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Entertainment

Julie Bishop stuns in Balmain dress at David Jones runway

Julie Bishop stuns in Balmain dress at David Jones runway

Former foreign minister turned mining adviser and fashion icon Julie Bishop has made another bold statement in her life post-politics.

Ms Bishop joined Australian department store David Jones for their first runway show in four years to premiere the latest Spring/ Summer 22 collection.

She turned heads on Wednesday night’s red carpet in a $3750 metallic jacquard long sleeve mini dress designed by French luxury fashion house Balmain.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 10: The Hon. Julie Bishop attends the David Jones SS22 Wonderworld Season Launch at David Jones Elizabeth Street Store on August 10, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by James Gourley/Getty Images for David Jones)
Camera IconJulie Bishop attends the David Jones SS22 Wonderworld Season Launch at David Jones. Credit: James Gourley/Getty Images for David Jones

The former politician slipped on a pair of black stockings, simple black pumps and completed the head-to-toe black look with a clutch adorned with silver chain detail.

Ms Bishop received a string of adoring comments when she posted photos of her look to her Instagram account.

Pip Edwards of Aussie activewear brand PE Nation wrote, “You stunner.”

“Va va va Voom!!,” Sunrise entertainment reporter Nelson Aspen commented.

One spot-on Instagram user compared Ms Bishop’s look to that of the late Princess Diana’s infamous ‘revenge’ dress which she wore at her first public event following her headline-making split from Prince Charles.

TWAM 10 MARCH 2018
Camera IconShe was wearing a short black cocktail dress designed by Christina Stambolian. Tim Graham/Getty Images Credit: News Corp Australia

“Is that like Diana’s revenge dress?,” they said.

The skin tight mini black number certainly looked similar to the Christina Stambolian cocktail dress worn by the British princess.

It’s even more fitting given Ms Bishops very public split from long-time boyfriend David Panton who reportedly dumped her over dinner in July ending their eight-year relationship.

“I’m very busy,” Bishop told Confidential of her newly single life.

Julie Bishop introduced her former beau of eight years, David Panton to Prince Charles. Image: Instagram
Camera IconJulie Bishop introduced her former beau of eight years, David Panton to Prince Charles. Image: Instagram Credit: Supplied

“I spend a lot of time at the ANU as chancellor, I’m doing a lot of speaking engagements and attending fabulous events like the David Jones launch”.

Just this month, Bishop hosted a Q&A with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended by university students from across Australia.

Ms Bishop also showed off a return to her iconic close-cropped blonde look after many months of growing out her hair post-politics.

“Ooo has she gone short hair again! I love her with short hair,” One fan, @amysuart commented below the photo.

ZELENSKYY ADDRESS
Camera IconJulie Bishop hosts a Q&A with President Zelenskyy as part of her role as ANU Chancellor. NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia

“Looking gorgeous, what an inspiration, love the new do,” a friend said.

Bishop told Confidential she rushed to the salon just hours before the event.

“It’s a post-Covid recovery haircut,” Bishop said.

“After we went into lockdown I let my hair grow and then it became so easy but I managed to get an appointment with Scott Sloan, whom I have a great deal of respect for, and he cut my hair so I’m feeling great. ”

Ms Bishop was joined on the guest list by indie artist Vera Blue, model Natalie Roser, TV-host Erin Holland, activewear entrepreneur Pip Edwards, and fashion designer Bianca Spender at the flagship store.

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Categories
Sports

Changes coming at Essendon amid “genuine tension” between key staffers

Changes coming at Essendon amid “genuine tension” between key staffers

There will be off-field changes at Essendon following the completion of the club’s internal review, reports Caroline Wilson.

Wilson says there will be movement beneath senior coach Ben Rutten, who’s position has been assured for 2023.

After making the finals last year, the 14th-placed Bombers have won just seven games this campaign, leading to the mid-season football department review.

“The review’s been done … there will be changes,” Wilson told Channel Nine’s Footy Classified.

