Under-fire All Blacks coach Ian Foster raised eyebrows as he called Sunday’s 26-10 loss to the Springboks “probably our best performance of the year.”
New Zealand was bossed in scrums, at the breakdown and in the aerial contests as the world champions flexed their muscle in the Rugby Championship opener amid an electric atmosphere in Mbombela.
The All Blacks have now lost five of their last six Tests under Foster and are poised to drop to fifth in the world rankings when they are officially released next week.
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All Blacks coach Ian Foster speaks to the media. (Getty)
Their current status of fourth is already a historic low.
“In many ways this was probably our best performance of the year,” Foster said.
“I think we really did well at the lineouts, we defended their drives, we didn’t get any calls in that first half but our defense was really strong. It was a game dominated by defense and a couple of high ball errors. The timing was a fraction out against their line speed.”
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South Africa’s Kurt-Lee Arendse celebrates with teammates after scoring a try. (AP)
Foster was very grumpy about how the Springboks contested high kicks and indicated the All Blacks will raise their concerns with the officials.
“We’re going to have another look at them chucking bodies at us in the air,” Foster said.
“Pretty frustrated with that. The one in the first half we weren’t very happy with and certainly that last one was very dangerous.
Beauden Barrett of New Zealand and Kurt-Lee Arendse of South Africa. (Getty)
“That’s part of the game we’ve got to sort out.”
The same teams meet again at Ellis Park next weekend and Foster’s job is hanging by a thread.
“There’s enough there to show we’re moving in the right direction,” Foster claimed.
South Africa’s Kurt-Lee Arendse scores a try at Mbombela Stadium. (AP)
“These are big Test matches and it hurts to drop it. Obviously there’s a lot of pressure around the team at the moment and everyone feels that. It ain’t easy, to be honest.”
The Springboks scored two tries, one at the start by winger Kurt-Lee Arendse and one right at the end by replacement Willie le Roux as the All Blacks launched a desperate late attack deep in their own 22 in an attempt to salvage some pride.
The Springboks were in control throughout and had a big territorial advantage to work with, although they finished with 14 men after Arendse was issued a red card – while he was lying flat out receiving medical attention – for a highly dangerous charge in the air on Beauden Barrett.
Faf de Klerk leaves the field. (twitter)
The Boks led 19-3 and were grinding their way to a big victory when the All Blacks finally broke clear of the home defense in the dying minutes with a bust by winger Caleb Clarke.
He was dragged down just short in an incredible tackle by Damian Willemse but replacement forward Shannon Frizell was on hand to score the only All Blacks try with two minutes to go.
But Frizell was the man to drop a pass from captain Sam Cane soon after, allowing le Roux to kick ahead and score, and seal the win.
Springboks five-eighth Handre Pollard kicked 16 points while hooker Malcolm Marx was a breakdown menace and center Lukhanyo Am typically superb.
Rugby’s most successful team was already in the midst of its worst run in 24 years after last month’s historic home series loss to Ireland and is dangerously close to its worst set of results ever.
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson has only guaranteed Foster’s survival for the tour of South Africa.
“It’s a damn challenging time at the moment because we’re working damn hard to get parts of our game right,” Cane said.
“That first half we didn’t really throw a punch. They were very good tonight, played their game of footy which can suffocate you.
“We didn’t take the high ball well enough and we didn’t well enough at the breakdown. It’s not like there’s a lack of effort or belief. It’s a very challenging time – we’ve just got to get back on the horse .
“It’s not like we’re way off but it doesn’t take away how disappointed we are.”
Meanwhile, inspirational Springboks captain Siya Kolisi praised the Mbombela crowd for their impact.
“Hopefully us performing like this lifts the people,” Kolisi said.
“For a lot of countries rugby is just a game – for us it’s far more than that.”
Kolisi added that he still had massive respect for the struggling All Blacks.
“I don’t care what people say, I know that team is strong.”
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‘I got the yips that night’: Rugby legends trade hilarious yarns on Stan Sport’s Glory Days series
The glue that held graziers Mervyn and Maree Schwarz and sons Graham and Ross Tighe together, also pulled in all those who knew them.
This magnetic orbit has been repeatedly described by shell-shocked friends and associates after the execution-style killing of three members of the family on their cattle property at Bogie, west of Bowen, this week.
“You won’t find many families as tied together and that work as hard as they did,” Queensland grazier Warren Drynan said.
Graham Tighe died after a shooting incident at a Bogie property.(Facebook)
Mr Schwarz, 71, Mrs Schwarz, 59, and son Graham John Tighe, 35, were shot dead with a rifle, allegedly by their neighbor Darryl Young, 59, at the gate of their property at Shannonvale Rd on Thursday morning.
Police allege they had met to discuss a property dispute.
Sole survivor Ross Tighe, 30, remains in hospital and is recovering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Incredibly, I have managed to escape, getting into a nearby car and driving 40 kilometers to raise the alarm.
Mr Young, a long-term resident, has been charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
Darryl Young (right) has been charged with murder.(Supplied)
He remains in custody awaiting his first appearance before a magistrate on Monday.
The family had been at the property to muster cattle on the day of the fatal shootings.
The expansive Bogie farm where the tragic shooting happened was only purchased last year for $10 million, according to property records.
A floral tribute was left at the intersection of Normanby and Peter Delemothe roads.(ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
It’s located just west of Bowen, halfway to the mining town of Collinsville.
The property, known as Shannonvale Station, was owned by the same family from the 1930s to the early 2000s and then had five previous owners before the Schwarz family came to town just months ago.
The 29,856-hectare Shannonvale Rd cattle property was purchased in equal shares by Mr and Mrs Schwarz and Graham Tighe.
Graham is a father of two young children, one only a few weeks old.
