8.50am That's it for the Rush this morning. Thanks for joining us. We're back tomorrow from 6am. Until then ...
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8.40am A theory as to the identity of Andy's mum in the film Toy Story appears to have captivated all of Facebook-land, attracting 100,000 Likes in a day. You can read the piece, by Pixar expert Jon Negroni, here: bit.ly/1foutSi
8.33am Reporter Rory Callinan has provided an account detailing his experience of censorship on Manus Island.
Fairfax investigative journalist Rory Callinan on how information is kept 'under control' on #ManusIsland. http://t.co/YW9ZO9GBrx
— smh.com.au (@smh) February 25, 2014
8.23am CELEB GOSS: Former Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan has revealed she was in a relationship with a man named Campbell for six years before she discovered he didn't exist. Donovan recounts the bizarre tale in new autobiography, excerts of which have been published in a women's mag. Her admirer claimed a mutual friend passed on her phone number and a relationship developed over the phone, with Campbell always finding excuses never to meet. It's a really long and odd story - here it is: bit.ly/1c5EUtm
8.17am NASA has released an incredible nighttime photo showing an all-lit-up South Korea beside North Korea, which - beyond the capital, Pyongyang, is plunged into near darkness. "Unlike daylight images, city lights at night illustrate dramatically the relative economic importance of cities, as gauged by relative size," NASA said in a statement.
It's lights out for North Korea: NASA shares remarkable photograph from space - http://t.co/EQXnt9u8gO via @smh
— Andrew Bradley (@andrewbradleyhc) February 25, 2014
8.12am Police are appealing for witnesses after a 10-year-old boy was approached by a man in Dapto yesterday. The man stopped his car on Parkside Drive about 3.30pm and tried to spak to the boy, who became frightened and rode his bike away. Police want to identify the man so they can clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident. He was Caucasian and wore a baseball cap and white singlet, was aged in his 20s or 30s and had facial acne. He drovea silver station wagon, with two black stripes on the side and the letter A in the NSW number plate. Crime Stoppers: 1800 300 000.
8.08am CELEB GOSS: Actress of the moment Jennifer Lawrence will take a year off from movies, according to producer Harvey Weinstein. "She's going to have a long break for a year where she won't do anything. It's been nonstop for her and she deserves a rest," Weinstein told Britain's Sun on Sunday.
8.04am Only a few days left to subscribe to the Merc's digital edition (costs $3 a week) and get a Lagoon Restaurant voucher (worth $50).
8am Good morning, if you're just joining us. An update:
ROADS Illawarra roads are clear. Scheduled works are happening on Mount Ousley Rd at the Picton Road northbound on-ramp. Light vehicles travelling north on Mount Ousley road will be detoured via Mount Keira Rd and Clive Bissel Dr. Heavy vehicles will need to use the Hume Hwy or Appin Rd.
TRAINS There is good service on the South Coast line. Buses are replacing trains between Lithgow and Mount Victoria, on the Blue Mountains line.
WEATHER We're in for a mostly sunny morning, with scattered showers developing late-morning, and the chance of thunderstorms. Maximum 27. Right now it's 18 in Albion park, 21 in Bellambi and 20 Kiama.
7.55am Do you know anything about the black panther that (according to this reliable texta message) roams the Illawarra escarpment?
7.47am Asylum seekers who have fled persecution based on their sexuality now fear their claims will be rejected under Papua New Guinea's harsh homosexuality laws. A Senate hearing heard that detainees had adjusted their claims from persecution on the basis of their sexuality to a political or religious persecution claim for a better chance of gaining asylum.
7.41am Katy Perry fans rejoice, she's Australia-bound in November!
PERTH, ADELAIDE, MELBOURNE, SYDNEY, BRISBANE! I'll be seeing YOU this November! Stay tuned for MORE info: http://t.co/Az6vkC0tzc
— Katy Perry (@katyperry) February 25, 2014
7.36am The soul-soothing Glamma Rays donned silver and gold dresses for a performance at Coledale Markets on Sunday.
7.31am A Supreme Court judget has delivered a scathing smackdown to an old boy from The King's School who sued his mother for a share of his grandfather's $5.5 million estate. The boy had a "highly developed and unhealthy sense of entitlement", said Justice Michael Pembroke. ''Like many an expectant heir before him, he has not made the most of his opportunities, imprudently assuming that he and his brother would inherit their grandfather's estate,'' he said. Details: bit.ly/1hmlGPj
7.26am
Olympian Grant Hackett has reportedly left Australia for the US for a stint in rehab out of the spotlight... http://t.co/2QOhFImvhp
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) February 25, 2014
7.18am Have you been following the Katie Foreman murder trial? It's taken a few twists and turns. Here's a breakdown of how the case has played out so far: bit.ly/1cMBWrN
7.13am Wollongong City Council is inviting submissions on its draft cultural plan, which looks at strategies for making the city a more vibrant cultural place, until March 17.
