State Labor conference passes motion committing to higher taxes on some clubs and moratorium on licenses for new machines
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The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, will take a tougher stance on poker machines to the next election after being pushed to adopt the approach by the party’s left.
A motion which passed the NSW Labor conference with unanimous support on Sunday afternoon has added a plan to take “decisive action” on problem gambling and the growing use of poker machines to its policy platform, amid surging profits for operators and accusations of inaction on reform.
Continue reading...Forgive and forget? I haven’t set foot in my local bakery since I was belittled by the woman behind the counter
‘If your name’s not down, you’re not coming in” is a phrase with which celebrity party planner Fran Cutler will be more than familiar. However, her latest list has a distinctly different quality, and you definitely do not want to be on it.
This week, Cutler told the Second Act with Ateh Jewel podcast that she keeps a physical record of people with whom she has issues.
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Continue reading...Discover where supplicants consulted Apollo in Delphi, the infant Hermes hid stolen cattle and where Poseidon created a love nest for a sea nymph
Some stories never get old. The poems and songs from Greek mythology – tales of tragedy, love and loss, war and revenge, jealous gods, magic and monsters – have been retold through the ages for good reason. Like all stories that really resonate, they deal in the flawed nature of humankind.
To the ancients, though, they were far more than legends; they explained the universe. From the Earth’s origins and the stories of constellations to ideas of justice and morality, they shaped the arts and sciences, and carved a shared cultural identity. Visiting Greece today, it’s clear how deeply rooted the myths still are in modern culture. From the capital (named after wise Athena) and beyond, this is a country steeped in legends.
Continue reading...Huge numbers of blackchin tilapia, a fish native to west Africa, are wreaking havoc among Thailand’s river ecosystems. Experts – and some chefs – are seeking sustainable solutions
The menu at Kor-Tae seafood restaurant, in Thailand’s Samut Prakan province, is filled with Thai classics – from tom yum talay, a fragrant hot and sour soup, to spicy larb salads. But the restaurant’s chef is also experimenting with a more controversial ingredient: blackchin tilapia.
“People are hesitant, but once they try it – [they say] it’s delicious,” says owner Adisorn Jamsuksaward, who has been offering the non-native fish free of charge to friends who request it.
Continue reading...Philippe Diallo: former goalkeeper has ‘fallen into disgrace’
Remarks came in run-up to France v Paraguay match
The French football federation president, Philippe Diallo, has condemned José Luis Chilavert after the former Paraguay goalkeeper said Les Bleus are “a squad from Africa”.
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the racist remarks made by José Luis Chilavert against the French national team, which undermine the values of respect, fraternity, and diversity in our football,” Diallo wrote in a social media post on Saturday. “If he was once a great goalkeeper, this man has now fallen into disgrace.”
Continue reading...‘Impossible’ to adapt to altitude but players coping, says coach
Aguirre trying to keep El Tri ‘grounded’ before Azteca match
Thomas Tuchel has admitted England are enduring a challenging adaptation in Mexico City but is convinced his team will be ready to “write our own chapters” when they face the World Cup co-hosts at Estadio Azteca.
The last-16 match against Mexico in their fabled home ground is the most eagerly anticipated of this summer and its logistics have presented unusual problems. England must adapt to playing 2,240 metres above sea level at a venue where Mexico have not lost since 2013. They landed on Friday evening and found it difficult to hit their stride on Saturday afternoon in their final training session before the tie.
Continue reading...In late-night campaign-style speech in Washington DC, US president vows to take the US ‘to new levels’
Donald Trump has hailed the “unmatched achievement and unlimited potential” of the US in a triumphalist address marking the country’s 250th anniversary.
In a late-night campaign-style speech in Washington DC on Saturday, the US president claimed his country was “just getting started” as he vowed to take it “to new levels”.
