Long gone are the days when a consumer electronics company could simply announce a phone and call it a day. At this morning’s big launch event in Beijing, Xiaomi followed up its foldable news by handing the stage over to CyberOne. The bipedal humanoid robot joined Lei Jun onstage, greeting the CEO and handing him a long-stem flower.
At first glance, the robot isn’t exactly Atlas or Digit, in terms of locomotion, but it’s still a promising demo and very much not a person in a spandex suit (not that anyone would do that). It’s the latest sign of Xiaomi’s growing robotics ambitions, which began with vacuums and have since expanded to include last year’s Spot-esque CyberDog.
Image Credits: Xiaomi
We’ve seen plenty of consumer brands flex some robotic muscle at events like this, including Samsung and LG, so it’s tough to know where CyberOne falls in the spectrum between serious pursuit and stage spectacle.
Lei Jun was quick to flex the company’s investment in the category, noting, “CyberOne’s AI and mechanical capabilities are all self-developed by Xiaomi Robotics Lab. We have invested heavily in R&D spanning various areas, including software, hardware and algorithms innovation.”
There’s an extremely broad range of claims here, including the ability to read human emotions. Xiaomi notes:
Humanoid robots rely on vision to process their surroundings. Equipped with a self-developed Mi-Sense depth vision module and combined with an AI interaction algorithm, CyberOne is capable of perceiving 3D space, as well as recognizing individuals, gestures, and expressions, allowing it to not only see but to process its environment . In order to communicate with the world, CyberOne is equipped with a self-developed MiAI environment semantics recognition engine and a MiAI vocal emotion identification engine, enabling it to recognize 85 types of environmental sounds and 45 classifications of human emotion. CyberOne is able to detect happiness, and even comfort the user in times of sadness. 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.
Image Credits: Xiaomi
Equally broad are the promised real-world applications, ranging from manufacturing assistance to human companionship. There will be plenty of use for both of these feature sets in the future, but that’s a long walk (so to speak) from today’s demo. For the time being, it probably makes the most sense to view CyberOne as something of an analogy to, say, Honda’s Asimo: a promising experiment that’s serves as a good brand ambassador for some of the work being done behind the scenes.
American singer-songwriter Michelle Branch and husband Patrick Carney are separating after three years of marriage.
“To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family,” the singer, 39, told TMZ in a statement today, Page Six reports.
“The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness.”
Branch gave more shocking details about the split in a since-deleted tweet, alleging that she “just found out” her husband had cheated on her “while I was home with our 6 month old daughter.”
The couple shares are Rhys James, 4, and daughter, Willie, who was born earlier this year.
Branch and Carney, the drummer for The Black Keys, first met at a Grammy party in 2015 when she was just finalizing her divorce from ex-husband Teddy Landau. Two years later, they were engaged.
However, while planning their wedding, the singer discovered she was expecting their first child together. Rhys James was born in April 2018.
“Patrick and I are over the moon in love with our son Rhys James Carney,” the everywhere songstress wrote on Instagram at the time.
A year after welcoming their son, the couple finally tied the knot at the Marigny Opera House in New Orleans.
As they tried to expand their family again, the singer revealed in December 2020 that she had suffered a miscarriage.
“I experienced my first miscarriage…” she announced on social media while celebrating the holidays. “But alas, between the crying and binge eating of Christmas cookies, I decided to put on lipstick and a dress.
“We drank champagne alllll day. Made an incredible meal and sang Christmas songs snuggled up by a roaring fire.”
Just a few months later, in August 2021, the couple was expecting again and had their second child together, Willie Jacquet Carney.
Branch also shares daughter Owen Isabelle, 17, with her ex-husband, singer Teddy Landau.
This article originally appeared on Page Six and was reproduced with permission
This article was originally published on Stuff and is reproduced with permission
Former Springboks center Grant Esterhuizen was hospitalized following a brutal attack after watching South Africa beat the All Blacks.
