In the hours after news broke on Saturday about the death of singer Judith Durham, our Europe correspondent Rob Harris – who has a rich understanding of Australian culture – sent me a prescient WhatsApp message as we digested the significance of her loss.
Rob’s theory was that in terms of female singers who changed the world, there are only five true Australian success stories: Dame Nellie Melba, Dame Joan Sutherland, Durham, Olivia Newton-John and Kylie Minogue.
As Neil McMahon wrote in the Herald the next day, it took tragedy for Durham to realize just how much Australia and the world loved her.
As she lay in hospital in 1990 after a car accident that had claimed the life of another driver, the nation was keeping vigil, willing her back to good health. “That was a very big turning point for me,” she recalled years later. “People’s goodwill towards you can enlighten you, your sense of being appreciated.”
As we mourned Durham, we were not to know that the brilliant light that was Newton-John’s life was days away from being extinguished. Her battle with cancer had been very public, but her death in California at the age of just 73 felt like a real punch in the gut. My friends and colleagues describe feeling physically sick at the news and even shedding a tear.
I was one of them. Newton-John’s warmth, generosity and positive energy was inspiring, and her work de ella in raising awareness of breast cancer has undoubtedly saved lives. She even once described her cancer as “a gift” because her diagnosis gave her purpose and intention and taught her a lot about compassion.
Olivia Newton-John, pictured in 1976, took the world by storm.Credit:Getty
Under the direction of culture news editor Osman Faruqi, the herald newsroom treated the loss of Newton-John with great skill. One of the best contributions came from culture editor-at-large Michael Idato, who has a unique ability to capture the significance of big moments in Australian life.
In a career spanning six decades, Olivia Newton-John was a woman for all seasons: singer and songwriter, actor, activist, mother and health advocate. Searching her life de ella for a single snapshot to frame, we turn easily to Sandy Olsson, the Australian schoolgirl who romantically upended the all-American Rydell High School in the film grease.
To generations of fans, it was the capstone of her career, where everyone who saw her hope became helplessly devoted. It reflects the many ways people related to her de ella, and now grieve for her. Olivia was a sister, a best friend, a secret crush and, for one glittering moment in Hollywood history, the new girl at school. As Rydell’s cheer queen Patty Simcox would have said, wasn’t she the most?
A Tasmanian police officer has been taken to hospital after his new patrol car crashed into another vehicle traveling in the same direction on Tasmania’s main highway on Friday night.
Key points:
Tasmania Police showcased the new Kia Stinger highway patrol car on Wednesday on social media
On Friday, the same car was involved in a crash on the Midland Highway, with the driver taken to hospital
Tasmania Police’s Professional Standards Unit are monitoring the investigation, police said
Police said the acting sergeant in his late 50s was flown to the Royal Hobart Hospital by helicopter and was being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The three occupants of the other car were not injured.
Police said crash investigators were conducting inquiries and the Tasmania Police Professional Standards Unit would monitor the investigation.
The crash comes two days after Tasmania Police publicly launched its new Kia Stinger highway patrol vehicles, which it said were “adding to the wide range of high-visibility resources available for the new Road Policing Services unit”.
The car involved in Friday’s crash is the same car police featured in their announcement on Wednesday.
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On Thursday, it was announced Inspector Gary Williams had “begun in the brand-new role of state road safety coordinator.”
“We’re throwing everything we can at making our roads safer, including these brand-new highway patrol vehicles, and we’re using other resources like drones and our community evidence portal to help us track down traffic offenders,” Inspector Williams said in a statement on Thursday.
“Talk to your family, talk to your friends, talk to your children, about making the right choices on our roads and make it clear that none of us should be taking risks or thinking we’re above the rules.
“Being ‘a good driver’ is irrelevant. It’s time for everyone to take road safety seriously.”
It is unclear how many of the new Kia patrol cars police have on Tasmanian roads.
A tiny mishap that has caused a lot of paperwork has landed a homebuyer with a small city’s worth of homes purchased for the price of one.
Thanks to four mistaken keystrokes, the new owner of a single-family home received an additional 84 house lots, plus two common spaces for a total of 86 properties, while getting the deed for her new house in a small town in Nevada, United States , which alone is valued at $US594,481 ($843,000), according to the Reno Gazette Journal.
The reason for the bonus homes, located in a development northeast of Reno, was simply administrative human error, the New York Post reports.
