Categories
Australia

Agriculture Minister to release first National Biosecurity Strategy as disease threat looms

A man in a protective bee suit holds a frame from a beehive with bees on it.

Australia’s ability to protect itself from pests and disease is at the center of a new national strategy agreed to by federal, state and territory ministers.

Addressing the National Rural Press Club in Canberra today, federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt will release the first National Biosecurity Strategy.

“The biosecurity risks we’re facing as a nation are closer and they’re more threatening than we’ve ever seen before and that’s partly as a result of climate change, shifting trade and travel patterns, different land uses,” Senator Watt told the ABC.

“There’s a range of factors we’re dealing with now as a country that we haven’t seen before and that is increasing the risk of biosecurity [issues] for our farmers and their products.”

The risks include the threat of African swine fever, lumpy skin disease and foot and mouth disease, which are currently spreading through nearby Asian countries.

Senator Watt said the new strategy would ensure governments and industry worked together to protect Australia.

“By aligning all the key players, we can ensure that everyone [is] working together to counter the biosecurity threats we face,” he said.

“Australia’s biosecurity system is a critical national asset and shared responsibility, and this strategy is for all Australians.”

According to the strategy, Australia receives 115 million parcels through its mail centers each year, with 2.6 million shipping containers arriving at the country’s ports.

Call for sustainable funding model

The strategy sets out six priority areas for governments, including “shared biosecurity culture, stronger partnerships, highly skilled workforce, coordinated preparedness, integration supported by technology, research and data; and sustainable investment”.

“We will ensure funding and investment is sufficient, co-funded, transparent, targeted to our priorities and sustainable for the long term,” the strategy states.

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Categories
US

US pledges $1 billion more rockets, other arms for Ukraine

US pledges $1 billion more rockets, other arms for Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Monday it was shipping its biggest yet direct delivery of weapons to Ukraine as that country prepares for a potentially decisive counteroffensive in the south against Russia, sending $1 billion in rockets, ammunition and other material to Ukraine from Defense Department stockpiles.

The new US arms shipment would further strengthen Ukraine as it mounts the counteroffensive, which analysts say for the first time could allow Kyiv to shape the course of the rest of the warnow at the half-year mark.

Kyiv aims to push Russian troops back out of Kherson and other southern territory near the Dnipro River. Russia in recent days was moving troops and equipment in the direction of the southern port cities to stave off the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“At every stage of this conflict, we have been focused on getting the Ukrainians what they need, depending on the evolving conditions on the battlefield,” Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense for policy, said Monday in announcing the new weapons shipment.

The new US aid includes additional rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, as well as thousands of artillery rounds, mortar systems, Javelins and other ammunition and equipment. Military commanders and other US officials say the HIMARS and artillery systems have been crucial in Ukraine’s fight to block Russia from taking more ground.

While the US has already provided 16 HIMARS to Ukraine, Kahl said the new package does not include additional ones.

“These are not systems that we assess you need in the hundreds to have the type of effects” needed, Kahl said. “These are precision-guided systems for very particular types of targets and the Ukrainians are using them as such.”

He declined to say how many of the precision-guided missile systems for the HIMARS were included in Monday’s announcement, but said the US has provided “multiple hundreds” of them in recent weeks.

The latest announcement brings the total US security assistance committed to Ukraine by the Biden administration to more than $9 billion.

In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the United States for the package, and said “100% of it we will use to protect freedom, our common freedom.”

Until now, the largest single security assistance package announcement was for $1 billion on June 15. But that aid included $350 million in presidential drawdown authority, and another $650 million under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides funding for training, equipment and other security needs that can be bought from other countries or companies.

Monday’s package allows the US to deliver weapons systems and other equipment more quickly since it takes them off the Defense Department shelves.

In addition to the rockets for the HIMARS, it includes 75,000 rounds of 155mm artillery, 20 mortar systems and 20,000 rounds for them, 1,000 shoulder-mounted Javelin rockets, and other arms, explosives and medical equipment.

