Latest news with #NewsWire
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Albo serves up tennis diplomacy in China
Anthony Albanese has landed in the world's panda-breeding capital, kicking off a cruisy final leg of his state visit to China. The Prime Minister's arrival in Chengdu coincided with the launch of a 2026 Australian Open wildcard playoff in the city. China has one of the largest number of tennis players in the world and boasts an enormous audience too. After their meeting Mr Wang and Mr Albanese headed to the Sichuan International Tennis Centre to formally unveil the playoff. In remarks at the event, Mr Albanese spruiked it as an example of how Australia and China were boosting their relationship through people-to-people links – a key theme of the visit. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Jodie Haydon and Sichuan CCP Secretary Wang Xiaohui at an event unveiling an Australian Open Asia Pacific wildcard playoff in Chengdu. NewsWire/ Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Albanese formally unveiled the AO wildcard playoff in Chengdu. NewsWire/ Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer Credit: News Corp Australia Earlier, Mr Albanese received yet another red carpet welcome on the tarmac in Chengdu – the third of his six-day diplomatic and business blitz. True to his other welcomes, he was quickly whisked away to a meeting with the Chinese Communist Party's chief in Sichuan. 'I wanted to make sure on this trip that I came to western China,' Mr Albanese told Wang Xiaohui, saying he wanted to build relationships in the region. He noted Sichuan province 'has a state-to-state relationship with the state of Victoria'. He also pointed out that Sichuan and Australia had a trade relationship worth more than $5bn, which he said was 'more than many countries Australia has trading relationships with'.
Courier-Mail
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
Jury discharged in Guy Sebastian's manager's trial
Don't miss out on the headlines from Music. Followed categories will be added to My News. The jury has been discharged in the trial of Guy Sebastian's former manager Titus Day after they were unable to reach a verdict on more than 30 counts that he allegedly embezzled money from his pop star client. Mr Day was on Tuesday found not guilty of four counts of embezzlement after facing a long-running trial in the NSW District Court. However the jury remained deadlocked on the remaining charges and was on Wednesday discharged by Judge Alister Abadee. Mr Day stood trial in the NSW District Court where he battled allegations he embezzled more than $600,000 in royalties and performance fees from the Australian Idol winner between 2013 and 2020. Since his arrest more than five years ago, Day has denied the allegations and he pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant. He also pleaded not guilty to one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. Guy Sebastian arrives at the Downing Centre Court. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short Titus Day arrives at the Downing Centre Court. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short On Tuesday, the jury returned verdicts finding Day not guilty of four counts of embezzlement. Those four counts related to allegations that he embezzled over $113,000 worth of Mr Sebastian's performance fees relating to a Big Bash game, a wedding, a corporate gig for Harvey Norman and an ambassadorship with Dreamworld. On Tuesday, the court was told that the jury believed they could not come to unanimous verdicts on the remaining counts, but they were encouraged to continue deliberating. Judge Alister Abadee on Tuesday afternoon gave the jury a direction that they could consider an 11-1 verdict on the outstanding 31 counts. However after another day of deliberations, the jury was on Wednesday afternoon discharged because they could not reach verdicts on those remaining counts. It was the second time Mr Day stood trial after he was in 2022 found guilty of 34 counts of embezzlement and acquitted of a further 16 embezzlement counts. He was jailed for a maximum of four years, with a non-parole period of two-and-a-half years. However after serving seven months, he was released from jail after his convictions were quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal and a re-trial was ordered. He will now appear before the court again on August 18, with the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide whether to proceed with a third trial. Titus Day and Guy Sebastian before their split. Picture: Supplied Mr Day stood trial accused of embezzling over $620,000 in performance fees and royalties by failing to remit the money to Mr Sebastian. Mr Day maintained that some accounting errors were the result of family difficulties at the time which resulted in his attention being elsewhere, and a mistaken belief that some of the money that came into his company's account for Mr Sebastian related to another client. He also held a view that the former Australian Idol winner owed him unpaid commissions, his barrister Thomas Woods told the court during the trial. Mr Woods also told the court that performance fees from the Swift tour were used to purchase shares on Mr Sebastian's behalf. 