My husband broke one of our sacred rules of marriage: He ate at McDonald’s without me.
Now, let me explain. We have a rule to try and curb our addiction to McDonald’s, and that is you can only eat Macca’s at the airport.
Any time we are flying overseas or interstate, one of the bonuses is we eat Macca’s at the airport – whether it’s hotcakes, sausages and egg McMuffins for an early flight, or Quarter Pounders with a thickshake for later flights.
That’s a rule we’ve had for five or six years, and it just works.
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‘We have a rule… and that is you can only eat Macca’s at the airport.’ (Supplied)
We recently moved to the Gold Coast, and now we have a McDonald’s that is only a three-minute walk from our house. We’ve had to be very strict and I’m proud to say we have never actually never ordered burgers from there (although, we do allow a late-night McFlurry every once in a while).
So, back to the marriage issue.
My husband has found a loophole, and I’m not happy about it. He works as a sound recordist with A Current Affair and the TodayShow weather, and with the stories they cover they are often filming at an airport.
So, Darren bought McDonald’s after his shift and said it wasn’t breaking the rules because he’d actually been in an airport. He even sent me numerous selfies to rub it in (which was pretty funny).
But I still say that is breaking the rules. It’s a slippery, slippery slope.
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Shelly Horton’s husband Darren found a loophole in their Macca’s rule. (Supplied)
Some of my friends have other tiny marriage rules that I totally understand:
“I can’t watch an episode of Yellowstone before I get home. All TV binges must be in sync.”
“You must like each other’s social media posts. A double tap on each other’s Instagram or like on Facebook posts is a virtual sign of saying ‘I got your back and I love you’.”
“We don’t buy expensive wine often, so I’ve learned not to open a bottle of special wine with one of my girlfriends instead of him. It’s special for a reason.”
“Don’t buy your partner kitchen appliances as a birthday present, even if she asks for them. Save those for just a random day of the week.”
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“I work interstate a lot, so we have a rule that we both send a good morning text to say we’re thinking of each other before the work day gets hectic.”
So, do you think my husband broke the rules? Or is an airport rule an airport rule and he stayed between the lines technically? What do you guys think?
‘Til Macca’s do us part…
(Just kidding, I love you Darren!)
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Xiaomi this week introduced CyberOne, a humanoid robot that looks set to take on Tesla Bot.
Tipping the scales at a hefty 52 kg and standing 1.77 meters tall, CyberOne showed up stage alongside Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun at an event in Beijing on Thursday, August 11.
I was both nervous and thrilled to interact with him on stage. What did you think of his performance by him tonight? #CyberOnepic.twitter.com/Je1eXDYEGR
The robot waddled up to Jun before handing the boss a red flower. The reason for doing so seemed unclear, though it was probably to demonstrate that CyberOne is able to competently clasp an array of objects with its mitten-like hands.
After Jun accepted the flower, Xiaomi’s first robot since CyberDog launched into a nifty kung fu move, though it thought better of decking the man who’d given the green light for its creation. Happy to still be standing, Jun then took a selfie with CyberOne and wrapped up the introduction before anything could go horribly wrong with the prototype.
A more cinematic video (below) featuring CyberOne landed on Xiaomi’s YouTube channel, though in it, the robot spends most of its time walking as if in desperate need of a bathroom — and falling over, too. So, no, it’s not yet as agile as Boston Dynamics’ somersaulting Atlas robot.
With a Mi-Sense depth vision module working alongside an AI interaction algorithm, CyberOne is able to perceive 3D space and recognize individuals, gestures, and expressions, “allowing it to not only see but to process its environment,” Xiaomi said in a release .
It added that the robot’s smarts also allow it to recognize 85 types of environmental sounds and 45 classifications of human emotion. CyberOne can detect happiness, too, and “comfort the user in times of sadness,” though the company doesn’t specify how it does this. “All of these features are integrated into CyberOne’s processing units, which are paired with a curved OLED module to display real-time interactive information,” the company explained.
