Categories
Technology

Dragon Ball FighterZ to receive rollback netcode, producer confirms content and balance support for the game has concluded



Rollback coming only to specific platforms, though








The epic conclusion to the Dragon Ball FighterZ tournament at Evo 2022 has just taken place, and to celebrate the efforts of everyone who competed the game’s producer, Tomoko Hiroki, appeared on stage to deliver a special message.





Hiroki announced that after much demand, Dragon Ball FighterZ will finally be seeing the addition of rollback netcode. While this is great news, fans were also delivered the bittersweet confirmation that content support for DBFZ has officially concluded.









Through a translator, Hiroki shared the bad news with fans first. She noted that the developers feel that Dragon Ball FighterZ is in a good spot balance-wise, and because of this there are no more balance updates planned.


In addition to that, no new characters will be joining the roster. Lab Coat 21 was the most recent DLC fighter to join the playable cast, and we now have confirmation that she also doubles as the final one.


“With the latest update, which just released a few weeks ago, we believe that Dragon Ball FighterZ has been tuned to its finest,” said Hiroki through a translator. “We do not have any future plans for new characters or additional balance adjustments,” said Hiroki.


On the plus side, fans can look forward to the implementation of rollback netcode. A better online experience has been something players have been clamoring for since launch, so it’s definitely a treat to see that the people’s voices have been heard.


Hiroki explained that rollback will be added to the Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC versions of the game. Those playing on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will see upgrade paths made available to them at a later time, but more information will be available on social media in the future.


“We have decided to implement rollback netcode to Dragon Ball FighterZ,” she said. “The feature will be implemented to the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and X and PC versions. For players who already have the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, we do plan to provide you with upgrade paths, through an upgrade program,” Hiroki concluded.







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Categories
Entertainment

The Masked Singer Australia: Ryan Moloney revealed as first celeb

WARNING: Masked Singer spoilers below.

The new season of The Masked Singer started with a bang on Sunday night, with the first contestant revealed as an Aussie TV legend.

And after a surprisingly solid rendition of the Ed Sheeran hit Bad Habitsthe knight was unmasked as none other than veteran Neighbors actor Ryan Moloney – aka Ramsay Street legend Toadfish!

The knight’s clues had teased that he was “the closest thing Australia has to true royalty” – and we can’t argue with that. But despite his ubiquity on our screens for almost three decades, he got away with his brief stint on the show without anyone from the judging panel or seemingly any viewers guessing his true identity. With neighbors finally finishing up last week, could a new singing career be on the horizon for Ryan Moloney?

Here’s who else performed on Sunday’s premiere – and who we think they really are:

The Blowfly

In their clues package, the Blowfly was shown playing cricket, said he loves “cruising in his big V8” and proclaimed that he’s “Aussie as.” There were also a couple of references to “High Fives.”

The Blowfly then performed a gravelly rendition of Miley Cyrus’ midnight sky – and between all those ocker clues and the Barnsey-esque vocals, I’m pinning the Blowfly as former australian idol runner-up Shannon Noll – and many viewers on social media have the same idea.

The judging panel was leaning sporty though, picking Freddie Flintoff, Daniel Ricciardo and, er… Stevie Nicks (good try, Hughesy).

mirror ball

Some puzzling clues for the Mirrorball, who was shown standing in front of a Mexican flag and the number 48. She was also shown lounging on a piano adorned with framed photos of pulp fiction stars Uma Thurman and John Travolta.

Things got even trickier when the Mirrorball launched into her performance of the Olivia Newton-John classic Xanadu – sounding just like Livvy herself. Surely not?

Many viewers on social media have claimed the Mirrorball as former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton, who was previously rumored to be a contestant on this season. She can certainly sing, has Mexican heritage-and she appeared in the 2005 movie be coolstarring… Uma Thurman and John Travolta.

And diehard Pussycat Dolls fans are convinced: A top PCD fan account posted a YouTube preview of the Mirrorball’s performance several weeks ago under the title ‘MELODY THORNTON ON MASKED SINGER AUSTRALIA.’

On the judging panel, Chrissie Swan guessed Olivia Newton John’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi, but I’m less convinced – Chloe is a singer but doesn’t quite have her mum’s high vocals.

Mel B seemed to have a brainwave mid-performance, insisting she “knows that voice” – she’s absolutely convinced it’s Aussie singer Samantha Jade. Given Mel B was a judge on the season of Australia’s Got Talent that Jade won, it seems like the most realistic guess from the panel.

