Napa County, California, prosecutors walked back to a “boilerplate” drug allegation in the DUI complaint against Paul Pelosi on Wednesday after his arraignment on a pair of misdemeanor charges in a crash that wrecked two vehicles and injured the other driver.
The criminal complaint, obtained Tuesday, alleged that Pelosi injured the other driver “while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and a drug and under their combined influence.”
But prosecutors have confirmed they are alleging he drove under the influence of alcohol on May 28 — not that he had a drug in his system, as indicated in the document.
Pelosi’s attorney Amanda Bevins told Fox News Digital late Tuesday, “I believe that the drug reference is part of the statutory boilerplate language in the complaint.”
PAUL PELOSI PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO DUI CHARGES MONTHS AFTER CRASHING PORSCHE IN CALIFORNIA
The Napa County District Attorney’s Office agreed with that characterization Wednesday.
“She is correct,” Assistant District Attorney Paul Gero told Fox News Digital. “It is boilerplate language auto generated in the complaint. Our theory is alcohol.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi poses for a mugshot following a California DUI arrest. (Napa County Department of Corrections)
Officers allegedly encountered Pelosi sitting in his damaged 2021 Porsche, slurring his speech and with “a strong odor of an alcohol beverage emanating from his breath” after a crash near the intersection of California Route 29 and Oakville Cross Road.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and husband Paul Pelosi. (Photo by Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images)
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Investigators later determined he had a blood alcohol content of .082%.
Both Pelosi and the other driver, identified only as John Doe, declined medical treatment at the scene, but Doe on June 2 told Napa County prosecutors that he had begun suffering pain in his upper right arm, right shoulder and neck the day after the crash . He also complained of headaches and said it was difficult to lift things with his right arm, according to the documents.
Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @mikerreports
Another rival club has been linked to Brodie Grundy, while St Kilda’s interest in his teammate hasn’t cooled.
Plus Fremantle is keeping tabs on a fringe Crow.
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Port Adelaide has emerged as a suitor for Brodie Grundy should the star ruck wish to be traded at season’s end, reports 7NewsMelbourne.
Multiple reports have indicated Grundy’s management are preparing to be asked by Collingwood about the possibility of trading the dual All-Australian, even though he’s contracted to the club until the end of 2027 on a deal worth around $1 million per season.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae last week declared on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 he wanted Grundy at the club next season, but remained tight-lipped on whether he was up for trade.
The Giants reportedly have interest in Grundy – speculation that grew last month when Grundy’s manager was seen meeting with Giants football boss Jason McCartney, where the dual All-Australian’s future was reportedly discussed.
But 7NewsMelbourne reported the Power was also keeping tabs on Grundy’s situation.
McRae evasive on Grundy & De Goey trades | 01:54
“Port Adelaide is interested in where Grundy is going to end up and his trade status at the end of the year,” reporter Tom Browne told 7NewsMelbourne. “But at this stage the Power don’t see Grundy leaving Victoria
“If Grundy approves, Collingwood is expected to gauge his trade interest post-season.”
Power premiership player Kane Cornes last month flagged his old club as an appropriate destination for Grundy should he be prepared to move home, telling SEN Breakfast the Power could “absolutely use” Grundy and adding: “He’d fit in at Port Adelaide and take over from Scott Lycett.”
DOCKERS ‘IDENTIFY’ FRINGE CROW TO POSSIBLY FILL CHASM
Crows forward Elliott Himmelberg has been identified by Fremantle as a possible trade acquisition, reports SEN SA.
The Dockers are bracing to lose goalkicker Rory Lobb, who’s expected to request a trade at season’s end despite still being contracted to Freo.
Himmelberg, 24, kicked bags of four goals in Adelaide’s wins over the Power and Tigers earlier this season, but has struggled for senior game time this year with Riley Thilthorpe, Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty the preferred key-position combination.
Subsequently, Fremantle is reportedly keeping tabs on Himmelberg, who’s kicked 38 goals from just 37 games since being taken with Pick 51 in the 2016 draft.
Busy off-season looms for the Dockers | 00:56
“Fremantle are putting together their list of how they overcome the issues of what they’ve got in attack, or don’t have in attack,” veteran journalist Michelangelo Rucci told SEN SA’s The Run Home.
“And the player that they’re identifying – I stress identifying, so they’re doing their due diligence – is Elliott Himmelberg at Adelaide. He’s out of contract, they think he’s the fit for them.
