Latest news with #stumped
The Age
17-07-2025
- Business
- The Age
Tim Wilson's ‘fake tradie' ends up with permanent gig
'Mr Hurst was an outstanding volunteer during the campaign and that continued in the month after the election, so he was a logical fit when I was looking for staff and he's doing an outstanding job,' the statement read. Sounds like a great hire, and we are hoping against hope that the high-vis and hard hat make a guest appearance around the corridors of power. Chairman Kim is Australia all over ABC chair Kim Williams has been busy. Very busy. Since ascending to the job last year, Williams has become the kind of bloke who'd talk to a brick wall. His very serious thoughts have graced numerous writers' festivals, annual orations, Friends of the ABC wine and cheese nights, and speeches at the National Press Club, the Melbourne Press Club, the State Library of Victoria, the General Sir John Monash Oration, the Lowy Institute Media Lecture, and the DG8 Summit, as well as many a media article. On top of that, he's had to whip the public broadcaster into shape and press the flesh at its bureaux around the country. All that moving and shaking comes with a hefty travel bill. According to documents released under freedom of information, taxpayers stumped up $55,087 for Williams' travel expenses between last March, when he started the job, and May. The bulk of that, $48,338.50, came from airfares, while $6749 was spent on car travel. 'The ABC chair receives remuneration and expenses for their service on the ABC board, including allowances for travel,' a spokeswoman for Aunty told us. 'Rates are set by the Remuneration Tribunal and are reviewed each year.' Williams takes home a salary of a little over $200,000, a rather modest return for a senior public servant. And his expenses, as far as we are aware, don't include thousands spent on luxury car hire like his predecessor Ita Buttrose, who billed the public for luxury car hire, including for trips to Beppi's in Darlinghurst. Perhaps that might make a line in Buttrose's new memoir, Unapologetically Ita – set to drop in October – which we are awaiting with bated breath. Aunty exec has worked all Four Corners Sticking with the ABC, and it's a big CBD hello to Freya Campbell, who started last week as director of communications. She has replaced Nick Leys, who, as this column first reported, left to work for Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nick Reece, where he joins another Aunty alumnus in Chaser funnyman turned speechwriter Andrew Hansen. Campbell comes to Aunty after a long media career that has taken her to all corners of the earth – even the University of NSW, where she trod the boards as executive director of strategic communications. Loading She was also assistant general manager of marketing and comms at Austrade, managing a team responsible for communications across 80 locations in 48 markets. The Austrade job included a secondment in the office of then-Indonesian president Joko Widodo advising the country on its 'inaugural nation brand'. Whatever that means. Years before that, she had a stint in Abu Dhabi's Department of Tourism and Culture as director of marketing, 'positioning the emirate of Abu Dhabi in a global setting'. All of which should make dealing with the national ranks of ABC watchers, such as your good columnists, a doddle. Somehow we doubt it. Can't let go Spotted: Next week, it's back to big school for Australia's federal members and senators, with parliament sitting for the first time since Anthony Albanese 's crushing election victory in May. And while the Coalition ranks are now greatly diminished, at least one departing MP is still hanging around. CBD's spies spotted former Nationals senator Perrin Davey, who lost her seat in the May massacre, at Aussies cafe in Parliament this week (where else?). She was briefly joined by shadow foreign affairs minister Michaelia Cash, from whom we've heard surprisingly little given the state of the world. We wondered whether Davey had quickly landed a new job among the inmates of Parliament House. Turns out, it was simply an opportunistic catch-up with Cashie. As for what the former senator does next, Davey was an actor in a past life, even appearing as an extra in The Matrix, so CBD is hoping she makes a return to the big screen.
