Emma McKeon extended her lead as the all-time individual gold medal record holder in another monster day of gold medal brilliance from Australia at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Australia is now 11 medals clear at the top of the overall standings with 11 more gold, plus 12 silver and 12 bronze.
England still sits second after its athletes also had a huge day, bringing home 10 gold.
McKeon’s 13th Games gold when she finished off the last leg of the 400m mixed medley relay to win in style alongside Kaylee McKeown, Matthew Temple and Zac Stubblety-Cook.
But the superstar was upstaged in a massive 100m freestyle upset when teenager and fellow Aussie Molly O’Callaghan stormed home to win gold. Shayna Jack took the silver medal, with McKeon relegated to third, completing an all-Aussie clean sweep of the podium.
Elsewhere in the pool, Ariarne Titmus fought off a strong challenge from Australian teammate Kiah Melverton to win the 800m freestyle final, and Lani Pallister rounded out the top three to make it a second clean sweep of medals for Australia in the pool.
Col Pearce was also dominant in the pool, taking gold in the men’s 100m S10 butterfly.
Athletics got underway for the Games, and Nina Kennedy backed up her World Championships gold medal with Commonwealth gold.
Australia also claimed two gold medals in judo and one in gymnastics, weightlifting, and wheelchair basketball.
Australia is still in control of the medal tally. Credit: 7Sport
sydney locals have been “devastated” by the sudden closure of a well-loved community centre, with hundreds protesting today after staff were notified they’d be losing their jobs when handed a non-disclosure statement.
Staff at the National Center for Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) in Redfern were told the non-profit organization will close on Monday after it’s government owners were unable to reach an agreement on the hub’s future.
“I don’t think we can measure the impact,” executive director of Redfern Youth Connect Aunty Margaret Haumono told 9News.com.au.
Elders say they will fight fiercely to keep the NCIE up and running. (Supplied)The National Center of Indigenous Excellent opened in 2006 and offers sport, fitness, conferences and community classes including tutoring and educational support. (Supplied)
“I’ve got kids asking me ‘Aunty Marg, where are we gonna go? What are we going to do?'”
The centre, which opened in 2006, offers community classes, educational support and tutoring along with social sport and fitness classes.
But Aunty Marg said the hub was much more than that, and has questioned why there was no consultation with the community before its closure.
“This place is just not a gym and a swimming pool for us, this place is a meeting point, it’s a meeting place,” she said.
“We have elders who come here and sit and have a cup of tea.
“We have mums and bubs swimming sessions, we have our elders that sit here.”
The center employs mostly Aboriginal staff and was created to support the health and wellbeing of thousands of Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members.
Aunty Haumono said members of the independent subsidiary of the Indigenous Land & Sea Corporation (ILSC) turned up to the NCIE and broke the news yesterday by handing out non-disclosure statements to staff, informing them they’d lost their jobs.
“We had no idea this was coming,” she said.
“The majority of staff did not accept the non-disclosure agreements, and now we’re here starting the fight to keep this place open.”
The NCIE is set to close in seven days. (Supplied)
The youth worker was one of 400 people who descended on the community hub today demanding an independent inquiry into the closure.
“It’s been disgusting, and we are as a community calling on an independent inquiry into the divestment process,” Aunty Haumono said.
“They (the ILSC) said ‘call the police’ as a response as opposed to showing up and providing dialogue and community.”
Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs Linda Burney described the center as “the beating heart of the Aboriginal community in Redfern”.
“I have spoken with the CEO and Chair of the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and the Member for Sydney today,” she said.
“I strongly encourage the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council to work together to find a solution so the centre’s programs and services continue to benefit the local community.
The decision to shut down was announced one month after the George Street property was divested from ILSC on June 30th, and transferred to the NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC).
The ILSC purchased the land where the old Redfern Public School once was, with community support in 2006.
The heritage buildings were transformed into conference, accommodation and office spaces and recreational facilities including a gym and aquatics center were built.
The social enterprise is still managed by the ILSC, which runs and acquires millions of dollars in land and sea assets to benefit Indigenous people.
