Month: August 2022

2022 Mazda 3, CX-5 quietly drop tech amid semiconductor shortage – and price rises

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 1, 2022
No Comments on 2022 Mazda 3, CX-5 quietly drop tech amid semiconductor shortage – and price rises

Certain variants of the Mazda 3 small car and CX-5 family SUV are no longer fitted with particular tech features – but have been hit with price rises of up to $700.

Mazda Australia has quietly cut two technology features from certain high-grade versions of the 2022 Mazda 3 and Mazda CX-5 – while increasing their prices by as much as $700.

The latest specification lists from Mazda Australia show high-grade GT SP and Akera versions of the CX-5 mid-size family SUV are no longer fitted with hands-free ‘kick’ functionality for their power tailgates, instead reverting to access only via the key fob, or a button on the tailgate.

Meanwhile, the second-from-range-topping Mazda 3 G25 GT is no longer fitted with a 12-speaker Bose sound system, switching back to lower models’ eight-speaker unbranded stereos. The flagship Astina grades retain the Bose system.

It’s understood ongoing parts shortages – including the semiconductors (computer chips) needed for modern cars – are to blame, representing the first time Mazda has ‘de-specified’ its vehicles to help keep production lines flowing.

Most Japanese car makers – including Toyota, Nissan and Honda – have opted to pause production lines to navigate the ongoing shortages, unlike European brands including Volkswagen and Peugeot, which have instead opted to delete chip-heavy features.

“Global parts supply, factory closures and logistics issues continue to challenge automotive manufacturing, however we continue to work closely with our dealer partners to deliver customer orders as soon as possible,” a Mazda Australia spokesperson said in a statement.

“Customers are encouraged to speak directly with their dealer to confirm availability and delivery estimates for their model of choice.”

But despite subtly removing features, Mazda Australia has increased prices across the affected variants by as much as $700.

Prices increased across Mazda’s model range by $200 in recent months, affecting the Mazda 3 and CX-5 – but industry guide Redbook (which displays data provided by carmakers) indicates the Mazda 3 G25 GT has risen by a further $500 alongside the feature deletion, from April production.

The 2022 Mazda CX-5 and 2022 Mazda 3 are in showrooms now.

2022 Mazda 3, CX-5 Australian pricing

Mazda 3 G20 Pure manual – $26,540
Mazda 3 G20 Pure car – $27,540
Mazda 3 G20 Evolve Manual – $28,090
Mazda 3 G20 Evolve car – $29,090
Mazda 3 G20e Evolve M Hybrid car – $32,840
Mazda 3 G20 Touring manual – $30,5900
Mazda 3 G20 Touring car – $31,590
Mazda 3 G25 Evolve SP manual – $31,490
Mazda 3 G25 Evolve SP auto – $32,490
Mazda 3 G25 GT manual – $35,690
Mazda 3 G25 GT car – $36,690
Mazda 3 G25 Astina manual – $38,690
Mazda 3 G25 Astina auto – $39,690
Mazda 3 X20 Astina auto – $42,690

CX-5 Maxx 2.0 petrol FWD manual – $32,390
CX-5 Maxx 2.0 petrol FWD auto – $34,390
CX-5 Maxx Sport petrol 2.5 FWD auto – $38,190
CX-5 Maxx Sport petrol 2.5 AWD auto – $40,690
CX-5 Touring 2.5 petrol AWD auto – $42,580
CX-5 Touring Active 2.5 petrol AWD auto – $42,880
CX-5 Touring Active 2.2 diesel AWD auto – $45,880
CX-5 GT SP 2.5 petrol AWD auto – $48,990
CX-5 GT SP 2.5 turbo petrol AWD auto – $51,490
CX-5 Akera 2.5 petrol AWD auto – $50,880
CX-5 Akera 2.5 turbo petrol AWD auto – $53,380
CX-5 Akera 2.2 diesel AWD auto – $53,880

Note: All prices exclude on-road costs. Hat tip to the Mazda CX-5 Club on Facebook for the news tip.

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines as a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.

The perfect blend: why I have always loved Neighbors

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 1, 2022
No Comments on The perfect blend: why I have always loved Neighbors

Network Ten

Charlene Mitchell, Henry Ramsay and Madge and Harold Bishop – characters from the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours.

