August 2022 – Page 854 – Michmutters

Month: August 2022

Categories
Technology

Windows And Linux On MacOS On Intel Core And Apple Silicon

Windows And Linux On MacOS On Intel Core And Apple Silicon

Virtualization software VMware Fusion, which can be seen as the equivalent of VMware from macOS for Windows, from the US company VMware of the same name has now been released as a Technology Preview at the latest version 22H2. This means that virtual systems are based on Windows and Linux on Intel Core and Apple Silicon under macOS.

As the developers announced on the VMware Fusion blog, a tech preview of the upcoming VMware Fusion 22H2 is available for everyone to download and try on the official website.

Linux 5.19 with 3D Graphics Acceleration

The following innovations and optimizations are offered, which, among other things, should also improve the operation of Windows 11 and support for Linux on the M1 processor. Version 4.3 for virtual machines with Linux operating systems for the first time features accelerated 3D graphics and OpenGL.

It requires the latest operating system kernel Linux 5.19 and the powerful free 3D graphics stack Mesa 3D in version 22.1.3.

  • Windows 11 on Intel and Apple Silicon with 2D GFX and Networking
  • VMtools Installation for Windows 11 GOS on M1
  • Improved Linux support on M1
  • 3D Graphics HW Acceleration and OpenGL 4.3 in Linux VMs
    • Is necessary Linux 5.19+ And Mesa 22.1.3+
  • Virtual TPM Device
  • fast encryption
  • Universal Binary

VMware Fusion 22H2 Tech Preview

Windows 11 on x86 and arm64

The Universal Installation Routine is originally designed for x86 and Arm64 or Apple Silicon and also supports security measures introduced by Microsoft for Windows 11, such as TPM 2.0 and VTPM as well as Secure Boot.

VMware Fusion Virtualizes Windows 11 on macOS on x86 and Arm64
VMware Fusion virtualizes Windows 11 on macOS on x86 and Arm64 (Image: VMWare)

Suraksha Enclave for more exposure

So-called “fast encryption”, in which only a dedicated security enclave is encrypted, rather than the entire system, is intended to significantly accelerate virtual machines in VMware Fusion 22H2.

With the new ‘Fast Encryption’ mode, only the most significant portions of the virtual machine’s local storage space are encrypted, dramatically improving overall VM performance but providing a secure enclave for sensitive data such as TPM devices.

vmware

Fusion and Workstation ready

In addition to VMware Fusion 22H2 Tech Preview, VMware Workstation 22H2 for Windows and Linux has also been released and supports virtual machines with Windows 11 for the first time. Here, there is support for TPM and VTPM as well as OpenGL 4.3 feature set.

  1. VMware Workstation 22H2

    VMware Workstation 22H2 (Build: VMware)

build 1 Vaughn 2

VMware Fusion 22H2
VMware Fusion 22H2 (Build: VMware)

For more details visit the official website of VMware.

Categories
Sports

Recent Match Report – Barbados Wmn vs AUS Women 6th Match, Group A 2022

Recent Match Report - Barbados Wmn vs AUS Women 6th Match, Group A 2022

Australia 68 for 1 (Lanning 36*) beat Barbados 64 (King 4-8, McGrath 3-13) by nine wickets

A career-best 4 for 8 – and a near hat-trick – for Australia legspinner Alana King led her side to an emphatic nine-wicket victory over Barbados and into the Commonwealth Games semi-finals.

Meg Lanning, the Australia skipper, went a good way towards making up for dropping the catch that would have given King her hat-trick with an unbeaten 36 from 21 balls as she and Alyssa Healy mowed down a paltry target of 65 with 71 balls to spare.

Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner added three and two wickets respectively as Barbados’ experienced top order crumbled and Australia kept them to a total that was always going to be nigh on impossible to defend against such formidable opposition.

Gold-medal favorites Australia are top of Group A with two wins from as many matches and they face winless Pakistan in their final group game on Wednesday when India and Barbados, with one win each so far, face off for the other semi-final berth .

