Rail Tram and Bus Union secretary Alex Claassens said the protected industrial action had been deliberately designed to ensure services could continue to run and described the operators’ decision to shut the lines down as a “disgraceful response”.
“There is absolutely no reason for the Illawarra line to be shut down on Wednesday. The protected industrial action being taken by rail workers will, by design, impact very few workers at any one time,” he said on Monday.
Sydney Trains chief executive Matthew Longland.Credit:Nine
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the operators planned to provide limited rail services on the lines during the industrial action, but the Rail Tram and Bus Union was “unable to provide guarantees about staffing and operational arrangements”.
“We are continuing to work with the RTBU to develop a plan for live running of a possible hourly, limited stop train service on the T4 and South Coast line on Wednesday, but that will be dependent on the number of trains that are available and staff that are willing to work during the stop work period,” they said.
The NSW government suffered an embarrassing defeat early last month in its efforts to stop unions from taking industrial action across Sydney’s rail network.
The Fair Work Commission dismissed the government’s bid to suspend industrial action for 10 weeks, rejecting “inexplicable” claims that it was harming the state’s economy.
The rail union wants the government to sign a deed guaranteeing that it will modify the new intercity train fleet at a cost of $264 million to address safety concerns, before completing negotiations over a new pay deal. However, the government wants both the train fleet modifications and a new enterprise agreement completed together.
With Matt O’Sullivan
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Police in Albuquerque said they arrested the “primary suspect” in the killings of four Muslim men in New Mexico’s largest city — deaths have raised fears in the community and led to increased security at mosques and schools.
Muhammad Syed, 51, of Afghanistan, was charged in two of the killings and was called a suspect by police in the two other slayings.
Chief Harold Medina said Tuesday the arrest happened after authorities tracked down a vehicle linked to one of the killings.
Albuquerque authorities bolstered security measures as worries mounted within the Muslim community over the ambush-style killings, the most recent happening Friday. Authorities sought help Monday searching for a vehicle that appeared to be the one discovered Tuesday. Police said in a news release they suspected the vehicle was used in the homicides – a dark gray or silver four-door Volkswagen, possibly a Jetta or Passat, with tinted windows.
The common elements in the deaths were the victims’ race and religion, officials said, and authorities discovered a possible link between the killings. Authorities released photos, hoping people could help identify the car, and offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, from Afghanistan, was the first victim, killed Nov. 7. Aftab Hussein, 41, and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, were killed July 26 and Aug. 1, and Naeem Hussain, 25, was shot to death Friday , according to investigators. The last three victims were from Pakistan.
Syed is facing murder charges in the deaths of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and Naeem Hussain. According to Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock, Syed is also believed to have “involvement” in the two other deaths.
Hartsock said firearms found in Syed’s home and car through search warrants were matched to bullet casings the two crime scenes.
Albuquerque’s Muslim community in fear
Khalid Emshadi, a Republican candidate for New Mexico’s House of Representatives, had campaign events planned for Friday – but he said fear of a possible serial killer targeting Muslims in Albuquerque could keep him home.
“I’m thinking to cancel them,” said Emshadi, 44, a Muslim who emigrated with his wife from Libya to the USA in 2008. He’s lived in New Mexico’s most populous city for more than a year.
“I cannot work the streets,” the father of five told USA TODAY before the arrest. “I cannot knock on doors because if this person is still on the streets and feeling comfortable killing Muslims, I could be his next target from him.”
Emshadi said the killings have made him and fellow Muslims nervous to practice their Islamic rituals at mosques. “We think something bad is going to happen if we just start praying, (like) a crazy person comes inside and shoots us,” he said.
QUESTIONS ABOUT MAR-A-LAKE SEARCH? Here’s how warrants, subpoenas and grand juries work
ALBUQUERQUE MURDERS:Authorities probe possible link among killings of 4 Muslim men
Samia Assed, an Albuquerque-based Muslim community activist and organizer, said she knew Hussain, the third victim. Her fellow civic engagement worker was due to get married in September, Assed told USA TODAY.
“Muhammad was part of a cricket team, and his whole cricket team left town the next day (after he was killed),” Assed said.