CyberOne reminds us a lot of Tesla Bot, a robot unveiled last year by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The flamboyant entrepreneur said at the time that Tesla Bot would be deployed to “eliminate dangerous, repetitive, boring tasks” in the workplace. A prototype is expected to appear sometime this year.
Xiaomi’s robot also brings to mind the likes of SoftBank’s Pepper robot and Honda’s Asimo, both of which have ended up in the great robot graveyard in the sky. Hopefully, CyberOne will avoid a similarly tragic fate.
It’s not entirely clear what Xiaomi has planned for CyberOne, and judging by the contents of a tweet shared by Jun on Thursday, he’s not exactly sure either. “The story of CyberOne is one of embarking on a new journey of exploration in the field of intelligent robots,” Jun said in the post. “We still have a long way to go, but we always believe that something wonderful is about to happen.” Let’s hope so.
The Wests Tigers have been told to “win the war” over star recruit Isaiah Papali’i as the club faces a “massive moment” in its history.
The Eels enforcer was seen as a major coup when he inked a three-year $1.9 million deal in November.
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But the 23-year-old is reportedly weighing up his future after the Tigers parted ways with premiership winning coach Michael Maguire.
It is the first major challenge for the Tigers new coaching group of Tim Sheens, Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah, one that could shape the immediate future of the embattled club.
Speaking on NRL360, the Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield said it was vital that the club made sure Papali’i honored his lucrative contract.
“It’s no good the Wests Tigers having the new Sheens-Benji combination at the head of the club if they’re going to back down on something like this,” Rothfield said on Wednesday.
“It’s a crunch signing for them, as important as Api (Koroisau). They’ve got to stay strong.”
Papali’i was widely seen as one of the best new buys in the competition in 2021, as he was included in the Dally M Team of the Year after a stellar first season in blue and gold.
The talented forward played 25-games for the Eels last season, having scored seven tries, averaged 150 running meters per game, and made more than 800 tackles.
What’s more, his signature saw the Tigers part ways with the likes of Luke Garner and Luciano Leilua.
Isaiah Papali’i could backflip on his Tigers deal.Source: Getty Images
NRL 360 co-host Paul Kent said the saga surrounding Papali’i had seen the club reach a crossroads.
“It’s a massive moment in the club and the new future of the club, given the new appointment of the coaches,” he said.
Kent then questioned the re-signing of Brent Naden after the club announced this week he had inked an extension until the end of the 2025 season.
“If you’re going to go out and sell your club, Brent Naden is not the guy you’re going to go ‘look who we’ve just signed, come and play with us’,” Kent said.
“They’ve got to win the war of Papali’i first.”
Co-host Braith Anasta was also surprised by the Naden announcement and the club needed to identify what a Wests Tigers player represents.
“They’ve got the opportunity here, the Wests Tigers, and you see it with the Bulldogs at the moment, to start from the bottom up again,” Anasta said.
“They’ve got Sheens, they’ve got Marshall, great look, you want to attract players. You want to attract the right players from the start, set the tone.
“What sort of personality are you looking for? What sort of player do you want to be a Wests Tigers player? That’s what I’m talking about.”
Brent Naden signed an extension with the Tigers this week.Source: Getty Images
The Australian’s Brent Read said the Naden announcement, at a time where there is uncertainty surrounding a host of big-name Tigers stars, was not what fans wanted to see.
“He’s a tell me a dozen,” he said on NRL360.
“You know what the Wests Tigers fans want to hear about? They want to hear about (Adam) Doueihi, they want to hear about (Daine) Laurie, they want to hear about (Jackson) Hastings, they want to hear about (Luke) Brooks,” Read said.
“That’s what they care about. Brent Naden they can give or take, due respect to Brent Naden, but they want to hear what’s going on with those four blokes.”
