President Biden seemed unfamiliar Monday with the specifics of the massive spending bill dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act that Senate Democrats passed Sunday, saying only that it funds healthcare “and God knows what else.”
Moments earlier, the president misstated the size of last year’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure spending law while touring flood damage in Kentucky.
“We’ve never done this before, but because of a number of things we got done on a bipartisan basis — like a billion, two hundred million-dollar infrastructure project — like what we’re doing today, we passed yesterday, helping take care of everything from health care to God knows what else,” said Biden, standing in front of a flood-damaged home on his first official trip since recovering from a “rebound” case of COVID-19.
“What we’re going to do is — we’re going to see, for example, they got to put a new water line in the community,” the president stumbled. “There’s no reason why they can’t at the same time be digging a line that puts in a whole new modern line for Internet connections. why? Why can’t we do that? So it’s going to be different. We’re going to come back better than before.”
As President Biden toured flood damage in Kentucky, he said that the Inflation Reduction Act recently passed in the Senate funds health care and “God knows what else.”AP
Biden spoke for only about four minutes, much of the time with his back to cameras as he looked around at buildings and people impacted by the recent flooding.
At one point in his remarks, the president — who turns 80 in November — suggested it may become possible to control the weather, before jokingly telling his destitute storm-ravaged audience, which included the commonwealth’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), that it was time to “run laps.”
“We’re all Americans. Everybody has an obligation to help. We have the capacity to do this. It’s not like it’s beyond our control. The weather may be out beyond our control for now. But it’s not beyond our control,” Biden said.
Biden incorrectly stated the size of last year’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure spending law during his speech.REUTERSThe legislation passed Sunday contributes almost $400 billion for environmental programs to combat climate change. REUTERS
The Senate-passed legislation, which is expected to pass the House of Representatives as early as Friday, provides nearly $400 billion for environmental programs, including tax credits of up to $7,000 to buy electric vehicles, and roughly $64 billion to extend more generous COVID- 19-era Obamacare subsidies.
The spending is offset by new taxes on corporations, including a new 15% corporate minimum tax, increased IRS enforcement and allowing Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices.
Here’s a brief, non-exhaustive list of things that take less than four minutes and 55 seconds. Me devouring a plate of loaded nachos. I ate an entire bowl of pasta (maybe a carbonara?). I wrote a letter while preoccupied with lunch. And a speedrunner blitzing through Super Mario Bros., setting a new time to beat in Nintendo’s all-time-classic side-scroller.
Yes, the preeminent Mario speedrunner Niftski clocked a sub-five-minute run this weekend, shattering the existing world record by less than a second. The “any%” playthrough — that term means it’s totally cool to skip sections of the game — came in at an impressive 4:54.798.
Niftski, who streams on Twitch and YouTube, has picked up a following for completing all sorts of speedrunning feats in Super Mario Bros., and is also responsible for the game’s previous world record of 4:54.881, set last winter. (Here’s a video of that run.) This latest run shaves a grand total of five frames off Niftski’s previous run — that’s the level of precision we’re talking about here. It is truly bonkers. See for yourself:
Throughout the run, Niftski makes use of warp zones — hidden areas that allow you to skip ahead to the game’s later worlds — and is careful to land directly at the bottom of the flag at the end of each stage. (Every Super Mario Bros. level ends when you jump onto the flagpole at the end; Mario slides down the pole before moving onto the next stage, which eats up precious seconds.) You’ll note, too, that Niftski plays with a keyboard, not a gamepad.
“Emulation for this game is 100% accurate, which means that anything that can be done on an NES is possible on [an] emulator,” Niftski said in the description for the YouTube video. “[Using a] keyboard offers no advantage, and it is actually debatably worse for speedrunning this game. I use [a] keyboard over [a] controller for personal preference reasons.”
This run edges Super Mario Bros. speedrunning closer and closer to the precipice of a “perfect run,” or a sprint through the game that literally could not be improved upon at all. The tool-assisted SMB record is 4:54:265, which shows human players are still a little over half a second behind. If a perfect run is ever going to happen, my money’s on either Niftski or the Mario speedrunner Miniland, who held the world record before Niftski with 4:54.914.
