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8.30am That's it from us this morning. Have a wonderful Wednesday. See you tomorrow!
8.12am STRANGE BUT TRUE: A restaurant in Tokyo has said it will refuse to serve couples on Christmas Eve because their happiness would remind single patrons of their loneliness. WHA!? Read more.
8.10am WORLD NEWS: Jeb Bush, son of the 41st president of the United States and younger brother of the 43rd has considered a tilt at the presidency.
8.08am A little hump day funny for you.
8.06am RADIO NEWS: The final ratings period for 2014 has capped off a stellar year for Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O (Henderson) after the Kiss 1065 pair finished convincingly at the top of the FM breakfast tree.
8.04am LOCAL SPORT: The Dragons have thrown wayward hooker Craig Garvey a career lifeline. Read more.
8.02am Taylor Swift looked STUNNING at the 2014 Billboard Women in Music luncheon. Right now, she can do no wrong in my eyes.
8am NATIONAL: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has taken aim at a raft of Australian budget measures, describing one as potentially unsustainable and another as requiring close monitoring.
7.58am Good morning! We're in for a partly cloudy day with a top of 22 degrees. All sweet on the roads - don't forget South Coast line trains aren't stopping at Martin Place this morning.
7.56am SYDNEY SIEGE: More tributes have flowed for the victims of the siege. An important message to remember: "we are one, but we are many".
7.54am LOCAL NEWS: About six million people in Australia are believed to be affected by post-traumatic stress disorder to some degree. Chair of the soon-to-be-launched Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Australia New Zealand organisation - and former Chief of the Defence Force - Admiral Chris Barrie was in Wollongong on Tuesday for a planning day.
*Reporter Andrew Pearson has the story.
7.52am If you're over all the bad news in the world at the moment, take a break - here's some miniature pigs.
7.50am Have you entered the Mercury's Christmas Lights competition? Get in quick, entries close on Monday. Enter here.
7.48am SYDNEY SIEGE: Almost three days to the minute after he lost a High Court bid to overturn a conviction against him, Iranian cleric Man Haron Monis took 17 people hostage in the heart of Sydney's legal precinct. Read more.
Meantime, here's an update on yesterday's aftermath:
- Thousands covered Martin Place in flowers and wrote notes of condolence on pieces of paper that the NSW Goverment has pledged they will bind together into books.
- We celebrated the lives of the two hostages who died, Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson.
- We learned about the 15 survivors who came from all walks of life but will be bounded by this tragedy.
- We learned more about gunman Man Horan Moris while Tony Abbott faced questions about why someone known to the Australian Federal Police and ASIO was not on the terror watch list.
7.46am The World Cup and tragic deaths were the most Googled news events this year, a new report says.
7.44am LOCAL SPORT: South Coast Wolves' search for a training base for 2015 appears to be over with the club set to train out of Thomas Dalton Park.
7.42am I told you earlier I LOVE pugs. So, you can imagine my DELIGHT at finding this pic of a pug dressed as a Christmas tree.
7.40am NATIONAL: An Iranian asylum seeker who is entering his 46th day of a hunger strike in Darwin is likely to die as a stand-off with the Immigration Department to give him a positive refugee status continues. (SMH)
7.38am BREAKING: Police have launched an investigation following the death of a woman at Shoalhaven Heads overnight. The woman was found dead in a bathtub on Wells Place. Her death is being treated as suspicious.
7.36am Kids say the darnest things, don't they!? These letters to Santa are just hilarious - here's a taste.
7.34am Ah Christmas. A time to spend with family, eat too much and wear ugly, UGLY Christmas-themed sweaters. Here's some of the best/worst.
7.32am LOCAL NEWS: Wollongong City councillors have voted to fix Austinmer pool as soon as possible after the original contractor went under.
*Reporter Glen Humphries has the story.
7.30am NATIONAL: The solitary confinement of mentally ill people is declining in Australia, a new report shows, but advocates say greater efforts are needed to eliminate the outdated technique. Read more.
7.28am Looking for something yummy/bad for you to whip up in the kitchen? Look no further than these double chocolate caramel cookie cups. No words.
7.26am MUSIC NEWS: English pop singer Lily Allen has upset conservative Christians by including a nativity scene parody in a concert performance.
7.24am HSC results are released today! Good luck Year 12.
7.22am Pepes on the Beach - the new old Beach Bar - has just released its menu - and it looks good.
7.20am WORLD NEWS: Dark times call for dark humour, especially in Russia, where wags are saying the rouble has now fallen below the psychologically important threshold of "I no longer give a damn".