The 46-year-old was treated for facial injuries and will consult an eye specialist after being knocked unconscious.
He has used his Facebook page to try to find the two culprits he alleges attacked him outside a nightclub in Mbombela where the Boks beat New Zealand 26-10.
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Former Springboks center Grant Esterhuizen after the attack. (Facebook)
Esterhuizen played seven Tests for the Springboks in 2000, including two against the All Blacks, and appeared for the Bulls, Cats and Stormers in Super Rugby.
“Looking for two not so gentle men who took the time on Saturday night to hit me from the side and the back. These individuals belong to a motorcycle club in Nelspruit,” Esterhuizen wrote on his Facebook page.
“Short guy with thin facial hair short dark hair. Tall thin fella with dark bushy hair mustache and goatee. The taller guy was wearing blue and black check shirt. Both were wearing motorcycle club cuts. Please help me find these criminals and prevent this from happening to anyone else in the future.”
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Grant Esterhuizen of South Africa in action against John Hayes of Ireland. (Getty)
His post received plenty of attention and he revealed more details in a subsequent interview with Pretoria’s Jacaranda FM radio station.
“We were standing outside (the club) and this one guy comes to me and says he feels like he wants to hit me,” Esterhuizen said.
“I turned my back towards him and carried on with my conversation and the next thing I got hit really hard from the side. That’s pretty much the last of what I can remember.”
NEW PODCAST! Sean Maloney and Andrew Mehrtens couldn’t be happier that the Rugby Championship is underway with a win for the Wallabies in Argentina and a brutal battle in South Africa for the All Blacks
Esterhuizen said he was knocked out after getting hit by a helmet.
He said he had not provoked the incident.
“I’m pretty straightforward. When I have a couple of drinks, I always say I’m a lover and not a fighter,” he said.
“This was just one of those random acts of violence. The guys looked like they belonged to a motorcycle club. They were out to hurt someone.”
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‘I got the yips that night’: Rugby legends trade hilarious yarns on Stan Sport’s Glory Days series
When John Richards was asked to climb into a bulldozer and clear the road for Jacobs Ladder in the early 1960s, he admits it was a daunting task.
“At the start, it was just a lot of rocks and a steep mountain,” he recalls, adding that local road builder Roy Bugg marked the course out on rocks to show where the mountain needed to be cleared.
“Roy was adamant we could get up there and he knew what he was about. I was fairly pig-headed, I wouldn’t have liked to say I couldn’t get up there.”
But the process proved to be slow going because of the large boulders on the intended path and the steep incline.
Construction of Jacobs Ladder was completed at the end of 1964.(Supplied: Robert Diprose)
“We had a lot of other people there blasting the rock too so that we could move it,” Mr Richards says.
“A lot of the rocks were too big to move with one machine and, if you did move them, they went right down to the bottom and wiped everything else out that you had already done, so they had to be broken up.”
Red tape and steep inclines
The road to the edge of the Ben Lomond plateau at 1,500m in the state’s north east was government-funded, and the Northern Tasmanian Alpine Club, the most established ski club at the time, was the main driver of the process.
Mr Richards recalls that authorities remained reluctant to provide all the money in one payment though.
“They just allowed a bit of funding at a time. It took us a while to get up the Ladder — probably three or four attempts,” he says.
An early Ben Lomond ski resort guide showing the area’s snow-capped plateau above 1,200m.(Supplied: David Harvey)
The road was eventually finished by the end of 1964 and construction teams then carved a quick path to the growing ski village at the bottom of Ben Lomond.
“There wasn’t any celebration when we got to the top,” Mr Richards says.
“The next step was to get across to where the village is now across the plain.
“Once we got on top, we were probably a kilometre-and-a-half from where the village is, so we had to put that in too.”
