NowMyNews

Laurence Fox suggested Twitter introduce a 'retract button' for people who say controversial things but then change their views today as he blasted a freedom of speech 'crisis'. The Lewis actor turned political activist attacked a 'totalitarian orthodoxy' which was marshalling people's views as he attended a Conservative Party Conference fringe event. He attacked Twitter because 'everything that everyone ever writes exists in perpetuity', and suggested it should have some changes to make it fairer and stop people being arrested for hate crimes. His attendance at a virtual fringe event on 'the free speech crisis' run by the IEA think tank, came the day after he labelled a fellow actor and social media users 'paedophiles' in a bizarre online spat. The actor is embroiled in a heated exchange with a number of Twitter users including Coronation Street actress Nicola Thorp and deputy chair of Stonewall, Simon Blake, whom he called 'pae

Forget the deluge of the past few days – because the colours of autumn that lie ahead are expected to be even more glorious than usual this year. The high levels of sunshine through the summer and into September are likely to create an intense and vibrant range of hues, say experts at the National Trust. Maple trees are already turning red and orange, with ash, cherry and oak trees increasingly going amber and russet. The sun’s rays raise the sugar content in leaves, boosting production of pigments called anthocyanins which turn plants a vivid red and pink. So thanks to high levels of sunshine over six months, followed by a bright spell at the end of September, the chances of a ‘spectacular and prolonged’ autumn display have been raised. The high levels of sunshine through the summer and into September are likely to create an intense and vibrant range of hues, say experts at the National Trust. Pictured: Winkworth Arboretum, Surrey However the next two weeks must remain settled to enco

One-in-four people living in Western Australia say they want the state to break away from the rest of the country for good. WA slammed its borders shut in April as the coronavirus pandemic took hold and has remained closed off ever since. In a recent poll carried out by market research group, Utting Research, 28 per cent of 3,500 Western Australians surveyed said they'd like to see WA become its own country. Some 55 per cent wanted the state to remain in the Federation and 17 per cent didn't know. One-in-four people living in Western Australia say they want the state break away from the rest of the country for good Perth Labor MP, Patrick Gorman, said the results were 'deeply concerning'.  'This poll shows those in the eastern States need to understand the secessionist undertones which have always existed in WA,' he told The West Australian. 'The tyranny of distance between Perth and Canberra often leaves West Australians feeling isolated and ignored by our

The Queensland government has signed a $200million investment deal with Virgin Australia to keep the carrier's headquarters in Brisbane until 2030. The 10-year deal, which involves the state taking an equity stake in the carrier and a series of loans, was signed between the Queensland Investment Corporation and Bain Capital on Monday afternoon. The Labor government sealed the agreement within 24 hours of going into caretaker mode before the October 31 state election. The Queensland government has signed a $200million investment deal with Virgin Australia to keep the carrier's headquarters in Brisbane until 2030 (file picture) The opposition Liberal National Party had threatened to end the talks if it won government and a deal hadn't been struck by the time parliament was dissolved on October 6. A government spokesman told AAP the deal was expected to deliver a seven per cent return over the first five-year loan period. The government also hopes the deal will secure region

Security checkpoints and customs bases in Northern Ireland after Brexit will become targets and a 'recruiting badge' for dissident republican groups, MPs have warned. It came after MI5 carried out an investigation into the terrorism threat linked to 'installations or infrastructure at the border' with the Irish Republic. The intelligence agency said it feared the New IRA could become a more dangerous threat in the future.  Security checkpoints and customs bases in Northern Ireland after Brexit will become targets and a 'recruiting badge' for dissident republican groups, MPs have warned MI5 carried out an investigation into the terrorism threat linked to 'installations or infrastructure at the border' with the Irish Republic MPs on the Commons intelligence and security committee released a report into Northern Ireland terrorism concluding that security and customs bases would 'increase the risk of political violence in border areas'. They also war

Pubs, cafes and restaurants across Sydney have been given the go-ahead to expand their outdoor seating areas in a bid to give the hospitality industry a boost following the COVID-19 pandemic. Amended liquor licensing rules in New South Wales will allow venues to operate in a COVID-safe environment while sustaining their revenue by moving patrons outside. The new regulations are part of what has been dubbed the 'al fresco revolution' and mean the state government can turn around applications to change licence boundaries in less than a week rather than the standard process - which can take three months.  The strategy has already been adopted by 16 venues in The Rocks - a historic entertainment district overlooking the Sydney Opera House - as part of a 12-month-trial to rejuvenate the city. Two young women eat breakfast at a cafe in Freshwater on Sydney's northern beaches on May 15. Pubs, cafes and restaurants in The Rocks will be the first to trial a fast-tracked outdoor seat

