Month: August 2022

Categories
Entertainment

Kyle and Jackie O slam Elle Ferguson after she calls herself a global influencer

Elle Ferguson was slammed by radio host Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson on Mondau after giving herself the title of 'global influencer' on The Block

She irked her fellow Block contestants on Sunday night’s premiere of the show when she raved about her lavish lifestyle.

And now Bondi fashionista Elle Ferguson has been slammed by radio host Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson after giving herself the title of ‘global influencer’.

During Monday morning’s Kyle & Jackie O Show, Kyle said he had never heard of the glamorous blonde.

Elle Ferguson was slammed by radio host Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson on Mondau after giving herself the title of 'global influencer' on The Block

Elle Ferguson was slammed by radio host Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson on Mondau after giving herself the title of ‘global influencer’ on The Block

‘Who the hell is she?!’ Kyle, 51, asked.

The pair also ribbed Elle for raving about becoming a representative for Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand SKIMS.

‘So you’re allowed to be a representative of a brand – company – wow,’ Kyle said sarcastically. ‘That’s really “making it.”‘

Jackie O noted that Elle, 38, gets sent ‘so many’ amazing gifts and PR packages from brands due to her 680,000 follower count on Instagram.

‘Every single day she’s opening a brand new Louis Vuitton bag, a brand new Gucci bag, or a brand new pair of shoes,’ she said, adding that it can become ‘a bit much’.

‘But people will get jealous of that,’ Kyle butted in. ‘They’ll end up turning on her. No one likes that.’

The pair also ribbed Elle for raving about becoming a representative for Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand SKIMS

The pair also ribbed Elle for raving about becoming a representative for Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand SKIMS

Jackie O noted that Elle, 38, gets sent 'so many' amazing gifts and PR packages from brands due to her 680,000 follower count on Instagram

Jackie O noted that Elle, 38, gets sent ‘so many’ amazing gifts and PR packages from brands due to her 680,000 follower count on Instagram

The first episode of The Block’s 18th season premiered on Sunday night, and despite Joel and Elle’s dramatic exit, which is set to air on Tuesday night, Jackie O said she didn’t think the pair brought any drama.

‘They seem to be pretty chill. They were alright,’ she continued.

‘There was nothing “diva” about their behaviour.’

Elle (right) and Joel (left) appeared to have immediately rubbed their co-stars the wrong way on Sunday night during The Block premiere

Elle (right) and Joel (left) appeared to have immediately rubbed their co-stars the wrong way on Sunday night during The Block premiere

‘Maybe they got there and thought, “S**t, this isn’t for us. We’re out of here.”‘ Kyle added.

But Elle and Joel immediately rubbed their co-stars the wrong way on Sunday night during The Block premiere after their intro packages.

The pair immediately irked other contestants with their glamorous lifestyle, including social worker Sarah Jane and her partner Tom.

Influencer Elle Ferguson, 38, (pictured) sparked envy among The Block viewers on Sunday night as she opened the doors of her overflowing designer wardrobe

Influencer Elle Ferguson, 38, (pictured) sparked envy among The Block viewers on Sunday night as she opened the doors of her overflowing designer wardrobe

The podcast host has also plugged brands like Chanel, Tory Burch, Versace, Dior and Miu Miu

The podcast host has also plugged brands like Chanel, Tory Burch, Versace, Dior and Miu Miu

Sarah Jane questioned the couple’s motives for joining a reality show, given that the ritzy pair don’t appear to need the prize money nor the extra fame.

‘She’s already famous with 600,000 followers on Instagram,’ Sarah-Jane seethed.

‘They’ve got a sh*tload of money. Why are you here?’ she added.

Sarah Jane continued: ‘Some I respect, obviously. Some make a huge career from it. Look at your Kim Kardashian and Rozalia Russian. People like that. Beck Judd. Good on them.

Sarah Jane questioned the couple's motives for joining a reality show, given that the ritzy pair don't appear to need the prize money nor the extra fame

Sarah Jane questioned the couple’s motives for joining a reality show, given that the ritzy pair don’t appear to need the prize money nor the extra fame

‘But people who just go on shows to be social media [stars]. I don’t have time for that sh*t. Like go and get a real job mate.’

