Collingwood coach Craig McRae says he’d “love” Jordan De Goey to stay at the club beyond this season amid uncertainty around the star free agent’s future.
De Goey was influential with 25 disposals, 10 contested, one goal and nine clearances in the Magpies’ thrilling seven-point win over Melbourne on Friday night, a performance McRae believes was “his best game of the year.”
Collingwood pulled a $3.2 million contract offer to De Goey after his Bali exploits earlier this year and put off contract talks with the star midfielder/forward until season’s end as rival clubs including St Kilda circle.
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And speaking after the Pies’ 11th-straight win on Friday night, McRae hoped De Goey would recommit to the club.
McRae hopes De Goey stays at the Pies (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“He’s a free agent. That’s his right to explore his options. I speak authentically; I’d love Jordy to stay. I would,” the Magpies coach said.
“That’s going to create a headline but we’ll just live in the moment and let Jordy keep being himself in our environment and make us better. Nights like tonight are good examples of his assets from him that makes us better.
“I thought it was his best game for the year. I thought he was a star. I thought I genuinely flipped the game around clearance.
“We couldn’t get the ball out of center bounces, we got smashed in there again and he just had this shrug the shoulders and swagger to get out of traffic.”
It comes a week after De Goey was best-on-ground in Collingwood’s win over Port Adelaide after returning from a three-game absence with a quad issue.
Teammate and close friend Brayden Maynard also wanted to see the De Goey stay in the black and white beyond 2023.
“He’s not going anywhere, I’ll make sure of that. I haven’t had a chat with him about it, but I’m sure he’ll make the right call,” he told Fox Footy post-match.
“If we want to leave, then he leaves, but I’m in his ear at the moment. I just want what’s best for him, so just got to be with him.”
Collingwood Magpies press conference | 09:16
The 25-year old’s contact negotiations are one of several big ticket items for Collingwood to address ahead of an eventful off-season, with Brodie Grundy’s future also uncertain as the Pies have been linked to the likes of Dan McStay, Tim Taranto and Bobby Hill .
De Goey has averaged a career-best 21.1 disposals per contest this season and booted 15 goals from as many games as he plays for arguably the most significant contract extension of his career.
St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt thinks De Goey staying at the Magpies on a shorter deal might be in his best interests to stay “on the edge” instead of taking up a more lucrative offer elsewhere.
“I think that’s what you weigh up and the situation that’s going to bring the best out of yourself,” he said on Fox Footy.
“If being on the edge and only having a two-year deal is going to mean you make really good decisions in terms of your career, then maybe that’s the best thing for him.
“Rather than just looking at big carrot financially and security, maybe playing on the edge might be the best alternative.”
Since Alex Stosic’s heart failed in 2021, everyday tasks like waking up and getting dressed take hours and require a herculean effort.
Key points:
Mr Stosic is one of more than 87,000 people waiting for elective surgeries in Victoria
Quarterly government statistics show the wait has stabilized despite a rise in emergency department presentations
Ambulance Victoria faced its busiest quarter on record, for the third time in a row
For more than a year, the normally energetic 71-year-old Frankston man, who runs his own business with his wife, has been living with his heart only operating at a fifth of its usual capacity.
Earlier this year his surgery for a new valve was deemed semi-urgent, also known as category 2, which meant treatment was recommended within 90 days.
But he has been waiting more than 150 days.
Since his body shut down, Alex has lost more than 30 kilograms, is struggling to keep his small business running and has barely been able to see his grandkids, who live in regional Victoria.
“I can only take about 20 or 40 steps and I have to have a significant rest,” he said.
“Even working on the computer, I can really only do a few hours and then I have to have a rest.”
While waiting for surgery, Alex Stosic is only able to work on his computer in short bursts.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
Normally Alex is on the tools in his small business, which specializes in removing scratches from surfaces like glass, but since he fell ill he has only been able to do accounts.
“It certainly limits my lifestyle and limits what I can do,” he said.
Alex Stosic’s dog Suzie Q barely leaves his side since he got sick.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
The poor state of Alex’s physical health has left him and his wife Maureen basically housebound, which has taken a heavy toll on his mental health and prevented him from seeing his three children and five grandkids as much as he used to.