“These are young men who come to America for the peace of mind of just living a life and not having to worry about the issues that they left back home,” she said. “Nobody wants to face this kind of fear.”
Anti-Muslim hate crime statistics in Albuquerque
Few anti-Muslim hate crimes have been recorded in Albuquerque over the past five years, according to FBI data cited by Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism and a professor of criminal justice at California State University at San Bernardino .
From 2017 through 2020, there was one anti-Muslim hate crime a year. The highest recent number was in 2016, when Albuquerque police recorded six out of a total of 25 hate crimes.
That largely tracks with national trends, which hit the lowest numbers in a decade in 2020, only to increase by 45% in 2021 in a dozen cities and states, Levin said.
DROWNING INVESTIGATION:Body of Arkansas judge found at bottom of lake after disappearing from family trip
Albuquerque authorities said the motive in the killings is unclear.
City officials, along with state and local law enforcement, heightened security efforts as authorities investigated.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said police protect mosques during prayer times. The city organized home food deliveries and access to trauma services through the Albuquerque Community Safety Department for those who need them.
“We are outraged by these attacks and will not relent in our pursuit of justice for those we have lost,” Keller said in a statement.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said additional state police will patrol Albuquerque.
Police ramped up their presence near Muslim-affiliated schools and worked with the University of New Mexico’s police department in preparation for the fall semester. Albuquerque Public Schools worked with the city on addressing student safety, Keller said, noting the school year starts Wednesday for most.
FATAL COLLISION:Grandfather and 2 grandkids among 4 dead in Texas golf cart crash
Police provided the Islamic Center of New Mexico with extra security in addition to the mosque’s own, Assed said.
“This is foreign to the community” of about 4,000 Muslims in Albuquerque, she said. “It was a big surprise to have it in sequence this way within the Muslim community.”
“The authorities have been amazing, they really stepped up,” said Assed, who organized a community prayer Tuesday night in memory of the four shooting victims.
Woolworths customers in two states have reported concerning incidents with recent iceberg lettuce purchases, prompting the supermarket giant to launch an investigation.
Sharing on Facebook, two shoppers – from Queensland and NSW – revealed that they’d discovered brown spots in lettuce that were recently purchased from Woolies.
It’s understood the discolouring is associated with excessive humidity and wet weather conditions in growing regions.
For more Food related news and videos check out Food >>
While the disease – believed to be a bacterial soft rot – looks unsavory, 7NEWS.com.au understands that lettuce heads that have the discolouring are not a health risk and can be consumed.
With iceberg lettuce prices soaring to record highs in recent months, the customers have voiced their frustration at having taken home lettuce that were less than perfect.
Both shoppers reported that the icebergs appeared to be normal and in good condition when they were purchased.
A Queensland shopper shared these images of brown, slimy spots on an iceberg lettuce she recently purchased. Credit: Facebook
However it was only when they peeled back the outer leaves at home, that the brown spots and slime became visible.
“I treated us to a ‘fresh’ iceberg lettuce today from Woolworths for the first time in months,” said one Ipswich customer.
“Took off the outer leaves to put the ‘fresh’ inner leaves on our chicken burgers for dinner. Yeah, that didn’t happen considering I was met with a slimy, rotten mess. Yuck!
“The outer leaves looked normal … certainly not paying $6.50 for something I have to chuck straight to the chooks!”
Another Sydney customer shared a photo of her brown lettuce, saying: “I don’t mind paying what you guys ask but this is ridiculous.”
Experts say brown, slimy spots on a lettuce – which don’t appear on the outer leaves – can be a sign of bacterial soft rot in the lettuce.
Bacterial soft rot – or pectobacterium carotovorum – is typically caused by moist conditions and injury to the plant.
A Sydney shopper shared this image of the iceberg lettuce she purchased from her local Woolies. Credit: Facebook
The disease causes brown-coloured rot on infected areas and may go unnoticed until the leaves are removed.
Some Facebook users pointed out that recent flood conditions may have contributed to any problems with the lettuce.
“Did you stop and think that maybe, just maybe, they have been flood affected?” asked one. “It would be impossible to see what the inside looks like under the outer leaves.”
