Month: August 2022

Categories
Australia

Indonesia wants UN to monitor nuclear submarines

Indonesia wants UN to monitor nuclear submarines

Singaporean: Indonesia wants Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-propelled submarines to be closely monitored by the United Nations watchdog, saying it is taking “a very serious interest” because its waters will be passed by such vessels.

Along with south-east Asian neighbor Malaysia, Indonesia has expressed consternation about Australia’s submarine ambitions since the AUKUS deal was unveiled last September.

A US Virginia class submarine, which could form the basis of Australia's planned nuclear-powered submarine fleet.

A US Virginia class submarine, which could form the basis of Australia’s planned nuclear-powered submarine fleet.Credit:U.S. Navy

Now, Jakarta has raised major concerns about the sharing of nuclear technology for military purposes in a working paper for this week’s UN nuclear non-proliferation review conference in New York, highlighting safety issues with the transportation and use of highly enriched uranium and the risk of it being fun to weapons programs.

Indonesia’s proposal for stricter regulations around the sharing of nuclear material to fuel submarines is being supported by Malaysia, according to Tri Tharyat, the director general for multilateral cooperation at Indonesia’s foreign ministry.

“As an archipelagic country, whether we like it or not, [Indonesia] will definitely be passed by nuclear-powered submarines and therefore we have a very serious interest in getting our proposals done,” he said.

“The bottom line is the use of nuclear energy for submarines should be closely monitored by IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency]. We hope through our working paper there will be attention and steps from the IAEA for an inspection, preventing proliferation from taking place.”

Indonesia’s submission to the conference was made in the same week that President Joko Widodo met with China leader Xi Jinping.

Beijing has made no secret of its opposition to Australia buying nuclear-powered submarines from the United States or United Kingdom under AUKUS, claiming it would be a dangerous precedent and a violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, known as the NPT.

While not mentioning Australia or AUKUS in its working paper, Indonesia also argued sharing of nuclear technology and materials for military purposes may be counter to the spirit and objective of the NPT. Without proper safeguards in place, such arrangements “could be exploited to provide a shield for diversion of that material to [a] nuclear weapons program,” it warned.

Categories
US

2 found dead in charred car within California wildfire zone

2 found dead in charred car within California wildfire zone

YREKA, Calif. (AP) — At least two people have died from a raging California blaze that was among several threatening thousands of homes Monday in the Western US

Two bodies were found inside a charred vehicle Sunday in the driveway of a home near the remote community of Klamath River, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The names of the victims and other details weren’t immediately released.

The McKinney Fire in Northern California near the state line with Oregon exploded in size to nearly 87 square miles (225 square kilometers) after erupting Friday in the Klamath National Forest, firefighting officials said. It is California’s largest wildfire of the year so far and officials have not yet determined the cause.

Gusty winds from a thunderstorm powered the blaze of a few hundred acres into a massive conflagration while lightning caused a couple of smaller blazes nearby, including one near the community of Seiad Valley, fire officials said.

On Monday, heavy rain helped dampen the fire but it still threatened structures after torching more than 100, ranging from homes to greenhouses, fire and sheriff’s officials said.

About 2,500 people remained under evacuation orders.

“If you get an order, that means go. This fire behavior, as you’ll hear, is incredible. Don’t try to fight it. Don’t try to stick around,” Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services Director Bryan Schenone said at a community meeting Monday evening.

Stormy and cloudy weather helped fire crews attack the blaze, and bulldozers had managed to ring the town of Yreka, fire officials said.

As of Monday, the blaze was about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) from the town of around 7,500 people.

Valerie Linfoot’s son, a fire dispatcher, called to tell her their family home of three decades in Klamath River had burned. Linfoot said her husband de ella worked as a US Forest Service firefighter for years and the family did everything they could to prepare their house for a wildfire — including installing a metal roof and trimming trees and tall grasses around the property.

“It was as safe as we could make it, and it was just so dry and so hot and the fire was going so fast,” Linfoot told the Bay Area News Group. She said her neighbors have also lost homes.

