Month: August 2022

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US

Northfield, New Hampshire homicides: New search underground

Northfield, New Hampshire homicides: New search underground

Law enforcement will be searching areas in Tilton and Northfield on Saturday in connection to the ongoing investigation into the triple homicide of a mother and her two sons. Officials said Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her two sons, Benjamin Sweeney, 4, and Mason Sweeney , 1, each died of a single gunshot wound. Autopsies by the chief medical examiner revealed that the manner of each death was homicide. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office said New Hampshire State Police and other law enforcement agencies will be in Tilton and Northfield in the areas of Shaker Road, Laconia Road, Wethersfield Road , Tilton Road, and the ramp areas entering I-93. The search is for physical evidence and is part of the investigation and not the result of new information in the case. The search poses no danger to the public, the Attorney General’s Office said. Officials asked the public to stay off properties of the search area, allow investigators to complete their work and for the public to respect the privacy of residents in the area. The bodies of Sweeney and her sons de ella were discovered Wednesday at their home de ella on Wethersfield Drive. Senior Assistant Attorney General Geoffrey Ward stressed that officials believe there is no danger to the public and the killings were not the result of a random event. Ward said that while officials believe all parties have been identified in the case, “I have not said we know who did it.” He said no arrests have been made in the case, and no one has been charged. Sources told News 9 that Northfield and state police were called to the address just before 11:30 am Wednesday after someone reported that several people might have been injured. When officers arrived, they found the bodies of Sweeney and her two sons of her. A silver Ford F-150 was taken away on a flatbed truck Thursday morning, but there was no word as to why it was removed. K-9 units were also seen going in and out of the home, and officers began searching a wooded area near the home later in the day. Ward said the investigation is active and ongoing. A GoFundMe was launched for the family to help with funeral expenses.

NORTHFIELD, NH—

Law enforcement will be searching areas in Tilton and Northfield on Saturday in connection to the ongoing investigation into the triple homicide of a mother and her two sons.

Officials said Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her two sons, Benjamin Sweeney, 4, and Mason Sweeney, 1, each died of a single gunshot wound. Autopsies by the chief medical examiner revealed that the manner of each death was homicide.

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office said New Hampshire State Police and other law enforcement agencies will be in Tilton and Northfield in the areas of Shaker Road, Laconia Road, Wethersfield Road, Tilton Road, and the ramp areas entering I-93.

The search is for physical evidence and is part of the investigation and not the result of new information in the case. The search poses no danger to the public, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Officials asked the public to stay off properties of the search area, allow investigators to complete their work and for the public to respect the privacy of residents in the area.

The bodies of Sweeney and her sons were discovered Wednesday at their home on Wethersfield Drive.

Kassandra Sweeney and her two children

Senior Assistant Attorney General Geoffrey Ward stressed that officials believe there is no danger to the public and the killings were not the result of a random event.

Ward said that while officials believe all parties have been identified in the case, “I have not said we know who did it.”

He said no arrests have been made in the case, and no one has been charged.

Sources told News 9 that Northfield and state police were called to the address just before 11:30 am Wednesday after someone reported that several people might have been injured. When officers arrived, they found the bodies of Sweeney and her two sons of her.

A silver Ford F-150 was taken away on a flatbed truck Thursday morning, but there was no word as to why it was removed.

K-9 units were also seen going in and out of the home, and officers began searching a wooded area near the home later in the day.

Ward said the investigation is active and ongoing.

A GoFundMe was launched for the family to help with funeral expenses.

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Categories
Technology

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Enters the Australian Charts

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Enters the Australian Charts

by
William D’Angelo
posted 1 day ago / 820 Views

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has debuted in first place on the Australian charts, according to IGEA for the week ending July 31, 2022.

Digimon Survive debuted in third place and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge debuted in seventh place.

Grand Theft Auto V dropped from first to second place, while Red Dead Redemption 2 climbed up from sixth to fourth place. Nintendo Switch Sports dropped from third to fifth place.

Here are the top 10 best-selling titles in Australia for the week:

  1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – NEW

  2. Grand Theft Auto V

  3. Digimon Survive – NEW

  4. Red Dead Redemption 2

  5. Nintendo Switch Sports

  6. Battlefield 2042

  7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge – NEW

  8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

  9. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

  10. FIFA 22

A life-long and avid gamer, William D’Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch-channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

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Entertainment

Marvel’s Shang-Chi Star Throws Shade at WB’s Batgirl Disaster

Batgirl, Shang-Chi

The comic book movie world is up in arms about the recent cancellation of Warner Bros. Discovery’s batgirlwhich was nearly finished in preparation for its upcoming release within the DC Extended Universe.