“It appears Westminster Title out of Las Vegas may have copied and pasted a legal description from another Toll Brothers transfer when preparing [the homebuyer’s] deed for remembrance,” Washoe County chief deputy assessor Cori Burke told the Journal.
The error was at least obvious enough that it was noted almost immediately — but the damage had already been done.
“Because it was pretty clear a mistake was made, our assessment services division reached out to Westminster Title right away so they could begin working on correcting the chain of title for the 86 properties transferred in error,” Burke went on.
Such copy-paste errors in fact happen “fairly often,” although rarely do they involve so many properties.
“This particular case is just a little more interesting because of the number of lots involved,” said Burke.
Although amusing, fixing the erroneous land grab will be quite a headache, and require the homebuyer to transfer the title back to Toll Brothers, who will then in turn transfer it to new property owners through typical channels.
“I think someone could try to make things difficult. However, the title company also has the offer and acceptance for the purchase on file so intent is pretty clear,” Burke told the publication.
“I would think it would be a loser in court and doubt it happens often, if at all.”
This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission
Breedlove Guitars came to prominence right as the Unplugged phenomenon of the ’90s was really taking hold, as even non-acoustic players began to think, “Hmm, maybe I need a really nice acoustic instead of the cheap basher I’ve been dragging to the beach’.
The company’s Concert shape rapidly became a classic, and this distinctive cutaway outline informs the four models in the company’s line-up today.
But for a while it was impossible to buy a Breedlove locally in Australia.
Now Amber Technology has taken on the Breedlove line in Australia, right in time for a new collection designed to reflect the guitar-maker’s commitment to ecologically friendly, sustainable luthiery.
Read all the latest features, columns and more here.
“The team at Amber is pleased to welcome Breedlove Guitars into our musical instrument portfolio,” Amber Technology managing director Peter Amos says. “Breedlove offers guitarists a unique opportunity to combine music with the environment, and we look forward to working with the Breedlove team.”
Designed in Breedlove’s Bend, Oregon HQ with Chief Product Designer Angela Christensen – who apprenticed under company co-founder Kim Breedlove – the ECO Collection is built using exclusively clear-cut free, salvaged, and individually harvested native and exotic tonewoods. Breedlove owner Tom Bedell personally took it upon himself to visit forests the world over to source raw materials from local families, mills, and suppliers, with the aim of preserving and protecting the world’s forest habitats and the communities who strive to peacefully coexist alongside them.
The line is built around a specially formulated laminate featuring a resonant core tonewood layer of clear-cut free, individually harvested African mahogany, rather than the softer, less musical woods used in standard guitar manufacturing. Breedlove says that this, combined with their research into body shapes, allows the company to build to a target tonewood weight. All ECO Collection guitars feature Breedlove’s pinless bridge design.
“For the first time, this new collection allows musicians to play in an environmentally friendly way featuring a solid top guitar with vibrant, renewable, sound enhancing EcoTonewood back and sides,” Breedlove owner Tom Bedell says.
“The new Breedlove Discovery S, Pursuit Exotic S, and all-African mahogany Rainforest S models feature fully sustainable, integrated tonewood technology, meaning that great, affordable, natural sound can be good for the earth, too.”
The Breedlove ECO Collection is arranged into three models at ascending price points. The beginner-friendly Discovery S Series, the Rainforest S Series which Breedlove says is designed to honor the sounds of the Congo River Basin (in multiple finishes including Papillon, Midnight Blue, Black Gold, and Orchid), and the Pursuit Exotic S Series, which features a TUSQ nut and saddle along with the most eye-catching of tops including koa and myrtlewood. Side-mounted Fishman Presys I electronics (with built-in tuner, volume, contour and phase controls) are included.
Amber is of course also importing Breedlove’s USA-Made in Bend instruments, which are handcrafted, handvoiced, and Sound Optimized – Breedlove’s proprietary system for carefully matching tops and backs sanded to weight, not thickness, and tuned to target frequencies for tone, projection, and sustain.
Breedlove was founded in 1990 when pioneering California luthiers Larry Breedlove and Steve Henderson left their jobs at Taylor Guitars in San Diego County and headed for the rural vibe of Tumalo, Oregon, just northwest of Bend, opening a shop in what was basically an old barn . In forging their own identity Breedlove developed advances such as graduated tops, bridge trusses, asymmetrical headstocks, and winged bridges.