Rothfield, however, said the club was right to lock Naden down.
“I think you’re being really unfair on that young fella, I really do,” he said.
“I think he’s a handy player,” Rothfield said. “You don’t let players go alright and handy players, you don’t not sign them.”
The drama surrounding the Tigers roster is unlikely to begin and end with Papali’i.
Luke Brooks has repeatedly been linked with a move to Newcastle despite denying he wants out.
Rumors about Luke Brooks’ future at the Tigers won’t go away.Source: Supplied
Fellow half Jackson Hastings’ future is also up in the air. The Sydney Morning Herald reported last month that Hastings, who has been playing lock, could be axed as part of a roster overhaul.
This report claimed there are people within the club who believe Hastings has had a negative influence on the playing group.
This week Rothfield then revealed another rumor surrounding Brooks which will do little to quell the feeling of uncertainty at Concord.
“There’s been all sorts of rumours,” he said.
“There was a strong one (Tuesday) that Luke Brooks was going to N and Frizell was coming to Wests Tigers as a swap. As an edge forward.
“Tim Sheens said it’s not happening but a lot of people saw it as insurance if Papali’i doesn’t come.”
Wests have also reportedly inquired about former Raiders second rower John Bateman, who is currently plying his trade back in England with Wigan.
The inquiry, as reported by Fox Sports’ James Hooper, is believed to be “unrelated to Isaiah Papali’i” and his contract drama.
“Tim’s got something going on cause I spoke to him this week, I asked him about Papali’i and he said ‘he’s coming and don’t worry there’s other stuff happening,” Read added.
“Edge backrower is an area that they need to address. He’d be a really handy one for them.”
Northern Territory Police officers “do not have confidence” in Commissioner Jamie Chalker, have low morale and are lacking resources, according to a damning union survey.
Key points:
1,044 NT Police Association members took part in the survey – about 65 per cent of union membership
79.7 per cent of surveyed members said they did not have confidence in Commissioner Jamie Chalker
The survey was conducted after multiple police regions requested a vote of no confidence in the Commissioner
The NT Police Association (NTPA), a union which represents officers, undertook a survey of its members after calls for a vote of no confidence in Commissioner Chalker.
1,044 officers took part in the survey out of 1,608 who were eligible, which the union said was the highest number of participants ever.
79.7 per cent said they did not have confidence in the commissioner.
The survey comes as concerns grow about crime in the Northern Territory, which has become a major issue in the upcoming by-election in the seat of Fannie Bay.
There has also been another jump in domestic violence cases.
Paul McCue said the results would be discussed at the union’s annual conference next week. (ABC News: Mitchell Woolnough)
Police force ‘in complete crisis’, union claims
In an internal email from union president Paul McCue, seen by the ABC, the key issues identified by the survey included low morale, pay freeze concerns and a lack of resources.
“92.6 per cent of respondents said they do not think there are enough police in the NT to do what is being asked of them,” Mr McCue wrote.
79.4 per cent of respondents rated current morale in the NT Police Force as low, or very low [and] 87.9 per cent of respondents said they were dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the current pay freeze offer from the Commissioner and Government.”
In a media statement released this morning, Mr McCue said the results showed the police force was “in complete crisis”.
“Our members do not have confidence in the commissioner, they overwhelmingly reject the government’s … pay freeze,” he said.
“They think morale is at an all-time low, and there clearly needs to be an urgent review into staffing which is completely insufficient to undertake the roles our members are being forced to do.”
Yuendumu shooting among reasons for confidence vote
Survey questions seen by the ABC asked respondents to give reasons why they had no confidence in Mr Chalker’s leadership.
Among the multiple-choice options was “the management and communication relating to the Yuendumu critical incident.”
NT Police Constable Zachary Rolfe was charged, and later found not guilty, of murder after shooting Yuendumu man Kumanjayi Walker during an attempted arrest in 2019.