This movie was set to help add new layers to DC’s upcoming Multiversal storyline within the DCEU, but even with post-production nearly complete, Warner Bros. decided to shelve the project completely. The massive merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery is seemingly leading to drastic changes in how DC’s biggest heroes are utilized, but with batgirl now shelved, it’s led to a public disaster for the company.

President of DC Films Walter Hamada almost left his position due to his outrage over the decision, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige shared his deepest sympathies with directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who also directed the MCU’s Ms Marvel. Now, one of Marvel’s other major stars has shared a more comedic reaction to the news, although it’s earning mixed reception from fans.

Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu on Batgirl Cancellation

Shang Chi movie poster
Marvel

MCU star Simu Liu took to Twitter to hilariously throw shade at Warner Bros. for the decision to cancel the release of batgirl.

He joked about a hypothetical situation where Marvel canceled a Shang-Chi Holiday Special “due to quality concerns” after already having completed filming, dissing WB for doing that very thing with batgirl:

“I’m sorry to inform you guys that Disney has decided to scrap the Shang-Chi Holiday Special due to quality control concerns. I had already filmed the entire thing. I even designed an all-gingerbread Ta Lo. RIP Shang Chi and the Legend of the TEEEN GOLDEN RIIIIINGS”

While some fans got a laugh out of this joke, others saw it as a bit of a low blow in the wake of everything that happened, sharing their thoughts on Twitter.

@carlosgzz03 urged Liu to read the situation regarding how many “people are suffering” after this decision and to be “thankful” for what he still has:

“…. really? YOU know Alot of People are Suffering. And You have to make a JOKE OF THIS. NOT IT…… be THANKFUL of what You Have. And that Your movie is Not getting Canceled For Now . . This is Shamefull”

@ yo_elmanolo still supports Liu, but also demanded that the star apologize to “the entire creative team” for the comment:

“Simu, I love you. But please delete this, it’s not a pleasant situation for the entire creative team behind these projects at Warner. Apology video immediately.”

@mpychu saw Liu’s tweet as somewhat insensitive after seeing his fellow Hollywood peers’ work “throw down the drain:”

“dude it’s not cool to joke about this when so many of your fellow industry peers’ hardwork has been thrown down the drain”

In the midst of criticism, actor/producer Wilson Cleveland backed up Liu’s statement. He made it clear that Liu was only “dragging…WB’s decision” and that the star likely agrees with many of the people who didn’t like his initial Tweet:

“People. Simu is dragging the ridiculousness of WB’s decision to cancel a $90 million movie. He’s not dragging the cast, crew or fans. I get there’s valid outrage but you’re directing it at someone who likely agrees with you.”

Batgirl Decision Baffling Marvel’s Biggest Names

Simu Liu is never one to shy away from commenting on current comic book movie news, having joked around about Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home before commenting on the use of Mandarin in Moon Knight. While these particular comments didn’t garner the best reaction from fans as a whole, the sentiment he offers is clear after everything that went down.

Liu remains passionate about the comic book movie industry, which has taken a big hit with batgirl being canceled so suddenly. As the Shang-Chi star looks to continue building his own role in the MCU. he also grows as something of an unofficial spokesman for the industry at large as both Marvel and DC keep adding to their stories.

With batgirl now being taken completely off of Warner Bros.’ schedule, fans and industry professionals have their concerns regarding what the company’s future with the DC universe will look like. Although Flash seems to be safe from this fate for now, fans’ eyes will be all over WB as the studio’s plans for its superhero movies start from square one again.

Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available to stream on Disney+.

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Categories
Australia

More private school pain to come as luxuries the first to go in tough times

More private school pain to come as luxuries the first to go in tough times

Or perhaps it’s doing a little research on the genuine benefit of tithing a handy chunk of our weekly income to a faith-based school whose faith many parents don’t even practice or really share.

Victoria’s parents are drenched in the guilt so heavily marketed at them about how they’re doing their child harm by not paying to send them to the school advertising their privilege on Eastlink. What if they discover the truth about the supposed educational gains made by paying all that money, and they don’t find a lot of return?

What if they discover that, by multiple measures, our government schools clearly outperform their fee-clawing counterparts?