“We know he’s a tall player who can play forward and ruck – they want him as a forward. They desperately need to shore up their attack.
“He is growing with interest at Fremantle.”
SAINTS INSIST DE GOEY INTERESTED HASN’T COOLED
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten insists his club’s interest in Jordan De Goey hasn’t waned, even though the board has yet to approve a pursuit of the Collingwood free agent.
It was revealed earlier this week the Saints’ board had asked the football department for more information about De Goey, who’s out of contract at season’s end and eligible for free agency.
The Age reported the board wanted clarity around how De Goey would fit within the club’s playing list, as well as its leadership and values.
St Kilda Saints press conference | 06:25
But Ratten denied that it was a sign that the club had cooled on its pursuit of De Goey, saying it was perfectly normal for the board to ask questions about the star Magpie before potentially recruiting him.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re employing new staff members or players, we have to run things past the board and they have the right to challenge and ask questions and see where we’re at with it,” Ratten said.
“He’s very talented but we’re still working through that.”
Northern Australia’s wet season is likely to arrive earlier this year, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), bringing with it a higher likelihood of more tropical cyclones off coasts.
Key points:
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting an early onset of rain across the Top End.
Two powerful climate forces have at least a 50 per cent chance of forming, driving higher than average rainfall
The prawn industry says wetter weather will hopefully drive a bumper harvest next year
Much of south-eastern Australia has been impacted by record-breaking floods as a result of La Nina, while the north of the continent recorded decent rainfall totals during the last wet season.
Now the weather bureau has officially declared another climatic phenomenon — known as the negative Indian Ocean Dipole — that’s expected to add to recent unrelenting rain on the east coast.
The weather system is also predicted to lead to wetter weather across the Top End of the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland. However, parts of northern Western Australia are likely to remain somewhat drier.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting vast parts of northern Australia will see an early onset of rainfall, but a later onset in WA is possible.(Supplied)
Northern Australia’s wet season typically runs from December to April, following a build up of hot and humid conditions from October.
The weather bureau measures how early or late the rainfall onset is by how long it takes for rain gauges to record 50mm after the start of September. Typically, gauges hit the 50mm threshold in Darwin in late October.
“There is a high chance of getting to 50mm from the 1st of September potentially by early October or maybe even late September,” the BOM’s senior forecast Moses Raico said of this year’s conditions.
The culprits are vast climate drivers across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, including the La Nina, responsible for much of the east coast’s wet weather so far this year.
The BOM is predicting a 50:50 chance of La Nina forming for a third straight summer, however Mr Raico said it was actually a negative Indian Ocean Dipole that was more likely to influence rainfall in northern Australia.
He said this was when “waters across the eastern side of the [Indian Ocean] basin are warmer than compared to what’s over on the western side.”
“The combination of those warmer waters, and if we also get La Nina called later on, it could help contribute to seeing wetter conditions than what we’d expect, which would contribute to a greater chance of a rainfall thresholds being met.”
While every year is different, the areas shaded in green usually receive wetter than normal weather during a negative Indian Ocean Dipole – particularly the south-east of Australia.(ABC: Shakira Wilson)
Earlier rain, more potential cyclones
Each year, the monsoon arrives at roughly the same time. In Darwin, drenching rains typically begin between Christmas and New Years.
But Mr Raico said the combination of a La Nina and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole could bring the monsoons forward to sometime earlier in December.
“The exact timing though, it’s a bit hard to actually pin point,” he said.
“Definitely, if that were to take place and we do see those warmer sea surface temperatures, then that generally would play out with potentially greater than average tropical cyclones in the season.”
Typically, a negative Indian Ocean Dipole and La Nina triggers higher than average rainfall across northern Australia during its wet season.
But the BOM, in its report wrapping up the 2021-22 wet season, acknowledges this wasn’t entirely true.
“The 2021–22 La Nina was conducive to the early start to the wet season and above average rainfall until January 2022,” the BOM said.
“However, somewhat atypically for a La Nina, many areas of northern Australia were drier than average from February to April 2022.”
Michael O’Brien says the forecast will benefit prawn fishers. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
Rainfall good news for some
Increased wet weather might bring to a premature end the Northern Territory’s bumper tourism season, which runs through the dry.
But those likely to benefit include prawn fishers, whose benefits greatly from rainy conditions.