‘Running at a deficit’: Government bodies unable to reach agreement
More than 400 people gathered at the NCIE in Redfern today to stand in solidarity with the community. (Supplied)
Chairperson of the NSWALC Danny Chapman said the land council was “not in a financial position to pick up the enormous amount of money that it would take to run the business” and so negotiations with ILSC failed.
“We told the community that the New South Wales ALC was not in a position to run the pool and the gym, which was the main contributors towards the NCIE running at a deficit,” Chapman told 9News.com.au.
“We made that very clear.”
Chapman said negotiations would be reopened today.
9News understands a meeting between NSW ALC and the ILSC was scheduled but the NCIE Aboriginal community were not invited.
LEBURN, Ky. — As the floodwaters receded, tales of survival emerged Tuesday from victims who were roused from sleep by alerts and quickly found themselves trapped in their homes by floating furniture blocking the doors.
They described the experience as surreal, recalling how they had to ford through waist-deep water to reach loved ones only to be turned back by the swift current or watch as trucks and uprooted trailers were swept away.
Many said everything they owned was either taken or destroyed by the deluge.
Teresa Reynolds sits exhausted as members of her community clean the debris Saturday from their flood ravaged homes at Ogden Hollar in Hindman, Ky. Timothy D. Easley/APA Knott County emergency vehicle gathers debris Tuesday in the flooded Troublesome Creek in downtown Hindman, Ky. Michael Swensen for NBC News
“All we have are clothes we are wearing,” said John Whitaker, a retiree who lived with his wife, Susie, in their now-ruined home in Hindman for less than a year. “Everything else was in the house. Everything is covered in mud.”
Larry Miller, 62, who has lived in Hindman his entire life, said he left his house reluctantly when the floodwaters were lapping at his door.
“My mom left me this home,” said Miller. “I just remodeled it from one end to the other. It destroyed my home and everything in it.”
Miller and the Whitakers were among the hundreds of Knott County residents who took shelter this week in the Sportsplex in Leburn, a sports facility that has been transformed into a shelter for storm survivors.
Ronnie and Sue Combs who survived the flooding, pray with a member of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team in the Knott County Sportsplex on Tuesday. Michael Swensen for NBC NewsA man organizes coats Tuesday on a donation table at the Knott County Sportsplex in Leburn, Ky.Michael Swensen for NBC news
Extraordinary rain, historic floods
The worst flooding happened Wednesday night into Thursday morning, the result of a historic storm in eastern Kentucky that occurred while most people were sleeping and that inundated the hollers so quickly it cut off most escape routes.
Dustin Jordan, the National Weather Service’s science and operations officer in Kentucky, said that before the storm his agency “issued numerous flash flood warnings and also upgraded them all the way up to catastrophic, which is pretty much the highest level you can go, which is basically like a flash flood emergency.”
Some areas saw 14 to 16 inches of rain over a five-day period last week, he said.
“You’re talking about unprecedented rainfall totals,” Jordan said. “The biggest thing that you can take from this is that flash flooding from nighttime rainfall is very dangerous. It’s very difficult for people to get to safety at night. So that’s part of it. A lot of people are sleeping, and then having to get out very, very fast.”
William Haneberg, director of the Kentucky Geological Survey, said the rains came so fast there really was no time to escape, even if they heard the Weather Service alerts.
“It’s mountainous terrain and the valleys are very narrow,” he said. “A lot of the affected areas are very remote. It may take you an hour to go through the curving mountain roads. In a lot of the remote areas, there may only be one way out. So if you wait too long, the bridges may be washed out.”
People also have a tendency to tune out storm warnings, and generational ties to the land in Appalachia make some reluctant to leave, even if they know they live in a flood-prone area, Haneberg said.
“People are tied with that land because maybe their great-grandparents built the house or something,” he said. “So it’s a huge cultural issue to say OK, just move.”
A picture of Uncle Solomon Everidge, who donated the land for the Hindman Settlement School in 1902, shows traces of mud on Tuesday. Michael Swensen for NBC News
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday that there were 37 confirmed deaths as a result of the flooding and hundreds more still unaccounted for, spread out over five counties. Seventeen of those fatalities were reported in Knott County, and four of the dead are children from the same family, he said.
A scramble to escape to higher ground
Whitaker said he and his wife thought they were goners, too, when their house suddenly started filling up with water.