I feel for our private and independent school leaders. They’ve found themselves on a fiercely competitive playing field and are forced to spend spiraling amounts of parent- and taxpayer-provided funds on marketing and facilities, not on education, every year.

It’s not why they got into teaching, but that’s not where the pain ends either.

The second whammy private schools are facing could well come from our new federal government.

Credit:Matt Golding

Despite including education policy in its own “small target” approach to the election campaign, the Albanese government won’t be able to hide from its commitments to fair and needs-based funding for long.

The current funding agreement, which Labor has chosen not to challenge, ends next year. Education unions, teachers and families invested in government schools will be watching closely.

They’ll be looking for puffed-up, statistically over-funded private schools, such as the obscenely wealthy Essendon Grammar (over-funded by $23 million), Haileybury ($22 million) and Ivanhoe Grammar ($10 million), to be brought back to the pack.

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Of course, as it is when petrol prices bite, the Porsche drivers aren’t the ones who’ll be hit hardest. And I expect very few of the aforementioned schools to experience an enrollment crisis.

It’ll be schools you’ve probably never heard of whose parents are working two jobs to sustain this low-return life choice that we can predict to be leaving the lower fee-charging private options.

These potential new additions to government schooling, alongside the existing public education enlistees, will be looking for their own schools to be funded – at least to the Schooling Resource Standard that the former Morrison government set, and then chose to forget, for a decade.

And if Jason Clare really does choose meaningful education reform as the hallmark of his time in this portfolio, the pain of less money for private schools to spend on billboards, orchestra pits and Olympic-sized swimming pools is coming.

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Reform of a transparent nature, where funds will be allocated to schools based on need and potential for improvement, rather than by the school’s glittering alumni of government ministers or their proximity to a marginal electorate is a significant threat to the private school sector.

I expect that those with the biggest stake in this fight won’t cop it quietly. But I also suspect that we haven’t yet heard the last sad Colmont School story either.

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US

At least 4 dead after reported shooting in Dayton, police say

At least 4 dead after reported shooting in Dayton, police say

At least four people were found suffering from fatal gunshot wounds Friday in Butler Township in Dayton, Ohio, police said. According to WLWT sister station WDTN, police were called to the 7200 block of Hardwicke Place around 11:30 am on reports of shots fired. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a total of four victims at multiple crime scenes suffering from gunshot wounds, said Butler Township police Chief John Porter. All four of the victims died on the scene, police said. The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office has not confirmed the identity of the victims at this time. Police sent out information about a person of interest possibly connected to the shooting. Officials are searching for 39-year-old Stephen Alexander Marlow. He is described as 5 feet, 11 inches, weighing approximately 160 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing shorts and a yellow t-shirt, police said. On Saturday, Butler Township stated Marlow remains the primary suspect and law enforcement is aggressively pursuing all leads to bring him safely into custody. According to officials, information indicates he may have fled outside Ohio. Police said Marlow is driving a 2007 white Ford Edge with an Ohio license plate number JES 9806. He is believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Porter said police crews will continue to monitor the area in case Marlow returns. The Dayton police bomb squad has also been called to ensure there are no other threats to neighborhood safety.“This is the first violent crime in the neighborhood in recent memory. We ask that anyone with any possible information involving this incident or whereabouts of Marlow are asked to call our dispatch center,” Porter said. “We are working to determine if there was any reason for this horrible tragedy or if mental illness played any role.”The FBI has joined local authorities in the search. Officials said Marlow has connections to Indianapolis, Chicago and Lexington. Anyone with information on Marlow’s whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-Call-FBI or call 911. The Butler Township Police Department is being assisted by partners at the Montgomery County Sherriff’s Office, FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. This is a breaking news story and will be updated when more information becomes available.

DAYTON, Ohio—

At least four people were found suffering from fatal gunshot wounds Friday in Butler Township in Dayton, Ohio, police said.

According to WLWT sister station WDTN, police were called to the 7200 block of Hardwicke Place around 11:30 am on reports of shots fired.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found a total of four victims at multiple crime scenes suffering from gunshot wounds, said Butler Township police Chief John Porter.

All four of the victims died on the scene, police said.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office has not confirmed the identity of the victims at this time.

Police sent out information about a person of interest possibly connected to the shooting.

Officials are searching for 39-year-old Stephen Alexander Marlow. He is described as 5 feet, 11 inches, weighing approximately 160 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

He was last seen wearing shorts and a yellow t-shirt, police said.

On Saturday, Butler Township stated Marlow remains the primary suspect and law enforcement is aggressively pursuing all leads to bring him safely into custody.