Australia Bay Seafoods general manager Michael O’Brien said 16 boats had already gone out into the Gulf of Carpentaria in the past week for the tiger prawn season.
“[The forecast] is great news for us because our banana [prawn] season, which is the first half of the year, is totally related to the amount of rain we get to flush the rivers out,” he said.
Mr O’Brien said rains flushed “the rivers out with all the smaller prawns so they can go out and grow”.
“Our prawns will be bigger, which is good for everybody – good for the market, good for us and good for the consumer that’s going to eat big prawns.”
WASHINGTON — As Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona, took her turn presiding over the Senate floor on Tuesday, Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, a fellow Democrat, got down on one knee beside her at the dais, leaning in intently to speak to her in hushed tones.
Ms. Sinema, an inscrutable lawmaker who has shown a willingness to buck her party, had replaced Mr. Manchin as the most prominent and speculated-upon holdout on his party’s major climate, energy and tax package, and the West Virginian was there to lobby her to support it.
With journalists watching from the gallery above, leaning in to try to hear the conversation, Ms. Sinema waved in apparent acknowledgment.
“She’ll make a decision based on the facts,” Mr. Manchin told reporters later, calling it “a good talk.”
While Mr. Manchin has embraced the public scrutiny and attention that comes with being a swing vote in the evenly divided Senate, Ms. Sinema has remained a tight-lipped enigma. Passage of Democrats’ major domestic policy initiative, negotiated by Mr. Manchin and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, now hinges on whether she is willing to support it.
So far, Ms. Sinema won’t say.
It has put Democrats in a perilous position as they rush to move the package forward as early as this week and toil to unite all 50 members of their caucus behind it. Republicans are expected to unanimously oppose the plan, which includes hundreds of billions of dollars in energy and climate proposals, tax increases, extended health care subsidies and a plan aimed at lowering prescription drug prices, meaning Democrats cannot spare a single vote if all Republicans are present.
Party leaders will also have to maneuver the bill through a series of rapid-fire amendments that could pass if any Democrat joins Republicans in support. With Mr. Manchin enthusiastically embarking on a media tour to celebrate the measure, fears of failure were now being fueled by Ms. Sinema’s characteristic silence from her.
A spokeswoman for Ms. Sinema has said that the senator was reviewing the legislation and waiting for guidance from top Senate rules officials, who were analyzing whether it meets the strict rules that apply under the budget reconciliation process. Democrats were using the reconciliation process to shield the legislation from a filibuster and speed it through Congress.
Top Democrats on Wednesday were quietly weighing what potential changes to the bill, particularly to its tax provisions, might be needed to win Ms. Sinema’s support, as the Arizona senator was preparing her own wish list.
While she voted for the initial $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that allowed Democrats to begin work on the legislation, Ms. Sinema has not offered explicit support for many pieces of the current package, most notably much of the tax increases included to pay for it. Doubt about Ms. Sinema’s support of her has centered on her past opposition to a proposal aimed at limiting the carried interest preferential tax treatment for income earned by venture capitalists and private equity firms. A similar proposal was among the tax changes Mr. Manchin and Mr. Schumer included in their deal.
What’s in the Democrats’ Climate and Tax Bill
Cards 1 of 7
A new proposal. The $369 billion climate and tax package that Senate Democrats proposed in July could have far-reaching effects on the environment and the economy. Here are some of the key provisions:
Auto industry. Currently, taxpayers can get up to $7,500 in tax credits for purchasing an electric vehicle, but there is a cap on how many cars from each manufacturer are eligible. The new bill would eliminate this cap and extend the tax credit until 2032; used cars would also qualify for a credit of up to $4,000.
Energy industry. The bill would provide billions of dollars in rebates for Americans who buy energy efficient and electric appliances and tax credits for companies that build new sources of emissions-free electricity, such as wind turbines and solar panels. It would also set aside $60 billion to encourage clean energy manufacturing in the United States. It would also require businesses to pay a financial penalty per metric ton for methane emissions that exceed federal limits starting in 2024.
Low-income communities. The bill would invest over $60 billion to support low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately burdened by effects of climate change. This includes grants for zero-emissions technology and vehicles, as well as money to mitigate the negative effects of highways, bus depots and other transportation facilities.