Bill Mitchell (second from left) was one of Ben Lomond’s major power players by the 1960s.(Facebook: Friends of Ben Lomond)
controversial beginnings
Jacobs Ladder was the long-standing idea of Bill Mitchell, a car wrecker by trade, who was one of the key figures in Ben Lomond’s early development.
His suggested route was controversial because there was already an alternative hiking path onto the Ben Lomond plateau that was less steep.
But Mr Mitchell was a persuasive personality and pushed for the new route, not least because it was protected from the elements and its aspect faced north, allowing any ice on the road to melt.
Early visitors to Ben Lomond often walked 2 kilometers up to the plateau to ski.(Supplied: David Harvey)
In the decades before, most tourists would drive to Carr Villa at the bottom of the plateau and carry their skis and supplies 2 kilometers up the mountain.
David Harvey’s book The Ben Lomond Story even tells the tale of how, on one occasion, a group of men carried two heavy metal frames for a rope tow up to the summit on their backs.
But as Tasmania’s ski scene grew, it became clear that road access was imperative for the area to fulfill its tourism potential.
By the late 1960s skiing at Ben Lomond was popular and winter tourism was booming.(Supplied: David Harvey)
Six hairpins and minimal fencing
Launceston-based former surgeon Berni Einoder started visiting Ben Lomond in the 1960s and remembers early forays up Jacobs Ladder.
“I drove up there the first time in my Volvo; I made it approximately halfway then turned around and walked up,” he says.
“The road was fairly dangerous without fences on either side, and when it was wet and full of snow and ice in patches, it was quite treacherous.”
Ben Lomond ski pioneers Fred Smithies and ET Emmett didn’t have the luxury of vehicle transport in 1929.(Supplied: Karl Stackhouse)
Geoff Foot says the Ladder still poses challenges for drivers today. The former owner of Ben Lomond Snowsports drove shuttle buses daily along the road until recently.
“We used to get people stuck quite regularly. In a lot of cases, running the buses, we didn’t have time to stop and help them.
“We just pushed them across to the side of the road so we could get past and deliver people to the top of the mountain.”
Before Geoff Foot, Robert Diprose drove a Bombardier snow bus on Jacobs Ladder.(Supplied: David Harvey)
still going strong
Jacobs Ladder can take scores of cars each day, although they are required to carry snow chains in the winter and four-wheel drives fare the best.
The road is still gravel, as that helps with traction, and stopping to take selfies is a no-go, even if the hairpins have been enlarged.
There’s a parking spot at the top where visitors can pull over safely and take a photo back down the mountain.
For John Richards, seeing his handiwork intact nearly 60 years on is very satisfying.
“It’s actually quite spectacular when you look at it from afar. It’s beautiful scenery up there, it’s well worth the trip up,” he says.
Modern drivers still find Jacobs Ladder an awe-inspiring drive.(Supplied: Alex Weir Photography)
Mr Einoder says while tourists do grumble about how hard Jacobs Ladder is to drive, the road’s condition is now “very good”.
“The road has been improved a lot. It is scary if you have not been there before because it is one of the steepest zig-zags in the world,” he says.
“But the other thing worth remembering is that it is one of the only roads that goes within 500 meters of the top of a mountain.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention loosened Covid-19 guidelines on Thursday, freeing schools and businesses from the onus of requiring unvaccinated people exposed to the virus to quarantine at home.
The changes are a sharp move away from measures such as social distancing requirements and quarantining, which had polarized much of the country, and effectively acknowledge the way many Americans have been navigating the pandemic for some time. The agency’s action comes as children across the country return to school and many offices have reopened.
“We know that Covid-19 is here to stay,” Greta Massetti, a CDC epidemiologist, said at a news briefing on Thursday. “High levels of population immunity due to vaccination and previous infection, and the many tools that we have available to protect people from severe illness and death, have put us in a different place.”
The CDC’s new guidelines come after more than two years of a pandemic in which more than one million Americans have died. With the highly contagious BA.5 subvariant of Omicron spreading, the United States is recording more than 100,000 cases and nearly 500 deaths a day on average.