In March, Commissioner Chalker “completely rejected” allegations of any political interference regarding the matter.
Zachary Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges in March.(ABC News: Che Chorley)
Other reasons officers could give for a lack of confidence included “does not understand the challenges of NT policing”, “the application of the disciplinary and complaints process” and a “failure to retain police”.
Commissioner ‘aware of confidence sentiment’
In a statement this morning, Commissioner Chalker said he had been notified of the survey results on Thursday night.
“We have been aware of the confidence sentiment for some time,” he said.
The Commissioner said he intended to discuss the results at the NT Police Association’s annual conference in Darwin next week, after further details had been provided to the union’s members over coming days.
Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker says he’ll directly address the issues at next week’s conference. (ABC NewsTiffany Parker)
“We remain committed to working with our people and the NTPA to continue to advance the NT Police Force and the health and wellbeing of all of our members,” he said.
“We look forward to discussing the issues raised in the survey and talking directly to the conference next week.”
Union Conference to be held next week
Mr McCue said in the email to union members that the results and “any further action to be considered” would be discussed at next week’s annual conference.
“From the outset, I have been upfront about providing the results of this survey to not only the membership, but also the Commissioner of Police and Government,” he wrote.
“Which ensures as much openness and transparency around the results as possible.”
Mr McCue also said Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, Police Minister Kate Worden and Shadow Police Minister Lia Finocchiaro had been notified of the results.
Many of Trump’s GOP allies have clamored for the DOJ to release its Mar-a-Lago search warrant and supporting documentation.
On Thursday, the DOJ moved to do just that, asking a court to unseal portions of the warrant.
Legal experts and political strategists say Trump’s backers bit off more than they could chew and the DOJ called their bluff.
Former President Donald Trump’s allies have spent this week clamoring for the Justice Department to release details from its search warrant for Mar-a-Lago and other supporting documentation.
Now, it looks like they might get what they asked for.
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday at a news conference that the Justice Department has filed a motion to unseal portions of the warrant following Trump’s “public confirmation of the search.”
But legal experts and political strategists warn that Trump’s allies may have bitten off more than they could chew and that the maneuver could ultimately backfire on the former president and his party as this year’s midterm elections loom.
“Republican strategists have no clue how bad this is gonna be yet,” said Luis Alvarado, a longtime GOP consultant.
Right-wing reactions in the wake of the Mar-a-Lago raid have failed into one of two camps.
Many of Trump’s more hardline supporters — like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyFlorida Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — threatened to investigate the Justice Department and issued calls to “defund” the FBI.
Other Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, have asked the Justice Department to publicly talk about his investigation into Trump.
Cruz issued a tweet demanding that the department “RELEASE THE WARRANT NOW.”
“The American people deserve to see it,” Cruz wrote. “NOW.”
But Alvarado expressed skepticism toward those demands.
“They were saying it and crossing their fingers and hoping they don’t turn around and release that information immediately,” Insider told. “Because right now, we still have primaries that are happening around the country. And they don’t want that to fill the space.”
Fox Business’ Charles Gasparino tweeted on Wednesday that Trump’s own legal team would “likely seek a court order to force the @FBI and @TheJusticeDept to turn over a physical copy of the search warrant, the affidavit, and a complete inventory of what was taken in the Mar-a-Lago raid .”
The department’s motion on Thursday rendered that option moot.
“This is a big fucking deal,” one former DOJ official, who requested anonymity to candidly discuss the subject, said of the request to unseal. “Never happens. It’s unheard of.”
But the attorney general likely made an exception in this case “because of everything that’s been going on the last few days, including Trump himself and his backers crying foul, accusing the FBI of planting evidence, what have you,” the former official said.
“There is a heightened level of interest in this,” they added. “There’s a relevance here because it really does go to the heart of the system. It’s not just people throwing stones at DOJ and FBI, they’ve gotten that for decades. This is a systemic questioning of DOJ and FBI by the former president, a fair number of elected officials, and the population.”