Carried interest loophole. The deal would narrow this special tax preference, which allows wealthy hedge fund managers and private equity executives to pay lower tax rates than entry-level employees. The bill would introduce new requirements to qualify for the exemption, with the goal of taxpayers’ ability to reduce the system and pay a lower tax rate.
Fossil fuels industry. The bill would require the federal government to auction off more public lands and waters for oil drilling and expand tax credits for coal and gas-burning plants that rely on carbon capture technology. These provisions are among those that were added to gain the support of Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia.
West Virginia. The bill would also bring big benefits to Mr. Manchin’s state, the nation’s second-largest producer of coal, making permanent a federal trust fund to support miners with black lung disease and offering new incentives for companies to build wind and solar farms in areas where coal mines or coal plants have recently closed.
Mr. Manchin and other Democrats have said the provision would ensure fairness in the nation’s tax code. But Ms. Sinema, who resisted many of the tax rate increases her colleagues had pushed for, has privately signaled she wants the carried interest measure removed.
She is also pushing to add funds for drought resilience, given that her state has struggled with devastating water shortages, according to officials briefed on the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose sensitive negotiations. Politico first reported the request from Ms. Sinema, whose state is currently in its 27th consecutive year of drought, according to the state’s climate office.
Ms. Sinema, like most of her colleagues, was blindsided by news of the deal between Mr. Manchin and Mr. Schumer and its details. Mr. Manchin has said that he intentionally did not trust in or consult other Democrats during final negotiations to salvage the climate and tax proposals because, he told reporters on Monday, “I wasn’t ever sure that we would get to a finale, to get a completed bill.”
Speaking to a West Virginia radio station on Tuesday, Mr. Manchin noted that Ms. Sinema had played an outsized role in shaping the prescription drug proposal and scaling back Democratic ambitions to overhaul the tax code as part of the plan.
It was unclear whether Democrats would be willing to strike the tax break for wealthy executives altogether to win over Ms. Sinema. Estimates suggest it would raise about $14 billion, a small portion of the $740 billion plan.
“It may strike some people in Washington as old-fashioned, but in my experience, Senator Sinema has always believed you must be thoughtful and cautious when it comes to changing tax policy,” said John LaBombard, a senior vice president at the public affairs firm ROKK Solutions, who left Ms. Sinema’s office in February after more than three years working in her office.
Party leaders expressed guarded optimism that they could pass the package with its key elements intact.
“I’m very hopeful we’re all going to be united and pass this bill,” said Mr. Schumer, who said he and his staff were in touch with Ms. Sinema about the measure.
Others avoided even commenting on whether they had spoken to Ms. Sinema.
“Why would I be sharing that with any of you guys at this point?” Senator Mark Warner of Virginia asked, throwing his arms up in the air with a grin as he climbed onto the Senate subway.
Ms. Sinema, 46, has toggled between vexing her party with her refusal to embrace some of its top priorities and playing a key role in negotiating some of its hardest-won bipartisan compromises.
She has drawn ire from her colleagues and some voters for opposing their push to undo the 60-vote filibuster threshold that Republicans have used to block much of the Democratic agenda. Ms. Sinema also joined Mr. Manchin in helping to hammer out the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure law, and played a leading role in forging a compromise on gun safety efforts that yielded the first significant federal law on that issue in decades.
She has previously expressed support for investing in climate change, leaving many Democrats hopeful that she will choose to back the final deal. On the Senate floor on Tuesday, lawmakers in both parties made a point of chatting her up in between votes.
Ms. Sinema is also hearing directly from voters, activists and local businesses in her state.
Daniel Seiden, the president and chief executive of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in an interview that he and several business and industry representatives spoke with Ms. Sinema about the legislation for about 20 minutes on Tuesday, after reaching out to her office . They expressed concerns with how a proposed 15 percent minimum tax on corporations was structured, he said.
Ms. Sinema, Mr. Seiden recalled, asked for details about how businesses would be affected and whether the proposal “could be written better.” But, he added, she “did n’t tip her hand one way or another.”
Ms. Sinema, who faces re-election in 2024, is also facing a likely primary opponent as part of the backlash for her resistance to ending the filibuster. The Primary Sinema Project, a political group aimed at ousting her, warned that Ms. Sinema “better not mess this up” after the deal was announced, while Representative Ruben Gallego, a potential challenger and prominent critic, charged she was holding up the measure “to try to protect ultra rich hedge fund managers so they can pay a lower tax.”