The ABC has been told Graham lived at the Bogie property, while Mr and Mrs Schwarz lived at another large farm at The Gums, closer to the town of Tara.
Ross Tighe is recovering in hospital.(Facebook)
That address, known as Doonkoona, comprises 1,961 hectares of grazing land on Humbug Rd, which they bought in 2016 for $2.6 million.
Ross Tighe has been living not far from Rome.
It’s understood many family members are now traveling to be with Ross as he recovers.
But with large extended families from previous marriages, Merv and Maree’s children have been left to put together the pieces, with separate family groups joining to support each other.
The family declined to speak to the ABC.
Chilling deaths against gold rush backdrop
Bogie is harsh cattle country.
Many came to the area during the gold rush in the 1800s and some residents still believe their properties could have a jackpot of gold beneath the earth.
Bogie is described as harsh cattle country.(ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
Dirt roads and cattle grids connect properties dozens of kilometers apart.
Many boundaries are “give and take” perimeters, locals told the ABC.
Only 37 families call the 3,858 square kilometer locality — the size of Singapore, Samoa and the Maldives combined — home.
It was at the front gate of Shannonvale Station, in dense scrubby bushland an hour-and-a-half down a dirt track off the main road to Collinsville, where tragedy struck on Thursday morning.
Police cordoned off Normanby Road while investigating the shooting.(ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
Police say it was a request to meet that drew the family to the front gate along with their neighbor Mr Young.
“We understand there was a conversation that occurred the night before, which was the reason why the parties had met at the gate on the property in the morning,” Acting Superintendent Tom Armitt said.
“There was an invitation [from the alleged gunman] for them to go there.”
One local said disputes over boundaries and cattle had been going on in Bogie for “years and years and years”.
“It’s just rotten around there,” he said.
A family unit like no other
Warren Drynan bought his property at Jackson North, east of Roma, from the Schwarz family in 2014.
He said Ross and Graham had helped build some fences on the farm known as Noonga shortly after the sale.
Mr Drynan never forgot Mr and Mrs Schwarz’s hospitality and the boys’ hardworking nature.
He said the tight-knit family had long-held large parcels of farming land throughout Queensland.
Graziers said the family developed properties many thought too difficult to improve before making a profit and moving onto the next project.
“They’d take on anything,” Mr Drynan said.
“Que [Mervyn] liked doing, was finding these rundown places, clearing them, improving pastures.
“He was just that person, Merv, and Maree and the two boys, they were a family unit who worked hard and long hours.”
Even years later, Mr Schwarz would always stop and have a chat if he saw Mr Drynan at cattle meets.
“We weren’t real social friends by any means, but he was just that person that once you knew him, you could always have a yarn,” Mr Drynan said.
Other people called Mr Schwarz a “scallywag”, saying he was a joker and one of his main gags was about his signature one finger and one toe attached to his right hand after a farming accident.
“He’d always make a joke about shaking your hand,” Mr Drynan said.
“Merv was really just so happy go lucky, the sort of bloke who wore his heart on his sleeve,” another grazier from Tara recalled.
Maree Schwarz has been remembered as a “lovely person”.(Facebook)
Mrs Schwarz is remembered by many as a “lovely person”.
On social media she cradles a new grandbaby with a beaming smile.
“She is beautiful,” she tells a friend in a comment.
While one of Graham’s close friends described the father-of-two as “a top bloke who was a little rough around the edges.”
“He was always up to no good, had some crazy idea and was just a bloody good horseman,” he said.
“I learned more from that family than I could even explain.”
Mr Drynan, like many graziers, was shaken by the killings.
He said the family were “not aggressive” people.
“I just I don’t know how the hell it could happen,” he said.
Mrs Schwarz’s brother-in-law, Greg Austen, said the family had previously lived at Kilcummin, near Clermont in central Queensland, and were much-loved and well-respected members of the community.
“They were terrific, down to earth typical country people,” he said.
“They were typical pumpkin scones and a few beers on a Friday people.”
Mr Austen, a councilor on the Isaac Regional Council, said his children, along with Graham and Ross, would regularly muster cattle together.
“They were very close to them,” he said.
“My family are pretty… in shock. We’ll band together and hold together.”
Sole survivor ‘up and talking’
Ross Tighe suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen.(Facebook)
Mr Austen said it was an “amazing feat of strength and courage” from Ross to flee the scene, which ultimately led to his survival.
“It was very strong of him to do that, to go that far and raise the alarm,” he said.
Ross was flown by helicopter to the Mackay Base Hospital in a serious, but stable condition.
“He’s OK,” Mr Austen said.
“He’s not out of hospital, but he’s out of surgery. He’s up and talking.
“But he’s got a lot of difficulties ahead of him I imagine.”
Angel Flight CEO Marjorie Pagani told ABC the service would assist family members of the shooting victims to return to Mackay, at the request of Bob Katter’s office.
Police were called to shoot at a property between Collinsville and Bowen.(ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
tragic story unravels
Whitsunday Regional Councilor Mike Brunker said the council would assist police in their investigation.
“I think as the story unravels, it’s going to be just a very sad, tragic story,” he said.
Burdekin MP Dale Last, whose electorate takes in Collinsville and Bogie, said nothing like this had happened in the community in recent memory.
“There are a lot of long-term residents and property owners in the area, and to think something like that could happen in their backyard, it just sent a shockwave through the entire area,” he said.
“But places like Collinsville are very resilient.”
Dale Last says the rural community is in shock.(ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
He said the community had been through a lot in recent years and they banded together when times were tough.
Mr Brunker said he instantly thought of the United States of America when he heard about the shooting, not his own region.
“The last thing you think of is the Bogie community, the remote properties,” he said.
Bogie grazier Bob Gaadie said the community might be spread out, but the incident hit everyone hard.