Woolworths responds
A Woolworths spokesperson has said that the supermarket is investigating the incidents.
“We take food quality seriously and are disappointed to receive similar reports from these customers,” the spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au.
“We’ve passed this onto our suppliers and supply chain teams, who are assessing existing lettuce supply for any discolouring. This will continue to be monitored.
“We haven’t received any other reports on similar products at this time.”
Woolworths customers are encouraged to contact their local store for a replacement and refund if they are disappointed with the quality of one of the supermarket’s products
Like butterfly keyboards and chargers being included with iPhones, the MacBook’s Touch Bar seems doomed to extinction soon. The feature wasn’t completely useless, but its diminutive size prevented it from reaching its true potential. If you’re going to put a screen on a keyboard, you need to fully commit to the idea, like this mechanical keyboard with a 12.6-inch touchscreen does.
Amazon’s listings of consumer electronics continue to be slowly taken over by brand names that are not only completely unknown, but seemingly created by a random character generator. You can talk amongst yourselves about the right way to pronounce, “Ficihp,” but there’s little debate as to the usefulness of this creation.
As spotted by BoingBoing, although it looks like a self-contained mashup of a laptop and a tablet, the keyboard contains no actual computer components. On its own, it’s useless. But when cable connected to a computer, or a mobile device that’s compatible with external displays and hardware accessories, it serves as both a compact 71-key mechanical keyboard and a 12.6-inch color touchscreen with an ultra-wide aspect ratio and a cropped HD resolution of 1920×515.
Unlike the MacBook’s Touch Bar, which had its customization limited by how applications chose to use it, the screen on this keyboard serves as a secondary display for a laptop or desktop PC, so users can move whatever apps or toolbars onto it they so please. The ability to have touchscreen shortcuts for commonly used tools and functions in complex apps like Photoshop was one tantalizing use case the Touch Bar never fully delivered, but this could.
Some of the other suggested use cases for this accessory in the keyboard’s promotional imagery actually seem quite handy. For instance, you could use the keyboard’s screen to take notes during a video conference call, leaving the larger screen for showing the talking heads of all the participants. Or, you could just use it as a dedicated place to park your Twitter feed so it’s visible at all times. It’s your mental health, who are we to tell you how to take care of it?
Image: Ficihp
The device is seemingly no slouch as a keyboard either, with adjustable brightness, swappable keycaps, and full RGB backlighting that has 15 different built-in lighting patterns. It’s also got n-key rollover, so it’s potentially even suitable for gaming too.
The hardware does have some. It’s only real connection to a device is through a USB-C port, so if you need to go the HDMI route for an older PC or laptop, you’ll need to get a hub or cable adapter to bridge the two. And while the touchscreen supports up to 10-point touch detection, that only works when this thing is connected to a Windows PC. When paired with a Mac, touch detection is limited to just a single point.
The biggest issue, however, might be the keyboard’s $US390 ($541) price tag. You can easily find a much larger hi-def external display and a passable mechanical keyboard for cheaper than this. Is the added touch functionality right at your fingertips worth the premium pricing? That’s up to you.
The NRL won’t be reversing the outcome of Wests Tigers’ controversial loss to North Queensland in round 19 but will review the rule that allowed a captain’s challenge after the siren had gone.
And the Tigers also confirmed the club had decided not to pursue a course of legal action after “forcibly” making its position clear to the NRL in recent discussions having also undertaken independent advice.
In the aftermath of the Cowboys kicking a penalty kick to snatch a 27-26 victory courtesy of a captain’s challenge after the final siren, the NRL admitted bunker official Ashley Klein got the wrong call to uphold North Queensland’s challenge after winger Kyle Feldt and the Tigers ‘Asu Kepaoa collided while Feldt was chasing a kick.
Klein incorrectly ruled that Kepaoa had provided an “escort”.
The NRL world was fuming for what most considered the worst decision of the season and the Wests Tigers threatened legal action.
But after an investigation and meetings between league heavyweights and the clubs, the NRL declared on Monday there would be “no further consideration” of the match, ruling out awarding the game to the Tigers.
