Month: August 2022

Categories
US

Trump-backed Republicans win GOP nominations for US Senate and secretary of state in Arizona, CNN projects

Trump-backed Republicans win GOP nominations for US Senate and secretary of state in Arizona, CNN projects

Blake Masters, the onetime venture capitalist, will secure the Republican nomination for the US Senate, while Arizona Republicans have chosen state Rep. Mark Finchem, an election denier, as their nominee to take the helm of the state’s election machinery, CNN projects. And in the attorney general’s race, Trump’s preferred candidate, election denier Abraham Hamadeh, won the Republican nomination, CNN also projects.

Masters will face Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, who was unopposed in his primary Tuesday, in what’s expected to be one of the nation’s most competitive, and expensive, midterm match-ups, with control of the 50-50 Senate on the line.

Masters was chief operating officer of GOP meganor Peter Thiel’s investment firm, and his campaign was backed by more than $15 million in spending by Thiel.

Six takeaways from Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Arizona and Washington primaries
Masters, who has spread lies about the results of the 2020 election and accused Democrats of trying to “change the demographics” of the country, defeated businessman Jim Lamon and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, among others, in the GOP primary Tuesday.

Finchem is aiming to be the chief elections officer in a state that conducts its voting largely by mail and has been the target of a series of conspiracy theories advanced by Trump and his allies, who falsely allege that the 2020 election was stolen from the former President . The Arizona secretary of state is the state’s second-highest executive elected official and first in line to succeed the governor, as the state does not have a lieutenant governor.

Finchem was a member of the far-right “Oath Keepers” in 2014 and was an organizer of the “Stop the Steal” movement spurred by Trump’s lies about election fraud.

He’ll face the winner of the Democratic primary between Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes and state Rep. Reginald Bolding.

Finchem has said the state legislature should be able to overturn the will of voters in presidential elections — a position that, if embraced by Republicans after November’s election, could lead to a crisis in the 2024 election in one of the nation’s most competitive battleground states. .

Finchem believes the legislature should be able to overturn voters’ will. Two other Republican candidates in the race supported stricter election laws but rejected the kinds of lies about election fraud that Finchem has advanced.

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Categories
Business

‘World’s cheapest green hydrogen’ | Start-up with ultra-efficient electrolyser to develop pilot factory after securing $29m

'World's cheapest green hydrogen' | Start-up with ultra-efficient electrolyser to develop pilot factory after securing $29m

Australian start-up Hysata that says it has developed the world’s most efficient electrolyser has attracted A$42.5m ($29.4m) in an oversubscribed Series A funding round.

The money will be used to grow the company’s team and “develop a pilot manufacturing facility” for its innovative “capillary-fed” technology, which it says will be able to deliver the “world’s lowest-cost green hydrogen” due to its superior efficiency .

In simple terms, the largest element of the levelised cost of green hydrogen (LCOH) is the cost of the renewable electricity used, so the less power an electrolyser needs to produce each kilogram of Htwothe lower the LCOH it would be.

Hysata says its capillary-fed electrolyser (CFE) requires just 41.5kWh of electricity per kg of hydrogen. The industry benchmark for highly efficient electrolysers is 50kWh/kg.

“The Hysata electrolyser operates at 95% system efficiency (41.5 kWh/kg), delivering a giant leap in performance and cost over incumbent technologies, which typically operate at 75% or less [52.5kWh/kg],” the company says. The efficiency figure is a reference to the 39.4kWh (HHV) of energy contained in a kilogram of Htwo.

“This high efficiency, coupled with the simple approach to mass manufacturing and low supply chain risk puts the company on a path to delivering the world’s lowest cost green hydrogen.”

Article continues below the warning

The company explains on its website that a green hydrogen project producing one million tonnes of Htwo per year using 52.5kWh/kg electrolysers would require 14GW of wind and solar power at a world-class location. With the CFE, the same developers would only need 11GW of renewable energy — a cost saving of about $3bn (assuming an average capital cost for renewables of $1m per MW).