Zombie

There’s an airplane theme to Zombie, who was shown in her clues package as an air stewardess. “I’m not as green as I used to be – or as orange. Would you care for a baked potato?” she asked. hmm. There were also references to opera singers and Wicked Witches among her clues about her.

The Zombie delivered an, ahem, limited performance of the Ava Max song Sweet But Psycho – to these ears, this seems to suggest the Zombie isn’t a professional singer – but many viewers on social media seem convinced that the Zombie is former Wiggle Emma Watkins. If so, um… first night jitters?

Chrissie Swan had other ideas though, guessing Broadway great Idina Menzel (Chrissie, I think you owe Idina an apology for that one). The rest of the panel were on the ‘non-professional singer’ wavelength though, with Mel B guessing supermodel Heidi Klum, Dave Hughes guessing Boost Juice founder Janine Allis, and Abbie guessing Aussie actress Kate Ritchie.

thong

According to the clues package, the Thong is an “Aussie icon with the background overseas,” who’s “better known for their work with M&M.” Oh, and they love fish.

Based on her performance of footloose, I’d guess the Thong is also another non-professional singer – it was a very Friday night karaoke performance. Chrissie guessed Bindi Irwin, Mel B picked surfer Stephanie Gilmore, Hughesy guessed English singer Dido (what? Why?) and Abbie guessed MasterChef and survivor star Khanh Ong.

This one’s got me stumped – it’s hard to pick when it’s clearly someone who’s not known for their singing!

And it seems there’s no real consensus among viewers on social media, with more than a few pitching their votes for Chrissie’s guess, Bindi Irwin.

The remaining five Masked Singer contestants will perform in Monday’s episode, with another celeb unmasked at the end of the night.

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Categories
Sports

UFC Vegas 59 post-fight bonuses: Geoff Neal overwhelms Vicente Luque, $50k extra pockets

ufc vegas 59 got whittled down to 10 fights on Saturday, but all of them delivered! The light heavyweight headliner was scrappy, and the welterweight co-headliner ended in violent fashion.

The preliminary portion of the card began oddly after Mayra Bueno Silva submitted Stephanie Egger with an armbar that went unseen by referee Chris Tognoni. ‘Sheetara’ was adamant she felt a tap, hence her immediate release of the armbar on Egger. Upon reviewing the replay and polling the judges (judge Ron McCarthy said he “absolutely 100 percent” saw a tap), Tognoni declared Silva the winner. Cory McKenna returned to the win column with a second-round Von Flue choke of Miranda Granger. ‘Poppins’ also etched her name in UFC history as she became the first female fighter to win by that submission. Nice! Bryan Battle starched Takashi Sato with a brutal head kick in less than a minute. The Ultimate Fighter 29 winner then gave one of the best post-fight interviews of the night and challenged either Ian Garry or Bryan Barberena for his next fight. Michal Oleksiejczuk was successful in his debut at middleweight, dropping Sam Alvey twice and finishing him before referee Herb Dean waved off the action. With that loss, ‘Smilin’ is now on a nine-fight winless streak, the longest in UFC history.

The main portion of the card saw Terrance McKinney add another first-round finish to his resume, snatching up a standing rear-naked choke on Erick Gonzalez. ‘T. Wrecks’ told Michael Bisping that he wants to fight again either at UFC 280 or UFC 281 and against a fellow up-and-coming name in the lightweight division: Paddy Pimblett. Serghei Spivac dominated Augusto Sakai on the ground and got a second-round TKO. The ‘Polar Bear’ would prefer a top-ten opponent for his next appearance. Juliana Miller became the first TUF 30 winner after punishing Brogan Walker-Sanchez on the ground with punches and elbows. Mohammed Usman slept Zac Pauga with a sickening left hook and follow-up hammerfist to win the heavyweight crown of TUF 30. Fun fact: Mohammad and his older brother Kamaru — current UFC welterweight champion — are the first pair of brothers to win The Ultimate Fighter ! Geoff Neal showed off his ‘Handz of Steel’ with a stunning third-round TKO of Vicente Luque, who had never been finished by strikes in his professional career. The No. 13 welterweight used his time on the microphone to ask for another contender in Gilbert Burns.

Jamahal Hill scored a fourth-round TKO of Thiago Santos in a back-and-forth affair. ‘Sweet Dreams’ was tested by ‘Marreta,’ but he ultimately overwhelmed the Brazilian and got his third straight finish.