“The coach is safe, Ben Rutten will remain, there will be movement beneath Ben Rutten.”

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According to Wilson, there’s “genuine tension” between football boss Josh Mahoney and list manager Adrian Dodoro.

“I’m told there are still real problems there,” the veteran AFL reporter said.

“We know that Xavier Campbell is still under the pump. There is some genuine tension between Adrian Dodoro, long-time recruiter and list manager, and the head of footy in Josh Mahoney.

“I’m not sure where Blake Caracella is going to be next year, but he also has a rock solid two years left on a highly paid contract.

“He will definitely be in a different role next year if he’s there.”

Essendon great Tim Watson believes there should be tension within an underperforming football club.

“I don’t know anything about that, but I hope there’s some tension there,” Watson told SEN Breakfast.

“There should be some tension at a football club when they’re underperforming between people.

“I think that’s healthy at a football club. There should always be some tension.”

The Bombers host Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.





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Categories
Australia

Former defense chief warns of continued ‘complacency’ in disaster recovery after Labor speech | Natural disasters

A former defense chief has warned the new government against complacency in natural disaster recovery planning, saying army troops cannot keep being deployed to fire or flood zones and raising concerns about a “huge gap” in the resources needed to combat increasingly extreme weather events.

Admiral Chris Barrie made the comments after the federal emergency management minister, Murray Watt, acknowledged in a National Press Club address that ADF troops were being stretched by constant domestic deployments, but downplayed previous suggestions about setting up a civilian disaster response agency.

“The time for action is now,” Barrie said. “There is a huge gap between what we have and what we need to do.”

In March, Labor’s then defense spokesperson, Brendan O’Connor, said in government Labor “would consider as a matter of urgency” proposals to set up a civilian disaster response agency, citing increased incidence of natural disasters that required ADF assistance.

The proposal had previously been floated by Barrie, who was chief of the Australian Defense Force from 1998 to 2002; his successor, Sir Peter Cosgrove, who held the position from 2002 to 2005; and other defense analysts.

On Tuesday, Watt praised the work of the ADFin disaster recovery, but said Labor was considering alternative disaster response arrangements.

“We think that there will always be a role for the Defense Force, but we do have concerns about how far they are being stretched… their core job is the defense of the nation,” he said.

Watt added that he “[doesn’t] really envisage us setting up” a separate federal agency akin to the State Emergency Service.

Barrie, an executive on the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group, has long-suggested a volunteer scheme for young Australians, where people who filled areas of national need could get tax breaks or have their university fees refunded. He said this could fill the non-military gaps the ADF is currently used to plug.

“We need to put our thinking caps on to make it attractive and prepare ourselves for a future that’s different from the one we’ve left,” Barrie said.

“We don’t have the workers to resource the lifestyles we have. We must find a better way to use the people we have.”

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He said deploying military was “the most expensive way to put people on the ground” in situations like disaster recovery or aged care, and called on the government to better engage local communities in disaster planning.

“Defence should focus on what defense is there for, defending the nation… they’re not the right people for this kind of work,” he said.

Watt’s comments, Barrie said, “appear to reflect that same kind of complacency we saw in the previous government”.

“I hope I am wrong and that the present government does not shy away from the demands of leadership to get our community involved in participation in the urgent climate-security risk assessment,” he said.

Cosgrove, who is also a former governor general, has suggested a national disaster force that would work with state agencies.

“While it is not one of the primarily role of any element of the defense force to participate in disaster relief, it will of course always remain available in an emergency if not deployed on important defense tasks at that time,” he said.

Greg Mullins, a former Fire & Rescue NSW commissioner and chair of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, said setting up a separate national disaster agency would result in duplication and waste. Instead, he called on the federal government to fund existing agencies to meet the current need, and intraining up local volunteers like the “tinnie army” in the Lismore floods.

“Those structures are funded for the threat environment of the 1990s, not the 2020s,” he said. “If you’re going to invest money, build up the SES so it has enough flood boats in Lismore, enough people trained up to use them.”