“With this run being done, we are currently 0.533 seconds away from the TAS,” one commenter noted on YouTube. “All of these 0.1 second barriers will happen one day, and then, we will reach perfection.”
They talked a big game from the very first episode, but My Kitchen Rules’ most outspoken duo have proven they’re the biggest threat in the competition.
Queensland radiologists Kate and Mary, who on Sunday’s opening episode declared themselves a “threat” while Kate also had a dig at her fellow contestants taste palates, have achieved near-perfect scores for their main course and dessert from judges Manu Feildel and Nigella Lawson.
There were high hopes for the “fine-dining” friends, who only faulted on their barramundi entree which was inconsistently cooked and served without crispy skin.
British home cooking queen Lawson, who is Pete Evans’ replacement for 2022, said she understood where they were going with the entree, but that they failed on the execution.
“I eat barramundi a lot when I come (to Australia), it doesn’t exist where I come from,” Lawson told them.
She added: “I think you understood what you were trying to go for and it just needed a bit more acidity and a bit more salt to make it what you wanted to. You don’t want to drown flavors out, but you don’t want to be too timid.”
But the self-confessed “food snobs” bounced back with their main course, with their “perfectly cooked” quail praised by the judges and their fellow contestants.
And they went another step further with their dessert, a macadamia tart with poached pears and creme fraiche, which Feildel dubbed “textbook”.
Kate and Mary’s fellow contestants equally enjoyed their instant restaurant, giving them overall scores of 7s and 8s.
Meanwhile, the judges scored them a combined total of 87, which saw them rocket past Peter and Alice’s score of 54 on the leaderboard.
The winner of the instant restaurant round goes straight through to the semi final, with Kate and Mary potentially scoring high enough to finish on top.
“After our instant restaurant, I think the contestants are going to be double thinking what they do for their restaurants,” Kate said.
“We’re a threat,” Mary added.
My Kitchen Rules continues tonight on Channel 7 at 7.30pm
Detectives in northern California have launched an abduction investigation after a 16-year-old girl went missing from a large party Saturday.
Kiely Rodni was last seen while attending “a party of more than 100 juveniles and young adults” near the Prosser Family Campground in Truckee, California, at 12:30 am on Saturday, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s office. Also missing from the party was Rodni’s car, a silver 2013 Honda CRV.
Her phone has been out of service since the party, police said.
The sheriff’s office is currently investigating Kiely Rodni’s disappearance as an abduction because they haven’t been able to locate her car, Angela Musallam, a public information officer with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, told NBC News.
Detectives are asking for help with locating Rodni and have set up a designated tip line people can call if they have information on the teenager.
“Kiely is described as a Caucasian female, 5’7”, 115 pounds with blonde hair and hazel eyes,” said a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. “She was last seen wearing green Dickies pants, a black tank top, numerous piercings and jewelry, including a nose ring.”
Rodni’s mother, Lindsey Rodni-Nieman, said in a video posted on the sheriff’s office Facebook page that she just wants her daughter home.
“We’re so scared and we miss her so much and we love her so much,” Rodni-Nieman said tearfully. “Kiely, we love you and if you see this, please just come home. I want nothing more than to hug you.”
Rodni-Nieman implored anyone with information to come forward.
“And we’re not looking to like, bust anybody else or get anybody in trouble,” she said. “We just want to see our daughter home.”
Mirna Alsharif is a breaking news reporter for NBC News based in New York City.
Sparkly soft serve gives you equally sparkly poops the next day.
As a writer who travels all over the country for work and play, our reporter Haruka Takagi gets to enjoy a lot of regional specialties, but she always makes sure to leave room in her belly for local ice creams.
Recently, on a trip to Shizuoka, Haruka came across a new local ice cream she was happy to make room for, but this one would be making more of a dent in her wallet than her stomach, as it’s reputed to be the most expensive soft serve in the country.