“There was enough water to float everything in the room,” he said. “Everything was floating around until the water receded. The refrigerator was upside down. Two of the beds were floating so hard against the ceiling that they were tearing the ceiling up.”
Mary Arlin Gibson, who lives in Pine Top with her husband, said she was awakened by a “gurgling” sound coming from the bathroom and went to investigate.
“All of a sudden the water started coming through the vents, then the water was up to our waists,” she said. “We got trapped in the bedroom because the furniture started floating. We couldn’t open up no doors or nothing.”
Gibson said they escaped through a bedroom window and scrambled up a hill to where their neighbor was riding out the storm in his truck. She said the three of them stayed there for six hours until it was safe to come down.
The home of Mary and Arlin Gibson in Pine Top, Ky.Michael Swensen for NBC News
Cathy Jones, who lives in Stanford Branch with her wife, Jennifer Stamper, said she was on the phone with her brother-in-law, who lives nearby, around 2 am Thursday as the rain came down in sheets.
Jones said they began to panic when her brother-in-law told her he saw a truck “float by his mommy’s house and there was a trailer who just hit a tree in their yard.” Then they lost power and the phone went dead.
When dawn broke, she said their house was surrounded by swirling water but Stamper grabbed a stick and ventured out to reach her mother.
“The water was up to her waist,” said Jones, who watched her wife get to higher ground despite the swift current. “Miraculously, she got through and yelled, ‘Are you coming, too!’ I said, ‘No, I don’t want to die!'”
Jones said she could hear the sounds of trees crashing.
“About a half hour later, I could see her coming back,” Jones said of her wife. “She said, ‘I couldn’t get through.'”
Thankfully, the family was later reunited at the shelter, she said.
Cathy Jones at the Knott County Sportsplex on Tuesday. Michael Swensen for NBC News
Swift water felt like the ocean
In Carrie, a community west of Pine Top, Karen Mosley, 54, and her daughter both lost their mobile homes in the flood. They escaped with a bag packed with clothes. But the trailers crashed into each other and were swept away.
“I just heard that metal crunch like you would crunch a soda can,” Mosley said. “… I found a few pieces of my daughter’s mobile home wrapped around a tree.”
The two held on to each other as they made their way to a car parked on higher ground. The water was up to Mosley’s chest from him. They dared not lift their feet.
“You could feel the water rushing underneath. If you’ve been in the ocean when the undercurrent hits, that’s what it felt like,” Mosley said.
“Because it was dark and because it was mud, you could feel it, but you couldn’t see where you were stepping — and you couldn’t pick your feet up, because if you pick your feet up, you were gone,” she said. “So, we were just kind of scooting our feet hoping we didn’t fall.”
‘We’re standing together’
For three nights, the Knott County coroner, Corey Watson, watched over the dead in the funeral home he operated in Hindman, cut off from much of the world by the sudden flooding that swamped his county.
Without power or running water, Watson relied on generators donated by friends to keep the lights on at the Nelson-Frazier funeral home.
“It’s troubling to see so many people pass away in such a traumatic way,” Watson said. “Our county has been beaten down pretty hard by the water, but we’re recovering. We’re standing together.”
An aerial view of eastern Kentucky on Saturday.Kentucky National Guard / via AFP – Getty ImagesVolunteers from the local Mennonite community clean flood-damaged property on Saturday from a house at Ogden Hollar in Hindman, Ky.Timothy D. Easley/AP
Watson said people in the area are not strangers to flash flooding, but this was nothing like he had experienced.
“We usually have a few, one or two floods a year, maybe,” he said. “Minimum damage, nothing bad. I’m 33, and this is the most amount of rain and damage I’ve ever seen from a natural disaster.”
Watson said he wound up bunking at the funeral home after he had to be rescued from his home, which sits in a remote corner of the county. He said he lost his power and cellphone service and “had no idea” how much danger he was in from him until he got to the funeral home.
“I didn’t until it was over with,” he said. “People were running here to the funeral home.”
Minyvonne Burke reported from Kentucky, Melissa Chan from New York, and Corky Siemaszko from New Jersey.
Demand for food bearing labels such as ‘organic’ or ‘sustainable’ is soaring, but some farmers are questioning if the name is really worth the pain.
