Television’s golden boy David Lyle dead at 67

Television's golden boy David Lyle dead at 67 https://t.co/AYo3UqWVvc

— The Age (@theage) September 23, 2017

Suggesting that McMaster is the “president”, Bannon is trolling Trump. Hard

By suggesting that McMaster is the “president”, Bannon is trolling Trump. Hard

What’s striking about Breitbart’s coverage is the way its writers took direct aim at Trump, instead of his advisers.

The best example is the headline that refers to “President H.R. McMaster”, Trump’s national security adviser. It’s a play on a memorable New York Times editorial headline from January: “President Bannon?” (A Times editorial published on the day of Bannon’s ouster read, “Farewell, President Bannon”.)

Bannon knows better than anyone how deeply the perception that someone else is calling the shots wounds Trump’s pride. By suggesting that McMaster is the “president”, Bannon is trolling Trump. Hard.

The other thing that stands out in Breitbart’s coverage is zero tolerance for Trump’s spin, which the site typically amplifies. Trump did his best on Monday to paint his reversal on sending more troops to Afghanistan as a result of gaining a better understanding of the situation than he had before his election.

“My original instinct was to pull out – and, historically, I like following my instincts,” he said. “But all my life I’ve heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other words, when you’re president of the United States.”

Breitbart isn’t buying it. As Raheem Kassam put it, “This isn’t about changing his perspective on the war … This was about the swamp getting to him.”

Source: With Bannon back in charge, Breitbart unleashes fury at Trump for Afghanistan speech

Scientists discover 91 volcanoes below Antarctic ice sheet in addition to 47

This is  already known about and eruption would melt more ice in region affected by climate change

Scientists have uncovered the largest volcanic region on Earth – two kilometres below the surface of the vast ice sheet that covers west Antarctica.

The project, by Edinburgh University researchers, has revealed almost 100 volcanoes – with the highest as tall as the Eiger, which stands at almost 4,000 metres in Switzerland.

Geologists say this huge region is likely to dwarf that of east Africa’s volcanic ridge, currently rated the densest concentration of volcanoes in the world.

Source: Scientists discover 91 volcanoes below Antarctic ice sheet | World news | The Guardian

$6000 a day to keep lights on at empty #Perth Children’s Hospital

WA taxpayers are forking out thousands of dollars a day to keep lights on at the empty Perth Children’s Hospital.

The McGowan Government has spent $371,000 on power bills for the controversy-plagued hospital over nine weeks in May and June, The Sunday Times can reveal.

The hospital’s daily electricity cost averages almost $6000 — the equivalent of the yearly power bill of four Perth homes.

The Child and Adolescent Health Service only began paying the electricity charges after the McGowan Government decided to accept “practical completion” of PCH from builder John Holland in April.

A PCH project spokeswoman said hospital staff occupied most of the building during the day and night. They required lighting to “complete important commissioning activities to prepare the space for operations”.

“Lighting is also required after-hours to assist the security team who walk the building regularly throughout the night to monitor the large site,” she said.

“Since ownership of the building, attempts are continuing to reduce lighting use wherever possible.”

It is now 115 days since Government took ownership of the site and there is still no opening date.

Yesterday, Opposition health spokesman Bill Marmion said the power bill revelation raised questions about why practical completion was granted, despite lead contamination problems being unresolved.

A parliamentary inquiry into the fiasco is looking into quality of building products, governance and risks associated with granting practical completion.

The Government previously admitted the drawn-out completion of the project was costing WA taxpayers $5.8 million a month since April. This includes paying $500,000 a month for an empty car park.

The Government hopes a phosphate treatment which started in May will stop lead leaching from brass fittings in the hospital’s water pipes.

Health Minister Roger Cook said the Government would receive the latest water test results from WA’s chief health officer this Friday.

Mr Cook said WA Health had sought legal and technical advice on the implications of accepting practical completion.

“Granting practical completion, with water as a defect, enabled the State to take responsibility for PCH without delay,” he said.

“It enabled the State to immediately proceed with essential chemical treatment using polyphosphate as well as removing access constraints on clinical commissioning activities.”

Source: $6000 a day to keep lights on at empty Perth Children’s Hospital | Perth Now

North Korea tests put US cities in range

North Korea has reportedly fired a missile experts say is capable of striking Los Angeles and other US cities.

Friday’s unusual late-night launch added to exasperation in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo over Pyongyang’s continuing development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The test has prompted US and South Korean military officials to discuss military response options.

North Korean President Kim Jong Un had already raised alarms early this month with a first ICBM launch.

“As a result of their launches of ICBM-level missiles, this clearly shows the threat to our nation’s safety is severe and real,” said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who planned to call a meeting of his National Security Council.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford and Admiral Harry Harris, commander of US Pacific Command, spoke by phone with top South Korean official, General Lee Sun-jin, to discuss military responses to the launch.