▼ The ice cream is the sold at the Jukkokutoge Rest House in Kannami Town, Shizuoka Prefecture.
The Jukkokutoge Rest House is located on the ridge of Minami Hakone, and it also serves as a cable car station. It’s been gaining popularity in recent years as a top spot for viewing Mt Fuji, but another reason to visit is to try the “Kinpaku Purachinahaku Konbi Soft Cream” (“Gold Leaf Platinum Leaf Combination Soft Serve”).
▼ Yes, this ice cream is served with real gold and platinum!
We’ve tried ice creams with gold leaf before, but we’ve never heard of anywhere that uses platinum leaf. Platinum is famously expensive, and this is reflected in the prices displayed on the ticket machine — there’s a gold leaf soft serve for 1,000 yen (US$7.51), but the platinum soft serve is three times thatat 3,000 yen, while the gold and platinum leaf combo is priced at 3,500 yen.
Naturally, Haruka opted for the most expensive item at the ticket machine — the 3,500-yen Gold Leaf Platinum Leaf Combination Soft Serve.
The woman behind the counter smiled when Haruka handed her the ticket, but when she saw the order that was printed on it, her expression immediately changed to one of seriousness. The clerk quietly took out a wooden box and lifted out a pile of gold leaf and a pile of platinum leafall while maintaining a look of deep concentration on her face.
There was a sense of tension in the air as the employee used careful movements to lift one platinum leaf up to the ice cream with a small set of wooden tongs.
Then she lifted the gold leaf up to the surface of the ice cream, and it felt as if she and everyone around her were holding a collective breath, like it was the final nerve-racking moment of presentation on a TV show like bake-off: theprofessionals.
Once it was complete, with the expensive layers of metal intact, everyone breathed a sigh of relief that nothing had torn or fallen and it was smiles all around again. However, the pressure was now on Haruka to finish the ice cream without delay, as it was beginning to melt.
The lady who made this beauty had a fine touch, as too much pressure would’ve torn the fragile metal, and too little pressure would’ve left it dangling in the wind. It’s understandable why the woman behind the counter looked so tense while she was making it, but thankfully it’s not something she has to go through every day, as they only get orders for the foil-wrapped soft serves about once a week.
▼ Haruka says that if she worked here, she would be praying that no orders for these soft serves would come in during her shift.
The ice cream glistened like expensive jewellery, and Haruka felt like a celebrity about to bite into something reserved only for the rich and famous.
It looked so unique and luxurious it seemed a shame to eat it, but that’s what she’d come here to do, so she took a bite…and was bestowed with golden lips.
Unfortunately, edible metal foil has no real taste or smell so it didn’t add much to the flavor of the ice cream. However, it made a big difference to the look and texture of the dessert. While the gold leaf was thin and barely noticeable, the platinum foil was surprisingly crispy and crunchy, with a slight chewiness to it. Haruka liked the mouthfeel to “eating a two-ply tissue that had been ripped into one ply”.
▼ This texture is due to the difference in foil thickness — you can see in the photo below that the platinum is thicker than the gold.
As this was a high-class soft serve that she’d probably never be able to afford again, Haruka took her time admiring the ice cream, snapping photos of it from lots of different angles, but after a few minutes, it began to melt. at speed, forcing Haruka to pick up the pace.
She soon forgot about the precious foil as her focus turned to stopping the creamy dessert from spilling on the floor, and before she knew it, her 3,500-yen ice cream looked rather ordinary.
Oh well. Expensive treats do n’t last forever, but at least she had those gold-and-platinum memories inside her de ella, and loads of photos to last an eternity.
Plus, the soft serve had an added surprise waiting in store for her the next day, because when she went to the toilet, she was greeted bya poop so sparkly she wanted to take a photo of it for us. We stopped short of letting her show the world of her her of her poop of her, though, so she drew this image of it instead.
▼ “I sparkled!”