She also sparked envy among The Block viewers on Sunday night as she opened the doors of her overflowing designer wardrobe.

She gleefully gave producers a tour of her clothing archives during the couple’s introductory scene as she boasted about working ‘really hard’ for her possessions.

Elle, who previously boasted to her fans about having three closets, chose to show off her ‘fun’ wardrobe, which was stuffed with accessories by the likes of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Fendi and Miu Miu.

Elle, who previously boasted to her fans about having three closets, chose to show off her 'fun' wardrobe, which was stuffed with accessories by the likes of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Fendi and Miu Miu. Pictured with fiancé Joel Patfull

Elle, who previously boasted to her fans about having three closets, chose to show off her ‘fun’ wardrobe, which was stuffed with accessories by the likes of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Fendi and Miu Miu. Pictured with fiancé Joel Patfull

‘You know, I’ve worked really, really hard for every pair of shoes. And I could buy a house, but I bought shoes and bags, so… yeah!’ she boasted.

‘I think people will definitely put us into a box from our first image,’ Joel said.

‘But I don’t think it will take long for us to break that down and make genuine connections.’

The couple’s time on the show was over before it really began, after they threw in the towel for ‘family reasons’ after just 48 hours on the building site in country Victoria.

It is the first time a team has ever quit the Nine renovation show.

As reported by TV Week, host Cam told the other contestants Elle and Joel left because the show wasn’t ‘on brand’ for them as Sydney influencers. He also said they had complained ‘the toilet paper was too scratchy’.

The fashion influencer and her 37-year-old retired AFL player boyfriend, have disputed this, insisting they quit because of a legitimate family emergency.

The Block airs Sunday at 7.00pm and Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm on Nine

While the pair insist they quit the production because of a family emergency

While the pair insist they quit the production because of a family emergency

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Categories
Sports

Canberra Raiders prepared to accept NRL’s punishment for Ricky Stuart for calling Jaeman Salmon a ‘weak-gutted dog’

The Canberra Raiders NRL coach looks to his right during a match.

Canberra chief executive Don Furner says the Raiders are ready to accept any punishment handed down by the NRL over Ricky Stuart’s post-match attack on Jaeman Salmon, which could include suspension from future games.

After Penrith’s 26-6 defeat of the Raiders, Stuart labeled the Panthers’ stand-in five-eighth a “weak-gutted dog” for kicking Tom Starling in the groin.

Salmon ran afoul of the Canberra coach while playing with his son as a pre-teen in 2010, reportedly reducing the younger Stuart to tears in an incident that led to a confrontation between the pair’s fathers.

“‘Where Salmon kicked Tommy, it ain’t on,” Stuart said on Saturday.

“I have had history with that kid [Salmon]. I know that kid very well.

“He was a weak-gutted dog as a kid and he hasn’t changed now. He is a weak-gutted dog person now.”

In the team’s first statement since Stuart’s comments, the Raiders said they did not endorse the coach’s behavior but understood it.

“As a club, we do not condone the comments made by Ricky in Saturday night’s press conference and we are currently in dialogue with the NRL and cooperating with all their inquiries,” Furner said.

“We will accept their findings and any sanctions they hand down.

“Being a head coach is a high-pressure job and comes with intense scrutiny from fans, media, and [the] public and we understand emotion is high following a match.

“However, as a club we acknowledge that coaches also have a responsibility to ensure they conduct themselves professionally when making public comments.”

Jaeman Salmon wearing a cap at Penrith training
Jaeman Salmon’s family called on the NRL to take action against Stuart.(Getty Images: Mark Kolbe)

The Panthers won’t comment on the matter publicly until the NRL Integrity Unit’s investigation is finalized.

Stuart has yet to contact the Panthers or Salmon personally since the incident but did release a public apology on Sunday.

Salmon has pleaded guilty to the grade one contrary conduct charge incurred for the kick and will escape suspension with a $1,000 fine.

