Perth barrister Lloyd Rayney’s lie could see a legal ban, has been recommended to be kicked out of the legal profession for lying to a magistrate.

LLOYD Rayney — the barrister cleared of murdering his wife who then won a $2.6 million defamation payout from the police who accused him — has been recommended to be kicked out of the legal profession for lying to a magistrate.

For the first time since a State Administrative Tribunal ruling in January, it can now be reported how Mr Rayney has been found guilty of professional misconduct by a panel headed by Supreme Court judge Peter Martino.

That finding could spell the end of Mr Rayney’s career in the law in WA.

The findings revolve around allegations that before his wife Corryn’s death, as the couple’s marriage crumbled, the former top prosecutor covertly recorded their heated conversations using a dictaphone.

Although he was never charged or convicted of a criminal offence over the recordings, he was quizzed about them by magistrate Martin Flynn, in secret, in November 2009.

via Perth barrister Lloyd Rayney’s lie could see a legal ban | PerthNow

Osmington and Margaret River locals pay tribute to Miles family found dead in mass shooting

LOCALS in the small South West communities of Osmington and Margaret River are in mourning tonight following the mass shooting that saw three generations of one family found dead at their rural property.

The bodies of Katrina Miles, her parents Cynda and Peter Miles, who own the property, and her four children, were found just after 5am Friday in what has been described as Australia’s worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre.

The close-knit community has described their shock at the suspected mass murder-suicide in the small town 20km north-east of the popular holiday location, Margaret River.

Neighbour Felicity Haynes paid tribute to the extended family.

via Osmington and Margaret River locals pay tribute to Miles family found dead in mass shooting | PerthNow

Australians warned about scam that looks like energy bill uploads a virus

Beloved Catweazle actor Geoffrey Bayldon dies at 93

Beloved British actor Geoffrey Bayldon has died aged 93.

Bayldon was known for his role as Catweazle in the 1970s, and later for the role as Crowman in Worzel Gummidge.

His death was confirmed by BBC’s Lizo Mzimba who tweeted: ‘Sad news. Actor Geoffrey Bayldon, best known for playing Catweazle and Worzel Gummidge’s Crowman has passed away aged 93, his agency says.’

Bayldon was Leeds-born and trained at the Old Vic Theatre School, before starting his career in Shakespeare and theatre.

Source: Beloved Catweazle actor Geoffrey Bayldon dies at 93 | Daily Mail Online

Aussies + Brits Cambodia Bus Flips onto its side as truck smashes into it

Seven tourists were injured when a truck smashed into their tour bus in Cambodia so hard it overturned landing on its side.

The bus was carrying 13 people from nearby Thailand to the popular resort town of Siem Reap, famous for its ancient Buddhist temples.

The names of the tourists have not yet been released but they are from Britain, the U.S., Australia, Denmark, Italy, France, the Czech Republic and Holland.

The hurt holidaymakers were taken to a nearby hospital but the nature of their injuries was unknown.

Police are hunting the driver who dumped his truck nearby and fled on foot, but he was identified by his truck registration.

‘They were driving on National Road 9 at around 3pm when the truck appeared from a side road and went into the back corner of the bus, causing it to overturn,’ police officer Ki Makara said.

He said officers quickly identified the truck from the damage to its front and expected to make an arrest shortly.

The bus was travelling through the town of Poipet in the north-western Banteay Meanchey Province near the border with Thailand when it was struck.

Source: Seven tourists injured after bus hit by truck in Cambodia | Daily Mail Online

‘Blade Runner 2049’ Trailer: The Gorgeous New Spot

“Your story isn’t over yet. There’s still a page left.”

Those words accompany the final shot in the new trailer for “Blade Runner 2049.” It’s a slow tilt from an open book, which has had pages ripped out of it, to Ryan Gosling’s face. His expression is cryptic; without any real context, it’s hard to read. But he sure looks cool.

So it goes in the promo for the coming sequel to “Blade Runner,” the 1982 futuristic noir directed by Ridley Scott. The trailer for the new movie, which is directed by Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival”), serves up two minutes of footage, and it’s visually splendid — even when it’s not entirely clear what’s going on.