Now that she knows the aftereffects of eating gold and platinum leaf at the same time, Haruka can’t help but think these foils would make a perfect addition to the poop ice cream she ate in Yamanashi last month. That ice cream was served in a toilet bowl, so customers would have the pleasure of seeing sparkles in their poop as it goes down…and afterwards. Now that’s a dessert that just keeps on giving!
Store information Jukkokutoge Rest House / 十国峠レストハウス Address: Shizuoka-ken, Tagata-gun, Kannami-cho, Kuwahara 1400-20 静岡県田方郡函南町桑原1400-20 Hours: 8:40 a.m.-5:00 p.m. website
Samsung Unpacked will be livestreamed on Aug. 10, likely detailing the company’s next line of foldable phones.
why it matters
Samsung will be reaching its fourth generation of foldable phones, which started with the Galaxy Z Fold in 2019.
what’s next
As the foldable phone space grows, both the rumored Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 could reveal features that we’ll see in foldable phones from other companies in the next year, such as rumored devices from Motorola and Google.
We’re counting down the days until Samsung’s August 2022 Unpacked. The event, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 10, will likely feature upcoming models of the Galaxy Z Fold and the Z Flip. the rumored Galaxy ZFold 4 and Z-Flip 4 would be successors to the $1,800Z-Fold 3 and the $1,000 ZFlip 3and Samsung’s own promotional art for the event showingcasing a Z Flip phone seems to tease new foldable phones that are on the way.
In addition to folding phones, Samsung might also provide a look at the future of its Galaxy Watch line, as Samsung continues its collaboration with Google on the newest version of the Wear OS operating system. This version of Wear OS — which will eventually incorporate features from Google’s Fitbit — is currently on last year’s Galaxy Watch 4. Now that it’s been a year since that watch debuted, Samsung might have a new Galaxy Watch 5 ready for 2022 alongside new details about Wear OS. Some announcements revealed by Samsung could even end up in Google’s own Pixel Watch later this year.
Samsung Unpacked will take place as a livestream starting at 6 am PT (9 am ET, 2 pm BST) on Aug. 10, with the company planning to broadcast on Samsung’s YouTube channel, Samsung.com and Samsung’s Newsroom. As the event gets closer, we’ll embed the livestream into this post.
CNET will also hold live coverage including a pre- and post-show, spotlighting the latest reveals in Samsung’s Galaxy lineup. That live event will stream on CNET’s YouTube channel, and will be accompanied by reporting from CNET staff.
Samsung’s next Unpacked event comes as phones including the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip hit the market, including the OnePlus 10Tthe asus zenfone 9 and the Red Magic 7S Pro. It’s also arriving about a month before Apple is expected to reveal its 2022 iPhone lineup, expected to coincide with the iPhone 14 and the public release of iOS 16.
After surviving cancer in 1992 and again in 2013, it returned in 2017 and on August 9, 2022, the Grammy-award winning singer lost her battle with spinal cancer.
In a statement released by her husband John Easterling, she was described as a symbol of “triumph and hope”.
Olivia Newton-John has died aged 73. (AP)
“Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer,” the statement read.
She died peacefully on her California ranch, surrounded by family and friends, the statement said.
With a career spanning more than five decades, 100 million albums sold, four Grammy Awards, ten #1 hits and over 15 top 10 singles, Newton-John has well and truly earned her place as one of the world’s most successful stars.
Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta star in Grease in 1978. (Paramount Pictures)
Born in Cambridge, England in 1948, Newton-John was the youngest of three children born to her father, Professor Brian Newton-John and mother, Irene, daughter of Nobel Prize winning physicist, Max Born.
Newton John spent just five years in the UK, before moving to Australia in 1953.
It was winning a television talent contest, called sing sing sing, hosted by Australian rock ‘n’ roll icon Johnny O’Keefe in the 1960’s, that saw the singer’s career really take off. By the age of just 15, Newton-John had formed an all-girl group called Sol 4 and the teenager began appearing on local music programs in Australia and the UK.