While some industry groups say labels help consumers make a choice, and getting the right credentials can offer a valuable point of difference for producers, others fear they present a barrier for those wanting to adopt some of the practices associated with them.
Consumers are driving the push, but when they are buying organic, natural, regenerative or conventionally farmed produce, do they really know what it means?
Staying out of the label box
Labels like “certified organic” require farmers to meet certain production standards, which can restrict the use of chemicals and govern the management of farms.
Graziers Peter and Nikki Thompson use mostly natural practices such as multi-species planting and decreased use of inputs on their 4,000-hectare property Echo Hills, 80 kilometers north-east of Roma in Queensland.
But they have not found a label that reflects their production style while still giving them flexibility.
“We’ve talked about the labeling of things and so often that forces you to box yourself into just organic or just conventional,” Mr Thompson says.
“We haven’t used any herbicide for three years but if we’ve got cattle coming in here that has come from tick [infested] country we will do the treatment up front.”
Farmer Ian Beard chooses not to label his farm and operates with a “no rules” mindset.(Rural ABC: Lucy Cooper)
Being able to respond to problems with the most effective solution has led farmer Ian Beard to run his property at Wyreema in the Toowoomba region with what he calls “no rules”.
“By labeling your farm you put yourself into a box and really it is closing the toolbox,” he says.
“If I need them, I will use chemicals, plows, or choose to till. I need whatever tool that can make me sustainable and profitable.”
But are farmers like Mr Beard and the Thompsons missing out on a profit opportunity?
Labels can bring better price tags
Niki Ford, chief executive of Australian Organic Limited, the leading peak industry body representing producers, says without the farm and food labels the entire industry would not exist.
“It is a really important part of being an organic farmer because you’ve got your credentials,” she says.
“From a consumer perspective, it’s important to know when you’re buying something, especially if you’re paying a premium for it, if it has been audited, and if it has the rigor that sits around the claim.”
Farmers are noticing that a label can attract a premium price — and not only in organics — according to agronomist Ian Moss.
“I think farmers have adopted the regenerative term because it has come from the consumer side,” he says.
“Consumers are seeking out people doing the right thing by their farm, their animals, and their soil.
“I think there’ll be a certain percentage of consumers who are willing to pay more for the type of food that they want.”
CEO of Australian Organic Limited Niki Ford.(Supplied: Australian Organic Limited)
Ms Ford says consumers want transparency and assurances that what they buy meets their expectations for how it is produced.
“Nearly one-third of Australian consumers are picking up [what they think are] organic products and they are not what they say they are, which is a big issue,” she says.
“That’s why food labeling couldn’t be more important.”
divisive for the industry
While it may offer clarification for consumers, some in the agricultural industry fear labels can be more divisive than inclusive and act as a barrier to new practices being adopted.
The Mulloon Institute is a not-for-profit research and education organization that advocates for sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices.
Its chief executive, Carolyn Hall, agreed that labels often create division.
“I think labeling can be incredibly divisive and it’s not necessarily of value to anyone,” she says.
“I think labeling has the potential to ostracise some people, particularly in small communities.”
Mulloon Institute CEO Carolyn Hall.(Rural ABC: Lucy Cooper)
Mr Moss agrees there could also be a stigma attached to either having or not having some labels, which some producers resent.
“I haven’t met a farmer yet who doesn’t want to leave their country in better condition than it is now, and I think everyone does the best they can,” he says.
“I think people miss great learning opportunities from other industries or other certifications because we turn off when we see something that is labeled.”
Fellow agronomist Jess Bailey sees a diverse range of farmers in her day-to-day life.
She says the feeling of being left out is a common theme for producers.
“If a farmer feels like they aren’t quite doing everything right to fit in to a certain label then they feel like they’re excluded,” she says.
But this is not an opinion shared by all.
Greg Youngberry is the national sales manager for his family-owned operation Inglewood Organic.
Selling certified organic chicken poultry products to the market, he says a label is integral to business transparency.
“It is important to have labeling but also certification associated with a product so that the claims are not without basis,” he says.
Rather than being a point of division among the industry, Mr Youngberry believes labeling simply provides a point of difference.