The preview opens with Jared Leto’s character overseeing the gooey birth of a replicant. “Every civilization was built off the back of a disposable work force,” he says, starting to clue us in as to what we’re watching. Everything is a bit washed-out; the only colors that pop are burned oranges and yellows.

Then we’re quickly transported to the smoky, dark environs of dystopian Los Angeles, visuals that were hallmarks of the original film. Mr. Gosling’s character, the blade runner K, moves through a hazy city where even the neon appears to be masked in shadow. The two color palettes alternate for the rest of the trailer, creating an appropriate duality for a movie that’s all about the distinction between humans and their replicant look-alikes.

Continue reading the main story

At the trailer’s climax, K comes face to face with Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford, stepping back into his role from the original). “I did your job once,” Deckard says, nudging audiences into remembering the movie released 35 years ago. “I was good at it.” They stare each other down before Deckard finally asks K what he wants. “I want to ask you some questions,” K says.

He never gets around to asking them, of course; you’ll have to buy a movie ticket for that. Instead, a beautifully choreographed sequence of shots unfolds, with sparse explanation of what’s being depicted. Already the internet is asking the same question about K that fans asked about Deckard back in the day: human or replicant?

In the end, we’re left like Mr. Gosling: staring at the screen, unsure what we’ve just seen.

But, hey — it sure looked cool.

Senate fails to overturn Obama-era methane rule

In a rare win for environmentalists since President Donald Trump took office, the Senate defeated Wednesday an attempted GOP-led rollback of an Obama-era methane gas rule.

The rule, which was finalized under President Barack Obama in November, would require oil and gas companies to actively plug leaks of natural gas while scaling back their practice of intentionally venting or burning the gas in order to extract more profitable crude oil.

The drilling industry, however, supported Republicans’ efforts to overturn the rule, saying it would undo the costly regulation, which is viewed as a threat to jobs and operations.

As the clock ticked down toward the final hours that the Senate could use the Congressional Review Act with a simple majority — the deadline is Thursday — Republicans failed in a procedural vote to turn back the Bureau of Land Management regulation.

In the end, three Republicans crossed the aisle to side with Democrats, handing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a rare legislative defeat by just one vote, 49-51.

Vice President Mike Pence was there to break a potential tie, but he ultimately wasn’t needed.

Democrats united against the measure and were joined by Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and John McCain of Arizona. Graham and Collins had publicly opposed the repeal, but McCain was a surprise “no” vote.

Graham told The Hill earlier that a CRA resolution on the rule would be “substantially the same” as the one overturned, adding that he preferred a full replacement of the regulation.

“I think we can replace it with a better reg, rather than a CRA,” he said.

Despite the loss, leaders at the Department of the Interior plan to suspend or revise the methane rule through a rewrite process.

“As part of President Trump’s America-First Energy Strategy and executive order, the Department has reviewed and flagged the Waste Prevention rule as one we will suspend, revise and rescind given its significant regulatory burden that encumbers American energy production, economic growth and job creation,” Kate MacGregor, acting Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals, said in a statement.

Environmental groups were primed for the short victory after seeing a number of other departmental regulations overturned or delayed since Trump became President. At least one group also views the Department of the Interior’s promise to re-open the rule-making process as a good sign.

“The next step is there will be a rule-making process to entertain changes to the rule, so that should be based on evidence, stakeholder input and public comment. In that sense, that is a much more reasonable process to the CRA,” said Jeremy Martin, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Clearly the instinct of the administration is to weaken and undermine these kinds of protections. I don’t think that makes sense at all, but at least this process will give us the opportunity to submit evidence.”

Source: Senate fails to overturn Obama-era methane rule – CNNPolitics.com

Petula Clark admits to being asked for THREESOME by Elvis + Karen Carpenter

Sean Spicer future ‘in doubt over handling of James Comey firing’

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is said to be facing an uncertain future after his poor handling of Donald Trump’s decision to fire FBI director James Comey.