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“It’s a beautiful place. And from what I’ve seen, it’s just decimated. It’s absolutely destroyed,” she told the news group.

In northwestern Montana, winds picked up Monday afternoon on a fire burning in forested land west of Flathead Lake, forcing fire managers to ground all aircraft and leading the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to start evacuating residents on the northeastern corner of the fire.

The fire was putting up a lot of smoke, creating visibility problems for aircraft, said Sara Rouse, a spokesperson for the fire management team.

The fire, which started Friday afternoon near the town of Elmo on the Flathead Indian Reservation, measured 20 square miles (52 square kilometers), fire officials said.

The Moose Fire in Idaho has burned more than 85 square miles (220 square kilometers) in the Salmon-Challis National Forest while threatening homes, mining operations and fisheries near the town of Salmon. It was 23% contained Monday.

And a wildfire raging in northwestern Nebraska led to evacuations and destroyed or damaged several homes near the small city of Gering. The Carter Canyon Fire began Saturday as two separate fires that merged. It was about 30% contained by early Monday.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday, allowing him more flexibility to make emergency response and recovery effort decisions and to tap federal aid.

Scientists have said climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.

The US Forest service shut down a 110-mile (177-kilometer) section of the famed Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California and southern Oregon. Sixty hikers in that area were helped to evacuate on Saturday, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon, which aided in the effort.

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Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporters Amy Hanson in Helena, Montana; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; and Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

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Categories
Business

Melbourne single mum struggling to pay extra $360 a month after RBA interest hike

Melbourne single mum struggling to pay extra $360 a month after RBA interest hike

A single mum’s “dream” of becoming a homeowner has become more like a nightmare as she struggles to survive amid the rising cost of living.

Jodi Cameron, 40, from Melbourne, currently has nothing in her bank account after building her house cost more than expected. She can’t even afford to complete the house, with her driveway unfinished because she ran out of cash.

On Tuesday afternoon, she was hit with more bad news; the Reserve Bank of Australia had increased interest rates again, for the fourth month in a row.

It means the single mum, with two daughters aged four and eight, must now fork out an extra $140 every month to pay back her mortgage.

In total, since the central bank started increasing interest rates in May, the family is now paying back an extra $360 a month — money it desperately needs.

“It’s just horrible,” Ms Cameron told news.com.au.

“I do find myself in a situation where paying rent and a mortgage and daycare fees, there’s nothing left.”

Currently, her savings account stands at $0, she said.

The mum worked throughout the Covid pandemic as a disability support worker and blames her current predicament on one thing — missing out on a government grant.

She had factored in receiving a $15,000 grant to help her build her own home but missed out, leaving her financially wrecked.

“I just wanted to own my own home,” Ms Cameron explained.

“It’s just disgusting, it’s so frustrating, I work my guts out, all I wanted was the great Australian dream.”

Her variable interest rate has gone up from 2.79 per cent to 4.5 per cent in the past three months, and is set to go up even further after the rate hike on Tuesday.

“I’m not on a fixed mortgage, I don’t know how I’m going to do it,” Ms Cameron said.

“I’m probably going to have to pull my [youngest] daughter out of daycare because I can’t afford daycare. That also means, how am I meant to work from home with a child?”

As a single mum with no family to fall back on, Ms Cameron had resigned herself to renting but in 2020, she was given hope that she might be able to break into the property market.

The federal government announced the HomeBuilder grant scheme in a bid to increase the disruption to the economy and the building sector during Covids, where eligible homeowners received $15,000 to form part of the payment for a building project for their primary residence.

Ms Cameron met all the criteria for the grant so bought a $263,000 block of land in Lang Lang, a regional town southeast of Melbourne, in August 2020 in the hopes of setting herself up financially for the future.

“I got on the low deposit scheme, I didn’t need a massive deposit,” she explained.

Then in March the following year, she signed a build contract which cost $300,000 for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home.

