Categories
Sports

Novak Djokovic’s wife gets into spat with Racquet magazine after it called out the unvaccinated star

Tennis star Novak Djokovic's wife, Jelena (left) came to the tennis star's defense on Twitter

Tennis star Novak Djokovic’s wife slammed Racquet Magazine for questioning the unvaccinated player’s decision to continue entering tournaments in countries he is barred from traveling to due to Covid-19 regulations.

Djokovic, 35, withdrew from the upcoming hard-court tournament in Montreal Thursday because he is not vaccinated against Covid-19 and is therefore not allowed to enter Canada.

For the same reason, as things stand now, he will also not be able to compete in the US Open later this month.

Racquet Magazine responded to the news Djokovic had pulled out of the Montreal Open by tweeting: ‘Dunno why this guy keeps entering tournaments hoping they’ll change their rules for him.’

His wife, Jelena, 36, was quick to come to his defense as she took aim at the publication as she quote tweeted: ‘Is this a real, international tennis magazine?! Wow.’

She also tagged the ATP Tour and one of their publicists, Nicola Arzani, along with a series of emojis displaying bewilderment and embarrassment.

The magazine responded, claiming they would ‘love’ to see the Serbian play in New York at the US Open later this month.

Hi Jelena! We’d love to see your husband play in New York, along with the rest of the tennis world, ‘she posted it. ‘Hopefully he’ll decide he can follow the rules.’

Tennis star Novak Djokovic's wife, Jelena (left) came to the tennis star's defense on Twitter

Tennis star Novak Djokovic’s wife, Jelena (left) came to the tennis star’s defense on Twitter

She slammed Racquet Magazine for questioning why the unvaccinated player continued to enter tournaments in countries he is barred from traveling to due to Covid-19 regulations

She slammed Racquet Magazine for questioning why the unvaccinated player continued to enter tournaments in countries he is barred from traveling to due to Covid-19 regulations

The Wimbledon champion will not be able to compete in the US Open as things currently stand

The Wimbledon champion will not be able to compete in the US Open as things currently stand

Jelena was quick to hit back with the specifics, questioning the logic behind the original tweet.

Hi! Based on tennis rules and ranking – Novak’s entry in the tournament was automatic,’ she said. ‘So, what was the logic behind your tweet?’

Racquet replied by insisting Djokovic should withdraw from all the events he cannot play due to his unvaccinated status now rather than wait until the last minute.

Jelena was quick to hit back with the specifics, questioning the logic behind the original tweet

Jelena was quick to hit back with the specifics, questioning the logic behind the original tweet

It wrote: ‘As of right now, he’s also automatically entered into Cincy and the USO—is he gonna withdraw from them now knowing he doesn’t want to follow rules or wait until the last minute like he’s just done for Montreal?

‘Or maybe after the draw is made like he did in Indian Wells?

‘Not trying to disrupt your Friday night, but since you came our way, it’d be great to get him to take his stand by withdrawing from those events now so the whole tennis world isn’t talking about him not getting a shot for weeks to eat.

‘A stand is only a stand if one takes it.’

The publication claimed Djokovic should withdraw from the events he cannot play in now

The publication claimed Djokovic should withdraw from the events he cannot play in now

Djokovic’s wife continued the spat as she argued that the publication should take a stand itself and stick to writing about tennis.

‘His most important stand is to be a tennis champion,’ she said. ‘And he took it. I mean, a stand is a stand.

‘Given that you are a tennis magazine- maybe focus on that in the weeks to come? Take a stand. Be what you are meant to be. A tennis magazine that writes about tennis.’

The 36-year-old fired back that the magazine should 'take a stand' itself

The 36-year-old fired back that the magazine should ‘take a stand’ itself

Djokovic has said he won’t get the shots, even if that means he can’t go to certain tournaments. He missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from that country and needed to sit out two events in the United States earlier this year.

Unvaccinated foreign citizens can’t go to Canada or the US, so Djokovic pulled out of Montreal a day before the draw is scheduled to take place for the tournament and is expected to have to sit out the US Open, which starts in New York on August 29.

However, the 21-time Grand Slam winner said on social media earlier this week that he remains hopeful he will be allowed in the tournament and will be ready to go should he get the OK.

‘I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to US,’ Djokovic wrote. ‘Fingers crossed!’

He proved he was preparing a he posted a video to his Instagram of him practicing.