Mr Spicer, whose press appearances have been plagued by multiple gaffes, has been temporarily dropped from running his daily press briefings and will be replaced by Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for the entirety of this week.

According to White House insiders, the general perception is Mr Spicer has been “benched” during a massively decisive week which has seen the White House subject to heavy scrutiny over the sacking of Mr Comey.

A White House official told CNN Ms Sanders’ performances, which have already garnered praise, would be closely monitored by those in the highest tiers of the administration. Another source said the big question is whether his time on the bench is temporary or permanent.

According to another White House official, Ms Sanders, who appears altogether more composed and polished than her boss so far, offered a “significant contrast” during her first briefing on Wednesday and Mr Spicer’s hiatus “could not have come at a worse time for him”.

Mr Spicer is carrying out Navy Reserve duty, where he has served as a commander for almost twenty years, during his time off from press duties. One source said: “He has taken his Navy duties very seriously in all the time I’ve known him. So if he’s on duty, he’s on duty, and I wouldn’t read more into that in itself.“

But many argue Mr Spicer, the 30th White House press secretary, has been steadily losing his credibility since taking up the role. The 45-year-old has drawn criticism for how he handled the termination of Mr Comey – he reportedly hid behind bushes near the White House as reporters attempted to question him about it.

Nevertheless, a White House official has now taken issue with the exact details of Mr Spicer’s whereabouts when he retreated to a nearby hedge. As such the initial Washington Post story, a colourful descriptive piece, has been amended to reflect that Mr Spicer was hiding “among” the bushes rather than “in the bushes”.

(Washington Post)

Mr Spicer’s blunder is by no means his first. Mr Spicer’s career has been beset with a series of gaffes which arguably began during his first press briefing when he contradicted available evidence and claimed President Trump drew “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe”. Senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway later sought to justify his explanation as providing the media with “alternative facts”, while Mr Spicer himself was forced to apologise, saying he has been given bad information.

Mr Spicer, who once called Canadian President Justin Trueau “Joe” in a briefing, also drew fierce criticism after he claimed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was guilty of worse acts than Adolf Hitler and Hitler, who gassed millions of Jews in the Holocaust, did not use chemical weapons. He also came under fire after he cited an uncorroborated Fox News report to allege British security services helped Barack Obama spy on Mr Trump when was President-elect.

For this reason, there is speculation around whether Mr Spicer could find himself added to the list of high-ranking people Mr Trump has fired. This includes acting Attorney General Sally Yates, former National Security Adviser, Mike Flynn, and most recently Mr Comey.

His substitute, Ms Sanders, on the other hand, is starting from a clean slate. The 34-year-old was a senior advisor on Mr Trump’s presidential campaign, working on communications centred towards gun rights supporters, military groups, faith leaders and other alliances. She joined the campaign after her father, the former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee whose presidential campaign she had helped manage, pulled his hat out of the ring.

Source: Sean Spicer future as White House Press Secretary ‘in doubt over handling of James Comey firing’ | The Independent

Asked to describe Trump, most common replies are ‘idiot’ and ‘incompetent’

Oh, and “liar.”

Quinnipiac University’s most recent poll mirrors past surveys from the organization in the era of Donald Trump: The president is not very popular.

The pollsters found that only 36 percent of respondents view Trump’s job performance positively, just above the low in Quinnipiac’s polling. Those figures have been lower than the running average of approval polling — Trump’s at 42 percent approval on average — but the general trend has been in line with other pollsters, in that Trump is unusually unpopular.

In this most recent survey, though, Quinnipiac included a less-common question than approval: “What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Donald Trump?” The results were not generally complimentary.

The most common responses, in order:
1. idiot, 39 times
2. incompetent, 31 times
3. liar, 30 times
4. leader, 25 times
5. unqualified, 25 times
6. president, 22 times
7. strong, 21 times
8. businessman, 18 times
9. ignorant, 16 times
10. egotistical, 15 times

It is good that we only did the top 10, because the 11th most-common word is not suitable for a family newspaper. It rhymes with “mass soul.” And actually, it’s only tied for 11th … with “stupid.”

