AUSTRALIA

Australia vs India 4th Test: Josh Hazlewood classless sledge, Cheteshwar Pujara hit in head, reaction, cricket news, Gabba

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Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was losing his cool and copped some blowback after uttering three words to an Indian star. Josh Hazlewood has come under fire for sledging Cheteshwar Pujara after hitting the Indian batsman in the head with a vicious bouncer on day five of the fourth Test. Pujara was doing his best … Read more

Joe Biden is planning to unwind Donald Trump’s ‘regressive’ policies on reproductive rights

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US pro-choice organisations say they have high hopes that President-elect Joe Biden will advance reproductive rights in the country and “undo the damage” of his predecessor Donald Trump. Mr Biden has already flagged an intention to restore funding to Planned Parenthood, protect a woman’s right to choose and rescind some of the Trump administration’s more … Read more

Mosquitoes can detect cancer, Japanese research suggests

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Scientists in Japan have discovered a way mosquitoes can detect cancer in a human’s breath. The research team, led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, believe their method, which uses mosquito olfactory receptors from the insect’s antenna, will be ready within 10 years. Scientists in Japan have discovered a way that mosquitos … Read more

Independent inquiry criticises China and WHO over COVID

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The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response said there were “lost opportunities” in the early stages of the outbreak when basic public health measures should have been put in place at the earliest opportunity. “While still collecting information, the panel is becoming more confident in its understanding of the early events in Wuhan, China, … Read more

Tasmania puts foot down over AFL inclusion

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Tasmania is playing hardball with the AFL in its quest for its own team, with the state government putting negotiations to host visiting teams on hold until the league delivers a timeline. The island state is pushing for a licence to be the 19th team in the national competition. North Melbourne and Hawthorn are scheduled … Read more

Tyro hits back at critics but makes slow progress fixing EFTPOS outage

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Payments tech firm Tyro has hit back at damning commentary but made slow progress fixing an EFTPOS outage. Payments company Tyro has hit back at a mysterious group that circulated damning commentary about its fortnight-long EFTPOS terminal outage, including labelling it Australia’s “most unreliable and technologically inferior fintech”. Tyro reported the terminal connectivity glitch to … Read more

Three more coronavirus cases linked to Australian Open as organisers rejects calls to shorten matches

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Australian Open boss Craig Tiley has rejected calls to shorten men’s matches at the grand slam as the number of coronavirus cases linked to the tournament rises to nine. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says three of four new COVID-19 cases in the state announced on Tuesday are connected to the Open. Some 72 players and … Read more

John Alexander says Australian Open a ‘compromised event’ despite ‘Herculean effort’ to get players here

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In the haste to keep the Australian Open as close to its January timeslot as possible better alternatives may have been overlooked, according to John Alexander, the former Australian Open doubles champion, now the federal Member for Bennelong. Key points: John Alexander said Tennis Australia was “too hasty” in its decision to stick to its … Read more

Employment weakened in final weeks of 2020

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Employment weakened in the final weeks of 2020, but not before returning to pre-pandemic levels earlier in the December. The Australian Bureau of Statistics said payroll jobs dropped 5.5 per cent in the fortnight to January 2, 2021 and were 6.1 per cent below mid-March, when the COVID-19 pandemic set in. Head of ABS labour … Read more

Earnings focus follows inauguration celebration

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The latest episode of the Short Squeeze has arrived. Tune in as Markets Live editor Alex Druce is joined by IG Markets Analyst Kyle Rodda to discuss the reaction to the proposed US stimulus package, how local earnings season is likely to shape up, the week ahead for US earnings season, and what to expect … Read more

Tennis Australia CEO defends Novak Djokovic’s coronavirus quarantine wishlist

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Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has defended World 1 player Novak Djokovic for writing a quarantine wishlist for players in hard lockdown, claiming they were not “demands”, just “suggestions”. Djokovic wrote to the Australian Open boss with a raft of ‘suggestions’ on behalf of players, including permission to visit a coach or trainer and to … Read more

Thousands of stranded Victorians can now return home as Sydney’s coronavirus restriction zones are downgraded

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Thousands of Victorians stranded in Sydney are now able to return home, although parts of the NSW capital remain blacklisted. Twenty-five of Sydney’s 35 local government areas were downgraded from “red” to “orange” zones at 6pm on Monday as part of Victoria’s “traffic light” permit system. The Blue Mountains and Wollongong also moved from red … Read more

Australia-India Test series up there with the greats, says Ian Chappell

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As the series between Australia and India comes to an end, Test great Ian Chappell has called it one of the best in memory. The series enters its final day locked at 1-1, with Australia needing to beat India to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and India just requiring a draw. There have been ebbs and … Read more

2021 Australian Open crisis continues, Victoria records no COVID-19 cases, Norway says Pfizer vaccine not directly responsible for deaths

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“He’s allowed thousands of people to come in to play the Australian Open and he’s locked out his own residents. “I don’t want western Sydney to be treated as second-class citizens and I will always stand up for my community because I’m very proud of what Fairfield has achieved. We’ve had the virus before and … Read more