Djokovic said he remains hopeful he will be allowed to play at the US Open in August

Djokovic said he remains hopeful he will be allowed to play at the US Open in August

It is not the first time Jelena has been embroiled in an online slanging match as she was previously involved in a debate after prominent tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg called her husband an ‘anti-vax poster boy.’

After Djokovic’s win in the Wimbledon men’s final, Rothenberg asked him whether he would get vaccinated soon in order to compete at the US Open in August.

‘You do still have time to get vaccinated before New York to make it in time for the US. Is that something you’ve completely closed your mind to as an option going forward?’ asked Rothenberg in the post-match press conference.

Djokovic’s reply was strong and succinct: ‘Yes.’

Rothenberg then took to Twitter to label the star Serb an ‘anti-vax poster boy’ who has played in his last Grand Slam for the year, unless there is a ‘swift change in US immigration law’.

Jelena didn’t take too kindly Rothenberg’s description of her husband and kicked off the very public online spat by taking issue with the description.

It is not the first time Jelena has been embroiled in an online slanging match over her husband

It is not the first time Jelena has been embroiled in an online slanging match over her husband

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Categories
Australia

Perrottet to concede election was a disaster for Liberals, wants more women in parliament

Perrottet to concede election was a disaster for Liberals, wants more women in parliament

“One of the most important rights of party members is the power to select candidates to represent your values. I want more women, more diversity, and the best talent for our future.”

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In his last major address to party members before the March election, he will warn that “to win the future, we must also focus relentlessly on the people that we serve”, a veiled criticism that the party was too inward-looking during its failed federal election campaign.

“Since 2011, the NSW Liberal government has shown that Liberal values ​​put into action to get results. And we have a decade of delivery to provide it,” Perrottet will say.

He will also criticize his Labor opponents for failing to support his long-term commitment to overhauling stamp duty in favor of a broad-based land tax.

“NSW soon faces a choice. A choice between our party of progress and Labor’s party of protest,” he will say.

“They prefer populism over principle. Government control over individual choice. The Opposition are offering higher property taxes locking in stamp duty forever.”

Liberal MPs will vote for a new deputy at a party room meeting on Tuesday, where Treasurer Matt Kean and Transport Minister David Elliott will face off for the position, which has no major role other than dealing with internal party matters.

However, the deputy leader can choose their portfolio and Elliott has reportedly said he would demand to be treasurer, which would push Kean out of the role.

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Categories
US

How Nebraska law enforcement found evidence linking man to Laurel homicides

How Nebraska law enforcement found evidence linking man to Laurel homicides

Investigators said a string of physical evidence at two crime scenes led them to the man suspected of killing four people Thursday in Laurel, Nebraska. Court documents reveal how Nebraska law enforcement compiled evidence against the 42-year-old Jason Jones, who was found by a state patrol SWAT team badly burned in his home across the street from one of the murder scenes. Around 3:11 am, Laurel Fire and EMS arrived at the first crime scene and located a woman “lying inside the back door of the residence in a pool of blood,” according to court documents.The woman, identified as 53-year-old Michele Ebeling, was pronounced dead on the scene.According to court documents, Ebeling appeared to have suffered two gunshot wounds, one to the chest and one to the head. Burn marks were observed on the floor, walls and furniture at the first crime scene, indicating a fire had occurred, according to court documents. First responders also observed the smell of smoke and the smell of gasoline from inside the house. According to court documents, law enforcement also saw a red fuel container inside the front door of the residence and a “discolored trail on the floor,” indicating an accelerant was used. After obtaining a search warrant, officers located a black backpack in the kitchen of the first residence, according to court documents. Several receipts were inside the backpack, including one dated Aug. 3 at 4:41 pm, to a Cubby’s Gas Station in Laurel. The credit card used for the purchase was in Jason Jones’ name. There was also a receipt to Fleet Farm in Sioux City for the purchase of a 6-gallon auto shutoff gas can, along with a fuel tank and camping backpack. A third receipt was to Rath’s Mini Mart in Laurel, dated Aug. 3 at 7:49 pmAccording to court documents, law enforcement found security camera video at Rath’s Mini Mart that shows Jones pumping gas into two cans just before 8 pm on Wednesday.At the second crime scene, first responders found smoke and soot damage consistent with a fire, according to court documents. Law enforcement found three deceased parties, all with gunshot wounds, inside the residence. The three victims at the second residence were identified as 86- year-old Gene Twiford, 85-year-old Janet Twiford and 55-year-old Dana Twiford.Further investigation of the scene showed a pry bar was used to gain access to the rear door of the residence, which investigators found on the ground near the rear door, according to court documents. A magazine to a firearm was also found in this area, and law enforcement found a firearm and a Molotov cocktail inside the residence, according to court documents. The firearm found in the residence was identified as a black Ruger 57, which records showed was purchased by Jones in 2021, according to court documents. When Jones was taken into custody, law enforcement said he had severe burns. Nebraska State Police said he was airlifted to a Lincoln hospital and is in serious condition as of Friday morning. According to court documents, Jones was arrested on four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree arson and four counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony.