That “incompetent” and “liar” rank so high shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, the poll also found that 61 percent of respondents think that Trump is not honest and, again, 58 percent disapprove of the job that he’s doing.

He does slightly better when people are asked to evaluate whether he has good leadership skills. Fifty-six percent of respondents said he doesn’t, but 84 percent of Republicans said he does. They probably make up most of those 25 uses of “leader.” A majority of respondents — 62 percent — said that Trump is a strong person, which explains why “strong” ranks so high.

Special shout-out to the respondents who said the one word they would use to describe Trump was “president,” a response that ranked one step above “strong.” That sort of out-of-the-box thinking is laudable in today’s society.

I mean, at least it’s not a swear word

Source: Asked to describe Trump, America’s most common replies are ‘idiot’ and ‘incompetent’ – The Washington Post

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Mark Colvin had the ability to reach through the microphone into our minds

Federal Budget. Former PM John Howard says energy crisis a scandal

FORMER PM John Howard says Australia’s greatest immediate policy challenge was barely mentioned in the federal budget – the looming energy crisis.

Speaking at a post-budget business breakfast with former New Zealand PM John Key, Mr Howard described the risk of supply and price rises as scandalous given Australia natural endowments of energy sources.

The nation had 38 per cent of the world’s easily recoverable uranium reserves, hundreds of years of coal reserves, was a major natural gas producer and could also produce plenty of solar and wind power, he said.

“That we should be facing a potential energy crisis in the eastern states is a serious condemnation of the political process,” he said.

“That gas exploration has been hampered, narrowed, redirected and prohibited by some state governments is a policy scandal of the first order.”

He also claimed state governments had overzealously embraced renewable energy targets, leading to a massive increase in costs.

“When my government was defeated in 2007, the renewable energy target was two per cent and it should never have been increased?” he said.

Some major energy users have shut some operations as a result, such as Rio Tinto, while others are threatening to do so, such as Glencore coal boss Peter Freyberg in comments this week.

Mr Howard said Australia was extremely fortunate economically and was approaching a world record of consecutive quarters of growth, but was getting to the “brake linings” and falling behind competitors.

A Senate that was more diverse than in his time made the crucial economic reform needed more difficult to pass, he said.

He said he was “uneasy” about what he called a bank tax hike, that was part of this week’s budget.

Mr Key said Australia’s long-term economic good times made it harder for governments to convince voters that reform was needed, especially in industrial relations.

Australia’s labour participation rate was lower than New Zealand’s, but if it was the same the unemployment rate would be 12-13 per cent, he said.

Source: Federal Budget 2017: Former PM John Howard says looming energy crisis a scandal | Perth Now

Perth couple walked away from high salaries to travel full time – visited 22 countries

A young couple has revealed how they walked away from their comfortable lives to go travelling around the world.

Amanda and Daniel Tran, from Perth in Western Australia, were both leading the ‘ideal’ lifestyle – high-flying careers, perfect marriage and loving families.

But the 27-year-old lawyer and her electrician husband, aged 28, decided to give up their six figure combined salary to embark on an adventure of a lifetime after tying the knot in an extravagant wedding ceremony.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the pair revealed how they set off in March 2016 with the ‘initial plan to travel for 12 months against the wishes of our families’.

‘Twelve months and 22 countries later and we are still going,’ Amanda said.

We fell in love with travel so much that we hope to pursue a life of full time travel. One of the hardest things for us has been breaking the proverbial bamboo ceiling coming from Asian backgrounds.

‘My parents particularly were always focused on getting an education, a full-time job, get married, buy a house, have kids and settle down until you retire.

‘We had the perfect careers for pay and lifestyle but it was never going to be enough for us.’

Coming from an Asian background, the pair were faced with concerns about ‘security and stability’ when they broke the news to their families about their plans to go travelling full-time.

‘My mum was freaking out and begging us just to go for two months,’ Amanda said.

She would say things like “why can’t you be more like your friends – they have a house, kids and great jobs’ or ‘how can you just throw away your law degree?” or “what if you can’t find a job?” or “what if no one wants to employ you because you took a break?”.