The company Two Old Hippies, led by Tom Bedell, bought Breedlove in 2010, after the workshop had already been moved into Bend. A larger facility was opened in 2012 and remains the home of the USA-Made In Bend guitars, crafting around two thousand instruments a year all by hand, by a team of nearly three-dozen craftspeople.
The Breedlove Sound Optimization process is a good example of the innovation that happens behind the scenes so that when you strum a chord, you feel a living, breathing instrument. The process involved experienced luthiers meticulously tapping, listening, and shaving away tiny curls of tonewood to target specific, measurable frequencies to make each instrument hit its tonal sweet-spot.
Each species of wood is carefully milled, weighed and evaluated, tuning backs and tops not only to each other, but with consideration to the specific qualities of each guitar shape. When Christensen designs a guitar, she’s thinking not only of the set of variables that can be controlled by Sound Optimization, but also the unique relationship between an instrument’s body shape and size and the dimension of the soundhole and how those parameters interact with specific pieces of wood.
“Breedlove has continued, really, from the dreams of Larry and Steve,” Bedell says. “Everything we’re doing today is still based on innovation and customization. Those are the themes that inspire us. We’re constantly learning. It’s just this real passion to create the best sounding instruments possible.
“A big part of Breedlove’s history has to do with redefining body shapes. We keep the very first Concert (which Bedell acquired from Larry Breedlove) ever made on display in the lobby!”
The Breedlove ECO Collection is arriving at selected reseller partners now, and Amber Technology will release the Breedlove Made In Bend range later in the year.
Head to Breedlove for more information. For local inquiries, reach out to Amber Technology.
Late entertainment icon Olivia Newton-John once spoke of her desire to keep her marriage to John Easterling private, but before the couple’s fairytale romance came to be, the actress’ tumultuous love life was often plastered across the headlines.
Newton-John, who died on Tuesday at 73 after a long battle with cancer, her husband of 14 years and daughter Chloe Lattanzi by her side, had once gushed about how lucky she was to find the “the love of her life” at 59 .
It came after the mysterious disappearance of her ex-partner of nine years, and divorce from her first husband, Matt Lattanzi, Chloe’s father, which ended with him dating and then marrying the couple’s former babysitter Cindy Jessup — a detail many believed to have shattered Newton-John.
But the actress insisted it never bothered her – and today Jessup paid loving tribute to Newton-John in an interview with the Daily Mail.
‘The world has lost a true angel. Olivia cared so deeply about people and the planet. She was such a force for goodness, always helping others,” Jessup told the outlet.
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Inside Olivia Newton-John’s first marriage
The chemistry was instant when Newton-John and Lattanzi first met on the set of 1980 musical film Xanaduwhere Lattanzi, then 20, was hired as a dancer and Newton-John, then 31, was starring as Greek muse Kira.
Four years later they wed, welcoming their daughter, Chloe Rose, in January 1986.
Tragedy struck in 1992 when the couple faced Newton-John’s first cancer battle together, with the star’s neece Tottie Goldsmith revealing he was “so supportive” of her.
However, just three years later, in 1995, the couple announced their divorce.
They managed to stay friends, despite Lattanzi, who was 40 at the time, moving on with the family’s babysitter Cindy Jessup, then 23, two years after they split.
The couple had hired Jessup in 1993 to help look after Chloe while Lattanzi was working on Aussie soap Paradise Beachand she quickly became part of the family.
A friend told reporters at the time of Jessup and Lattanzi’s 1997 wedding that Newton-John was “delighted” they had struck up a romance.
“It looks bad, because Cindy would often babysit his daughter and she was a friend of his and Olivia’s – but in those days there was no romance.”
Olivia blamed her cancer diagnosis for split
Newton-John later attributed the marriage breakdown partly to her cancer diagnosis.
While she admitted going through a divorce was “painful”, true to form, she held no ill will against Lattanzi for his marriage to Jessup.
“I think our marriage would have eventually come to an end, but it happened sooner because of the cancer, which was a good thing” she told the Daily Mail.
“It was very painful, but we were never at odds with each other.
“What happened between us was between us, and we wouldn’t allow it to affect (Chloe).”
She added: “Divorce is never all right. Everybody wants the happy ending and the white picket fence, particularly me.”
It seems that wish finally came true when Newton-John met natural-health businessman John Easterling, who she described as “the love of her life.”
“I have a wonderful, beautiful husband who is just so loving and fantastic,” she said after their low-key wedding in 2008.