OPINION: I’m about to confess something that most of my closest friends don’t know: I am a Neighbors superfan.

Since 1987, I have spent roughly 84 days of my life enlarged in the lives of Ramsay St residents. Forget politics, Erinsborough is my Mastermind specialist subject.

I know which of the Spice Girls made a cameo (Baby), the name of the real life cul-de-sac where exterior filming takes place (Pin Oak Court) and who went on a cruise and never returned (Marlene).

Everyone remembers Bouncer’s dream, but do you know the name of Lucy Robinson’s dog, which he replaced? (Basil, he drowned – one of Guy Pearce’s finest performances of him).

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I vividly recall the first character to die: spiky-haired stripper Daphne whispered “I love you Clarkey” to husband Des in the wreckage of a car smash. When he returned to marry plain-Jane-superbrain it was like being reunited with an old friend.

Supplied

Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan as Charlene and Scott.

The opening piano chords of Angry Anderson’s Suddenly takes me instantly to the sun-dappled nave of the Holy Trinity Church where Scott Robinson and frizzy-haired mechanic Charlene Mitchell exchanged their vows. (Harold and Madge, and Drew and Libby also married there, another useless thing I know.)

It was the soap wedding to end all soap weddings – and I was among the 20 million Brits who watched it.

Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan were the Romeo and Juliet of my childhood. Her debut album by Ella was the first cassette I owned, played so often the tape wore out. God love my poor mother who patiently ironed canvas patches of the pair onto the knees of my jeans.

I saved up for Kylie and Jason button badges, a scarf, and a t-shirt with their faces in a heart. The bomber jacket remained forever out of reach of my pocket money.

Colin Murray/Twitter

A Kylie Minogue bomber jacket from the 1980s.

The soap spans my entire life. Every day, I ran from the school bus to see what Henry, Mike and Clive were up to. Its sunshine, suburban minutiae and carefree people were a world away from the bleakness of the Troubles and Thatcherism. They had swimming pools… in the garden.

At university, my lunchtime routine was the soap and a sandwich.

When legendary Harold Bishop fell in the sea, it was like losing a grandparent. Long before death punctuated my life, Neighbors taught me about grief and friendships.

Happily, Harold turned up five years later, working in a Salvation Army shop, suffering from amnesia. That’s the beauty of soaps – favorite characters can return to ease our loss. Madge stayed on for multiple episodes, existing only in Harold’s mind after a campervan prang.

DARRIAN TRAYNOR/Sydney Morning Herald

Neighbors cast members, including longtime stars Stefan Dennis, Ryan Moloney, Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne.

From beyond the grave, Drew was able to warn Steph Scully that her cancer had returned. He rose again from his eternal slumber in the Hallowe’en zombie attack. Neighbors could be deliciously ridiculous – Paul Robinson once went back in time, met a dinosaur and altered 30 years of storylines.

It was also a pop-culture juggernaut that pushed the boundaries on feminism, pre-teen sex, same-sex marriage, disabilities and gender identity. (It also has had its fair share of criticism for reinforcing stereotypes of heteronormative suburbia, and for racism).

As adulthood got in the way, streaming services kept me up to date. Earlier this month, on a work trip, I sobbed into a hotel room duvet as Hendrix Grayson breathed his last.

Don't give me spoilers! The last episode of Neighbors aired this week and will screen in New Zealand in September. — Network 10

Don’t give me spoilers! The last episode of Neighbors aired this week and will screen in New Zealand in September.

There are fewer of us fans now. At its height, Neighbors was shown twice a day, reaching millions of Britons who grew up on a gloomy diet of Eastenders and Coronation Street.

The Queen Mum was said to never miss an episode – and dastardly hotel boss Paul Robinson was Princess Diana’s favorite character.

The soap was so pervasive that it changed the speech patterns of an entire generation – our voices began to rise towards the end of a sentence.

Economics experts credited it with introducing Brits to the outdoor lifestyle – as they embraced sun culture, pavement cafés and barbecues outside of the annual fortnight holiday on the Costa Brava. Even that revered seat of learning, Oxford University added the series to its curriculum for a period in the 1990s.

I’ve long hidden my fandom. There is a stigma around soap operas that assumes the audience is shallow and vapid. But it’s just entertainment, and there’s no shame in indulging in having a quick break from the stress and serious business of everyday life.