Performance of the Night: Bryan Battle, Geoff Neal, and Mohammed Usman

Mayra Bueno Silva def. Stephanie Egger by submission (armbar) at 1:17 of Round 1

Cory McKenna def. Miranda Granger by submission (Von Flue choke) at 1:03 of Round 2

Bryan Battle def. Takashi Sato by KO (head kick) at :44 of Round 1

Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Sam Alvey via TKO (punches) at 1:56 of Round 1

Terrance McKinney def. Erick Gonzalez by submission (standing rear-naked choke) at 2:17 of Round 1

Serghei Spivac def. Augusto Sakai by TKO (punches) at 3:42 of Round 2

Juliana Miller defends Brogan Walker-Sanchez by TKO (strikes) at 3:57 of Round 3

Mohammed Usman def. Zac Pauga by KO (punch) at :36 of Round 2

Geoff Neal def. Vicente Luque by KO (punches) at 2:01 of Round 3

Jamahal Hill def. Thiago Santos by TKO (strikes) at 2:31 of Round 4

Fight of the Night: Thiago Santos vs. jamahal hill

Categories
Technology

Better camera and battery performance at the price; detailed review

Tecno recently launched the Camon 19 Neo. At its price, the Camon 19 Neo comes with a rich set of specifications. With an octa-core processor and a triple rear camera system, the smartphone performs well and ticks most of the boxes on the checklist. Let’s find out more about the Tecno Camon 19 Neo, how it performs, how good is its camera and whether one should buy the smartphone or not.

Unboxing Experience

In the box, customers get multiple things, unlike other smartphones in the segment. First of all, the Tecno Camon 19 Neo comes with a good-quality TPU case. Further, customers also get an 18W fast charger in the box, along with a USB-C to USB-C cable. It is also important to mention that the Tecno Camon 19 Neo comes with a pre-installed screen guard. All these accessories add value and it is good to see a company providing them with a smartphone that is priced aggressively.

Tecno Camon 19 Neo

display

The Tecno Camon 19 Neo comes with a 6.8-inch LCD display with a resolution of 395 pixels per inch; however, it does not support higher rates. Further, the display can achieve a peak brightness of 500 nits, which feels adequate indoors and outdoors on bright days, but not under direct sunlight. However, the display produces vibrant colors, is sharp enough and has decent viewing angles.

The display on the Tecno Camon 19 Neo has slim bezels on all the sides and a punch-hole cutout in the center that features the front camera. Additional features related to the display include automatic brightness, which lags sometimes but gets the job done. Apart from the display, the overall built of the device feels sturdy; the button on the right panel provides good feedback.

Tecno Camon 19 Neo display vs Tecno Pova 3

Performance

Under the hood, the Tecno Camon 19 Neo features the MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, which was launched in 2020 and is based on 12nm architecture. Further, Camon 19 Neo comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is a good configuration at its price. Additionally, users can increase the RAM with the Memory Fusion technology that provides 5GB of additional virtual RAM. Staple tasks such as streaming content, watching YouTube, browsing through social media platforms and clicking pictures every now and then did not seem to trouble the smartphone at all.

When it comes to RAM management, the Camon 19 handles multiple applications very well. However, the Mali G52 MC2 chipset is not the best for this budget, especially for gaming. Users can play games like Call of Duty, and Subway Surfers among others but not at high settings, which is something that is also seen in models sold by other manufacturers in the segment. Nevertheless, Tecno does not market the Camon 19 as a gaming smartphone.

Although the processor has two Cortext A75 performance cores clocked at 2 GHz and six Cortext A55 efficiency cores clocked at 1.8 GHz, it has aged quite a bit since its launch. For reference, the Camon 19 Neo scores around 365 points in the single-core and about 1270 points in the multi-core Geekbench benchmarking test.

The custom HiOS v8.6 UI is based on Android 12. On the home screen, users have to swipe from the top right to open all the quick controls including the vertical brightness and media volume sliders. Users get everything they would want, including the Wi-Fi settings, Bluetooth toggle, a button to turn the flashlight and other required settings. Swiping from the top left corner opens the Notification center. Further, swiping up opens the app drawer which lists all the apps in alphabetical order.

Tecno Camon Neo 19

Camera

Tecno says that the Camon 19 Neo comes with a 48MP triple rear super night camera. Breaking it down, the smartphone has a 48MP primary sensor, a 2MP depth sensor and a QVGA sensor. On the front, Camon 19 Ne has a 32MP selfie camera with an LED flash. Now, readers should not confuse the smartphone with the Tecno Camon 19 which comes with a 64MP triple camera setup with an RGBW sensor.