But many Americans dispensed with practices such as social distancing, quarantine and mask-wearing long ago.
“I think they are attempting to meet up with the reality that everyone in the public is pretty much done with this pandemic,” said Michael T. Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, referring to the CDC
The agency has been working for months on the new guidance, which builds on previous recommendations issued in February, when the agency shortened isolation times for many Americans. The CDC said it is making changes now because vaccination and prior infections have granted many Americans some degree of protection against the virus, and treatments, vaccines and boosters are available to reduce the risk of severe illness.
The changes shift much of the responsibility for risk reduction from institutions to individuals. The CDC no longer recommends that people stay six feet away from others. Instead, it notes that avoiding crowded areas and maintaining a distance from others are strategies that people may want to consider in order to reduce their risk.
And the recommended prevention strategies no longer draw a distinction between people who are up-to-date on their vaccinations and those who are not, streamlining a complicated set of rules that could be difficult for schools and businesses to navigate.
People who are exposed to the virus no longer must quarantine at home regardless of their vaccination status, although they should wear a mask for 10 days and get tested for the virus on day 5, according to the new guidelines. Contact tracing and routine surveillance testing of people without symptoms are no longer recommended in most settings.
Read More on the Coronavirus Pandemic
Instead of focusing on slowing transmission of the virus, the recommendations prioritize preventing severe illness. They emphasize the importance of vaccination and other prevention measures, including antiviral treatments and ventilation.
The guidelines around masking — which recommend that people wear them indoors in places where community Covid-19 levels are high — have not changed.
And people who test positive for the virus should still isolate themselves at home for at least five days. Those who had moderate or severe illness, or are immunocompromised, should isolate through day 10.
The agency also addressed the rebound infections that some people reported after taking the antiviral treatment Paxlovid; if symptoms return, people should restart the clock on isolation, the CDC said.
Many health experts praised the new guidelines as representing a pragmatic approach to living with the virus in the longer term.
“I think this is a welcome change,” said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It actually shows how far we’ve come.”
The new guidelines will also be easier for the public to follow, I have added.
But the pandemic has not ended, experts noted, and more stringent measures may be needed in the event of new variants or future surges.
While nearly all Americans are now eligible to be vaccinated, many are not up-to-date on their shots. Just 30 percent of 5- to 11-year-olds and 60 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds have received their primary vaccine series nationwide. Among adults 65 and older, who are at highest risk of severe illness, 65 percent have received a booster. Critical therapeutics, such as antiviral treatments, remain difficult for many to access.
“Obviously, we have to do more work to make sure that more people avail themselves of the protection that those tools have to offer and that more people can access those tools,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health. “I do think there’s been an overall dial-back in the ground game that’s needed to get people vaccinated.”
The guidance moves away from sweeping, population-level precautions to more targeted advice for vulnerable populations and specific high-risk settings and circumstances.
For instance, the guidelines note that schools may want to consider surveillance testing in certain scenarios, such as for when students are returning from school breaks or for those who are participating in contact sports.
Unvaccinated students who are exposed to the virus will no longer need to test frequently in order to remain in the classroom, an approach known as “test to stay.” The CDC no longer recommends a practice known as cohorting, in which schools divide students into smaller groups and limit contact between them to reduce the risk of viral transmission.
Health experts said the change in guidance was particularly welcome as students head back to school, a setting in which quarantines had been especially disruptive.
“This really will help to minimize the impact of Covid-19 on education,” said Christina Ramirez, a biostatistician at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Mercedes Carnethon, an epidemiologist at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said that she did not see the changes, even the elimination of quarantines in favor of 10 days of masking, as a loosening of the agency’s guidance.
“We certainly know that wearing a high-quality mask is going to provide some of the strongest protection against spreading it to somebody else, and quarantine is logistically burdensome,” she said. “That could be seen as a relaxing of guidelines, but I think it’s a much more appropriate and targeted solution.”