In Victoria, elective surgery is defined as any necessary surgery that can be delayed for at least 24 hours.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, elective surgery has repeatedly been put on hold to help the state’s health system cope with an influx of cases, which has led to a backlog.
At the beginning of April, the Victorian government announced a $1.5 billion investment package to address that backlog, but as the most recent wave of Omicron ramped up, individual hospitals began deferring all but category 1 cases again.
The latest quarterly data, released today, shows that at the end of June 87,275 people were on the waiting list, slightly down from the three months earlier.
That is due in part to the more than 41,000 elective surgeries conducted during the quarter, almost 50 per cent more than the previous three months.
But the waitlist is dramatically higher — about 21,000 people more — than the same time a year earlier.
And while the hospital waitlist showed small signs of stabilization, other areas of the health system were put under increasing pressure.
Busiest quarter in Ambulance Victoria during ‘unprecedented’ demand
The three-monthly data, released by the government a week later than expected, showed hospital emergency department presentations had risen by 5.1 per cent in the three months to June 30.
That took the number to 486,701 emergency presentations, an increase of more than 23,000 on the last quarter.
The surge is being attributed to a number of factors, including deferred care from lockdowns and a more severe influenza season than previous years.
“What we are seeing in Victoria at the moment is unprecedented demand,” Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said.
The average stay in hospital also rose, with sicker patients staying in beds for longer.
The number of code-1 callouts for paramedics has continued to rise.(AAP: Diego Fedele)
For the third quarter in a row, Ambulance Victoria experienced its busiest three months on record.
Urgent code 1 call-outs rose to 97,982, up by nearly 5,000 on the previous quarter. That’s 16 per cent more than the same period a year earlier.
Only about 64 per cent of those urgent code-1 cases were responded to within the benchmark 15 minutes, a drop on last quarter.
The pressure has led to at least seven code red escalations being called in as many months, in comparison to the nine called between 2017 and 2021.
Authorities have continued to urge Victorians to save triple-0 for emergencies only, with Ambulance Victoria saying about 500 callers each day did not need paramedics.
The Health Minister thanked paramedics, healthcare workers and those in the hospital system for their work during a time when up to 2,000 hospital staff are furloughed each day.
“This is our third COVID winter,” Ms Thomas said.
“All winters are hard in our hospital system, but indeed this winter has proven particularly challenging.”
A study published in June showed deadly ambulance ramping was already on the rise before the pandemic hit.
The Opposition has criticized the government for the delay in releasing the statistics and called for more to be done to address problems within the system.
“This isn’t just because of COVID,” Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier said.
“It’s years of under-investment and mismanagement by the Andrews Labor government.”
The government has announced a suite of measures as part of its $12 billion pandemic repair plan, including the expansion of virtual EDs, new paramedics and the overhaul of the crisis-riddled triple-0 system.
Alfred among hospitals restricting operations due to Omicron wave
The Alfred Hospital, where Alex Stosic is due to be treated, put out a statement in mid-July saying that because of the winter wave of Omicron, it was making operational changes such as deferring some elective surgeries and procedures.
It was one of a number of health services across the state to implement similar measures.
“It should never have got to this,” the opposition’s Ms Crozier said.
“These are huge numbers of Victorians who are waiting for this vital surgery, and while they’re waiting, they’re waiting in pain.”
Despite the way the wait has been affecting his life, Alex described his attitude as “stoic.”
Frankston man Alex Stosic was in good health in the years before he fell ill.(Supplied: Alex Stosic)
“Provided I readjust my whole lifestyle, I can cope,” he said.
“I feel there’s people there who are probably worse off than me who have contracted COVID and need ventilators — I don’t need a ventilator.”
The keyhole surgery he requires is relatively new, meaning only a handful of surgeons are able to perform it.
In the meantime, Alex said he was not able to do much except wait for the phone call about the surgery likely to put his life back on track.
He said he was extremely grateful to the paramedics, doctors and other healthcare workers who saved his life and stabilized his organs after his body first shut down last year, and was trying to remain patient.
Alex Stosic’s life revolves around waiting for news he can have surgery.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
“I’ve always had an attitude that you can play the cards that you’re dealt with and they’re the only cards you can play,” he said.
