Prince Andrew asked to leave Buckingham Palace

The Queen gave Prince Andrew an indication of her support as they went riding in the grounds of Windsor Castle

PETER NICHOLLS/REUTERS

The Duke of York is being forced to move his private office out of Buckingham Palace, The Times can reveal.

In the latest humiliation for the beleaguered duke, which has been authorised by the Queen, he has been told that he will have to clear his staff out and find other premises.

Prince Ancrew TV interview a train wreck

One of the royal family’s favourite charities is considering severing its links with the Duke of York as the backlash over his friendship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein grows. 

Trustees of Outward Bound, which works extensively with young people, will hold an urgent meeting this week to discuss the fallout from Prince Andrew’s BBC interview in which he said he did not regret his relationship with the billionaire paedophile. He also failed to express sympathy for Epstein’s victims.

Craig McLachlan's indecent assault trial begins

A three-week contested hearing is underway in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court after Mr  Craig McLachlan 54, was charged earlier this year.

Four women will give evidence over the coming days, but their testimony will be in a closed court — so only lawyers, police and some supporters for complainants will be allowed into the court.

Prosecutors have briefly outlined their case, in which Mr McLachlan is alleged to have indecently assaulted the four women between late April 2014 and mid-July 2014.

Bushfires rage across NSW and Queensland

NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers Bob (left) and Greg Kneipp, a father and son, embrace after successfully defending a property in Torrington, near Glen Innes.

https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer/volunteering-with-the-rfs

Jackson Pollock painting found in Arizona

A Jackson Pollock painting found in an Arizona garage is expected to sell for up to $15 million at auction.

Australia's trophy painting, Jackson Pollock's Blue Poles, is now worth about $350 million, an appreciation of more than 300-fold on the $1.3 million paid for it in 1973 under the Gough Whitlam government, a world record price at the time and one that caused a huge controversy.

Poppies were a common sight, especially on the Western Front. They flourished in the soil churned up by the fighting and shelling. 

The flower provided Canadian doctor John McCrae with inspiration for his poem 'In Flanders Fields', which he wrote whilst serving in Ypres in 1915. It was first published in Punch, having been rejected by The Spectator.

In 1918, in response to McCrae's poem, American humanitarian Moina Michael wrote 'And now the Torch and Poppy Red, we wear in honor of our dead…'. She campaigned to make the poppy a symbol of remembrance of those who had died in the war.

In Flanders Fields

BY JOHN MCCRAE

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

Flammable material found in 444 buildings across NSW

Grenfell Tower in London

A list of 444 buildings across NSW potentially clad in flammable material (similar to that used in the Grenfell Tower in London) has been released to the NSW Parliament, but will not be shown to the public after the government deemed the privileged document a security risk.

The list was handed to the NSW Legislative Council on October 31 after all non-government parties voted for the government to turn it over, but the Department of Customer Service said releasing the list would increase the risk of arson and terrorism.

In its bid to keep the list secret the government lodged a privilege claim, which included the security risks as well as saying its public release could hurt property owners, potentially mislead the public and breach expectations of confidentiality.

It comes as a trade union demands federal intervention in a wider “national construction crisis,” which is estimated to have cost the country $10 billion over the past decade because of a lack of adequate procurement and infrastructure proficiency within state governments…….

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/cladding-list-kept-secret-amid-demands-for-action-on-construction-crisis-20191104-p537dg.html

Fox news remains undefeated in 2019

Fox News remained undefeated in 2019 as it finished the third quarter as the most watched cable network in both primetime and total day, according to Nielsen.

In primetime, Fox News averaged 2.4 million viewers during the period of July 1 to Sept. 29 -- down 1% from the same period in 2018 -- besting cable news rival MSNBC and sports network ESPN, which finished tied for second with 1.5 million viewers. Fox News has topped the primetime charts for all three quarters in 2019, according to Nielsen.

HGTV finished in fourth place for the quarter with 1.2 million viewers, followed by USA Network, CNN and TLC, which all tied for fifth with 1 million viewers each. Hallmark Channel (972,000), Investigation Discovery (893,000) and History (892,000) rounded out the top 10, according to Nielsen……

https://www.multichannel.com/news/fox-news-most-watched-network-third-quarter