Despite Stuart’s public apology, the Salmon family urged the NRL to consider a serious sanction in a statement of their own released on Sunday.

AAP

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Categories
Australia

SA Labor to return $125k donation from CFMEU after alleged vandalism of cars

A man in a suit speaking with a round light shining above his head.

The South Australian Labor Party will return a $125,000 donation from the construction union, a decision that was prompted by the alleged vandalism of vehicles belonging to staff from the Master Builders Association.

The Victorian branch of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) made the donation in the lead-up to the March election in South Australia.

For several weeks, Premier Peter Malinauskas has been resisting calls for the donation to be returned or given to charity, despite going into the election with a promise to ban donations to political parties for future elections.

SA Labor state secretary Aemon Bourke confirmed on Monday the donation would be returned to the Victorian CFMEU.

Opposition spokeswoman for women Michelle Lensink last week called on Mr Malinauskas to donate the money to a domestic violence charity after Victorian CFMEU boss John Setka formally took control of the union’s South Australian branch.

John Setka speaks into the microphone
Victorian CFMEU boss John Setka has now formally taken charge of the SA branch. (AAP: Penny Stephens)

Mr Setka’s ex-wife Emma Walters also called for the money to be passed on to a domestic violence charity and has previously voiced concerns over the donation to the Labor Party.

In 2019, Mr Setka was convicted of harassing Ms Walters via text messages while they were still together.

“What I’d actually rather see is that he [Mr Malinauskas] actually go to domestic violence shelters and actually put together care packages for women who have had the courage and courage to escape domestic violence situations,” Ms Walters told ABC Radio Adelaide.

Mr Malinauskas this morning said he was prompted to return the money after speaking with Master Builders Association chief executive Will Frogley at an event on Sunday.

“Will explained to me the events that had occurred, reportedly, on Friday afternoon in terms of CFMEU stickers being put on Master Builders Association cars and also the damage to a car as well,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“Just as I foreshadowed whenever I’ve been asked about this over the past couple of weeks, I said that if there was any evidence that would suggest that inappropriate behavior on behalf of the CFMEU was coming across the border from Victoria, if there’s examples of that or evidence of that occurring here in South Australia then I will act and that’s exactly what I did yesterday afternoon upon hearing that news.”

Mr Malinauskas said he had resisted calls by Ms Lensink to donate the money to a domestic violence charity based on Mr Setka’s previous conviction because the money came from the CFMEU and not Mr Setka personally.

A man in a dark polo shirt with a man in a business attire in the background
Master Builders chief executive Will Frogley spoke with Mr Malinauskas about the alleged vandalism.

Mr Frogley confirmed to ABC Radio Adelaide that cars had been damaged on Friday evening but would not go into details regarding CFMEU stickers allegedly being placed on the vehicles.

He said as a result of Friday’s incident, he had increased security at the Master Builders Association and would be installing additional surveillance cameras.

“Everyone in my team should be able to come into work feeling completely unintimidated and safe,” he said.

Mr Frogley said the incident had been reported to police.

He also said he backed Mr Malinauskas’s position on banning political donations.

“Rightly or wrongly, there is always going to be this perception that you’re buying political muscle by doing that,” he said.

“Does Master Builders try to influence government policy? You bet we do, but we don’t donate to any political party. Instead, we focus on putting forward a compelling case on facts based on evidence, based on data on why government policy should be a certain way.”

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Categories
US

Death Valley sees nearly a year’s worth of rain in three hours, officials say

Death Valley sees nearly a year's worth of rain in three hours, officials say

(KTNV) — Officials say that Death Valley saw almost a year’s worth of rainfall within three hours last weekend.

They say that the rain caused widespread damage, and closure of all park roads.

“The heavy rain that caused the devastating flooding at Death Valley was an extremely rare, 1000-year event,” says Daniel Berc, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Las Vegas. “A 1000-year event doesn’t mean it happens once per 1000 years, rather that there is a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.”