So, with the show coming to an end, it’s time to celebrate the many hours of entertainment and escapism its given me – and the huge imprint it made on my life.

So farewell Neighbours. You really have become good friends.

Sports

Collingwood star Taylor Adams sidelined indefinitely with fresh groin injury

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 1, 2022
No Comments on Collingwood star Taylor Adams sidelined indefinitely with fresh groin injury

Collingwood’s hopes of remaining in the top four have been dealt a blow with on-baller Taylor Adams ruled out for the remainder of the home and away season.

Adams was subbed out at half-time of Collingwood’s six-point win over Port Adelaide on Saturday with a groin injury, with scans later confirming the severity of the strain.

Collingwood has emerged as a legitimate premiership threat on the back of a 10-match winning streak that has seen it climb from 17th last season to currently third on the ladder.

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Adams finished Collingwood’s win over Port Adelaide in a tracksuit after being subbed off at half-time. (Getty)

Australia

Lidia Thorpe’s ‘colonizing’ oath ruled out of order as Scott Morrison returns as a backbencher

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 1, 2022
No Comments on Lidia Thorpe’s ‘colonizing’ oath ruled out of order as Scott Morrison returns as a backbencher

Indigenous recognition and reconciliation are high on the government’s agenda, after a weekend dominated by talk about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and enshrining its proposed Voice in the constitution.

Thorpe believes pursuing the Voice first is backwards, preferring instead to pursue a treaty and truth-telling initially.

In the lower house, there were no hitches in the swearing-in of former deputy prime minister Scott Morrison and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.

Former Coalition leaders Barnaby Joyce and Scott Morrison, along with Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou, take the oath in the lower house.Credit:James Brickwood

The microphone of the dispatch box where Morrison held forth during the previous term of parliament picked up his declaration, “So help me God,” and the member for Cook wandered off to shake hands with some of his close supporters, including Melissa McIntosh and Gavin Pearce, who have now been promoted to the outer shadow ministry.

Morrison was absent last week to attend a conference of conservative former leaders in Japan.

During question time, Morrison chatted with his right-hand man in the NSW division of the Liberal Party, Alex Hawke, both now seated in the blind spot of the chamber out of view of much of the press gallery.

Joyce, who returns to parliament after the death of his father last week, slumped on the frontbench.

Meanwhile, the literary references continued to flow in the first speeches as MPs introduced themselves and their priorities to the parliament.

Last week, independent MP Monique Ryan quoted Albus Dumbledore; on Monday, member of Mackellar Sophie Scamps turned to another fantasy classic to quote Gandalf from Lord of the Rings on her decision to run for parliament.

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to,” Scamps said.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.

McKinney Fire: In just 3 days, the Northern California fire has exploded to become the state’s largest blaze this year

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 1, 2022
No Comments on McKinney Fire: In just 3 days, the Northern California fire has exploded to become the state’s largest blaze this year

The blaze, dubbed the McKinney Fire, broke out Friday afternoon in the Klamath National Forest near the California-Oregon border and has since ripped through more than 52,000 acres, advancing on homes and forcing nearly 2,000 residents to evacuate Saturday, authorities said.

Heavy smoke over the fire helped slow its growth Sunday, but also kept firefighting aircraft grounded, the US Forest Service said in a Sunday night update.

As the weekend ended, the blaze was 0% contained and firefighters face a long battle ahead as lightning and thunderstorms complicated efforts while the flames raced through dry vegetation.

Oregon state Rep. Dacia Grayber was camping with her husband, both firefighters, near the California state line when they woke up to orange skies, hot wind gusts, lightning and blowing ash, she said on Twitter. They evacuated from the campground knowing one of them may return on deployment if the fire grows.

“In 22+ yrs of fire I’ve never experienced anything like this fire behavior at night. It felt absolutely surreal and not just a little apocalyptic,” grayber tweeted.

The area remained under a Red Flag Warning as a threat of dry lightning, strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity created dangerous fire conditions through Sunday night. “Abundant lightning” is expected through Monday, as well as scattered thunderstorms that could potentially spread the flames out further, according to the National Weather Service.

“These conditions can be extremely dangerous for firefighters, as winds can be erratic and extremely strong, causing fire to spread in any direction,” forest service officials said in a news release.