“I’ve been dealt these cards so I just have to play them.
“The only thing I can do is live a fairly sedentary, restricted life and hope that somehow we get the hospital system and COVID under control so I can get in there and get my operation.”
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WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s nowhere near the $4 trillion proposal President Joe Biden first launched to rebuild America’s public infrastructure and family support systems but the compromise package of inflation-fighting health care, climate change and deficit reduction strategies appears on track toward Senate votes this weekend.
The estimated $740 billion proposal, struck by two top negotiators, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and holdout Sen. Joe Manchin, the conservative West Virginia Democrat, includes some hard-fought party priorities. But the final touches came this week from Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who put her handiwork on the latest revisions.
What’s in, and out, of the Democrats’ “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022” as it stands now:
LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
Launching a long-sought goal, the bill would allow the Medicare program to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, saving the federal government some $288 billion over the 10-year budget window.
Those new revenues would be put back into lower costs for seniors on medications, including a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap for older adults buying prescriptions from pharmacies.
The money would also be used to provide free vaccinations for seniors, who now are among the few not guaranteed free access, according to a summary document.
HELP PAY FOR HEALTH INSURANCE
The bill would extend the subsidies provided during the COVID-19 pandemic to help some Americans who buy health insurance on their own.
Under earlier pandemic relief, the extra help was set to expire this year. But the bill would allow the assistance to keep going for three more years, lowering insurance premiums for people who are purchasing their own health care policies.
‘SINGLE BIGGEST INVESTMENT IN CLIMATE CHANGE IN US HISTORY’
The bill would invest nearly $374 billion over the decade in climate change-fighting strategies including investments in renewable energy production and tax rebates for consumers to buy new or used electric vehicles.
It’s broken down to include $60 billion for a clean energy manufacturing tax credit and $30 billion for a production tax credit for wind and solar, seen as ways to boost and support the industries that can help curb the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. The bill also gives tax credits for nuclear power and carbon capture technology that oil companies such as Exxon Mobil have invested millions of dollars to advance.
The bill would impose a new fee on excess methane emissions from oil and gas drilling while giving fossil fuel companies access to more leases on federal lands and waters.
A late addition pushed by Sinema and other Democrats in Arizona, Nevada and Colorado would designate $4 billion to combat a mega-drought in the West, including conservation efforts in the Colorado River Basin, which nearly 40 million Americans rely on for drinking water.
For consumers, there are tax breaks as incentives to go green. One is a 10-year consumer tax credit for renewable energy investments in wind and solar. There are tax breaks for buying electric vehicles, including a $4,000 tax credit for purchase of used electric vehicles and $7,500 for new ones.
In all, Democrats believe the strategy could put the country on a path to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030, and “would represent the single biggest climate investment in US history, by far.”
HOW TO PAY FOR ALL OF THIS?
The biggest revenue-raiser in the bill is a new 15% minimum tax on corporations that earn more than $1 billion in annual profits.
It’s a way to clamp down on some 200 US companies that avoid paying the standard 21% corporate tax rate, including some that end up paying no taxes at all.
The new corporate minimum tax would kick in after the 2022 tax year and raise some $258 billion over the decade.
The revenue would have been $313 billion, but Sinema insisted on one change to the 15% corporate minimum, allowing a depreciation deduction used by manufacturing industries. That shaves about $55 billion off the total revenue.
Money is also raised by boosting the IRS to go after tax cheats. The bill proposes an $80 billion investment in taxpayer services, enforcement and modernization, which is projected to raise $203 billion in new revenue — a net gain of $124 billion over the decade.
The bill sticks with Biden’s original pledge not to raise taxes on families or businesses making less than $400,000 a year.
The lower drug prices for seniors are paid for with savings from Medicare’s negotiations with the drug companies.
WHAT’S CHANGED IN RECENT DAYS?
To win over Sinema, Democrats dropped plans to close a tax loophole long enjoyed by wealthier Americans — the so-called “carried interest,” which under current law taxes wealthy hedge fund managers and others at a 20% rate.
The left has for years sought to increase the carried interest tax rate, hiked to 37% in the original bill, more in line with upper-income earners. Sinema wouldn’t allow it.