‘I told her that on my death bed, I would never look back and say “gosh, I wish I worked that extra year instead of travelling the world”. And I’m young now – the things I can do now I’m not sure that I will be able to do 10, 20, 30 odd years from now.

‘It used to frustrate me that my mum couldn’t understand or relate to me but while I was travelling, I realised that it’s not for lack of wanting to but rather because she has never dared to dream about this kind of life.

‘She fled Vietnam and came to Australia for security and stability. No wonder it made her so nervous that I was abandoning the two things that she fought so hard to have. She wasn’t trying to stop me from living my life, she just wanted me to have what was most important to her.’

And so the couple decided to drop their ‘normal lives’ to go backpacking full-time because they both shared a ‘sense of adventure, passion for travel and desire for more’.

‘It also took a lot of faith. We were walking away from what many people value as the ‘ideal’ life – great salaries, jobs and lifestyles,’ Daniel said.

‘But you can’t take your money, your house or whatever with you when you die. We value relationships and experiences so even though it was risky, it wasn’t a hard decision to make.’

Amanda said she had long dreamt about travelling well before she started dating the love of her life.

‘I had dreamed of doing something like this solo but when he came into the picture, we started making plans together,’ she said.

‘We didn’t just wake up one day and say “hey, let’s just ditch everything and go” – we both wanted to explore and see the world so that’s what we’re doing.’

The couple, who blog under LVV Travel, have been travelling on a tight budget after saving up for a year.

‘We worked and saved up a lot of money. It took very strict budgeting and limited spending to save up in a year for the trip,’ Amanda said.

‘And you can definitely travel for “cheap” if you want to. Our average spend for South East Asia was around $55 AUD for two people per day.

‘We also secured some sponsored work from our blog – so that has helped to keep some costs down. We’re also planning on holding a photo exhibition and selling some prints later this year.’

Her husband said the pair had set a different budget for each continent.

‘While travelling, we are always on a budget. Each country and continent is different and we factor that in when choosing where we are going,’ he said.

‘We track every dollar of what is spent so that we know how we’re going. We’ve managed to travel 14 months so far off savings and have two more months before we’ll need to work to top up that account.’

Some of the biggest challenges the pair faced have included: ‘budget worries, repetitive food, super long bus rides or a 40 day road trip with long drives and spending 24/7 with just each other’.

‘And you pretty much have yourself the perfect TV drama,’ Amanda said as she laughed.

‘I think the toughest challenge is spending 24/7 with just this one person. Sure we met other people and make new friends but for a lot of it, it’s just us.’

Daniel explained being away from home has been challenging for him.

‘You’re away from a lot of home comforts – friends, family and familiar places so you can’t just call up a friend, go out and vent,’ he said.

‘You just have to learn to talk about things and deal with it then and there. We’ve shared some of the highest and lowest points of our lives together and our marriage is so much better for it.

‘I miss home sometimes. More so than Amanda anyway. It’s usually when we’ve missed some pretty important milestones like the birth of my nephews. Also, food is the best in Australia.’

And plans to settle down? The pair said they will continue to travel – as well as work to save up for their next adventures.

‘I’m not sure if we’ll ever “settle down” in the traditional sense which definitely freaks out our families a little,’ Amanda said.

‘I do think our society is a little too obsessed with the idea of home ownership – so much so that you see many young people getting into massive loads of debt they can’t afford just to say they own a home.

‘Daniel and I bought an investment property when we got engaged and that pays for itself. We aren’t in a rush to buy any more property because we have no legitimate reason to.’

Daniel added: ‘Over the next few years, we’re going to work and travel, then start a business that aims to tackle a social issue. We have no idea where we’re going to that or what the business will look like but we’re ready and willing to go wherever we are called to.’

The pair have certainly lived to tell their tales – from mountain biking down the ‘world’s most dangerous road’ to visiting the spectacular heritage sites.