For the last four months of the war, Russia has concentrated on capturing the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow separatists have controlled some territory as self-proclaimed republics for eight years. Russian forces have made a gradual headway in the region while launching missile and rocket attacks to curtail the movements of Ukrainian fighters elsewhere.

Kahl estimated that Russian forces have sustained up to 80,000 deaths and injuries in the fighting, though he did not break down the figure with an estimate of forces killed.

He said the Russian troops have managed to gain “incremental” ground in eastern Ukraine, although not in recent weeks. “But that has come at extraordinary cost to the Russian military because of how well the Ukrainian military has performed and all the assistance that the Ukrainian military has gotten. And I think now, conditions in the east have essentially stabilized and the focus is really shifting to the south.”

The new funding is being paid for through $40 billion in economic and security aid for Ukraine approved by Congress in May.

This is the 18th time the Pentagon has provided equipment from Defense Department stocks to Ukraine since August 2021.

The US and allies are still evaluating whether to supply aircraft to Ukraine, Kahl said. It’s “not inconceivable that western aircraft down the road could be part of the mix,” he said.

Zelenskyy early in the war made near-daily appeals for warplanes, calling them essential to protecting Ukraine’s skies. The US and some other NATO countries feared that they could draw them into more direct involvement with Ukraine’s war against Russia, and have not provided Western aircraft.

Separately Monday, the Treasury Department said it was sending $3 billion more in direct economic assistance to Ukraine. That’s part of a previously approved $7.5 billion in economic assistance, with $1.5 billion yet to be disbursed.

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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.

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Categories
Technology

Marvel’s Midnight Suns has been delayed, likely to 2023

Marvel's Midnight Suns has been delayed, likely to 2023

The Avengers and every other Marvel hero set to assemble in Marvel’s Midnight Suns are taking a raincheck. The 2K and Firaxis Games tactical role-playing game starring Marvel’s cast of heroes is being delayed once more, likely into 2023.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns | “Darkness Falls” Trailer

Publisher Take-Two shared earnings results today. As part of the results, it quietly revealed that Marvel’s Midnight Suns is trading in its previous release date of October 7 for a launch window of “later this fiscal year.” This puts its current release date in the ballpark of late 2022 up until March 2023 next year. The delay goes extra for anyone not on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with Xbox One, PS4, and Switch versions planned to be released even later.

The team cites the need “to ensure the teams at Firaxis Games and 2K deliver the best possible experience for our fans” as its reasoning behind its second delay. The delay moves it out of a busy holiday season, where it would have competed with Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Overwatch 2, Bayonetta 3and Gotham Knights.

This isn’t the first time Midnight Suns have been put on hold. It was originally supposed to launch in March 2022 before being pushed back to October. The October 7 release date reveal came with its deeper trailer showcased during Summer Games Fest. This trailer showed off the Persona-like social link segments, more of the game’s battle mechanics, and heroes like Spider-Man, Magik, and Scarlet Witch.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns does not have a firm release date yet, but it should launch by next March — one year after its initial release date.

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Categories
Sports

Daniel Ricciardo posts on Instagram

Daniel Ricciardo posts on Instagram

Wherever he ends up next year, Daniel Ricciardo is going to keep on smiling.

The most famous pearly whites in Formula One reappeared on Monday as the Australian driver posted on Instagram for the first time since it was reported he was being replaced at McLaren by Oscar Piastri in 2023.

Enjoying his mid-season break in what appeared to be his sunny California base, Ricciardo kept it short and sweet.

“Hello,” he said, adding a sun emoji as he stood in a swimming pool.

Daniel Ricciardo popped up to say hello. Picture: Instagram
Daniel Ricciardo popped up to say hello. Picture: InstagramSource: Instagram

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Ricciardo has been hailed for his dignity and classy response to constant speculation about his future in the sport during a rocky 2022 season.