Keeping the tax break for the wealthy deprives the party of $14 billion in revenue they were counting on to help pay for the package.
In its place, Democrats, with Sinema’s nod, will impose a 1% excise tax on stock buybacks, raising some $74 billion over the decade.
EXTRA MONEY TO PAY DOWN DEFICITS
With some $740 billion in new revenue and around $433 billion in new investments, the bill promises to put the difference toward deficit reduction.
Federal deficits spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic when federal spending soared and tax revenues fell as the nation’s economy churned through shutdowns, closed offices and other massive changes.
The nation has seen deficits rise and fall in recent years. But overall federal budgeting is on an unsustainable path, according to the Congressional Budget Officewhich put out a new report this week on long-term projections.
WHAT’S LEFT BEHIND
This latest package after 18 months of start-stop negotiations leaves behind many of Biden’s more ambitious goals.
While Congress did pass a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill for highways, broadband and other investments that Biden signed into law last year, the president’s and the party’s other key priorities have slipped away.
Among them is a continuation of a $300 monthly child tax credit that was sending money directly to families during the pandemic and is believed to have widely reduced child poverty.
Also gone, for now, are plans for free pre-kindergarten and community college, as well as the nation’s first paid family leave program that would have provided up to $4,000 a month for births, deaths and other pivotal needs.
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Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
A $50,000 Suzuki Jimny special edition has just been unveiled in Brazil. However, the off-road upgrade packs are not planned for Australia, as waiting lists for standard vehicles still stretch between six to 12 months locally.
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An off-road upgrade kit for the Suzuki Jimny – dubbed Sierra 4Sport – has been unveiled in Brazil.
The pint-size special edition has an astronomical price, however it is not planned for Australia.
Limited to 100 examples, the Suzuki Jimny 4Sport is priced from $R181,990 ($AU50,330) – $R25,000 ($AU6915) more than the standard vehicle in Brazil.
Major differences on the Suzuki Jimny 4Sport include wider wheel arch flares, an air-intake ‘snorkel’ and a set of black 15-inch alloy wheels with Pirelli mud-terrain tires.
The new equipment isn’t just for show. The snorkel doubles the Suzuki Jimny’s wading depth to 600mm, while the mud-terrain Pirelli tires aim to provide more grip on loose surfaces than the standard highway-terrain Bridgestones.
Other exterior features such as a roof storage system, ‘rock sliders’, skid plates, ‘4Sport’ and ‘4×4’ badges help to set the limited edition apart from the standard Suzuki Jimny.
Although rock sliders and skid plates are designed to protect the underside of the vehicle, the extra equipment has reduced the Jimny 4Sport’s approach and departure angles from 37 degrees to 31 degrees, and 49 degrees to 40 degrees respectively.
In addition to the exterior changes, the cabin has undergone some minor tweaks, with blue highlights on the Jimny’s gear knob, air vent surrounds, and steering wheel.
The Suzuki Jimny Sierra 4Sport logos are embroidered on the front leather seats, which can also fold flat to create a makeshift bed.
Drive understands the Suzuki Jimny Sierra 4Sport is not coming to Australia, despite the model’s popularity.
Australian Suzuki Jimny buyers are now offered black paint as a $695 optional extra, available on both the Jimny Lite ($28,490 plus on-road costs) and the standard Jimny ($29,990 plus on-road costs).
Jordan Mulach is Canberra/Ngunnawal born, currently residing in Brisbane/Turrbal. Joining the Drive team in 2022, Jordan has previously worked for Auto Action, MotorsportM8, The Supercars Collective and TouringCarTimes, WhichCar, Wheels, Motor and Street Machine. Jordan is a self-described iRacing addict and can be found on weekends either behind the wheel of his Octavia RS or swearing at his ZH Fairlane.
I should be so lychee… Kylie Minogue, 54, stuns in a dusty pink tulle dress as she promotes her new VEGAN Darling fragrance
Australian singer, 54, has relaunched perfume range with a new vegan formula
It has top notes of passion fruit, freesia and lychee and is described as floral
Comes after the star’s range of sparkling rose made £7.7million in sales in a year
By Imogen Horton For The Daily Mail
Published: | Updated:
Her range of sparkling rose made £7.7million in sales in a year.