According to officials, information indicates he may have fled outside Ohio.

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Hearst-Ownedwlwt

Steven Alexander Marlow

Police said Marlow is driving a 2007 white Ford Edge with an Ohio license plate number JES 9806.

He is believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

suspect car

Porter said police crews will continue to monitor the area in case Marlow returns.

The Dayton police bomb squad has also been called to ensure there are no other threats to neighborhood safety.

“This is the first violent crime in the neighborhood in recent memory. We ask that anyone with any possible information involving this incident or whereabouts of Marlow are asked to call our dispatch center,” Porter said. “We are working to determine if there was any reason for this horrible tragedy or if mental illness played any role.”

The FBI has joined local authorities in the search. Officials said Marlow has connections to Indianapolis, Chicago and Lexington.

Anyone with information on Marlow’s whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-Call-FBI or call 911.

The Butler Township Police Department is being assisted by partners at the Montgomery County Sherriff’s Office, FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated when more information becomes available.

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Categories
Technology

World-Famous Apex Legends Pro Breaks a Major Season 14 Myth

World-Famous Apex Legends Pro Breaks a Major Season 14 Myth

ImperialHal, the CEO of Apex Legends, has given his verdict about the upcoming season of the game. The streamer casually spoke about it in his recent stream, as he mentioned some crucial details about the update. Hal believed season 14 to be the best of Apex Legends, with the franchise closely balancing out every minute detail.

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Apart from this, he also talked about some specific guns, the ones he majorly used in the game. Most importantly, he stressed the Wingman, a lethal six-round pistol that ranks at the highest position in terms of pick rate.

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ImperialHal shares insight about the upcoming “Hunted” season of Apex Legends

Phillip Dosen, popularly known as ImperialHal in showbiz, is one of the most successful players in Apex Legends. The 23-year-old American started his journey during the game’s inaugural seasons, as fans saw some breathtaking content from him. Soon, I have also joined the prestigious TSM clan and produced content for the same.

As time passed, Phillip started getting recognition as the Wraith main ranked on the top in the Apex charts. Fans crowned him with the title of “CEO,” as there were hardly any other players at his level. Hal was one of the few players to clock a massive viewership on Twitch as he entertained fans with his content. So, in a recent stream on August 6, I casually spoke about the upcoming season of Apex Legends.

Respawn has worked hard regarding season 14, as we saw some massive changes to guns and legends buffs. Mainly, they changed the ammo for their pocket sniper, Wingman, as it will now use sniper ammo instead of heavy. Apart from this, the devs have introduced a new legend, Vantage, that will drop on the same day as the new season.

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This quickly caught the attention of the CEO, as he had some insights about them. he said, “It seems like the next season is turning into like what I kind of wanted in Apex — where everything is kind of broken. They’re putting so many guns on the ground that are kind of OP. It’s not just what’s being returned to ground loot. It’s what Respawn are putting away too: “they’re putting the dog sh*t ones in the package…who the f**ck is going to craft a RE-45?”

Despite having differing opinions about the update, Hal felt that this season would bring out the best of Apex Legends. After all, it is going back to the olden times, when it introduced multiple broken weapons and everyone had to do their best to survive.

WATCH THIS STORY: The most popular eSports in the world

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What are your thoughts about this? Do you support ImperialHal’s statements or do you have a different opinion about season 14? Let us know in the comments section.

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Entertainment

Casting News: Lynch, Franco, Coulee, Dafoe

Casting News Lynch Franco Coulee Dafoe

Casting News Lynch Franco Coulee Dafoe
Marvel

Untitled Bob Marley Biopic
Lashana Lynch (“No Time to Die,” “Captain Marvel”) has been set to play Bob Marley’s wife, Rita, in the untitled Bob Marley biopic at Paramount. Kingsley Ben-Adir will play the legendary Reggae singer while Reinaldo Marcus Green (“King Richard”) directs. Green and Zach Baylin co-wrote the script. [Source: Deadline]

Alina from Cuba
Oscar nominee James Franco will play the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro opposite Mía Maestro as Cuban-born socialite Naty Revuelta in Miguel Bardem’s “Alina of Cuba”. Jose Rivera and Nilo Cruz pen the film.