Morrison calls VP Pence for final time

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has spoken with outgoing US Vice President Mike Pence with both men stressing the importance of the Australia-US alliance. Mr Morrison and Mr Pence thanked each other for their strong partnership, particularly on the Indo-Pacific region, over the past four years as the curtain comes down on the Trump presidency. President-elect … Read more

FBI investigating woman who allegedly stole Nancy Pelosi’s laptop during Capitol riots to sell to Russia

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US law enforcement is investigating whether a woman took a laptop computer or hard drive from US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the 6 January siege of the Capitol and tried to sell the device to Russian intelligence, according to a court filing. An FBI agent disclosed the detail in an affidavit … Read more

COVID-19 quarantine complainers ‘in a minority’, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley says

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The vast majority of tennis players quarantining in Melbourne are doing so without complaint, according to Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley. Key points: Australian Open organisers held a conference call with players last night A proposal to shorten men’s matches to best-of-three sets has been rejected Craig Tiley says Novak Djokovic is entitled to … Read more

Driver dies in Prospect motorcycle crash

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The motorcycle rider that crashed on Sunday morning has died in hospital. Picture: Keryn Stevens A young motorcyclist has died in hospital after he and his passenger were airborne for about 10m before crashing the vehicle in Adelaide. The 20-year-old Burnside man was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with his pillion passenger with serious … Read more

Queensland ‘on track’ to lift restrictions after no new local cases; No local cases in Victoria- but four in hotel quarantine; Security scare amid inauguration preparations; Six cases now linked to Australian Open; Tennis player blasts fellow star over quarantine

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Three of the four new COVID-19 cases detected inside hotel quarantine in Victoria are linked to the Australian Open. However, a number have been reclassified as viral shedding, rather than active infections, Premier Daniel Andrews said. “I believe that three of the four new ones today are linked to the Australian Open,” Mr Andrews said. … Read more

Matthew Glaetzer sees positive side of delayed Olympics ahead of Adelaide Festival of Cycling

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For many in the Olympic sporting world, the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic could not have been any more chaotic. Key points: Matthew Glaezter was diagnosed with, and recovered from, thyroid cancer in 2019 A subsequent injury meant he would have struggled to make the Olympics on their original date The Australian track team will … Read more

Biden negotiators weigh up Iran threat

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Even before the Capitol riot this month, upheaval at home threatened to weaken the US hand internationally. Biden and his team will face allies and adversaries wondering how much attention and resolution the US can bring to bear on the Iran nuclear issue or any other foreign concern, and whether any commitment by Biden will … Read more

Melania Trump farewell social media message

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In a video posted to her Twitter account, she called serving as the first lady the “greatest honour of my life.” First Lady Melania Trump said the four years in the White House were the greatest of her life. (AP) “I have been inspired by incredible Americans across our country who lift up our communities … Read more

Coronavirus deaths rising in 30 US states

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Coronavirus deaths are rising in nearly two-thirds of American states as a winter surge pushes the overall toll toward 400,000 amid warnings that a new, highly contagious variant is taking hold. As Americans observed a national holiday on Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pleaded with federal authorities to curtail travel from countries where new … Read more

COVID-19 Australian opens up about busy London mortuary

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Rose Carbon, a former Brisbane resident, works in London’s largest mortuary and says her team is ‘exhausted’ as the COVID-19 death toll continues to rise. As the United Kingdom battles a fatal second wave of COVID-19, an Australian working in London’s largest mortuary has warned those back home just how deadly complacency can be. Rose … Read more

Michelle Bridges’ 5 no-fail rules for getting back into your fitness routine

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Getting your fitness back on track can feel like impossible when you’ve had a few weeks *cough, months* off. 12WBT founder Michelle Bridges shares her rules for reigniting your routine. No matter how well-prepared you were for this year, COVID threw a spanner in the works. When it comes to making positive and ongoing changes … Read more

Human activity is responsible for nearly all global warming, new research says

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Virtually all global warming since the industrial era is caused by manmade emissions, according to research published Monday that concludes Earth’s natural processes contribute only “negligibly” to climate change.  Near-surface air temperatures have increased on average around the world just over one degree Celsius since the mid-19th century. That 1C increase has already seen more frequent and … Read more

COVID’s long-term damage sends one in three patients back to hospital within five months: UK study

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But research by Leicester University and the Office for National Statistics released on Monday suggests the health system will remain under pressure for many months even after its current patients are discharged. Of 47,780 COVID-19 patients discharged from British hospitals between January and September 2020, 29.4 per cent were re-admitted within five months and 12.3 … Read more

Qld Cyclone Kimi weakens to tropical low

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Cyclone Kimi has weakened to a tropical low off far north Queensland and forecasters say it now appears unlikely to significantly impact the coast. North Queenslanders had earlier been battening down the hatches as the former category two tropical cyclone lurked off the coast. But coastal residents have been spared the worst of the storm. … Read more

Norway has found no direct link between Pfizer coronavirus vaccine and elderly post-jab deaths

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Norway said no link had been established between Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine and post-vaccination deaths in the country, but recommended doctors consider the overall health of the most frail before giving them the jab. Since the start of Norway’s vaccination campaign at the end of December, the country has registered 33 deaths among elderly people who … Read more