Grant Denyer admits car crash was a ‘close call’ he WON’T quit racing because he ‘loves it more than he loves TV’

He was in high spirits at the Logies, less than a month on from his second near-fatal car crash.

And now, it’s been revealed Grant Denyer was ‘highly medicated’ at the awards, freely opening up about his current physical condition.

The father-of-two young girls told the Sydney Morning Herald this week that his March 26 collision with a tree during the Lake Mountain Sprint in Marysville, Victoria ‘nearly killed’ him, but rejected the idea of retiring from the sport.

‘I have left that decision up to him. He loves racing more than he loves TV,’ his supportive wife Cheryl added.

Grant, 39, appeared to struggle greatly with ‘suggestions’ he should quit the high-octane sport, given this was his second close call and the fact he’s a father to Sailor, five and 18-month-old Scout.

‘I have been racing all my life. I’ve only been in hospital twice in 300 races, so it’s not a bad average, even though the last one did nearly kill me,’ he rationalised.

‘It was a close call. I was really lucky to walk away from that one, in all seriousness they are the accidents that kill people.’

Known for his boundless positivity, and despite his ‘medicated’ state the Family Feud host’s assertions aren’t to be taken lightly.

After all, his ‘hero’ and Australian race legend Peter Brock met his tragic demise in shockingly similar circumstances, colliding with a tree at the Targa West 06′ Rally in Gidgegannup, Western Australia, leaving behind three children.

In Grant’s first interview following his terrifying crash, he cited the death of Brock 10 years ago himself, saying it ‘was all he was thinking about’ as his errant race car  barreled towards ‘the biggest tree he’d ever seen.’

That’s according to The Daily Telegraph, who added his hero’s heartbreaking end ‘played on his mind’ in the fateful seconds that must have felt like minutes.

All I could do was wrestle the car away from a head on impact with the tree,’ he said.

The pint-sized star’s tiny correction appeared to be enough to save his life, with his 1,000 kilogram steel cage striking the root of the tree before ricocheting into it at a slightly reduced speed.

Despite all that, at the Logies, he vowed to ‘re-assess’ and not quit the sport.

A sport that caused his wife Cheryl to admit left her frightened and tasked with putting on a ‘happy face’ for their daughters.

Source: Grant Denyer admits car crash was a ‘close call’ | Daily Mail Online

#F1 Vettel’s red dread for Hamilton suggests shift in balance of power

A red streak blazed across the Sochi asphalt and implanted itself right at the heart of Lewis Hamilton’s world championship dreams.

Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari was the machine carrying the alert, one that emerged at the first race of the season in Melbourne, but which yesterday became emphatically clear in qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix: Mercedes’ era of total superiority is over.

‘Yes, yes, yes,’ chimed a delighted Vettel over the radio, after an impressive final flying lap for pole position.

And so, after 18 consecutive poles for the Silver Arrows drivers, here came only Ferrari’s sixth of the decade. With Kimi Raikkonen second quickest, the Scuderia locked out the front row for the first time since France in 2008. As for Hamilton, he was only fourth quickest, nearly six-tenths off the pace, and almost half a second behind his team-mate Valtteri Bottas, third fastest on the day.

A few hours later Hamilton was still downcast, stirring the froth of his coffee as he faced the press with little positive to say. ‘It’s just one of those weekends,’ he said resignedly. He bemoaned a weak rear end and lamented losing pace around turns 13 and 14.

He gave himself little chance of making amends today in a race that will take place in front of President Putin. The balance of his car would not permit him to go flat-out from the start, he feared.

It was all toil and no rewards. So much so that during qualifying, Mercedes F1 chairman Niki Lauda blew out his cheeks and shook his head in exasperation.

While Hamilton’s analysis focused on the nitty-gritty of the weekend’s action, his boss Toto Wolff placed Ferrari’s resurgence into context, as the possible turning of a tide. ‘It was clear this question would come up,’ he said.

‘We have won 52 races in three seasons. And we always knew that at a certain stage it would change. We are excited by the challenge and embrace it.