Joseph Allen, a Harvard University researcher who studies indoor environmental quality, praised the new guidelines for putting more emphasis on improving ventilation.
“Good ventilation is something that helps reduce the risk of transmission that isn’t political and doesn’t require any behavior change,” he said.
Selling everything in bulk from fresh food to fridges and clothing to coffins, the international wholesale retailer are opening up three new warehouses in and around Melbourne, with $50 million allocated to each development. A members-only shop, punters have to purchase a membership before they’re allowed to shop in the stores. The first of the Costcos is coming to Melbourne’s west – they’re demolishing a warehouse to make way for the new supermarket at 740 Ballarat Road in Ardeer.
What you need to know
Wholesale bulk retailer Costco are opening three stores in Victoria
Two are set to open in Melbourne and one will open in Geelong
They’re all set to open within the next two years
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
Costco is a membership only wholesale warehouse, which means that customers must purchase a $60 membership before shopping in their stores. It’s kinda steep just to enter a shop – unless you’re shopping for a large family and can get to Costco a couple of times a year, where you’ll save tons in the store’s savings and go membership benefits.
With the first warehouse opening in Seattle in 1983, the wholesale corporation has since taken over the world. According to the National Retail Federation, Costco was the third largest retailer in the world, and as reported by Fortune 500, they ranked #10 on their rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. There are currently 13 Costco stores open in Australia.
Find out more about what Costco has to offer in Australia by heading to their website.
Flip phones are back, but not as we’ve ever known them. Photo: Supplied
This is branded content for Samsung
Samsung Electronics has today delighted fans with the announcement of their latest generation of premium, foldable smartphones and wearables within the Galaxy Series.
The latest additions to the Galaxy family includes a range of Galaxy Watches, buds and the highly anticipated smartphones, featuring the latest foldable technology.
The Galaxy Flip4 and Galaxy Fold4 have been long awaited by eager and curious consumers, and they challenge everything preconceived about the possibilities of hand-held tech.
The Galaxy Flip4 features an upgrade thanks to a larger screen and enhanced performance, all with the unrivaled portability and style that Samsung is renowned for.
Available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB and in four beautiful colours, including the iconic new Bora Purple, Pink Gold, Graphite and Blue, the Flip4 redefines the art of self-expression through a powerful design that slips right into your back pocket.
The Galaxy Flip4 retails from $1,499 and comes in either the base or Bespoke model, for a more personalized experience.
Its cousin in the Galaxy series, the Galaxy Fold4, pushes all limits in smartphone technology, pairing convenience with luxury where other manufacturers have compromised.
As one of Samsung’s most premium designs, the Z Fold4 provides the ultimate one-hand experience with a slim, reengineered hinge for the thinnest, lightest Galaxy Fold yet.
The Z Fold4 provides the ultimate one-hand experience with a slim, reengineered hinge for the thinnest, lightest Galaxy Fold yet. Photo: Supplied
The Galaxy Fold4 gives consumers the best of both worlds, with an extra large immersive screen to work with that folds in half, providing portability, and dual screen capabilities that allow for seamless integration between apps.
“The new Galaxy Z Series range is the generation of foldables that will see the category become mainstream. Adoption cues are steadily growing from the volume of foldable devices ‘in the wild’, increasing consumer online search trends, indication of purchase intent, app optimization and more,” said Garry McGregor, vice president of Mobile Experience division at Samsung Australia.
“We know there’s been a doubling in consideration for foldables among 18 to 45 year olds, and generation Z specifically showing a colossal 273% increase since last year.
“Without a doubt foldables have more than emerged, they’ve arrived and have a bright future.
“The foldables market is predicted to continue its rapid growth, more than doubling in 2023, and the fact Samsung Australia has maintained year-on-year pricing we see this being very much the case in this market,” said Mr McGregor.