She recorded her first single, Till You Say You’ll Be Mine, in 1966 and not long after she released her debut album, Let Me Be There. The record earned her a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocalist and a Country Music Awards for Most Promising Female Vocalist.
Newton-John was an actor, singer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. (Getty)
And that was just the beginning. 1974 was a big year for Newton-John. She came fourth in the Eurovision Song Contest, losing out to global pop supergroup, ABBA. Later that year she released a new album, featuring her single by her; I Honestly Love You. It became a worldwide hit and her first number one single in the United States and Canada.
Newton-John’s portrayal of sweet-as-pie Sandy Olsson in the movie grease, alongside Hollywood’s John Travolta, catapulted her into stardom. The movie’s soundtrack spent 12 weeks at #1 and yielded three top five singles for her including; You’re The One That I Want (with John Travolta), Hopelessly Devoted To You, and Summer Nights.
Synonymous with the film is the spandex pants and off-the-shoulder top Newton John wears in the movie’s final scenes, still inspiring fashionistas four generations later. It was also a role that very nearly didn’t happen.
Already 29 years of age at the time, the actress thought she may have been “too old” to play the part of a high school student.
Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980). (Universal Pictures)
“I was very nervous about pulling it off. When I look at it now I think I was nuts. But when you’re really young you’re just more fussy about that stuff. When you’re older you’re just grateful, “She told The Washington Post in 2019.
Since then Newton-John went on to star in many other films and TV shows such as Xanadu, A Few Best Men, and more recently in 2010, she appeared as herself in two episodes of the hit series Glee.
It was in 1981 she released her hit song Physical. The song caused quite the controversy at the time of its release as a result of its sexually suggestive content, and despite being the #1 best-selling single of the ’80s, it was banned by some radio in America over the lyrics.
“For me it’s about the music. If it’s a great song then it’s going to sell itself anyway,” Newton-John told Fox News in 2016.
“But it’s a very competitive world. I’m so grateful I started when I did because these girls I think are probably pushed to get wilder and wilder to get noticed.”
In 1984, the songstress married her boyfriend of four years Matt Lattanzi, who she met on the set of Xanadu. The pair divorced after 10 years of marriage in 1995. They share one child together, daughter Chloe Lattanzi, 36.
Olivia Newton-John and John Easterling in 2010. (Getty)
Not long after her divorce, the mother of one moved on with cameraman Patrick McDermott. After nine years together, he mysteriously disappeared from a fishing trip in 2005. While an investigation concluded McDermott most likely drowned, in 2016 he was reported to have been found living in Mexico.
The singer-songwriter went on to marry American businessman John Easterling in 2008. The pair had been friends for almost two decades before they fell in love.
“I’m very lucky I have a wonderful, beautiful husband who is just so loving and fantastic. I always tell my friends you’re never too old to find love,” Newton-John told People magazine in 2016.
The songmaker was sadly diagnosed with cancer three times throughout her life.
The first time was breast cancer in 1992, the same weekend her father had passed away from cancer himself. In 2013, Newton-John revealed the disease was back, this time in her shoulder, and in 2017 it returned in the base of her spine.
Chloe Lattanzi, Easterling and Newton-John attend the Olivia Newton-John Wellness Walk and Research Run in 2019. (WireImage)
“A lot of people see it as a fight, and that’s … however you choose to see it, that’s your prerogative. I see it as part of my mission,” she told the BBC in 2018.
Newton-John’s passion for health and wellness saw her open the world renowned and award-winning Gaia Retreat and Spa in Byron Bay in 2005. She opened the retreat as an ideal place to renew, refresh and restore and spent a lot of her time there .
Since her diagnosis over 20 years ago, Newton-John has been a strong breast cancer advocate and in 2008 opened the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Center in Melbourne. The Center provides world-leading treatment and care and gives patients access to clinical trials and breakthrough therapies.
This wasn’t the only cause close to her heart. The entrepreneur was named the first Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations Environment Program and in 1991, and served as the national spokesperson for the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition.