Overall, the Tecno Camon 19 Neo clicks decent images with adequate contrast and punchy colors. As seen below, the image on the left is taken with the Tecno Pova 3, which was released by the company in June. However, the image on the right, clicked by the Tecno Camon 19 Neo appears much more appealing. Further, Camon 19 Neo balances the light and retains the details in the darker areas as well. The camera app also has a Super Night mode which works very well in low lighting conditions.

Tecno Camon 19 Neo camera sample

Not only the back camera, but the front camera is also able to balance poorly lit and bright areas in a shot, which is also referred to as HDR. Further, clicking selfies from the Camon 19 Neo should not be a problem as the smartphone seems to retain a good amount of details. The front camera is accompanied by an LED flash and as soon as users enable it, they get an option to control its brightness. However, in some shots, the Camon 19 Neo tends to brighten the skin a little too much.

Now, let’s talk about two interesting features of the Tecno Camon 19 Neo’s camera. First is the video bokeh effect, which works very well in well-lit environments. Essentially, the smartphone uses AI to differentiate between the subject and the environment and adds a layer of bokeh in the background. Second, users can create short clips using video layouts and multiple themes in the ‘Film’ section of the camera app. There are themes like Performance, Motion, Party, and Sport among others. Using these modes, users can capture different shots and create a media-ready video that is great to watch.

Battery

Tecno Camon 19 Neo ships with a 5,000 mAh battery. While the company provides an 18W charger in the box, it takes approximately an hour and a half to completely charge the device. Once charged, the smartphone lasted for an entire day of moderate usage including watching videos, playing some games, attending calls and clicking images, with some battery left at the end of the day. The call quality on the Tecno Camon 19 Neo is decent. Upon calling with the smartphone, the other person did not complain about the sound.

Tecno camon Neo 19 charger

Other Features

Connectivity options on the smartphone include 4G, 3G, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, OTG, GPS and NFC. Additionally, the Tecno Camon 19 Neo comes with G-Sensor, E-Compass, ambient light, distance sensor and side fingerprint sensor. The official website of the company also mentions that the smartphone is IPX2 splash resistant and has DTS powered speaker; however, the audio output from the single speaker at the bottom could have been slightly better.

However, users do get an equalizer to tune the audio output. Additional features include a multi-window mode, memory fusion, a smart pane that provides quick access to several settings, a game mode, tap-to-wake, raise-to-answer gestures and more. It is important to mention that some other smartphones offer 5G connectivity at the same price.

Conclusion

The Tecno Camon 19 Neo comes in a single model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. While writing the review, the smartphone is available on Amazon for Rs. 14,999 (MRP Rs. 18,499). At this price, the Camon 19 Neo offers decent camera performance and battery life. Hence, for those who are looking for a budget smartphone that clicks good pictures, the Camon 19 Neo is a good option. The smartphone is available in two colours, Eco Black and Ice Blue.

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Categories
Sports

NRL 2022: Titans, ‘I love him to death’: Hynes and NRL community rally around Booth after devastating injury

They might be nearly 1000 kilometers apart nowadays, but nothing has broken the bond between Aaron Booth and Nicho Hynes.

Initially teammates when starting out with the Mackay Cutters, the pair lived together at the Melbourne Storm and even though they are now both in different states chasing their rugby league dream, that magical bond of having each others’ backs still hasn’t been lost.

Especially when the Cronulla halfback went through some tough times… his best mate Boothy was there to help him through it and saved his life.

It’s why the playmaker now wants to repay the favor anyway he can, after a devastating knee injury crippled the 26-year-old hooker in Friday’s clash against his former club.

Dedicating his Round 21 match-winning performance to the Titans rake, Hynes wore the initials AB on his wrist against the Dragons on Saturday night and plans to play the rest of the season for his old teammate and best friend.





“I’ll try and dedicate the rest of this year to him. He’s my best mate and he pretty much saved my life,” he told Fox League after the match.

“He’s had a terrible run with injuries and it just breaks my heart to see.

“He’s worked so hard to get back to where he is each time to play NRL and unfortunately just had no luck with injuries.

“I love him to death and I can’t wait to see him.”

While the extent of Booth’s injury is still yet to be fully determined given its severity, one thing that is clear is that it will likely keep the crafty hooker out of the game for a fair while.

An emotional Justin Holbrook confirmed that to be the case after the initial assessment on Friday night, gutted for his No. 9, with the Titans coach seeing first hand the hard work and dedication he’s put in to get to where he is today.