Not this time, captain

Having scored a half-century and shared a 107-run partnership with Kycia Knight in their opening victory over Pakistan, Barbados captain Hayley Matthews cashed in as Darcie Brown struggled with her line and length to begin with. Matthews cut Brown’s first ball through backward point for four like a rocket and unfurled a cracking cover drive to find the boundary again three balls later. She steered the first ball of Brown’s next over through the covers then swung her over the leg side for consecutive boundaries, but Brown responded when she had Matthews out attempting to swat her over the leg side again only to sky the ball to a waiting Grace Harris at mid-on. Matthews was furious with herself, falling for a 13-ball 18, which she wasn’t to know would make her the top-scorer of a dismal Barbados innings.

dottin becalmed

When Matthews’ opening partner, Deandra Dottin clubbed Brown over extra cover for four it was her first shot in anger after facing a maiden from Jess Jonassen in just the third over and she ended the powerplay with just six runs from 20 balls faced.

King entered the attack in the eighth over and struck with her second ball, brushing the outside of Dottin’s front pad as she knelt down to tuck the ball down to fine leg right in line with middle stump and umpire Sue Redfern’s lbw decision was upheld when Dottin reviewed, the ball clearly hitting middle stump a third of the way up. Dottin finished with just eight runs from 22 balls with a meager strike rate of 36.36.

king rules

McGrath struck second ball when she had Kycia Knight, Barbados’ top-scorer in the first match with an unbeaten 62, easily caught by Megan Schutt at deep backward square. Kyshona Knight then chipped Gardner to Harris at midwicket as Barbados slid deeper into trouble at 49 for 4 and into their inexperienced batters. Gardner was excellent bowling her off-breaks, sending down 17 dot balls in her four overs and finishing with 2 for 6 after she removed 18-year-old Trishnan Holder for never to seal a double-wicket maiden.

McGrath finished with 3 for 13 as she ate into the tail but it was King who ruled on a slow pitch that has now staged six matches in this tournament. King accounted for Aaliyah Alleyne, taking a wild swing across the line of one that ripped out leg stump to end her second over. With the third ball of her third over, King pinned Shakera Selman lbw and then struck Shamilia Connell on the back leg next ball. King should have had another wicket immediately but 33-year-old international debutant Keila Elliott’s edge popped straight out of Lanning’s hands at slip. Usually so reliable in the field, Lanning lay face down on the turf for some time afterwards as King held her hands to her head, a brave smile painted on her face.

Lanning makes amends

Lanning all but made up for her blunder when she led Australia past the target, letting loose after a sedate start. Healy was uncharacteristically quiet early – she faced 14 balls for her first four runs after Australia lost Beth Mooney, stumped by Kycia Knight off the bowling of Shanika Bruce in the second over of their reply.

But Lanning punished some loose balls from Dottin in the sixth over, which went for 25 runs to close out the powerplay with Australia needing just 23 runs more. Back-to-back sixes swung powerfully over the leg side – the second off a high full toss that was called as a no-ball – in Dottin’s first over set Australia properly on their way. A wide preceded an unconventional four as Lanning stepped back and stuck her bat out as she toppled forwards along her crease and managed to steer the ball to the boundary through third.

Healy then began to find the rope with back-to-back fours off Matthews and Elliott in the next two overs before Lanning swatted Shakera Selman to the square-leg boundary to bring up the winning runs and a resounding victory.

Valkerie Baynes is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Categories
Australia

Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital nurses walk out over ‘dangerous’ work conditions

Nurses have walked out of a major sydney hospital this morning over “horrendous” working conditions and “unsafe” staffing plans in the facility’s intensive care unit.
Dozens of nurses and staff who had just finished a busy night shift assembled outside Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital, calling on Health Minister Brad Hazzard to fix a “broken” system buckling under the twin pressures of COVID-19 and influenza.

The nurses claim the hospital’s plans to substitute critical care trained nurses with less experienced assistants in the ICU will put patients and staff at risk, while insisting current workload and patient-staff ratios in the hospital were unbearable.

