A member of the 17 Manly players who did support the Pride jersey against the Roosters has anonymously blasted the seven players who boycotted the game and put the team’s final hopes in danger.
WWOS’ The Mole reported the Manly player, who asked not to be identified, painted an ugly picture of a team still very divided over the jersey saga that engulfed the club.
“They (the seven) are still saying they weren’t consulted about the pride jersey and it went against the religious a cultural beliefs,” the player told WWOS.
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“We weren’t consulted when a betting sponsor was placed on our jersey – the guys wear that every week… I’m not sure what their god would say about that.
“No one asked us when our oval was renamed after a brewery (4 Pines Park) – I don’t think their god would have been crazy about that either.
“And I can tell you very few young blokes in our club live by the 10 commandments – nor most young blokes in Australia for that matter.
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The Manly Pride Jersey.Source: Getty Images
“Yet these guys take a stance over a good move by the club to make the gay community feel inclusive in our game.”
The player also believes the fact that Manly’s loss to the Roosters could cost them the final spot in the top eight, will make it very hard for the rift in the squad to be healed.
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Manly Sea Eagles press conference | 08:29
“They could have said they didn’t support the initiative but to refuse to play with their mates, it doesn’t sit well, and there is something of a rift in the group as a result,” the player said.
“If those two lost points – and we are confident we would have won (against the Roosters) – cost us a place in the finals, it will take a long time for us to get over it.”
Perth has endured a second night of gale force winds and sideways rain as another monster cold front smashed the southern parts of the State.
Power blackouts are continuing to cause headaches with Western Power reporting 74 known outages affecting 8,100 customers – 4,200 in the metropolitan area and 3,900 in regional areas and in the South West.
Many of those people can expect to be without electricity until at least Wednesday afternoon.
A large tree lies across the road in Maddington after strong winds brought it down overnight. Credit: 7NEWS/7NEWS
Perth Airport was sent into chaos on Tuesday night after the power went out for hours, delaying check-ins and flights after a high-voltage transmission pole was damaged.
Flights were back up and running on Wednesday morning but the airport was backlogged with passengers attempting to get through security, with the flow on effects of the impact still being felt.
Hundreds of people in high-vis were at Terminal 2 as regional flights were taking off. The line to get through to security was almost out the door as people raced to make their flight on time.
A Western Power spokeswoman said crews and the network operations center worked through the night in difficult circumstances to make hazards safe and restore power where they could with around 1000 homes restored during the night.
“While further hazards and faults were reported overnight, storm-related damage to infrastructure was less than experienced yesterday where a peak of 35,000 customers experienced interruptions to their power supply.”
Houses damaged due to severe weather in Port Kennedy overnight. Credit: 7NEWS/7NEWS
All available crews are working to restore power however the spokesperson warned there may be some homes and businesses that experience an extended outage due to continuing bad weather.
“Damaging and destructive winds associated with the front experienced during the last 24 hours have thrown debris, including tree branches, into the network, damaging equipment and bringing down powerlines.
“Our priority during the storm is responding to reported hazards first before we repair and restore.”
Homes have also copped a lashing, with damaged roofs and fallen trees blocking roads.
There are report a ceiling has collapsed at a property on Lakeside Drive in Joondalup and emergency services are responding to storm damage in Maddington.
Houses damaged due to severe weather in Port Kennedy overnight. Credit: 7NEWS/7NEWS
In the South west, power lines are down in Margaret river with reports of lines down on Railway Terrace and Wallcliffe Road and Ashton Street and Nebbiolo Place.
A severe weather warning remains for Perth and the southern parts of WA. Stormy conditions are set to ease later this afternoon.
Two Hellfire missiles ended al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri’s life in a safehouse balcony in a wealthy neighborhood in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, at 6:18 am Sunday, a senior administration official said Monday.
The missiles were launched by an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, killing him instantly.
The nature of the strike as described by a senior administration official signals that the US may have used the R9X Hellfire variant, also known as the “Ninja” or “Flying Ginsu” missile, nicknamed for knives famously sold on TV in the 1980s. This variant has been used in the recent past to kill other extremist leaders.
The R9X Hellfire has six blades that rotate at high speed and deploy before impact — instead of conventional warhead explosives, according to Janes, a defense intelligence provider. The missile pierces and cuts its target, rather than blowing it up. The design makes it easier to take out an intended target, while lessening the likelihood of causing additional casualties.
Ayman Al-Zawahiri in an undated image from video
Maher Attar/Sygma via Getty Images
The White House has not shared details about the type of Hellfire missiles used. A reporter asked a senior administration official on a call Monday about the nature of the missile, but the official did not answer.
The senior administration official who briefed reporters said the strike only killed al-Zawahiri, avoiding civilian casualties and that the strike did not completely destroy the safehouse where al-Zawahiri was hiding with his family. It is unclear whether the missiles inflicted structural damage beyond the patio. Two intelligence sources familiar with the matter said the CIA carried out the strike.
