Today’s top 5: Reaction to Blatter; Australian advisor launches anti-Irish tirade

An advisor to the Australian Liberal Party has launched an anti-Irish tirade, after members of the opposition called for a vote on gay marriage there.

Speaking yesterday on Sky News Australia, Grahame Morris made several claims about Ireland and the Irish people.

“The trigger was a vote in Ireland – I love the Irish and half the parliament’s full of Irishmen, but these are people who can’t grow potatoes, they’ve got a mutant lawn weed as their national symbol and they can’t verbalise the difference between a tree and the number three” he said.

The Scottish ex-MP’s death is not believed to be suspicious

In the UK, former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has died suddenly at his home aged 55.

The Scottish ex-MP’s death was not believed to be suspicious and the cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

A statement released on behalf of his family said: “It is with great sadness, and an enormous sense of shock, that we announce the death of Charles Kennedy.

“Charles died at home in Fort William yesterday. He was 55. We are obviously devastated at the loss.

Denis O’Brien issues statement on judgement and calls on Deputy Murphy to stand over her Dáil statements

The High Court is due to publish details in the morning of a temporary injunction preventing RTE from airing details of Denis O’Brien’s banking relationship with IBRC.

Earlier, the judge in the case Mr Justice Donald Binchy clarified the position on reporting of comments by Deputy Catherine Murphy made under Dail privilege about the businessman’s bank affairs.

He said he never intended to restrain TDs from making comments in the Dail, nor to prevent the reporting of them.

In the wake of the ruling, media outlets were able to publish Deputy Catherine Murphy’s comments – made under Dail privilege – that Denis O’Brien enjoyed what she called favourable interest rates of 1.25 per cent on expired loans with IBRC.

In a statement this evening Mr O’Brien said he fully accepted Dáil privilege, but he said that the information put before the Dail was wrong.

Some have called for the winner to give up her €347,362 prize

Producers of Britain’s Got Talent have apologised to the show’s judges and viewers, after the winner revealed a “stunt double” dog was used during the grand final.

Jules O’Dwyer picked up stg£250,000 (€347,362) and a spot at the Royal Variety Performance with a sketch where her border collie, Matisse, appeared to walk across a tightrope.

But hours after the win, she divulged that a different border collie, Chase, had actually performed the stunt during the live performance – a fact which was not made clear to the voting public on the night.

It was a mix of shock, joy and spirit dampening realism

Sepp Blatter’s resignation as Fifa president today caught the football world off guard. Having just won re-election for a fifth term on Friday it was utterly unexpected that the man who has for so long seemed the Teflon administrator would finally say his goodbyes.

The reaction online was a mix of shock, delight and some party-killing moments of sense that threw cold water on the excitement by pointing out that the end of Sepp Blatter will not necessarily mean an end to the corruption of Fifa.

[“source-newstalk.com”]