The dry thunderstorms that occurred over the weekend happen when rainfall evaporates before ever hitting the ground, leaving only lightning strikes capable of sparking new fires and fueling existing ones, CNN Meteorologist Robert Shackelford said.

The McKinney Fire burns near Yreka, California, Saturday.

At an estimated 52,498 acres, the McKinney Fire has become California’s largest wildfire so far this year, Cal Fire Capt. Chris Bruno told CNN.

And it isn’t the only blaze crews have to contend with. There were 10 different wildfires burning in the Klamath National Forest Sunday afternoon, forest officials said.

The fires generated their own weather in the form of pyrocumulus clouds, which are created from the intense heat of the fire forcing air to rise.

Tor Mason was one of the hundreds evacuated due to the McKinney Fire. He said he and his friends fled their homes and arrived at the Klamath River Community Center, only to find the fire closing in, he told CNN affiliate KDRV.

“When I got to the community center it was almost on fire. I’m like, holy crap, this isn’t good,” Mason said. “So I put the … pedal to the metal and I boogied. … I heard this morning it shot up in flames.”

California’s persistent drought conditions have set the scene for rapid fire spread in the forest, with the fires burning extremely dry, receptive fuels, according to the forest service.

Racing through dry brush, grass and timber, the fire activity has been extreme, with the flames running uphill, and spotting further out, according to fire officials.

“Klamath National Forest is a big and beautiful forest, but it also has some steep and rugged terrain. And with that, coupled with the high temperatures, low humidity, they all come into play and make it a very extreme fire danger situation right now ,” Tom Stokesberry of the US Forest Service told CNN affiliate KTVL.

A horse grazes in a pasture as the McKinney Fire burns in Klamath National Forest, in California Saturday.

A total of 648 firefighting personnel have converged on the blaze, attacking the flames from the ground and the air and working to defend evacuated homes.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency Saturday for Siskiyou County, saying the blaze has destroyed homes and threatened critical infrastructure. Cal Fire said no information was available on structures damaged by the McKinney Fire, though Stokesberry told KTVL there were unconfirmed reports of lost structures.

On Saturday, about 60 people were evacuated from the Pacific Crest Trail as the McKinney Fire approached, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon said on its Facebook page, noting the hikers were rescued from the “California side of the Red Buttes Wilderness.”

Conditions could get better Monday as the chance of isolated dry thunderstorms shifts to the north, Shackelford said. There is also a chance for up to 2 inches of rain falling over the area, which could aid firefighters battling the McKinney Fire.

CNN’s Paradise Afshar, Tina Burnside, Amanda Jackson, Robert Shackelford and Claire Colbert contributed to this report.

Tags McKinney Fire: In just 3 days, the Northern California fire has exploded to become the state's largest blaze this year - CNN, weather

Business

ACCC flags gas supply shortage; Jim Chalmers puts companies on notice

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 1, 2022
No Comments on ACCC flags gas supply shortage; Jim Chalmers puts companies on notice

East coast gas prices are soaring on the back of a global energy crunch, which has been intensified by Western nations shunning Russian supplies of oil and gas to starve Moscow of the revenue it needs to fund the war in Ukraine.

Australia’s LNG exporters are earning record sales revenue while many local manufacturers are struggling under high domestic gas prices.

ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the consumer watchdog was “strongly encouraging” LNG producers to increase domestic supply or face market intervention.

“Our latest gas report finds that the outlook for the east coast gas market has significantly worsened. To protect energy security on the east coast, we are recommending the resources minister initiate the first step of the Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism,” she said.

The ADGSM empowers King to redirect exports into the local market. However, when gas prices took off following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the ADGSM was “not a short-term answer” because it required about six months of consultation and only triggered enough supply to fill gaps rather than cut the cost. gas.

“It is a supply trigger, not a price trigger,” he said.

East coast gas producers export the majority of their supply to the lucrative international market, prompting warnings from the ACCC that domestic customers cannot be overlooked in favor of large, international buyers seeking long-term contracts.

The ACCC’s projected shortfall of 56 petajoules for 2023 is the largest it’s made since beginning its inquiry in 2017.

“LNG exporters are expected to contribute to the shortfall in 2023 by withdrawing 58 petajoules more gas from the domestic market than they expect to supply,” the report said.

