NEWS: 8 stories to talk about today.

In a shock political move, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced the election date. Australia will go to the polls on September 14.

At the National Press Club today, the Prime Minister said that she wants the electorate to have the time they need to make a decision about the future of the country.

Parliament will be dissolved on 12 August.

1. Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic could lose his driver’s licence after being caught speeding in his yellow Ferrari on the Gold Coast. The 20-year-old was reportedly travelling 78km/hr in a 60km/hr zone.

2. Flooding in South East Queensland continues, with the town of Bundaberg suffering the worst of it; more than 7000 residents are currently stranded.  Two Brisbane men are missing, with one of their cars found submerged in a flooded creek. A massive recovery effort is underway as flood waters begin to recede across the state. Beaches are closed across the east coast.

3. A three-year-old boy who started talking when he was 10 months old has become one of the youngest members of Mensa. Sherwyn Sarabi, from the UK, can count to 200 and name every country in the world. Recent tests revealed he had an IQ of 136.

4. There is speculation that former Premier of NSW Morris Iemma may be set to return to politics, this time in the federal parliament. Former federal Attorney General and Kevin Rudd supporter, Robert McClelland announced yesterday that he will not contest the Sydney seat of Barton at the next election, with Mr Iemma a favourite to take the spot.

5. Two Sri Lankan asylum seekers are dead and a third is missing after their boat hit treacherous seas and was swept into the rocks near central Java. The boat was on its way to Australia; there were 20 survivors.

6. A Qantas plane travelling between Brisbane and Townsville was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Rockhampton because of a problem with cabin pressure. Passengers were reportedly made to wear oxygen masks after the plane descended from 40,000 feet to 10,000 feet.

7. The cast for the next series of Celebrity Apprentice has been revealed. The list includes swimmer Stephanie Rice, PR gurus Roxy Jacenko and Prue MacSween, The Voice‘s Prinnie Stevens, Big Brother runner-up Layla Subritzky, former swimmer Dawn Fraser, Dancing With The Stars’ Kym Johnson, former AFL star Dermott Brereton, singer Rob Mills, TV host Peter Everett, comedian Peter Berner and singer Brian Mannix.