7.06am An important development regarding the beloved Gerroa Rd bum tree,which was to be cut down yesterday: the threat of legal action has brought a halt to the tree's demise. A stay of execution applies until at least Friday. Details, and a link to the wonderful Bum Tree Song, here: bit.ly/1fRoyzV
7am Good morning, if you're just joining us. Some essentials:
ROADS Illawarra roads are clear. Scheduled works are happening on Mount Ousley Rd at the Picton Road northbound on-ramp. Light vehicles travelling north on Mount Ousley road will be detoured via Mount Keira Rd and Clive Bissel Dr. Heavy vehicles will need to use the Hume Hwy or Appin Rd.
TRAINS There is good service on the South Coast line. Buses are replacing trains between Lithgow and Mount Victoria, on the Blue Mountains line.
WEATHER We're in for a mostly sunny morning, with scattered showers developing late-morning, and the chance of thunderstorms. Maximum 27. Right now it's 16 in Albion park, 21 in Bellambi and 20 Kiama.
6.55am Indonesia's law and human rights minister has softened his stance on Schapelle Corby’s accommodation, saying she is welcome to stay in her luxury villa as long as she needs for a “transitional adjustment period” - SMH
6.50am Police will be called in to investigate 128 cases where Australians voted more than two times at the 2013 federal election. Thousands of people had multiple marks recorded against their name on electoral records, but many were later found to have been errors, or were elderly, with poor literacy, or a poor comprehension of the electoral process.
The Australian Electoral Commission reveals more than one thousand voters cast more than 1 ballot at the last election, 1 keen voter cast 15
— Andrew Greene (@AndrewBGreene) February 25, 2014
6.41am ABC Illawarra has gone behind the three point perimeter with Hawks import Rotnei Clarke for an interesting insight into what it takes to be a pro basketball player.
It's relentless hard work when no one's watching that makes @wollongonghawks import @RotneiClarke15 a superstar. http://t.co/xQnYWN6Kme
— 97.3 ABC Illawarra (@973ABCIllawarra) February 25, 2014
6.30am A Ugandan newspaper has published a list of the country's "top 200 homos", a day after the president signed one of the world's toughest anti-gay laws. The newspaper's editor has defended the list, saying it contains the names of "sympathisers".
If you'd like to email the editor of Red Pepper, he can be reached here. editor@redpepper.co.ug pic.twitter.com/LF9FFBtRpR
— Conor Pope (@conor_pope) February 25, 2014
6.25am Amergris Caye, on the border of Mexico and Belize, has been named the world's best island for the second year running in Tripadvisor's Traveller’s Choice Island Awards. The island is home the world's second-largest barrier reef, after the Great Barrier Reef.
6.20am The big mango stolen from Bowen in Queensland has been recovered and apparently it was all for some lame publicity stunt. When people steal giant fruit it should be for something so much more interesting than that. Grrr.
Nando's confirms the "theft" of Bowen's big mango was a publicity stunt. Morons. #bigmango
— Bevan Shields (@bevanshields85) February 25, 2014
6.13am I see UOW students are easing themselves into the academic year. Happy O-week people!
Last one in the pool's a ... #uowoweek #bringonday2 @UOWStudentLife @uow pic.twitter.com/3OPaH2wx3u
— UOWTV Multimedia (@UOWTV) February 25, 2014
6.07am ... and in national news
* Seven West Media is suing the Australian Federal Police over raids officers carried out at its Sydney offices over a possible deal with Schapelle Corby - SMH
* Claims an asylum seeker who gave birth in Brisbane was denied access to her newborn baby are untrue, an official review has found - ABC
* Pru Goward will establish a new taskforce to examine sentencing for domestic violence offenders following the government’s introduction of mandatory sentencing for assault in public places - SMH
* The federal government is set to provide Qantas with a debt guarantee, meaning taxpayers will underwrite the airline’s push to increase its foreign ownership - SMH
* Tony Abbott will this morning announce a $324 million drought assistance package to struggling farmers - The Daily Telegraph
6.03am Let's take a look at our top local stories for today.
* Staff at Port Kembla Hospital's food production unit will walk off the job this morning to protest the impending closure of the service. The 30 staff who work at the unit - which supplies food to hospitals across the region - have been told that it will close as soon as June, with food production to be transferred to a Sydney hospital. Lisa Wachsmuth has the story here: bit.ly/1egk0GU
* Gujarat NRE Coking Coal is set to re-emerge as Wollongong Coal, after shareholders voted to rename the troubled Illawarra company at a meeting in Towradgi yesterday - bit.ly/1fReneO
* A Wollongong man has been jailed for a glassing attack after his drunken buck's party celebrations turned horribly wrong - bit.ly/1o3LLUa
ROADS Illawarra roads are clear. Scheduled works are happening on Mount Ousley Rd at the Picton Road northbound on-ramp. Light vehicles travelling north on Mount Ousley road will be detoured via Mount Keira Rd and Clive Bissel Dr. Heavy vehicles will need to use the Hume Hwy or Appin Rd.
TRAINS There is good service on the South Coast line. Buses are replacing trains between Lithgow and Mount Victoria, on the Blue Mountains line.
WEATHER We're in for a mostly sunny morning, with scattered showers developing late-morning, and the chance of thunderstorms. Maximum 27. Right now it's 16 in Albion park and 20 in Bellambi and Kiama.
6am Good morning, Illawarra. Welcome to the middle of the working week.