“I always tell my friends you’re never too old to find love. I found the love of my life at 59 going on 60! I’m grateful.”
Matt Lattanzi went on to marry again
As for Lattanzi, it was not to last with Jessup, with the couple splitting after 10 years of marriage in 2007.
He married once more, and now runs a medicinal cannabis farm with third wife Michelle Lattanzi, who is currently in remission from colon cancer first diagnosed in 2014.
It seems the exes’ values aligned later in life, given Newton-John was passionate about ensuring medicinal marijuana was more widely available for cancer patients to manage pain.
Paying tribute to her husband’s ex-wife on Facebook on Tuesday, Michelle Lattanzi said the world had lost an icon.
“Today we lost one of the world’s greats Olivia Newton-John,” she posted on behalf of the couple.
“Matt and I are so overwhelmed with the love and gratitude shared with us by friends, family and a deeply loving community of fans who will all miss Olivia’s presence in this world.
“I have heard truly lovely stories and memories from people near and far, and honor in each of you where those feelings and memories come from.
“Nothing will replace the icon we lost, yet her legacy is alive and well in our hearts and memories, as well as her contributions to our global culture, her beloved daughter Chloe Lattanzi, and her cancer research and wellness center in Melbourne.
“Please honor your sadness, and then celebrate the joy that Olivia’s heart and lifetime achievements endowed in our world.
Eddie Holmes can still remember the exact moment he first learned about COVID-19.
Key points:
Australian virologist Eddie Holmes co-authored a study that has identified a Wuhan wet market as the likely epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic
Professor Holmes visited the market in 2014 and recognized the risk of virus transmission between animals and humans and suggested taking some samples
His research pinpoints a few square meters where the virus is likely to have been transmitted between animals and humans
The University of Sydney virologist said it was New Years Eve, 2019, when he received a news alert that China had notified the World Health Organization of a strange new virus.
“It said four cases of an episode of pneumonia were found in a live animal market in Wuhan, China,” he said. “It immediately rang alarm bells.”
Professor Holmes told ABC News Daily the story jumped out because he had visited that very market, the Huanan seafood wholesale market, in 2014.
“While I was there, I noticed there were these live wildlife for sale, particularly raccoon dogs and… muskrats” he said.
“I took the photographs because I thought to myself: ‘God, that’s, that’s not quite right’.”
A photo taken in 2014 by Professor Eddie Holmes, showing animals caged in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.(Supplied: Eddie Holmes)
Raccoon dogs had been associated with the emergence of a different coronavirus outbreak, SARS-CoV-1, in 2002-04, which became known worldwide as the SARS virus.
Even in 2014, Professor Holmes believed the market could become a site of virus transmission between animals and humans.
“I said to my Chinese colleagues: ‘This is a really interesting situation here. We should do some sampling of the animal market to see what viruses these animals have got and if they’re going to jump,'” he said.
‘Engine room of disease emergence’
The monitoring that Professor Holmes suggested never took place but, in the early days of COVID-19, he was still convinced that a market like the one in Wuhan was the logical origin of the virus.
“They are the kind of engine room of [this sort] of disease emergence … because what you’re doing is you’re putting humans and wildlife in close proximity to each other,” he said.
While a virus jumping from animals to humans seemed the most-likely cause of COVID-19, by early 2020, another theory had begun to emerge: that the virus had been created by Chinese scientists and had somehow escaped from a lab.
In January of that year, scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology released a paper in the journal Nature, comparing the COVID-19 genome to that of its closest-known relative: a bat virus produced in the very same lab.
This, Professor Holmes said, was all that was needed to spark a conspiratorial theory that quickly spread around the globe.
“At that point, people just said: ‘Oh, it’s come from the lab’,” he said.
“It sadly moved from being what it should be—a question of basic science—into a question of global politics.”
“That’s led to this horrendous, blame-game finger-pointing.”
In the months that followed, the University of Sydney professor played a key role in mapping the evolution of COVID-19, earning him the 2021 Prime Minister’s Award for Science and the 2020 NSW scientist of the year.
However, even after the COVID-19 genome was mapped, debates about the origins of the virus continued to gather steam.
Even an investigation by the World Health Organization in early 2021 that ruled the lab-leak theory unlikely, wasn’t able to fully rule it out.
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Why are COVID variants so dangerous?
Ruling out the lab-leak theory
While politicians were engaged in name-calling and speculation, Professor Holmes and his colleagues turned to the task of studying the data on the first known cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan.