“Chairman and CEO of the Wests Tigers met with the chairman of the ARLC, NRL CEO and NRL head of football last week,” an NRL statement said.
“The meeting was agreed to discuss various aspects of the rulings made in the final minutes of the Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys match on 24 July 2022, being the subject of a formal complaint lodged by Wests Tigers with the NRL.
“The NRL has acknowledged the concerns raised by the Wests Tigers and in response has put forward its interpretation of the rules which enabled the captain’s challenge to be made and the subsequent decision of the bunker match official.
“The NRL has already acknowledged that the bunker official decision of ‘escort’ was incorrect, leading to the erroneous awarding of a penalty in favor of North Queensland Cowboys which ultimately decided the match.
“On the matter of whether the captain’s challenge was permissible in terms of how the rules were drafted, the NRL and the Wests Tigers expressed differing views and interpretation.
The NRL is comfortable with the interpretation that was applied but has acknowledged, in light of the concerns raised by the Wests Tigers, that the rule needs to be reviewed at the end of the season to provide more clarity so as to ensure that there is no future misunderstanding as to the intent and application of the rule.
“Wests Tigers will be consulted as part of the review, together with other interested clubs and stakeholders.
“The NRL acknowledges the professional and respectful manner in which the representatives of the Wests Tigers have pursued their concerns on behalf of their club’s members and fans.
“There will be no further consideration in relation to the match of 24 July 2022.”
Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis had said in the aftermath of the game that the club was exploring its legal options but the club ruled that out on Monday after talks with the NRL
In a statement the club said that decision may be “disappointing to many” but officials were happy they would be consulted on charges to the rules.
“We have made our point to the NRL and made it forcibly,” the statement said.
“We did so on behalf of our members and fans and gave voice to their legitimate concerns that the outcome of the match was not just nor fair. We extracted a concession from the NRL that the obstruction penalty which was given was erroneous and therefore, by implication, Wests Tigers should have won that match.
“We know it, everyone knows it. Unfortunately, the history books will not record it that way.”
Long-term hospitality staff are as rare as hen’s teeth in outback Queensland.
Key points:
Families are being broken up between countries due to long delays in processing visas for skilled migrants
It could take more than six months for the government to deal with a backlog of almost a million unprocessed visas
Business owners say it’s rare to find workers who want to stay in remote communities
When Sri Lankan chef Madushka ‘Max’ Dilshan Perera moved to Longreach in 2020 to work in a local pub, his skills were not taken for granted.
The chef started a weekly night ‘Sri Lankan Curry Night’ which has become a local institution.
Mr Perera wants to stay in Longreach long-term and raise his family there.
“I love this town and I love to work here,” Mr Perera said.
“My whole life is here, everything I bought, the toys for my kid, it’s all unpacked and in the house.
“Everything I worked for is here.”
But the outback chef has spent much of his time in Australia in limbo, trying to get visas for his wife and two-year-old daughter to join him in western Queensland.
Mr Perera says the first thing he’ll do when his family comes to Australia is spend some quality time around town.(ABC Western Qld: Danielle O’Neal)
Forced to wait while the borders were closed, Mr Perera’s family applied for their entry visas in March this year.
Mr Perera hadn’t heard anything from the government since April, which left him worried about his future.
“I work here, I go home, I’ve got no one. Last week I got sick and I had no-one,” Mr Perera said.
“Just doing FaceTime every night and after the phone call I start crying because I miss my daughter.
“We became a family because we need each other and right now I don’t have anyone and the same for them as well.”
Max has seen his two-year-old daughter in Sri Lanka for two weeks of her life.(ABC Western Qld: Danielle O’Neal)
After the ABC spoke with Mr Perera, questions about his situation were put to the Department of Home Affairs on Monday morning.
That afternoon, after months of waiting, his family were granted their visas.
Mr Perera said he was already trying to arrange flights to Longreach so they could be reunited.
‘We don’t seem to be able to deliver what we offer them’
The news is a boost not only for the young dad, but also for his boss.
Birdcage Hotel owner Gavin Ballard said it was extremely rare to find staff who want to stay long-term in remote outback towns.