The Galaxy Fold4 comes in Phantom Black, Beige or Greygreen and offers multiple memory options, with 256GB, 512GB and 1TB memory variants. The Galaxy Fold4 retails from $2,449, and both Z series smartphones are available for pre-order from August 11, 2022.
Samsung foldables are engineered to be strong, with Gorilla Glass Victus and aircraft-grade strength Armor Aluminum. Photo: Supplied.
But smartphones weren’t the only gadgets unveiled in the latest product lineup.
Samsung’s expanded Galaxy Watch 5 Series and Galaxy Buds2 Pro also made their Australian debut this week.
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro is a brand new addition to the range, with toughness and durability at its core. Made with the adventurous athlete in mind, it acts as the perfect sidekick to an active lifestyle. The Watch5 on the other hand, is a customizable addition to enhance everybody’s everyday life.
“We know there is a clear desire for an ecosystem of connected products. That is why we are especially excited for our latest additions to the Galaxy portfolio of wearables as well as the all new Watch5 Pro,” said Mr McGregor.
“They offer our customers supreme audio and improved health and well-being functionality – bringing the best of the best.
“It is a very exciting time for the category and with the full support from our partners, offering complete ranges of color skews, memory variants at the best value, we know our customers in Australia are going to love these new devices.”
Pre-orders for all devices begin on August 11, with on-sale launching on September 2. Retailers have various different pre-order offers, with fantastic savings to be made.
The Galaxy Z Series smartphones will be available from the Samsung eStore and Experience Stores, as well as all Samsung retail and telco partners.
For more information about the latest Samsung Galaxy devices, including the Z Series, visit https://www.samsung.com/au/smartphones/galaxy-z/
Cliff Richard has been left ‘distraught’ by the death of his ‘soulmate’ Olivia Newton-John as he paid tribute to the iconic Australian star.
The singer, 81, who was close friends with the actress for more than 50 years, is devastated after it was announced on Monday she’d died aged 73.
Cliff and Olivia had a friendship that spanned decades after she regularly appeared on his show in the 1970s, with the musician even admitting he ‘fell in love’ with her.
Tragedy: Cliff Richard has been left ‘distraught’ by the death of his ‘soulmate’ Olivia Newton-John, according to DJ Mike Read (pictured in 1995)
Taking to social media to honor Olivia with a tribute, he wrote: ‘I find myself at a loss as to what to say. Death… well, he is a vicious enemy and all of us will be taken by him. But all of us are not taken by him at the same time and so while Olivia remains in our minds and memories, she remains very much alive!
‘I’m just one of an army of lucky people who knew and loved her. How could we not love her? She was gorgeous, gifted and had a heart of Gold. Also, a bunch of records that were Gold, but her Ella Golden Heart is her Ella legacy to us.
‘When she was first diagnosed with cancer Livvy put her career on hold for years. why? Because she wanted to inspire other sufferers to do as she did… fight the ugly disease, although she said in one interview that she was n’t in a battle with cancer just that she had something that she simply wanted to get rid of!
‘Olivia always had an up-beat approach to life. Only three weeks ago I was on the phone to her from her, and she was her bright positive self from her and I never thought for one moment of that call that I would be writing this and acknowledging her death from her. I hate that word!
‘From now on I will only believe that our gorgeous Olivia simply stopped living. I will miss her. The world will miss her, so let’s all keep her alive in our hearts and memories. God bless you Livvy. Rest In Peace…..Cliff xxx’
Iconic: The singer, 81, who was close friends with the Australian star for more than 50 years, is ‘devastated’ after it was announced on Monday she’d died aged 73 (pictured in 2004)
Cliff and Olivia met back in 1971 when she became a regular guest singer on his variety show, and she even joined him on tour as a backing singer.
The music legend has previously admitted he ‘fell in love’ with the Grease star, but ‘lost his chance’ because she was engaged to someone else.