Hysata says the CFE offers “step-change improvement over existing designs”, not just in terms of the electrolyser stack, but also a simplified balance of plant (BOP) and modular manufacturing that is easy to automate and scale.

Graphic explaining Hysata’s groundbreaking technology. Photo: Hysata

The electrolyser offers a “low-cost design, based on earth-abundant materials”, the company says — a reference to the high-cost iridium required in PEM electrolysers — while the “high cell efficiency eliminates the need for expensive cooling”.

The “integrated BOP and stack design provides an optimized turnkey system that delivers high purity green hydrogen at the lowest levelized cost”, the Hysata website adds.

[Hysata] is set to be a major player in the global electrolyser industry

The company plans to reach gigawatt-scale production in 2025.

As part of the Series A funding round, the Australian government-owned Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) invested A$10m — adding to its initial A$750,000 cash injection, with further investments coming from Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas’ investment arm, Vestas ventures; UK cleantech investor Kiko Ventures; intellectual property commercialization company IP Group Australia; Aussie superannuation fund Hostplus and Australian steel producer BlueScope’s investment arm, BlueScopeX.

“Having assessed scores of electrolyser technologies in my 20 years in cleantech, Hysata’s technology stands out as a true breakthrough,” said Kiko Ventures founding partner Robert Trezona.

“The company has redefined the core cell architecture for alkaline electrolysis, producing a practical and scalable solution with game changing efficiency. Hysata has the potential to be a globally significant company in the hydrogen economy and we look forward to supporting its growth, especially here in Europe.”

The view was echoed by CEFC boss Ian Learmouth.

“The CEFC is proud to continue our support for Hysata, which is set to be a major player in the global electrolyser industry,” he said.

Hysata CEO Paul Barrett added: “Over the last 12-18 months, Hysata has been interacting with dozens of major customers globally. The impact our efficiency and system simplicity delivers to customers’ project economics truly moves the needle.

“We look forward to continuing to work with our shareholders and customers to bring this much needed technology to market as soon as possible.”

Categories
Australia

Parents ask if councils can step in to solve regional ‘childcare deserts’

Mum in dressing gown smiles for a selfie with three young girls in a garden.

Port Lincoln mother of four Krystal Miller lives with debilitating Crohn’s disease and after-school-hours care has become essential for her family.

However, the past six months have been a roller-coaster ride as BYK Kids after-school-hours care faced an uncertain future following the non-renewal of its lease.

Last week it closed its doors to more than 100 families after being unable to find new rental premises.

A photo of care provider staff and children sitting down looking sad.
BYK Kids was the only after-school-hours care service in Port Lincoln.(ABC Eyre Peninsula: Bernadette Clarke)

Ms Miller said the closure would have an impact on her life, and many other parents.

“I am immune-compromised and when I’m sick, it’s been so important to be able to have somewhere that I can trust with my kids,” Ms Miller said.

“So now that’s gone, I have no options anymore — it’s quite stressful.

BYK Kids was the only service offering after-school care and vacation care in the region.

But Ms Miller still counts herself lucky because her parents live in Port Lincoln, and while they both work, they do help.

“There are a lot of professional women and men here in Port Lincoln, who are not able to actually go back to work because there’s nowhere to put their kids,” Ms Miller said.

Program manager Cassandra Bilney held back tears on the final day of care after six years of helping Port Lincoln families.

“I don’t know what the solution is,” Ms Bilney said.

“I don’t know if the council could look at having something council owned but the lack of services is definitely a problem.”

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Categories
US

Pelosi offers praise, support for Taiwan during a visit that angered China

Pelosi offers praise, support for Taiwan during a visit that angered China

  • Pelosi tells President Tsai “we will not abandon Taiwan”
  • China steps up military activity around Taiwan
  • Taiwan’s military increases alertness level
  • China summoned US ambassador in Beijing

TAIPEI, Aug 3 (Reuters) – US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday after pledging solidarity and hailing its democracy, leaving a trail of Chinese anger over her brief visit to the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own.