“It might be 50 to 60 kilometers away, but it’s still your doorstep,” he said.
Police blocked off Normanby Road while investigating the shooting.(ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
The police investigation into the deaths is ongoing and detectives are asking anyone who may have had interactions with the alleged gunman in the past two months to contact them.
Mr Young will appear in the Proserpine Magistrates Court on Monday.
The FBI is involved in a multistate manhunt for a man charged with aggravated murder in the fatal shooting of four people in Ohio.
The FBI has issued a wanted poster for 39-year-old Stephen Marlow, whom they said should be considered “armed and dangerous.” He has ties to Indianapolis, Chicago and Lexington, Kentucky, and “could be in one of these cities,” FBI Cincinnati said on Twitter.
Marlow is wanted in connection with the shooting deaths of four people in Butler Township, a small town north of Dayton on Friday, police said.
Police responding to reports of gunfire shortly before noon found the four victims suffering from gunshot wounds at “multiple crime scenes” in a residential area, the Butler Township Police Department said.
The four victims were pronounced dead at the scenes. They have not been identified by police.
Marlow was charged with four counts of aggravated murder on Friday and a state warrant was issued for his arrest, according to the FBI. A federal arrest warrant was also issued on Saturday after he was charged with “unlawful flight to avoid prosecution,” the FBI said.
Police responded to reports of gunfire in Butler Township, Ohio, Aug. 5, 2022. Four people were found fatally shot, police said.
WKEF
Butler Township Police Chief John Porter said they don’t believe there is a continued threat to the neighborhood but “we will continue to have crews in the area in case Marlow would return,” he told reporters on Friday. The Dayton Police Department Bomb Squad was also contacted “out of an abundance of caution,” he said.
Neighbors were asked to review any video camera footage from that day.
Porter said police were working to determine “if there were any motive for this horrible tragedy” and did not have any further information on the investigation.
“This is the first violent crime in this neighborhood in recent memory,” Porter said.
Police responded to reports of gunfire in Butler Township, Ohio, Aug. 5, 2022. Four people were found fatally shot, police said.
WKEF
Marlow is believed to have fled the area in a white 2007 Ford Edge SUV with the Ohio license plate JES9806, police said.
He was described by police as approximately 5’11”, 160 pounds with short brown hair and was last seen wearing shorts and a yellow T-shirt.
Another point of debate has been the influence of banned manager Moses. He represents the coach and assistant coach Blake Green. Knights recruitment boss Clint Zammit is a former employee of Moses. There are a host of players managed by Moses’ company, Cove Agency.
Brisbane, Parramatta and the Warriors have all had issues when stacked with players or coaches linked to Moses.
pride please
Ian Roberts has shown considerable tolerance and understanding of the “Manly seven”, saying “it would be a kick in the guts” if the NRL failed to introduce a Pride Round next year.
Seven Sea Eagles players refused to wear a rainbow jersey designed to promote inclusivity against the Roosters and so did not play.
“We have just been through all that shit and, I’m not like vilifying the seven guys, I believe it’s a conversation that you have to have,” Roberts said. “We have to be mature. I’m confident and hopeful but, of course, just worried that pushback is going to derail and scare people. It’s time for the NRL to stand up and back this. Having a float in the Mardi Gras is box ticking in my eyes. It’s great, but it’s a toe in the water. It’s time to jump right in there.
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“This is about showing support for young kids, and the catastrophic consequences we face if we don’t. Like it or not but sport has power to change things in society. It’s been that way for a long time. Look at the black power stance at the Olympics. This has been going on for a long time.”
Critics of the Manly players have wanted to know exactly why they have taken their stance. Members of the group have told me they were certainly not doing it because they are homophobic, and Roberts wants to believe that.
“I would think they are probably unaware of the significance and the potential consequences of their actions,” he said.
“I really don’t believe they would be thinking like that or hiding behind their religion. They could not be ruthless. I don’t think the seven boys could possibly have been aware of everything and everyone they impact. That’s why I’d like to talk to them. To tell them about my experience and other people’s. It’s probably something they have not had to consider.”
Perrottet checked out when NRL checked in
The ARL Commission’s decision to spend $25 million on a hotel in Brisbane ended any chance it had of securing millions of dollars for suburban stadiums in Sydney.
I have been told the NSW government was already agonizing about whether it was politically viable to honor its promise to provide more NRL stadium funding, well before the issue blew up during the week. With the floods wiping out so many homes and businesses in and around Lismore in the Northern Rivers region, and other areas of the state, it was a difficult sell for Premier Dominic Perrottet.
The NRL says it is manipulative to use human tragedy to get out of a deal, and anyone in the NRL’s box at Origin III at Suncorp Stadium in July would have been aware of the handshake deal. Perrottet was reminded of his commitment to him in front of those present. The notion of hosting the grand finale in Brisbane was also raised.
The NRL concedes it has been outplayed, but the Lismore excuse is “dirty pool” in its view. However, it became impossible for the government to justify spending on stadiums after the NRL publicly celebrated purchasing the Gambaro Hotel close to Suncorp Stadium. Here was a private business demanding millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money, while saying it was in such a great financial shape it could afford a hotel.
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Television coverage featured players boasting about having their own hotel, complete with themed rooms to honor the biggest stars. What’s more, the ARLC relied on a handshake deal to upgrade the stadiums rather than getting it in writing, making it easy for the state government to back out. ARLC chairman Peter V’landys needs to realize not everyone operates with his honor from him.
The big problem for the ARLC is the NSW government is unlikely to revisit the stadiums proposal after this week’s public brawl. It’s a salient lesson for the ARLC and V’landys that you can’t cry poor and flaunt your wealth at the same time.
Madge moves on
It’s hard to see Michael Maguire and Tim Sheens ever sitting down for a pleasant conversation again.