NSW hospitals are enduring a brutal winter as COVID-19 hospitalizations and influenza cases rise.
NSW hospitals are enduring a brutal winter as COVID-19 hospitalizations and influenza cases rise. (SMH/Kate Geraghty)

“The system at the moment is completely broken,” Laura McKone, from the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, told 9news.com.au.

“Staffing is absolutely horrendous (and) nurses are leaving the profession in droves.”

McKone said nurses were under incredible pressure, mentally and emotionally, because of the workload.

“They are expected to look after so many patients, it’s dangerous,” she said.

McKone said assistants in nursing were not adequately trained to care for seriously unwell and ventilated patients in Hornsby’s intensive care.

the Perrottet government should focus on bringing in more nurses and creating a “safe work environment” instead of opening up more hospitals, she said.
Nurses from Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital are angry at low staffing levels which they say has created difficult and dangerous workloads.
Nurses from Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital are angry at low staffing levels which they say has created difficult and dangerous workloads. (9News)

In a statement, the Hornsby hospital said it is “working closely with our clinicians and the nurses union to explore new models of care and staffing contingencies” as it responds to the COVID-19 pandemic and busy winter season.

“At this stage no changes have been made and discussions are ongoing with the union,” a spokesperson said.

Rising influenza and COVID-19 cases are putting increased demand on hospitals, particularly in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

The subvariants and mutations of COVID-19

They say they’ve been left with little choice other than to walk off the job to demonstrate their frustration, anger and desperation.

Categories
US

Jim’s Steaks owner says fire damage is not as bad as feared and he hopes for a 2023 comeback

A fence rings off the damaged Jim's Steaks and Eye's Gallery along South Street near Fourth Street on Sunday.

Could people be lining up again for cheesesteaks at Fourth and South Streets by Memorial Day 2023?

“I have to put a line in the sand somewhere,” Jim’s South St. Steaks owner Ken Silver said Sunday, two days after a fire sent 125 first responds to the landmark and put him and his 33 employees out of work at the height of the summer business peak.

The damage from the fire, believed to have started in the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system, was not as bad as feared, Silver said. I have credited firefighters, who remained on the scene for 10 hours dousing hot spots.

» READ MORE: Two-alarm fire damages Jim’s South St. Steaks

City inspectors found the four-story, century-old building to be structurally sound, he said, moving up the timeline for reopening.

On Friday afternoon, Silver had vowed to rebuild, even as he feared that the building would be a total loss.

Water and smoke damage to the Art Deco interior was extensive, but impossible-to-reproduce memorabilia on the first- and second-floor walls — including poster-size photos of Kobe Bryant dunking over the Sixers and a scene of long-ago South Street —were spared.

“My files were intact,” said Silver, 58, who operates the business that his father, Abner, cofounded in 1976. “The receivable bills [were there]. It could have burned the bills up, right?”

Next door at Eye’s Gallery — the Latin American-themed boutique that Julia Zagar opened in 1968 with a facade decorated with mosaics by her husband, artist Isaiah Zagar — damage could close the business for a year. Three full-time employees and two part-timers had worked there.

“It’s devastating,” Julia Zagar said Sunday. “There’s four to five feet of water in the basement,” which was part of Eye’s sales space, she said. Soot covered merchandise, business records were damaged, and a “very potent” smell permeated the whole building, she said.

When Eye’s returns, “it will be a whole different place,” said Zagar, 82. “Back then, we were hippies making things out of found objects,” she said. “We’ll find our way back.”

  • A GoFundMe for the Jim’s workers has been created at https://gofund.me/5d67ca38. Through additional wages, “we’re going to take care of them and make them whole,” Silver said. “We’re not a big business. We’re a family-run, tightly knit group.”

  • A GoFundMe drive for Eye’s Gallery to support recovery efforts has been created at https://gofund.me/37e72a9f.