“It takes a special person to come out to the outback and to work, so when you get someone who wants to stay as a business owner you certainly want to look after them and do the right thing by them,” Mr Ballard said.
Gavin Ballard says Mr Perera has been fantastic for the community, and his business.(ABC Western Qld: Danielle O’Neal)
“A lot of people like to go to the coast.
“We’ve had our trials of chefs who come this way and get job offers and they just go back to the coast, which is why we went the sponsored way.
“We’ve got a couple more guys here doing the same thing.”
Mr Ballard said if Mr Perera had left his job, the position would likely be empty for several months.
“You start all over again, the process doesn’t happen overnight,” Mr Ballard said.
The Birdcage Hotel in Longreach is packed during tourist season.(ABC Western Qld: Danielle O’Neal)
“If this is going on not only here, but with other businesses, we’re all going to struggle.
“We want to get skilled people out here, but we don’t seem to be able to deliver what we offer them.”
The Birdcage Hotel is one of Longreach’s busiest pubs.(ABC Western Qld: Danielle O’Neal)
Thousands more waiting
The extreme pressure on Max and his family has been relieved by the sudden issuing of the visas.
But the Restaurant and Catering industry Association says they are many more people still living in limbo due to issues with skilled migration programs.
“There are many stories that we’re hearing about are families that are broken up, people trying to get into the country, very long delays, but the biggest issue that we have is that there is no communication,” CEO Belinda Clarke said.
“That’s the hardest thing, for people to be able to plan and understand what’s happening. Will I get a yes or a no? But there’s no communication.”
More than 56,000 skilled workers entered Australia in the last financial year on the same temporary skill shortage visa as Mr Perera.
But federal government data shows it’s taking between six months to two years to process visas for the families of skilled regional workers.
The Restaurant and Catering Industry Association’s CEO Belinda Clarke says there’s “no communication” in the process of applying for a visa.(Supplied)
The Restaurant and Catering industry Association says there are more than 900,000 visas waiting to be processed by the Australian government.
In a statement, a Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said the demand for skilled workers and processing current visa applications is a priority.
“The upcoming Jobs and Skills Summit will provide the opportunity for meaningful consultation with industry stakeholders, to address labor shortages and ensure Australia’s economic recovery from COVID-19,” a spokesperson said.
Ms Clarke — who met with the office of the minister for immigration Andrew Giles this week — said it could take more than six months for the Albanese government to work through the backlog.
“We are so far behind in this processing, that the light isn’t clear of when we’re going to get through this, it’s going to be a good six months to a year [until] we’re really going to be able to get a clearer picture,” Ms Clarke said.
“[The government] is not happy, they know there’s a problem, they are desperately trying to find the solutions and they certainly weren’t expecting it to be such a huge amount that they had to process.
“They are certainly focused on it and trying really hard looking at ways they can get through this, but it’s not going to be a problem that’s fixed in the short term.”
In the months before the FBI’s dramatic move to execute a search warrant at former president Donald Trump’s Florida home — and open his safe to look for items — federal authorities grew increasingly concerned that Trump or his lawyers and aides had not, in fact, returned all the documents and other material that were government property, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Officials became suspicious that when Trump gave back items to the National Archives about seven months ago, either the former president or people close to him held on to key records — despite a Justice Department investigation into the handling of 15 boxes of material sent to the former president’s private club and residence in the waning days of his administration.
Over months of discussions on the subject, some officials also came to suspect Trump’s representatives were not truthful at times, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
On Tuesday, a lawyer for Trump said the agents who brought the court-approved warrant to Mar-a-Lago a day earlier took about 12 more boxes after conducting their search.
Garland vowed to depoliticize Justice. Then the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago
People familiar with the investigation said that Justice Department and FBI officials traveled to Mar-a-Lago this spring, a meeting first reported by CNN. The officials spoke to Trump’s representatives, inspected the storage space where documents were held, and expressed concern that the former president or people close to him still had items that should be in government custody, these people said.