LAUREL, Neb. —

Investigators said a string of physical evidence at two crime scenes led them to the man suspected of killing four people Thursday in Laurel, Nebraska.

Court documents reveal how Nebraska law enforcement compiled evidence against the 42-year-old Jason Jones, who was found by a state patrol SWAT team badly burned in his home across the street from one of the murder scenes.

Around 3:11 am, Laurel Fire and EMS arrived at the first crime scene and located a woman “lying inside the back door of the residence in a pool of blood,” according to court documents.

The woman, identified as 53-year-old Michele Ebeling, was pronounced dead on the scene.

According to court documents, Ebeling appeared to have suffered two gunshot wounds, one to the chest and one to the head.

Burn marks were observed on the floor, walls and furniture at the first crime scene, indicating a fire had occurred, according to court documents. First responders also observed the smell of smoke and the smell of gasoline from inside the house.

According to court documents, law enforcement also saw a red fuel container inside the front door of the residence and a “discolored trail on the floor,” indicating an accelerant was used.

After obtaining a search warrant, officers located a black backpack in the kitchen of the first residence, according to court documents. Several receipts were inside the backpack, including one dated Aug. 3 at 4:41 pm, to a Cubby’s Gas Station in Laurel. The credit card used for the purchase was in Jason Jones’ name. There was also a receipt to Fleet Farm in Sioux City for the purchase of a 6-gallon auto shutoff gas can, along with a fuel tank and camping backpack. A third receipt was to Rath’s Mini Mart in Laurel, dated Aug. 3 at 7:49 pm

According to court documents, law enforcement found security camera video at Rath’s Mini Mart that shows Jones pumping gas into two cans just before 8 pm on Wednesday.

At the second crime scene, first responders found smoke and soot damage consistent with a fire, according to court documents.

Law enforcement found three deceased parties, all with gunshot wounds, inside the residence.

The three victims at the second residence were identified as 86-year-old Gene Twiford, 85-year-old Janet Twiford and 55-year-old Dana Twiford.

Further investigation of the scene showed a pry bar was used to gain access to the rear door of the residence, which investigators found on the ground near the rear door, according to court documents. A magazine to a firearm was also found in this area, and law enforcement found a firearm and a Molotov cocktail inside the residence, according to court documents.

The firearm found in the residence was identified as a black Ruger 57, which records showed was purchased by Jones in 2021, according to court documents.

When Jones was taken into custody, law enforcement said he had severe burns. Nebraska State Police said he was airlifted to a Lincoln hospital and is in serious condition as of Friday morning.

According to court documents, Jones was arrested on four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree arson and four counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony.

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Categories
Business

ASX lithium shares facing ‘insatiable’ demand amid global funding gap

ASX lithium shares facing 'insatiable' demand amid global funding gap

Image source: Getty Images

ASX lithium shares are charging higher today.

Leading lithium stocks Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) is up 4.96% in early afternoon trade and Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares are up 3.61%.

This week, both ASX lithium companies presented at the Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

As attendees heard, the long-term demand outlook for lithium – a lightweight, conductive metal critical in electric vehicle (EV) and home storage batteries – remains very strong amid rapid global growth in EV markets.

This, as the battery metals industry is looking at a US$42 billion funding shortfall to meet that soaring demand, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

Growing future deficits in lithium supply forecast

According to Pilbara’s presentation at Diggers & Dealers, the expected deficit in lithium by 2040 is the equivalent to some 18 Pilgangooras. The ASX lithium share was referring to its Pilgangoora project, one of the largest hard rock lithium-tantalum deposits on Earth.

It said the forecast deficit comes “with likely pricing implications”.

Lithium prices have already leapt almost 500% since this time last year.

According to Pilbara Minerals CEO Dale Henderson (quoted by Bloomberg), “The appetite is insatiable. Any producer in lithium is very popular at the moment.”