“This could place further upward pressure on prices and result in some manufacturers closing their businesses, and some market exit has already occurred.”

Australia’s east-coast gas producers on Monday disputed the suggestion that a shortfall was looming, pointing to the ACCC’s finding that 167 petajoules of gas remained uncontracted and would be offered to local buyers first.

“This is more than enough gas to ensure that no shortfall occurs,” said Damian Dwyer of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, which represents oil and gas companies. “Gas customers can be assured supply will be adequate next year so households and businesses can continue uninterrupted.”

However, major gas users declared the ACCC’s latest report had yet again painted an “alarming picture” for businesses that depended on the fossil fuel.

The Energy Users’ Association of Australia, whose members include ASX-listed fertilizer giant Incitec Pivot and building material supplier Brickworks, backed the government’s decision to initiate the first steps of the ADGSM, but feared it would “not be enough”.

“Energy users are looking for stronger action such as the ADGSM and heads of agreement triggers that not only ensure the volume of gas is sufficient but also seek to ensure the price of gas is affordable,” chief executive Andrew Richards said.

“It is time for governments and regulators to stop rattling the saber and to draw their sword. It seems clear that threatening the gas industry with stronger actions is not enough. It is only taking strong actions that will effect change.”

The ACCC’s report did not identify any wrongdoing but Chalmers said he encouraged the consumer watchdog to act if any anti-competitive behavior were uncovered in the future.

“It’s critical that our domestic gas supply is secure and competitively priced, particularly when households and businesses are under extreme pressure,” he said.

“The ACCC has raised concerns about the level of competition in this market, and I welcome its commitment to look into this and take enforcement action as required.”

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.

Categories
Entertainment

COVID, an unwanted cure for the Oscar-winning sickie

Post author By mangakiko

Post date August 1, 2022

No Comments on COVID, an unwanted cure for the Oscar-winning sickie

The sickie is a skill most of us learned when we were primary kids. Telegraph it the day before, cough a few times before bed. If you’re into Jeremy Strong levels of method acting you could attempt shivering, and you would definitely get some Panadol.

Now the trick of the perfect sickie is to remember your plan from the night before as soon as you wake up. Cough as your eyes open, otherwise before you know it you’re downstairs scoffing cereal when you remember, at which point you’re already in your school uniform and there’s no point going back into character. The audience will see right through it.

A shame to waste a sick day on the sick… Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

So you get to school. Just after recess, you decide 90 minutes of maths isn’t going to cut the mustard and you go to the school office and put in an Oscar-worthy performance of the night before’s illness with some contextual flourishes – at your cousin’s birthday, Aunt Beryl was coughing, or maybe you forgot to pack a jumper for the movies. We all know that it is a sure fire way to catch a cold.

Back in the day, the school nurse could see through the real and the fake, and would even delay calling your parents until just before lunch, at which point the opportunity to play with friends again could make you feel better all of a sudden. When they did believe you, you would be collected and depending on how generous your parents were feeling it was TV all afternoon or my mother’s line that still haunts me (and fills me with guilt even when I am actually sick): “If you’ you’re well enough to watch TV, you’re well enough to go to school.”

Now however, the sickie doesn’t even require any skill, let alone strategy. You just say you have a sore throat and you’re either not going to school, or you’re being collected as soon as possible. I’m a single mother and a teacher, so half the week I’m ‘it’ for the COVID call. Everyone is rightly scared of a COVID outbreak, whether it’s at my work-school or my kid-school, we all do the right thing.

So this week, I did another (actually sick) kid collection half way through the day, and for the price of having a nasal swab, they got a day at home watching tv, and I was off work, again, figuring out what on earth it looks like if they’ve got COVID again. They were negative, and they were back at school a day and a half later.

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I don’t know how long we can go through life with a zero tolerance policy for any symptoms, and families won’t be able to afford to test their snotty-from-May-till-September kids on a daily basis. This year our cold and flu season has been really bad for younger children because kids haven’t developed immunity in the past two years with lockdowns and social distancing.