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
ZIM vs SA: South Africa in command despite Sean Williams' century, lead by 216 at stumps on Day 2
At stumps on day 2, South Africa maintained a 216-run lead over Zimbabwe (Image via X/@ProteasMenCSA) A fluent century from Sean Williams stood tall amid a faltering Zimbabwe batting effort, but South Africa maintained firm control at the end of Day 2 of the first Test at Queens Sports Club. Williams played a lone hand with an aggressive 137 off 163 deliveries—his seventh Test hundred—contributing more than half of Zimbabwe's total of 251. However, South Africa held a commanding first-innings lead of 167 runs, which they stretched to 216 by stumps, closing at 49/1 in their second innings. Zimbabwe's troubles began early in the day as South Africa declared overnight at 418/9. Debutant Codi Yusuf struck twice in his opening spell to jolt the top order. Their woes deepened when in-form opener Brian Bennett, fresh from a century against England, was struck on the helmet by a short ball from Kwena Maphaka. He was forced to retire hurt on 19 and later ruled out with mild concussion. Captain Craig Ervine and Williams added 81 for the fourth wicket, the only substantial stand of the innings. Ervine's dismissal—stumped off Keshav Maharaj for 36—handed the left-arm spinner his 200th Test wicket. Maharaj, captaining in place of the injured Temba Bavuma, ended with figures of 3/70. India's Day 2 at the Nets in Edgbaston | IND vs ENG Test Series All-rounder Wiaan Mulder impressed with the ball, taking 4/50, while Yusuf returned 3/42 on debut. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Shape your journey in the unforgiving desert world of Arrakis! Shop Now Undo South Africa lost Matthew Breetzke early in their second innings to Tanaka Chivanga, who struck in his first over for the second time in the match. But Tony de Zorzi (22)* and Mulder (25)* guided the visitors to safety before bad light stopped play. Poll Will South Africa maintain their lead in the second innings? Yes, they will extend it No, Zimbabwe will come back This one-off Test does not count towards the World Test Championship. Notably, only four players from South Africa's WTC final win over Australia are featuring in this match. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Newsweek
04-06-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
GOP Senator Flummoxed By Trump Adviser's Response To Tariff Question
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Republican senator was stumped on Wednesday when Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said the U.S. would not lift tariffs on another country even if that country agreed to a reciprocal trade deal with the U.S. Why It Matters Lutnick's response appeared to fly in the face of President Donald Trump's claim that the U.S. is seeking trade "reciprocity" with its partners around the world. Trump has repeatedly accused other countries, including some of the U.S.'s closest trading partners, of taking advantage of the U.S. and in April levied steep tariffs against almost every country around the world in an effort to renegotiate more balanced trading relationships. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, left, speaks, as President Donald Trump, right, and Vice President JD Vance, center, listening as a trade deal with United Kingdom in announced in the Oval Office of the White House,... Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, left, speaks, as President Donald Trump, right, and Vice President JD Vance, center, listening as a trade deal with United Kingdom in announced in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington. More Evan Vucci/AP What To Know Lutnick got into a back-and-forth with Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana on Wednesday while testifying on Capitol Hill. Kennedy asked Lutnick if the U.S. would accept a zero-to-zero trade deal with Vietnam, saying, "If Vietnam, for example, came to you tomorrow and said, 'Okay, Mr. Secretary, you win, we're going to remove all tariffs and all trade barriers.' Would the United States please do the same? Would you accept that deal?" "Absolutely not," Lutnick said while smirking. "Absolutely not. That would be the silliest thing we could do." "Why is that?" Kennedy asked. "Vietnam has $125 billion of exports to us and imports from us $12.5 million ... Where do they get it from? They buy 90 billion [dollars worth] from China, then they mark it up and send it to us. It's just a pathway of China to us," Lutnick said. "So you wouldn't accept that deal?" Kennedy pressed. "It's a terrible deal," Lutnick replied. "We're the ones with money, we're the one with the stores. Of course, they want us to take it down." "What's the purpose of reciprocity then?" Kennedy shot back. "Is reciprocity not one of your goals? Are you telling the president that we shouldn't seek reciprocity? If that's what you're telling him, why are you trying to do these trade deals?" Lutnick began to say the U.S. wants to "encourage" Vietnam to produce more, but Kennedy cut him off, saying, "I want to get back to reciprocity." "You just said you don't ... accept reciprocity as a goal. What are you negotiating in these trade deals?" Lutnick pushed back: "Why would we open our bank account—" "But why are you negotiating trade deals?" Kennedy said, speaking over him. "You're trying to get other countries to lower their tariffs and trade barriers in return for us lowering ours. That's called reciprocity." "Of course," Lutnick said. "So are you or are you not seeking reciprocity