  • A temporary Jim’s location could be set up in a nearby storefront, Silver said. He said he has heard offers of support from the local business community.

  • Fresh food, including 3,000 pounds of beef stored in Jim’s basement freezer, will be trashed. A pallet of canned foods and dry goods that Tilotta’s Provisions had delivered Friday to Jim’s sidewalk was given to Ishkabibble’s, a nearby sandwich shop, Silver said.

Silver spent Saturday at MilkBoy, the bar-restaurant across the street, to await city inspectors and to greet well-wishers, including John Foy, a founder of Bridget Foy’s restaurant two blocks away. An electrical fire in 2017, whose origin appeared similar to Friday’s blaze, destroyed the restaurant. Bridget Foy reopened in December 2020 after it was rebuilt.

Silver watched as a stream of limo, Uber, and Lyft drivers pulled up outside of Jim’s to drop off customers — many from out of town — who had not heard about the fire.

“There’s this family from the Middle East who always comes to us as soon as they land,” he said. “Their reaction was heartwarming,” he said.

The business traces its founding to 1939, when Jim Perligni (by some accounts spelled Pearligni) opened the store at 62nd and Noble Streets in West Philadelphia. The business was sold in the mid-1960s to William Proetto.

In 1976, Abner Silver, a lawyer who had done work for Proetto, joined him in opening the Jim’s at Fourth and South Streets, then Philadelphia’s Fabric Row. South Street was literally at a crossroads in the 1970s, as plans for a crosstown expressway had been scuttled shortly before and businesses catering to young people — such as JC Dobbs and the TLA — were moving in.

The location was a natural for cheesesteaks, a tourist favorite, thanks to Pat’s and Geno’s in South Philadelphia.

Silver, who also had a shop called Abner’s at 38th and Chestnut Streets, assumed sole ownership of what is formally Jim’s South St. Steaks & Hoagies after Proetto’s death in 2011. Shortly after, Silver’s son, Ken, took over the business as his father was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He died at age 79 in 2015.

The Proetto family operates the Jim’s Steaks location in Springfield, Delaware County.

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Categories
Business

Electric Chery Omoda 5 coming to Australia next year

Electric Chery Omoda 5 coming to Australia next year

The re-launched Chery brand is set to join Australia’s electric car market, with a 450km-range rival for battery-powered MGs and Hyundais.

alex misoyannis
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Above: Petrol-engined Omoda 5 pictured throughout.

chinese car maker cherry – which returns to Australia in late 2022 after departing seven years ago in the wake of an asbestos recall – has indicated it plans to introduce a rival for Australia’s most-affordable electric car before the end of next year.

Production of Chery’s first Australia-bound electric car is due to begin in September next year, ahead of first arrivals in Europe – and possibly Australia – by the end of 2023.

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Executives in China provided few details of the new model to Australian media last week, however information published in a Chery market research survey in Malaysia suggests the electric Omoda 5 will offer up to 450km of driving range.

Chery has identified the Hyundai Kona Electric as its main benchmark – and boldly claims its first global electric car will be “much better” than Australia’s second best-selling electric vehicle last year, the $44,990 (now $46,990) drive-away MG ZS EV.

“We already have [conducted] a lot of studies [into the electric car market]and compared and modified our EV to [compete with] the Hyundai Kona [Electric],” Charlie Zhang, executive vice president of Chery International, the company’s export division, told Australian media on Friday.

“The Omoda 5 BEV [battery-electric vehicle] is much better than the MG ZS EV. We have the new generation of electric and electronic architectures, and the design, technology, and features [are] very much different.”

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The Chinese car maker would not be drawn how much its new electric car would cost, but told media it will be “competitive”, and will “deliver value to customers”.

When asked by Drive if the electric Omoda 5 will be priced to compete with Australia’s cheapest electric cars at about $45,000, Zhang said: “I think we need to make some more analysis [before announcing a price].

“The most important thing I believe is that we need to offer value to our customers. We need to convince the customer that you will have a good offer from Chery or Omoda 5 BEV, because this car offers you something different, or something valuable.