China demonstrated its outrage over the highest-level US visit to the island in 25 years with a burst of military activity in surrounding waters, summoning the US ambassador in Beijing and halting several agricultural imports from Taiwan.

Some of China’s planned military exercises were to take place within Taiwan’s 12 nautical mile sea and air territory, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry, an unprecedented move a senior defense official described to reporters as “amounting to a sea and air blockade of Taiwan”.

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Taiwan scrambled jets on Wednesday to warn away 27 Chinese aircraft in its air defense zone, the island’s defense ministry said, adding that 22 of them crossed the median line separating the island from China. read more

Pelosi arrived with a congressional delegation on her unannounced but closely watched visit late on Tuesday, defying China’s repeated warnings, in a trip that she said demonstrated an unwavering US commitment to Taiwan’s democracy. read more

“Our delegation came to Taiwan to make unequivocally clear that we will not abandon Taiwan,” Pelosi told Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who Beijing suspects of pushing for formal independence – a red line for China. read more

“Now, more than ever, America’s solidarity with Taiwan is crucial, and that’s the message we are bringing here today,” Pelosi said during her roughly 19-hour visit.

A long-time China critic, especially on human rights, Pelosi met with a former Tiananmen activist, a Hong Kong bookseller who had been detained by China and a Taiwanese activist recently released by China.

The last US House speaker to go to Taiwan was Newt Gingrich in 1997. But Pelosi’s visit comes amid sharply deteriorating Sino-US relations, and during the past quarter century China has emerged as a far more powerful economic, military and geopolitical force.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has never renounced using force to bring it under its control. The United States warned China against using the visit as a pretext for military action against Taiwan.

In retaliation, China’s customs department announced a suspension of imports of citrus fruits and certain fish – chilled white striped hairtail and frozen horse mackerel – from Taiwan, while its commerce ministry banned export of natural sand to Taiwan.

While there was little sign of protest against US targets or consumer goods, there was a significant police presence outside the US consulate in Shanghai and what appeared to be more security than usual outside the embassy in Beijing.

Fury on the mainland over Pelosi’s defiance of Beijing was evident all over Chinese social media, with one blogger railing: “this old she-devil, she actually dares to come!” Pelosi is 82. read more

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi talks with Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu before boarding a plane at Taipei Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan August 3, 2022. Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via REUTERS

MILITARY DRILLS

Shortly after Pelosi’s arrival, China’s military announced joint air and sea drills near Taiwan and test launches of conventional missiles in the sea east of the island, with Chinese state news agency Xinhua describing live-fire drills and other exercises around Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday.

China’s foreign ministry said Pelosi’s visit seriously damages peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, “has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-US relations, and seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Before Pelosi’s arrival, Chinese warplanes buzzed the line dividing the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese military said it was on high alert and would launch “targeted military operations” in response to Pelosi’s visit.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said after Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan that the United States “is not going to be intimidated” by China’s threats or bellicose rhetoric and that there is no reason her visit should precipitate a crisis or conflict.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the potential for Pelosi’s visit with counterpart Wang Yi during a G20 meeting in Bali last month, and said any such trip would be entirely Pelosi’s decision and independent of the US government, a senior US official said on Wednesday. read more

‘CHINA’S AMBITION’

The United States has no official diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by American law to provide it with the means to defend itself. China views visits by US officials to Taiwan as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp on the island. Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying only the Taiwanese people can decide the island’s future.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said during a visit to Myanmar that Pelosi’s trip was a deliberate US attempt to irritate China. read more

North Korea’s foreign ministry criticized Pelosi’s visit as US “reckless interference” in China’s internal affairs, the official KCNA said. read more

Taiwan’s military increased its alertness level. Its defense ministry said China was attempting to threaten key ports and cities with drills in the surrounding waters.