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US

Gary Ramirez arrested for 1982 fatal stabbing of Karen Stitt

Gary Ramirez arrested for 1982 fatal stabbing of Karen Stitt

A Hawaii man has been arrested for a 1982 slaying of a teenager abducted from a bus stop in California, authorities announced Tuesday.

Police in Sunnyvale nabbed 75-year-old Gary Ramirez in Maui after they concluded his DNA matched the blood from the scene of 15-year-old Karen Stitt’s murder, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

Gary Ramirez.
DNA technology was used to link Gary Ramirez to the blood from Karen Stitt’s leather jacket.
Maui Police Department

Stitt was waiting for a bus in Sunnyvale when she disappeared in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 1982. A delivery truck driver found her unclothed dead body in bushes a football field away from the station, according to a Mercury News story published Tuesday.

Police said DNA technology was used to link Ramirez to the blood from Karen’s leather jacket and the 4-foot cinder block wall where the killer left her after stabbing her 59 times.

Sunnyvale police Detective Matt Hutchison revealed that while he arrested Ramirez — a retired bug exterminator and Air Force veteran with an injured hip — appeared so shocked he could only utter, “Oh my gosh.”

Ramirez, a Fresno native, had no criminal record, police said. His older brother, Rudy Ramirez, who also lives in Maui, said it was hard to conceive that his younger brother would carry out a grisly murder.

“I’ve never seen him violent or get angry ever,” Rudy Ramirez told the newspaper. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

In 2019, Hutchison partnered with a genealogist, who narrowed the DNA down to four brothers.

Hutchison then searched for one of Gary Ramirez’s children, and collected a DNA sample, which revealed there was a high likelihood that the suspect was their father, he said. Authorities then employed a search warrant to swab Gary Ramirez’s mouth for a DNA sample, which a crime lab confirmed matched the DNA found at the decades-old crime scene.

When he opened the email with the DNA match, “I wanted to scream, but I can’t because I didn’t want to wake up the hotel,” Hutchison said. “So I just took a moment to reflect.”

He opened up his laptop and clicked on the photo of Karen.

Karen Stitt.
Karen Stitt was waiting for a bus in Sunnyvale when she disappeared in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 1982.
County of Santa Clara
Karen Stitt.
Karen Stitt’s unclothed and bloody body was found in some bushes not far from the bus station.
County of Santa Clara
Gary Ramirez.
Gary Ramirez allegedly stabbed Karen Stitt 59 times.
County of Santa Clara
Gary Ramirez.
“I’ve never seen him violent or get angry ever,” Gary Ramirez’s brother reacted.
County of Santa Clara

“I took a quick glance at her photo,” he said, “and I just told her, ‘We did it.’”

Ramirez is locked up in a Maui jail while waiting for a Wednesday extradition hearing in order to transport him to California.

With Post wires

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Categories
Technology

VALORANT Patch 5.03: Full notes and updates

VALORANT Patch 5.03: Full notes and updates

a new VALORANT patch is set to hit the live servers today. Patch 5.03 comes after a programmed delay of updates as the developers needed more time to update the game engine and work on balancing agents like Chamber, Neon, and Jett.

VALORANT‘s engine has been updated to Unreal Engine 4.26, which will “improve the tool set” available for the developers in “many ways.” This change will likely go unnoticed by most players, but Riot Games has warned beforehand that it is aware of some issues with the game’s UI. The devs are working on fixing it as quickly as possible, but players may experience some “funkiness” in the game and in the main menu.

As for agent changes, the most noticeable balance update is how Chamber will work moving forward. The French sentinel has been substantially nerfed because his strengths have started to overshadow his weaknesses, according to Riot. The developers most notably increased the base cooldown and recall cooldown of the Rendevouz ability, reduced the slow of the Trademark ability, reduced the slow of his Ultimate Tour De Force, and increased the Ultimate Points required to activate Tour de Force.

In addition to the Chamber nerfs, Riot has also tweaked the ultimates of Neon and Jett, while fixing bugs that were happening with Jett, Reyna, and Killjoy. As usual, the developers shipped some general qualify of life updates in this latest patch as well.