Hellfire missiles are air-to-surface missiles initially designed for anti-armor strikes, but later versions have been used for precision drone strikes. The arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin developed the missiles with the name “Heliborne, Laser, Fire, and Forget Missile,” which evolved into the Hellfire missile, as it is now known.
The R9X variant was initially deployed in secret in 2017, according to a US Army equipment guide, and was used to kill Abu Khayr al-Masri, a member of al Qaeda’s leadership.
Photos of the aftermath on social media showed the car where al-Masri was purportedly killed as having damage to the passenger compartment of the beige Kia sedan but no damage to the engine block. The roof was blown open on the right side of the vehicle.
An image from video posted online by Syrian activists in Idlib province shows people inspecting a sedan damaged heavily by a purported US airstrike on Feb. 26, 2017. There were unconfirmed reports that al Qaeda deputy leader Abdullah Muhammad Rajab Abdulrahman, aka Abu al-Khayr al-Masri, was killed in the strike.
The Hellfire variant became public knowledge after it was used in 2019 to take out Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi, who was behind the 2000 USS Cole Bombing.
The Wall Street Journal reported in 2019 that a weapon similar to the R9X was considered as an alternative way to kill former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011, but officials ultimately decided to use special forces fighters.
It has been described as one Australia’s most recognizable buildings after the Sydney Opera House, but this icon is set for a face lift.
Townsville’s Sugar Shaker hotel has defined the city skyline for more than 46 years with its original brown sandstone color.
But now the building’s exterior is being completely repainted, prompting admirers to sift through its history.
The “Sugar Shaker” is located in Townsville’s city heart on Flinders Street.(Supplied: Townsville City Council )
The hotel will maintain its silhouette, which resembles a sugar shaker with a distinctive spout-like shape at its peak.
Dr Mark Jones, a prominent Architect and Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, said the Sugar Shaker had become one of the most recognizable buildings in Australia.
“Most imagery of Townsville incorporates this building, not dissimilarly to the Sydney Opera House,” he said.
“I don’t think, apart from those two examples, there’s another building in Australia that so exemplifies the city in which it’s located.”
Townsville’s “Sugar Shaker” was built in the 1970s and remains the tallest building in the CBD.(Supplied: Townsville City Council)
Dr Jones said at the time the building opened in 1976 as Hotel Townsville there were two similar properties in the country; the Tower Mill Hotel in Brisbane, and Australia Square in Sydney.
“I suspect that the architects for the Sugar Shaker drew some inspiration from those two buildings,” he said.
“But they went a step further with this interesting enclosure on the roof air conditioning cooling towers that gives it a sugar shaker shape.”
The hotel is often used in imagery used to market Townsville.(Supplied: Townsville City Council)
46 years after the building was erected in Townsville, debate on whether the resemblance was intentional continues.
“I’m not sure if they were directly thinking of a sugar shaker or if that came from people afterwards,” Dr Jones said.
“Either way, it’s a wonderful symbol for cane-growing region.
“I can’t think of another example, except for the sort of kitschy big banana and big pineapple-type installations.”
Forty-six years after the building was erected, the “Sugar Shaker” is being refurbished.(ABC North Qld: Chloe Chomicki)
Director of marketing for lobby group Townsville Enterprise Lisa Woolfe said there were several local theories about the design.
“Apparently, it was modeled off a sugar shaker that was sold in a nearby cafe,” she said.
“But I have also heard over the years people refer to it as a lipstick.”
There is debate about whether the buildings likeness to a sugar shaker was intentional.(Supplied: Townsville City Council)
Townsville’s deputy mayor Mark Molachino said he suspected the architects were intentional with their design.
“I don’t know the history of design, I will be honest,” he said.
“But whoever did design it has made it look as close to a sugar shaker as possible, so they have done a good job with the likeness.”
The hotel has been known as Centra Townsville, Townsville International Hotel and Holiday Inn over the years, but is currently owned by Hotel Grand Chancellor.
Manager Paul Gray said it was a “daunting” task to choose a new color for the “iconic” building.
“Locals are very passionate about the Sugar Shaker, but it did need a refresh,” Mr Gray said.
The ‘Sugar Shaker’ is expected to have been completely repainted by the end of August.(ABC North Qld: Chloe Chomicki)
The refurbishment, including a complete repaint of the building, is due to be completed by the end of August.
“The building itself is being painted in grey,” Mr Gray said.
“It’s going to have white running up the risers, just to break it up a little bit as well.
“I think it’ll tie in quite nicely with the buildings around the city and look a lot more modern.”
The Alpine Formula One team have entered a very public dispute with Oscar Piastri, their prospective replacement for Fernando Alonso next season. The team announced on Tuesday afternoon that Piastri would replace Alonso, only for the Australian driver to then issue his own statement denying he would be driving for Alpine as the row now heads into the hands of the lawyers.