Source: North Korea tests put US cities in range | Perth Now

Labor launches legal bid against minister | Perth Now

Labor launches legal bid against minister

Labor has launched a High Court challenge against a senior coalition MP’s eligibility to sit in parliament – a move that could threaten the Turnbull government’s wafer-thin majority.

David Gillespie, the assistant health minister and Nationals member for the NSW seat of Lyne, owns a suburban shopping complex in Port Macquarie.

One of the shops in the complex is an outlet of Australia Post, a government-owned corporation.

Labor has raised questions about the arrangement in the light of the High Court’s disqualification of former Family First senator Bob Day over an electorate office leasing deal with the government.

The ALP’s national executive decided to trigger the legal action at a meeting on Friday.

Labor’s candidate for the seat at the 2016 federal election, Peter Alley, has filed papers with the High Court.

Acting opposition leader Tanya Plibersek believes Dr Gillespie has a conflict of interest.

Source: Labor launches legal bid against minister | Perth Now

Grenfell Tower family of 5 who were feared dead are found ALIVE after managing to flee as fire took hold

FIVE people who were missing and feared dead after the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower last week have been found alive and well.

The five people are thought to be a Syrian family that lived in a flat halfway up the 24-storey tower after fleeing their home country due to the civil war.

Many of those feared to have died are thought to still be in the gutted building in North Kensington, west London.

The family of five – made up of two parents and three adult daughters – are said to have arrived recently in West London and were caught up in the blaze which ripped through the tower block on Wednesday morning.

They were reported missing by Catherine Lindsay, who was teaching them English, but now the family has reportedly been found.

The Independent spoke to one of their daughters, on Facebook, who confirmed they were unhurt but that they had lost everything. Police would not confirm the identities of the five people…

Source: Grenfell Tower ‘family of five who were missing and feared dead are found ALIVE after managing to flee as fire took hold’

Donald Trump to restrict Cuba travel and trade in latest Obama rollback

American travellers hoping to take a trip to Cuba are going to have a difficult time doing so going forward, roughly a year after airlines opened up commercial flight routes to Havana. That’s because President Donald Trump, making good on a 2016 campaign promise, is expected to announce Friday a review and overhaul of US-Cuba policy unveiled by Barack Obama in 2015…

Source: Donald Trump to restrict Cuba travel and trade in latest Obama rollback | The Independent

Australian Woman Cassie Sainsbury Charged In Colombian Drug Arrest

An Adelaide personal trainer has been charged with drug trafficking in Colombia after police found 5.8kg of cocaine in her luggage.

Twenty-two-year-old Cassie Sainsbury was minutes from boarding a flight at Bogota’s El Dorado airport when she was arrested for drug possession on April 11, eight days after arriving in South America.

Sainsbury was denied bail and remains held at El Buen Pastor jail in Colombia awaiting trial.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told HuffPost Australia that they are providing assistance to a woman in Colombia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing assistance to an Australian woman arrested in Colombia, in accordance with the Consular Services Charter. Due to our privacy obligations, we are unable to release further information.

Sainsbury’s family set up an online crowdfunding campaign on Sunday, calling for financial support to “bring her home” and suggesting she may not be responsible for the crime.

“Cassie would never do anything like what she has been accused off. Anyone that knows her, would say she is a kind, loving, happy kind of girl,” Sainsbury’s sister, Khala, said on the campaign website.

“Now because of being denied bail, she is now being held at Colombian biggest women’s prison, which is over populated by about 50,000 people. Cassie is possibly facing 20-25 yrs in prison for a crime she did not commit.”

Source: Australian Woman Cassie Sainsbury Charged In Colombian Drug Arrest

Orange Is the New Black s5 leaked online by hacker after Netflix fail to pay ransom

A hacker who was holding Netflix to ransom following claims they have stolen the new season of Orange Is the New Black has leaked episode online.

Variety has confirmed that the hacker, known as The Dark Overlord, uploaded the episodes to illegal file-sharing website Pirate Bay after the streaming service failed to pay an undisclosed amount of money.

Netflix released a statement earlier saying: “We are aware of the situation. A production vendor used by several major TV studios had its security compromised and the appropriate law enforcement authorities are involved.

Orange Is the New Black season five WAS scheduled to be released on 9 June, but it now looks as if that could be moved up.

The FBI is currently investigating the matter. We have reached out to Netflix for comment.

Source: Orange Is the New Black season 5 leaked online by hacker after Netflix fail to pay ransom | The Independent

#F1 Vandoorne: McLaren start to forget miserable weekend after clocking 81 laps

McLaren started to put their miserable weekend behind them as Stoffel Vandoorne clocked 81 laps on the second day of testing in Bahrain.

Technical problems with the team’s Honda engines stopped Vandoorne starting the race at the Sakhir circuit on Sunday and saw team-mate Fernando Alonso pull out shortly before the end.

Alonso, who will be replaced by Jenson Button next month in Monaco as he heads for the Indianapolis 500, publicly berated the lack of pace from his Honda engine throughout Sunday’s race before his retirement.

Source: Vandoorne helps McLaren start to forget miserable weekend | Daily Mail Online