“The so-called drill areas are falling within the busiest international channels in the Indo-Pacific region,” a senior Taiwan official familiar with its security planning told Reuters.

“We can see China’s ambition: to make the Taiwan Strait non-international waters, as well as making the entire area west of the first island chain in the western pacific its sphere of influence,” the official said.

China’s foreign ministry said it has not seen its military drills around Taiwan causing any freedom-of-navigation issues.

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Reporting by Yimou Lee and Sarah Wu; Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Stephen Coates and Will Dunham

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Categories
Business

Wild weather strikes Diggers and Dealers

Wild weather strikes Diggers and Dealers

Australia’s biggest mining industry event is in turmoil as wild weather rips through Perth and Kalgoorlie.

The glittering dinner on Wednesday, usually the pinnacle of the decades-old event, has been canceled as food and catering staff are stuck in Perth.

The big top is being emptied of industry booths as winds threaten safety in the huge marquee.

Instead, a cocktail party will cap off the event, organizers told AAP.

Hundreds of mining executives had already been stranded by grounded aircraft, unable to reach Kalgoorlie, including Fortescue Metals Group CEO Elizabeth Gaines who had to deliver her speech virtually on Tuesday.

Organizers said they had to close the main marquee to delegates as damaging wind gusts in excess of 90km/h are expected during the day.

“Due to the severe wind warning we are unable to bring the catering charter flight to Kalgoorlie that brings additional work force and supplies to deliver the WesTrac Gala Dinner,” a spokeswoman said.

“We will arrange an enjoyable evening and presentation of the traditional forum awards.”

All attendees will be hosted at the Goldfields Arts Center for the final day.

“Is Diggers and Dealers the latest victim of climate change,” a delegate asked.

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Categories
Technology

Apple Watch Edition Begins Selling Out Ahead of Series 8 Launch

Apple Watch Edition Begins Selling Out Ahead of Series 8 Launch

Apple Watch Edition models are beginning to sell out just weeks before the Apple Watch Series 8 lineup is expected to be announced.

apple watch series 7 titanium
Several of the high-end Apple Watch Series 7 models with titanium casings are listed as “currently unavailable” on Apple’s online store in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and select other countries. In the United States, availability of 41mm models is most depleted at this time, but a few 45mm models are out of stock too.

Apple Watch Series 8 models are expected to be unveiled alongside the iPhone 14 in September. In addition to two standard Series 8 models, Apple plans to introduce a “rugged” model with a larger display and a more durable design that would be suitable for hiking and extreme sports, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. While the rugged model is said to feature a titanium case, it is unclear if it would be branded as an Apple Watch Edition.

Other rumored features for the Apple Watch Series 8 include the ability to detect if you have a fever and an “S8” chip with the same processor specifications as the S7 chip in the Series 7. For more, check out our Apple Watch Series 8 guide .

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Categories
Australia

Canterbury unit deaths: Tragic twist in case of Saudi sisters as ‘suicide pact’ likely cause

Canterbury unit deaths: Tragic twist in case of Saudi sisters as 'suicide pact' likely cause

A suicide pact is believed to be behind the death of two Saudi sisters inside a Sydney apartment, as their tragic end continues to be clouded by unknowns.

Police now believe Asra Abdallah Alsehli, 24, and her sister Amaal planned their deaths after bottles of chemicals and other substances were discovered beside their siblings’ bodies.

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Interim toxicology results showed traces of those substances in their bodies, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The sisters were found dead in separate beds at their Canterbury Road unit on June 7 in “unusual circumstances”, with no signs or injury or forced entry.

However, police believe the pair could have been dead for up to a month before their bodies were found.

Little remains known about Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and her sister Amaal, 23. Credit: NSW Police

Their exact cause of death is yet to be determined as police wait for toxicology reports, but at this stage, suicide is believed to be a likely cause of death.