She only needed a 5 per cent down payment for the land and the build contracts and was expecting the extra $15,000 from the grant to provide a helpful buffer to afford the progress payments.

But then she logged back onto the HomeBuilder online portal and was devastated to discover she had missed a key due date — which her broker and bank had never mentioned to her.

“I missed a portal cut off date that was never shown or advertised anywhere,” Ms Cameron lamented.

As a result, she was not able to be part of the scheme.

Near the end of her build, the mum ran out of funds and couldn’t afford to pay for a driveway.

“I’ve got no driveway, it’s just mud, I can’t afford it, it’s not nice to have that money you relied on ripped away from you,” she added.

“I owe the real estate the last month’s rent which I can’t pay.

“I assumed I would have this $15,000 to help me out, I don’t have it. This grant meant a lot.”

The mum is now waiting with bated breath as the Reserve Bank is expected to keep hiking interest rates till the end of the year.

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Categories
Technology

As Sony PS5 Sales Struggle To Get Traction Price Rises Tipped – channelnews

As Sony PS5 Sales Struggle To Get Traction Price Rises Tipped – channelnews

Sony who was fined $3.5M by the Federal Court at the start of COVID for making false and misleading representations on its websites re PlayStation warranties is now looking to jack up the price of their PS5 console that is under pressure from mobile and PC gaming.

At this stage, the Japanese Company has refused to rule out a PS5 price increases however insiders are saying “Price increases are coming” as the business struggles with inflation issues.

Recently the company was questioned about whether the hard-to-get console could be harder to afford in the months to come with the Company appearing to favor supply to their own direct sell web sites over retailers such as JB Hi Fi and EB Games.

Credit: TechUnwrapped

Sony has confirmed that they sold 21.7 million PS5 consoles since the product was launched, including 2.4 million in the three months leading up to June 30.

That quarter included 47.1 million PlayStation games, 79% of which were direct sell sales that did not go to the retailers who helped build the brand around the world before Sony moved to direct sell.

In Australia Sony earlier this year removed reference to retailers from their Australian web site.

Sony’s executive deputy president and chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki has refused to deny price rises are coming.

Sony recently revealed there was “a much lower level of engagement” than it had anticipated, meaning gamers are playing less than they were a year ago (via Game Developer).

Talking about supply issues Sony management said “There were two big constraints that we were imposed with. One was the parts and components availability; the other was the supply chain. With the parts and components availability there are a lot of improvements so we are very hopeful, quite optimistic about that.

“For supply chain disruption, we actually took quite a hit in the first quarter. In the first quarter, hardware volume for sales were quite smaller than we expected at the beginning of the year, so supply chain disruption is something that we hope will be completely addressed.”

About Post Author

David Richards has been writing about technology for more than 30 years. A former Fleet Street journalist, he wrote the Award Winning Series on the Federated Ships Painters + Dockers Union for the Bulletin that led to a Royal Commission. He is also a Logie Winner for Outstanding Contribution To TV Journalism with a story called The Werribee Affair. In 1997, he built the largest Australian technology media company and prior to that the third largest PR company that became the foundation company for Ogilvy PR. Today he writes about technology and the impact on both business and consumers.

Categories
Sports

Kyle Chalmers silences critics but focus on swimmer’s personal life has been absurd | Commonwealth Games 2022

Winning is a powerful tonic. The fissures within many a sporting team have been healed by victory; fatigue, fatigue and past failures all soothed by the balm of success. When Kyle Chalmers stormed to the 100m freestyle gold medal at the Commonwealth Games on Monday night, his triumph offered him relief and vindication. As he brought a finger to his lips from him in a pre-meditated gesture, it was clear that Chalmers wanted to silence his critics from him.

If only it was so simple. Chalmers’ gold medal – his first individual success in the frenetic 100m freestyle since becoming Olympic champion as an unheralded teenager in 2016 – offers a potent riposte after the media storm of recent days. Taking to Instagram after the win, I posted: “A million things I could say, but this photo sums them all up and says it perfectly.” But the fall-out from this saga may only just be beginning.