Here are the full notes for VALORANT Patch 5.03.

General updates

  • Engine update to Unreal Engine 4.26.
    • This update improves the toolset available to our developers in many ways, however, this change will likely go unnoticed by you, as the goal of any Engine update is to happen under the radar.
    • There are some known issues this time around though, mostly the UI is misbehaving. We’re fixing these as quickly as we can, but expect some funkiness in the game and in the Main Menu. If anything interrupts your gameplay, please submit a bug report.
  • Agent Browser visual design refresh
    • Just thought we should leverage some of the cool Agent art and lean more into our VALORANT style.

agent updates

Chamber

As players in both ranked and pro play have mastered Chamber, his strengths have started to overshadow his weaknesses, making the counterplay to Rendezvous and his arsenal not as effective as Riot hoped. Chamber’s overall strength from him has also felt outsized, and the devs believe that they can reduce the complete power of his kit while still keeping him competitive with the rest of the roster.

Rendezvous (E)

  • Base cooldown increased 20 seconds > 30 seconds
  • Recall cooldown increased 20 seconds > 30 seconds
  • Cooldown set to 45 seconds whenever a Rendezvous anchor is destroyed
  • Diameter size of the “ring” Chamber can stand that allows him to activate Rendezvous decreased 21m > 15m
    • Chamber’s Rendezvous is intended to be powerful at holding space, but the generous radius allowed him to take that space with more aggression than intended. This change should require Chamber to exert more effort to access off-angles.
    • We hope that a harsher punishment for destroyed Rendezvous anchors and the reduced radius will demand Chamber mains to be more careful in their use. This change also brings the counterplay of Chamber’s destructible objects more in line with the behavior of other destructible objects in the game.

Trademark (C)

  • Slow Duration decreased 9.5 > six seconds

Tour de Force (X)

  • Ultimate points required increased seven > eight
  • Slow duration decreased 9.5 > six seconds

Headhunter (Q)

  • Bullet cost increased 100 > 150
    • It’s important that Headhunter is a powerful sidearm for Chamber but at its current price point Chamber doesn’t have to engage in making difficult economic decisions as meaningfully as other Agents. This should most noticeably impact Chamber’s decision-making on pistol rounds and save rounds. The ultimate point change to Tour De Force is also working towards this goal.

Ability regional damage breakup

The devs are updating the ultimates for the following Agent so that they follow similar regional damage rules to our weapons—where hitting the head and legs of an enemy applies different damage multipliers. The intent is to reward precision and create intuitive consistency across damage in VALORANT.

For Neon specifically, it also gives the devs more tuning levers for balancing her across different skill levels. This change should also add depth to the mastery needed when tracking while sprinting that her ult demands.

Neon

Overdrive(X)

⦁ Damage per shot reduced 22 > 18
⦁ Killzone increased 15m > 20m
⦁ Leg shot multiplier reduced 1.0 > 0.85
⦁ Headshot multiplier increased one > three

Chamber

Tour de Force (X)

⦁ Leg shot multiplier reduced 1.0 > 0.85

Jett

Bladestorm (X)

⦁ Leg shot multiplier reduced 1.0 > 0.85

Gameplay system updates

  • Added ability to change “Ghost” keybind outside of Custom Games
    • This option is listed under Settings >> Controls >> Actions

bugs

Agents

⦁ Fixed an issue with Jett’s Tailwind where switching weapons in the middle of the dash would cause the weapon pull-out animation to take longer than desired.

Gameplay systems

⦁ Fixed a bug where some Reyna/Killjoy HUD elements were still visible after enabling Hide User Interface.
⦁ Fixed a bug where defuse animation wouldn’t consistently play if the orb is tapped in rapid succession.

