Morning Rush.
Today's Morning Rush is brought to you by Sophie Ryan.
Good morning and welcome to today's edition of Morning Rush. Everything you need to know, including the latest, breaking news, sport, entertainment, traffic, travel and weather information. Share your news tips and photos at #MorningRushNZ or morningrush@nzherald.co.nz.
App users tap here to experience the full blog.
9.00am: Thanks for joining me this morning to keep up with all the latest news developments. The blog will be back up and running from 6am tomorrow, see you then.
8.55am: Before I wrap things up here at Morning Rush I'll run through the stories you will find online today. We will have the latest from the Connor Morris trial, we will follow closely the case of missing teenager LA Tukerangi, and the latest updates on the investigation into the police shooting of David Cerven.
8.53am: The New Zealand dollar declined against the Australian dollar ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision on interest rates today. The kiwi touched 90.82 Australian cents overnight, and was trading at 90.23 cents at 8am in Wellington, from 90.26 cents at 5pm yesterday.
8.50am: This is good news for animal welfare advocates. Delta Air Lines had a major change of heart about shipping hunting trophies, announcing that it would no longer accept lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies. Read more here.
8.47am: This week marks the 70th anniversary of the August 6 Hiroshima attack and the bombing of Nagasaki three days later. Here's a Big Read featuring the story of a woman who was just five years old when the bombs were dropped.
They were covered in ash, from head to toe, their hair was standing on end and burned skin was hanging from various parts of their bodies like used rags. It was like seeing an army of ghosts.
8.43am:
A police spokeswoman has confirmed that La Tukerangi, the 15-year-old suspected kidnapping victim, is still missing.
8.40am:
Here's an amazing video of the Fox Glacier's retreat. Like I said, put it on your must-see list before it's too late.
8.34am: I'm already looking forward to this Saturday's All Blacks game. Dan Carter said the team are focusing on the bigger picture with the World Cup just over a month away.
8.30am: Could it be true that women feel office air-con more than men? Indoor climate control systems are partly based on the resting metabolic rate of an average 40-year-old man, say researchers, and could overestimate the metabolic rate for women by up to 35 per cent. So, is this the reason women shiver at work while men feel quite comfortable? Read more here.
8.25am: The Rocky Fire in northern California grew to 60,000 acres. More than 6,300 structures were threatened by the wildfire, which has destroyed 24 homes and damaged many others. Here's a video from Facebook.
8.18am:
Here's a video of comedian Amy Schumer calling for new gun control laws with her cousin Senator Charles Schumer.
8.15am: A man who convinced many people he was an illegal migrant documenting his trip from Senegal to Spain has been called a fraud. Abdo Diouf posted a series of photos to Instagram showing the journey to a better life in Europe. Metro reports that the man is in fact he is an actor called Hagi Toure and the Instagram 'selfies' are actually stills from a film directed by Tomás Peña for a film festival.
8.12am: Have you heard about Eat My Lunch? It's a small business that donates one lunch to a Kiwi kid in need for every lunch a customer buys. Small business editor Caitlin Sykes caught up with the team behind Eat My Lunch at the end of their eighth week of business.
8.08am: Ex-British Prime Minister Edward Heath has been named in a child sex-abuse investigation. Read more here.
8.04am: I love Laneway Festival, Auckland's music festival held by the harbour in Wynyard Quarter. It needs a new venue and it looks like The Domain could be its new home. What do you think, is The Domain a good spot to have Laneway?
7.58am:
Here is some raw video from Myanmar that shows the scale of the flooding disaster. Thousands are stranded and rescuers are racing against the clock.
7.55am: Travel editor Winston Aldworth asks: Is John Key our Minister of Tourism or the Minister of Hawaii?
7.52am: Here is today's editorial. Flu jab rebels should get another job.
Nurses are very much the face of the system taxes pay for... If they distrust medical science to the extent they would refuse an inoculation, the hospital employing them has grounds for concern.
7.48am:
Relentless monsoon rains have triggered flash floods and landslides in south Asia.
Hundreds have perished in recent days in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Burma and Vietnam.
7.45am:
Award winning Top of the Lake film maker Jane Campion has directed an ANZ Bank campaign highlighting gender wealth disparity.
7.43am: Trains on the Johnsonville lines in Wellington are running up to ten minutes late due to a mechanical fault.
7.40am: Online shoppers are set to feel a sting. Consumers appear set to pay 15 per cent more for nearly all foreign products bought online after the Government hinted it could follow Australia's proposed changes to internet shopping.
7.36am: Comedian Amy Schumer is backing a push for new gun control legislation. The subject of gun violence and mass shootings became "extremely personal" last month for Schumer, when a gunman opened fire in a movie theater in Lafayette during a screening of her film "Trainwreck," killing two people and injuring nine others. Schumer's movie Trainwreck opens in New Zealand next week. Read ABC's report here.
7.32am: As the backlash against big game trophy hunting in Africa continues, one American woman says she won't stop hunting and posting images of her kills. Read more here.
7.28am: Overnight the Tall Blacks got a win in China to begin their Stankovic Cup campaign. The Kiwis beat Venezuela 72-65. Read the game report here.