Student absences are higher than they ever have been because of COVID, isolation, covid like symptoms as well as the rest of the reasons kids have days off school – dentist appointments, tummy bugs, travel. Absences have an impact on learning as well as socialisation. Professor Pasi Sahlberg wrote about how, in the scheme of things, COVID lockdowns weren’t that long, but what if every term each student gets COVID or similar symptoms and misses out on a week of school? That’s 10 per cent less school than previous generations. Surely that has to add up. (Caveat: I am not a math teacher.)

Categories
Sports

Prince William breaks protocol during UEFA Women’s Euro ceremony with Lionesses after England defeated Germany in final

Post author By mangakiko

Post date August 1, 2022

No Comments on Prince William breaks protocol during UEFA Women’s Euro ceremony with Lionesses after England defeated Germany in final

Prince William cheekily broke protocol during his excitement and elation when England defeated Germany in the UEFA European Women’s Championship.

The English team – affectionately known as the Lionesses – won their first Euros trophy in extra time where they conquered the Germans 2-1 in front of a sell-out raucous home crowd at Wembley Stadium on Sunday night.

England’s Keira Walsh put a perfect through-ball to teammate Ella Toone who sent a perfect chip over the German goalkeeper to put the hosts ahead at the 61st minute.

Germany – who have never lost a Euros final – responded in the 78th minute with a strike near the goal to level the score and send the match into extra time.

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The crowd of more than 87,000 fans were on the edge of their seats with ten minutes left before the match was likely headed for a penalty shootout.

But a perfect corner from Lioness Lauren Hemp saw the ball bounce off Lucy Bronze into the German keeper before Chloe Kelly scored the winning goal.

The home fans roared with delight before the final whistle blew to confirm the Lionesses had secured their first major trophy in a stunning upset.

Prince William watched the final alongside other dignitaries, including the potential next British prime minister Liz Truss from the grandstand.

The Duke of Cambridge later handed out the winning medals to each of the women at the award ceremony where he understandably broke protocol.

He initially shook hands with some of the Lionesses before he offered hugs to congratulate the emotional players.

A royal member would traditionally offer their hand for a shake but Prince William has been known to break protocol in past engagements with the public.

Prince William also later took to social media to congratulate the English side again for their victory over Germany.

“Sensational,” he said on his official Twitter page.

“An incredible win @lionesses and the whole nation couldn’t be more prouder of you all.

“Wonderful to see history in the making tonight at Wembley, congratulations! W.”

The Queen also shared a congratulatory message on social media.

“My warmest congratulations, and those of my family, go to you all on winning the European Women’s Football Championships,” the statement read.

“It is a significant achievement for the entire team, including your support staff.

“The Championships and your performance in them have rightly won praise. However, your success goes far beyond the trophy you have so deservedly earned.”

Tens of thousands of Brits flooded pubs and bars around the country post-match to celebrate the Lionesses win.

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Tags Duke of Cambridge, england, European Championship, football, prince william, UEFA

Categories
Australia

Farmers urge tax break for pensioners to unleash gray army of fruit pickers

Post author By mangakiko

Post date August 1, 2022

No Comments on Farmers urge tax break for pensioners to unleash gray army of fruit pickers

Pensioners in New Zealand can work without affecting their income and 25 per cent of them earned income from paid work, compared to just 3 per cent in Australia. A parliamentary briefing prepared for the Morrison government found an extra 445,000 people could enter the workforce if tax on pensioners’ earnings was cut.

Under current rules, a single person can earn up to $480 a fortnight without affecting their pension entitlement. When a pensioner earns more than that, their pension is reduced at 50¢ for every dollar in income, or an effective marginal tax rate of 50 per cent. That rate climbs above 60¢ in the dollar as income tax thresholds start to affect their pay.

National Seniors spokesman Craig Feldman said cutting the tax on pensioners’ earnings “would be a great incentive” to get more people into the workforce.

“We surveyed about 3000 of our members, which is a pretty good sample and 20 per cent of them came back to us and said yes, we would actually consider going back into the workforce,” Feldman said.

“They need the money. The pension is not exactly a good way of getting through the cost of living crisis, particularly now with higher oil prices and higher grocery prices.”

Goulburn Valley fruit grower Peter Hall welcomed the push to encourage more pensioners to work in the agriculture sector.

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“Sometimes they make the best workers because they’re used to working,” he said. “They’re a bit because they want to supplement their income that might be a bit modestly motivated.”

Hall said some older workers were experienced in operating machinery, which would allow them to fill some roles on farms beyond fruit picking.