Clouds began to form in May, when Chalmers beat Cody Simpson – the swimmer turned pop star turned swimmer again, who now dates Emma McKeon after her split from Chalmers last year – in the 100m butterfly at the national championships, a selection event for the world championships and Commonwealth Games. Chalmers had considered missing the world titles, which would have allowed Simpson to take his spot from him, but ultimately elected to contest both international meets.

Chalmers qualified faster, so this was very much his prerogative. But some sections of the media, led by News Corp titles, manufactured a “love triangle” and implied that Chalmers was the villain. Chalmers was set to “destroy” Simpson’s dreams; his decision was “brutal”. The coverage had a negative effect on Chalmers, who went to ground and issued a statement decrying the “massive toll” the furore was having on him.

In Birmingham, it went from bad to worse. The degree of celebration between Chalmers and McKeon after the pair won gold together in a mixed relay was dissected, and there was a suggestion the freestyle specialist had snubbed his ex. When Chalmers went on the attack, criticizing the media for focusing on his personal life rather than his swimming, sections of the press doubled down.

Viewed from a distance, the saga has been absurd. There is no public interest in invasive coverage of the private lives of these swimmers.

And it is having all too real consequences. Chalmers has spoken openly about the impact of the drama on his mental health, saying his wellbeing was at “rock bottom”. At one point I have decried the ongoing controversy as the “hardest 12 hours in my sporting career”. He has spoken of his mother crying on FaceTime from the other side of the world; his father broke down on radio, telling Mix 102.3 “it’s a form of bullying and harassment, these people get away with it, they destroy people’s lives”.

At its best, sports media can relay the joy of elite competition to the community and shine a light on corruption and abuse within powerful institutions. Sports journalists should never be afraid to ask tough questions. If this saga involved Chalmers disliking questions about poor performances, say, or misconduct within the camp (something hardly foreign to Swimming Australia), there would be no sympathy. Those are questions journalists are entitled to ask – even if the recipient may not like hearing them. But this is not that.

There has been an element of goading in the way Chalmers has been interrogated about his personal life, regardless of the impact this is having on his mental health. It may be an enticing narrative to paint the macho, tattooed swimmer as the bad guy – and it no doubt gets plenty of online traffic – but it is actively undermining at least one athlete’s wellbeing.

The continued pile-on even after Chalmers went public with his mental health concerns is perhaps the most alarming aspect of all this. It suggests a troubling regression from the positive response to athletes opening up about their challenges in recent years (such as gymnast Simone Biles in Tokyo). The media must do better; with great power comes great responsibility.

No-one knows how this ends. Chalmers has threatened to quit the sport entirely – which would be a major loss for swimming; he remains one of Australia’s best. In the coming days, once the swimming finishes and attention switches to other events in Birmingham, the media will move on. But there is the possibility of some real wreckage being left behind.

Categories
Australia

Australians are increasingly turning to ‘quiet quitting’ when it comes to their jobs

Australians are increasingly turning to 'quiet quitting' when it comes to their jobs

You’re not quitting your job — but you are quitting going above and beyond.

It’s a new trend called “quiet quitting” and it seems Aussies are increasingly getting onboard with the mindset.

Sick of letting work creep into their lives — from not taking lunch breaks to working unpaid overtime and keeping abreast of emails and Teams messages after hours — workers are implementing the revolutionary concept of quiet quitting.

They are drawing boundaries and no longer letting work intrude on their “life” space.

“You’re not outright quitting your job but you’re quitting the idea of ​​going above and beyond,” TikTokker @zkchillin explained in a popular video on the topic.

“You’re still performing your duties but you’re no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life — the reality is, it’s not and your worth as a person is not defined by your labour.”

As we have embraced technology, so too have we allowed work to creep into our free-time space.

And “quiet quitters” say following their lead is crucial in avoiding burnout and enjoying and appreciating life outside of the office.

One quiet quitter posted on social media: “When you do it (quiet quitting) you realize nothing at work matters and suddenly all the stress vanishes.”