“There’s a lot of different processes within the organic system that are very different to conventional farming,” he says.
“I really think it is important that the consumer is aware that we follow very strict farming practices, which organic requires.”
‘Normal’ farming is changing
Instead of looking for a way to define their practices under a one-size-fits-all label, Ms Hall says farmers should instead think of themselves as stewards responding to the needs of their land.
“When we think about land stewardship, it’s all about looking after the land, it’s caring for the land, which is naturally what farmers do,” she says.
Agronomists Ian Moss and Jess Bailey.(Rural ABC: Lucy Cooper)
By taking that approach, Ian Moss says farmers can create a “new normal” by bringing organic or regenerative practices into the mainstream, without the need for a label.
“Normal is what we would see as standard practices or industry recommended practices … what the majority of people are doing,” he says.
Mr Moss says an increasing amount of money required for traditional or conventional agriculture because of rising input costs is seeing many farmers look to alternate farming paths.
“A lot of the newer farmers who are kind of taking this regenerative path, a more environmentally conscious path, are just trying to get away from having to spend so much money,” he says.
“They are not going to care about the label at all.”
With the Pixel 6a officially hitting store shelves and arriving for the first customers today, Google is releasing a day one update.
Update 8/1: The Global and AT&T/T-Mobile builds are now live for the Pixel 6a. The “Check for update” OTA is not yet hitting devices. The on-device OTA is rolling out now and comes in at just over 50MB. Our manual sideloading guide is available here.
This build is indeed based on Android 12L instead of QPR3 (which was released in June). One telltale sign is how the Battery widget is located under “Settings Services” rather than “Battery.”
Global (Unlocked)
AT&T, T-Mobile
Meanwhile, Google has surprisingly not yet released the August security patch for the Pixel 6a or any other supported phone (4 to 6 Pro). It was expected this morning.
Pixel 6 Pro vs. 6a
We have provided the first security update for Pixel 6a. The rollout begins today and will continue over the next week in phases, depending on carrier networks. Users will receive a notification once the OTA becomes available for their device.
Google
Original 7/28Note: Out of the box, the Pixel 6a is running the April security patch. It’s three months old and based on Android 12L (instead of QPR3), though it follows how the Pixel 5a launched late August with a June patch, while the 2020 Pixel 4a had a May patch for its August release.
Google was originally going to release this Pixel 6a update alongside other devices on Monday, but has since moved it up. The OTA starts rolling out today, and factory images for manual sideloading will be fully available shortly.
According to Verizon, this is the June 2022 security patch. As of Thursday afternoon, the Global and AT&T/T-Mobile builds are not yet available. We’ve reached out to Google for clarification on the month-old patch level.
Japanese
Verizon
Meanwhile, Google told us that Pixel 6a will be eligible for the Android 13 Beta Program as early as next week. It’s not yet available this morning.
More about Pixel 6a:
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An image of Jennifer Hawkins looking barely recognizable at the beginning of her modeling career has left fans scratching their heads.
This week, an image of Jennifer’s 2004 Ralph magazine cover resurfaced on Instagram influencer watchdog account Celeb Spellcheck.
The racy photo was taken months after Jennifer won the prestigious Miss Universe pageant, and showed the blonde posing suggestively in a skimpy red bikini.
Jennifer Hawkins’s 2004 Ralph magazine cover has resurfaced online, prompting fans to comment on just how different the Miss Universe Australia looked at the beginning of her career. Pictured is Jennifer’s 2004 Ralph cover
Many users commented on just how different Jennifer looked, with one writing: ‘Wow Jen Hawkins is unrecognizable!’
‘It doesn’t even look like her’, another user agreed, while someone else added: ‘There is no way that’s Jennifer Hawkins – really?!’
At the time of her Ralph photo shoot, Jennifer sported pencil-thin eyebrows and had much thinner-looking lips.
The racy magazine cover resurfaced on this week on Instagram influencer watchdog account Celeb Spellcheck. Pictured right: Jennifer’s 2004 Ralph magazine cover, and left: Jennifer looking different on the red carpet in 2018
Many users commented on just how different Jennifer looked, with one writing: ‘Wow Jen Hawkins is unrecognizable!’