Maguire, who was sacked by Wests Tigers in early June, is back in town after a European getaway, which included time in France and on a friend’s super yacht.
As relaxing as that sounds, it’s hard to forget the way he was sacked. The man who was brought in to help him, Sheens, has replaced him. It’s an awful look for the Tigers, and one that doesn’t sit comfortably with Maguire, or the people who still think he can coach.
When Sheens came on board, Maguire accepted it in the hope that he was there to make his life better. For Sheens to replace him is very hard to accept for even the most passionate of Maguire haters.
However, you won’t read this kind of criticism in the News Corp press as they are claiming the Sheens elevation to head coach as their doing. So he is getting a free ride, unlike Maguire, who lived on the edge as a wave of attacks were launched. Maguire is preparing for the World Cup with New Zealand (who are ranked No.1), doing some work on himself and keeping an eye on the coaching developments at various clubs.
Bulldogs players push an ambulance out of the mud on a golf course.
Rescue Dogs
The Bulldogs have shown some good signs on the field, and they’ve been putting in off the field, too.
Canterbury players jumped to the aid of an ambulance crew that was bogged on a golf course during the week. Matt Burton, Ryan Gray, Braidon Burns and Kurtis Morrin were playing at Beverley Park Golf Club and hurried across three fairways to help out. A golfer suffered an elbow dislocation after a fall. The help was greatly appreciated.
Brotherly glove
Matt Lodge has been trying to repair his reputation for years. Now his sister Kaitlyn is trying to make a mark in sport as a boxer. After seven amateur fights, she is turning pro and chasing a world title.
“I started at the gym maybe two-and-a-half years ago just to lose weight and my coach said how about we try having an amateur fight,” she said. “Now my pro debut is the 10th of September on the Gairy St Clair Superhero Pro Fight Night at Rooty Hill, and it’s for a world title in the World Boxing League.
Kaitlyn Lodge, the sister of Matt Lodge.
“I’m a super-welterweight and I feel like I’m on a great path. I wasn’t really into sport until this, but I think I like the challenge. It’s very structured and disciplined. That’s what I like. Growing up I’ve always been a bit of a hothead, but this has actually calmed me down a lot. Now it’s just in the ring. You get all that out.”
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Kaitlyn says she has drawn inspiration from her brother’s on-field exploits.
“You watch what he does and it’s impressive, and then you see him prepare,” she said. “Growing up he was, ‘I’m going to training, I’m going to training’.
“I never understood about that and now it’s like I understand why he does it. So he’s been pretty inspiring. He’s helped me out a lot. He’s very supportive.”
Stream the NRL Premiership 2022 live and free on 9Now.
When Najat Janabi arrived in Australia with her 16-year-old son Ahmed Shalikhan in 2013, she thought they’d finally made it to safety.
Their boat from Indonesia was the final leg in a decades-long journey, which included escaping persecution in Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s regime and being stateless in Iran.
In reality, it was the beginning of another nightmare.
Nine years later, Ahmed is still locked in immigration detention — and there’s no end in sight.
“I lost hope, I lost my childhood, I lost my education. I always wanted to have a better life. This government. This department took everything from me,” he told the ABC.
Ahmed’s case is complex.
Najat Janabi arrived in Australia with son Ahmed Shalikhan in 2013. He was 16-years-old.(Supplied)
He last week returned to Sydney’s Villawood detention center after spending five months in the Mid North Coast Correctional Center because he was charged with assaulting an officer in detention.
He pleaded not guilty under the Mental Health Act, and the charge against him was dismissed.
Body-worn camera footage from inside Villawood shows Ahmed being detained by several Serco officers, who pin him to the ground and then to the walls.
The video was filmed in January.
In the recordings, the 24-year-old can be heard screaming “you’re breaking my arm”, “I’m choking” and “you’re punching me”.
In another, one of the guards can be heard saying: “That’s OK. You’re all right.”
In a statement, Serco said “all staff involved in the incident acted in accordance with procedure.”
“Serco’s priority is always to treat people in our care with dignity and respect in a safe and secure environment.”
Omar Juweinat has been scathing of his client’s situation.(ABC News: Nabil Al-Nashar)
Ahmed’s lawyer, Omar Juweinat, described the case as the “saddest I’ve had the displeasure of appearing in”.
“I can’t think of another defendant in recent history in a case in which I have appeared, that has suffered to the extent that he has,” he said.
“How on earth a government saw it fit to effectively carve out him from being in the company of his mother and his siblings is beyond me and one of the most inhumane decisions I’ve ever seen.”
Despite his charge being dismissed, the decision did not mean freedom for Ahmed — just a transfer from jail back to detention.
Falling through the cracks
After three years being moved around detention facilities, Najat was released into community detention in August 2016 and granted a safe haven visa.
This five-year visa granted her freedom to live, work and study in Australia.
Najat claims a doctor from the Department of Immigration promised her Ahmed’s case for release was progressing too.
“They said your son will be right behind you, in three months, they said he’ll be out in three months,” she said.
Ahmed, however, had “ongoing behavioral issues” that constituted a “barrier to a community release”, according to a case review from November 2015 by the Department of Home Affairs.
As early as July 2015, Ahmed had been involved in six incidents in detention, including two in which he was described as the perpetrator.
Several of those incidents, and subsequent ones, have been altercations with SERCO guards.
Ahmed Shalikhan has been in immigration detention for nine years.(Supplied)
Ahmed also lives with an intellectual disability and mental health issues.
At least four psychological reports, commissioned by his legal team and a GP at Villawood, amongst others, agree he now has depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other suspected diagnoses including anxiety, paranoia and suicidal ideation.
The evaluations detail how Ahmed’s father, who died when his son was a young child, lived with Alzheimer’s disease and was “prone to domestic violence”.