Known issue

⦁ Changing crosshair opacity settings in-game causes crosshair preview visual to flicker
⦁ Spike Announcements UI displaying incorrectly

Categories
Entertainment

Olivia Newton-John’s husband John Easterling posts Instagram tribute to Grease star

Olivia Newton-John's husband John Easterling posts Instagram tribute to Grease star

Olivia Newton-John’s husband has posted a tribute to the “most courageous woman” he has ever known, following the death of the Australian singer and Grease star earlier this week.

John Easterling announced on Tuesday that Newton-John passed away at the age of 73 at her ranch in California “surrounded by family and friends” after a battle with breast cancer.

On Thursday, Australian time, Mr Easterling reflected on his love with Newton-John on a post on the actor’s official Instagram.

“Our love for each other transcends our understanding,” the American businessman wrote.

“Every day we expressed our gratitude for this love that could be so deep, so real, so natural. We never had to ‘work’ on it. We were in awe of this great mystery and accepted the experience of our love as past, present and forever.”

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Mr Easterling is the founder of the American Herb Company, and spent years in the Amazon rainforest studying plants with potential health benefits.

Newton-John was 58 when she started dating Mr Easterling in 2006, a year after the death of her former boyfriend Patrick McDermott disappeared at sea.

They married two years later.

She was formerly married from 1984 to 1995 to Matt Lattanzi, with whom she shared a daughter, Chloe.

A man and a woman in formal wear smile as they stand together and pose outside an event.
Olivia Newton-John and John Easterling were married for 14 years.(Reuters: Gus Ruelas)

In the post, Mr Easterling said his wife was generous and spirited, with a passion for life.

“At Olivia’s deepest essence she was a healer using her mediums of song, of words, of touch,” he wrote.

“She was the most courageous woman I’ve ever known.

“Her bandwidth for genuinely caring for people, for nature and all creatures almost eclipses what is humanely possible. It is only the grace of God that has allowed me to share the depth and passion of her being for so long.

“In her most difficult times she always had the spirit, the humor, and the will power to move things into the light.

“Even now as her soul soars, the pain and holes in my heart are healed with the joy of her love and the light that shines forward.

“Our family deeply appreciates the vast ocean of love and support that has come our way.”

Newton-John’s niece, Totti Goldsmith, told Channel 9 on Wednesday that the British-Australian actor would be buried in California.

She the family intended to accept a state memorial if the Victorian government offered one.

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Categories
Sports

Springboks make late reshuffle after hooker Bongi Mbonambi ruled out for Ellis Park

Springboks make late reshuffle after hooker Bongi Mbonambi ruled out for Ellis Park

Boks hooker Bongi Mbonambi is out for Saturday's test against the All Blacks after being named to start.

Jono Searle/Getty Images

Boks hooker Bongi Mbonambi is out for Saturday’s test against the All Blacks after being named to start.

The Springboks have been forced into a late front-row reshuffle ahead of Saturday’s Rugby Championship test against the All Blacks at Ellis Park after starting hooker Bongi Mbonambi wet down with a knee injury suffered at Tuesday training.

South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber has called inexperienced Stormers hooker Joseph Dweba to start just his third test. His only previous international experience was against Wales in Bloemfontein in July and Argentina last year in Nelson Mandela Bay – both times in the run-on XV.

The Boks coach has resisted the urge to return veteran rake Malcolm Marx to starting duty, after he did so last weekend against the All Blacks in Mbombela to mark his 50th test appearance – a match won 26-10 by the South Africans.

The 26-year-old will pack down alongside his former Cheetahs team-mate Ox Nche. The pair progressed through SA Rugby’s national development system, and played together for the Junior Springboks and national schools team.

”Joseph has been working hard at training and he’s been waiting patiently for his chance, and we feel that it doesn’t get better than facing the All Blacks, who are one of the best teams in the world,” said Nienaber.

”He and Ox have played close to 100 first-class games together, and they know each other well on and off the field, having played together since school level. They progressed through the SA Rugby junior rugby ranks together before forming a strong combination at the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup and Pro14 competitions, and we believe their familiarity will give us the best chance in this match.”