She has since adopted a fuller, more natural-looking eyebrow style and now sports a noticeably fuller pout – perhaps thanks to clever makeup techniques.
Jennifer has been the subject of plastic surgery rumors for years, but has never discussed whether she’s gone under the knife.
In 2018, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Randal Haworth offered his expert opinion on Jennifers’ evolving look, telling Daily Mail Australia at the time: ‘I often see pretty girls like Jennifer wanting to fine-tune their features to enter ‘supermodel’ territory .’
At the time of her Ralph photo shoot, Jennifer sported pencil-thin eyebrows and had much thinner-looking lips. Jennifer is pictured with Donald Trump after winning Miss Universe Australia in 2004
According to Dr. Haworth, who has not treated Jennifer himself, she has invested in some minor improvements to ‘improve facial balance as a whole’.
‘Most people would scratch their heads as to how a former Miss Universe could possibly improve upon her already-idolized face,’ he said.
‘Her new and more glamorous appearance has been helped by a rhinoplasty to refine and elevate her nasal tip while narrowing her asymmetrical nasal bones.’
In 2018, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Randal Haworth offered his expert opinion on whether Jennifer had gone under the knife. Pictured left: Jennifer as a teenager, and right: in May 2018
Despite being a household name for more than 15 years, Jennifer has hardly aged a day and is arguably more beautiful now than she was in her early twenties.
Dr. Haworth believes that the former Myer ambassador has indulged in ‘fillers to her cheeks and other areas of her face’, as well as Botox.
‘I strongly suspect she also underwent lip augmentation for added sensuality and improved facial balance as a whole,’ he added.
Despite being a household name for more than 15 years, Jennifer has hardly aged a day and is arguably more beautiful now than she was in her early twenties. Pictured in 2016 with her husband Jake Wall
In 2010, Jennifer attributed her drastic change in appearance to healthy eating, exercise and makeup.
‘Women get better with age, because they are more confident with themselves. It’s all about makeup and health,’ she said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show.
Jennifer has previously danced around the topic of plastic surgery when quizzed on her age-defying looks.
In 2010, Jennifer attributed her drastic change in appearance to healthy eating, exercise and makeup. Pictured in 2022
In 2014 she told The Australian Women’s Weekly that it was the nature of the fashion industry to be accused of having cosmetic surgery.
‘When someone says ‘under the knife’ I don’t have a reaction,’ she said.
‘Everyone in the industry gets that. That’s fine. I’m cool with that. I’m cool with people having an opinion, but as I said, I am happy with who I am as a person and really just want to live my life.’
In 2016, the former Australia’s Next Top Model judge claimed it was a personal choice if people wanted to invest in plastic surgery.
She told The Daily Telegraph: ‘Each to their own!’
In 2016, the former Australia’s Next Top Model judge said it was a personal choice if people wanted to invest in plastic surgery, telling The Daily Telegraph: ‘Each to their own’. Pictured in 2020
Today hosts Allison Langdon and Alex Cullen were left gobsmacked as Australia’s sevens champions revealed the extent of their pre-Commonwealth Games suffering.
Gold medalists Faith Nathan and Dominique du Toit went straight from the airport to Nine’s studios to reflect on beating Fiji in the final in Birmingham and gaining redemption for the Tokyo Olympics flop.
Nathan admitted that the team “weren’t at our fittest” in Tokyo but left no stone unturned in putting matters right in Birmingham.
Watch every match of the Wallaroos and Wallabies 2022 Test season live, ad free and exclusive onStan Sport
Cullen asked what their fitness regimen was.
“Um, so we have this word called ‘crunning’ where you run while crying,” Nathan replied.
“Our S and C (strength and conditioning coach Tom Carter) is very brutal on us but if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t be where are right now… you have to keep going and we have another word called ‘ cromiting’ where we are crying, running and vomiting at the same time. Just keep going, keep going.”
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Dominique du Toit and Faith Nathan show off their gold medals. (Nine)
Cullen was momentarily left speechless.
“That is not even being dramatic,” du Toit confirmed.
“I cry just at the thought of running,” Langdon quipped.
Maloney checks in with sevens world champs
The gold capped an all-conquering year for the Australians after also winning the world series crown.