The two-time world champion Alonso caught Alpine entirely unawares when he made an unexpected announcement on Monday saying he was leaving to join Aston Martin, which the French team admitted had taken them completely by surprise. Right up until the Sunday of the Hungarian Grand Prix Alonso had assured them he was close to agreeing to a new deal.
After the Spaniard made his decision to join Aston Martin clear, Alpine acted swiftly to assert that they would exercise their contract with the 21-year-old Piastri who is a reserve driver for the team. On Tuesday they said he would join them in 2023.
The statement, however, notably did not include any comment from the Australian who is understood to have been in discussions to join McLaren. When Piastri, in Australia, woke up several hours later he promptly denied any attempt to race for Alpine, posting on twitter: “I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.”
Alpine’s principal, Otmar Szafnauer, insisted Piastri had a commitment to his team. “I do know he does have contractual obligations to us and we do to him. We have been honoring those obligations all year,” he said. However I have conceded that communication between the team and Piastri had already broken down. “He’s Oscar and his camp are ‘considering their options’, whatever that means,” I added.
With Alonso having been expected to remain at Alpine next year it is understood Piastri and his manager, the former driver Mark Webber, had been working on a deal for him to replace Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren next year.
Piastri is an enormous talent and has been part of the Alpine driver academy since 2020. He won the F3 and F2 titles in 2020 and 2021 and this year has been reserve driver for both Alpine and McLaren. The latter have yet to make any comment on any deal with Piastri.
The smell hits Kayshun Murray when his chainsaw is almost through the trunk.
Standing in a helmet and steel-capped boots in the West Australian desert, the young ranger inhales a fragrance judged to be among the world’s best.
“You can actually smell all the beauty in it,” he said.
The scent of the sacred sandalwood tree has wafted over Yilka country, more than 1,000 kilometers north-east of Perth, for millennia.
It has long been coveted by international perfume houses and incense makers from New York to Beijing.
Western Australia has harvested the trees and distilled their valuable oil to help meet that demand since 1845.
But Mr Murray and other Yilka traditional owners were only granted a seat at that table a year ago when they received a license to harvest wild sandalwood on their country.
They are determined to retain that right into the future.
Push to ban wild harvest
Calls have been made to ban the harvest of wild sandalwood amid fears it is being pushed towards the brink of extinction.
A law that determines how much can be taken will be reviewed before the end of 2025.
The government will call for public comments about a management program in the coming months.
HM has wanted to see sandalwood harvested on Yilka country for decades.(ABC News: Madison Snow)
The driving force behind the Yilka sandalwood operation, known as HM for cultural reasons, said he understood those concerns.
But the Yilka Talintji Aboriginal Corporation chairperson said Aboriginal people should have the opportunity to benefit from industry on their land — as the WA government had for years.
Figures from WA’s Forest Products Commission (FPC) show that total revenue from wild sandalwood is expected to exceed $21 million, excluding costs, in the past financial year.
Yilka secured native title to the Cosmo Newberry reserve in 2017.
That meant, after receiving its harvesting license, it could profit from harvesting the wild tree.
HM said all earnings were invested back into the land after paying rangers’ wages and buying new equipment.
“That way, you don’t have to depend on government,” he said.
Sandalwood is worth up to $25,000 a tonne.(ABC News: Madison Snow)
‘Regeneration is happening’
HM said his organization hired an external consultant who said a 100-tonne annual wild harvest would be sustainable on Yilka country.
But he said Yilka Heritage and Land Care rangers would instead harvest 60 tonnes, 20 of which would be dead wood.
He said rangers harvested “every second legal tree” from pre-determined lots.
He said they would not return to that lot for 45 years — the time it took for trees to grow.
HM said 20 seeds were thrown down to replace every felled tree.
WA’s Forest Products Commission has attributed the decline of wild sandalwood to the disappearance of small marsupials that buried and dispersed seeds, overgrazing, and reduced winter rainfall rather than harvesting.
It believes regeneration work could help turn things around.
Plant equipment has been customized to pull sandalwood trees.(ABC News: Madison Snow)
HM said the junior ranger program — made up of school-aged children from Cosmo Newberry — helped with regeneration by measuring, photographing, and recording the coordinates of pulled and planted trees.
“So when we go for our next license we can prove to the government that all this regeneration is happening from where we pulled last year,” HM said.
social sustainability
The harvested sandalwood is taken to Dutjanh Sandalwood Oil’s distillery in Kalgoorlie where oil is extracted and sold to the international fragrance market.
Distillery chief executive Guy Vincent, who recently returned from the World Perfumery Congress in Miami, said a combination of cultural stewardship and scientific expertise was key to ensuring the wild sandalwood industry was sustainable.
A ranger holds a small bottle of sandalwood oil from Yilka country.(ABC News: Madison Snow)
Mr Vincent also said Dutjanh, who was half-owned by Aboriginal Australians and invested about 30 per cent of earnings back into communities, and Yilka had clear commitments towards social sustainability.