The Aussie F1 veteran became the story of the F1 mid-year break when it was reported he was being moved on for his 21-year-old countryman Piastri.

The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world when he jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin for 2023.

Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat, a bold move for a man who’s never driven an F1 car in anger.

But the news leaked over the weekend that it was Ricciardo’s seat Piastri was set to take, while McLaren were set to cut the eight-time race winner loose for the prodigious youngster — a move which would reportedly cost McLaren $21m in a payout for Ricciardo .

It leaves Ricciardo’s career at a crossroads after two largely miserable seasons in papaya, outside of the 2021 win at Monza.

Ricciardo had been regularly beaten by teammate Lando Norris and struggled to get his head around the car.

The 32-year-old left Renault for McLaren, but could return to the Enstone unit now branded Alpine, who are open to the move.

Alpine still believes it has an iron-clad deal with Piastri and are still planning for the young Aussie to take the seat, despite reports the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board had cleared Piastri’s move.

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Categories
Australia

Ovarian tissue freezing offering hope of a chance at motherhood to women battling cancer

Woman and man with their baby in a playground.

When 38-year-old Melbourne woman Sarah looks at her one-year-old baby, Etta, she sees a precious gift that she and her husband might never have been granted.

“Sometimes I look at her and I think it’s just sort of incredible that it actually happened,” Sarah told ABC’s 7.30.

In 2009, Sarah was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was told she had to start treatment straight away.

From that moment, her focus was solely on her own survival and not on bigger questions about how treatments such as chemotherapy might affect her body and her future chances of falling pregnant.

“At the time, the main things I was worried about were, ‘Am I going to die?’ And things like, ‘Is my hair going to fall out?'” she said.

“Secondary issues — [such as] ‘What’s the long-term impacts on my fertility and my other health?’—were sort of really in the back of my mind.”

Luckily, her mother thought to ask those questions before Sarah started chemotherapy and she was put in touch with Dr Kate Stern, who runs an innovative fertility program at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne that, a decade later, helped change the course of Sarah’s life .

“Without my mum making that phone call, and all these pieces falling together, [Etta] just might not have ever existed,” Sarah said.

Science behind innovative procedure

Woman with her baby sitting on the floor playing.
Sarah says it’s “incredible” she was able to have baby Etta.(ABC News: Nadia Daly)

When ABC’s 7.30 met Sarah, baby Etta was waddling around happily on the floor. She had taken her first steps that morning and turned one the day before.

Those are special milestones for any family, but even more so for Sarah and her husband, Gabriel, who had been through a long and difficult journey over a period of 10 years to get there.

As Sarah underwent treatment for cancer immediately after her diagnosis, there was no time for conventional procedures such as egg freezing. So she and Dr Stern decided to use another innovative method to give Sarah the chance to fall pregnant when she concluded her cancer treatment.

It’s known as ovarian tissue freezing, and Dr Stern was one of the doctors who helped pioneer the procedure at the Royal Women’s Hospital.

A woman wearing a mask stands next to a computer screen.
Dr Kate Stern describes the process as “absolutely miraculous”.(ABC News: Nadia Daly)

“Fertility preservation with ovarian tissue is innovative and it’s exciting but, because of the technical difficulties, it’s not widely available around the world,” Dr Stern said.

The procedure involves removing part of a woman’s ovary tissue via keyhole surgery, slicing it thinly and then freezing it in special containers in a lab.

When the woman completes her cancer treatment, the tissue can be defrosted and inserted back into her abdomen if she decides she wants to try to start a family.

“Over four or five months, that tissue gets a life of its own, it gets new blood vessels, the follicles and eggs start to develop. And it makes hormones — it is absolutely miraculous, we think,” Dr Stern said.

‘For these patients, it’s this versus nothing’

Two women in masks and gloves stand among tanks in a lab.
Dr Kate Stern says the treatment does not guarantee a patient will fall pregnant.(ABC News: Nadia Daly)

Dr Stern helped set up the program at the hospital and played a key role in developing the procedure 26 years ago.