7.20am: This will put a smile on your face this morning. Minions are known for making mischief in the film Despicable Me and now an inflatable version of the yellow Minions has caused traffic chaos in Dublin. The giant Minion toppled over in high winds and was left blocking a road. Here's the story from The Independent and a picture from Erin Van Londen on Facebook.
"40ft Minion Causes Traffic Chaos in Dublin". It's what the Internet was invented for. Photo: Facebook/ErinVanLonden pic.twitter.com/W1bIO5HLBm
— Philip Ardagh (@PhilipArdagh) August 3, 2015
7.16am: The trial for the man accused of murdering Connor Morris continues today. Read yesterday's report, which says party-goers became aggressive on the night Morris died, before today's coverage begins.
7.12am: Not sure what to give a close friend as a wedding gift? Football star Cristiano Ronaldo has set the bar high, by reportedly giving his agent a Greek island as a wedding gift. The property was worth millions, according to reports.
7.07am: Have you visited the South Island's Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers? Scientists warn the glaciers are melting at record rates. Better put a trip to see our country's glaciers on the to-do list before it's too late.
7.04am: The winds in Wellington could reach gale force today. MetService warns gusts could reach 140 km/h today. Rain is expected in the capital, too, but will clear by evening.
Near gale force wind for the likes of #Wellington & other parts of #NewZealand today. http://t.co/oKYtro2Yts ^CL pic.twitter.com/6MogcB4oIj
— MetService (@MetService) August 3, 2015
7.00am: Kiwi running ace Nick Willis has declared it is easy for him to spot the cheaters before he gets near the track. He has spoken to the Herald after a doping crisis in international athletics emerged last night.
It becomes obvious...the ones who don't want to be part of the conversation are the ones who have a lot of guilt surrounding themselves. It would become obvious if they did try to join in because they don't have the same passion (against doping) as the rest of us.
It becomes pretty clear who is sitting at which tables.
6.55am: Today's Sideswipe features a fish that walks on land, a long-wait to book a week's camping holiday at Tawharanui and a $1.3 million "starter" home in Westmere. Check it out here.
6.52am: Mick Fanning, the surfer who fought off a shark, has become even more of a legend. Australian show 60 Minutes paid the surfer $75,000 for an exclusive tell-all interview. Fanning donated the money to Australian bodyboarder Matt Lee who suffered serious injuries to both of his legs in a shark attack.
6.47am:
The death penalty remains a possible outcome for James Holmes, the man behind a mass shooting in a movie theatre in Colorado.
6.44am: Here's Wynne Gray's rugby moment number 45 of the top 50 greatest rugby moments. The Springboks' extreme training methods in 2003.
6.40am: Happy Birthday Auckland's Sky Tower! The monument turns 18 today.
6.37am:
This has been topic of debate for some time, what do you think? Artist Grahame Sydney thinks we need a new national anthem.
Read last night's Big Read here.
6.35am:
Is eight games of netball in ten days too much to ask of players? Netball World Cup organisers have been accused of sacrificing player welfare for ticket sales. I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few injuries from that workload.
6.30am:
Have you seen this dog?
Its owners are offering $10,000 for the return of the handsome hound.
Gage the german shepherd went missing in Brookby, Auckland, on May 7.
6.27am: It's going to be an overcast day today in Auckland, but the rain will stay away until this evening. The rain was expected to get heavy overnight. Strong northerlies around the city today.
The worst of the rain should remain south of #Auckland until very late afternoon/evening. http://t.co/oKYtro2Yts ^CL pic.twitter.com/Na3deTLA1O
— MetService (@MetService) August 3, 2015
6.23am: The jurors in the trial of the Colorado movie theatre mass shooting have reached a decision as to whether the death penalty is appropriate in the case. The decision is thought to be delivered within an hour.
6.21am: A 15-year-old girl is still missing after telling her family she was being kept against her will by a 36-year-old convict. LA Tukerangi and Dean Wayne Whakatau are thought to be in the Rotorua area. This must be terrifying for the girl's family. People are urged to call police if they see the pair or know any information.
6.18am: Two cranes carrying a bridge segment has collapsed on to houses and stores in The Netherlands. At least 20 people were injured in the accident, but that number was expected to rise. Here's a video of the disaster scene from Facebook user Jaap Houweling.
6.14am:
The Slovakian man killed by police in a shooting in central Auckland on Sunday night was a young kick-boxer.
Read more of how it all went wrong for David Cerven here.
6.09am: Want to know what the super-wealthy think of life in New Zealand? They complain about the high cost of living, the weather and the slow pace of life.
6.05am:
Cilla Black's cause of death is unknown. An autopsy on the entertainment icon was inconclusive, but
BBC has reported a long-time friend saying Black "willed herself to die".
6.03am: One person died in a crash in Invercargill last night. Another person was seriously injured in the one-car crash.
6.01am: Good morning and welcome to today's edition of Morning Rush. I'm Sophie Ryan and I'll be keeping you up to date with all the news as it happens, as well as catching you up on things you might have missed last night.
Police closed Lewis St at 10.45am for investigation.