So Kylie Minogue will be hoping her latest bottle proves just as popular – and has an even better nose.
The Australian singer, 54, has relaunched her perfume range with a new vegan formula.
Posing in a dusty pink tulle dress with her hair styled in loose waves, the former Neighbors star looks ethereal as she promotes her Darling fragrance, which she is now selling in the US following a relaunch in the UK, Spain, France and Australia earlier this year.
The scent, which was first launched in 2006, now has a vegan-friendly formula which is said to be longer lasting.
Kylie Minogue, 54, has relaunched her perfume range with a new vegan formula
Posing in a dusty pink tulle dress with her hair styled in loose waves, the former Neighbors star looks ethereal as she promotes her Darling fragrance
Minogue’s Darling perfume has top notes of passion fruit, freesia and lychee and is described – as the bunch of flowers she’s holding suggests – as a floral fragrance
It has top notes of passion fruit, freesia and lychee and is described – as the bunch of flowers she’s holding suggests – as a floral fragrance.
Last week Miss Minogue reunited with former co-star Jason Donovan for the final episode of Neighbours.
Fans were disappointed the pair were given such little dialogue – which a source said was due to their busy schedules.
And with the many projects Miss Minogue has on the go, it is clear to see why.
Australia has had a double-medal finish in the men’s decathlon for the first time in a century in an extraordinary end to the event on Saturday morning (AEST).
Daniel Golubovic and Cedric Dubler fell agonizingly short as they desperately tried to steal the gold medal from Grenada’s Victor Lindon in the final 1500m run.
Dubler, a national hero from his viral act of mateship during at the Tokyo Olympics, went into the final night session with a lead of 39 points with only the javelin and 1500m to go.
However, he was brought undone by a fifth place finish in the javelin and simply had too many points to try and catch up in the 1500m.
Golubovic put together a colossal effort in the final event, crossing the finish line first to take the silver medal with a final score of 8197 points.
Day 8 WRAP: ‘National disgrace’ rocks Comm Games as Hockeyroos survive shootout
Daniel Golubovic congratulates an exhausted Lindon Victor at the finish line. Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP.Source: AFPCedric Dubler and Daniel Golubović.Source: AFP
Lindon was more than 100m behind Golubovic as the Aussie crossed the line.
With the Grenadian looking dead on his feet with 25m to run, it suddenly appeared that Golubovic was about to take the gold. He needed to win by more than 23 seconds.
However, Lindon fell over the line with two seconds to spare. Dubler, who took the bronze medal, Golubovic and Lindon were all left waiting to see the exact results show up on the big screen before they could learn who had won the gold medal.
It eventually showed up on the screen that Lindon had done enough to fall over the line with a final score of 8233. Dubler finished with 8030.
Golubovic was smiling through the heartbreak at the end of the race.
Lindon Victor and Kurt Felix of Team Grenada, Harry Kendall of Team England, Alec Diamond, Daniel Golubovic and Cedric Dubler of Team Australia and Karo Iga of Team Papua New Guinea celebrate at the end of their ten events. Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.Source: Getty Images
“Thank you, I had to dig for that,” Golubovic said afterwards.
“It is cold out here and there is nothing in the works. Two decathlons in 12 days – I don’t recommend it.
“It’s been an incredible experience, coming down and moving back to Australia and back to Brisbane during COVID, it’s been a wild few years and it’s been a long process to get here. It feels so good to be on this stage right now.
He said he is looking forward to getting some sleep after completing two decathlon events in the space of two weeks, after also competing at the world championships in Oregon last month.
“Tired. Very tired,” he said when asked how he felt in an interview with Channel 7.
“It was a tough race, I knew it was going to be, I had to leave everything out on the line and we did just that, that was every possible thing I could leave out on the track, and it landed where it did, but I am so incredibly proud to have performed the way I did and backed it up two times in a row and to have it come down to the 1500 was a lot of fun.”
Betting companies will now be required to send clear statements of gambling wins and losses to their customers following the implementation of federal rules this month.
Key points:
Monthly financial activity statements are intended to help gamblers make more informed decisions
The federal government hopes it will result in problem gamblers betting lower amounts of money
A Gamblers Anonymous member who provides support to others considers it a tokenistic measure
With Australian gambling losses among the highest per capita in the world, the new monthly activity statements are intended to help gamblers make better decisions by providing a clear picture of their spending.