But he said the industry needed to do more in that space.
“Purchasing the wood through groups like Yilka is economically and socially sustainable because we have our benefit sharing,” Mr Vincent said.
“[But] we’re a very rare case in the industry.”
Ranger Jessica Sullivan with a sandalwood tree on Yilka country.(Supplied: Bridie Hardy)
The WA government recently appointed an Aboriginal Sandalwood Advisory Group to help increase First Nations’ involvement in the industry.
It said it increased the wild sandalwood quota available for Aboriginal people seeking a license last year while reducing the FPC’s quota.
It also said social sustainability was among the criteria that wild harvest sandalwood quantities would be reviewed again by 2026.
‘You can walk in freedom’
Ranger Lyall Westlake said he felt at peace on country.
Lyall Westlake says he loves working on country.(ABC NewsEmily Smith)
“The land is really perfect,” he said, standing under rain clouds on the Great Central Road.
“You can smell the breeze. Smell the wind.”
He said it was different from in town where there were more cars and people.
“You don’t know who is coming and going,” he said.
“But here you can walk in freedom.”
Fellow ranger Gwenetta Westlake said she loved working with her younger sibling, Chelsea.
Gwenetta and Chelsea Westlake love their work as rangers.(ABC News: Madison Snow)
“She always chases me, wherever I go because she’s my baby sister,” she said.
The Cosmo Newberry residents are among the 45 rangers HM has on the books to manage the sandalwood operation, as well as cool burns and care for cultural sites.
Rangers conduct cool burns on Yilka country.(ABC News: Madison Snow)
HM said the work provided alternative jobs to the local mining industry and was a better fit culturally for many of those involved.
He said a well-managed industry could pave the road to a better future for many residents.
“Looking after country is the most important thing for us,” he said.
Few primary days will be as consequential as the Aug. 2 elections this year.
That’s because Tuesday includes two critical swing states — Arizona and Michigan — in the next presidential race, which have also been ground zero for former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Arizona is one of a handful of Senate races considered a “toss-up” this fall, with Republicans needing to flip just one seat to seize the majority next year. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly will be a formidable incumbent, having already raised $52.5 million as his would-be GOP opponents are engaged in a bitter primary fight.
In Michigan, likewise, the governor’s race is also one of the more closely watched contests where Republicans are itching to boot Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer, who was a champion of many COVID-19 restrictions, out of office.
Voters will have some critical contests and choices to make, including the Missouri primaries for Senate to replace retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, and the first test of a statewide abortion referendum in Kansas.
Race roundup:Abortion, Democratic infighting and a whole lot of Donald Trump
Polls close in Missouri, Kansas, and Michigan – some of them anyway.
The first poll closings of the night have taken place in Missouri, Kansas, and Michigan, though there are caveats with the last two.
Because of time zones, some polling places in Kansas and Michigan will remain open until 9 pm, eastern.
Still, vote counting is beginning on this busy primary night.
–David Jackson
Michigan GOP cancels watch party after ‘several death threats’ this week
The Michigan Republican Party canceled its election night watch party after receiving “several death threats” this week, according to Michigan GOP Deputy Chief of Staff Gustavo Portela.
Threats escalated earlier Tuesday when the party’s building received threats from a bystander who verbally assaulted a female staffer and indicated “he was planning on shooting up the building and burning it down,” Portela said in a statement.
“Our party won’t be deterred, and we will continue to work tirelessly for Republican policies despite ongoing threats,” the statement said. “No type of violence against women should ever be tolerated.”
– Candy Woodall
Trump wars come to Arizona
The Grand Canyon State will be a centerpiece on Tuesday for another round of the GOP primary tug-of-war between Trump and other Republican rivals.
At the gubernatorial level, Kari Lake, a former TV journalist backed by Trump, is going up against Karrin Taylor Robson, a former member of the Arizona Board of Regents, who has been endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence and incumbent Gov. Doug Duey.
More than likely the winner of the Republican contest will face Democrat Katie Hobbs, the secretary of state who was thrust into the national spotlight for resisting false assertions about the 2020 election.
Also on the ballot for Arizona Republican//s// is a field of seven vying to take on Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, who is trying to keep the seat he just won in 2020.
Among those running are Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, businessman Jim Lamon and Blake Masters, who is backed by Trump and tech billionaire Peter Thiel.
Masters earned Trump’s support by embracing the former president’s lies about the last presidential race and has recently cast doubt on the legitimacy of the midterm elections.
— Phillip M. Bailey
‘They want to damage me’:Trump campaigns as victim at Arizona rally
Step by step:Untangling Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s complex network of interests
Arizona’s Republican House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who testified before the Jan. 6 committee about harassment he received for refusing to help former President Donald Trump overturn his state’s election results, faces Trump-backed David Farnsworth on Tuesday for his seat in Arizona state’s 25th district.