Garland calls Republicans’ bluff
Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Shortly after the department’s motion was filed Thursday, magistrate judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the DOJ to confer with Trump’s lawyers and let the court know by Friday afternoon if Trump’s team agrees with or objects to the government’s request to unseal.
In other words, the department’s motion will force Trump to put up or shut up.
“Brilliant move by Garland: make motion to unseal everything including material Trump has already (warrant and return); so now the ball is in his court to object or consent,” Andrew Weissmann, a former FBI general counsel who later worked on the Mueller investigation, tweeted after Garland’s news conference. “Called Trump’s bluff.”
David Weinstein, a Miami criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, told Insider that even if the department’s motion to unseal is denied, Republicans could still regret pressing the DOJ because it will inadvertently put more pressure on Trump and his lawyers to produce their copy of the search warrant.
Multiple people on Trump’s team, including his son Eric, awning Gasparino that they did not get copies of the warrant or supporting documentation. But Garland debunked that claim Thursday, saying copies of both the warrant and the FBI receipt were given to Trump’s counsel.
“Trump and his lawyers have a copy of the search warrant that lists exactly what laws the FBI believes and the Department of Justice believes have been violated,” Weinstein said. “So if they wanted to show that to the world, they’re afraid to do so. And quite frankly, if it was just the presidential records, I think they’d be waving it around like an American flag.”
Gene Rossi, a longtime former federal prosecutor, also told Insider this week that he would be “shocked” if the affidavit supporting the warrant didn’t include probable cause suggesting Trump violated other laws including statutes against obstruction, insurrection, sedition, and more.
“You only get one shot at doing a search of Donald Trump’s home,” he said. “The Department of Justice is not going to blow their wad, in my view, on just looking at… the records statute.”
Ultimately, said the former DOJ official, Trump “talked himself into” the department moving to unseal its Mar-a-Lago search warrant.
“The old axiom by lawyers is that you want a client to shut the hell up,” the former official added. “That doesn’t apply to this president. So while he and his supporters are screaming about what the FBI took, the DOJ’s saying, ‘You know exactly what they took. You’ve got a piece of paper that says what they took. But you want the world to know? Fine.'”
The current generation of the Kia Sorento debuted in 2020 and went on sale in the United States for the 2022 model year. Despite the model still feeling so new, a refresh is on the way. This rendering from Kolesa imagines how the crossover’s updated face might look.
The two images below show this rendering next to the 2022 Kia Sorento. The upper grille has the biggest changes. For the updated model, the running lamps incorporate into the main part of the headlights. Spears of metal run from the headlights to the center of the grille.
Kia Sorento Refresh Rendering
2022 Kia Sorento
The lower fascia is slightly different. There are now vertical lights there. The separation between the upper and lower grilles is now one, unified pieces rather than having a split between them.
From the side, the only changes to expect from the updated Sorento are different wheel options.
At the back, look for a minor evolution of the current appearance. The taillights might be different, and the bumper might receive slightly revised sculpting.
Technical changes accompanying the refresh are still a complete mystery. There are currently several powertrains available with the Sorento. The entry-level mill is a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 191 horsepower (142 kilowatts) and 182 pound-feet (247 newton-meters) of torque. A turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder offers 281 hp (210 kW) and 311 lb-ft of torque (422 Nm). A turbocharged 1.6-liter with hybrid assistance makes a total of 227 hp (169 kW). A plug-in hybrid with the turbo 1.6-liter mill and a 13.8 kilowatt-hour battery provides 261 hp (195 kW).
Based on a trademark filing, Kia intends to launch a rugged X-Pro variant of the Sorento and Telluride. They would likely follow the tweaks to this trim on the latest Sportage. On that model, there are 17-inch matte black wheels with BF Goodrich all-terrain tires, LED fog lights, and heating for the windshield and washer nozzles. A two-tone roof is an option.