Speaking in his autobiography The Dreamer, he said: ‘We hit it off straight away. She was the sort of soulmate that you meet and she you know she is a friend for life.
‘When I and many of us were in love with Olivia she was engaged to someone else. I’m afraid I lost the chance.’
Close bond: Cliff previously admitted he ‘fell in love’ with Olivia, but ‘lost his chance’ because she was engaged to someone else. He has repeatedly denied they dated (pictured in 2005)
Career: Also on Tuesday Cliff released pictures from his upcoming 2023 calendar as he posed in glamorous shots
Style: He looked dazzling in a gold embellished suit in one snap before later posing in a red leather ensemble
Iconic: Cliff is known for releasing a calendar every year much to the delight of his loyal fans
Speculation was rife that Cliff and Olivia were an item, but he has repeatedly denied the claims.
Olivia landed her big break when she sang a cover of Bob Dylan’s If Not for You on Cliff’s hit show, and went onto star in Grease, catapulting her to Hollywood stardom.
She and Cliff remained close friends for decade, and she stood by him when he was investigated by police, joining him on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in 2015 to mark his 75th birthday.
Blast from the past: Olivia landed her big break when she sang a cover of Bob Dylan’s If Not for You on Cliff’s hit show (pictured in 1964)
Iconic role: She is most known for her famous role as Sandy in the 1978 movie Grease (pictured, Newton-John with Grease co-star John Travolta)
Tributes have poured in for Olivia since her passing was announced on Monday, lead by her Grease co-star John Travolta.
On Tuesday Didi Conn revealed Olivia opened up to her about her ailing health when they spoke ‘a couple of weeks ago.’
The star was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, but the disease returned in 2013 and in 2017.
‘She told me that her health was, you know, she wasn’t walking anymore and she had full-time care but her husband John and her daughter Chloe were there all the time, and she told me that they were just so hopelessly devoted ,’ she said on Good Morning America.
Tough time: The star was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, but the disease returned in 2013 and in 2017
Olivia’s husband John Easterling announced the tragic news that Olivia had lost her battle with cancer on social media on Monday.
‘Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,’ he said in a statement.
‘We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.
‘Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.
‘Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.’
Emotional: Olivia’s husband John Easterling announced the tragic news that Olivia had lost her battle with cancer on social media on Monday (pictured in her final Instagram post)
Nick Kyrgios’ evolution was again on full display in Montreal, demolishing fellow Aussie Alex De Minaur in straight sets in another ominous sign for his rivals ahead of the US Open.
The 6-2 6-3 victory was his 15th in his last 16 matches, and sent Kyrgios into the tournament’s quarter-finals, while also pushing his live ranking to 27, all but securing a seeding for the year’s last grand slam at Flushing Meadows .
Kyrgios’ serve was again far too dominant to handle and virtually unplayable for de Minaur, with the star continuing his rich vein of form, which saw him go into the match winning 94 of his 95 service games.
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He broke his countryman after being gifted two break point opportunities in the opening game and then consolidated the break to get off to a perfect start.
Kyrgios continued to dismantle de Minaur’s serve, breaking him again before pummeling him with a range of big serves to race to a 4-0 lead.
De Minaur and Kyrgios meet at the next after the clash. (beinsports)
Commentators were in disbelief. “Ridiculous” and “almost as flawless as you can get” were some of the superlatives being thrown around as they watched in awe at the Aussie’s clinical display, with his groundstrokes matching the impact of his serve to leave de Minaur with no answers in 17 of the first 21 points.
De Minaur finally managed to hold serve late in the set but Kyrgios put his foot down again, bamboozling his opponent with sheer speed off the racquet to take the first set in 23 minutes.
The second set started much like the first with Kyrgios breaking again only for de Minaur to put up some resistance in the following game.
Up until that point, Kyrgios had been quiet and going about his business, but as soon as de Minaur broke his serve and leveled it at 1-1, the chatter towards his box began, with the unpredictable star accusing them of not supporting him enough .