Some of them mention how Ahmed was left traumatized after his uncle took him on a tour of an Iranian prison aged 11, where he witnessed torture and saw dead bodies.
They also detail how Ahmed was bullied at primary school in Iran because of his ethnicity.
Several assessments have also suggested that Ahmed’s mental health has been declining.
An assessment from May 2014 found “the psychiatrist advises that remaining in his current confined environment is exacerbating his mental health”.
In October 2020, Ahmed was jailed after pleading guilty to several charges of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill, using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, using a carriage service to make a threat to cause serious harm, and using a carriage service to procure persons under 16 years old for sexual activity.
“At first blush, the matters that he pleaded guilty to in the District Court seemed distasteful,” Juweinat said.
“Although, when considered in context of the evidence surrounding his mental illness, and amongst other things, his offending was part and parcel of his desperation to want to be able to be part of the outside world.”
Ahmed told the ABC he did not absolve himself from his crimes, but said detention was the wrong environment for him.
“I came to this country to have a better life you know, not to commit any crime,” he said.
“Because of what happened to me in the past when I was a child. That makes me to do mistakes.”
In a statement, a Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said it “was committed to the health and welfare of detainees.”
“All detainees receive appropriate physical and mental health care. There is a range of health services available including psychiatry, psychology and counseling services,” they said.
‘We created the man’
Ahmed’s human rights lawyer, Alison Battisson, argues her client’s criminal record should have no bearing on his release from detention because he and his mother were already recognized by the Department of Home Affairs as refugees and they are stateless.
“We effectively created the man he is today, and that is somebody who needs significant support and has committed some crimes,” she said.
“He never displayed any of these behaviors prior to being locked up as a child with a whole lot of other random people in unsafe circumstances.”
Lawyer Alison Battisson founded the not-for-profit group Human Rights for All.(Supplied)
According to the Department of Home Affairs, there were 1,512 people in immigration detention as of March 2022.
Of those, there were 129 who had been there for five years or more.
There are no children in detention, but some, like Ahmed, grew up there and now count as adults.
Ms Battison told the ABC Ahmed could be reunited with his family thanks to ministerial “God-like” powers.
“It is literally as simple as signing a piece of paper. The Minister for Home Affairs or the Minister for Immigration would sign a statutory instrument … effectively granting him the visa,” she said.
In 2018, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for Ahmed’s immediate release and found his deprivation of liberty in contravention of several human, civil and political rights.
A report by the same UN group on Ahmed’s case released that year contained a response from the federal government which claimed his “detention continues to be appropriate” and that his “current place of detention is suitable”.
It claimed Ahmed’s case had been reviewed 32 times.
Meanwhile, Najat is dealing with her own health conditions and relies on her older son for support.
I have arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2011, and is now a permanent resident.
Najat prays Ahmed will be allowed to rejoin the family and start his life in Australia soon.
“I want my son. I really need my son. He needs me. We talk on the phone, he cries and screams please end this,” she said.
WASHINGTON — At the center of the new climate and tax package that Democrats appear to be on the verge of passing is one of the most significant changes to America’s tax code in decades: a new corporate minimum tax that could reshape how the federal government collects revenue and alter how the nation’s most profitable companies invest in their businesses.
The proposal is one of the last remaining tax increases in the package that Democrats are aiming to pass along party lines in coming days. After months of intraparty disagreement over whether to raise taxes on the wealthy or roll back some of the 2017 Republican tax cuts to fund their agenda, they have settled on a longstanding political ambition to ensure that large and profitable companies pay more than $0 in federal taxes .
To accomplish this, Democrats have recreated a policy that was last employed in the 1980s: trying to capture tax revenue from companies that report a profit to shareholders on their financial statements while bulking up on deductions to whittle down their tax bills.
The re-emergence of the corporate minimum tax, which would apply to what’s known as the “book income” that companies report on their financial statements, has prompted confusion and fierce lobbying resistance since it was announced last month.
Some initially confirmed the measure with the 15 percent global minimum tax that Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen has been pushing as part of an international tax deal. However, that is a separate proposal, which in the United States remains stalled in Congress, that would apply to the foreign earnings of American multinational companies.
Republicans have also misleadingly tried to seize on the tax increase as evidence that President Biden was ready to break his campaign promises and raise taxes on middle-class workers. And manufacturers have warned that it would impose new costs at a time of rapid inflation.
In a sign of the political power of lobbyists in Washington, by Thursday evening the new tax had already been watered down. At the urging of manufacturers, Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona persuaded her Democratic colleagues to preserve a valuable deduction, known as bonus depreciation, that is associated with purchases of machinery and equipment.
The new 15 percent minimum tax would apply to corporations that report annual income of more than $1 billion to shareholders on their financial statements but use deductions, credits and other preferential tax treatments to reduce their effective tax rates well below the statutory 21 percent. It was originally projected to raise $313 billion in tax revenue over a decade, though the final tally is likely to be $258 billion once the revised bill is finalized.
The new tax could also inject a greater degree of complexity into the tax code, creating challenges in carrying out the law if it is passed.
“In terms of implementation and just bandwidth to deal with the complexity, there’s no doubt that this regime is complex,” said Peter Richman, a senior attorney adviser at the Tax Law Center at New York University’s law school. “This is a big change and the revenue number is large.”
What’s in the Democrats’ Climate and Tax Bill
Cards 1 of 6
A new proposal. The $369 billion climate and tax package that Senate Democrats proposed in July could have far-reaching effects on the environment and the economy. Here are some of the key provisions:
Auto industry. Currently, taxpayers can get up to $7,500 in tax credits for purchasing an electric vehicle, but there is a cap on how many cars from each manufacturer are eligible. The new bill would eliminate this cap and extend the tax credit until 2032; used cars would also qualify for a credit of up to $4,000.