While the treatment is no longer considered experimental, it is highly specialized and cannot be performed at all hospitals, and Dr Stern cautions that it does not guarantee a patient can fall pregnant.

“Getting good eggs is still hard work,” she said.

“But the treatment is quite successful. It depends what your benchmark is but, for these patients, it’s this versus nothing.”

Dr Stern said that, around the world, about 170 women have fallen pregnant after using their frozen ovarian tissue.

In Sarah’s case, her cancer treatment stretched out from a few months to a decade of on-and-off treatment that took a heavy toll on her body.

“Sarah’s extensive treatment for her cancer damaged her ovaries so that she was in a state of what we call premature menopause — her ovaries did not have any good eggs in them,” she said.

“So Sarah needed to have this ovarian tissue grafted to be able to have any opportunity [of having] to baby.”

When Sarah was two years in remission, she was advised it was safe to reinsert the ovarian tissue and to try to fall pregnant.

A few years later, in July 2021, Etta was born.

‘We had no idea about these options’

Young girl next to a tree smiling.
“I knew I dad to do it”: Zahli Habel underwent ovarian tissue freezing after being diagnosed with cancer.(ABC News: Carl Saville)

Over in the remote town of Streaky Bay in South Australia, 11-year-old Zahli Habel is at a very different stage in her life.

She finished her chemotherapy a year ago but, before she began, she had part of an ovary removed and flown to the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne to be frozen and preserved if she decides to have children in the future.

“Zahli was diagnosed with a cancer that required intensive chemotherapy. This chemotherapy has a high chance of damaging future ovarian function,” Dr Stern explained.

The diagnosis was shocking enough for Zahli and her family, and fertility was not something they had considered.

“I guess when we got the diagnosis, we were dealing with that — that was the biggest issue,” Zahli’s mum, Steph, said.

Mother and teenage daughter sitting on a sofa smiling.
Steph Habel was grateful the issue of fertility was raised when daughter Zahli was diagnosed with cancer.(ABC News: Carl Saville)

“And then, suddenly for them to come out and talk about fertility… we had no idea about these options.

“And it was amazing that it was offered to us and that we could take it up.”

Zahli decided that it was a good option for her to give her choices in her future.

“I knew I had to do it,” she said.

“Because, if I wanted to have kids in the future and chemo killed off all my eggs, I knew that it was really my only thing to rely on.”

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Categories
US

Mercedes driver charged with murder in Windsor Hills crash

Mercedes driver charged with murder in Windsor Hills crash

A registered nurse was charged Monday with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter in connection with a fiery crash in Windsor Hills last week that killed a pregnant woman, a baby and three other adults, the Los Angeles County district attorney announced.

Nicole Lorraine Linton, 37, is accused of reckless disregard for life in connection with Thursday’s multi-vehicle crash. Prosecutors say the Los Angeles woman was behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz that was speeding up to 100 mph when she ran a red light shortly after 1:30 pm and plowed into through traffic at the busy intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues .

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón said Linton faces up to 90 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

“In an instant, Ms. Linton’s conduct took the lives of six people and injured many others,” Gascón said.

To get a second-degree murder conviction, prosecutors must prove she acted with implied malice and knew the act of driving at a high speed on city streets area was dangerous to human life.

Usually, such cases are brought if the driver is under the influence and has a prior DUI conviction after subsequent DUI education classes. In Linton’s case, investigators have found Linton has a history of dangerous crashes and knew the threat posed by her driving behavior, prosecutors said.

However, he said there is no evidence of any alcohol use by Linton at this point.

“I know that some of you spoke to a woman that alleged they have been drinking together. The CHP is working to identify this person, but we don’t have any further information,” Gascón said.

The DA declined to discuss what prompted the crash, saying it was still under investigation and he was “not going to get into the details.”