They join Ana Villafane as Alina Fernandez, the love child of Castro and Revuelta’s tryst and a Cuban exile turned social advocate who became one of Castro’s most outspoken critics. Filming begins in Colombia in mid-August. [Source: NME]

iron heart
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Shea Coulee has joined the Marvel Studios TV series “Ironheart” in an undisclosed role. Coulee joins a supporting cast that includes Anthony Ramos, Alden Ehrenreich, Lyric Ross and Manny Montana.

Dominique Thorne stars as engineering genius Riri Williams who develops a supersuit similar to Tony Stark’s Iron Man. “Ironheart” is set to debut on Disney+ in the Fall of 2023. Chinaka Hodge serves as head writer. [Source: Variety]

The Man in My Basement
Willem Dafoe is set to join Nadia Latif’s directorial debut film “The Man in My Basement” based on Walter Mosley’s novel. Dafoe plays Anniston Bennet, an opulent gentleman who requests to rent out the basement of the ancestral home of Charles Blakey (Jonathan Majors). Soon a complex dynamic builds between the two. [Source: Deadline]

Categories
Sports

NRL news 2022: Positive Covid-19 test cartridge throws press conference into disarray, Manly vs Eels score

NRL news 2022: Positive Covid-19 test cartridge throws press conference into disarray, Manly vs Eels score

Friday evening’s press conference at 4 Pines Park was thrown into disarray after a positive Covid-19 RAT test was found in the venue’s designated media room.

The Parramatta Eels defeated the Manly Sea Eagles 36-20 in the Round 21 contest, with winger Maika Sivo scoring a double for the visitors.

But after the final siren, Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans opted not to conduct a post-match press conference after reporters discovered a positive RAT cartridge in the media room.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler’s interview went ahead as planned, but Eels mentor Brad Arthur played it safe and conducted his press conference in the hallway outside the toilets.

Meanwhile, Parramatta’s players refused to do interviews after the game to avoid any risk of being exposed to the deadly virus.

News Corp’s Martin Gabor tweeted: “Drama at 4 Pines Park. A positive RAT was found in the post match press conference room. Des Hasler did his press conference but DCE played it safe. Eels are concerned and it looks like their presser will be delayed and moved.”

AAP’s Scott Bailey posted: “Absolute shambolic scenes at Brookvale. Positive RAT cartridge sitting in the designated press conference room. None of the journalists behind it. DCE opted out of presser while Brad Arthur moved his outside and no Eels players spoke as a result.”

The positive RAT test was later removed by an NRL official. It remains unclear where the cartridge came from.

It was a back-and-forth affair at 4 Pines Park on Friday, with Manly taking a lead 20-14 after the halftime break.

But the Eels fightback began in spectacular fashion as winger Waqa Blake, playing his 150th game, dived for the corner to score a stunning try in the 55th minute.

Latching onto a perfectly-directed lofted pass from young teammate Jakob Arthur, the Eels flyer lunged and somehow managed to ground the ball with his knees inches from the turf in touch.

It proved to be the turning point for the Eels, who scored three late tries to blow the Sea Eagles away and leave Manly’s season on life support.

“It was a big moment wasn’t it?” Eels coach Arthur told reporters after the 16-point victory.

“It really got us back in the hunt. Good for Jake’s confidence too.

“Really pleased for Waqa, he’s the sort of player that doesn’t get a lot of accolades but he just competes at every contest for us. He’s had some injuries over the last couple of years but he always works the hardest to get back on the field.”

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Sea Eagles are now four points out of the top eight in 10th place on the NRL ladder, while the Eels have moved into fifth on 28 competition points.

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Categories
Australia

Anthony Albanese’s new Parliament House still the same in Question Time

Anthony Albanese's new Parliament House still the same in Question Time

Peter Dutton made aggressive attack his trademark style as a cabinet minister and is keeping that up as Opposition Leader in an attempt to put Labor under pressure. Albanese responds with force. He grew up in the hard world of the Labor factions and had to stick up for himself as a leader on the left who was usually outnumbered by his rivals on the right. The factional fighter is on display every day in question time.

Tactically, the Coalition is trying to find its feet after a brutal defeat while Labor is warming up. Dutton has asked repeatedly about whether the government would deliver the $275 cut to electricity bills it forecast in its energy policy. Finally, on Wednesday, Albanese responded with details of the blowout in wholesale prices under the previous government. The Labor tactics squad needed time to prepare its answers.

Peter Dutton is staying true to form.

Peter Dutton is staying true to form.Credit:SMH

Does this matter? Yes, because question time remains the dominant forum for a direct, face-to-face contest between the two parties of government. But question time is not the only forum that counts.