Energy industry. The bill would provide billions of dollars in rebates for Americans who buy energy efficient and electric appliances and tax credits for companies that build new sources of emissions-free electricity, such as wind turbines and solar panels. It would also set aside $60 billion to encourage clean energy manufacturing in the United States. It would also require businesses to pay a financial penalty per metric ton for methane emissions that exceed federal limits starting in 2024.
Low-income communities. The bill would invest over $60 billion to support low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately burdened by effects of climate change. This includes grants for zero-emissions technology and vehicles, as well as money to mitigate the negative effects of highways, bus depots and other transportation facilities.
Fossil fuels industry. The bill would require the federal government to auction off more public lands and waters for oil drilling and expand tax credits for coal and gas-burning plants that rely on carbon capture technology. These provisions are among those that were added to gain the support of Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia.
West Virginia. The bill would also bring big benefits to Mr. Manchin’s state, the nation’s second-largest producer of coal, making permanent a federal trust fund to support miners with black lung disease and offering new incentives for companies to build wind and solar farms in areas where coal mines or coal plants have recently closed.
Because of that complexity, the corporate minimum tax has faced substantial skepticism. It is less efficient than simply eliminating deductions or raising the corporate tax rate and could open the door for companies to find new ways to make their income appear lower to reduce their tax bills.
Similar versions of the idea have been floated by Mr. Biden during his presidential campaign and by Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts. They have been promoted as a way to restore fairness to a tax system that has allowed major corporations to dramatically lower their tax bills through deductions and other accounting measures.
According to an early estimate from the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, the tax would most likely apply to about 150 companies annually, and the bulk of them would be manufacturers. That spurred an outcry from manufacturing companies and Republicans, who have been opposed to any policies that scale back the tax cuts that they enacted five years ago.
Although many Democrats acknowledge that the corporate minimum tax was not their first choice of tax hikes, they have embraced it as a political winner. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, shared Joint Committee on Taxation data on Thursday indicating that in 2019, about 100 to 125 corporations reported financial statement income greater than $1 billion, yet their effective tax rates were lower than 5 percent. The average income reported on financial statements to shareholders was nearly $9 billion, but they paid an average effective tax rate of just 1.1 percent.
“Companies are paying rock-bottom rates while reporting record profits to their shareholders,” Mr. Wyden said.
The Treasury Department had reservations about the minimum tax idea last year because of its complexity. If enacted, the Treasury would be responsible for crafting a raft of new regulations and guidance for the new law and for ensuring that the Internal Revenue Service could properly police it.
Michael J. Graetz, a tax law professor at Columbia University, acknowledged that calculating minimum taxes was complicated and that introducing a new tax base would add new challenges from a tax administration perspective, but he said that he did not view those obstacles as disqualifying. He noted that the current system had created opportunities for tax shelters and allowed companies to take losses for tax purposes that do not show up on their financial statements.
“If the problem that Congress is addressing is that companies are reporting high book profits and low taxes, then the only way to align those two is to base taxes on book profits to some extent,” Mr. Graetz, a former deputy assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury Department, said.
A similar version of the tax was included in a 1986 tax overhaul and allowed to expire after three years. Skeptics of revisiting such a measure have warned that it could create new problems and opportunities for companies to avoid the minimum tax.
“The evidence from the studies of outcomes around the Tax Reform Act of 1986 suggest that companies responded to such a policy by altering how they report financial accounting income — companies deferred more income into future years,” Michelle Hanlon, an accounting professor at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told the Senate Finance Committee last year. “This behavioral response poses serious risks for financial accounting and the capital markets.”
Other opponents of the new tax have expressed concerns that it would give more control over the US tax base to the Financial Accounting Standards Board, an independent organization that sets accounting rules.
“The potential politicization of the FASB will likely lead to lower-quality financial accounting standards and lower-quality financial accounting earnings,” Ms. Hanlon and Jeffrey L. Hoopes, a University of North Carolina professor, wrote in a letter to members of Congress last year that was signed by more than 260 accounting academics.
Business groups have pushed back hard against the proposal and pressured Ms. Sinema to block the tax entirely. The National Association of Manufacturers and Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry released on Wednesday a poll of manufacturing workers, managers and advocates in the state that showed a majority opposed the new tax.
“It will make it harder to hire more workers, raise wages and invest in our communities,” said Chad Moutray, the chief economist of the manufacturing association. “Arizona’s manufacturing voters are clearly saying that this tax will hurt our economy.”
Ms. Sinema has expressed opposition to increasing tax rates and had reservations about a proposal to scale back the special tax treatment that hedge fund managers and private equity executives receive for “carried interest.” Democrats scrapped the proposal at her urging her.
When an earlier version of a corporate minimum tax was proposed last October, Ms. Sinema issued an approving statement.
“This proposal represents a common sense step toward ensuring that highly profitable corporations — which sometimes can avoid the current corporate tax rate — pay a reasonable minimum corporate tax on their profits, just as everyday Arizonans and Arizona small businesses do,” she said. In announcing that she would back an amended version of the climate and tax bill on Thursday, Ms. Sinema noted that it would “protect advanced manufacturing.”
That won plaudits from business groups on Friday.
“Taxing capital expenditures — investments in new buildings, factories, equipment, etc. — is one of the most economically destructive ways you can raise taxes,” Neil Bradley, chief policy officer of the US Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. He added, “While we look forward to reviewing the new proposed bill, Senator Sinema deserves credit for recognizing this and fighting for changes.”
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The Queen is facing more sad news, facing the loss of another close friend.
The Queen and Lady Myra Butter formed their close friendship as children, attending Brownies and swimming together.
The pair maintained their friendship for their entire lives, with Lady Myra being part of the Queen and Prince Philip’s close circle of friends.