Gascon said the murder charges against Linton are for the deaths of 23-year-old Asherey Ryan, her boyfriend, their 1-year-old child, Alonzo Quintero, and their unborn child. Ryan was 8½ months pregnant when she was killed. The boy she was carrying at the time was named Armani Lester, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. His date of birth and date of death fell on the same day.

“A young family was destroyed in the blink of an eye,” Gascón said in announcing the charges against Linton.

Linton was also charged with murder for the deaths of two unidentified women killed in the crash. The five counts of vehicular manslaughter against her are for the deaths of the four adults and the 1-year-old. Ryan’s unborn child cannot be included in those charges.

Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.

Categories
Technology

Fan Fave Bridget Joins Guilty Gear Strive, Comes Out As Trans

Fan Fave Bridget Joins Guilty Gear Strive, Comes Out As Trans

EVO 2022 came with an assortment of hype moments over the weekend, including the most incredible “Cell Yell” I’ve heard since dragon ball fighter z‘s first season in 2018. Sprinkled throughout the tournament were a few announcements, too, such as the welcome reveal of rollback netcode for more fighting games. But perhaps most exciting was news that classic fighter Bridget is the next DLC character coming to Guilty Gear Strike. What’s more, in the day or so since, arcade mode footage revealed that Bridget has come out as a trans girl. Talk about a based W!

Bridget was first introduced in 2002’s Guilty Gear XX, presenting as a very cute boy who instantly stole the hearts of fans. Though born as one of two twin boys to a multi-billionaire couple, Bridget’s gender presentation of her was decidedly feminine despite their use of masculine pronouns. (Official reason: convoluted anime bullshit.) However, with Bridget’s official return of her as a playable character in strike as part of the game’s $US25 ($35) Season Pass 2, ArcSys has given them a “come out” moment where they announce they do, in fact, identify as a girl.

An adept yo-yo user, Bridget’s dialogue in strike shows her becoming comfortable in expressing her trans identity, telling deuteragonist Ky Kisuke and US Secretary of Defense (lol) Goldlewis Dickinson that, “[calling me] Cowgirl is fine. Because…I’m a girl!”

Yas, Queen, live your truth! We love to see it. In fact, plenty of folks online celebrated the reveal with fan art and memes. Somebody even created a mod for Bridget that sees them donning the blue, pink, and white colors of the Trans pride flag. It’s cool!

Not everyone was thrilled about Bridget’s trans-ness, though, which shouldn’t come as a surprise in this space. Ready to dismiss their identity wholesale, there are plenty of gross tweets decrying ArcSys giving us an actual trans character in strike. While there’s some nuance to the idea that the studio could be “erasing a character’s previous identity,” as one tweeter put itmost of the negative discourse oscillating around Bridget is framed as bad-faith arguments over grooming.

Kotaku you have reached out to Arc System Works for comment.

The negative response toward Bridget’s coming out is disconcerting to say the least. At a time when the US government is penning legislation aimed at attacking the queer experience, getting representation in the media — especially in games — should be seen as a boon. It reassures folks in our community that it’s OK to be who you are, and how you identify is both accepted and loved. As a nonbinary individual who sees a bit of themselves in the elegant “grim reaper” Testament, strike‘s first enby character, I’m absolutely living for Bridget coming into her own.

Categories
Sports

Cost of redeveloping Gabba for 2032 Olympics could top $1bn

An illustration of Brisbane with a new Gabba

The Queensland premier has flagged the cost of redeveloping the Gabba for the 2032 Games could increase beyond the proposed $1 billion price tag.

It comes after Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was comfortable with plans for both the Gabba and Brisbane Live after concerns were raised last week additional construction was needed to allow the venues to be built for the 2032 Olympics.

Speaking at a media conference yesterday Ms Palaszczuk said there would be a business case for the Gabba redevelopment, with the government “working through all those issues at the moment”.

When asked how the government had determined the redevelopment would cost $1 billion, Ms Palaszczuk said it was based on cost estimates at the time.

“Of course now we understand that there’s been a lot of increase in … shortages of supply and materials, they’re worldwide issues,” she said.