Additionally, many thousands of roadways are known to have moderate to severe asphalt damage with hundreds of thousands of roadways impacted by debris. Road conditions are still being assessed, as damage makes access to some areas impossible by vehicle.

To date, there is said to be no reported injuries from visitors or park residents, and people who were previously sheltering in place have been able to carefully travel out through the damaged roadways. No park roads are currently open because of ongoing safety concerns and active road work.

“Death Valley is an incredible place of extremes,” said park superintendent Mike Reynolds. “It is the hottest place in the world, and the driest place in North America. This week’s 1,000 year flood is another example of this extreme environment. With climate change models predicting more frequent and more intense storms, this is a place where you can see climate change in action!”

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Categories
Business

Coffee roasters are adapting to fewer people wanting a barista-made brew

Coffee roasters are adapting to fewer people wanting a barista-made brew

More New Zealand specialty coffee roasters are jumping on the instant trend.

unsplash

More New Zealand specialty coffee roasters are jumping on the instant trend.

As fewer people head out to cafes for a cup of coffee, roasters are making it easier for people to have a tasty cup of joe at home.

Specialty coffee roaster Flight Coffee started an instant coffee line less than two months ago, after director and founder Nick Clark found fewer people were venturing out for a barista-made brew post-Covid.

On top of that, the increase in living costs and inflation has caused a massive uptake in home coffee consumption, he said.

“We’re seeing more and more people buy home coffee machines and making it themselves.“

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In the past 10 years, Clark had seen the development and innovation of alternative ways to brew and make coffee at home and in cafes.

And although he said the consumption of whole bean coffee would likely always hold the crown, there had been strong growth in alternative consumption of high-quality coffee such as pods and instant.

JASON DORDAY/STUFF

Coffee drinkers on Ponsonby Rd ​​have noticed a hike in prices at their favorite coffee shops.

“There is a move to the premiumisation of great quality coffee in general. We’re seeing it with the capsule market and now with instant.”

Clark said it costs more to produce the instant due to the extra steps in the process.

“Our instant coffee range is the same coffee you’ll find us selling as a whole bean, high quality specialty that has been ethically sourced through our supply chain.”

A 2022 instant coffee market study found the global instant coffee market reached a value of US$12.7 billion (NZ$20.35b) in 2021.

Flight Coffee's instant range launched in June.

Supplied

Flight Coffee’s instant range launched in June.

The market is projected to reach US$17.3b by 2027, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate of 5.4% during 2022-2027.

David Huang, owner Society Coffee Roasters in Auckland and board member of the NZ Specialty Coffee Association, said the market seemed to indicate that a few major specialty coffee players were moving into the field of instant coffee.

The likely idea behind it was to capture mainstream food service sales such as the public who bought coffee from the supermarket instead of a local roaster.

“The analogy behind this movement is simple. General consumers do not want to spend time or invest money and effort into making coffee as it is still not embedded in NZ culture to prepare coffee freshly ourselves,” he said.

David Huang says the market seems to indicate that a few major specialty coffee players are moving into the field of instant coffee.

Supplied

David Huang says the market seems to indicate that a few major specialty coffee players are moving into the field of instant coffee.

The pandemic and work from home movement had resulted in a fair increase in coffee consumption at home and in the workplace.

Huang said up to 70% of the coffee consumed in NZ was in the form of instant, while the fresh roasted bean and grind market only accounted for 30%.

“But there are well over 400 coffee roasters fighting in this over-saturated market.”

Huang said about five years ago barista-made coffee became a loss leading product and with the continued increased cost of raw material like green (raw) coffee bean, businesses needed to adapt, or put their prices up.

“The move to capture this massive general consumer market is inevitable and sensitive from business strategy point of view, as product like instant and capsule coffee have a longer shelf life, a much bigger margin and easier to handle in transportation.”

Huang said only time would tell how NZ consumers would respond to the hype.

Categories
Technology

Street Fighter 6’s Next Characters Are Juri And The All-New Kimberly

Street Fighter 6’s Next Characters Are Juri And The All-New Kimberly

It wouldn’t be an EVO without some character announcements, so Capcom took the opportunity this evening to show off the next two characters making up Street Fighter 6’s roster: the return of Juri, alongside Kimberly, a fighter making her series debut.