“I’ve got a former president running against me. I’m not running against David Farnsworth,” Bowers told Insider in July. “I’m running against Donald Trump. It’s his name that’s propping up Dave Farnsworth.”
Bowers told the Jan. 6 committee in June that after Trump advertisements urged supporters to contact lawmakers to pressure them to overturn their election results, he received more than 20,000 emails and tens of thousands of voicemails and texts. The pressure campaign ultimately resulted in weekly protests outside Bowers’ home, including one where there was an armed man.
Bowers’ primary is another test of Trump’s influence in the Grand Canyon State.
– She reads
Democrats face uphill climb in Kansas
Incumbent Democrat Laura Kelly surprised many political observers when she upset Republican Kris Kobach in the 2018 governor’s race.
But four years later the GOP is betting it’s harder to be a red state Democrat now.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who is endorsed by Trump, is expected to seize the Republican nomination. The former president won the Sunflower State by 14 points in 2020 and by 20 points in 2016.
There is also anxiety about Rep. Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in Kansas’ congressional delegation. Her seat de ella was significantly changed by the Republican-controlled state legislature during redistricting, and attempts to overturn those changes failed in court.
Davids, a former mixed martial artists, held what had been considered a safe seat, but after the maps were redrawn it is rated as one of the 26 Democratic “toss-up” races by The Cook Political Report.
— Phillip M. Bailey
First post-Roe referendum
Voters in Kansas will decide whether their state Constitution protects the right to have an abortion, which makes it the first statewide amendment up for a vote since the Supreme Court knocked down Roe v. Wade this summer.
If the so-called Value Them Both amendment passes, the state legislature could install new abortion restrictions or prohibit the procedure entirely.
But if voters reject the amendment, it would uphold a state Supreme Court decision in 2019 that ruled bodily autonomy in Kansas included a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy.
— Phillip M. Bailey
Poll: More than half disapprove of state abortion bans without exceptions
More:Kansas governor vetoes measures to tighten election laws
Ohio hosts second primary after redistricting fight
Ohio is in the unusual position on Tuesday of hosting its second primary of 2022 after a prolonged fight over its congressional and state legislative maps.
After nominating statewide candidates and voting in primaries for Congress in May, Ohio today voters are casting ballots in primary races for the state legislature and party committees. Ohio has 33 members in its state Senate and 99 in the House.
Among the candidates on the ballot in Ohio on Tuesday is Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the landmark US Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage. Obergefell is running unopposed in a Democratic primary for a seat in the Ohio House, according to the Associated Press.
In Michigan, election clerks see threats, flood of FOIA requests
Tina Barton was shocked the first time she received a death threat over the phone a few days after the 2020 election.
As the city clerk in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Barton was responsible for ensuring the election there ran smoothly and securely, a job she thought she did well. But that did n’t stop conspiracy theorists — emboldened by former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud — from calling Barton and making death threats for what they falsely believed was her role in rigging the election.
Since Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, election clerks in Michigan have faced an onslaught of Freedom of Information Act requests, the influx of new election workers possibly armed with political agendas, and an increased need for more security funding.
Taken together, the election officials say, the lingering effects of the 2020 election make running elections this year harder than ever.
— Andrew Marquardt and Isabel Miller, Medill News Service
Michigan GOP candidate deflects question on ‘stolen election’
LANSING, Mich. — Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon would not say during a national TV appearance Sunday whether she thought the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
It was a shift from the position she took during a candidate debate in May.
In what could be a sign of an early pivot to a general election campaign, Dixon, appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” instead shifted the conversation to what she described as legitimate concerns about the way the election was conducted and her support for strict voter ID requirements and other proposed changes to state election law.
The apparent pivot in Dixon’s position away from the “big lie” promoted by former President Donald Trump came less than 48 hours after Trump endorsed Dixon, on Friday night, in Tuesday’s five-candidate GOP primary.
— Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press
GOP rollercoaster to face Whitmer
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is one of the top targets for Republicans in 2022, but it’s been a bumpy ride for the state GOP during their primary season.
Six Republicans are lined up to challenge Whitmer, including businessman Kevin Rinke, who has poured millions of his own money into the race.
But along the way the Republican primary has been filled with controversy.
Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, once thought of as the GOP frontrunner, was removed from the ballot for forging signatures on his nominating petition. He is now on the ballot as a write-in candidate.
Last month Republican Ryan Kelley was arrested by the FBI on charges connected to the Jan. 6 riot. He has pleaded not guilty, and will be on the ballot Tuesday.
— Phillip M. Bailey
Election deniers for secretary of state
In two important states — Michigan and Arizona — there are candidates who’ve cast doubt about the last presidential race running to be in charge of overseeing the next.
Mark Finchem is an Arizona legislator who has long promoted Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election. He is considered a favorite in the Republican primary for secretary of state.
In Michigan, Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson was thrust into the national spotlight after receiving death threats for resisting attempts to subvert the election.
But she could face Republican Kristina Karamo, a Trump-backed contender who has cast doubt on the 2020 election results.