“We need to define the pricing strategy, but so far, I don’t have any ideas about that. But my point is that we want to be competitive, in terms of the product itself, and also in terms of the value we have offered to the customers,” Zhang said.

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Specifications in Malaysia reveal just how closely the Chery will target its Korean rival, with a 150kW/400Nm front-mounted electric motor and 64kWh battery pack – identical to the top-of-the-range Kona Electric Extended Range.

These figures will reportedly be good for 450km of claimed driving range according to European WLTP procedures, a zero to 80 per cent fast charge in 40 minutes, and a five-hour “slow charge” on a home ‘wallbox’ charger.

The survey – published on Chery’s Malaysian social media pages – asked participants for their thoughts on possible prices for the Omoda 5 EV of between RM180,000 and RM200,000.

Direct currency conversions suggest prices of between $AU57,850 and $AU64,300 – though given the prices of the local competition (MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona Electric) an Australian price of between $50,000 to $60,000 drive-away appears more likely.

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Above: Chery’s first electric car, the eQ1 city car.

Chery executives also hinted at a plug-in hybrid version of the Omoda 5 – however this is yet to be locked in for Australia.

The Omoda 5 small SUV might be the first electric car from Chery in Australia, however it’s unlikely to be the last, with executives confirming to Australian media all of the company’s future models will be developed in right-hand drive, including electric ones.

“There will be a range of new products for right-hand-drive markets – particularly on our T2X [SUV] product platform, but also the electric cars in the future. So there will be a range of products for the Australian market,” Zhang said.

As reported, the Chery brand will return to Australia in October or November 2022 after a seven-year absence, with the Omoda 5 powered by two petrol engines. At least two more SUVs – and a ute – are due in the coming years

alex misoyannis

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.

Read more about Alex Misoyannis LinkIcon

Categories
Technology

Where to buy Google Pixel 6a online in Australia

Where to buy Google Pixel 6a online in Australia

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Google has firmly planted its flag in many corners of the tech world, none more so than the budget smartphone space. The Pixel “a” series has served up some critically-acclaimed phones, but Australian availability has sadly been limited.

Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Google Pixel 6a. It has received a full Aussie release, and with an RRP of $749, it’s one of the most tempting options in the price range. It boasts the same Tensor chipset that powers the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, a 12MP camera system and a choice of three colors – Chalk, Charcoal and Sage.

Can’t wait to pick up this brand new model? Here are the best storefronts for purchasing the Google Pixel 6a. For more information on finding the phone of your dreams, check out our guide to the 10 best smartphones in Australia.

Where to buy Google Pixel 6a

Where to buy Google Pixel 6a unlocked

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amazon

You can grab the all-new the Google Pixel 6a from Amazon. You can even save some dough by opting for an international version of the device, though this isn’t recommended for novices.

  • Free delivery on eligible items with an Amazon Prime membership
  • Express delivery available
  • 24/7 customer service
  • easy returns

Check prices at Amazon

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eBay

Nab this budget masterpiece on eBay. Thanks to eBay’s unique site design, you can browse a wide range of sellers to find the best price and product for you.

  • Free delivery on eligible items with an eBay Plus membership
  • New products added daily
  • Shop by guaranteed delivery date

Check prices at eBay

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google store

Purchase the Google Pixel 6a straight from Google itself. The Google Store provides a wealth of information about the 6a and other Pixel phones to ensure you won’t regret your purchase.

  • easy returns
  • Free phone recycling program

Check prices at Google Store

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Kogan

Pick up the Google Pixel 6a from Kogan and get a free 20GB Kogan Mobile plan.

  • Free delivery on eligible items with Kogan First membership
  • Next-day delivery available
  • Accepts Zip and Afterpay

Check prices at Kogan

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dick smith

Dick Smith is a leading electronics retailer for good reason. Head over there to purchase the Google Pixel 6a now.