You can see both in action below in this trailer. Juri makes her entrance with one of the slickest Akira slides I’ve seen for a while, while Kimberly is described by Capcom as, uh, a “spunky new ninja”, who has special moves involving spray cans and a walkman:

Of course this isn’t really the first time we’ve seen Kimberly, who is the first playable African-American woman in street-fighter series history. She was teased in the game’s announcement trailer, and we saw her full design de ella (as well as Juri’s) in that art leak from a few months back.

That leak is probably going to spoil a lot of these announcements going forwards, at least a little, though I guess it has also got us wanting to see more of some of the cooler examples, like China’s AKI and Italy’s glorious new gladiator.

Street Fighter 6 is due sometime next year.

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Street Fighter 6 Changed Its Terrible Logo

when Street Fighter 6 was first unveiled earlier this year, one of the weirdest and most noteworthy things about its otherwise unremarkable trailer was the game’s logo. Which, as I said at the time, looked a lot like a piece of clipart.

Categories
Entertainment

The Bachelorette: Producer responds to calls for Schapelle Corby to be the next Bachelorette

The Bachelorette: Producer responds to calls for Schapelle Corby to be the next Bachelorette

Schapelle Corby is officially back on the market.

The convicted drug smuggler-turned-reality TV contestant posted about her newly-single status on Sunday, prompting immediate calls for her to be the next bachelorette, naturally.

Corby, 45, posted a photo of her presumably hand-in-hand with her scribbled-out ex-boyfriend Ben Panangian, with the call to action: “Looking for a New Four Leaf Clover. * ATTENTION *. Help a girl out – Get Tagging”.

The post included Papa Roach song Last Resort to drive her request home.

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Responding to the revelation and subsequent bachelorette buzz, Warner Bros. executive producer Ed hinted it’s not off the table.

Speaking to Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa during a surprise call this morning, Ed confirmed there had been no decision made on the next bachelorette yet, prompting Fitzy to make his pitch.

“Schapelle Corby has broken up with Ben over in Bali and looking for love. Now there have been a lot of people suggesting it wouldn’t be great if Channel 10 could find Schapelle Corby Love?” I have suggested.

“I agree… I think a lot of people would tune in,” Ed responded, asking the pair: “Do you think she’d be good on the dates?” to which funnyman Fitzy suggested a final destination.

“And the final decision, her down to two guys, the final decision is in Kuta,” he joked about the popular Aussie tourist spot in Bali, where Corby was infamously arrested with her bodyboard bag in 2004.

Revealing they “hadn’t considered” Corby for the spot, Ed said: “We’ll absolutely put that to Channel 10.”

It wouldn’t be Corby’s first stint on Aussie TV since she was released from prison, having appeared on Channel 7’s SAS Australia in 2020, and Dancing With The Stars in 2021.

Corby spent nine years in Indonesia’s brutal Kerobokan Prison after she was convicted of smuggling 4.2kg of cannabis into the country via a checked-in boogie board bag.

It was at the notoriously rough prison where she met her Indonesian surfer ex Panangian in 2006.

Corby had previously shared they were eager to have a baby together, despite it being virtually impossible for Panagian to settle in Australia due to his criminal record.

The couple caught up overseas in countries that didn’t require visas for entry.

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Categories
Sports

IndyCarnews | Scott Dixon beats Scott McLaughlin in wild ‘Crashville’ GP

Scott Dixon has pulled off a come-from-behind win to edge out countryman Scott McLaughlin in a manic IndyCar Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.

A well-timed pit stop and a stroke of luck propelled the Chip Ganassi Racing driver to the head of the field late in proceedings.

The six-time IndyCar winner held off a similarly strong comeback drive by McLaughlin, who had led the Nashville race early only to be hindered by a butchered pit stop.

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With the win, Dixon moves to outright second on the all-time winners’ list and propelled himself to second in the standings just six points behind Team Penske’s Will Power.