Kia hasn’t yet announced details for the 2023 Sorento. However, this seems too soon to launch the refresh. Maybe, we could see the updated model for the 2024 model year.
Developer Hotta Studio is compensating tower of fantasy players for waiting in long queues, among other issues.
tower of fantasy has officially launched but players are currently experiencing long queue times, disconnections due to the high number of people trying to get into the free-to-play game, as well as problems with registering an account (via PCGamesN).
One player took to Twitter and explained that they had been trying to get into tower of fantasy for 25 hours until the servers went down. They provided a screenshot to prove how long they had to wait.
🎉Official Launch of #TowerofFantasy, a shared open-world MMORPG. Download now!!
Search for Tower of Fantasy in your App Store, Google Play Store or visit our official website to download the PC version!🔻https://t.co/OK69G05Ivd
Although most of the major issues are now resolved, mainly the registration issue, Hotta Studio is issuing players compensation today (August 11) for their patience. However, the items are only being sent out to “all Wanderers who registered by August 11 at 23:59 GMT (UTC+0)”.
This includes 300 dark crystals for the server disconnection and queue issues, as well as 300 dark crystals for failed account registration and login issues.
Players will be able to claim their dark crystals by navigating to their in-game mailbox. They should be sent out to players within 24 hours of the announcement but players will have only 14 days to claim the dark crystals.
On top of the compensation, all players who register before midnight on August 17 GMT time, will receive 10 gold nucleus items as thanks for the game reaching “the top of the free games charts in 22 countries before the global version of tower of fantasy was launched.”
tower of fantasy is a free-to-play role-playing game now available on PC, iOS and Android mobile devices. The game has been compared to the massively popular Genshin Impact and features 3D anime-style characters, an open world, and a playable roster. Unlike HoYoverse’s gacha game, however, tower of fantasy includes full character customization.
In other news, Sunday Gold has an official release date and a free-to-play demo available now.
Standing in front of her bedroom mirror, smoking, selecting a lipstick and choosing a hair accessory, Nancy (Genevieve Lemon) is preparing to go out. But when a car pulls up and hastily deposits a young girl at her doorstep, she has to adjust her plans for her. Nancy has forgotten to cancel her child-minding arrangement. She still heads out, but now she has young Amirah (Mia-Lore Bayeh) in tow. A Lebanese migrant who speaks no English, Amirah, carrying her pet spider in a jar, is a watchful observer who keeps her thoughts from her to herself, although they’re revealed to viewers via subtitles.
Written by Nisrine Amine and directed by Lucy Gaffy, We the Spiders is the first of the eight loosely connected stories that make up Here Out Westa carefully curated portmanteau film that has been deftly scripted by eight writers (Amine, Arka Das, Bina Bhattacharya, Matias Bolla, Claire Cao, Dee Dogan, Vonne Patiag and Tien Tran) and fluidly directed by Gaffy, Ana Kokkinos, Leah Purcell, Fadia Abboud and Julie Kalceff.
Leah Vandenberg in the Eternal Dance, one of the standout stories in the portmanteau production Here Out West.Credit:John Platt
Nancy’s destination, the local hospital in Sydney’s inner west where her daughter has just given birth, becomes a key location where many of its racially diverse characters cross paths. And an impulsive action by the new grandmother becomes the springboard for the events that follow.
Nothing goes smoothly for the characters in Here Out West. Everyone’s plans are disrupted and they have to find ways to adapt. Flowering into a vibrant mosaic, the beautifully assembled telemovie is made up of stories about people under pressure and it smoothly draws together a wide cross-section of migrant communities. What’s more, it does so without waving a self-congratulatory flag for its representation of diversity. This, it is perceptively showing but not blatantly declaring, is the melting pot that is Sydney’s west.