  • Freight protection available
  • Fast shipping available on some products
  • Klarna availability

Check prices at Dick Smith

Which of these retailers offers free delivery

  • Amazon: Free delivery on eligible items with an Amazon Prime membership.
  • eBay: Free delivery on eligible items with an eBay Plus membership.
  • Kōgan: Free delivery on eligible items or with a Kogan First membership.

Buy Google Pixel 6a on a plan

Prefer to buy your phones from mobile carriers? Click here for our complete guide to buying the Google Pixel 6a from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

About Google Pixel 6a

How much of a downgrade is the Pixel 6a from the Pixel 6? While refresh rate is reduced from 120Hz to 60Hz, and the camera demoted from 50MP to 12MP, there’s still plenty to get excited about when it comes to the Google Pixel 6a – especially for an RRP of $749.

Like other budget smartphones such as the iPhone SE, the Pixel 6a offers value by featuring a top-of-the-line chipset. The 6a runs on the same Tensor processor as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, meaning you can enjoy much of the same power as the 6a’s cousins ​​while saving plenty of cash.

Throw in 3 beautiful colors, a 6.1 OLED display and a purported 24 hours of battery life, and the Pixel 6a is an enticing value proposition indeed.

Categories
Sports

Patrick Carrigan hip drop tackle, suspension, referred to the judiciary, Jackson Hastings injury, Brisbane Broncos, Aaron Booth, Joe Tapine

Patrick Carrigan hip drop tackle, suspension, referred to the judiciary, Jackson Hastings injury, Brisbane Broncos, Aaron Booth, Joe Tapine

Rugby league legend Gorden Tallis believes sending Patrick Carrigan straight to the judiciary is a harsh call and has questioned why Aaron Booth got off scot-free for a tackle that was just as dangerous, if not more.

Carrigan will front the judiciary on Tuesday night with a big ban looming for the Broncos star following a hip-drop tackle on Jackson Hastings.

Hastings was taken from the field with an ankle injury immediately after the incident and it’s since been confirmed he’ll require surgery and will miss the rest of the season.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Meanwhile, Titans hooker Booth was not penalized or cited by the match review committee for a cannonball-style tackle on Joe Tapine. The Raiders star made his known feelings about the tackle with the two engaging in a scuffle afterwards which saw Tapine sin-binned for an alleged punch.

Tallis told Triple M that he didn’t think Carrigan’s tackle “was as bad as some that I’ve seen this year” and brought up the Booth incident.

“So Aaron Booth, I have spears into the back (of Joe Tapine). Which one is worse in your eyes?,” he asked the panel.

“I can’t believe he didn’t get reported,” Ben Dobbin said.

“It wasn’t even a penalty,” James Hooper added.

Tapine binned for punching Titan | 00:23

Tallis acknowledged if he were in Hastings’ position he’d be “disappointed” but would still think the tackle was an accident.

He also put it to James Graham which tackle he’d “have more offense over” to which Graham said: “Probably the one from the Titans game, it seemed to have more intent in the tackle.”

But he added: “People say intent should be brought into it but it’s just so difficult to identify.

“You could say ‘it’s an accident, I was just trying to wrap the legs up,’ you could make an argument for the tackle on Joseph Tapine — the guy’s just going in to wrap his legs up and he goes too low.”

Given Bulldogs forward Corey Waddell received a five-game ban for an eye-gouge after being referred straight to the judiciary, it’s likely Carrigan will receive similar punishment.

MORE NRL NEWS

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‘INVOLVED IN FOUR GF’S’: O’Brien defends Knights’ NRL-worst defensive record

‘IN TROUBLE’: Broncos sweat on MRC as Carrigan on report for ‘horrendous’ tackle

However Tallis told Triple M that Carrigan should only get an absolute maximum of two weeks.

“I thought, calling it live, he would be unlucky to get a week or two,” he said.

But Fox League’s James Hooper believes the 24-year-old is facing a much longer stint on the sidelines and suggested the extent of Hastings’ injury will come into play.