“I think the tough thing all weekend is I knew the PNC Bank No.9 was super fast, we proved that in the warm-up, we just didn’t have many consecutive laps,” said Dixon.

“Kudos to the team. We had a big crash that took half the floor off the car. We had to take four turns of front wing out. We had no grip.

“I think we did 45 or 50 laps on that last set of tyres. The last stop, we didn’t even take tyres. Huge credit to Firestone as well.”

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It was a sterling defensive drive by Dixon, who held off McLaughlin at the death to win by just 0.1 seconds.

“We were worried about him because I knew he’d take chances, he kind of has to with the standings at the moment,” said Dixon of McLaughlin.

“He was super fast as well. He had fresh tires too, so I was a bit of a sitting duck. I think if there was a lap or two more it would have been really tough to do.

“Congrats to him on a great weekend. Hopefully that was good for us for points.”

From the point, McLaughlin led Grosjean through the tight left-handed turn one and immediately set about creating a gap.

After a clean start to proceedings, pre-event favorite Colton Herta made wheel-to-wheel contact with Dalton Kellett of AJ Foyt Racing at the tight turn seven.

With nowhere to go, Herta clouted the wall and plucked his front wing off. He was forced to the pits and duly went down a lap.

Come lap eight, IndyCar’s most recent race winner Alexander Rossi locked up and stalled to bring out the full course caution.

It was another cruel blow for Andretti Autosport, which quickly found itself with two cars a lap down to the leader.

Racing summarized on lap 12 with McLaughlin at the head of the field. Eight laps later and green flag pit stops got underway in earnest.

In the midst of that, Meyer Shank Racing’s Helio Castroneves spun on his own out of turn six to bring out the second caution of the day.

Prior to the safety car intervention, a handful of drivers had pitted and benefited as the leaders came to the lane under yellow.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou cycled to the lead of the race ahead of teammate Jimmie Johnson. Castroneves’ stablemate Simon Pagenaud was third, AJ Foyt Racing’s Kyle Kirkwood fourth, and David Malukas of Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports fifth.

McLaughlin was the first of those who pitted under yellow ahead of Grosjean, Team Penske’s Will Power, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard, and Pato O’Ward of McLaren SP.

It was a short-lived green flag run on lap 26 when Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal drilled the back of O’Ward. That damaged Rahal’s front wing while O’Ward lost drive.

Further back, Rahal’s teammate Jack Harvey came to a halt as he tried to avoid the melee ahead of him. That checked up Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Callum Ilott and Dixon, leaving Kellett to rear-end the Kiwi.

Dixon suffered damage to the floor in the crash, pitting under yellow and falling to the back of the pack.

Ilott subsequently stalled, as did Kellet who copped a hit from the only female in the field, Simona De Silvestro of Paretta Autosport.

Such was the damage to Rahal’s car that as he limped back to the pit lane, the wing got stuck under his front wheels and speared him into the outside wall over the bridge.

O’Ward, Kellet, and De Silvestro retired while Rahal returned to the race later on.

After the incident, O’Ward took to social media to vent his frustrations in which the race’s location is labeled “Crashville.”

It was another chaotic restart on lap 33 when Ilott and Rossi interlocked wheels, sending the pair into the turn one run-off. Moments later, Dale Coyne Racing’s Takuma Sato and Andretti Autosport rookie Devlin DeFrancesco collided and darted into the outside wall.

On the lap 41 restart, Pagenaud sent smoke signals as he locked up and nearly center punched the rear of Palou.

Not wasting any time, McLaughlin dive-bombed Malukas into turn three and copped a hit from the rookie, though the Kiwi ultimately prevailed.

Come lap 43, McLaughlin pulled off another bold pass, this time picking off Pagenaud.

Out in front, Palou held a 2.5-second lead over McLaughlin. Pagenaud began limping with a suspected differential issue, ceding places to Malukas ans Grosjean.

As lap 50 ticked over, the final green flag pit stops began in earnest. Shortly thereafter, the caution was called after Rahal nose-dived the wall and was followed in by Rinus VeeKay.