“For some people, they might look at it and say, ‘Well, this is just too much — I find it confronting and I need to do something about it,'” Financial Counseling Australia policy director Lauren Levin told ABC Radio Perth.
“It might lead to calling up [a gambling support group] or calling up one of the financial counseling services, or the national debt helpline, and saying, ‘I think that I need to talk to someone about this.'”
The change was among recommendations by the 2018 National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering, which came up with 10 measures to address rising social harms related to online betting.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the country’s losses from legal gambling totaled $25 billion in 2018-2019, creating severe consequences for the finances, mental health and relationships of problem gamblers and their families.
A study by the Behavioral Economics Team of the Australian Government found people who received activity statements were more likely to reduce the amount of their bets, although it would not reduce the frequency of their betting.
A ‘tokenistic’ measure
Peter, whose full name has been withheld for privacy reasons, is a former gambler who lost his career and his marriage before finding support through Gamblers Anonymous.
An example of the statements activity gamblers will now receive from betting companies.(Supplied)
Peter now provides support for others via Gamblers Anonymous and says the change is a “tokenistic” measure that avoids taking more drastic and controversial steps that will have greater effect.
“The single biggest impact that we can have in Australia would be for governments to ban electronic advertising of gambling, the same way that they did for alcohol, and cigarettes,” Peter said.
“They banned advertising of those because it was costing governments a fortune through the health system, whereas gambling is very much a hidden epidemic where the costs are largely borne by the gambler, the gamblers’ families, the gambler’s employer, the people they steal from .”
Peter said he had seen a “scary” increase in members who were young men betting on sport through phone apps.
He said providing activity statements might provide some “small benefit” for new gamblers who had not yet realized the extent of their spending.
“But for anyone who’s an established gambler or who’s got an established gambling problem, that will have no effect at all,” Peter said.
Gamblers focus on wins
University of Sydney School of Psychology Professor Sally Gainsbury is the director of the Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic.
Her research on behavioral science and gambling helped inform the National Consumer Protection Framework that recommended the new rules around activity statements.
Professor Gainsbury said her research into the behaviors associated with gambling showed that “human bias” made gamblers focus on wins and forget how much it was actually costing them.
She said activity statements were a positive first step but additional information was needed to highlight negative trends and encourage action.
This included, for example, showing a customer the percentage of their spending increase over one year, or flagging customers if their spending seemed to be at a risky level.
She said the method was already used by utility providers, which sometimes provided feedback on energy consumption, such as a “smiley face” for low usage.
“[It is] something that provides a next-piece of information for customers to be able to then flag the next step, [and] consider setting up a deposit limit,” Professor Gainsbury said.
‘They just can’t tell’
Ms Levin felt the financial statements could be beneficial for people she had helped who found it hard to keep track of their spending.
“We start by saying, ‘Well, let’s have a look at your income, at your expenditure. With gambling, how much? How much do you think you’ve lost?,'” Ms Levin said.
“And with online betting they just can’t tell.”
She said prior to the change, activity statements were usually only provided on request, and most companies would provide a list of single-line transactions rather than a graph, table or “bottom-line” figure.
Responsible Wagering Australia said it supported the provision of activity statements, and was also running an advertising campaign encouraging Australian gamblers to set deposit limits.
Russia said Friday it was “ready to discuss” a prisoner swap with Washington at the presidential level, a day after the drug conviction of US basketball star Brittney Griner.
Despite tensions soaring between Russia and the US since the launch of Moscow’s military intervention in Ukrainethe former Cold War rivals appeared to be edging closer to a new prisoner exchange.
The White House has urged Russia to accept its offer of a deal for the release of Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday said Moscow was willing to discuss the matter.
“We are ready to discuss this subject, but only within the framework of the (communication) channel established by presidents Putin and Biden,” Lavrov told a press conference on a visit to Cambodia.
Viktor Bout, Russian arms dealer, at center of possible prisoner swap
02:23
“There is a special channel established by the presidents and despite certain public declarations, it is still functional,” he added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who spoke to Lavrov about the exchange Last Friday, said Washington will be “pursuing” discussions with Russia.