By that point, officials at the National Archives had been aggressively contacting people in Trump’s orbit to demand the return of documents they believed were covered by the Presidential Records Act, said two people familiar with those inquiries. Like the others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the investigation.
Christina Bobb, a lawyer for Trump, said his lawyers engaged in discussions with the Justice Department this spring over materials held at Mar-a-Lago. At that time, the former president’s legal team searched through two to three dozen boxes of material contained in a storage area, hunting for documents that could be considered presidential records, and turned over several items that might meet the definition, she said.
In June, Bobb said, she and Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran met with Jay Bratt, the chief of the counterintelligence and export control section at the Justice Department, along with several investigators. Trump stopped by the meeting as he began to greet the investigators but was not interviewed. The lawyers showed the federal officials the boxes, and Bratt and the others spent some time looking through the material.
Bobb said the Justice Department officials commented that they did not believe the storage unit was properly secured, so Trump officials added a lock to the facility. When FBI agents searched the property Monday, Bobb added, they broke through the lock that had been added to the door.
The FBI removed about a dozen boxes that had been stored in the basement storage area, she said. Bobb did not share the search warrant left by agents but said that it indicated agents were investigating possible violations of laws dealing with the handling of classified material and the Presidential Records Act.
What could the Mar-a-Lago search mean for Trump legally?
Trump announced Monday that the FBI had searched Mar-a-Lago and his safe, decrying the move as the latest unfair action against him by the Justice Department and FBI. Spokespeople at both agencies declined to comment.
Asked for comment Tuesday about whether the former president or his advisers had withheld documents or been untruthful, Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich called the FBI’s action “not only unprecedented, but completely unnecessary.”
“President Trump and his representatives have gone to painstaking lengths in communicating and cooperating with the appropriate agencies,” Budowich said in an emailed statement. “In the Democrats’ desperate attempt to retain power, they have unified and grown the entire conservative movement.”
One adviser who spoke to Trump after the search said the former president sounded buoyed by the development, bragging about how many Republicans were supporting him publicly, and said Trump thought the search would help him politically in the end.
“It furthers his inclination to run and galvanizes the Republican base on his behalf,” said Jason Miller, a longtime adviser and former spokesman.
Analysis: Donald Trump has been waiting for this moment for a long time
Some of the Trump’s advisers have urged him to move up his expected announcement that he will run for president in 2024 and make it soon at Mar-a-Lago, with the FBI search as a backdrop. But Trump has made no commitment to doing so, one person with direct knowledge of the conversations said.
Two people familiar with the initial recovery of the materials at Mar-a-Lago said that Archives officials believed that more records were missing and were skeptical that Trump had handed everything over. As the investigation gained steam, some Trump advisershave sought to stay away from the issue, fearing it would become a messy legal and political situation, according to people familiar with the discussions.
After Monday’s search, lawyers close to Trump sought advice or recommendations of criminal defense lawyers who could represent Trump, said a person familiar with the lawyers. According to this person, the lawyers said the warrant was related to allegations that classified information was retained by Trump.
Trump already has a number of lawyers working for him, but it is not uncommon for individuals facing investigative activity to seek local attorneys to navigate a particular court district.
Some top Republicans echo Trump’s evidence-free claims discrediting FBI search
Dozens of die-hard Trump supporters came to West Palm Beach on Tuesday to express their support. Adriane Shochet, 64, of Lake Worth, Fla., bought a $14 broomstick, which she attached to an American flag and waved as she stood on the causeway that overlooks part of Mar-a-Lago.
“I just needed to come out and show the whole free world that this is frightening, and if they can do this, what’s next?” Shochet said. “This is the polar opposite of whatever effect politically they thought they were going to get because all it’s doing is empowering the right politically.”
Passing motorists honked in support. One man stood on the bridge, which crosses the Intracoastal Waterway, holding the American flag upside down — widely recognized as a symbol of his belief that the country is in distress.
Pat Stewart, 85, found the “Trump 2020” flag that she used to fly at her house in Jupiter, Fla., which she had expected to keep tucked away until the next presidential election. For the next several hours, she stood in the sun alongside a friend who was visiting from Michigan, who is also 85, waving at passing motorists.