Her Republican allies and business groups see Ms. Sinema as a last opportunity to derail a measure they have condemned as harmful to the nation’s economy. Americans For Prosperity, a conservative nonprofit advocacy group with ties to the Tea Party and the Koch Brothers, circulated an online ad against the legislation that pleaded “Come on Kyrsten… Say NO for Arizona.”
But her colleagues conceded that Ms. Sinema has seldom seemed swayed by the heat of public campaigns.
“She’s analyzing it, keeps her own counsel, I think as most of you know, and usually comes to her own decisions, pretty independent of any pressure that she might get from either side,” Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Republican, told reporters on Monday. “So, you know, I think she’s going through that process right now.”
catie edmondson and Lisa Friedmann contributed reporting.
In an email to staff seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age Canva told staff it has $US700 million in the bank, is still hiring and unlike the vast majority of its tech start-up peers, it is profitable.
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“We had planned to dip out of profitability this year to invest in further accelerating growth,” Perkins wrote in the email. “However, we changed course as soon as we noticed the macroeconomic environment changing and are now back to being profitable again this year, for the sixth year in a row.”
Canva is pivotal to the success of Australia’s start-up sector. At $US40 billion, the company was valued about 8 times larger than the country’s next largest start-up, payments firm Airwallex.
Canva’s surging valuation has helped its biggest backers — Blackbird Ventures, AirTree Ventures and Square Peg Capital — cement their status as the country’s pre-eminent venture funds.
Technology stocks have been hammered this year due to concerns about inflation and global growth. Loss-making companies that have pursued growth before profits, and that depend on external funding to sustain their operations, have been hit the hardest in the downturn.
But Obrecht said Canva has been profitable for the last five years and does not need to raise any more funding. He said a public listing of Canva shares was still on the “distant horizon”.
“We love being a private company, which is why the sort of external noise around valuations is just annoying,” he said.
Canva is taking in more than $US1 billion in revenue a year, Obrecht said. Industry sources familiar with the company, who were not authorized to speak on record, said its revenue was growing at about 70 per cent annually.
Obrecht would not confirm the exact figure, but said Canva had more than 10 million paying subscribers and was seeing particular growth from its Teams product, which is aimed at business customers. The company is still hiring but has scaled back marketing expenditure.
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One of the few areas where a declining valuation for a privately held tech business has an immediate impact is for staff who were given share rights at a very high valuation, meaning they received fewer. Obrecht, who is also the company’s chief operating officer, said Canva was looking at topping up those workers.
“It’s something we’re considering because we value our employees more than anything else in the world and want to ensure that they feel valued and everything’s all aligned there,” he said.
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Manly’s rainbow-themed jersey was meant to promote inclusion but it left the Sea Eagles divided and the players forced to pick up the pieces.
Key points:
The Manly squad met after seven players chose not to wear the inclusion jersey
Five of the seven players will return to the first-grade squad this round
Jake Trbojevic says he is glad to have had the chance to speak to the players
Their stance was a shock for some players who took the field against the Roosters, such as Jake Trbojevic.
“My number one thing is footy so at first it was hard to comprehend, but we’ve got a really clear understanding of it and I’m really comfortable with it,” Trbojevic said.
The loss has left the Sea Eagles in a precarious position as they now sit 10th on the ladder.
“It’s almost do or die for us at the moment,” Lachlan Croker said.
“Obviously it was disappointing to not be able to play with those guys that you play with every week, but the decision was made and who am I to say the decision was wrong?”
Sea Eagles veteran Kieran Foran was one of the players that modeled the jersey in promotional videos two weeks before the players were told they would be required to wear it against the Roosters.
Foran did not think twice about wearing the jersey.
“I was more than happy to put on the jersey but that’s my beliefs,” he said.
Five of the seven players who boycotted wearing the jersey will return to Brookvale Oval this Friday to take on the Parramatta Eels.
Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Haumole Olakau’atu, Tolutau Koula and Toafofoa Sipley have been named in the Sea Eagles’ 17-player squad, while Josh Aloiai is injured and Josh Schuster missed selection.
Josh Schuster, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Aloiai and Jason Saab were four of the players who refused to wear Manly’s inclusion jersey.(AAP: Dan Himbrechts and James Gourley )
But it has taken some work to get to this point, with the entire playing group being put through several mediation sessions.