There are parents who’ve been separated from their children or are fighting with them. There are children struggling with or rebelling against expectations. There are migrants endeavoring to honor the traditions of their homelands while battling to adapt to the realities of a more recently adopted country: trying to find work, to meet the demands of employers, to keep their businesses afloat, to cope with health issues.
Arka Das, Rahel Romahn, Thuso Lekwape in Here Out West, a beautifully assembled telemovie set in Sydney’s migrant communities. Credit:ABC
All manner of compromises are seen to be required in order for them to get by. There’s stress and strain everywhere and, in such an environment, small gestures of kindness assume great significance. Events unfold in unpredictable ways and nothing is overstated. The drama is poignant without ever sliding into sentimentality.
Two of the standout stories – and there are no doubts – are The Eternal Dance and The Musicians. The first, written by Bhattacharya and directed by Kokkinos, finds Ashmita (Leah Vandenberg) hurrying to visit her father in hospital, her mother sitting nervously at his bedside. She rushes in looking worried, carrying her favorite sweets from her, and promptly snaps at a terse, over-worked nurse (Anita Hegh).
FIFA has officially brought forward the opening match of this year’s World Cup by one day to November 20 in a rare change so that hosts Qatar feature in the gala game.
Football’s top officials universally approved the decision, FIFA said in a statement while Qatar said it would give unspecified help to fans affected by the change.
On the old schedule, Qatar against Ecuador was to be the official inauguration match on November 21 but Senegal against Netherlands would be the first match of the day. England against Iran would have been second.
RELATED: Qatar pushes for late World Cup change
Qatar had also been frustrated as it has invested in a huge opening ceremony show.
“Host country Qatar will now play Ecuador on Sunday 20 November as part of a stand-alone event,” said FIFA.
“The opening match and ceremony of this year’s tournament at Al Bayt Stadium have been brought forward one day following a unanimous decision taken by the bureau of the FIFA Council today.”
The bureau is made up of FIFA leader Gianni Infantino and the six heads of the continental confederations.
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‘Smooth tournament’ vow
“The change ensures the continuity of a long-standing tradition of marking the start of the World Cup with an opening ceremony on the occasion of the first match featuring either the hosts or the defending champions,” added FIFA.
Under the new plan, the Group A game between Senegal and the Netherlands has been shifted from 1pm on November 21 to a 7pm start. There is no change to England’s opening Group B clash against Iran.
Qatari organisers, who have spent billions of dollars preparing for the event, immediately welcomed FIFA’s gesture.
“Opening the first FIFA World Cup to be held in the Middle East and Arab world is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Qatar,” said the organizing committee in a statement.
“The impact of this decision on fans was assessed by FIFA. We will work together to ensure a smooth tournament for the supporters affected by the change,” they added without giving details.
Some Ecuador fans may have to change flights to arrive in Qatar earlier and football sources said the date switch could force changes to some World Cup contracts.
But many companies linked to the World Cup expressed confidence that disruption would be overcome.
“It is something we will deal with,” said Jaime Byrom, chairman of Match Hospitality, which has a deal with FIFA to organize hospitality packages for World Cup matches and has locked in 450,000 tickets for the tournament.
“It is really not – compared to the other challenges that we could have faced or have faced in the past – a particularly large problem,” Byrom told AFP.
“We have to focus on those customers who are most affected and I guess in this case we will be looking at our Ecuadorean customers who are traveling from overseas, and making sure that they are on time for the match.”
Official countdown clocks for the event were quickly changed. The 100 day countdown to the opening match will now start on Friday, instead of Saturday.
The decision was also announced as Qatar staged the first official match at the Lusail stadium which will host the December 18 World Cup final.
Before more than 10,000 fans, and with players engulfed in airconditioning to ward off stifling summer heat, Al Arabi beat Al Rayyan 2-1 in the Qatar championship.
Allegations of sexual assault, harassment and bullying have been uncovered in a landmark investigation into the workplace culture at NSW’s parliament house.