‘There have been so many highlights – we’ve mountain biked down the Death Road (Yungus Road) in Bolivia, hiked to Rainbow Mountain in Perú, visited the Amazon and with met our sponsor child in El Salvador,’ Amanda said.

‘We also saw the Northern Lights in Iceland, watched a sunrise in Bagan and we got certified for scuba diving and free diving. We’ve also been so privileged to visit many other world wonders and world heritage sites too.

‘I conquered my fear of heights by crossing every bridge and hiking up mountains – I even jumped off a bridge in Ecuador. The list is far too long.’

Daniel added: ‘I also hiked six hours up a volcano – Aconcagua – to watch another, Fuego (fire), erupting. Amanda went and got a massage instead.’

The couple are now back in Australia – but they are planning a road trip through Western Australia and Northern Territory over the next two months.

‘It’s definitely time to explore more of our own backyard,’ Amanda said.

READ MORE HERE: Perth couple walked away from high salaries to travel | Daily Mail Online

At least 22 killed by collapsing wall at Indian wedding

At least 22 people have been killed when a wall collapsed during a wedding party in western India.

The guests had taken shelter from heavy rain under a tin shack when a wall collapsed onto it in the storm.

Another 26 people have been injured in the accident in Bharatpur, a district in Rajasthan state, 15 of them seriously.

Local media reports say food stalls had been set up along the wall for the wedding.

“The wall and a tin shed attached to it at the marriage venue collapsed due to a storm,” police officer Anil Tank is quoted as saying.

He said the wall was nearly 90ft (27m) long and 12-13ft in height and the collapse trapped many guests.

“The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals immediately and treatment was administered,” he said.

Bharatpur province is around 200km (124 miles) south of Delhi.

Source: At least 22 killed by collapsing wall at Indian wedding – BBC News

Comey: Trump ‘crazy’ + ‘outside the realm of normal’ after wiretapping claims

Fired FBI director James Comey allegedly told colleagues that Donald Trump was ‘crazy’ and ‘outside the realm of normal’ back when the President claimed Obama wire-tapped his phones.

The New York Times reports that Comey made the comments to associates after being left shocked by Trump’s wire-tapping claims back in March.

In turn, Trump became outraged when Comey publicly dismissed the allegations. When deciding to sack the FBI director, Trump allegedly told his aides there was ‘something wrong with’ Comey.

Trump’s aides reportedly said he had a build up of grievances against Comey before he was sacked on Tuesday, including the dismissal of wire-tapping allegations and the FBI’s handling of investigation into Russian interference in the election.

The President tweeted claims that Obama had been spying on him in Trump Tower shortly before his election victory. Obama was quick to refute the claims.

‘Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!’ Trump tweeted in March.

US officials said on Wednesday that in the days before he was fired, Comey had requested more resources to pursue his investigation into Russia’s election meddling and the possible involvement of Trump associates.

It has fueled concerns that Trump was trying to undermine a probe that could threaten his presidency.

It was unclear whether word of the Comey request, put to deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, ever made its way to Trump. But the revelation intensified the pressure on the White House from both political parties to explain the motives behind Comey’s stunning ouster.

Democrats quickly accused Trump of using Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation as a pretext and called for a special prosecutor into the Russia probe. Republican leaders brushed off idea as unnecessary.

Defending the firing, White House officials said Trump’s confidence in Comey had been eroding for months. They suggested Trump was persuaded to take the step by Justice Department officials and a scathing memo, written by Rosenstein, criticizing the director’s role in the Clinton investigation.

‘Frankly, he’d been considering letting Director Comey go since the day he was elected,’ White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, a sharply different explanation from the day before, when officials put the emphasis on new Justice complaints about Comey.

US officials said on Wednesday that in the days before he was fired, Comey had requested more resources to pursue his investigation into Russia’s election meddling and the possible involvement of Trump associates.

It has fueled concerns that Trump was trying to undermine a probe that could threaten his presidency.

It was unclear whether word of the Comey request, put to deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, ever made its way to Trump. But the revelation intensified the pressure on the White House from both political parties to explain the motives behind Comey’s stunning ouster.