In its presentation, Liontown Resources pointed to research from global consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG). BCG expects overall lithium demand growth of approximately 20% per year from 2020 through to 2035. This will be mostly driven by increased demand for EV and energy storage system (ESS) batteries.

Liontown CEO Tony Ottaviano said (courtesy of Bloomberg):

I don’t want us to come across as self-indulgent because we have immense respect for our customers, but the simple fact is it takes five to eight years to bring greenfield supply online in tier-one jurisdictions.

Ottaviano said that “interest was low” when the ASX lithium share approached car makers and other manufacturers for its first offtake.

“Roll the clock forward and we are seeing a completely different commercial posture,” he added.

How have these two ASX lithium shares been performing?

Over the past 12 months, the Pilbara share price is up 42% while the Liontown share price has gained 74%. That compares to a full-year loss of 7% posted by the All Ordinaries Index (ASX:XAO).

Roll the clock back five years, and these ASX lithium shares have really shot the lights out.

If you’d invested in the Pilbara five years ago, you’d be sitting on gains of 689%. As for Liontown, its shares have surged an eye-popping 14,550% in five years.

Categories
Entertainment

Sun & Sea: Operatic artwork is ‘strange thing I’ve ever seen’

Sun & Sea: Operatic artwork is 'strange thing I've ever seen'

It’s meant to astonish those who are lucky enough to witness it, yet what’s going on in this picture is creeping some people out.

Bikini-clad women lie sprawled on beach towels as they sun themselves, while men dressed in shorts relax and children build sandcastles.

But there’s a twist; these people are not at the beach. Instead, they’re inside a building, and there are fully dressed spectators watching from above and scrutinizing their every move.

The picture has some social media users puzzled, with comments that it looks like a scene from a bizarre prison movie.

“You’ve got people packed in, and some people watching them like they’re at the beach but they’re not at the beach, they’re in a building with sand in it,” one social media commenter said.

“Without a doubt this has to be the strangest footage I’ve seen in my whole life … It’s pretty crazy, pretty wild, pretty out there.”

Another commented it could be like a “prison for the super rich”, while a third said it looks like a “prison floor”.

It turns out that it’s actually the artwork/opera Sun&Seawhich has traveled to different art galleries around the world, each time looking a little different.

The “beachgoers” are opera singers, and they sing as nature around them crumbles.

Many who have seen the display have raved about it, calling it “extraordinary”.

“There is less a feeling of doom than an elegy of beautiful sadness,” one audience member wrote.

In 2019, the opera won the coveted Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Biennale, while representing Lithuania.

At the time, Guardian reported that visitors looked down at the display from a minstrel’s gallery inside an old naval warehouse in the Venice Arsenale.

More recently, the piece was featured at Iceland’s Reykjavik Art Museum in June this year for the city’s arts festival, featuring black sand from the volcanic country’s coastline.

Sun&Sea project curator Lucia Pietroiusti has an intriguing description of the display. “Imagine a beach. The burning sun, sunscreen and bright bathing suits and sweaty palms and legs,” she said.

“Tired limbs sprawled lazily across a mosaic of towels. Imagine the occasional squeal of children, laughter, the sound of an ice cream van in the distance.

“The musical rhythm of waves on the surf, a soothing sound. The crinkling of plastic bags whirling in the air, their silent floating, jellyfish-like, below the waterline. The rumble of a volcano, or of an airplane, or a speedboat.

“Then a chorus of songs – everyday songs, songs of worry and of boredom, songs of almost nothing. And below them, the slow creaking of an exhausted Earth, a gasp.”

The performance loops continuously, for four hours each day and the audience can come and go as they please.

Upcoming tour locations include Helsinki, Barcelona and Lisbon.

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Categories
Sports

Commonwealth Games 2022 medal tally: Brittany O’Brien and Daniel Golubovic win silver for Australia

Brittany O'Brien performs a dive with her legs straight and her arms around the backs of her knees

There were no gold medals for Australia on the eighth day of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, but two silvers and seven bronze medals kept the nation at the top of the leader board.

There were podium finishes for Australian athletes in diving, wrestling, gymnastics and athletics.