That gave Scott Dixon a massive free kick, having just pitted prior to the yellow. He cycled to the lead of the race with Power and Lundgaard second and third respectively.

For McLaughlin, a horror pit stop some three seconds slower than his rival dropped him to 15th.

With the pit stops completed, it was Newgarden who led, albeit, with another stop to come. Dixon was second and Lundgaard third. Power was fourth while Havery was fifth. Palou was sixth as the first of those to pit under yellow followed by Malukas, Herta, Grosjean, and Kirkwood.

McLaughlin wasted little time on the restart, climbing five places on the first green flag lap with a series of brave passes.

With 17 lapses to go, the two rookies Kirkwood and Malukas came together to bring out yet another caution.

Under the safety car, race leader Newgarden pitted with 14 laps to go to hand Dixon the lead over Lundgaard.

On the restart, McLaughlin took care of Herta for fourth and then passed Palou for third, who was carrying front wing damage.

Former points leader Marcus Ericsson had been the quiet achiever of the day, consistently hanging around the top 10, only to lose drive momentarily and stop on track.

With eight lapses to go, Johnson lost control of his car coming off the bridge and slapped the wall hard. That wrecked his car and once more the safety car was brought out.

Four laps shy of the finish, Newgarden got into the side of Grosjean on the restart. With nowhere to go, the Frenchman slammed into the wall and brought proceedings to a halt.

With the finish in sight, the red flag was drawn. After a brief intermission, that set up a one-and-a-half-lap dash to the checkered flag.

McLaughlin ducked and dived to try to find a way through, but Dixon ultimately crossed the line first.

Palou bookended the podium for Chip Ganassi Racing while Rossi and Herta capped off incredible recovery drives to fourth and fifth respectively.

Newgarden, Felix Rosenqvist, Lundgaard, Harvey, and Pagenaud completed the top 10 with Power on the fringe in 11th.

The IndyCar Series continues on August 21 (AEST) with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

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Categories
US

US Senate approves bill to fight climate change, cut drug costs | Business and EconomyNews

US Senate approves bill to fight climate change, cut drug costs | Business and EconomyNews

Democrats in the United States have passed a sweeping $430bn bill intended to fight climate change, lower drug prices and raise some corporate taxes, in a major victory for President Joe Biden.

The package, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, passed the Senate on Sunday by a 51-50 party line vote with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking ballot.

“The Senate is making history,” an elated Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, after pumping his fists in the air as cheered Democrats and their staff members responded to the vote with a standing ovation.

“To Americans who’ve lost faith that Congress can do big things, this bill is for you,” he said. “This bill is going to change America for decades.”

Schumer said the legislation contains “the boldest clean energy package in American history” to fight climate change while reducing consumer costs for energy and some medicines.

The action sends the measure to the House of Representatives for a vote, likely Friday when representatives plan to reconvene briefly during a summer recess. They are expected to pass it, which would then send the bill to the White House for Biden’s signature. In a statement, Biden said he looked forward to signing the bill into law.

Democrats hope the bill’s passage will help the party’s House and Senate candidates in the November 8 midterm elections at a time when Biden is suffering from anemic public approval ratings amid high inflation.

Senators engaged in a round-the-clock marathon of voting that began Saturday and stretched late into Sunday. Democrats swatted down some three dozen Republican amendments designed to torpedo the legislation.

Conservative lawmakers have criticized the bill as wasteful spending, with top Republican Senator Mitch McConnell accusing Democrats of voting to “double down on their economic disaster”.

‘Biggest climate investment in US history’

The legislation is aimed at reducing carbon emissions and shifting consumers to green energy, while cutting prescription drug costs for the elderly and tightening enforcement on taxes for corporations and the wealthy.

The bill would invest nearly $375bn over the decade in climate change-fighting strategies including investments in renewable energy production and tax rebates for consumers to buy new or used electric vehicles.