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Should the Gabba be demolished and rebuilt for the Olympics?

When the premier was asked if she anticipated the redevelopment would cost more than $1 billion, she said they do not have the final costs yet.

“But of course we’ll absolutely reveal those to the public,” she said.

Speculation about the size of the Gabba redevelopment has increased in recent weeks with concerns the planned upgrades will impact the local road network including Vulture and Stanley Streets, key thoroughfares through Woolloongabba.

Last week, it was reported a proposal to tunnel under the streets had been put forward but that would significantly increase the $1 billion cost of the Gabba redevelopment.

Meanwhile, the question of East Brisbane State School’s future remains unanswered. The heritage school tucked under the shadow of the Gabba stadium will have to be relocated to make way for the stadium expansion.

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Categories
Australia

Future of income management unclear as the end of the cashless debit card draws near

Some recipients say the cashless debit card has made budgeting harder, not easier.

Legislation to scrap the controversial cashless debit card program looks set to become one of the first bills debated by the new parliament, as the federal government pushes ahead with delivering its election commitments.

While it raises questions for thousands of people on the card, another form of income management in the Northern Territory — affecting more people — could also end shortly: the Basics Card.

So, what does all of this mean for people in communities, who have long had their welfare managed?

A cross stands on a hill above Santa Teresa as the sun rises.
Remote NT communities like Santa Teresa in Central Australia have been subjected to income management since 2007.(ABC News: Greg Nelson)

What’s happening with cashless welfare?

The cashless debit card trial quarantines up to 80 per cent of a person’s welfare payments, and cannot be used to buy alcohol, gamble or withdraw cash.

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Categories
US

DOJ pushes back against Eastman effort to reclaim his cellphone

The filing is the latest except in the department’s increasingly public effort to criminally investigate efforts by Trump and his allies to disrupt the transfer of power and overturn the 2020 election. It’s also the latest indication that the Justice Department considers the Eastman matter a high priority — it has dispatched its top investigators in matters connected to Trump, including Assistant US Attorney Thomas Windom — to litigate the matter. Last month, Windom revealed that the department had obtained a second search warrant for Eastman’s phone to govern matters that might be covered by attorney-client privilege.

Eastman’s demand that the government give his phone back and destroy all any information copied from it would be a “complete purge of the documents from the Government’s investigatory files,” according to the Justice Department, and “would cause substantial detriment to the investigation, as well as seriously impede any grand jury’s use of the seized material in a future charging decision. The law does not support such action.”

Among Eastman’s complaints: The seizure of his phone, for which a search warrant was obtained, was effectuated by the Justice Department’s inspector general, which typically investigates wrongdoing by department employees. Eastman, on the other hand, is a private attorney. But the department said his argument was simply incorrect. The inspector general has authority to pursue evidence from private parties if it relates to potential “criminal wrongdoing that adversely affects the Department.”

“As a matter of common sense, he is incorrect: an investigation of wrongdoing by one individual routinely involves obtaining evidence from others, particularly in cases involving conspiracies,” Dohrmann writes.

Eastman had also alleged his Fifth Amendment rights were violated when the FBI agents made him unlock his phone with facial recognition, but the Justice Department said the warrant had permitted agents to “obtain a physical characteristic of the movant,” like Eastman’s face, “using their independent knowledge as to what characteristic would be relevant for accessing the seized device.”

The department’s most pointed retort to Eastman came over his complaint that he was not presented with the search warrant prior to having his phone seized.

“In the movant’s professorial view, he should have been provided a copy of the warrant prior to its execution, and then apparently given time (minutes? hours?) to read and analyze it so that he ‘would have been able to call the officer’s attention to the several constitutional infirmities evident on the face of the warrant, thus preventing the unconstitutional seizure in the first place,’” DOJ noted, “all while agents stood in a parking lot, in an open-carry state, knowing that the movant was authorized to carry a concealed weapon.”