The Boks coach confirmed he was taking no chances with Mbonambi after he took a knock to his knee at Tuesday training with so much international rugby still to come in 2022. He was to get scans, though it was not thought to be a serious injury.

“We have an important Rugby Championship tour coming up and a year-end tour later, so we don’t want to take any risks with Bongi,” he said.

For the beleaguered All Blacks it’s a minor break, with Dweba lacking the high-end pedigree of Mbonambi. But one thing the South Africans have proven in 2022 is that they have spectacular depth in their playing resources.

Ian Foster’s men will be wise to expect business as usual from the Boks up front. The New Zealanders will name their lineup for the second Rugby Championship test on Thursday night (NZT).

SPRINGBOKS: Damian Willemse, Jesse Kriel, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Jaden Hendrikse; Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (capt), Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Joseph Dweba, Ox Nche. Reservations: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Franco Mostert, Jasper Wiese, Kwagga Smith, Hershel Jantjies, Willie le Roux.

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Australia

6PR host Liam Bartlett opposes change to frosted glass on balconies of Nedlands homes across from his property

6PR host Liam Bartlett opposes change to frosted glass on balconies of Nedlands homes across from his property

Radio 6PR host Liam Bartlett is opposed to group homes opposite his house having clear glass on their balconies because he doesn’t want to look at their washing.

Owners of five terrace homes being built in Nedlands want a condition to have frosted glass on their balcony balustrades — to stop people looking into their houses — removed. The side of Bartlett’s house is opposite the houses, which are being built.

Mr Bartlett — who lives opposite the homes — has objected to the move saying he didn’t want to see the residents’ “bikes” or “washing” on the balconies.

Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Mr Bartlett told the council when the development was approved last year, they had negotiated the preservation of an “important tree” and the frosted glass.

6pr presenter Liam Bartlett has objected to removing a condition for frosted glass.
Camera Icon6pr presenter Liam Bartlett has objected to removing a condition for frosted glass. Credit: 6pr.com.au/6pr.com.au

“We were more than happy to see height to see density. To have four separate apartments opposite our house. To lose parking. To see more bins and less amenities,” he said.

Mr Bartlett said his house was elevated behind his wall and had four windows that looked out onto the property.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not fond of looking out onto people’s balconies and their bikes and their washing or whatever else they want to stick up on their balcony or what they’re doing behind their balconies,” he said.

“That’s the reason we had this compromised position.”

Bartlett said the staff recommendation to allow clear glass was “beyond the pale”.

“I can’t understand why we paid rates for 29 years at that property. The first I hear about this is an email saying administration has recommended it,” he said.

Grouped homes under construction in Nedlands
Camera IconGrouped homes under construction in Nedlands Credit: Jake Dietsch/Perth Now

The City of Nedlands approved the construction of five grouped homes, with one on the corner of a Nedlands street and the other four on the adjoining avenue, in May 2021.

Each was sold for $690,000 last year and are all currently under construction.

City staff have recommended the condition to use “either opaque material or frosted glass” be removed.

They said the “cone of vision” for the home on the corner block was confined to the street and it did not overlook any other residential property behind the street setback area.

“Passive surveillance from the balcony on to (the streetscape) is a positive outcome, as it is generally a good planning principle to promote safety through providing opportunities for ‘eyes on the street’,” staff said.

Grouped homes under construction in Nedlands
Camera IconGrouped homes under construction in Nedlands Credit: Jake Dietsch/Perth Now

Staff said the application for the other four homes “satisfies all the relevant deemed-to-comply provisions” for visual privacy and reiterated “street surveillance is seen as a positive outcome.”

One of the homeowners, Geoffrey Nathan, spoke on behalf of himself and the owners of three other homes being built.

Mr Nathan said the condition for frosted glass was placed after they had bought their homes individually and all the sales material showed clear glass.

“The builders weren’t aware that this motion (to impose frosted glass) was coming through,” he said.

Mr Nathan said it was a “matter of aesthetics” but frosted glass would cut off their natural light and view of the street.