You can check out how the latest batch of medals were won in our Commonwealth Games blog, or have a look at the medal winners and the top 10 medal standings by country below:

Day 8 medal results:

Silver:

  • Brittany O’Brien, diving, 1 meter springboard
  • Daniel Golubovic, athletics, decathlon

Bronze:

  • Sam Fricker and Shixin Li, diving, synchronized 3 meter springboard
  • Esther Qin, diving, 1 meter springboard
  • Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva, gymnastics, rhythmic individual all-around
  • Jayden Lawrence, wrestling, 86 kilogram freestyle wrestling
  • Sam Carter, athletics, T53/54 1,500 meters
  • Domonic Bedggood and Cassiel Rousseau, diving, 10 meter synchronized platform
  • cedric dubler, athletics, decathlon

Birmingham 2022 medal standings:

POSITION

TEAM

G

yes

B.

TOTAL

1

Australia

fifty

44

46

140

two

England

47

46

38

131

3

Canada

19

24

24

67

4

new zealand

17

eleven

13

37

5

India

9

8

9

26

6

Scotland

8

8

19

35

7

south africa

7

7

8

22

8

Nigeria

7

3

6

16

9

wales

4

5

10

19

10

Malaysian

4

4

3

eleven

posted

Categories
Australia

Residents evacuated, streets filled with smoke during Preston fire

Residents evacuated, streets filled with smoke during Preston fire

A building fire in Melbourne’s northern suburbs took almost three hours to bring under control and forced nearby residents to evacuate in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Sixty firefighters responded on High Street in Preston which broke out in the empty former furnishings store near the corner of Bell Street just after 3am.

A vacant former furnishings store has been engulfed in flames overnight.

A vacant former furnishings store has been engulfed in flames overnight.Credit:Chris Velago

After receiving a number of triple zero calls, firefighters arrived on scene within four minutes to find the large single storey building fully alight, according to a spokesman for Fire Rescue Victoria.

Around 50 residents from an adjacent apartment complex were evacuated due to the “threat” posed by the fire, the spokesman said.

No one was injured in the blaze.

Smoke emanating from the fire clouded streets more than 150 meters from the fire.

The fire was brought under control just before 6am, but crews will remain on scene in Preston to ensure the fire is completely extinguished.

North-bound lanes on High Street between Bell and Bruce streets are expected to be closed for some time on Saturday. The Department of Transport is encouraging drivers to seek alternate routes through Preston, such as Plenty Road and St Georges Road.

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Categories
US

Migrants from Texas border arrive at NYC’s Port Authority

Migrants from Texas border arrive at NYC's Port Authority

A busload of about 50 migrants dispatched to New York City by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott arrived early Friday as the Lone Star State Republican continued his war with the White House over its open border policies.

The migrants pulled in on a chartered bus at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown around 6:30 am, with a news release from Abbott callously declaring New York was now “a drop-off location” for the people crossing the border into Texas.

Alfonso Ruiz is one of about 25 men who arrived from Texas in a military bus around 6 am

“The journey by bus, it was tough. It was 36 hours from Texas,” Ruiz, 40, said. “It took about two days. Stopping and shouting and stopping almost every day.”

But that was nothing compared to the two months he spent walking to the US border from Venezuela.

“I’m tired,” Ruiz said. “We all have swollen feet.”

Gov. Abbott, prior to the bus’ Friday arrival in Manhattan, had already sent thousands of migrants to Washington, DC, in the escalating political battle where Mayor Adams quickly denounced Abbott for grandstanding on the backs of the new arrivals.

“This is despicable what we’re witnessing in Texas,” Adams said later at Gracie Mansion. “The Texas governor — using human beings as a political play — he finally admitted what we were saying. We’re going to continue to be open arms. This is who we are as a city.”

Major Eric Adams and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

Major Eric Adams and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (AP)

Adams planned to speak later Friday with federal officials about additional funding to offer support to the new arrivals. A mayoral spokesman earlier denounced Abbott’s bus stunt as “an embarrassing stain on the state of Texas” while dismissing the governor as an “inept politician,” later adding the city had no advance word of the incoming immigrant.s

The Texas governor’s press office said the migrants involved had all volunteered for the trip, and each showed documentation from the Department of Homeland Security. The office did not respond to a question about the total costs of the trip.

The bus’ arrival, after a 1,750-mile trip east, marked an escalation in the ongoing tussle between the governor and the mayor over the issue. None of the new arrivals remained when reporters arrived at the busy terminal two hours later, with Fox News the only news outlet present when the bus pulled in.