7.18am The Illawarra Folk Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary next month.
7.16am SYDNEY SIEGE: The 15 siege survivors were a mix of Lindt cafe staff, legal professionals and workers from the Westpac building on Phillip Street. Here are some of the faces:
Meantime, here's an update on yesterday's aftermath:
- Thousands covered Martin Place in flowers and wrote notes of condolence on pieces of paper that the NSW Goverment has pledged they will bind together into books.
- We celebrated the lives of the two hostages who died, Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson.
- We learned about the 15 survivors who came from all walks of life but will be bounded by this tragedy.
- We learned more about gunman Man Horan Moris while Tony Abbott faced questions about why someone known to the Australian Federal Police and ASIO was not on the terror watch list.
7.14am This is brilliant - Christmas on a budget. Hilarious!
7.12am STRANGE BUT TRUE: A new study has used data to claim that men are idiots. Yep, a study into, I kid you not, "male idiot theory".
7.10am The Wiggles were in town yesterday! Check out our pics.
7.08am NATIONAL: The ABC can continue with its "hunger-games" style redundancy program, but the Fair Work Commission has warned staff who do not want to leave should not be forced out the door before Christmas.
7.06am CELEB GOSS ALERT: It's official - Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel are expecting baby number one! JT's former NSync bandmate has confirmed it.
7.04am Have you booked your tickets yet for Little Shop of Horrors? It's on at the IPAC in January.
7.02am SYDNEY SIEGE: Prime Minister Tony Abbott says Australians are right to ask how the Sydney siege gunman, Man Haron Monis, was "entirely at large in the community". Read more.
Also, here's an update on yesterday's aftermath:
- Thousands covered Martin Place in flowers and wrote notes of condolence on pieces of paper that the NSW Goverment has pledged they will bind together into books.
- We celebrated the lives of the two hostages who died, Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson.
- We learned about the 15 survivors who came from all walks of life but will be bounded by this tragedy.
- We learned more about gunman Man Horan Moris while Tony Abbott faced questions about why someone known to the Australian Federal Police and ASIO was not on the terror watch list.
7am I'm such a fan of humorous signs and this one just appealed to me.
6.58am Good morning! We're in for a partly cloudy day with a top of 22 degrees. All sweet on the roads & rail.
6.56am MUSIC NEWS: Beyonce is facing legal action from a Hungarian folk singer over allegations her vocals were illegally sampled on the superstar's Grammy-nominated Drunk In Love hit.
6.54am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Remember when Kim Kardashian photoshopped baby North out of her Instagram photo? She said she did it because her eyes were closed - but Kim liked how she looked. #ridic
6.52am Looking for the best Christmas lights in town? We've got 'em.
6.50am HSC 2014: The state's brightest young women have outshone their male classmates at the pinnacle of HSC achievement this year, taking home almost two-thirds of the top trophies. Read more.
6.48am SYDNEY SIEGE: This is the scene outside the Lindt cafe in Martin Place this morning.
Also, here's an update on yesterday's aftermath:
- Thousands covered Martin Place in flowers and wrote notes of condolence on pieces of paper that the NSW Goverment has pledged they will bind together into books.
- We celebrated the lives of the two hostages who died, Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson.
- We learned about the 15 survivors who came from all walks of life but will be bounded by this tragedy.
- We learned more about gunman Man Horan Moris while Tony Abbott faced questions about why someone known to the Australian Federal Police and ASIO was not on the terror watch list.
6.46am Speaking of Christmas, only eight more sleeps. Crazy!
6.44am Anybody else predicting their Christmas tree will be up LONG after December 25? Um, yep.
6.42am WORLD NEWS: Most Americans believe that torture of suspected terrorists is justified, a new poll shows, just days after a scathing report into the CIA's brutal treatment of detainees in the wake of September 11. (SMH)
6.40am SYDNEY SIEGE: It was eerily prescient - a mangled missive from a man who never felt he belonged and didn't believe he would be here long. "Sheik Haron is just a small soldier," wrote Martin Place gunman Man Haron Monis, in 2007, on the Muslim website, Austrolabe. Read more.
6.38am As many of you know, I'm planning a wedding. I hadn't considered a roller-skating, semi-naked adult ring bearer but now...
6.36am Congratulations to all who graduated from UOW yesterday! We've got a list of names & a gallery here - good luck to all those donning the robes today.