Finchem and Karamo are part of a Trump-backed coalition of secretaries of state candidates running in key swing states who have spread the former president’s election lies.
In Nevada, for instance, Jim Marchant, who said the 2020 election was “stolen” from Trump, easily won a seven-way Republican primary for secretary of state.
— Phillip M. Bailey
Races to watch in Missouri
Sen. Roy Blunt is retiring after 12 years in the Senate, and a crowded field is vying for his seat.
Nearly two dozen Republicans have entered the race, though former Gov. Eric Greitens, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and US Reps. Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long garnered the most name recognition. Eleven Democrats are hoping to flip the seat blue, including frontrunners veteran Lucas Kunce, beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine and entrepeneur Spencer Toder.
Another eight Republicans and three Democrats are running for US Rep. Billy Long’s seat in Missouri’s 7th district.
– She reads; Galen Bacharier, Springfield News-Leader
More: At least 9 midterm candidates face misconduct or abuse allegations. Will voters care?
When do the polls close?
Missouri and Michigan close their polls first on Tuesday at 8 pm ET.
Kansas state law says that the polls there must be open until at least 8 pm ET, though polling locations may remain open until 9 pm ET.
Arizona’s polls close at 10 pm ET, and Washington state’s close at 11 pm ET.
RIYADH: Digital platforms have changed people’s lives across every area from work to play, and travel is no exception. Online and social media have changed how people discover destinations and deals, how they book their travel, and even how they share their travel experiences.
In Saudi Arabia, for instance, residents start dreaming about traveling 10 weeks before their journey, with video and digital platforms inspiring 50 percent of their choice of destination, according to Fahad Almaghrabi, head of business partnerships at Global Business Solutions for TikTok in Saudi Arabia .
More than 70 percent of people look at TikTok for discovering travel ideas, while 64 percent book a trip after getting inspired by TikTok content, he added.
Arab News spoke to Almaghrabi to learn more about the role the short-form video platform plays in travel.
Tell us more about travelers today and how they have changed in the last decade
Over the past two decades, digital platforms have transformed how we live our lives, permeating every sphere of activity, and shaping how we interact with each other and the world around us.
This generation of “always-in market” travelers — dreaming, considering, or booking a getaway throughout the year — have also developed a penchant for a real and authentic travel experience, and that’s why they love going to their community for trustworthy travel inspiration.
Today’s intrepid travelers are just as keen to share their compelling stories and authentic visuals of journeys on entertainment platforms like TikTok, rounding off a creative cycle that in turn inspires countless others.
A study by Amp Agency found that 84 percent of millennials and 73 percent of non-millennials today were highly likely to plan a trip based on someone else’s vacation photos or videos or social media status updates.
How does this affect the way tourism destinations market themselves?
These authentic vignettes have re-ignited the demand for travel and significantly altered how destinations are being marketed globally, with travel and tourism marketers increasingly leveraging the opportunity presented by this new breed of digital platforms.
What role does TikTok play in this space?
This is a journey in which TikTok has taken the global lead as a disruptive platform with undeniable potential and momentum — and the Gulf and Middle East markets are no exception.
But TikTok’s success in becoming the platform of choice for travelers and in shaping digital travel and tourism trends across the industry is not happening.
Travel and tourism is a key segment of interest for a global and expansive hyper-engaged community of more than 1.8 billion users that straddles all markets and is growing at an astounding rate. This provides the perfect backdrop for TikTok to emerge as a platform where the community is primed not only to consume, but also to express themselves and tell their stories through authentic, visual, and geo-tagged content that is at once enticing and liberating.
This is enabled by easy-to-use editing tools, native content on the platform, and creators that fuel dynamic content.
This powerful combination of the medium and the message amplifies TikTok’s power as a creative platform and enables it to be the internet’s repertoire of travel & tourism inspiration.
TikTok is that intimate, accessible, and inspirational window through which travelers take a trip before deciding if it’s worth it — the trip before the trip.
Can you give us some examples of how TikTok has influenced travel decisions?
While TikTok continues to induce FOMO in would-be travelers with content highlighting some of the world’s most beautiful and established destinations, there are also plenty of examples of TikTok’s effectiveness in driving a surge of interest to hitherto unknown destinations, which led to a dramatic rise. in tourist footfalls overnight.
At least 83 percent of Saudi residents have either gone or plan to go on an international trip in the next six months with Egypt, UAE, and Turkey being the top short-haul and France and Germany being the top long-haul destinations.
More significantly, 74 percent of users were found to look for travel discoveries on TikTok and 73 percent were found to have impulse purchased their trip in a short span of time.
What does this mean for brands?
With such lucrative figures at their disposal, brands can natively integrate into major travel conversations and leverage the community to speak with them, about them, and for them.
In essence, this represents a paradigm shift in the typical acquisition process for travel and tourism operators to stand out within an increasingly saturated ecosystem and collapse the sales funnel to move travelers directly from the “inspiration” phase to the “booking” phase.