“The freer the access to people who want to work in our industry the better. It’s already a pretty tight market.”

Cherry Hill Orchards owner Stephen Riseborough said he would also welcome pensioners working across his three orchards, but he said the industry was still grappling with the absence of backpackers.

“I don’t know how many pensioners realistically want to go out there and pick fruit,” he said.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he expected this issue to be raised at the government’s Jobs and Skills Summit in September.

“We listen respectfully to anybody who’s got ideas about how we can deal with the challenges in our economy,” Chalmers said.

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US

Drone explosion hits headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet

Post author By mangakiko

Post date August 1, 2022

No Comments on Drone explosion hits headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet

Kyiv, Ukraine — A small explosive device carried by a makeshift drone blew up Sunday at the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula, wounding six people and prompting the cancellation of ceremonies there honoring Russia’s navy, authorities said.

Meanwhile, one of Ukraine’s richest men, a grain merchant, was killed in what Ukrainian authorities said was a carefully targeted Russian missile strike on his home.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the drone explosion in a courtyard at the naval headquarters in the city of Sevastopol. But the seemingly improvised, small-scale nature of the attack raised the possibility that it was the work of Ukrainian insurgents trying to drive out Russian forces.

A Russian lawmaker from Crimea, Olga Kovitidi, told Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti that the drone was launched from Sevastopol itself. She said the incident was being treated as a terrorist act, the news agency said.

Crimean authorities raised the terrorism threat level for the region to “yellow,” the second-highest tier.

Sevastopol, which was seized along with the rest of Crimea from Ukraine by Russia in 2014, is about 170 kilometers (100 miles) south of the Ukrainian mainland. Russian forces control much of the mainland along the Black Sea.

The Black Sea Fleet’s press service said the drone appeared to be homemade. It describes the explosive device as “low-power.” Sevastopol Major Mikhail Razvozhaev said six people were wounded. Observances of Russia’s Navy Day holiday were canceled in the city.

Russian Navy members patrol in front of the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol in Crimea on July 31, 2022.

STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine’s navy and an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the reported drone attack underlined the weakness of Russian air defenses.

“Did the occupiers admit the helplessness of their air defense system? Or their helplessness in front of the Crimean partisans?” Oleksiy Arestovich said on Telegram.

If such an attack is possible by Ukraine, he said, “the destruction of the Crimean bridge in such situations no longer sounds unrealistic” — a reference to the span that Russia built to connect its mainland to Crimea after the annexation.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the mayor of the major port city of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, said shelling killed one of Ukraine’s wealthiest men, Oleksiy Vadatursky, and his wife, Raisa. Vadatursky headed a grain production and export business.

Another presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Vadatursky was specifically targeted.

It “was not an accident, but a well-thought-out and organized premeditated murder. Vadatursky was one of the largest farmers in the country, a key person in the region and a major employer. That the exact hit of a rocket was not just in a house, but in a specific wing, the bedroom, leaves no doubt about aiming and adjusting the strike,” he said.

Vadatursky’s agribusiness, Nibulon, includes a fleet of ships for sending grain abroad.

In the Sumy region in Ukraine’s north, near the Russian border, shelling killed one person, the regional administration said. And three people died in attacks over the past day in the Donetsk region, which is partly under the control of Russian-backed separatist forces, said regional Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko.

Podolyak said on Twitter that images of the prison where at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in an explosion on Friday indicated that the blast came from within the building in Olenivka, which is under Russian control.

Russian officials have claimed the building was attacked by Ukraine with the aim of silencing POWs who might be giving information about Ukrainian military operations. Ukraine has blamed Russia for the explosion.

Satellite photos taken before and after show that a small, squarish building in the middle of the prison complex was demolished, its roof in splinters.

Podolyak said those images and the lack of damage to adjacent structures showed that the building was not attacked from the air or by artillery. He contended the evidence was consistent with a thermobaric bomb, a powerful device sometimes called a vacuum bomb, being set off inside.

The International Red Cross asked to immediately visit the prison to make sure the scores of wounded POWs had proper treatment, but said Sunday that its request had yet to be granted. It said that denying the Red Cross access would violate the Geneva Convention on the rights of POWs.

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Tags drone, Russia, ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, war

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