It’s broken down to include $60bn for a clean energy manufacturing tax credit and $30bn for a production tax credit for wind and solar, seen as ways to boost and support the industries that can help curb the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. The bill also gives tax credits for nuclear power and carbon capture technology that oil companies such as Exxon Mobil have invested millions of dollars to advance.

For consumers, there are tax breaks as incentives to go green. One is a 10-year consumer tax credit for renewable energy investments in wind and solar. There are tax breaks for buying electric vehicles, including a $4,000 tax credit for purchase of used electric vehicles and $7,500 for new ones.

In all, Democrats believe the strategy could put the country on a path to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030, and “would represent the single biggest climate investment in US history, by far”.

“This is a historic achievement,” said Gregory Wetsone, president of the American Council on Renewable Energy.

“This represents the first time in the United States that we have seen Congress take a serious effort to deal with the climate problem. And this bill, the programs it includes, are ones we have been advocating for many years and I think will have a huge impact allowing the clean energy transition that we know we are going to need to deal with climate change,” he told Al Jazeera .

Lower prescription drug costs

On the healthcare front, the bill would allow the Medicare program to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies for the first time, saving the federal government some $288bn over the 10-year budget window.

Those new revenues would be put back into lower costs for seniors on medications, including a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap for older adults buying prescriptions from pharmacies. It also extends expiring subsidies that help 13 million people afford health insurance.

The bill’s final costs were being recalculated, but overall it would raise more than $700bn over a decade. The money would come from a 15 percent minimum tax on a handful of corporations with annual profits above $1bn, a 1 percent tax on companies that repurchase their own stock, bolstered IRS tax collections, and government savings from lower drug costs.

With some $740bn in new revenue and around $440bn in new investments, the bill promises to put the difference of about $300bn toward deficit reduction.

The latest package is barely more than one-tenth the size of Biden’s initial 10-year, $3.5 trillion rainbow of progressive aspirations in his Build Back Better initiative. It abandoned earlier proposals for universal preschool, paid family leave, and expanded child care aid. That plan collapsed after conservative Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat, opposed it saying it was too costly and would drive inflation.

Nonpartisan analysts have said the Inflation Reduction Act would have a minor effect on surging consumer prices.

Republicans said the bill would undermine an economy that policymakers are struggling to keep from plummeting into recession. They said the bill’s business taxes would hurt job creation and force prices skyward, making it harder for people to cope with the nation’s worst inflation since the 1980s.

“Democrats have already robbed American families once through inflation, and now their solution is to rob American families a second time,” McConnell, the Senate Minority leader, argued.

He said spending and tax increases in the legislation would eliminate jobs while having an insignificant effect on inflation and climate change.

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Woman buys $2600 designer coffee table: Finds ‘penis’ design

Woman buys $2600 designer coffee table: Finds 'penis' design

An architect who spent a whopping $2600 on a designer coffee table was horrified when it turned up sporting what looked like a giant penis.

Brazilian architect Ana Julieta Garcia had purchased the table for an interior design project she was working on for a client in Spain.

The 32-year-old paid $2,619 for the handmade piece.

But at the time of paying, she had not seen the specific design she would get, as the tables are made from volcanic lava and are each individual.

Ms Garcia, who also works as a DJ, was astonished when the delivery arrived with the likeness of a penis covering the tabletop.

“It’s a handmade table made from volcanic lava, which is enamelled by hand. You can’t know the final design until it comes out of the oven,” she said.

“That’s the beautiful part of the story, you never know how your product will turn out.

“I saw the example – but it really went wrong in the oven.”

“All the dark pigments clumped together in the middle. Normally, they’re separated,” she added.

“Usually, the final image looks like it is multidimensional. But my order turned out really – interesting – I’d say.”

She joked: “Help! You work your whole life and now your reference is a huge blue d*ck.

“When you put ‘Ana Julieta’ into Google, only this will appear. Nothing about an architect or a DJ.”

She added: “The company sent me the product advising that it hadn’t turned out like they’d hoped.

“It’s just that the table has a long production time. I left it with my client, and the new tabletop is already under production.

“When I handed it over, I said, ‘If you want to keep it, fine. If not, I understand.’”

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