Whether it’s the assortment of clever hacks, unadulterated advice, safety tips or the sheer visual appeal of short-format videos, the power of TikTok in shaping and inspiring the Kingdom’s travel trends is an opportunity that could become a model for authentic and organic tourism in the years to eat.
Can you share some examples of how TikTok has increased the visibility of a tourist destination?
In a year of restricted travel, the UAE launched the “World’s Coolest Winter” campaign to highlight all the amazing sights and activities the Emirates has to offer.
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For the campaign to realize its full potential on TikTok, the ‘7’ was created, using one of TikTok’s recognizable hand gestures that looks like the number 7 in Arabic and symbolizes the seven emirates at the same time. The ‘7’ became a visual prompt that rallied residents to share their favorite hidden gems through a branded hashtag challenge.
The UAE’s top 20 creators kicked it off, including @khalidandsalama, @_m7md, @azlife.ae, @bayan.dxb, and @dxbxd – and the rest of the nation’s TikTokers soon followed.
The campaign took on a life of its own with 8,700 user-generated videos in just six days, creating a library of the UAE’s best-hidden spots and secrets available for all to explore.
The ‘7’ sign became a symbol of UAE pride, and the campaign delivered remarkable results, with a 25 percent jump in brand awareness, 85 percent increase in ad recognition, 89 percent boost in ad likeability, and over 70 million views. The campaign successfully got an entire nation smiling and moving at a time they needed it most.
Further west, TikTok was also used by Switzerland Tourism, the national marketing organization, to hype up the incredible country.
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Switzerland Tourism spent the first six months of its business account building its following entirely organically, focusing on a test-and-learn strategy, to thoroughly understand how TikTok works.
As their established community responded well to its hashtags, #INeedSwitzerland, and #inLOVEwithSWITZERLAND, ads were a natural next step because paid campaigns would mean it could directly target a different demographic to learn more about them.
Doubling down on its popular hashtag #INeedSwitzerland, Switzerland Tourism ran its first ever TopView ad showing a three-way split screen of dramatic scenery and nature. Spurred on by this campaign’s success, it then ran three more seasonal TopView campaigns: A summer experience tips ad, a summer in the city ad, and a funny autumn-themed ad.
In just 12 months, Switzerland Tourism has driven huge momentum on TikTok, with over 700,000 likes across all its posts and a whopping 35.5 million hashtag mentions. Most of this was organic, with some videos going viral without so much as a penny behind them.
Its TopView campaigns have achieved average engagement rates of 20 percent, which is remarkably high and shows the power of a brand putting out brilliant content on TikTok.
Rugby league boss Peter V’landys has accused the New South Wales Premier of using “human tragedy” to renege on a handshake agreement to revamp suburban stadiums.
Key points:
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says he must prioritize disaster funding over stadium grants
However, rugby league boss Peter V’landys has accused Mr Perrottet of making excuses for backing out their deal
Mr V’landys claims the deal included hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade stadiums in Manly, Cronulla and Leichhardt
V’landys is threatening to move the NRL Grand Final from Sydney as a result, saying the sport had been “strung along” by the state government for three years.
He says Premier Dominic Perrottet this year promised to upgrade local grounds across the city as part of a deal to keep the game’s showpiece in the Harbor City until 2042.
“We shook hands. We looked each other in the eyes and we did a deal,” V’landys told Nine radio this morning.
“He said, ‘You don’t need to have it in the budget, I can do it outside the budget’. And he reneged.”
V’landys claims the deal included hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade aging stadiums in Manly, Cronulla and Leichhardt.
Mr Perrottet says circumstances have changed and his top priority is supporting people impacted by the state’s recent flood crises.
“Sydney will always be the home of rugby league,” Mr Perrottet said, and it would be on V’landys to justify to supporters any plan to move the competition decider.
Peter V’landys and Dominic Perrotte met to discuss the policy in April.(abcnews)
“The NSW government remains committed to upgrading suburban stadiums, however, following recent natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is appropriate that further investment in stadia is staged,” he said.
“The government has just received the Floods Inquiry Report, which will likely require a significant cost to the taxpayer, and I note right now there are still 1,366 people without a home in NSW due to flooding.
“It should come as no surprise that my top priority is, therefore, supporting those devastated by the major floods across NSW.”
Mr Perrottet said the government had spent and committed $1.8 billion on sporting infrastructure for rugby league clubs, including centers of excellence and three new stadiums.
“The new state of the art Allianz Stadium will open next month, Parramatta has a new, modern stadium and there is a commitment to build a new Penrith stadium so that the Western City has a world-class sporting venue,” he said.
“Sydney will always be the home of rugby league and, if Peter V’landys wants to take the Grand Final away from his home, then he can explain that to the fans.”
However V’landys hit back, accusing Mr Perrottet of making excuses for backing out of the deal.
“I used other excuses back then [in negotiations] to reduce the amount he was going to spend on these community assets,” he said.