“What we intended to do was take all that data and analyze it the best way we could, using the best techniques we have available today, to see what the most-likely place and route of origin for that virus was.”
Using spatial-mapping tools, the researchers pinpointed the locations of more than 150 of the earliest reported COVID-19 cases since December 2019.
In recent weeks, that research has been published in two articles in the journal Science which, Professor Holmes said, left him certain the virus originated in the Huanan seafood wholesale market.
“What you find is there’s a very, very strong clustering around the market,” he said.
“Not just the people who worked at, or visited, the market, but all those early cases, even with no link to the market, they all cluster around that market.
“That’s the epicenter, that’s where the virus definitely started spreading.”
A photo taken in 2014 by Professor Eddie Holmes, showing conditions inside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan.(Supplied: Eddie Holmes)
By contrast, the Wuhan Institute of Virology is more than 30 kilometers from the midpoint of the early cases, making it unlikely to be the origin.
“You wouldn’t expect it to be in a relatively obscure market so far from the lab if that’s where it actually began,” Professor Holmes said.
Aside from the geographic clustering, he also points to the fact that two different strands emerged almost simultaneously in humans, something that is much more likely if the virus had already been mutating in animals.
“If you look at the sequence itself, that tells you that there were probably two jumps from animals to humans and that tells you this happened around November 2019,” he said.
“They’re sufficiently far apart that they were probably independent jumps.
“It means there was a pool of infected animals in the market and it’s mutated amongst them before it jumped to humans.”
All of this has led Professor Holmes to conclude that the question of how COVID-19 emerged is settled.
“I’m extremely confident that the virus is not from a laboratory. I think that’s just a nonsensical theory,” he said.
Geographic clustering and spatial mapping
Detailed mapping of where samples were detected inside the Huanan seafood wholesale market allowed Professor Holmes and his colleagues to even pinpoint to a few square meters where COVID-19 was likely to have jumped between humans and animals.
“It’s extraordinary,” he said. “And I took a photo in 2014 of one of the stalls that was the most positively tested in the whole market.”
This image shows aggregated environmental sampling and human case data from Huanan Market, from a study in the journal Science, co-authored by Professor Eddie Holmes.(Supplied: Science)
While Professor Holmes is fairly confident about where the virus emerged, which animal it came from is a much murkier question.
“I’m certain it’s a zoonotic virus. I’m certain it was in the market, but what animals were involved? That is still a difficult question to answer,” he said.
“It could be raccoon [dogs]. But there are a whole variety of species we know being sold in that market at that time.”
“We can’t quite find ‘raccoon dog zero’ or ‘muskrat zero’.”
Professor Eddie Holmes said raccoon dogs, pictured here for sale in the Huanan market in 2014, could have been involved in the emergence of the COVID-19 virus.(Supplied: Eddie Holmes)
While Professor Holmes said the lab-leak theory had been ruled out by science, he did not expect that to stop the conspiracy theories.
“We will never stop hearing from people like Donald Trump about this,” he said.
“I’m not naive enough to believe that it will silence the debate.”
Professor Holmes said his main fear was that the lab-leak theory would continue to be used as a political weapon.
“There’s this horrendous global political battle going on,” he said.
“It’s being used to attack public health officials in the US, like [President Joe Biden’s Chief Medical Advisor, Dr Anthony] Fauci.
“It’s being used as a vehicle to support some of Trump’s views.
“I think this will rumble along for however long people are thinking about COVID, unfortunately.”
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People booked with Air New Zealand over coming months are crossing their fingers they won’t be among the thousands who will have their flights dropped as the airline deals with staff shortages.
The company said 100,000 customers would be affected by the reduced schedule, which was done so more staff could be on standby to cover for illness.
It has been six years since Sarah traveled overseas and now she is hoping for a dream holiday she is taking this month goes to plan.
READMORE: * What you should know if Air New Zealand changes your flight * Air New Zealand reduces flight schedule over next six months to deal with staff sickness * Air New Zealand bringing first aircraft back from American desert
But when she heard Air New Zealand suggested those with cheap seats would be bumped first, she saw red.
“Pretty angry, I’d say don’t bump me off, I booked my flights months ago, like they want you to do, then they go someone can come along and book in today and be ahead of me. That stinks, that’s really unfair.”
Ross Giblin/Stuff
Air New Zealand said 100,000 customers would be affected by the reduced schedule.