‘Ferrari have done a very good job over the winter. Now we need to be vigorous and analyse what is missing, join the dots and out-develop Ferrari throughout the season.

MORE HERE: Sebastian Vettel’s red dread for Lewis Hamilton | Daily Mail Online

Police declare emergency situation in Brisbane, suburb locked down by armed police for four hours

A man has been arrested after barricading himself indoors armed with a knife and gun forcing an entire suburb in Brisbane to be locked down.

Several streets in Windsor in Brisbane’s north were shut on Sunday after police were called to to the complex on Newmarket Rd at around 4am after receiving a noise complaint.

The 42-year-old man who was alone in the unit was arrested shortly after 8am, Sunday.

An exclusion zone was created spanning Newmarket Road and Green Terrace to Nicholas Street, Lutwytche Road South, north to Eildon Road, west to the corner of Prospect Road and Cox Road and south to Newmarket Road

No one was injured in the incident.

Police said the exclusion zone had been lifted and all roads are now open.

Source: Police declare emergency situation in Brisbane’s Windsor | Daily Mail Online

‘How do you kill an Australian?’ Son, eight, of a terrorist wears a suicide vest and brandishes pistol…

The young son of an Islamic State terrorist has been filmed by his father making threats to kill Australians.

Khaled Sharrouf’s son Humzeh, eight, was captured on camera wearing a suicide vest and at times with a Glock pistol, automatic ­machine gun and knife in hand in the terrifying video.

The boy was asked by his off-camera father ‘How do you kill a non-Muslim?’ and ‘How do you kill an Australian?’, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Humzeh responds by showing his father how he would kill a person and can also be heard heaping praise on Islamic State.

The video is believed to have been filmed only recently by Sharrouf, who is fighting for Islamic State in the Middle East.

The eight-year-old is the youngest of Sharrouf’s five children, all of whom left Australia with their late mother, Tara Nettleton, in 2013 to join their father overseas.

Counter-terrorism authorities said they were aware of the chilling video.

New South Wales police said an investigation into the disturbing footage was now underway.

‘The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team [JCTT] is aware of a video emanating from the Middle East ­depicting a minor making threats in the name of ISIS,’ a NSW Police spokesman said.

Earlier this year, Sharrouf had his Australian citizenship cancelled.

Source: Young son of Islamic terrorist makes threats to kill | Daily Mail Online

Donald Trump’s 100 days in office marked by climate change protests

As Donald Trump marks his 100th day in the White House, thousands of people turn out in cities across the country to protest against his climate change policies.

Mr Trump said earlier he had brought “profound change”, adding “the first 100 days of my administration has been just about the most successful in our country’s history”.

“It’s a false standard, 100 days, but I have to tell you, I don’t think anybody has done what we’ve been able to do in 100 days, so we’re very happy,” he said.

About 15,000 people gathered for the afternoon march from the lawn of the US Capitol to the White House, according to an estimate by a Reuters reporter, coinciding with the end of the traditional “honeymoon” period for a new president.

Carrying signs emblazoned with slogans such as “Imagine a world free of climate change”, and “Planet over profits”, demonstrators on Saturday (local time) said they were angered by the prospect of Mr Trump carrying through on his vow to roll back protections put in place by his predecessors.

MORE: Donald Trump’s 100 days in office marked by climate change protests – Donald Trump’s America – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

RHOS Lisa Oldfield wants to pioneer Real Housewives Of PERTH as ‘it beats Sydney, hands down’

US ‘botched’ executions: Gasping for air, snorting and even inmates SITTING UP – witnesses describe the effects of ‘problem drug’

The sedative midazolam is supposed to prevent condemned prisoners from suffering while they die, but opponents say several problematic executions involving the drug are evidence that it does not work consistently.

They raised new concerns after an execution Thursday in Arkansas left the prisoner convulsing and pressing against his restraints.

The drug, normally a surgical sedative, was first used by Florida in 2013 as part of that state’s lethal injection protocol after drugmakers began clamping down on the use of other drugs such as sodium thiopental or pentobarbital. Midazolam has also been used in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma.

READ MORE HERE: Witnesses describe the effects of execution drug | Daily Mail Online