The news, brought to you by Nat:
Tropical storm Irene has hit the US east coast, leaving at least 14 people dead, millions without power and widespread damage along the US East Coast.
As it hit New York City, Irene was accompanied by lightning, reports of tornadoes and deafening rainfall. Officials had taken the unprecedented steps of evacuating low-lying areas and shutting down the public transport system.
2. Daniel Morcombe’s remains confirmed
Nearly eight years after 13-year-old Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe disappeared, DNA analysis has confirmed three bones found in swampy bushland a week ago are those of the missing teenager.
In a statement, read by the Queensland Police Commissioner, Bob Atkinson, yesterday, the Morcombe family said the news, while expected, was still a shock. ”It’s the answer. It’s a very sad answer, but it is the answer,” Mr Atkinson said.
Denying rumours that Gaddafi had fled to Algeria, his spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, called the Associated Press news agency to say Gaddafi was still in Libya and was prepared to negotiate a transitional government.
4. Qantas apologises over “racist” publicity stunt on Twitter.
Qantas has been embarrassed by a publicity stunt on Twitter that backfired. The airline yesterday issued an apology for awarding $378 platinum tickets to the Bledisloe Cup on Saturday night to two Brisbane men who ”blacked up” to impersonate Wallabies star Radike Samo.
To win, competitors had to tell Qantas via Twitter how they intended to show their support for the Wallabies at the match. Qantas’ Twitter account tweeted an image of the two men yesterday, however a stream of posts called the photo racist and said it was reminiscent of a 2009 Hey Hey It’s Saturday ”blackface” routine that caused a storm, and which American entertainer Harry Connick Jr – who was appearing on the show – reacted to with horror. The airline immediately took down the photo, sending apologetic tweets to people who said it was racist.
Mia spoke about this on the Today Show this morning:
5. Aussie Diggers get new life-saving undies
Australian soldiers serving in Afghanistan are to be issued with special silk underwear as part of a $5 million uniform overhaul.
The lightweight underwear will be trialled along with armoured outerwear as part of an upgrade to the combat uniform to improve mobility and prevent shrapnel injuries.
6. Beyonce announces she is pregnant.
Walking the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) the pop singer announced she was pregnant and posed, showing off her belly. How adorable!
Developed by an Adelaide company, DNA Security Solutions, the perpetrator-marking spray called DNA Guardian is made up of 99.9 per cent purified water, a vegetable-based fluorescent dye and a single strand of DNA that is unique to a particular premises. Shop attendants under siege from a criminal can activate the spray from a number of points around the store. The thief is sprayed as he escapes out the door, branding him for up to six weeks with the DNA of that particular premises.
No amount of scrubbing will remove the markings, which will glow under ultraviolet light when the suspect is arrested by police. Police do not require the permission of the courts to do the forensic testing.
About 1700 people turned up at Wellington Zoo to farewell Happy Feet, the emperor penguin who captured the country’s heart after being washed up sick and starving on a New Zealand beach 3000km from his Antarctic home.
The penguin is scheduled to be taken today aboard a boat that will return him to his natural habitat in the Southern Ocean. Veterinarian Lisa Argilla said cannot wait to go home and that he’s “ready and really stroppy”.
A New Development In The Case Of Missing Mum Samantha Murphy
The Quicky