Lady Butter, who was a descendent of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and poet Alexander Pushkin, opened up about meeting Her Majesty in their youth, recently telling The Telegraph, “In the Guides and the Brownies it was a real mixture, which was really nice .
“Some friends, friends of [the family], and all the people in the Royal mews, their children, they were Brownies and Guides. Just a normal sort of pack really.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Lady Butter also opened up about her perspective on the Queen and Prince Philip’s long romance, having been by their side as a close friend throughout their 73-year marriage.
Commenting on Prince Philip’s loyalty to serving the Queen throughout his life, Lady Butter said that nobody could have done it better.
Speaking on the day of his funeral, she said, “There’s nobody, in my mind, who could have done that job. Nobody.
“Dedicated to it, and very intelligent and youthful. He was a step behind walking, but he was never a step behind as a person.”
DALLAS – Former President Donald Trump convincingly won the 2024 GOP presidential nomination straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) three-day gathering in Texas
Trump, who’s repeatedly teased making another presidential run in 2024 to try and return to the White House, captured 69% of ballots cast in the anonymous online straw poll, according to results announced by CPAC on Saturday.
The support for the former president, who remains the most popular and influential politician in the Republican Party and continues to play a kingmaker’s role in GOP primaries, is up from his 59% showing in the anonymous online straw poll at the CPAC gathering in Orlando, Florida in February.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second on the 2024 presidential nomination question, at 24%, down from his 28% showing him at CPAC in Orlando five months ago.
2024 WATCH: CPAC ATTENDEES CHOOSE FAVORITE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AS TRUMP, DESANTIS REMAIN POPULAR
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas on July 11, 2021. (Photo by Andy JACOBSOHN / AFP) (Photo by ANDY JACOBSOHN/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo by ANDY JACOBSOHN/AFP via Getty Images)
DeSantis has seen his popularity surge among Republican voters in his state and around the nation over the past two and a half years, thanks in large part to his relentless pushback against COVID-19 restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic as well as his aggressive actions in the culture wars.
WHAT TED CRUZ, AT CPAC, TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT 2024
While DeSantis has repeatedly deflected talk of a potential run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, political pundits view him as a potential White House contender.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, US February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Octavio Jones/File Photo (Reuters)
The CPAC Texas straw poll results were released just ahead of the confab’s keynote speech by Trump. DeSantis, who appeared at the Orlando conference earlier this year, did not attend the Texas gathering.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who spoke Friday at the conference, grabbed 2% support on the straw poll ballot. Not one else among the 21 names listed on the ballot topped one percent.
“President Trump remains the most dominant force in American politics, and as yet another poll shows, it’s a reality that will propel the growth and success of the Republican Party through the Midterms and beyond,” Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich told Fox News after the results were released.
The 2024 straw poll also included a second list without Trump. His name of him was replaced by his eldest son of him, Donald Trump Jr.
DeSantis topped the second 2024 ballot, at 65%. Donald Trump Jr. grabbed 8% support, with Cruz at 6% and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at 5%. No one else topped two percent on the second ballot question.
The former president’s strong performance on the unscientific survey comes as no surprise. CPAC, long the largest and most influential gathering of conservative leaders and activists, has become a Trumpfest since his 2016 presidential election victory.
In a separate question on whom CPAC attendees would like to see as Trump’s running mate in 2024 if he launched a campaign, DeSantis grabbed 43% support, with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at 9%, and Pompeo at 7%.
No one else topped four percent on the running mate ballot question.
Voting on the CPAC Texas straw poll ballot was only open to attendees of the confab, with voting once again conducted through the CPAC app.
Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, which runs CPAC, said “there’s an unbreakable bond between President Tump and the conservative movement. He simply did the things he promised to do and for that they are grateful.”
Veteran Republican pollster Jim McLaughlin told Fox News the CPAC straw poll ballot is “the ultimate barometer of what’s going on in the conservative movement.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
McLaughlin and Associates, which conducted polling for Trump’s successful 2016 election and unsuccessful 2020 re-election bid, once again oversaw the CPAC straw poll.
McLaughlin, who’s been attending CPAC for decades, said that “just like back in the old days when Ronald Reagan defined and was setting the tone for the conservative movement, it’s the same thing right now with Donald Trump.”
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter based in New Hampshire.
Armie Hammer has been pictured reuniting with estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers for the first time since he was forced out of Hollywood and went to work as a timeshare salesman in the Cayman Islands.
Despite infidelity and allegations of rape and cannibalism, the pair appeared friendly as they spent quality time with their two kids Harper, seven, and Ford, five, in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Hammer wore a blue ‘Florida State Parks’ t-shirt, khaki shorts and flip flops. He was in the same Florida tee the last time DailyMail.com caught up with him a couple weeks ago.
The actor was with his two youngsters walking their dog Archie, the same dog that left Hammer with stiches in his hand 2020. The doting dad could be seen chatting with his kids and watching over his son as he picked up after their dog.
He then took the children to meet up with Chambers, who appeared sporty in black biker shorts, a t-shirt and sneaker. The mom-of-two enjoyed a sushi dinner with her kids.