“I feel for Boothy. He’s fought really hard to get his shot this year and it’s going to be really nasty for him. I hope he’s ok,” Holbrook said in his post-match press conference.

“He’s done everything he could do to it unfortunately.”

In good hands with Gold Coast doctors spending the weekend alongside the Titans No. 9, the wider rugby league community has also rallied behind him to show their support.

The Titans will provide a further update to Booth’s injury when it comes to hand.

Categories
US

Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act is ‘economic malpractice’: Economist

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

During an interview on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” American Legislative Exchange Council economist Jonathan Williams slams Democrats’ latest effort to combat inflation, the Inflation Reduction Act, arguing that raising taxes and increasing spending is “economic malpractice.”

JONATHAN WILLIAMS: And what we need is going in the opposite direction and actually cut spending in Washington. It’s clear we don’t have a problem with the lack of tax revenue here. We’ve hit record tax revenue numbers time and time again in recent years, but we just spend faster than the taxes are coming in. And this is a huge problem here. Let’s look to common sense, what’s happening in the 50 states. In fact, you know, 49 out of the 50 states, a lot of people don’t know this, have balanced budget amendment in their state constitution or in state law.

THERE’S NO WAY THAT MANCHIN, SCHUMER’S RECKLESS TAX AND SPEND PROPOSAL WILL GET MY SUPPORT

Congress spending concept

Congress spending concept
(istock)

Now, Washington needs to take a page from the successful stories of what’s happening at the state level. People look at Washington as this land of make believe, that say they want to double down on everything that’s causes problems. And by the way, as the economy is contracting. And people like Joe Manchin have said this and Chuck Schumer in the past, let’s not mess with taxes. Let’s not raise taxes. The economy is shrinking. I mean, this is absolutely economic malpractice what’s being discussed right now.

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WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:

Categories
Technology

‘Call Of Duty’ case thrown out as plaintiff never played the game

A court case has been dismissed after it was found that the plaintiff hadn’t played enough Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare to back up claims made about the game.

Back in November, 2021, Brooks Entertainment sued Activision Blizzard – the maker of the Call Of Duty franchise – in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, for allegedly stealing the identity of Brooks Entertainment’s founder, Shon Brooks, for 2016’s Infinite Warfare (via Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Kotaku).

A document from Court Listener says Brooks Entertainment owns the trademark for Shon Brooks, and that it makes graphics and content for video games that are “aimed at empowering youth” – like games stock picker and Save One Bank.

Brooks Entertainment then says it was working with both Activision Blizzard and Rockstar Games to create a game between 2010 to 2015. Infinite Warfare then released in 2016, with Brooks claiming that Activision Blizzard used “Sean Brooks as its main character in ‘Call Of Duty‘” and that “this character uses the likeness, persona and name of Plaintiff’s owner Shon Brooks and further infringes on Plaintiff’s trademark for Shon Brooks.”

Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Credit: Activision Blizzard

Of the copyrighted material allegedly stolen by Activision Blizzard, Brooks Entertainment listed the following:

  • Sean (Shon) Brooks has missiles at [his] disposal;
  • Save One Bank is uniquely played in First Person Shooter and Third Person Shooter and Call Of Duty copied the same format and is played in First Person Shooter and Third Person Shooter;
  • Both games are played offshore;
  • The main characters of the games both bring thieves to justice;

Those who have played Infinite Warfare will know that Sean Brooks isn’t the protagonist of that game, Nick Reyes is, and that the game didn’t in fact copy the third person shooter format, as the game is exclusively first person.

Then, in January of this year Activision Blizzard’s counsel told Brooks Entertainment counsel that the complaint “contain[ed] serious factual misrepresentations and errors, and that the claims set forth therein are both factually and legally frivolous,” adding that it would file for Rule 11 sanctions – requesting Brooks pay a fine for submitting unsubstantiated arguments.

Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Credit: Activision Blizzard

Activision Blizzard called the claims delusion, with the court recording one of the publher’s arguments as well: ““Sean Brooks” is a common name and Activision’s character is “Sean,” not “Shon” like Plaintiff. Activision’s “Sean” is “an armored Irish space marine,” while the Plaintiff “Shon” is “an African American San Diego-based financial consultant and cigar salesman.””

The court then said in its ruling that Brooks Entertainment’s counsel “could have easily verified these facts prior to filing the factually baseless Complaint, just as the Court easily verified them within the first hour and a half of playing the game.”

Brooks Entertainment cannot file the claim in the same court, which ordered it to pay Activision Blizzard for the time and money wasted, this was written on July 12 this year.