Newton-John has shared the stage with a slew of icons, including John Farnham. (Getty)
There aren’t many accolades Newton-John hasn’t received. On top of selling an estimated 100 million records worldwide, she’s taken home a swag of music awards including; 10 American Music Awards, 9 Billboard Music Awards and four Grammy Awards.
She was also bestowed an Order Of The British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in 1979, and an Order of Australia in 2006 and again in 2019. In 2018 she also received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from La Trobe University in Melbourne, in recognition of her significant and ongoing support of cancer research and holistic health.
It was in December 2019 that Her Majesty the Queen named Newton-John a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to music, cancer research and charity.
Up until her passing, Newton-John was living on a ranch just outside of Santa Barbara with her husband, Easterling. Newton-John once said; “I simply have a marvelous life, a very lucky life.”
I think we’re the lucky ones that she shared it with us.
In memoriam: The famous people who have died in 2022
After ambush-style shootings of three Muslim men and the recent killing of a fourth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Muslim community in the city is on edge and fearful.
A well-liked city worker who had aspirations of a future in politics and a proud new US citizen are among the victims of a spree of police shootings say they may be related.
The killings of Mohammad Ahmadi, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, Aftab Hussein and Naeem Hussain have one obvious commonality though: They were all South Asian Muslims, according to Albuquerque police.
The three most recent killings happened within the span of two weeks, with local and national Muslim groups warning residents to remain vigilant. They’ve also put a spotlight on an unsolved homicide from November 2021.
Here’s what we know about the lives lost. CNN will continue to update this story with more details as we learn them:
Mohammad Ahmadi was shot and killed outside of a business he and his brother ran together in November 2021, according to CNN affiliate KOAT.
Ahmadi was from Afghanistan, police said.
Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain had been living with his brother, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, in the same apartment complex for almost five years and had never had any problems.
The brothers came to the US on student visas, studying at the University of New Mexico, and they would often take early morning or late night walks to the university library without any fear for their safety – until now.
Afzaal Hussain was shot, killed and found on a sidewalk on August 1, his face distorted from gunshot wounds, Imtiaz Hussain said.
“This is not a random killing,” said Imtiaz Hussain, who had to witness his brother’s wounds himself. “This is extremely motivated and extreme hatred.”
Afzaal Hussain was loved by everyone and a student leader excited for a future in politics once he gained US citizenship.
“We are in extreme fear,” Imtiaz Hussain said. “Living in this place is very painful.”
Hussain worked on the planning team for the city of Española. He had studied law and human resource management at the University of Punjab in Pakistan before receiving both master’s and bachelor’s degrees in community and regional planning from the University of New Mexico, according to a news release from Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil.
“Muhammad was soft-spoken and kind, and quick to laugh,” Vigil said in a news release last Wednesday. “He was well-respected and well-liked by his coworkers and members of the community.”
Naeem Hussain, 25, had been a US citizen for less than a month when he became the latest shooting victim found by Albuquerque police officers just before midnight Friday.
His brother-in-law Ehsan Shahalami identified Hussian to CNN Sunday and said he had migrated as a refugee from Pakistan in 2016 – fleeing persecution as a Shia Muslim.
“He had a lot of dreams and he accomplished some of them,” Shahalami said. “His others of him were cut short by this heinous act.”
Hours before his own death, Hussain attended a funeral for two of the recent victims and expressed concern about the shootings, said Tahir Gauba, spokesperson for the Islamic Center of New Mexico.
Hussain worked as a truck driver for several years from Albuquerque, a job he took immense pride in, according to Shahalami.
“He was not even a citizen at the time but he would say, ‘This is our country, these people need us more than any other time,’ so he drove extra shifts to keep things rolling,” Shahalami said.
After becoming a US citizen, Hussain opened his own trucking business, had plans to bring over his wife from Pakistan and was interested in buying property in Virginia, according to Shahalami.
“He was the most generous, kind, giving, patient, and down-to-earth person that I could ever meet,” he said. “He was very hard working.”
Hussain wasn’t just working to support himself – he would share his earnings with family back home, Shahalami said.