Another said: “I quiet quit six months ago and guess what, same pay, same recognition, same everything but less stress.”

And another wrote: “I did this when I asked for a raise and they told me no, but then started hiring people with higher pay and less responsibilities.”

However, while the idea of ​​quiet quitting may sound appealing, some experts have warned to proceed with caution.

LinkedIn’s Charlotte Davies said that by the time you reach the stage of quiet quitting, you may already be suffering from burnout — and more drastic measures may be needed to avoid a mental health meltdown.

A user on Reddit.
Camera IconA user on Reddit. Credit: supplied

Career trends expert at Glassdoor, Jill Cotton, said by taking up the trend, you could feel more powerless.

“Quietly quitting is often a sign that it’s time to move on from your role,” she said.

“If you’re reducing your effort to the bare minimum needed to complete tasks, your heart is probably no longer in the job or the company.”

Others have warned that by quiet quitting, you are likely shutting yourself off from promotions and pay rises.

But it hasn’t stopped the movement gaining momentum Down Under.

A discussion on Reddit shows many Aussie are taking up the trend.

“I stepped down from a management position to a lower one with fewer hours to study,” one said.

“Went from putting in 110 per cent into everything I did to the absolute bare minimum required to keep me happy and employed.”

Australians are increasingly turning to the trend of 'quiet quitting' to restore their work-life balance.
Camera IconAustralians are increasingly turning to the trend of ‘quiet quitting’ to restore their work-life balance. Credit: © Milenko Đilas – Veternik Serbia/djile – stock.adobe.com

A nurse said they had “dialled down” their time spent at work after having to take time off for burn out and family issues.

“Since I’ve been back, I only work two to three shifts a week,” they said. “I do what my job needs me to do.

“My work ethic is still strong but I no longer put my hand up for every other shift and I say no to some that are asked of me.”

Others pointed out that quiet quitting was about setting up “healthy boundaries” and having a work-life balance.

“This is something any decent company should ensure exists,” one user posted.

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Categories
US

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issues a state of emergency to help fight monkeypox : NPR

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issues a state of emergency to help fight monkeypox : NPR

California Gov. Gavin Newsom answers questions at a news conference in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2022. Newsom declared a state of emergency over monkeypox, becoming the second state in three days to take the step.

Richard Vogel/AP


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Richard Vogel/AP

California Gov. Gavin Newsom answers questions at a news conference in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2022. Newsom declared a state of emergency over monkeypox, becoming the second state in three days to take the step.

Richard Vogel/AP

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on the state Monday due to the current monkeypox outbreak.

The alert was issued to help the state health department amp up its vaccination, education and outreach efforts in response to the virus, Newsom said in a statement.

“California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach,” Newsom said.

He continued, “We’ll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization.”

The first California case of the current outbreak of monkeypox was confirmed May 25. The total count in the state is now 825, compared to 5,811 cases nationwide.

So far, California has administered 25,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine, and received about 61,000 doses, Newsom said.

Categories
Business

Sydney and Melbourne airport chaos as dozens of travelers told to expect huge queues and delays

Dozens of travelers at Melbourne Airport have been warned to expect delays as giant queues are seen snaking across the terminal on Monday morning (pictured)

Airport chaos as 20 flights from Melbourne and 21 out of Sydney are canceled due to ‘domino effect’ from Qantas IT glitch – causing massive queues through terminals

  • Chaos at Melbourne Airport with huge queues stretching across the terminal
  • Similar scenes at Sydney Airport on Monday as 21 domestic flights canceled
  • Delays come after Qantas flights grounded due to IT glitch on Sunday night
  • Weary passengers took to social media to complain about widespread delays

By Olivia Day and Kylie Stevens For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

Dozens of travelers at Sydney and Melbourne Airport have been warned to expect long queues, delays and cancellations just hours after an IT glitch.

Passengers were confronted with chaotic scenes at the airport on Monday morning with lines seen stretching all the way to the international terminal.

