We buy ugly houses

People familiar with the proceedings said independent cybersecurity experts from a private consulting firm, technology lawyers, government officials and WhatsApp representatives were asked questions about the Pegasus spyware and the larger issues surrounding surveillance, hacking and remedial measures. IMAGE: Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor speaks to newsmen outside Parliament. Photograph: R Raveendran / ANI Photo. The parliamentary standing committee for information technology held a three-hour-long meeting with WhatsApp, cybersecurity experts and representatives from the telecom and home ministries to seek their views on citizen's data security and privacy. The committee, headed by Congress member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, was initially scheduled to hold the meeting on December 11. People familiar with the proceedings said independent cybersecurity experts from a private consulting firm, technology lawyers, government officials and WhatsApp representatives were asked questions about … [Read more...] about Tharoor’s House panel on I-T meets cyber experts

There are loads of new products released in time to top your wish list and leave your loved ones bankrupt, and there’s also fun festive ranges from our fave beauty brands. After all, what is Christmas without a sprinkling of glitter on your eyelids? Here are some of the prettiest products that will take your festive beauty game to the next level or make the most delightful gift. Missed a column? Catch up on all The Beauty Diary action here. LOUVELLE CHIC TURBAN STYLE SHOWER CAP Products so pretty, they make perfect presents. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied Available at Myer and David Jones Price: $44.95 Making a shower cap look stylish is not easy, but Queensland creator Simone Taylor was determined to turn an “ugly shower essential” into an item fit for a queen. And she did just that. Louvelle was born after Ms Taylor’s husband mocked her “old lady” shower cap. But it was featuring on the 2017 Oprah’s list of “Favourite … [Read more...] about The Beauty Diary by Rebekah Scanlan: Products so pretty, they make perfect presents

Two bidders competed for the keys to a two-bedroom house at 75 Alfred St, which sold for $1.15 million behind closed doors. The four-year-old townhouse’s final figure was well above the $1.05 million final bid placed by the eventual buyer. RELATED: Aussie rapper 360’s Port Melbourne apartment comes full circle with sale Port Melbourne beachfront apartment tops reserve by more than $1.5 million Melbourne’s most searched suburbs for buyers and renters Outdoor entertaining at the Port Melbourne property.Source:Supplied Should you buy a beach house? Should you buy a beach house? A local woman, who didn’t give her name, bought the property because it was ready to move straight into. The US-born buyer called Melbourne’s cutthroat property market “scary”, with so many homes flying above reserve at the moment. Vendor Naomi, who did not give her surname, said she was upgrading to a period-style home in the area. “That’s … [Read more...] about Port Melbourne: buyer conquers ‘scary’ market behind closed doors

'The Senators were playing safe, not angering either the pro-India lobby or the pro-Pakistan lobby, but perhaps more importantly, the military-industrial complex -- the most powerful lobby of all -- which the majority of Senators are beholden to in terms of largesse to their campaign coffers.'Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com reports from Washington, DC. IMAGE: 'Pakistan doesn't need F-16s to counter terrorism,' says foreign and defence policy analyst Michael Rubin, 'it needs F-16s to mount attacks against India.' Notwithstanding a chorus of influential US Senators, scholars and policy wonks in leading think-tanks voicing strong opposition to the Obama administration's decision to provide Pakistan eight F-16 fighter jets, when it came to a vote on a resolution aimed at blocking the sale, the full Senate pushed it to the backburner by a vote of 71-24. Citing a provision in the 1976 Arms Export Control Act, Senator Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican, attempted to win Senate approval of his … [Read more...] about Despite anger against Pakistan, US Senate delivers blow to India

Email By Heather Faulkner and Lee Stickells Posted December 15, 2019 05:00:43 Photo: Building Gai's kitchen for a lifestyle she has described as "voluntary simplicity". (Supplied) Related Story: Naked, wild and free: The women who set out to build utopia on a remote mountaintop Related Story: 'I don't accumulate things': The ups and downs of tiny house living Related Story: Changing your life and going off the grid Map: The Channon 2480 It's just after sunset and someone has blown the conch shell to summon residents to the weekly Sunday community dinner. Painted by moonlight, silhouetted figures begin to appear in the door frames of houses and strolling up the gravel road. Soon we're sharing a meal — vegetarian — with around 20 others in a large, hand-built, hexagonal building that serves as the community centre. Later, as dishes are dutifully washed and dried, a guitar and mandolin are picked up and folk songs begin to reverberate around the room. Voices … [Read more...] about Bodhi Farm and other countercultural communities live like the 1970s never ended