“To be able to have two golds in our campaign so far it is pretty special,” du Toit said.
“I think it is a huge credit to Rugby Australia and the AIS… it is awesome for us to be able to give back to them and all the people who have stuck by and supported us through our not so great campaign last year, it’s nice we can give back this year.”
Australia players with their gold medals celebrate after beating Fiji in the Women’s Rugby Sevens gold medal match, at Coventry Stadium, England, on day three of the Commonwealth Games, Sunday July 31, 2022. (Jacob King/PA via AP) (AP)
Du Toit took particular pleasure in downing arch-rivals New Zealand in the semi finals.
“They are an incredible team with super talented athletes,” du Toit said.
“After going down to them last Comm Games it was special to be able to beat them.
NEW PODCAST: Morgan Turinui joins Sean Maloney and Andrew Mehrtens to unpack a seismic month of northern vs southern hemisphere Test rugby
“We came up against them earlier than expected. We lost to Fiji in a round game so we faced New Zealand in the semi. I suppose you have to beat all of the teams when you want to win a gold, so it was special to beat them and deny them the opportunity of even a silver medal.
“Our celebrations after that game were maybe even a bit more than the final because it was such an intense rivalry between us and New Zealand.”
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‘I got the yips that night’: Rugby legends trade hilarious yarns on Stan Sport’s Glory Days series
COVID-19 vaccines will be offered to at-risk children from 6 months to under five years of age from next month.
Key points:
Australia will become one of the first nations to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to children under 5
Bookings for children aged 6 months to under 5 will open next month
The vaccine has only been recommended for at-risk children
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) has recommended approximately 70,000 young children at higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19 be able to receive the Moderna vaccine from September 5.
At this stage, the vaccine is only recommended for children in that age group who are severely immunocompromised, have a disability, or complex health conditions that increase the risk of COVID-19.
It comes after the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) provisionally approved a pediatric dose of the Moderna vaccine, which contains a lower concentration of the active ingredient than the adult dose.
Meanwhile, the federal government has secured 500,000 doses of the vaccine for the age group and initial supplies will arrive in Australia later this week.
Parents are currently unable to book the vaccine but details on doing so will be laid out in coming weeks.
The federal Health Minister, Mark Butler, said Australia would be one of the first countries in the world to roll out a COVID-19 vaccination for children aged under five years, following the United States and Canada.
Mr Butler said more than 1.5 million Australians had also received a fourth dose of the COVID vaccine since the federal government expanded eligibility three weeks ago.
Two-thirds of people over 65 have received a fourth dose of the vaccine.
Businesswoman and conservative commentator Tudor Dixon won the Republican primary for Michigan governor on Tuesday, setting up a tough race against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as anger and division within the state GOP threaten the party’s efforts in the battleground state this fall.
Dixon, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump last week, defeated four male candidates in a race between little-known political newcomers. She also had backing from the prominent Michigan Republican family of Betsy DeVos, who was education secretary in Trump’s Cabinet but was critical of him and resigned after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, as well as the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and several anti-abortion groups.
Taking the stage at a victory party, Dixon pledged to fight for families who struggled through COVID-19 lockdowns that Whitmer imposed and who can’t afford to put gas in their vehicles and pay bills. She called the first-term governor “the queen of lockdowns” and recounted how her own grandmother died in a nursing home, alone, during the pandemic.
“Frankly Michigan, we deserve better,” Dixon said. “Now we have the opportunity to truly hold Gretchen Whitmer accountable for the pain she has inflicted on each and every one of us during the past four years.”
Whitmer, who did not have a Democratic opponent, was seen as potentially vulnerable heading into 2022 because of anger over her pandemic restrictions, rising gas and food prices, and her ties to President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings are low. But some of those hopes were dashed after top Republican candidates didn’t make the ballot because they didn’t file enough valid nominating signatures and the remaining field struggled to compete in fundraising with Whitmer and her multimillion-dollar campaign fund. None of the GOP candidates had held public office, and many had baggage that could hurt in a general election.
Dixon is a former steel industry executive who also hosted a conservative program on a streaming channel and once acted in low-budget zombie movies in what her campaign described as an “admittedly lame” hobby.