“I was very angry, very angry, and very upset, that our government would do this to an ex-president,” Stewart said. Even though aides said Trump was in New York and at his golf club and residence in Bedminster, NJ, this week, she held out hope that he was at Mar-a-Lago.
“We want him to come out and announce he’s running for president,” Stewart said.
One person familiar with the investigation said agents were conducting a court-authorized search as part of a long-running examination into why documents — some of them top-secret — were taken to the former president’s private club and residence instead of shipped to the National Archives and Records Administration when Trump left office. The Presidential Records Act, which requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to a president’s official duties.
15 boxes: Inside the long, strange trip of Trump’s classified records
In January, the National Archives retrieved 15 boxes of documents and other items from Mar-a-Lago. David S. Ferriero, then the archivist of the United States, said in a statement in February that Trump representatives were “continuing to search” for additional records.
Trump resisted handing over some of the boxes for months, some people close to the president said, and believed that many of the items were his personally and did not belong to the government. He eventually agreed to hand over some of the documents, “giving them what he believed they were entitled to,” in the words of one adviser.
Tim Craig in West Palm Beach, Fla., contributed to this report.
“Also, Australia is known for its balmy outdoor lifestyle, so many buyers in this super-prime space are willing to pay a premium to secure the ideal position along the waterfront.” The average premium paid for a waterfront property across the 17 cities was 40 per cent, and prices for waterfront homes climbed an average of 10.9 per cent over the year to June.
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Beachfront homes were in the strongest demand, commanding a premium of 63 per cent. Properties in harbor locations were a close second, with a 62 per cent premium, and coastal homes secured at a 40 per cent premium.
In Sydney, it was harborside homes that typically saw the greatest premium, said Michael Pallier of Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty. Such homes were closer to the city and were more likely to offer direct water access than beach homes, which typically sat across the street.
“Point Piper would be number one, it’s the best of the best, but the non-waterfront homes there are also very expensive,” he said. “You’ll probably still spend 100 per cent more on a waterfront though.”
Buyers in Sydney’s prime waterfront markets could expect to pay at least double to get a home on the water, even when moving from one side of the street to the other, Pallier noted.
Such homes drew interest from both local and international buyers, he said, and reaching the waterfront was the goal for many cashed-up buyers.
Waterfront homes in Sydney attract an average premium of 121 per cent.Credit:Peter Rae
“It’s a personal milestone for a lot of people, we have a beautiful harbor … and people want a slice of it.”
In Melbourne, Nick Johnstone, director of Nick Johnstone Real Estate in Brighton, has a list of clients waiting for a beachfront property.
“They’ll pay whatever is required to get beachfront, but homes are so tightly held and pretty much generational, where people don’t want to sell,” he said. Owners may instead pass property on to their children.
The rarity of beachfront homes made them hard to value, Johnstone said, but estimated they sold for at least 100 per cent above a mid-range property in the same exclusive suburb.
Melbourne waterfront properties drew a premium of 39 per cent.Credit:eddie jim
“[Such homes are] rarely coming up and when they do, we are absolutely smashed with inquiries. There are just not that many beachfront properties and they’re not making any more,” he said.
Interest in waterfront homes came from local, interstate and overseas buyers — who were largely from China, or Australian expats returning home. Buyers from Melbourne’s eastern suburbs had also been increasingly moving to the Bayside region since the start of the pandemic, as buyers prioritized lifestyle locations.
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Read Along wants to help improve child literacy by using Google’s speech recognition technology to give kids reading aloud verbal and visual feedback. Originally an Android app, Google’s Read Along is now on the web to better expand availability.
Read Along first launched for India in 2019 before expanding a year later. Aimed at those 5 and up, it supports nine languages (including English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hindi) in over 180 countries. Google says more than 30 million kids have read 120 million stories over the past three years.
Google’s text-to-speech and speech recognition tech works to detect “if a student is struggling or successfully reading the passage.” Kids receive “correctional and encouraging ” feedback from Diya, a “reading assistant.” In terms of privacy, the Android app can work offline (after stories are downloaded), while all voice processing occurs on-device and is not sent to Google servers.