Staff estimated it would cost the city between $30,000 to $50,000 if the council refused to remove the condition and an owner took the matter to the State Administrative Tribunal.

The council is scheduled to vote on whether or not to remove the condition at its August 23 meeting.

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Categories
US

Austin Tice: Biden says US government knows ‘with certainty’ that Austin Tice has been held by Syrian government

Austin Tice: Biden says US government knows 'with certainty' that Austin Tice has been held by Syrian government

“We know with certainty that he has been held by the Syrian regime,” Biden said in a statement. “We have repeatedly asked the government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home.”

“On the tenth anniversary of his abduction, I am calling on Syria to end this and help us bring him home,” the President said, adding that the “Tice family deserves answers, and more importantly, they deserve to be swiftly reunited with Austin .”

The government of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has not publicly acknowledged they are detaining him. Tice, a freelance journalist and Marine Corps veteran, was detained at a checkpoint near Damascus in August 2012 while reporting on the war in Syria.

In a separate statement Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration “will continue to pursue all available avenues to bring Austin home and work tirelessly until we succeed in doing so.”

Austin Tice's parents tell CNN they received support from Biden for efforts to get him home

“We continue to demand that Syrian officials fulfill their obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to acknowledge the detention of Austin and every other US national held in Syria, a responsibility under international law and an important step in securing their release,” Blinken said . Another American, Majd Kamalmaz, was detained at a checkpoint in Damascus in February 2017 and has not been heard since.

Biden met with Austin Tice’s parents, Marc and Debra, in early May. Following that meeting, Marc Tice told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview on the “The Lead” that Biden told them “he supported the efforts that are underway and other efforts that may create a positive movement” to get Austin home.

“One of the efforts underway is pushing to get engagement and engagement that sustained,” between the US and Syria, Marc Tice said at the time. The two nations do not have diplomatic relations.

In his statement Wednesday, Blinken said that “Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will continue to engage with the Syrian government in close coordination with the White House, Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, and our team here at the State Department.”

Carstens secretly traveled to Damascus and met with Assad regime officials in 2020 under the Trump administration. In May of this year, he met with Abbas Ibrahim, a top Lebanese security official, in Washington “to discuss US citizens who are missing or detained in Syria,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at the time. Ibrahim, the chief of Lebanon’s General Security Directorate, has played a role in securing the release of American detainees in the past, including Sam Goodwin from Syria and Nizar Zikka from Iran.

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Categories
Business

Elon Musk sells Tesla shares worth $9.8 billion, cites chance of forced Twitter deal

Elon Musk stands in front of one of his Tesla cars as speaks and gestures to an audience

Tesla boss Elon Musk has sold US$6.9 billion ($9.8 billion) worth of shares in the electric vehicle maker, saying the funds could be used to finance a potential Twitter deal if he loses a legal battle with the social media platform.

“In the (hopefully unlikely) event that Twitter forces this deal to close *and* some equity partners don’t come through, it is important to avoid an emergency sale of Tesla stock,” he said in a tweet late on Tuesday.

Shares of the microblogging site rose 3.5 per cent to $44.35 in pre-market trading, but were still trading significantly below Mr Musk’s offer price of $54.20 per share.

Tesla shares were up 1.6 per cent at $863.1.

Mr Musk in early July tore up his April 25 agreement to buy Twitter for $44 billion.

Twitter has sued Mr Musk to force him to complete the transaction, dismissing his claim that he was misled about the number of spam accounts on the social media platform as buyer’s remorse, in the wake of a plunge in technology stocks.

The two sides head to trial on October 17.

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Following the announcement of the share sale on Tuesday, Mr Musk took to Twitter and said “yes” when asked if he was done selling Tesla stock, adding he would buy it again if the Twitter deal does not close.

“The removal of the ‘fire sale’ risk, the fact Musk has already raised cash in case of a Twitter decision going against him and the comment that he’ll buy back stock if Twitter deal gets dropped all builds into a positive bias for Tesla ,” said Mark Taylor, sales trader at Mirabaud Securities.

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