“In all likelihood the fact he’s been referred… I think Pat Carrigan is rubbed out for the rest of the season and he’s back for September,” he said.

Tallis, however, believes an injury shouldn’t have any bearing on punishment—and an eye-gouge is worse than Carrigan’s tackle anyway.

“You can’t take that (Hastings’ injury) into consideration,” Tallis argued.

“If you tell me that tackle is as bad as an eye gouge… if someone has their fingers around your eyes I’d bite their fingers off.”

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!

James Graham agreed that Hastings’ injury shouldn’t be a factor.

“It shouldn’t, it really shouldn’t,” he said.

“The reason why they shouldn’t is because sometimes teams will lie about the extent of the injury and I’ve been on the end of that.

“In that Good Friday game where I went to charge down the drop goal from Adam Reynolds, Souths came out and said he’s going to be out for five-to-six weeks. He was out for two.

“If you’re going to go into what’s the severity of the injury, how do you know that is true?”

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Categories
Australia

Tasmania’s hydro storage drops below ‘prudent level’ after dry months, but experts not concerned yet

Tasmania's hydro storage drops below 'prudent level' after dry months, but experts not concerned yet

An historically dry Tasmanian summer and autumn has led to the state’s dam levels dropping below a “prudent” threshold for the first time in three years.

The state’s energy storages are at 32.7 per cent, lower than usual and below Hydro Tasmania’s prudent storage level.

It is the first time storages have gone below the prudent storage level — introduced after the 2016 energy crisis where dam levels plunged below 13 per cent due to dry weather and an extended outage of the Basslink undersea cable — since 2019.

Hydro Tasmania generation manager Jack Penny said storages were lower due to the state experiencing its driest summer to autumn period on record, plus unseasonably low July rainfalls.

He said dropping below the prudent storage level was “not cause for alarm”.

An infographic showing how Hydro Tasmania measures energy security.
Hydro Tasmania’s methodology for calculating energy security.(Supplied: Hydro Tasmania)

“Storages crossed the threshold in 2019, and Hydro Tasmania adjusted its operations accordingly to maintain water storages,” Mr Penny said.

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Categories
US

VA secretary: GOP-backed burn pit amendments would lead to ‘rationing of care for vets’

VA secretary: GOP-backed burn pit amendments would lead to 'rationing of care for vets'

Proposed amendments by Republican senators to a bill aimed at aiding veterans exposed to toxic burn pits would result in “rationing of care for vets,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said on Sunday.

“I can’t in good conscience do that, because the outcome of that will be rationing of care for vets, which is something I just can’t sign up for,” McDonough told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) appeared on the show earlier Sunday morning to explain Republican opposition to the bill, which was blocked last week when it fell five votes short of the tally needed to bypass the filibuster.

All Democrats and eight Republicans backed the proposal, and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) said Democrats will bring the bill forward a second time on Monday.

Republicans have accused their Democratic colleagues of a “budgetary trick” in the bill’s funding.

Toomey said Sunday that “to hide behind a veterans bill the opportunity to go on an unrelated $400 billion spending spree is wrong.”

But McDonough said the dollar amount Republicans are worried about isn’t a Trojan horse for the Democrats’ agenda.

“If you look at the bill for $400 billion that he’s talking about, you won’t see it. You would have to go deep in some — into some charts of the back of the CBO [Congressional Budget Office] report about — to find that. Why is that fund in the bill? The fund is in the bill so that we can ensure [that] all the spending for this program is for the veterans exposed to these toxins.”

GOP-backed amendments would put a year-on-year cap on spending and do away with the funding for veterans after 10 years.

“So the impact of that would be, if we — if his estimates are wrong about what we will spend in any given year, that means that we may have to ration care for veterans,” McDonough said.

“The CBO suggested, for one program we’re currently running, the MISSION Act, that we would be spending $14 billion a year less this year. So they’re $14 billion off. And that’s just four years out from their initial investment.”

Toomey is “asking us to take their word for it in eight or 10 years,” the secretary said. “I can’t in good conscience do that, because the outcome of that will be rationing of care for vets, which is something I just can’t sign up for.”