“There’s no indication of anyone else being in the unit … no forced entry. It really does appear to be a tragic suicide,” a senior police source told The Telegraph.

A bottle of bleach, non-perishable food items and clothing were reportedly among the items found in the bedrooms.

Despite several tragic twists coming to light, little remains known about the sisters.

Police have not revealed what the pair did for work, however, both women had registered ABNs, which could mean they were operating as sole traders.

Bank records showed funds were drying up, police told The Telegraph.

It has since been revealed the pair were behind in their rent payments for more than $5100, which equates to more than 10 weeks of missed rent for their $480 unit.

The sisters lived in this apartment building in Canterbury. Credit: domain.com.au

The outstanding amount owed to the landlord was revealed in NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal records.

Their landlord took the matter to NCAT, where it was ordered the tenancy agreement be terminated and possession given to the landlord, The Daily Mail reports.

However, the sisters never appeared at the May 13 hearing, which was held less than a month before their bodies were found.

A sheriff called at the behest of their landlord made the grisly discovery.

But it was not the first time authorities visited the unit, with police paying the sisters a visit in mid-March after the building manager raised concerns for their welfare as food had been left out in common areas.

This visit would have taken place not long after the pair stopped paying rent.

The sisters “appeared fine” when speaking to police, Detective Inspector Claudia Allcroft said earlier.

“At that stage, there were no issues raised,” she said.

“There was no further action required from police at that stage.”

The Canterbury unit is available to move in as of Wednesday, with the new listing including an eerie notice.

“This property has found two deceased person on 06/07/2022, crime scene has been established and it is still under police investigation,” the listing said.

“According to the police, this is not a random crime and will not be a potential risk for the community.”

Forensic finger print dust is seen on an external door frame at the alleged apartment where two women were found dead in Canterbury, Sydney, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi) NO ARCHIVING Credit: BIANCA DE MARCHI/AAPIMAGE

Those who knew the sisters say they seemed to live in fear and were “very afraid of something”.

The women had claimed a suspicious man had been lurking outside their unit in the months before their deaths and had voiced concerns someone was tampering with their food deliveries.

NSW Police said the investigation is ongoing.

“Police continue to appeal for information in relation to the death of the two women,” a spokesperson said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Awkward moment sheriffs serve eviction notice to wrong house.

Awkward moment sheriffs serve eviction notice to wrong house.

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Categories
US

Election-denier Mark Finchem wins Arizona GOP secretary of state primary, NBC News projects

Election-denier Mark Finchem wins Arizona GOP secretary of state primary, NBC News projects

Mark Finchem, a prominent 2020 election denier and an Arizona state legislator, has won the Republican secretary of state primary, NBC News projects.

With 99% percent of the expected vote in, Finchem, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, had 40% of the vote. State Rep. Shawnna Bolick, another 2020 election denier, had 19% of the vote, while businessman Beau Lane got 25%.

With his win, Finchem, who continues to falsely claim that President Joe Biden did not win the 2020 election in the state, gets one step closer to being the top official elections in Arizona, a crucial swing state where efforts by Trump allies to overturn the last presidential election have persisted in the years since the race.

If elected, Finchem would, as the official who oversees the state office administering the 2024 presidential election, have the power to possibly affect the outcome of the race. Experts say that scenario could contribute to an even more robust effort to overturn a presidential election. Trump is weighing another bid in 2024.

Finchem advances to the general election against the winner of a Democratic race that is still undecided between Adrian Fontes, the former Maricopa County recorder, and state Rep. Reginald Bolding.

Finchem, a member of the Arizona Legislature, is among the most outspoken state lawmakers insisting that Trump won the 2020 election. Trump endorsed Finchem last year, saying in a statement that “Mark was willing to say what few others had the courage to say” about the 2020 race.

At a January rally in Florence, Arizona, Finchem, standing alongside the former president, said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we know it and they know it — Donald Trump won.” Trump held another rally with Finchem, as well as other Arizona Republican candidates, in July, where Finchem and others repeated similarly false claims.