He also said Griner’s conviction put a spotlight on the “Russian government’s use of wrongful detentions to advance its own agenda using individuals as political pawns.”
WNBA player Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony Thursday and ordered to pay a fine of one million rubles ($16,590) for possessing and smuggling narcotics.
The two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist and Women’s NBA champion was detained at a Moscow airport in February after she was found carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage.
The Phoenix Mercury player was coming to Russia to play club basketball with UMMC Ekaterinburg during the US off-season — a common path for American stars seeking additional income.
Griner pleaded guilty to the chargesbut said she did not intend to break the law or use the banned substance in Russia.
“I want the court to understand it was an honest mistake that I made while rushing, under stress, trying to recover from post-Covid and just trying to get back to my team,” Griner said in her final statement before the verdict.
Griner had testified that she had permission from a US doctor to use medicinal cannabis to relieve pain from her many injuries, and had never failed a drug test.
The use of medical marijuana is not allowed in Russia.
Griner’s legal team said they plan to appeal the “unreasonable” verdict.
President Biden called Griner’s conviction “unacceptable” and said Washington would “work tirelessly” to secure her release.
Blinken has said Washington put forward a “substantial proposal” for the exchange of Griner and Whelan.
The highest-profile Russian prisoner in the United States is Victor Bouta 55-year-old arms trafficker dubbed the “Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence.
There is no official confirmation that Washington has offered to exchange him.
Bout’s wife, Alla, on Friday expressed her sympathies to Griner’s family, saying she hoped her husband and the US athlete will be able to return home.
“Sympathy has no citizenship and nationality, it is a universal human emotion,” she told Russian news agency RIA Novosti, expressing hope that Russia and the US would “come to an agreement.”
Moscow and Washington have already conducted one prisoner swap since the start of Moscow’s Ukraine offensive.
In April, Washington exchanged former US Marine Trevor Reed for convicted drug smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko.
in to handwritten letter from Griner that was delivered to the White House last month, the WNBA player wrote how terrified she is that she may be imprisoned in Russia “forever.”
Griner’s wife Cherelle told “CBS Mornings” that when she read the letter, she could feel the fear that Griner was experiencing.
“She is probably the strongest person that I know, so she doesn’t say words like that lightly. That means she truly is terrified that she may never see us again. You know, I share those same sentiments,” Cherelle Griner said.
Cherelle Griner says President Biden wrote a letter back to Brittney Griner
As one of Australia’s most popular automakers, Mitsubishi has been holding back internationally from releasing a mainstream electric vehicle. Instead of jumping onto battery EVs, Mitsubishi Australia wants to stick with PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) technology… At least for now.
Over in Japan, Mitsubishi recently released the eK X, a short-range EV for inner city driving, developed alongside an identical Nissan model (Mitsubishi, Nissan and Renault have a strategic alliance). It’s not something you’d expect to come to Australia, with a limited range and speed, but that’s the point. Right now, Mitsubishi doesn’t see electric vehicles as a good choice for the Australian market.
On a recent press trip to Adelaide with Mitsubishi, I got the opportunity to speak with Shaun Westcott, the CEO of Mitsubishi Australia.
The Mitsubishi team showed media images of Westcott testing a new vehicle in the Simpson Desert. After chatting with him, it’s clear Westcott is an advocate of cutting emissions, but why isn’t Mitsubishi going all-electric in Australia?
“At the moment, if we had to switch to pure electric, all we’re really doing is shifting the problem from the tailpipe to the power station,” Westcott told Gizmodo Australia.
“We’re in Australia. We’re not in Norway, we’re not in Europe.”
Last year it was reported that 24 per cent of the Australian energy grid was powered by renewables. In Norway, the example cited by Westcott, 98 per cent of the grid is made up of renewable energy.
This is a jaw dropper, by any measure, but it is something that we can work towards in Australia. As we reported earlier this week, the Australian government entered a Bill to cut our emissions by 43 per cent below what it was in 2005, and to do it before 2030. We also reported that the ACT will be phasing out gas power by 2045.
And a lot of these points back to the transport sector.