Democrats quickly accused Trump of using Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation as a pretext and called for a special prosecutor into the Russia probe. Republican leaders brushed off idea as unnecessary.

Defending the firing, White House officials said Trump’s confidence in Comey had been eroding for months. They suggested Trump was persuaded to take the step by Justice Department officials and a scathing memo, written by Rosenstein, criticizing the director’s role in the Clinton investigation.

‘Frankly, he’d been considering letting Director Comey go since the day he was elected,’ White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, a sharply different explanation from the day before, when officials put the emphasis on new Justice complaints about Comey.

WHAT NOW? THE CANDIDATES TIPPED TO SUCCEED COMEY

READ MORE HERE: Comey called Trump ‘crazy’ after Obama wiretapping claims | Daily Mail Online

Lawyers refusing to go to Melaleuca PERTH women’s prison, so dangerous

A government funded legal body has suspended visits by its lawyers to inmates at a Perth women’s prison over safety concerns.

At Melaleuca women’s prison disputes over illicit drugs have led to violent assaults and guards are often reluctant to intervene, lawyers have told the ABC.

Legal Aid WA told employees the suspension would stay in place until it was guaranteed the right security measures were taken to prevent violence against staff.

The Criminal Lawyers Association of WA (CLAWA) said Legal Aid’s decision to stop sending lawyers meant the problems at Melaleuca were ‘extremely significant.’

‘Once again our clients are failing to receive access to justice,’ CLAWA said.

The Department of Corrective Services owns the prison, which opened just five months ago, and has instructed private operator Sodexo to fix the problems.

The operator faces claims the prison is poorly run, lacks discipline and is rife with illicit drugs. Sodexo denies these claims.

Legal Aid WA declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

Source: Lawyers refusing to go to Melaleuca women’s prison | Daily Mail Online

Army ‘deep shock’ after Australian soldier dies’ during a live-fire training exercise – just one week after another

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A young Australian soldier has been the second to die in training on home soil in the past week – after he was reportedly shot in the head during a live-fire exercise.

Jason Challis, from Geelong, Victoria, died on Wednesday afternoon at the Royal Darwin Hospital after he was reportedly shot in the head during a training exercise.

The man’s family have been notified and are in mourning according to the Geelong Advertiser.

The man aged in his 20s was reportedly killed by a bullet to the head but Defence Force officials declined to comment on exactly how he died.

‘The soldier was taking part in a routine training activity at the time of the incident,’ it said.

‘He received immediate first aid at the scene and was transported to the Royal Darwin Hospital for treatment.’

It is the second death of a soldier during a training drill in the past week after 21-year-old Stuart Reddan was killed by a falling tree branch last Thursday.

Mr Redden was the passenger in an armoured personnel carrier when the freak accident occurred.

Northern Territory Police major crime unit and forensics were sent to the Mount Bundey training facility to investigate.

The soldier was rushed to Royal Darwin Hospital but did not survive, the ADF confirmed.

It is a deep shock to the orgaisation and will be felt by the broader Army family,’ it said.

The last soldier to be accidentally shot dead in training was Commando Mason Edwards, 30, who was hit by bullets passing through a wall he crouched behind.

That incident saw the ADF fined $220,000 for not maintaining a safe workplace or correct supervision, and prompted it to change its live-fire training regulations.

The facility is frequently used by Australian military along with U.S. Marines stationed in Darwin and visiting foreign forces.

His next of kin was notified and are being supported by the army.

‘The Chief of Army and Army commanders acknowledge the gravity of this and recent incidents and take all matters relating to personnel and training very seriously.’

‘The Army has instigated a suspension of training activities across its combat brigades to review risk assessment processes and training safety management.

Source: Victoria soldier Jason Challis killed in training exercise | Daily Mail Online

Veteran ABC journalist Mark Colvin dead at 65

Veteran ABC journalist Mark Colvin has died aged 65 after losing his 20-year battle with a rare auto-immune disease. MORE TO COME

Source: Veteran ABC journalist Mark Colvin dead at 65 | Daily Mail Online