A university student has been given a community order and no jail time after repeatedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl and sending her 'sexually aggressive' messages. Alan Yuen, from Melbourne, was about to turn 20 when he had sex with the Year 9 student on multiple occasions between October and December last year. Yuen first slept with the 'sad and vulnerable' girl after he snuck through a window at her home at 2am.  Their relationship was discovered after sexually explicit messages between them were found on her school laptop. Yuen, a Monash University student, pleaded guilty to the sexual penetration of a child under 16 and was sentenced to a three-year community corrections order at the County Court.  A 20-year-old man has avoided jail after sneaking into a 15-year-old's home and having sex with her (stock image) The student was first questioned by workers from the Department of Health and Human Services after the conversations were discovered, the Herald Su

A bid by one of Britain’s top accountancy firms to get staff back into the office has been badly hit by Boris Johnson urging employees to work from home. The number of weekly visits by staff to the offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers peaked at 12,700 three weeks ago as the firm encouraged workers to return to their desks. But now the figure is averaging just 7,000. The company employs 22,000 staff. PwC chairman Kevin Ellis said in the summer around 1,000 more were returning every week in late August and he hoped to have 50 per cent back by the end of September. The number of weekly visits by staff to the offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers peaked at 12,700 three weeks ago as the firm encouraged workers to return to their desks However, all hopes of a return to normality have crumbled since the Prime Minister urged Britons to work from home where possible on September 22 amid fears of a second wave of coronavirus. The number of individual PwC employees making the journey into work is likely

The former Post Office boss accused of wrongly dragging hundreds of postmasters to court should be stripped of her CBE, MPs demanded yesterday. Paula Vennells – who was chief executive until last year – is said to have known that money could appear to be missing from branch accounts because of errors in the Horizon computer system. Over two decades, hundreds of postmasters blamed for the losses were bankrupted, sacked or jailed. Paula Vennells – who was chief executive until last year – is said to have known that money could appear to be missing from branch accounts because of errors in the Horizon computer system Mrs Vennells, 61, made the decision to pursue postmasters in court during a compensation battle that cost the taxpayer an estimated £90million. It is now believed that as many as 2,750 former employees may have been wrongly accused of taking money from the till.  The Daily Mail has repeatedly highlighted the Horizon scandal and campaigned to save village post offices. In the

South Sydney Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe could be asked to face an NRL integrity unit after serious allegations were levelled against club legend Sam Burgess. The Hollywood icon was named in a bombshell newspaper report on Thursday detailing Burgess' alleged excessive partying habits and accusations about his conduct towards his ex-wife Phoebe. The Australian article included a text message Phoebe Burgess allegedly sent to Crowe in November 2018 claiming she had seen a change in her husband's behaviour. 'I thought we had the world at our feet together,' Phoebe allegedly wrote to the actor. 'He might need a good friend because he is just not our Sam.'   South Sydney Rabbitohs legend Sam and his ex-wife Phoebe Burgess are pictured together. Bombshell allegations have been made in a newspaper article about his alleged excessive partying habits and behaviour towards Phoebe The investigation by the newspaper also claims to have uncovered text messages between Ph

NRL star Brandon Smith has been busted on camera stealing a kid's lollipop - but was quick to explain he was just clowning around. The Melbourne Storm hooker, who is a renowned prankster, last week spotted a young child holding a lollipop moments before boarding a flight to Queensland. Smith snatched the candy out of the shocked child's hand, well aware the youngster was the grandson of his Storm coach Craig Bellamy. NRL star Brandon Smith (pictured right) has been busted on camera stealing a lollipop from a child - before explaining it was a prank NRL star Brandon Smith was caught on camera pinching a kids lollipop The gag saw Smith 'win' Melbourne's  'Goose of the Week' award. Speaking on Channel 9's 100% Footy on Monday night, Smith told host James Bracey and the panel he acted on instinct. 'I thought I'd get one up on Bellsa so I stole his grandson's lollipop,' Smith, who is the nicknamed 'The Cheese', explained.  'I d