Neither Finchem nor his campaign has responded to multiple emails and phone calls from NBC News requesting a response to questions about his claims about the 2020 election.

As a state legislator, Finchem has introduced several election-related bills, including one that would make all ballots public records, searchable in an online database.

Finchem also introduced several resolutions seeking to decertify the results of the 2020 election in three major Arizona counties, as well as a bill that would give the Legislature the power to reject election results. He supported a partisan review of Maricopa County’s election results, even though the review reaffirmed Biden’s victory.

Finchem has appeared on QAnon radio talk shows and attended the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, which led to the storming of the Capitol. He also spoke at a “Stop the Steal” event a day earlier, telling the crowd that Trump had won the 2020 election. In a 2014 interview with local news outlet InMaricopa.com, Finchem identified himself as a member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group whose founder was charged with seditious conspiracy and other accounts in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection.

NBC News has reported that the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot had subpoenaed Finchem, seeking more information about his claims that the election was “rigged” and his communications with organizers of the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6.

Finchem is a member of the pro-Trump America First Secretary of State Coalition, which includes election-denying secretary of state candidates in several other swing states, including Jim Marchant (the Republican nominee in Nevada), Kristina Karamo (the Republican nominee in Michigan ) and Jody Hice (who lost his race in May in Georgia to Brad Raffensperger). All four of the states are ones in which Biden scored his narrowest victories in 2020.

Biden beat Trump in Arizona by about 10,500 votes, and none of the many lawsuits or audits over the results in the state uncovered any widespread fraud.

With his primary victory, Finchem becomes the sixth Republican secretary of state candidate who denies the results of the 2020 election to advance to the general election, according to United States United Action, a nonpartisan group that tracks secretary of state, attorney general and governors’ races .

The other five are Michigan’s Karamo (who was endorsed by the state GOP in April to be the party’s candidate), Nevada’s Marchant, Diego Morales in Indiana, Wes Allen in Alabama, and Audrey Trujillo in New Mexico. According to the group, Finchem was, as of July 28, among at least 20 election deniers who ran for secretary of state in 16 states across the US Also among them are Mike Brown in Kansas and Tamborine Borrelli in Washington, who both lost their primaries on Tuesday night.

If Finchem wins in November, he would, as Arizona’s secretary of state, have the power over the next two years to not only transform how elections are run — in ways some experts say could help possible candidate Trump — but to also tip the scale in a close race, the way Trump asked Raffensperger to do in 2020.

Meanwhile, NBC News projected that former prosecutor Abraham Hamadeh, another Trump-endorsed election denier won in Arizona’s crowded Republican attorney general primary. He will go up against Democrat Kris Mayes in November. Attorney General Mark Brnovich ran for Senate but lost a primary against Blake Masters, NBC News projects.

In addition, Republican Kari Lake was in a tight race for the state’s Republican primary for governor Tuesday. It’s possible Arizona could have election deniers in place in its three top state roles — a trio of positions that oversees, administers, defends and certifies elections and election results.

Arizona’s Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs will be the Democratic nominee for governor after winning her primary Tuesday.

Categories
Australia

Jobs scandal goes beyond Barilaro as inquiry probes second appointment

Jobs scandal goes beyond Barilaro as inquiry probes second appointment

Elliott has told colleagues he will nominate against Kean, but will not run if there are more than two candidates.

Late on Wednesday, the premier announced three ministers will have their portfolios expanded following Ayres resignation.

Elliott, Henskens and Arts Minister Ben Franklin will take on Ayres’ portfolios from Friday.

Perrottet said a further investigation of Ayres’ conduct would be undertaken by the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Asked whether a breach of the minister’s code needed to be referred to the anti-corruption commission, Perrottet said he was the “custodian” of the code so it was appropriate that he launch an investigation.