“I don’t want to disclose those internal discussions, that’s for us as a club, but I can say that they all went well,” Foran said.
Before the group came together, Trbojevic arranged to meet with Aloiai one on one.
“Me and Josh get on really well, (we) told each other what we thought made sense,” Trbojevic said.
The players now insist there are no rifts or resentment lingering inside the squad.
“It’s all solved, we’ve talked about it,” Reuben Garrick said.
“That’s what you’ve got to do as a team. It’s not about any one person’s opinion.
“We’ve had those conversations. It was about letting them know how we felt and telling them how they felt and respecting decisions.”
Manly wore the rainbow-themed jersey against the Roosters last Thursday night.(Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
Croker agreed with Garrick and said the group had been galvanized by the drama.
“It’s something I would have never thought about, so it’s a learning curve for a lot of us,” he said.
“Obviously it was a tough week for everyone but there’s no point dwelling on it now, and nothing but good stuff has come out of it, so we are focused on the next five weeks.”
While the Sea Eagles want to focus on winning their remaining five matches in a late finals bid, they are set to confront the complex situation again amid an ongoing debate about religious freedom and diversity in sport.
The NRL is considering introducing a full pride round next year for all 16 clubs, but given how Manly’s jersey backfired for the club, players admit the initiative could be met with resistance.
“It probably would [be difficult] based on how it went this year,” Trbojevic said.
Croker added: “Their beliefs are that strong, you just have to take your hat off to them, but it was an interesting one and hopefully something that doesn’t unfold again.”
Greater Brisbane has been blanketed in thick fog for the second time this week, prompting the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to issue an alert for dangerous road conditions.
But today the pea soup is more widespread, with patches of fog impacting cities along the Queensland coast all the way north to Townsville.
BOM forecaster Matthew Bass said the fog was a “similar event” to what Brisbane experienced on Tuesday, but heavier today in outer suburbs.
“Maybe a little bit more extensive through southern parts of Brisbane, down towards the Logan area,” he said.
Patches of fog can be seen all the way to Townsville.(Supplied: BOM)
“Out west [of Brisbane] it is maybe a little bit more extensive but relatively similar to what we saw a couple of days ago.”
Mr Bass said visibility was down to 100 meters in parts of south-east Queensland, and down to 2,000 meters at the Brisbane Airport at 6am.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said Brisbane ferry and CityCats were running a “little slower” due to the fog.
The Captain Cook Bridge on the Pacific Motorway lost in the haze.(ABC New: Curtis Rodda)
“Everyone does need to pay attention on the road, take it that little bit slower and a little bit more careful in the reduced visibility,” he said.
“Definitely quite low visibility in the city as well.”
The hazy view from Brisbane’s William Jolly Bridge at 5am. (ABC News: Matt Eaton)
Mr Bass said the fog was likely to hang around for a few hours until after sunrise.
With visibility so low, police also asked commuters to drive with caution.
Mr Bass warned the fog could also cause disruptions to flights in and out of Brisbane airport.
Victoria Bridge hidden in fog from South Bank on Thursday morning.(ABC News: Matt Eaton)
“There’s a reasonable chance that the fog will make it to the airport and cause flight disruptions,” he said.
BOM forecaster Steven Hadley told ABC Radio Brisbane the fog was likely to clear before 9am in most places.
“The main Brisbane airport is just starting to clear up there, but Archerfield Airport is pretty fogged in,” he said.
The city view lost in fog from Highgate Hill in Brisbane. (ABC News: Curtis Rodda)
“It is quite a thick fog across some of the western, southern suburbs and inland as well, so expect it to probably lurk a bit longer through that part of the world.”
Mr Hadley said once the fog cleared it would be a nice day in the Brisbane area.
The pedestrian and cycle bridge at Indooroopilly was shrouded in fog on Thursday morning. (Supplied: Peter Doherty)
The view across the Brisbane River from the South Bank on Thursday morning.(ABC NewsBrian Hurst)
The National Archives first became aware of Navarro’s use of a personal email account last year, according to the filing, after the House select panel investigating the coronavirus pandemic obtained emails showing Navarro used the ProtonMail account for official White House activities.
The civil lawsuit was assigned to US District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton.
It’s a separate case from Navarro’s indictment for contempt of Congress, which the Justice Department is also handling. The Jan. 6 select committee subpoenaed him for documents and testimony in February, but he refused to comply with their summons, prompting the panel to ask the Justice Department to pursue charges against him. Navarro has also acknowledged receiving a federal grand jury subpoena related to Jan. 6.