He nearly went off again the next game when a ball fell from de Minaur’s pocket onto the court during a rally he was dominating, forcing the umpire to intervene and stop the point, ruling that it should be replayed. But Kyrgios stayed composed and got things back on track soon after, breaking back and then holding serve from love-30 down to lead 3-1.
De Minaur showed grit to stay competitive in the second set but a failed drop shot in the sixth game gifted Kyrgios a double break and a chance to serve out the match. However, he faltered again, leaving him upset at his box.
That moment seemed to spur him on in the next game, converting one of three match points against de Minaur’s serve to seal it in just over an hour, racking up 22 winners in the 6-2 6-3 win.
“After yesterday’s big high of playing Daniil, the crowd was amazing. Today was mentally hard for me to play Alex we’re such good friends and he’s been having such a good career so far and carrying the Australian flag for so long, it was tough it’s not easy to play a friend like that,” Kyrgios said.
Even though he berated them throughout the match, the Aussie paid tribute to his team for giving him the belief throughout his recent purple patch.
“My girlfriend, my physio, my agent we’ve gone through ups and downs but these days are starting to blend into one another,” Kyrgios said.
“I’m just playing the game, eat, sleep and play, it’s tiring but that’s the sport. I am missing home a little bit.
“I’ve got my mum and my dad who I haven’t seen in three months. I’m missing home but at the same time I want a couple of more tournaments before I go home.”
Kyrgios will now play eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz in the next round. Hurkacz won their only previous meeting at Halle in June earlier this year.
If he can beat Hurkacz, he’ll soar up the rankings to No.21.
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Serena Williams at the Australian Open: Legend’s transformation after 1998 debut
A new dam slated for north-west NSW would cost more than three times the economic benefit it would produce, according to a NSW Greens MP.
Key points:
Cate Faehrmann MLC has obtained a summary of the business case
She argues the dam would have a very low value for money
The NSW Government remains committed to funding the project
Cate Faehrmann said she had seen a summary of the business case for the proposed Dungowan Dam near Tamworth, which the government has refused to release publicly.
Ms Faehrmann said the document showed the dam would only produce 27 cents of benefit for every dollar invested.
“The business case that the government has produced just shows it doesn’t stack up,” she said.
“They cannot show there is enough benefit to the community to justify what is going to be upwards of $1.3 billion.”
The cost of the dam has blown out from $484 million when it was first announced at the height of the last drought in 2019.
The previous federal government committed to fund half the project’s costs, but the new Labor government has not yet announced a position.
Cate Faehrmann chaired an inquiry into new dam projects across NSW, and was critical of the Dungowan project.(Supplied: David Lowe)
Ms Faehrmann said the business case revealed the government considered, but decided against, other options to improve water security.
They include an increased reserve in the city’s main water storage, Chaffey Dam, for critical town needs, and a pipeline to Tamworth from the nearby Keepit Dam.
“To be honest, I feel it was very cursory. I don’t think a full options analysis has been undertaken,” Ms Faehrmann said.
government undeterred
Water Minister and Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson disputed the claims, and said it was impossible to put a price on water security for Tamworth and the wider region.
“The summary business case clearly shows that this city would run out of water again if we would go back to a 2019-2020 drought,” he said.
NSW Water Minister Kevin Anderson argues the dam is the best option for town, agricultural, and industry needs.(ABC New England North West: Patrick Bell)
“They’re putting a cost on that, and I think back to 2019 when we were on level-five water restrictions.”
“I think it’s disgraceful.”
He also rebuffed claims the dam was the best option for irrigators, rather than for human needs.
“This rubbish that this dam is for irrigators only is exactly that,” he said.
“It clearly says it needs water for the city, it needs water for agriculture and it needs water for industry.”
Ms Faehrmann said she would continue to push for the release of the full business case.
Extracts are expected to be made publicly available in the project’s Environment Impact Statement, which is due for release by the end of the year.