The premier said he did what he believed to be fair and did not bow to media or political pressure.

“I said from the outset in relation to these matters that I would conduct an inquiry, and that is exactly what I have done. I have [said] at every step of the way through the process that I will not do what is politically expedient, I will do what I believe is proper and right,” he said.

Ayres acknowledged the review had raised questions about whether he breached the ministerial code of conduct.

“In my view, no such breach has occurred. However, I agree it is important that this matter is investigated appropriately and support the premier’s decision to do so,” Ayres said in a statement.

“To maintain the integrity of the cabinet, I have decided to resign as a minister to allow the investigation to be completed… I will continue to serve my community as the passionate Member for Penrith.”

Penrith is the Liberals’ second most at-risk seat, on a margin of just 1.3 per cent.

While the inquiry has focused on Barilaro’s appointment to the New York role, on Wednesday Labor probed whether any other trade commissioners were given special treatment and questioned the process that appointed Stephen Cartwright, the former chief executive of the Business NSW lobby group, to the London -based trade role last year.

Brown said the process was led by NSW Treasury, but she knew Cartwright had been added to the process “late” and after another front-running candidate was deemed unsuitable.

“I got the impression that I [Cartwright] felt he had some sort of an elevated status,” Brown said. “When negotiations got particularly difficult he said ‘I’ll just escalate this to the deputy premier or the premier’.”

In an outcome of the contract negotiations, Cartwright was awarded a cost of living allowance of $112,000, significantly more than the next highest-paid commissioner. Comparatively, Barilaro was awarded $18,000 for living expenses in the US.

Brown told the parliamentary inquiry that she felt Ayres involved himself in the Barilaro recruitment.

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“In my view, he was not arm’s length from the process. There were multiple intersection points throughout,” she said on Wednesday.

Ayres is the second minister to be forced from cabinet in a horror week for the Perrottet government after fair trading minister Eleni Petinos was sacked over bullying allegations. She has rejected the allegations.

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said the resignation of Ayres as a minister and deputy leader of the Liberal Party was the right decision in the public interest.

Minns said there was now “clear evidence” that Ayres misled the NSW parliament and was involved in the appointment of Barilaro.

He said the saga, which has now dragged on seven weeks, was proving “the cover-up here is probably worse than the crime.”

An Investment NSW spokesman declined to comment on behalf of the agent-general and said it was continuing to assist both inquiries into the Barilaro recruitment.

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US

Lake takes the overnight lead against Robson

Lake takes the overnight lead against Robson

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake took the overnight lead against Karrin Taylor Robson, 46% to 44%. Lake, a former news anchor, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in Tuesday’s primaries against Karrin Taylor Robson, a development attorney backed by various Republicans including former Vice President Mike Pence.

Last night around 2 am, Lake took to Twitter to challenge Democratic candidate for Governor Katie Hobbs.

Prior to her confirmed lead, Lake told crowds at an election rally that she is “winning this 100%” and that there is “no path to victory for my opponent. We won this race.” Some of her supporters of her were seen praying in a circle around 10 pm

Early in July, Lake announced on Twitter that former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio endorsed her with three weeks left in the race. “Sheriff Joe knows the damage out-of-control crime and immigration can do to this state. I won’t back down in my fight to secure our border and defend Arizona. They called Joe, “America’s Toughest Sheriff.” I will be its toughest governor,” Lake tweeted.

Around that same time, Robson was endorsed by Governor Doug Ducey. He announced his endorsement of him via Twitter video saying, “There are no surprises with Karrin. She’s a lifelong conservative Republican who got her start working for President Ronald Reagan.” He also undergirded Robson’s policies that she is “Pro-Life, Pro-Gun, and Pro-Wall.”

Votes are still being counted and no official winner has yet been declared.

To track the latest updates on the ballot count and up-to-date election results, click here!

Arizona’s Family is still following this story and will continue to bring you up-to-date information about Tuesday’s primaries.

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