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Categories
Business

Absence of Chinese airlines in Australia pushes up cost of flights to Europe

Absence of Chinese airlines in Australia pushes up cost of flights to Europe

Want to fly to Paris in mid-September for a three-week break to take in the wonders of late summer in Europe? From either Melbourne or Sydney, you might grab an economy class airfare with a budget carrier at around $2,200 but fly with a premier-league airline and you can expect to pay between $3,500-$5,000.

Airfares have gone through the roof. In July 2022 you’re paying for a long-haul economy class seat what would almost have got you into premium economy before the pandemic. A premium economy seat? Expect to pay close to what a business fare would have cost in 2019.

What’s happened?

Increased fuel prices are part of the reason we’re paying more to fly to Europe, but another big factor is the lack of low-price competition. In May 2022 a total of 51 international airlines operated scheduled passenger services to Australia. That’s 10 fewer than in May 2019. Big deal you might think, but most of those airlines no longer in our skies are China-based carriers, and that’s where the problem lies.

Before the pandemic struck, those Chinese carriers gave Aussie travelers plenty of reasons to cheer. If you wanted a bargain basement airfare to Europe, whether economy or business class, chances are you flew aboard one of those Chinese airlines. Even if you flew with another airline, the Chinese carriers exerted downward pressure on the prices other carriers could charge.

Before the pandemic Chinese airlines had become a huge presence in Australian aviation. Underpinned by the vast number of Chinese tourists flooding into Australia – over 1.44 million in the 12 months to November 2019, a four-fold increase over the previous decade – China’s air services to Australia rocketed. In 2009 there were three China-based carriers flying into Australia. A decade later there were nine. As well as multiple flights daily to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai they offered non-stop flights to destinations as exotic as Kunming, Chengdu, Xiamen, Hangzhou and Qingdao.

The Chinese government even made it easy for Australians to have a stopover holiday with 72-hour visa-free entry to 18 Chinese cities, and 144-hour visa-free entry to a handful of others. Visa-free entry was simple. You showed up at the check-in desk and told the staff you’d be applying for visa-free entry. On board the aircraft you filled in the arrivals document, headed for the visa-free counter and presto – you were in.

Australia was keen to play ball, welcoming Chinese tourists with open arms. In December 2016 the government announced its intention to offer fast-track visa processing to Chinese tourists, confirming the introduction of 10-year, multiple entry visas for eligible Chinese visitors. The announcement was part of an open skies deal brokered between China and Australia, removing all capacity restrictions on their respective airlines.

In the first six months of 2019 the nine China-based airlines operating passenger services into Australia carried a total of 915,641 passengers. Assuming an average passenger load of 300 per aircraft, transporting those passengers would have required over 3000 flights. In the same six-month period in 2022 that number had shrunk to just three carriers and they transported a total of 22,251 passengers. That’s a quarter the number carried to and from Australia aboard just one Chinese carrier, China Southern Airlines, in the single month of January 2019.

In their absence, the remaining carriers have seized the opportunity and jacked up their prices on their European flights. Who could blame them? It’s been a dry couple of years, they’re carrying huge debt and they’re taking advantage of a surge in demand coupled with strangled supply.

Will the Chinese carriers return?

Not until the Chinese government allows its citizens to travel freely overseas, and right now they can’t do that except for essential reasons. Even when those restrictions are relaxed Australia might not be in the frame. The Chinese government has been quick to weaponize the vast number of its citizens who travel overseas, turning off the tap of travelers as it chooses, and right now Australia is in China’s sin bin. If we want to return to China’s warm embrace, we would need to button our lips, buckle to the demands of a more powerful and aggressive China and eat humble dumplings. So better get used to paying more for your airfare if you want to visit Europe. On the plus side, no international tourists from China means cheaper accommodation in Asia.

See also: Aussies flock to restriction-free Europe for northern summer

See also: Ten key tips for surviving the current travel chaos

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