In 2020, it was reported that the Australian transport sector, as a whole, makes up 18.9 per cent of all emissions. This figure varies at the state level, which is why the ACT is so bent on phasing petroleum vehicles out by 2035 (because the transport sector makes up the majority of emissions in the territory).
So then, why is Mitsubishi bringing PHEV technology back? Why hasn’t Mitsubishi launched an electric competitor to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or the Kia Niro?
“At the moment, we have insufficient charging infrastructure in this country,” Westcott said.
“It’s going to require billions of dollars and a number of years to build all of that. Whether that money comes from private enterprise or whether it comes from government, it’s going to take time to do that.”
It’s hard to disagree with Westcott on this point in the Australian market. Transition-wise, with 76 per cent of our grid still being powered by fossil fuels, you’re really only transferring emissions from one sector to another by driving an electric vehicle.
That is unless you’re charging your electric vehicle off of your own renewable energy, which many users do. Australia has the most solar per capita of any country in the world, and when we consider daily driving distances, Aussie car owners typically drive for 34 kilometers per day on average (which largely defuses the argument of EVs having a lower range).
Mitsubishi Australia sticking to a plug-in hybrid EV for now, despite releasing the I-MiEV in the 2000s. Image: Zachariah Kelly/Gizmodo Australia
The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (from last year) and the upcoming Outlander use a battery first and petrol second approach. Where other PHEVs may run battery and petrol motors synchronously, Mitsubishi’s petrol motor functions as a generator, converting fossil fuels into battery energy.
If you go really fast, the petrol engine will start providing energy to the front wheels, but for most uses, it can be functionally an electric car, charged in the garage with the petrol engine disabled at speeds below 70km/h (though the battery of the new Outlander only provides 84km range without petrol-to-battery generation).
“Our customers use our previous generation Outlander in fully electric mode 84 per cent of the time,” Westcott added.
“Other research shows that only 19 per cent of Australians… are prepared to go straight into EV, right now, today.
“What we believe is that our technology allows people to transition. It allows them to experience EV, and the benefits of EV, without having the range anxiety, without having to worry about a charging station… I think it gives you the best of both worlds. We need to inform, educate and expose, which is what we think the PHEV allows us to do. It allows us to reduce emissions by 84 per cent right now with zero dollars spent on infrastructure.”
Westcott was able to confirm that Mitsubishi is moving in the direction of rolling out PHEV technology more across its brand (including in the upcoming revival of RALLIART), though he was unable to provide a timeframe.
Though how long does the PHEV concept have in Australia? What will it take and how long will it take for Australian cars to go all-electric?
Australia doesn’t have fuel-efficiency standards, which electric vehicle lobbyists believe are key to unlocking the EV market in the country, and it’s true that we don’t have a massive array of public electric car charging stations built out.
Though there is enthusiasm to change this, we’ll likely be waiting some time, just as we’ll need to wait for Australia’s grid to become more reliant on renewables.
The future may be electric, but it will take us some time to get there.
James Franco is stirring up controversy yet again, with news he has been cast to play former Cuban leader Fidel Castro in a new film, Alina of Cuba, according to Deadline.
This will be one of Franco’s first acting roles since he was sued for sexual misconduct in 2019. But the sexual scandal is not the only reason people are upset with the casting news, Fox News reports.
The movie will follow the story of Castro’s illegitimate daughter, Alina Fernandez, who did not know who her powerful father was until she was 10.
Shortly following the announcement, actor John Leguizamo shared his outrage over the casting on social media.
He wrote, “How is this still going on? How is Hollywood excluding us but stealing our narratives as well?”
The Colombian-born actor wrote of Franco, “he ain’t Latino!”
Franco has Portuguese and Swedish ancestry on his paternal side, as well as Russian Jewish from his maternal side.
Leguizamo’s social media commentary continued with his condemnation of the industry, writing, “No more appropriation Hollywood and streamers! Boycott! This F’d up!”
This certainly isn’t the first time Hollywood casting has angered potential viewers.
Scarlett Johansson was cast in Ghost in the Shell as Motoku Kusanagi, a character who first appeared in Japanese manga.
Others were upset and questioned why Emma Stone was cast to play a Hawaiian woman in Hello.
Leguizamo’s reps did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
This article originally appeared on Fox News and has been reproduced here with permission