Navarro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit comes as top Trump officials have drawn increased scrutiny for their failures to properly preserve documents and messages. Navarro was not the only Trump administration official who used personal accounts to conduct official business — in a Monday letter to the department’s watchdog, congressional investigators highlighted one of Trump’s top Department of Homeland Security officials, Ken Cuccinelli, for his use of a personal phone for government business and failure to preserve messages.
“Any old vacancies that come [on the market]if the fit-outs are older than five or seven years, then they need to be refitted,” he said.
“It’s a must in this current environment because anything that presents as just four walls and empty space will be left behind. People know what they want – lighter, brighter, fresher and collaborative spaces.”
New shower and changing facilities at 136 Exhibition Street.Credit:Jason South.
The Property Council report pointed to an oversupply of second-grade office space, with 14 per cent of the lesser-grade buildings empty compared to 12 per cent of prime buildings. The only category of office space with increased demand in the past six months was “prime stock” luxury buildings.
“It’s like the residential market these days; if it’s not dressed up, it’s going to struggle,” Martinez said.
Ashley Buller, Victorian head of office leasing for commercial real estate agency CBRE, said his firm was also aware of the demand for high-quality offices.
“High-rise, premium-grade rents in Melbourne’s east end have risen strongly, with a number of transactions reflecting 15-25 per cent improvements against pre-COVID levels,” he said.
The increase in empty offices continued even though the number of people returning to work in city offices stalled. According to the lobby group’s most recent data, office occupancy stalled at 49 per cent in June.
“We’re in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment because we’ve clearly got a COVID spike in the community, [and] some beefed up health messaging and advice. But that’s not going to last forever,” said Lowcock.
“We’re having a tricky winter, but from what we’ve seen in other cities, we definitely think Melbourne is capable of further increases in office occupancy.”
Department of Transport statistics show patronage on Melbourne’s trains and trams has increased since six months ago, but remains well below pre-pandemic levels. In July, average weekday patronage on Metro Trains was 58 per cent of pre-COVID levels, while trams were at 67 per cent, and V/Line services were at 55 per cent.
Credit:Matt Golding
Data shows pedestrian numbers have increased in the Melbourne CBD in the past six months, but there are half as many people on foot as there were before COVID-19.
According to the City of Melbourne, the average number of pedestrians using the Flinders Street Station underpass between 6am and 10pm jumped 63 per cent from 11,012 people in February to 17,247 in July.
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Although demand for offices remains steady, Lowcock said the high amount of subleasing in Melbourne compared to other cities was “some cause for concern” because it indicated tenants had too much unused space.
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Men, women and children are again risking their lives trying to get to Australia and neighboring India in boats, and trying to enter other countries with the assistance of people smugglers.
Between January and the first week of July, more than 150,000 citizens left the country in search of work as the country entered a period of economic insecurity, according to data from the Sri Lankan Foreign Employment Bureau.
Athlete disappearances have plagued both recent Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.
At least 230 athletes and officials – the majority of them from Africa – lodged applications for protection visas following the last Games on the Gold Coast in 2018. The overwhelming majority of them were denied.
About a third of the Cameroon team went missing after the event, while Rwanda’s weightlifting coach fled the Games during a toilet break at Carrara Stadium.
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It was a major increase on Melbourne 2006, the last time Australia had hosted the Commonwealth Games, when 40 athletes overstayed their visas.
It is estimated that about 100 athletes and officials filed for asylum after the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Fernando told reporters ahead of the Games it was a “dream” for athletes to take part considering the circumstances at home.
“We have a responsibility to fulfill that dream. Just because we are facing economic crisis… does not mean that we just forget about it,” he said.
Britain is in the midst of a fierce domestic debate about immigration as the government facing a backlash over its attempts to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
The Conservative Party leadership contest that will choose the replacement for outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson has sharpened the focus on the number of people crossing the English Channel from France. UK Border Force staff are bracing for the arrival of thousands more people in small boats in the coming months.
The Ministry of Defense said 696 people made the journey in 14 small boats on Monday alone. There were 460 arrivals on Saturday and 247 on Friday, and more than 1000 people crossed last week.
In July, 3683 people crossed from France. The total for this year is believed to be more than 17,000.
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