After the funerals Friday, Gauba said, Hussain attended a lunch at the mosque and approached him asking if he had more information on the shootings.
“We (The Islamic Center of New Mexico) thought after burial of these two young men (on Friday), we would have closure and move on and let law enforcement investigate,” Gauba said. “Waking up Saturday morning to his (Naeem Hussain) death, the whole community just feels helpless. There’s a lot of fear.”
About 700 to 800 Muslims on Fridays attend the Islamic Center of New Mexico, the largest mosque in Albuquerque founded in the mid-1970s, according to Gauba.
Aftab Hussein was a Muslim man from Pakistan, police said.
Service stations are beginning to embrace electric cars, with the official opening of the first of 120 fast-charge sites promised for Ampol locations across Australia within 18 months.
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Petrol stations are beginning to expand their reach to electric cars, with inner Sydney the start of a 120-site roll-out of fast-charging points at service stations across Australia.
Ampol is making the move with an initial group of five stations — Alexandria and Northmead in Sydney, Altona North in Victoria, Carseldine in Queensland and Belmont in Western Australia — as the company introduces plans to sell electric-car chargers for business and home installations.
The company has not revealed the cost of its AmpCharge program, but it is partly funded by $7.5 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, with backing from the Federal Government.
The roll-out is relatively low-key, with only a single charger and two plugs at each site, but they are fast chargers capable of delivering up to 150kW.
That is more than many new electric cars under $100,000 can accept – but is down on the 250kW to 350kW maximum charge ratings of the latest Teslas, Porsches and Hyundais.
Ampol says its five pilot sites are fitted with solar panels and solar battery storage, which are being trialed for a potential roll-out across its network.
“As the energy needs of our customers evolve and more of us are choosing electric vehicles, Ampol is also transitioning to provide a range of fast and reliable electric vehicle charging solutions,” said Ampol’s managing director and CEO, Matt Halliday.
“Consumers will see AmpCharge in Ampol service stations, depots and terminals right across the country. For the first time, we’ll also be entering homes, workplaces and shopping centers.”
Ampol is already promoting the AmpCharge program through its television advertising, and claims it wants to have Australia’s leading electric vehicle (EV) charging network by 2030.
“Our vision for the Ampol EV network is to develop a best-in-class EV charging ecosystem,” said Brent Merrick, Ampol’s executive general manager for international and new business.
Paul Gover has been a motoring journalist for more than 40 years, working on newspapers, magazines, websites, radio and television. A qualified general news journalist and sports reporter, his passion for motoring led him to Wheels, Motor, Car Australia, Which Car and Auto Action magazines. He is a champion racing driver as well as a World Car of the Year judge.
Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2022 Design and Display Specifications
In addition to Lenovo Legion Y70’s formal flagship phone, Lenovo is also planning to release Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2022 tablet PC, both expected to be pre-installed with ZUI 14.
Earlier, Lenovo Xiaoxin officially released 2022 models of the appearance of the new Pad Pro through a promotional video. Tablet has six colorways, corresponding to the two materials, increasing the face value.
The six colorways of the Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2022 model are Moon Pura, Amber, Frost and Snow, Green Plum, Smoky Haze, and Companion Autumn, with a body thickness of about 6.8mm and optional PMMA and vegan leather dual materials.
In terms of configuration, this Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2022 has two processor versions, Snapdragon and MediaTek Kompanio, which are expected to be Snapdragon 870 and Kompanio 1300T, with 8200mAh battery, and up to 68W fast charging support.
Lenovo official also announced the screen parameters of the Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2022, which is equipped with an 11.2-inch 2.5K OLED screen that supports 600nits excitation brightness, 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, 1920Hz high-frequency PWM dimming, and TÜV Global Eye Protection Certification 2.0. Support Dolby Atmos, SmartPA.
In addition, the Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2022 Snapdragon Edition supports 10bit color depth and 1.07 billion colors while Kompanio Edition supports 8bit color depth and 16 million colors, as well as HDR and Dolby Vision.