Sarah plans to travel from Christchurch to Auckland and then on to Singapore where she will catch a flight to India.
“If they muck up any of those flights, I’m going to be buggered. I’ve only got a one-hour connection in Singapore to get onto the other flight.”
The airline said when it cut flights it would offer a credit or refund for those who could not be rebooked for the same day or with a day on either side for international travel.
Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said the announcement omitted important information about passengers’ rights.
Would-be domestic travelers are entitled to claim up to 10 times the cost of the ticket or the actual cost of delay, whichever is lower, if the cancellation is within the airline’s control.
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Similar rules apply for international flights but vary depending on the airline and country the traveler is in.
“We recognize this is a challenging time for all airlines and commend Air New Zealand for proactively managing upcoming capacity and scheduling issues,” Duffy said.
“We’re not sure when this policy will begin impacting passengers – the more notice Air New Zealand can give its customers, the better.
“However, Consumer NZ has concerns that passengers affected by Air New Zealand’s schedule changes may not be given the full picture about their rights.”
If the airline offered a customer another flight that did not suit, they could ask for a refund and claim reimbursement for any additional costs such as accommodation and meals incurred getting to the destination, he said.
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Auckland woman Kirsten Henry has eight domestic flights booked for different trips this year, including to Queenstown to do a Great Walk.
“The travel that I have booked is time sensitive, all of it, and particularly the personal travel where if I was forced to take a later flight then that would potentially then mean I wouldn’t be able to do those things.”
She has booked fully refundable flexible fares at top dollar, which she now regrets after spending hours waiting on hold to get through to Air New Zealand’s customer service center last week to get a refund for a family member’s flight.
She gave up and opted for a credit online instead.
“It does annoy me that Air New Zealand’s selling these fully refundable fares but they’re not really unless you’re willing to really put yourself out and spend hours on the phone waiting to speak to a person. You should be able to cancel them on-line.”
Brook Sabin/Stuff
The airline said when it cut flights it would offer a credit or refund for those who could not be rebooked for the same day or with a day on either side for international travel.
Air New Zealand said its call center had a maximum wait of five hours at one point last weekend, when fog delayed many flights.
House of Travel chief operating officer Brent Thomas said airlines needed to be much more upfront about passengers’ rights when there were cancellations.
“There hasn’t been clarity given by Air New Zealand or others for that matter who fly through New Zealand. It is far clearer in certain other jurisdictions around the world.”
The affected customers would require clarity, Thomas said.
“This is a big disruption, 100,000 people over the next few months is massive,” he said.
“I understand it, they don’t want to disappoint people closer to the time, they want to give as much notice as possible and that’s to be applauded, but let’s not sugar-coat it. It still is something that’s going to be a bit of a downer for some people who are impacted and quite materially impacted.”
This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.
AUDI has revealed Australian pricing and details of its flagship mild-hybrid S8 sedan, offering a sharper design, new tech, and the same stonking performance we’ve come to expect.
The luxe limousine sits at the top of the A8 range and will cost Aussie buyers $273,400 plus on-road costs, making it the most expensive Audi on-sale Down Under and a fair chunk of change more than the outgoing model.
The $13,523 price hike over the outgoing model is somewhat justified, as the upcoming S8 scores new digital matrix LED headlights borrowed from the e-tron S, the A8’s 48-volt mild-hybrid system as standard, and a twin-turbo V8 with cylinder deactivation.
“The new Audi S8 is in rarefied air at the pinnacle of our model range,” said Audi Australia director Jeff Mannering.
“The Audi S8 is one of those truly special vehicles that is revered by many, but only owned by a few.”
The new S8 represents Audi’s no-holds-barred attempt at blending luxury with performance, as the car-maker’s top dog sedan since 1994.
“It stands apart for its unique combination of performance, luxury and innovation that is scarcely found anywhere in the market,” said Mr Mannering.
“The refreshed S8 continues this legacy, with new features that will ensure it retains its eminence at the peak of the Audi range, and of the luxury sedan market.”
On the performance front, power comes courtesy of a 4.0-litre TFSI twin-turbo V8 with ‘cylinder on demand’ (CoD), helped along by the S8s mild-hybrid system, producing 420kW of power and 800Nm of torque.
These hefty power figures equate to a 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds and electronically limited top speed of 250km/h – plenty of performance for a luxury sedan.
Drive is sent through a tiptronic eight-speed transmission, with quattro all-wheel drive system allowing up to 85 per cent of torque to be sent to the rear treads. Under normal operation. torque is distributed 40:60 front to back but remains variable.