The migrants were dropped off on a green bus at Port Authority Bus Terminal at Gate 14, pictured here Friday morning. (Harry Parker/for New York Daily News)

“Because of President Biden’s continued refusal to acknowledge the crisis caused by his open border policies, the state of Texas has had to take unprecedented action to keep our communities safe,” said a statement from Abbott.

In a later tweet, the governor described New York as “the ideal destination for these migrants. They can receive the services Mayor Adams has boasted about (within) the sanctuary city.”

Migrants hold Red Cross blankets after arriving at Union Station near the US Capitol from Texas on buses on April 27, 2022, in Washington. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

“Governor Abbott is shamelessly exploiting these migrants — human beings who have endured immense suffering in their home countries and on the journey to the United States, seeking safe haven and a better life — to serve some myopic purpose,” the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless said in a joint statement.

Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, branded Abbott as “a cold-hearted publicity-seeking bigot.”

About two dozen of the newly-arrived men were led from the men’s shelter on E. 30th St. in the afternoon to board a yellow school bus for an undisclosed location.

Migrants arrive at a makeshift processing center at La Plaza Bus Terminal, in Brownsville, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022, where the migrants are processed to determine their final destination. (Miguel Roberts/AP)

New York, as a “right-to-shelter” state, is required by law to provide same-day housing for any adult who arrives by 10 pm with children at a homeless shelter.

Leidy, 28, made the 5 day trip from Bogota, Colombia with her kids, 7-year-old Ariana, and Nicholas, 13 because of the political climate in their home country.

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With the cost of living there skyrocketing and no job opportunities, she came here in search of work at what she says is the right time.

”It’s a little easier to get in,” Leidy explained. “A little easier to be here. Because before, it was very, very difficult and more with the children… [But now] with the children, if you come with them, it’s easier.”

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, whose city has already received more than 6,000 immigrants bused from Texas, has accused Abbott of “cruel political gamesmanship … (using) desperate people to score political points.”

Adams earlier this week turned down an Abbott invitation to visit Texas as the sparring between the New York Democrat and the Texas governor continued.

People like Ruiz, now in a strange city with only the clothes on his back, are real life pawns in this political game of hot potato.

“It’s unbelievable, but true. The governor of Texas doesn’t want immigrants in Texas. We got on the bus because they told us that from here they would help us get to the state we are trying to get to, and that they would help us get there more economically,” said Ruiz, who is bound for Atlanta, Ga. “We were thrown here. They left. We got here, they left us here. Now we have to figure out what to do.”

With Molly Crane-Newman

Categories
Business

Business, Reserve Bank expect 3pc-plus pay rises

Business, Reserve Bank expect 3pc-plus pay rises

“We don’t see that it will hit the double figures that are being spoken about in Europe and in some other destinations,” Mr Albanese said.

His comments come as economic policymakers walk a narrow path to bring inflation to heel without sparking a local recession, amid decades-high inflation, rising interest rates, a 48-year low 3.5 per cent jobless rate, and record terms of trade that is sparking more record trade surpluses.

The attempt to engineer a soft landing for the domestic economy comes as growing anger at the rising cost of living and falling real wages tests the nerve of the RBA and the government to make tough but necessary calls.

The RBA said headline and underlying inflation would return to the bank’s 2 per cent to 3 per cent target band by late 2024, but a shift in inflation psychology could spark high wages growth in such a tight labor market.

“The effect of high inflation and cost-of-living pressures on wage- and price-setting behavior is a material risk to the inflation outlook,” the bank said.

A driving force behind the strong growth in goods and services prices is gas and electricity bills, which are set to rise 10 per cent to 15 per cent in the second half of the year due to the turbulence in the local energy market.

The RBA this week pressed ahead with a third straight 0.5 percentage point inflation-fighting interest rate rise, taking the official cash rate from a record low 0.1 per cent in May to 1.85 per cent, with more increases to come.

In its quarterly monetary policy update on Friday, the bank downgraded economic growth to 3.2 per cent this year, 1.8 per cent in 2023 and 1.7 per cent in 2024 as higher cost of living and rising interest rates stymie activity.

The bank also forecast the unemployment rate to fall to 3.4 per cent later this year, before slowing rising back to 4 per cent in 2024.

Real wages will not rise for another 18 months

There is currently about one unemployed person for each job vacancy, which, along with soft migration, is placing pressure on businesses.

“Hiring intentions reported by firms in surveys and the bank’s liaison program remain strong,” the RBA said.