Armie Hammer, 35, was seen Thursday in Los Angeles with estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers, 39, and their two kids, Harper, seven, and Ford, five
Despite infidelity and allegations of rape and cannibalisms, the pair appeared friendly as they spent quality time in Los Angeles on Thursday
Though Hammer and Chambers separated in 2020 after he allegedly cheated on her at least twice, she has characterized him as ‘My best friend’
Hammer wore a blue ‘Florida State Parks’ t-shirt, khaki shorts and flip flops. He was in the same Florida tee the last time DailyMail.com caught up with him last month
Hammer took the children to meet up with Chambers, who appeared sporty in black biker shorts, a t-shirt and sneakers
The doting dad could be seen chatting with his kids and watching over his son as he picked up after their dog Archie
Hammer’s life was thrown into chaos last year after a number of women claimed that he had sexually abused them to satisfy his kinks, which reportedly included rape and cannibalism fantasies
The mom-of-two enjoyed a sushi dinner with her kids and was seen carrying a tired Ford, five, while daughter Harper walked alongside
Chambers previously confirmed reports that Robert Downey Jr. had helped fund Hammer’s rehab stint, and insisted that her husband was in a good place, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed
Hammer’s life was thrown into chaos last year after a number of women claimed that he had sexually abused them while fulfilling his kinks, which allegedly included rape and cannibalism fantasies.
Hammer posted a photo of his hand with stitches in 2020 with the caption ‘F**king Archie’ – the family dog
Two women said he told them he wanted to remove their ribs, barbecue them and eat them, and one accused him of slicing the letter ‘A’ into one of her thighs before sucking the blood out of her fresh wound.
After the accusations were made public, the actor was dropped by his agency, WME, and was subsequently let go from various film projects, including Paramount Plus series The Offer, Jennifer Lopez’s Shotgun Wedding, as well as the thriller Billion Dollar Spy.
He and Chambers had announced their split a few months before the allegations surfaced.
Hammer checked into a rehabilitation center to treat sex, drug and alcohol abuse, where he stayed from May through December 2021.
He had been laying low in the Cayman Islands after the rehab stint, supposedly staying with Chambers and their two children. Hammer returned from the Caymans after he was mobbed by media when photos showed him working as a timeshare salesman went viral.
DailyMail.com previously caught up with Chambers who confirmed Robert Downey Jr. had helped fund Hammer’s rehab stint and said ‘everybody needs help.’
“Everything is good,” Chambers said last month as she stepped out for dinner in Hollywood.
She declined to comment on whether Hammer had been selling timeshares while in the islands, and but insisted that he was happy.
‘I really couldn’t talk about that,’ she said, ‘But I think he’s happy and that’s good.’
Though Hammer and Chambers separated in 2020 after he allegedly cheated on her at least twice, she characterized him as ‘my best friend.’
Asked whether she felt her husband had healed since his scandal and rehab stint, she paused and said ‘I think everyone is always going through a process.’
As to any chance of rekindling their romance, Chambers only laughed.
Hammer and Chambers pictured at a red carpet premiere in 2017. Asked whether she felt her husband had healed since his scandal and rehab stint, Chambers said ‘I think everyone is always going through a process’
Hammer returned from the Caymans after he was mobbed by media when photos showing him working as a timeshare salesman went viral
Earlier in July, Hammer’s attorney denied that the actor was working as a salesman, following a viral tweet with an image that showed his face on a pamphlet as a concierge for a hotel
Armie Hammer has been staying at a home owned by Robert Downey Jr. in Malibu where he is also attending AA meetings. Pictured: Downey Jr’s sprawling seven-acre compound. It’s unclear whether Hammer is staying at this property or another owned by the Ironman star
Earlier in July, Hammer’s attorney denied that the actor was working as a salesman, following a viral tweet with an image that showed his face on a pamphlet as a concierge for a hotel.
The since-deleted tweet’s caption read: ‘My friend’s parents went on vacation in the Cayman Islands and Armie Hammer was their concierge.’
The pamphlet included discount vouchers and advertised that Hammer would take guests to swim ‘with wild turtles’ and point them to the ‘best snorkeling and diving spots.’
The source told Variety Hammer was working the job because he was ‘broke.’
‘He is working at the resort and selling timeshares. He is working at a cubicle, ‘the source said,’ The reality is he’s totally broke, and he is trying to fill the days and earn money to support his family from him.’
According to the source, Hammer, who is the great-grandson of oil tycoon Armand Hammer – who was worth an estimated $800 million at the time of his death – ‘is not on the family payroll’ and has been forced to work a regular job after his Hollywood downfall.
The insider also shared that Hammer previously managed an apartment complex in the Cayman Islands.
Guardian writers’ predicted position 8th (NB: this is not necessarily Jacob Steinberg’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position 7th
Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker) 150-1
prospects
The aim is to challenge for a place in the top four again. The question is whether West Ham have grown stale. They captured the imagination with their run to the Europa League semi-finals last season, but a small squad struggled to cope with the additional workload and David Moyes has spent the summer trying to add more quality in several positions.
The positive is that West Ham have lessened their dependence on Michail Antonio, who looked weary during the second half of last season. The striker has had no competition for his place during the last 18 months, but the arrival of Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo gives Moyes’s attack a fresh look. A tall and powerful forward, Scamacca scored 16 goals in Serie A last season and has broken into the Italy squad. The 23-year-old has all the makings of a fan favourite, though the recent history of attacking players moving to the Premier League from Serie A is not hugely encouraging.
Ready for the Premier League 2022-2023: West Ham – video
However, the striking situation is not the only issue. Moyes needs more from Saïd Benrahma and Nikola Vlasic in attacking midfield. He will hope that Flynn Downes is capable of helping the overworked Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice in central midfield. As for the defence, all is not well. Nayef Aguerd, a Moroccan centre-back who has signed for £30m from Rennes, could be out for three months after undergoing ankle surgery. Angelo Ogbonna is just back from a long-term knee injury. Issa Diop wants to leave and Kurt Zouma picked up injuries last season. Another huge season for Craig “Ballon” Dawson, then?
Of course, there is no need to panic yet. West Ham have made rapid progress in the last two years. But have opponents started to work them out? Moyes, who tore into his players after defeat to Brighton on the final day forced West Ham to settle for a place in the Europa Conference League, has sounded a little impatient recently. It could be a testing campaign.