“They’ve left it right until two weeks before we have to sell tickets to the grand finale.
“To use human tragedy to spin themselves out of it is unheralded in my eyes.”
The rugby league supreme says the sport’s administration could now seek to revive scrapped plans to redevelop Stadium Australia at Homebush for $800 million.
Those plans were shelved, with the money to be spent on the suburban grounds policy instead.
“It’s a legally binding agreement that we had with the state government,” V’landys said.
He said disagreed that the game should fund stadium upgrades, arguing suburban infrastructure was a “community asset” that could inspire kids to play the game.
V’landys said the proposals for Manly and Cronulla, “combined”, weren’t as much as the $300 million commitment to building a new stadium in Penrith.
Yesterday, the Sports Minister and Penrith MP, Stuart Ayres, said that building a new stadium in his electorate fit with the government’s three cities plan for Sydney.
Mr Ayres this morning resigned as a minister after weeks of pressure linked to former deputy premier John Barilaro’s appointment to a lucrative trade position based in New York.
West Tigers chair Lee Hagipantelis backed V’landys’ stance, saying the club would be “bitterly disappointed” if the agreement to revamp Leichhardt Oval was dumped.
“Leichhardt was supposed to get looked after and we’ve been putting together a compelling argument for a new stadium as well,” he said.
“The stadium policy from Peter V’Landys is absolutely the right one.”
New South Wales Trade Minister Stuart Ayres has resigned from the ministry after an inquiry “raised concerns” about his conduct in the appointment of John Barilaro to a lucrative US trade role.
Mr Ayres has been the deputy leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, and also served as the investment, tourism, sport and Western Sydney minister.
Premier Dominic Perrottet revealed that Mr Ayres had offered his resignation, but that he continues to deny any wrongdoing.
The resignation comes after Mr Perrottet ordered a review into the recruitment of former deputy premier, Mr Barilaro, to the key New York-based role of US senior trade and investment commissioner.
“Late last night, Minister Stuart Ayres informed me he would resign from his ministerial positions and as deputy leader of the NSW parliamentary Liberal Party,” Mr Perrottet said.
“His intention to resign follows a briefing I received from the Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Michael Coutts-Trotter on a section of the draft Graham Head report relevant to Mr Ayres.
“I subsequently discussed the issues raised in that briefing with Mr Ayres.
“Mr Head’s draft findings raised a concern about whether Mr Ayres had complied with the Ministerial Code of Conduct.”
There has been intense scrutiny over the conduct of Stuart Ayres (right) in the appointment of John Barilaro (centre) to the US trade job.(Supplied)
Mr Ayres’s conduct in the process — which ended in the appointment of Mr Barilaro to the lucrative US trade role — has been under increasing scrutiny in recent days.
Documents released to a parliamentary inquiry investigating the appointment appeared to contradict public statements Mr Ayres made about the recruitment process.
He maintained the process was completed at arm’s length from him, and that he had done nothing wrong.
On Monday, Mr Ayres admitted to sending a job ad for the position to Mr Barilaro and later said he would have “discouraged” his former cabinet colleague from applying if he had his time again.
Mr Perrottet today said Mr Ayres denies any wrongdoing, but there was “no doubt” the findings in Mr Head’s draft report raised questions “in relation to whether or not there has been a breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct”.
Mr Ayres is expected to stay on in parliament, the Premier said.
“When I spoke to him last night, he told me his intention was to remain as the Member for Penrith.”
Stuart Ayres has resigned as a minister in the NSW government.(AAP: Bianca De Marchi)
In a statement, Mr Ayres accepted Mr Head’s review “creates a question” about whether he breached the code of conduct but said: “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,” he said.
“I have always applied the highest levels of integrity in my conduct as a minister.
“To maintain the integrity of the cabinet, I have decided to resign as a minister to allow the investigation to be completed.
“Accordingly, I will also be resigning as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party.”
Mr Perrottet said the issues raised by the draft report “go directly to the engagement of Minister Ayres with the Department secretary”, Amy Brown, during the recruitment process.
Stuart Ayres says Investment NSW boss Amy Brown (pictured) was wholly responsible for Mr Barilaro’s recruitment.(AAP: Dan Himbrechts)
He said there was no evidence that Mr Ayres had “lied” about his conduct.
Mr Perrottet defended his handling of the matter, which has dragged on for several days, saying he acted as soon as information came to light.
“What I will not do is make decisions based on media pressure or political pressure,” he said.
“I’ll make decisions, as I’ve always done, in relation to what I believe is right.”
Ms Brown, the Investment NSW chief executive, is today due to give evidence again at the parliamentary inquiry into the matter.
Mr Perrottet said he was unaware of what Ms Brown would say, and that — as far as he was concerned — he acted as soon as he received information.
“I have said from the outset the upper house inquiry will do its work,” he said.
“My job was to implement an independent review and that’s exactly what I have done.”