Queues also formed at the airport’s service desk after 20 domestic flights were canceled leaving travelers scrambling to book another flight.

Similar scenes unfolded at Sydney Airport where 21 domestic flights were scrapped across four airlines throwing the travel plans of hundreds into disarray.

Dozens of travelers at Melbourne Airport have been warned to expect delays as giant queues are seen snaking across the terminal on Monday morning (pictured)

Dozens of travelers at Melbourne Airport have been warned to expect delays as giant queues are seen snaking across the terminal on Monday morning (pictured)

Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and REX have canceled flights out of Sydney with some frustrated travelers receiving just a few hours notice.

Virgin Australia axed 10 flights, Qantas canceled eight, with two flights dropped by Virgin and Rex dumping one.

In Melbourne, Qantas dropped seven flights, five from Emirates and Virgin Australia, two from American Airlines and one from British Airways.

The canceled flights at both airports were between 6:30am and 7pm on Monday.

It’s understood the flights were canceled to and from Sydney due to operational reasons, including resourcing challenges and engineering requirements.

The delays come just hours after the travel plans of thousands of Qantas passengers were disrupted by a nationwide computer glitch.

Hundreds were left waiting onboard grounded plans on runways across the country on Sunday night after an IT glitch delayed up to a dozen domestic flights.

Frustrated passengers took to social media to vent their frustration

Frustrated passengers took to social media to vent their frustration

Hundreds of passengers spent hours in airport lounges waiting to board delayed flights

Hundreds of passengers spent hours in airport lounges waiting to board delayed flights

The computer glitch has also impacted flights trying to take off across New Zealand

The computer glitch has also impacted flights trying to take off across New Zealand

Qantas said the issue was discovered at about 4:30pm on Sunday and had impacted 12 domestic flights with some grounded for nearly two hours. The glitch was fixed at about 6pm but caused flow-on delays throughout the evening.

Furious travelers keen to get home in time for the start of the working week took to social media to vent about the delays.

‘Any update on your international computer outage impacting every single flight from departing???? Sitting on fully packed plane on tarmac for 90mins for 2hr is pretty ridiculous!’ one grounded traveler smoked on Twitter.

The computer glitch has also affected Qantas flights across the Tasman trying to take off in New Zealand.

‘Still waiting at 7pm to leave on my Qantas plane from Auckland that was meant to leave at 5.40. Paperwork still has to be signed off,’ one traveler wrote.

Wet weather as well as a surge in flu and Covid cases for airline staff have been blamed for the pattern of delays and cancellations in Sydney and Melbourne.

Passengers were confronted with chaotic scenes at the airport on Monday morning with lines seen stretching all the way to the international terminal (pictured)

Passengers were confronted with chaotic scenes at the airport on Monday morning with lines seen stretching all the way to the international terminal (pictured)

The latest blunder comes on the back of a tough year for Qantas, with travelers reporting long delays, lost luggage and problems with customer service.

Qantas has cut more flights from its schedule as the airline is plagued with industrial disputes, understaffing, poor organisation, cancellations and delays as furious passengers share their horror experiences of traveling with the national carrier.

The news prompted Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David to issue an on-air apology and vow to do better in the future.

‘Let me start by saying an apology to all your listeners. We are the national carrier, people have high expectations of us, we have high expectations of ourselves and clearly over the last few months we have not been delivering what we did pre-Covid,’ he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham last week.

Mr David confirmed Qantas had ‘reduced some of our flying this month’ and was ‘planning to do the same next month’ amidst ‘operational pressures’.

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Categories
Technology

Pixel August update looks to have been delayed

Pixel August update looks to have been delayed

In most cases, Google rolls out the latest Android security patch to Pixel phones on the first Monday of every month. That did not occur this morning, and it looks like the August Pixel update has been delayed.

According to the “Pixel Update Bulletin — August 2022” published this morning at the normal time, Google will be releasing a Pixel update featuring Android 12 and the August security patch level. We don’t think the Pixel this month is getting Android 13, which is more likely pegged for a September launch.