Continue reading...Ahead of Nato summit in Turkey, Zelenskyy also tells Trump ‘there is a real prospect to end this war’. What we know on day 1,593
US president Donald Trump had a 90-minute phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, during which the US leader offered to help find a solution to the Ukraine war, a Kremlin aide has said. The aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Trump made the offer during a call with Putin on Saturday in the context of Trump’s participation next week at a Nato summit in Turkey. “The American president once again confirmed his readiness to work towards a rapid end to the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis,” Ushakov said. Ushakov described the conversation as “business-like and quite constructive” and said Russia sought “a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, with due account of Russia’s fundamental approach”.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he also spoke to president Trump. Writing on his Telegram account, he described the conversation as “very good”, including a discussion on the war’s 1,200km frontline. “There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning,” he said. Zelenskyy said he and Trump agreed to continue discussions at the upcoming Nato meeting. But Ushakov accused Kyiv and its European allies of “counting on extending and even escalating the conflict”, referring to Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian targets, mainly linked to the oil industry, which have triggered fuel shortages in several Russian regions.
Ukraine has denied Moscow’s claim that Russian forces had captured the strategic Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, a stronghold for Kyiv’s troops in the eastern Donetsk region and a key target for the Kremlin. A Ukrainian army spokesperson told AFP the city remained under its control, while Zelenskyy dismissed Moscow’s announcement as “a lie”. He said on social media: “If Kostyantynivka were under Russian control, then perhaps Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to finally end this war.” “The situation remains difficult,” Ukrainian army spokesperson Andriy Kovalyov said, but Kostyantynivka “is under the control of the Ukrainian Defence Forces”.
Putin, wearing a military uniform, had thanked troops on Friday for seizing Kostyantynivka, a town with a prewar population of 78,000 that Moscow has been trying to take control over for months. Kovalyov admitted that small groups of Russian troops have been infiltrating the town but insisted that fighting was ongoing. Moscow’s defence ministry, however, said: “Russian troops are in all parts of the town.”
Russia said on Saturday that Ukrainian drones hit an oil terminal in St Petersburg, Putin’s home town, as well as striking a port near Finland and falling on the historical Peterhof complex – a giant estate of gardens and a palace – without causing damage. Moscow vowed to respond, saying it downed almost 500 Ukrainian drones and 10 of Kyiv’s Flamingo missiles overnight. St Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov said: “Air defence forces shot down 72 drones, one of which crashed in Peterhof. There were no casualties or damage.” The Ukrainian attack came after a Russian strike on Kyiv this week killed 30 people, amid other strikes.
Zelenskyy also claimed Kyiv struck the Kronstadt naval base in St Petersburg. Ukraine has been increasing strikes on Russian territory – hitting as far as the Urals far away from the frontline – in recent months, in retaliation for Moscow’s dragging offensive.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defence had shot down 62 drones headed for the Russian capital. Moscow said one person was killed in the border Bryansk region and another in Russian-annexed Crimea. Authorities in the border Belgorod region said “infrastructure facilities” had been damaged by the attacks, leading to “disruptions to electricity and water supply”.
Continue reading...If Australia can keep playing with the same amount of ambition, skill and speed they showed in Sydney, they will trouble anyone in the Nations Championship
Did anyone inside the sold-out Allianz Stadium, or watching around the world, really expect Ben Donaldson to slot the game-winning kick at the death? A few minutes earlier, when his team still held a slender five-point lead, he had the ball on a tee a little closer to the poles and a little further away from the right touchline. That effort curled across the face of goal and never threatened to sneak inside the upright.
This one was more of a challenge. Just about the toughest challenge a right-footed kicker can encounter. He struck it better but started it too far to the right without the requisite bend. And as the ball sailed wide, it seemed to carry with it the story of Australia’s afternoon. Brave and brilliant, frenetic and entertaining, but ultimately still missing some crucial ingredients as they went down 31-33.
Continue reading...Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, lands in the US and reunites with family who are ‘overwhelmed with joy’
The founder of one of China’s most prominent underground churches has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States.
Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, landed in the US on Friday evening. He was one of dozens of church members who were detained in a sweeping crackdown on Christians in October.
Continue reading...Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, lands in the US and reunites with family who are ‘overwhelmed with joy’
The founder of one of China’s most prominent underground churches has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States.
Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, landed in the US on Friday evening. He was one of dozens of church members who were detained in a sweeping crackdown on Christians in October.
Continue reading...