Google is now bringing Read Along to the web in public beta and gearing it towards laptops and PCs. Speech recognition occurs in the browser with support for Chrome, Firefox and Edge today, while Safari is “coming soon.” Sign-in is optional and allows for multiple accounts.
Google is positioning readalong.google.com as a “new opportunit[y] for teachers and education leaders around the world, who can use Read Along as a reading practice tool for students in schools.” The company recommends using Google Workspace for Education accounts in schools and personal Google Accounts with Family Link at home.
In terms of content, there are already hundreds of illustrated stories categorized into different reading levels:
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Wollongong Roller Hawks coach Brendan Dowler may be surprised to hear his city called a powerhouse in wheelchair basketball, but the team’s results tell a clear story.
His team has been crowned national champions in 2003, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
Downler is a two-time Paralympian, captain Brett Stibners is a four-time Paralympian and point guard Luke Pople has just won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games for 3×3 wheelchair basketball.
“To hear Wollongong referred to as a powerhouse is strange in some ways, because we are a regional city, but we’re proud of the achievements we’ve been able to provide to players, the community and supporters,” Dowler said.
“We should be proud of that achievement as a smaller city in Australia.”
The club is now flush with players who have succeeded on the international stage, but it a;; began with two men who were sick of traveling to Sydney to train and play.
Eino Okonnen is known for his boldness and persistence in recruiting players.(Supplied: Eino Okonnen)
Humble beginnings, bold recruiting
Dowler and Roller Hawks co-founder Eino Okonnen were keen wheelchair basketball players in the late 1990s.
“We were playing for Sydney teams because there were no teams down here and we were traveling up to Sydney multiple times a week,” Dowler said.
They decided to start their own team, but they needed a star player.
As well as being a talented wheelchair basketball player, Okonnen is famous for his bold approach to recruiting and headhunting players.
Luke Pople celebrates winning gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, alongside Hannah Dodd.(Facebook: Wollongong Roller Hawks)
His first move was to recruit Canadian Joey Johnson, who had just won a gold medal for wheelchair basketball at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.
“I met him and asked him to play for us — he was one of the best players in the world at the time and he said OK,” Okonnen said.
“He showed up and taught us how to play.”
The Roller Hawks entered the National Wheelchair Basketball League in 2001 and won their first title two years later.
“I still recruit players, but fortunately other people do too, and the team itself encourages players to come and play with us,” Okonnen said.
He said after people saw a game they realized the sport was more physical and fast-paced than they may have thought.
“It’s not people playing in hospital chairs — they’re playing in F1 cars and you’d be amazed what people can do in a wheelchair.”
Commonwealth Games 3×3 representative Luke Pople is among the next generation of Roller Hawks players to represent Australia.(Facebook: Wollongong Roller Hawks)
‘Never looked back’
Okonnen’s persuasive nature saw him recruit club captain Brett Stibners after he lost his left leg after a car accident.
Brett Stibners did not want to try wheelchair basketball after he lost a leg following a car accident, but changed his mind after watching a game.(ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)
“I found out where he lived, introduced myself and on the first meeting he said, ‘Go away, I’m not interested,'” Okonnen said.
“I gave him more time and went back again and it was the same story.
“Then his mum and dad took him to see a game and once he saw a game he’s never looked back.”
Dowler said proactive recruitment had been a hallmark of the Wollongong Roller Hawks.
“I’m not as up front as Eino,” he said.
“He’ll accost people in the car park at the supermarket.”
Smaller market advantages
Wollongong has a population of about 220,000 and Dowler said being a regional hub had its advantages over larger cities.
“There’s not one reason for our success, but we have a great association and basketball is strong in Wollongong with the Hawks at the NBL level,” he said.
“We’ve had a great committee over the years, but we’ve also had support from councillors, politicians, businesses and the media, as well as a great bunch of people.
“Being in a regional city is an advantage over Sydney and Melbourne because we’re a tight-knit team and can hang out together and train more easily than the bigger cities can.”
The Wollongong Roller Hawks celebrate winning the 2022 league title in July.(Facebook: Wollongong Roller Hawks)
Image: Ficihp