Audi attributes the V8s soundtrack to its 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8 firing order, funneled through a dual exhaust system that is controlled via the Audi drive select system.
The 48-volt mild-hybrid system can recover up to 8kW of power while coasting or under light throttle openings, as well as providing power for the idle-stop system, equating to a fuel saving of up to 0.8 liters per 100km.
Audi’s CoD cylinder deactivation technology takes fuel savings one step further, allowing the S8 to run on four of its eight cylinders, contributing to the claimed 10.5L/100km combined fuel consumption.
Comfort is a key factor in the S8 and the upcoming model features ‘predictive active suspension’ technology, acting off various sensors and a video camera to constantly adjust the ride.
The S8 is even capable of loading or unloading individual wheels via an electric motor, balancing the chassis to achieve what Audi claims are “physics-defying dynamics”.
A modernized exterior design remains Audi-esque, muscular enough to hint at the S8s performance potential while retaining luxury limousine lines.
Digital matrix LED headlights have been borrowed from the e-tron S as standard, with 1.3 million micromirrors splitting the light into tiny pixels. OLED taillights are standard, which increase visibility based on proximity to trailing vehicles.
Occupants are treated to the same level of luxury they will be used to in the outgoing S8, but a new digital TV complements the well-appointed infotainment offering.
Audi’s latest safety tech is fitted to the S8, with park assist, 360-degree cameras, and all the usual driver safety aids.
Particularly handy, is Audi’s pre-sense technology that will raise one side of the vehicle to mitigate impact in the event of a side collision. Another new addition is night vision assist, which uses the digital matrix LED headlights.
Margot Robbie celebrated her pal Cara Delevingne’s 30th birthday in style on Friday as she enjoyed a lavish yacht party in Formentera.
The actress, 32, was seen enjoying a dip in the water with her pals as they partied on the swanky liner docked on the Spanish coast.
It comes a day after Margot was seen heading out for dinner with Cara and actress Sienna Miller as the model prepared to celebrate reaching the big 3-0.
There she is! Margot Robbie celebrated her pal de ella Cara Delevingne’s 30th birthday in style on Friday as she enjoyed a lavish yacht party in Formentera
Margot was seen swimming in the crystal clear ocean before leaning on a surfboard while chatting with her pals.
The Oscar nominee later emerged from the water clad in a white and blue mismatched bikini before washing off with a shower.
Margot was among a slew of Cara’s celebrity pals in attendance for the party, including Sienna Miller, who showed off her toned and tanned physique in a tiny chocolate brown bikini while soaking up the sun during the boat party.
The actress opted for a natural makeup look underneath a stylish pair of sunglasses, while accessorizing with dainty gold jewellery.
Enjoying the sun? The actress was seen enjoying a dip in the water with her pals as they partied on the swanky liner docked on the Spanish coast
Party time! Margot was seen enjoying a swim in the crystal clear ocean before leaning on a surfboard while chatting with her pals
Keeping cool: The Oscar nominee later emerged from the water clad in a white and blue mismatched bikini before washing off with a shower
Stunning: Margot was among a slew of Cara’s celebrity pals in attendance for the party, including Sienna Miller, who showed off her toned physique in a tiny chocolate brown bikini
Sienna styled her short blonde locks in loose waves before rocking the wet hair after taking a dip in the sea.
As well as displaying her figure, the actress also showed off her impressive diving skills as she was seen plunging into the water.
Cara let her hair down as she slipped into a plumping navy swimsuit and tucked into what appeared to be a bowl of frosting during the fun-filled celebrations at sea.
Gorgeous: The actress opted for a natural makeup look underneath a stylish pair of sunglasses, while accessorising with dainty gold jewelery
wow! She showed off her toned and tanned physique in a tiny chocolate brown bikini while soaking up the sun during the boat party
Beauty: Sienna styled her short blonde locks in loose waves before rocking the wet hair after taking a dip in the sea
Looking good: She then grabbed a towel to dry herself off after cooling off in the ocean
Look at her go! As well as displaying her de ella figure, the actress also showed off her impressive diving skills as she was seen plunging into the water
Mother: Sienna has one daughter, Marlowe, nine, with her actor ex Tom Sturridge, 36, who dated for four years between 2011 and 2015
Cara showed off her model figure in the swimwear, which she teamed with a pair of tiny denim shorts with black patches on the back.