6.34am LOCAL NEWS: A failed lane merge and a beep of the horn was all it took to spark a road rage incident at Kembla Grange which ended with an Albion Park man attacking a stranger's car with a pole, a court has heard.
*Reporter Bree Fuller has the story.
6.32am MOVIE NEWS: Ghostbusters is at the centre of the continuing stream of embarrassing emails for Sony, with leaks outlining that executives considered legal action against Bill Murray over his refusal to join the series' planned revival.
6.30am Dreaming of a white Christmas? These European Christmas markets might send you over the edge - beautiful.
6.28am SYDNEY SIEGE: Illawarra's Islamic community has condemned the Martin Place siege as a despicable act that plays into the hands of those who seek to destroy the goodwill of Australians and ridicule Muslims.
*Reporter Cyd Mardon has the story.
Also, here's an update on yesterday's aftermath:
- Thousands covered Martin Place in flowers and wrote notes of condolence on pieces of paper that the NSW Goverment has pledged they will bind together into books.
- We celebrated the lives of the two hostages who died, Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson.
- We learned about the 15 survivors who came from all walks of life but will be bounded by this tragedy.
- We learned more about gunman Man Horan Moris while Tony Abbott faced questions about why someone known to the Australian Federal Police and ASIO was not on the terror watch list.
6.26am CELEB GOSS ALERT: Britney Spears is looking fit & fierce on the cover of Women's Health - but her body has been slammed on social media, amid claims of photoshopping. Poor Brit Brit.
6.24am Don't forget the Hawks play in Wollongong this Friday night.
6.22am NATIONAL: Former Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella has returned to Canberra to deliver a petition to Tony Abbott and MPs, calling on them to boost the number of women in federal parliament. She says the lack of women in cabinet is a "mainstream issue".
6.20am Have you voted for your Illawarra sportsperson of the year? Get in quick, entries close December 22. Vote here.
6.18am SYDNEY SIEGE: Tony Abbott & his wife Margie added flowers to the sea of tributes in Martin Place yesterday.
6.16am TV NEWS: Did you watch the last EVER episode of Newsroom on Monday night? Brilliant. Here's a recap - SPOILER ALERT.
6.14am I love this picture from Symbio Wildlife park. This cute little wombat has found a great place to hang out - one cardboard box.
6.12am SYDNEY SIEGE: The Sydney siege might have "turned ugly" but police handled the situation well, an Illawarra-based hostage negotiator says.
*Reporter Andrew Pearson has the story.
Also, here's an update on yesterday's aftermath:
- Thousands covered Martin Place in flowers and wrote notes of condolence on pieces of paper that the NSW Goverment has pledged they will bind together into books.
- We celebrated the lives of the two hostages who died, Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson.
- We learned about the 15 survivors who came from all walks of life but will be bounded by this tragedy.
- We learned more about gunman Man Horan Moris while Tony Abbott faced questions about why someone known to the Australian Federal Police and ASIO was not on the terror watch list.
6.10am WORLD NEWS: Taliban insurgents have killed at least 140 people, most of them children, after storming an army-run school in Pakistan.
6.08am A little dog funny to kick off your morning. I love pugs. That is all.
6.06am And in national news, via the SMH:
*They may be the fortunate survivors, but for the 15 hostages who escaped the Martin Place siege with their lives, the recovery process will be a long and complex one.
*Corrupt former Labor kingpin Eddie Obeid has been stripped of his Order of Australia medal.
*Treasury is predicting that thousands more people will lose their jobs next year than previously thought, and economists warn that much of the burden will fall on Australia's youth.
6.04am Here's what's making news in your Mercury today:
*James Strickland had multiple mobile phones, owned several cars, and had a series of ‘‘runners’’ to do the dirty work for him – in short, he had the drug dealing business down pat. Or so he thought. Read more.
*Police are investigating possible links between two bomb threats in two days, after a sinister phone call shut down a Wollongong street on Tuesday.
*A lack of animal control staff could increase the risk of dog attacks over the summer, according to a Wollongong City councillor. Read more.
6.02am Let's kick off the morning with the latest weather & traffic.
WEATHER We're in for a partly cloudy day with a top of 22 degrees. Those winds that picked up overnight are set to ease.
TRAFFIC All looks good on our roads & for the drive to Sydney.
TRAINS All is swell on the South Coast line but trains are not stopping at Martin Place. They will terminate at Bondi Junction instead.
6am Good morning Illawarra! Happy hump day. Stay with your host Emma Spillett for all the latest news etc this morning.