For Google devices, security patch levels of 2022-08-05 or later address all issues in this bulletin and all issues in the August 2022 Android Security Bulletin.

Google lists 40 CVEs across “Kernel components” and “Pixel” that are addressed by the 2022-08-05 patch level. Vulnerabilities range from moderate to critical and cover components like the kernel, modem, and camera.

However, this update was obviously postponed as OTA images did not arrive at 10 am PT. Additional evidence of a delay comes from Verizon, which published details about an unexpected update for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.

The US carrier says a new update with the July 2022 security patch level was released today. The SQ3A.220705.003.A3 build number is very similar to last month’s for Verizon, which was “A1.” Google has not yet released the factory or OTA images for manual install, while the carrier did not list updates for any other Pixel.

One possible scenario for this delay might be that Google discovered a last-minute issue that warranted pulling the August security patch. However, there was still something important that required an update and thus the July stopgap emerged.

Meanwhile, Google did release the global/unlocked and AT&T/Verizon (on the June security patch) builds for the Pixel 6a this afternoon, while the Android 13 Beta Program now supports the new mid-ranger.

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Categories
Sports

Grand Final in Sydney under threat amid government backtrack on stadium funding

New South Wales is once again at risk of losing the right to host the NRL grand final as a fresh round of budget cuts threatens to derail the state government’s plan to upgrade suburban grounds.

Sports minister Stuart Ayres has confirmed a shift in spending priorities means promised upgrades to grounds such as Brookvale Oval, PointsBet Stadium and Leichhardt Oval are likely to be delayed.

That’s reportedly prompted a heated argument between ARLC boss Peter V’landys and NSW Premier Dominic Perrotet, with the NRL said to be “filthy” over the broken promises, which amounts to more than $250 million in spending.

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“We’ve got a long track record of [stadia investment],” Ayres said.

“We also know we have limitations on what we can do. We have continued our engagement with the NRL, we want to be able to upgrade suburban infrastructure, but we want to be able to do that when the fiscal capacity for the state allows for Item.

“Let’s recognize that we have just been through some of the most significant floods and consistent flooding over the last couple of years. So there are lots of costs that are associated with it. We will continue to talk with the NRL around the things we can But we have got priorities and we’ve got to stick to those … It might just mean we have to wait a little bit longer before we can spend additional money on [stadium upgrades].”

Stream the NRL premiership 2022 live and free on 9Now.

A $300m upgrade of BlueBet Stadium, in Ayres’ Penrith electorate, is set to go ahead.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the NRL is considering its legal options in the wake of the broken promises.

“The government’s management of its stadia policy from the outset has been amateurish and embarrassing,” Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis told the Herald.

Brisbane could once again find itself hosting the NRL grand final, after the event was moved to Suncorp Stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2021.

Earlier this year V’landys said he would take the grand final interstate unless the NSW government honored its funding promises.

V’landys said the NSW government “wouldn’t know an event if they tripped over it” and stated “the grand final is up for grabs.”

“We just want our suburban stadiums in New South Wales,” V’landys told Nine’s Today in April.

“We want those promises honored by the NSW government, and if they don’t, we’ll take it (the grand finale) elsewhere.

“We had a deal. The deal was they would spend $800 million on stadiums, but rather than spending it on Accor Stadium, we wanted it spent on suburban stadiums.

“The government… is just so slow to move. We want ink on the paper, we want it in writing, and until we get that, the grand finale is up for grabs.”

At the time the Queensland government was reportedly ready to offer $10 million per year to host the grand finale, looking to secure the match on multiple occasions over the next decade.

“You only have to look at the other states and how much they’re investing in events,” V’landys said.

“The NSW government has got an event on its doorstep and it can’t even get that.

“You see Victoria picking up all these events that are contributing tens of millions of dollars to their local community, you see the Olympic Games go to Brisbane, and what’s NSW doing? Looking to get the world marbles championship.

“We need to start getting events.”

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Uniform controversies that have rocked sport around the world