The birthday girl looked to be having the best time as she smeared frosting over her lips and playfully tried to rub it on her pal Adwoa Aboah.
Cara was in good company among her famous friends on the trip as Margot Robbie, 32, was seen cooling off amid a refreshing dip in the Mediterranean.
Celebrations: Cara Delevingne rang in her 30th birthday in style on Friday as she joined a plethora of A-list pals on a lavish yacht trip Formentera, Spain, with the star seen tucking into frosting
The actress – who is 15 years old Oli’s senior – confirmed the couple’s romance when she stepped out with the fashion model back in February at a New York Knicks game.
Rising star Oli was the face of a Burberry 2018 campaign and has also modeled for high street retailer GAP.
While he is also an actor, and is from one of the British art world’s most prestigious families – as his grandfather Richard Green owns two galleries in Mayfair.
Sienna has one daughter, Marlowe, nine, with her actor ex Tom Sturridge, 36, who dated for four years between 2011 and 2015.
Loved up: The actress – who is 15 years old Oli’s senior – confirmed the couple’s romance when she stepped out with the fashion model back in February (pictured in May)
Hi there. It’s Friday, August 12 and you’re reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today’s news.
A report into workplace culture at NSW parliament was delivered today by former sex discrimination commissioner elizabeth broderick.
Almost 450 people, or 27.7 per centof all parliamentary workersparticipated in the review.
Known as the Broderick Report, it found that one-in-three staff had experienced sexual harassment or bullying in the past five years.
The report also found:
52 per cent of bullying incidents were allegedly perpetrated by members of parliament
Almost 10 per cent said they had heard about, or witnessed, at least one sexual assault
2 per cent indicated they had experienced actual or attempted sexual assault
Bullying was found to be “systemic“and”multi-directionalacross parliamentary workplaces
Half of the reported incidents occurred at parliament housewith the remainder occurring at electorate officesduring work related travelat work-related social functions and on-line.
Premier Dominic Perrotte said the report’s findings were “sovereign, confronting and unacceptable”, and vowed to end workplace harassment in parliament.
The report found a sexist culture existed within the NSW parliament.(AAP: Bianca De Marchi)
The national Education Minister Jason Clare met with his state and territory counterparts on Friday to address what they can do about the declining number of teachers.
Here are the main takeaways:
Federal, state and territory education ministers will develop a national action plan to help address the “massive challenge” of teacher shortages in Australia
There’s been a 16 per cent drop of young students going into teacher training, and the graduation rate for teachers is sitting at just 50 per cent
The ministers met with teachers, principals and representatives from independent and Catholic school groups, as well as unions
Mr Clare said the ministers heard confronting stories of teachers working 70-hour weeks
The action plan will be prepared by Decemberand will focus on strategies to encourage more people to become teachers, prepare them for the workforce, and retain those already in the industry
The federal government says it is also looking into more skilled visas for teachers to help address the workforce shortage.
The number of people studying teaching degrees is declining, despite growing classroom numbers.(AAP: Dan Peled)
News alerts you might have missed
Four children under the age of 10 years who were abducted north of mackay yesterday have been found safe and well. Police are still searching for Joshua Carter, who they allege took the children from their home about 11:30am yesterday.
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Anne Heche suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury” according to a statement from representatives. (AP: Invision/Jordan Strauss/File)
What Australia has been searching for online
McDonald’s. The fast food giant has been hit with claims of wage theft by the union for retail workers, which alleges employees were denied paid breaks. The union is seeking at least $250 million in compensation on behalf of more than 250,000 current and former employees across Australia.
Olivia Wilde. The US actor and director has won custody of her two children from her with her former fiance and Ted Lasso star, Jason Sudeikis, after being served legal documents while on stage at an event in April.
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one more thing
Meet Pac Manthe hawk hired by the San Francisco’s metro system with one job: to scare away pigeons.
The 5-year-old Harris’s hawk has been patrolling the The Little Hill of the North station with falconer Ricky Ortiz to stop pigeons from roasting (and protecting commuters from pigeon poop) three days a week.
To prevent Pac-Man from feasting on the pigeons or local rodents, Mr Ortiz gives him snacks throughout the day.
So far it’s been a success. Mr Ortiz says there’s “probably less than half“of the pigeons at the station now Pac-Man is on duty.
It ain’t much, but it’s honest work for Pac-Man.(Reuters: Carlos Barrio)