“The court basically finds the whole argument crazy,” said Richard Hoeg, a lawyer in contact with Kotaku . “Brooks Entertainment even included Rockstar Games for no reason (which didn’t help their cause with the judge). So, the sanctions here are Brooks Entertainment [has] to pay for Activision’s legal fees and costs.”

In other news, a new Street Fighter 6 trailer has focused on the new real-time commentary feature in the game.

Categories
Sports

Brisbane Broncos star Payne Haas in demand as European rugby union clubs circle

Payne Haas could be tempted to make a shock cross-code switch after receiving big-money offers to play rugby union in Europe.

Haas is contracted to Brisbane until the end of 2024, but his future beyond this season is clouded. The NSW prop sought a release from his Broncos contract in May after the club opted not to accept a proposal for a new deal that would allow him to leave if team performance targets weren’t met. The Broncos knocked the request back and the parties subsequently agreed to reconvene at the end of the campaign.

Arguably the best prop in the game, Haas is slated to earn $750,000 this season, $800,000 in 2024 and $850,000 the following year under the terms of his Broncos deal. The 22-year-old could command up to $1 million on the open market, although no NRL clubs could afford to pay him that much next year unless players were moved on to free up the required salary cap space.

However, there would be no issues earning a seven-figure annual salary in rugby, where cashed-up franchises in Europe could easily stump up the funds required. Several European clubs have already registered an interest should Haas become available.

Several union coaches have liked Haas to Billy Vunipola, the Saracens forward who has earned 64 Test caps for England. They believe the Kangaroos representative could make the No.8 position his own if he transferred to the 15-man game.

If rugby is a path he wants to pursue, it will spark further comparisons with his friend Sonny Bill Williams. There are already a number of parallels: both were considered the best young forward in the game when they made their way into first grade; both attracted attention for occasional transgressions off the field; and both then found the Muslim faith.

Blues prop Payne Haas is a man in demand.

Blues prop Payne Haas is a man in demand.Credit:Jessica Hromas

However, Haas – who averages 168 running meters a game, more than any other prop in the NRL – is his own man. He has not requested a release from the Broncos since the rugby interest intensified and he may choose not to do so.

The former Australian Schoolboys star clearly has options should he wish to pursue another challenge or not come to terms to remain at Red Hill.

Categories
US

Judith Durham, Australia’s folk music icon, dies at 79

MELBOURNE, Australia — Judith Durham, Australia’s folk music icon who achieved global fame as the lead singer of The Seekers, has died. She was 79.

Durham died in Alfred Hospital in Melbourne on Friday night after suffering complications from a long-standing lung disease, Universal Music Australia and Musicoast said in a statement on Saturday.

She made her first recording at 19 and rose to fame after joining The Seekers in 1963. The group of four became the first Australian band to achieve major chart and sales success in the UK and the United States, eventually selling 50 million records.

International hits included “The Carnival is Over,” “I’ll Never Find Another You,” “A World of Our Own” and “Georgy Girl.”

Durham embarked on a solo career in 1968 but recorded with The Seekers again in the 1990s.

“This is a sad day for Judith’s family, her fellow Seekers, the staff of Musicoast, the music industry and fans worldwide, and all of us who have been part of Judith’s life for so long,” said The Seekers’ management team member Graham simpsons.

Her bandmates in The Seekers — Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley and Athol Guy — said their lives had been changed forever by losing “our treasured lifelong friend and shining star.”

“Her struggle was intense and heroic, never complaining of her destiny and fully accepting its conclusion. Her magnificent musical legacy from Ella Keith, Bruce and I are so blessed to share, ”they said.

Tributes flowed for the beloved singer, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describing Durham as “a national treasure and an Australian icon.”

“Judith Durham gave voice to a new strand of our identity and helped blaze a trail for a new generation of Aussie artists,” Albanese wrote on Twitter. “Her kindness of her will be missed by many, the anthems she gave to our nation will never be forgotten.”

In her home state Victoria, Premier Dan Andrews said Durham had conquered the music world both in Australia and overseas.

“With her unique voice and stage presence leading The Seekers, the band became one of Australia’s biggest chart toppers,” he said.

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Categories
Sports

Rohan Dennis taken to hospital, misses Commonwealth Games road race

Rohan Dennis will not take part in Sunday’s road race at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games after being taken to a local hospital for tests and observations.

The Australian Commonwealth Games team and AusCycling announced Dennis’ absence on Sunday morning but gave no details of his problems.