husband, now known for his fondness of a drink and numerous affairs wouldn’t have made it to the top job if he was under the scrutiny of todays pollies.
“Let me tell you, he wouldn’t have been. He couldn't have been,†she said.
“We haven’t talked about it but he would know it (because of) his drinking in particular and his — infidelity.â€
8.00: Suicide car bomb attack in Afghanistan
A British security contractor and two teenage girls were killed Sunday when a Taliban insurgent rammed an explosives-laden car into a European Union police vehicle in Kabul, the latest attack of Afghanistan’s fighting season.
At least 18 people were wounded in the assault, which comes three days after 14 people — mostly foreigners — were killed in a Taliban attack on a Kabul guesthouse that trapped dozens attending a concert.
The suicide bomber targeted the foreign convoy, which included at least two vehicles of the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL), during the Sunday morning rush hour near Kabul airport.
AP
7.45: Cate Blanchett responds to gay rumours
Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett has opened up to media speculation she has a real-life gay past.
“Have I had sexual relations with women? The answer is no,†Blanchett told reporters at a media conference.
‘It shouldn’t matter’ ... actor Cate Blanchett responds to gay rumous. Pic: Lionel Cironneau Source: AP
The actor said speculation about possible gay episodes had sprung from an interview she had given to Variety.
The actor added firmly that “in 2015, the answer (to that sort of question) shouldn’t matterâ€, noting that “in 70 countries around the world, homosexuality is still illegalâ€.
7.35: Alleged drunk driver demolishes Sydney home
An out-of-control car driven by an alleged drunk driver ploughed into a home in Sydney’s southwest overnight, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The vehicle narrowly missed a pedestrian before it became airborne and rammed into the front bedroom a house in Greenacre, also causing a brick to fly into the bedroom of an 11-year-old in a neighbouring house.
The driver, 22, allegedly returned a blood alcohol reading of .103 and was charged with a number of offences.
A car has demolished the front of a house on Juno Parade, Greenacre. Pic: Bill Hearne Source: DailyTelegraph
7.30: Scammers steal $80 million a year from Australians
Police together with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have launched a new campaign to tackle scammers.
Scams are stripping Australians of at least $80 million a year and gathering a vault of personal information that can be used in fraud sprees.
Criminals are buying and selling names, addresses, birth dates, bank account and other personal details on the black market to commit identity fraud or find scam victims, a report warns.
7.20: Nine dead in bikie shootout
At least nine people have reportedly been shot dead in a bikie shootout in Texas.
Gunfire erupted between rival biker gangs near a Waco restaurant, claiming ‘multiple victimsâ€, the Waco Tribune-Herald reports.
More to come.
People at the Central Texas Marketplace watch the crime scene after gunfire erupted between rival biker gangs at the restaurant. Pic: Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald Source: AP
7.15: Prince Harry calls for national service
Fresh from his stint with the Australian Army, Prince Harry has called for national service to be brought back.
In an interview published in the Sunday Times, the 30-year-old prince also revealed that he’s content being single and reflected on how the army gave him a chance to “escape the limelight.â€
“Definitely, without a doubt, it does keep you out of trouble,†he said.
“I dread to think where I’d be without the army.â€
7.00: Glenn McGrath’s baby news
Cricket legend Glenn McGrath and his wife Sara have revealed they are having a baby.
It will be the first child for the couple who have been married for five years. Glenn has two children from his marriage to late wife Jane, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2008.
Expecting ... Glenn McGrath and Sara Leonardi-McGrath. Pic: John Appleyard Source: News Corp Australia
The pair made the announcement in an interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly.
6.50: Suspect on the run after Gold Coast police chase
A dramatic police chase has ended with several police vehicles rammed, one young man arrested and a woman still on the run on the Gold Coast, Nine News reports.
Police pursued the Landcruiser vehicle which was driving alongside the road from Surfers Paradise to the suburb of Pacific Pines where it was stopped after crashing into a fence.
Police were earlier searching for the vehicle after a 50-year-old taxi driver was attacked with a tomahawk and suffered a head injury and believe the arrested man may have also been involved in an alleged attempted robbery the previous night.
6.40: Shocking video shows teacher whipping students with belt
Shocking video has emerged that appears to show a teacher violenting whipping a number of students with a belt.
Violent teacher whips students with belt caught on video.
The footage, taken with a phone and likely recorded in an American classroom shows the moment of horror when class was halted as the teacher removes his belt and begins to attack a number of fearful children.
The children scramble and try to shield themselves with desks and chairs as the man can be heard to scream: “Clean up the room!â€.
The video was uploaded to LiveLeak on Friday.
6.25: Belle Gibson’s mother speaks
The mother of disgraced wellness blogger Belle Gibson has broken her silence, saying her daughter ‘needs to say sorry’.
The author and wellness advocate caused widespread upset when it was revealed she had lied about having cancer deceiving thousands of followers, who believed she had cured her cancer through healthy eating.
In an interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly, Belle’s estranged mother Natalia reveals she also lied about her ‘tough childhood’.
“Her brother is not autistic and she’s barely done a minute’s housework in her life. I’ve practically worked myself into an early grave to give that girl everything she wanted in life,†she tells the magazine.
Belle Gibson’s mother has spoken, revealing more of her story was not true. Source: News Corp Australia
6.10: Abbott enjoys huge post-budget bounce back in poll
Tony Abbott is enjoying a post-budget bounce in popularity with a new poll showing the best result in more than a year for the Prime Minister.
An Ipsos poll, published by Fairfax today, has seen the government pull even with Labor, and Mr Abbott has shot ahead of opposition leader Bill Shorten as preferred PM.
A Newspoll, published by The Australian, has seen voters endorses the Coalition’s second budget, and also had Mr Abbott ahead as preferred prime minister.
5.55: Another Melbourne Jihadi teen killed
An Australian teenager has died fighting with terrorist group Islamic State in the Middle East.
It’s feared Irfaan Hussein, 19, may have been beheaded by extremists for attempting to return to his Melbourne home, or killed in a bomb blast.
The teen was close friends with terrorist Numan Haider who was shot and killed after stabbing two police officers.
Irfaan Hussein. Source: Supplied
5.45am: IS claims Ramadi
Iraqi government forces have staged a desperate retreat from their last bases in Ramadi, effectively giving the Islamic State group full control of the capital of Iraq’s largest province.
An estimated 500 civilians and security forces have been killed since IS launched a fresh offensive in Ramadi late Thursday, an official said, warning that those left behind risked being massacred.
Several security officials confirmed the retreat.
IS fighters who already controlled most of the Anbar provincial capital used a wave of suicide car bombings late Thursday and Friday to take most of the city.
The capture of Ramadi by IS marks one of the worst setbacks for the government since it launched nationwide operations to reclaim territory lost to the jihadists in June 2014.
Police Colonel Jabbar al-Assafi said government forces had withdrawn from Ramadi city and redeployed to its outskirts.
“The security forces — army and police — have pulled out of Ramadi. They headed to the main highway†west of the city, he told AFP by telephone.
— Words by Jean-Marc Mojon and Salam Faraj, AFP
Iraq security forces withdraw from Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Anbar province, 115 kilometres west of Baghdad, Sunday, May 17, 2015. Source: AP
5.30: Ball boy face plants behind Sharapova
Maria Sharapova might have taken home the trophy at the Italian Open overnight, but all this ball boy won was a cup full of embarrassment.
The unidentified boy fell face first as he attempted to shade Sharapova from the sizzling sun, and now the footage is being broadcast across the world.
Awkward.
Sharapova secured her third Italian Open win with a 4-6 7-5 6-1 win over Spain’s Carla Suarez.