Democrats criticize her far-right positions on issues, which also could be a tough sell for independent voters who decide elections in Michigan. Dixon opposes abortion, except to save the mother’s life, and says Michigan should eliminate the requirement for permits to carry concealed weapons.
In a statement Tuesday, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes said Dixon “has a dangerous agenda that would devastate Michigan working families.”
The mother of four made education a top issue of her campaign, saying she wants to keep drag queens and talk of sex and gender out of elementary schools. She said she would end “critical race theory” from being taught in Michigan public schools and wants all districts to post teaching materials and curriculum online for parents to review. Dixon also says families should be able to use per-student state funds on private schools, home schooling or other education settings of their choice.
Dixon defeated real estate broker Ryan Kelley, who pleaded not guilty to misdemeanors in the Capitol riot; chiropractor Garrett Soldano; former auto dealership owner Kevin Rinke and pastor Ralph Rebandt.
They blasted Dixon during the campaign as the “establishment” pick, criticizing her connections to DeVos and saying she hadn’t done enough to stand up to Whitmer when she imposed COVID-19 restrictions.
Contentious primaries are not new, but the hostility seems heightened in some places this year as Republicans split over whether to relitigate the 2020 election or look ahead, including to the 2024 presidential race. The divide has been particularly public and pronounced in Michigan, where Trump has pushed the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him and has endorsed many candidates who back him — including for secretary of state and attorney general — with an eye on a possible 2024 bid.
Michigan is also among states where subpoenas have been issued to “fake electors” who submitted paperwork saying Trump, not Joe Biden, won the state’s election.
Trump lost Michigan by about 154,000 votes in 2020, and multiple audits and courts — as well as an investigation by the Republican-led state Senate — have upheld that.
Dixon has wavered on the issue. She raised her hand during a debate when candidates were asked who among them believes the election was stolen. But she has been less explicit in recent weeks, criticizing Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and saying on Fox News Sunday, “We have to make sure our elections are secure and what happened in 2020 does n’t happen again.”
Trump’s late-stage endorsement of Dixon gives him a win to tout, though he has also experienced some high-profile defeats.
Voter Mark Orsinger of Grand Rapids said he decided to cast his ballot for Dixon after Trump’s endorsement.
“I didn’t know Tudor until Trump mentioned her,” Orsinger said. “She seems like an OK person. I only know her from her from 20 seconds of a commercial. ”
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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Grand Rapids and Mike Householder in Delhi Township contributed to this report.
FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said while a small rise in total sales to 84,461 vehicles was positive, the logjams in the global vehicle manufacturing sector still meant lengthy waiting times.
“Once again Australia is following the global trend of demand for new vehicles exceeding supply,” he said.
The NSW market was up 10.9 per cent in July compared with a year earlier, while South Australian sales were up 13.3 per cent. But all other states and territories suffered a decline in sales.
Victoria was down 5.8 per cent, Western Australia 9 per cent, Queensland recorded a decline of 1.1 per cent, and Tasmania 13.2 per cent.
Sydney and Melbourne were headed into extended COVID-19 lockdowns in July last year.
The Toyota HiLux ute was again the biggest selling vehicle in Australia in July, with 6441 vehicles bought. This was more than double the next model, the Ford Ranger ute, which recorded 2934 sales.
Toyota’s RAV4 was in third spot, with 2437, followed by the Mazda CX-5 SUV at 2346, and Hyundai’s Tucson SUV at 2186.
Toyota was the clear market leader, with 23.2 per cent in July, with Mazda a distant second with 9.3 per cent.
Mr Politis holds a 27.3 per cent stake in Eagers Automotive and was ranked No. 51 on The Australian Financial Review Rich List in 2022 with an estimated wealth of $2.23 billion.
He also has extensive private interests in the vehicle industry.
Eagers Automotive last month acquired his privately owned dealerships in the ACT for $193 million.
The ACT dealerships and 10 properties being acquired make up more than 30 per cent of the total number of new vehicles sold in the ACT each year, and generate $450 million in sales annually.
In February, Eagers Automotive signed a five-year agreement to be the exclusive retailer in Australia for fast-growing Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD.
Last month, BYD overtook industry pioneer Tesla as the world’s biggest electric vehicle producer by sales. BYD is backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.
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