The first practical outcome of this parliament, at least in the sense that it matters outside the building, was the passage of the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022 on Tuesday. This is the first bill passed by both houses in the new parliament. It sets up a new funding instrument for aged care providers, authorizes the health department to issue “star ratings” for residential aged care homes and has a code of conduct for providers and workers. It was inherited from the previous government and is only the first step in Labor’s aged care plan: a separate bill to ensure 24/7 care and more nursing staff has gone to a Senate inquiry. The key point is that useful work is already underway.

The pivotal vote this week, however, was on climate change. A significant majority in parliament agreed, by 89 to 55 votes, to enshrine an emissions reduction target in federal law for the first time. The government’s 43 per cent target for 2030 is now law. This was not a seismic outcome, because Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen had said he could cut emissions even if the bill was blocked, but it marked an easing in hostilities on climate.

The climate debate at around noon on Thursday included practical agreements on amendments from Labor, the Greens and independents. Bowen rejected some amendments, such as a call from Greens leader Adam Bandt to cut emissions by 75 per cent, but agreed to others.

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The independents had their concerns heard. Monique Ryan gained an amendment on accountability and ambition on behalf of another independent, Kate Chaney, who was absent with COVID-19. Zoe Daniel gained Labor and Greens support for an amendment that left room for deeper cuts. Rebekha Sharkie moved an amendment about regional Australia on behalf of Helen Haines, also absent with COVID-19, and had it passed. Allegra Spender had an amendment passed to make sure advice from the Climate Change Authority would be taken into account on government policies such as fossil fuel subsidies. Kylea Tink had supported an amendment for the public release of climate change advice. Steggall gained support for an amendment on scientific advice.

None of the votes changed the essential feature of the bill: the target of 43 per cent. And the House overwhelmingly rejected, by 122 to 9 votes, a Greens amendment that said not one new coal, oil or gas project could commence. On this point the Greens were joined by Zoe Daniel, Sophie Scamps, Zali Steggall and Andrew Wilkie. Two other crossbenchers, Monique Ryan and Allegra Spender, voted with the majority. The independents did not vote as a bloc, let alone a quasi-party.

Labor has a majority in this new parliament and Albanese will use that majority when he wants – as he did when he cut staff numbers in the crossbench offices. He will be ruthless when the occasion demands. He will be inclusive, however, when he can afford to be. The vote on climate change was civil and practical. It offered the biggest signal so far on how this parliament will operate.

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US

President Biden tests negative for COVID : NPR

President Biden tests negative for COVID : NPR

President Joe Biden gestures toward reporters as he departs Marine One and walks to the Oval Office on the South Lawn of the White House on July 20.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images


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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Joe Biden gestures toward reporters as he departs Marine One and walks to the Oval Office on the South Lawn of the White House on July 20.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday, according to a letter from White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor, but he will continue to isolate until he tests negative a second time.

“The President continues to feel very well,” O’Connor wrote. Biden has been testing daily since he first tested positive for the virus on July 21. The White House said he experienced only mild symptoms, including fatigue, a runny nose, and cough.

Biden, who is fully vaccinated and twice boosted, was prescribed the antiviral therapy Paxlovid, a standard course of treatment for people who are considered to be at higher risk of adverse affects of COVID, including anyone over 50.

His symptoms were “nearly resolved” after four days of treatment, the White House said.

The president briefly left isolation last week, after testing negative for COVID on July 27. He reentered isolation after testing positive again on July 30, in what O’Connor described as a “rebound” case.

Coronavirus FAQ: Biden had a Paxlovid rebound. Is that common? What's it all about?

Paxlovid manufacturer Pfizer and the Food and Drug Administration have both acknowledged reports of rebound COVID cases associated with the drug, but research into the extent and severity of the problem is ongoing.

The president has continued to work through his illness, including some public, distanced appearances at the White House and virtual events.

On Monday night, Biden delivered a speech from the Blue Room Balcony announcing that the United States had killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. He also made remarks outdoors on Friday on the economy, noting a strong July jobs report as the White House pushes back on fears of a recession due to recent negative economic growth.

Biden’s agenda has progressed in Congress while he’s been in isolation. Senate Democrats are poised to pass a long-sought bill to address climate change and prescription drug costs. The president also plans to hold events next week to sign bipartisan bills to boost semiconductor manufacturing and expand health care support for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

If he’s able to end his isolation, Biden plans to travel to Kentucky on Monday with First Lady Jill Biden to tour damage from devastating floods.