Key points:
Both women and men reported actual or attempted sexual assault
Alcohol was considered a contributing factor and some offices were described as “hotspots” for bullying
Almost 450 people, representing 27.7 per cent of all parliamentary workers, participated in the review
One in three respondents said they had experienced sexual harassment or bullying in the past five years, according to the review conducted by former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick.
The report found 52 per cent of bullying incidents were allegedly perpetrated by members of parliament.
Two per cent of workers indicated they had experienced actual or attempted sexual assault and almost 10 per cent said they had heard about or witnessed at least one sexual assault.
“Both women and men reported experiences of actual or attempted sexual assault,” the report found.
The NSW Parliamentary Executive Group announced the engagement of Ms Broderick to lead the independent review in July last year.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the culture in parliament had become “toxic” in many instances and the report demonstrated the need for change.
“It is sobering, confronting and unacceptable,” he said.
“Every workplace across our state should be free from harassment, sexual harassment and sexual assault but this is not the case in the NSW parliament.
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‘Sobering and confronting’: NSW Premier vows to end workplace harassment in Parliament
“If parliamentarians cannot lead and provide an environment where the workplace is safe, what hope do we have for other workplaces across our great state?”
Almost 450 people, representing 27.7 per cent of all NSW parliamentary workers, participated in the review.
There were more than 100 one-on-one interviews, seven confidential group listening sessions, and 58 confidential written submissions.
The review found bullying was significant across parliamentary workplaces, describing it as “systemic” and “multi-directional”.
Workers have low confidence in structural or cultural protections to prevent bullying or to stop it once it occurs, the report said.
Some offices were described as “well-known hotspots” characterized by high rates of staff turnover related to harmful behaviours.
Workers told the review they had low confidence that bullying would stop if reported.(Supplied: Parliament of NSW)
About half of the reported incidents occurred at parliament house with the remainder occurring at electorate offices, during work-related travel, at work-related social functions and online.
Alcohol was considered to be a contributing factor.
Mr Perrottet said the report only marked the beginning of cultural reform in the NSW parliament and pledged to follow through on its recommendations.
These include strengthening internal policies and codes of conduct, reducing alcohol use, increasing support services and monitoring those “well-known hotspots” for bullying.
“Today, change will happen. This report will not be the end. This report will be the beginning,” he said.
Minister for Women and Mental Health Bronnie Taylor told MPs and parliamentary staff they need to set the example for behavior in the parliament.
“For those particular people that may be reading this report today, you know who you are, and my very strong advice to you is that you do not belong in the Parliament of NSW,” she said.
“I ask you to think very long and hard about this, and I ask you to make sure that if this is you that is mentioned, get the help that you need and please leave the NSW parliament.”
The Opposition Leader said the review paints a “dark picture” on both sides of politics.(Supplied: NSW Parliament)
Opposition Leader Chris Minns said the review “paints a really dark picture” for all sides of politics.
“We all need to do better, reach across the aisle, and make sure that we’re making every possible effort to make the NSW parliament a safe workplace.”
He said the report showed there was no real avenue for people to make complaints in the workplace and he supports calls for an independent complaint process to deal with allegations against politicians, MPs and ministerial staff.
“[Currently the] only avenue is to make a complaint to somebody, potentially from the same political party, who has an in-built apprehended bias, a perceived bias or actual bias.”
Independent MP Alex Greenwich said the report painted an unacceptable and unsafe workplace at NSW parliament.
“The experience of women and LGBTIQA+ staff is harrowing, we should set the standard, not be beyond the pale,” Mr Greenwich said.
“Workplaces that welcome and support LGBTIQA+ staff are safer workplaces for everyone, and the NSW parliament has a lot of work to do in this regard.”
The review, commissioned by former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian, said ministerial offices were “unique workplaces”, where staff were under intense public scrutiny and employment protections for ministers were “vastly greater” than those of their staff.