in these trade deals?" Kennedy pressed. "We are absolutely seeking reciprocity with respect to things that can be reciprocal, but when you're importing from China and sending it to us, they're not—" Lutnick said, before Kennedy again cut him off. "But you just said that if a country came to you and offered you the ultimate reciprocity—no tariffs, no trade barriers, in return for us doing the same—you would reject that?" the Louisiana Republican said. "Of course, because they buy from China and send it to us," Lutnick said. Kennedy asked him how the U.S. would respond if a trade partner pledged that they wouldn't buy products from China and resell them to the U.S., to which Lutnick replied, "Now we're talking." "Would you accept that deal?" Kennedy said. "We would consider it," Lutnick said. This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available. Update 06/04/25 2:40 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
New York Times
28-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Rory McIlroy says he's comfortable with tech behind TGL simulator
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — You can only imagine how the TGL technicians felt when Rory McIlroy walked into his 90-minute practice session last week with two launch monitors from his personal collection. The four-time major champion and TGL co-founder needed to put his concerns to rest before he debuted in the league: Is the simulator used for golf's new indoor league accurate? Advertisement In a match between Jupiter Golf Links and Los Angeles Golf Club earlier this month, Tiger Woods hit a 101-yard wedge shot 131 yards, his ball splashing into a virtual water hazard over the green. The perplexed look on his face said it all — Woods doesn't overshoot greens by 30 yards, and he wasn't the first or last golfer in the first four weeks of the league to be stumped by what the screen said his ball did. That's why McIlroy, ahead of his first TGL match on Monday night, said he decided to do his own due diligence. 'So tech-wise and numbers-wise, look, I've had the same concerns, I guess, just because I hadn't obviously played a match,' McIlroy said on Tuesday at Pebble Beach, where he'll make his 2025 PGA Tour debut. 'I went in there on Wednesday and I brought two other launch monitors with me. I brought my GC Quad, I brought my TrackMan. Obviously hitting balls into the screen and every number was virtually identical. That put my concerns to bed, which was really good.' There's a reason that tour pros use portable Trackman launch monitors and the Foresight Sports' GCQuad as their crutch on tour for detecting any data point you could possibly dream up when it comes to ball flight. Those two products are tried and tested, and they're considered the best on the market for top-level pros. But Woods, with McIlroy a co-founder in the league, has an exclusive multi-year partnership with Full Swing Simulators that he signed in 2015. Now the company — which also produces top-of-the-line launch monitors — is the official technology partner of TGL. It's just not the average tour pro's preference. That's why it hasn't just been McIlroy who has felt the need to cross-examine the TGL tech. Sahith Theegala and his LAGC teammates also brought out various launch monitors during their TGL pre-match warm-up, apparently to the dismay of the Full Swing representatives. But they felt it was necessary. For the TGL product to be successful, the players need to be confident in the numbers at play. Advertisement It turns out the discrepancies fans are seeing on the ESPN broadcast might not necessarily be a distance detection problem, but rather an adjustment period for players hitting shots at a giant screen in an arena. The issue of depth perception can impact shots significantly. Theegala said the forward tee box — which TGL uses for shots 70 yards and in — can make you feel like you need to attack the shot with a steeper path, and that can cause the ball to fly farther. Shane Lowry echoed that sentiment, noting that with a full shot, it's difficult to trust that if you start the shot by hitting into the left side of the screen, it's not going to continue veering offline once the ball is no longer physically in the air. 'I think the big thing for us is you're hitting into a screen. It's obviously a big screen, but when you're playing outside you've got some sort of connection to the target, right? This is what we grew up doing, this is what we know. So when you get in there, it's very difficult or hard to be like OK, I'm going to aim, you know, on the right half of the screen or the left half of the screen and trust that it's actually going to do what you want it to do,' McIlroy said. The pros are adjusting to new elements. Bunker shots have been another factor — the sand, which is reportedly the same used at Augusta National, is supported by turf, not dirt or gravel. Xander Schauffele has said that he could feel the difference during greenside bunker shots. The granules also don't retain moisture in an indoor arena, so the sandy areas are watered before the match begins. 'Once we get in there, it starts to dry up,' McIlroy said. 'So the bunker shot I hit last night, yeah, it felt like my club was going through flour instead of sand.' These speed bumps are part of the deal — TGL is a novel idea, with never-before-seen technology and everyone involved in the league is experimenting as they go. That is no secret. A little Trackman verification never hurts. 'Look, these are things that you learn on the fly,' McIlroy said. 'This is a startup, it's four weeks old.'