“However, firms have also reported that finding suitable labor is a significant constraint on activity, with some expressing concerns about achieving their desired increases in headcount in the tight labor market.

“Firms have responded to labor availability issues by offering higher wage increases for specific workers, emphasizing non-wage remuneration, and hiring less experienced or less qualified staff than previously.”

The tight labor market is expected to slowly flow through to worker wages.

Wages growth is expected to pick up to 3 per cent this year, 3.6 next year and 3.9 per cent in 2024, with the bank’s business liaison program suggesting more than 60 per cent of businesses expected to give pay rises above least 3 per cent, while just over 30 per cent expect 2 per cent to 3 per cent.

But with inflation running well ahead of pay rises, real wages will not rise for another 18 months or more, according to the RBA. Under current assumptions, real wages will fall to 2008-09 levels over the next short while.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the result reinforced the need for responsible cost-of-living relief in the October budget, easing capacity constraints and increasing productivity over the long run, while the union movement said 2024 was too long to wait for real wages growth and demanded action.

“The cost-of-living crisis, and now the rapid and brutal hike in interest rates is forcing many workers to deplete their savings. They simply cannot withstand their wages continuing to go backwards in real terms,” said Michele O’Neil, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

Commonwealth Bank head of Australian economics Gareth Aird said at face value, the latest forecasts were not a good news story for households.

“The weaker outlook for real incomes as well the rapid pace of interest rate hikes delivered to date and the expectation of further rate rises has meant the RBA has downwardly revised their outlook for GDP growth,” he said.

CBA tips inflation to fall faster than the RBA

Demonstrating the high degree of uncertainty among policymakers and economists about the economic outlook, CBA is forecasting inflation to fall much faster than the RBA to back within the target band by late 2023.

“We anticipate a number of the forces that have driven the spike in inflation to weaken and/or dissipate in 2023…given we think that the household sector will struggle more under the weight of higher interest rates.”

Some cost-of-living relief may be on the way from global oil prices slumping to pre-Ukraine war levels in later week trading. Brent Crude was trading around $US94 ($135) a barrel on Friday, down from $US110 in late July.

That will flow through to lower pump prices – which, in addition to helping household budgets, will also provide some political cover to the Albanese government to not extend the $3 billion six-month fuel tax cut, which, given the state of the federal budget it is unaffordable.

Mr Albanese on Friday said it was important fiscal policy (the budget) worked in tandem with monetary policy (the RBA’s official interest rate) towards the same objectives.

“One of the things that the government can do is constrain spending through fiscal prudence,” he said.

“One of the reasons why we’re bringing down a budget in October, given there was a budget just in March, is to go through line by line and look for savings that can be made, to rip the waste which is there out of the budget.

“That’s part of the context of why we are doing that.”

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Entertainment

Anne Heche, Ellen DeGeneres’ ex-girlfriend, severely burned after LA crash

Anne Heche, Ellen DeGeneres' ex-girlfriend, severely burned after LA crash

Anne Heche was involved in a fiery car crash on Friday that has left her “severely burned” and “intubated” in the hospital, TMZ reports.

the vanished actress, 53, was reportedly driving her blue Mini Cooper down a suburban street in Los Angeles around noon when she crashed into the garage of an apartment complex, the new york post reports.

According to the outlet, bystanders tried to help Heche exit the vehicle, but she allegedly backed up and drove off before crashing into another home where her car became “engulfed” in flames.

It appears that Heche may have been under the influence of alcohol, as a bottle with a red cap was seen in the car’s cup holder shortly before the accident. However, the Los Angeles Police Department could not immediately be reached.

Aerial shots of video from the accident obtained by Fox11 show smoke billowing out of the home in which she crashed into.

Sources told TMZ that Heche is currently intubated in the hospital, but “expected to live.”

“Her condition prevents doctors from performing any tests to determine if she was driving under the influence of alcohol,” the outlet also reported.

Heche, known for her high-profile romance with Ellen DeGeneres in the ’90s, has spoken openly about her previous battle with substance abuse.

“I drink. I smoked. I did drugs. I had sex with people. I did anything I could to get the shame out of my life, ”she told ABC News in 2020, adding that her choices were a result of her painful childhood that stemmed from being sexually abused by her father, Donald Heche.

“I’m not crazy,” the Six Days Seven Nights star also said at the time. “But it’s a crazy life. I was raised in a crazy family and it took 31 years to get the crazy out of me.”

Reps for Heche could not immediately be reached.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced here with permission

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