'It is not implausible that my client made a wrong assumption in relation to these counts in the indictment … That he made a mistake is not fanciful or far fetched,' Mr Woods told the jury. Titus Day (L) arrives at the JMT Downing in Sydney. Picture: Christian Gilles / NewsWire During his closing address to the jury, Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC said Mr Day had fabricated invoices to demand payment from Mr Sebastian. Mr Day denied having fabricated the documents and his barrister Thomas Woods argued the allegation could not be proven and was 'fanciful'. Mr Sebastian first worked with Day while he was with his former talent agency, 22 Management. Mr Sebastian agreed to follow him as a marquee client when Day created his own agency, 6 Degrees Management, in 2009. The court heard that Mr Sebastian was Day's long-time client and friend, however they had a bitter falling out in 2017 after Mr Sebastian raised questions over financial records. Mr Sebastian during his evidence told the court he was happy with Mr Day's management when he first moved into his stable. But tensions arose when he sought information and clarification about payments. Originally published as Jury discharged in Guy Sebastian's manager's trial
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Bold push for new tax on soft drink, juices
A sugar tax on soft drink, sweetened juice and cordial is being backed as a way to reduce soaring rates of obesity and diabetes. Coinciding with National Diabetes Week, the Australian Medical Association has called for a new tax at a rate of 50c per 100g of added sugar, to be paid by beverage manufacturers. Under the proposal, a standard 375mL of full-sugar Coke with 39.8g of sugar would incur a tax of 19.9c, while a 600mL bottle of Berry Ice Powerade would be hit with a 17.8c levy for its 34.8g of sugar. Macarthur MP Michael Freelander, who is also a practising pediatrician, said a levy on sugar-sweetened beverages would encourage companies to put less sugar in drinks, however a tax should be considered alongside of broader education measures. 'I think that we owe it to the next generation to try and make sure they are healthier than our generation,' he told NewsWire. 'And what we're now seeing is children presenting with obesity and with type two diabetes. And we should not be seeing that.' The AMA has called for a new tax . NewsWire/ John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia In 2024, costings released by the Parliamentary Budget Office and requested by Dr Freelander found a 20 per cent tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would boost revenue by more than $1.3bn in two years, however he said any policies should be trialled before further implementation. Dr Freelander stressed education was the best way to improve public health outcomes. These included town planning to ensure children could walk to schools and shopping centres and not fast food outlets, plus increased access to healthy food, like subsidies on 'certain forms of food'. 'We do now see lots of societal changes that are causing health problems and one of the issues is the access to highly processed foods,' he said. 'So it's not just about drinks, it's also about making people aware of the dangers of high calorie highly-processed foods.' The Australian Medical Association have renewed calls for a sugar tax on sweetened drinks like soft drink, juice and cordials. Mike Freelander said he supported a levy on sweetened drinks but said a tax should be implemented alongside measures to boost public health. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia AMA Vice President Julian Rait said the sugar tax was the 'best chance' or reducing rates of obesity and chronic disease like type 2 diabetes. He said the proposal would drive down consumption by 2kg per person and increase the budget bottomline by $3.6bn which could be 'invested in other crucial preventive health measures'. He added that more than 100 jurisdictions have implemented a sugar tax, like the UK, France, Mexico and Ireland. 'For people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, reducing sugar intake through swaps like drinking water over soft drinks can make a profound difference to their long-term health,' he said. 'Last year it was revealed the sugar content in popular soft drink Fanta had increased by 60 per cent, despite industry assurances that sugary drinks were being reformulated.' Health Minister Mark Butler said Labor had ruled out a potential levy or tax, and said the government's priorities were on 'front-of-pack labelling' and working with companies to reduce the amount of sugar in foods. 'There is no plan in our government for a sugar tax. We're instead focusing on education and also working with food manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar that they put into their products,' he said in late May after the federal election. As it stands, health labels are administered by the Health Star Rating system which companies can voluntarily adhere to.
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Perth Now
‘Much-loved': Student killed near school
A school student has died after being hit by a car near his school in Brisbane. The crash happened near Wynnum State High School in the eastern suburbs on Wednesday morning. Police were called to Berrima Street in Wynnum about 8.20am on Monday after a Mitsubishi Pajero struck a pedestrian. The 14-year-old boy died at the scene. NewsWire understands police are treating the death as an accident. The student who was killed in the accident attended Wynnum State High School. Google Credit: Supplied The 14-year-old boy who was struck died at the scene. 'The driver, a 17-year-old male, and two passengers, a 41-year-old female and 16-year-old male, were not physically injured in the incident,' a police spokesperson said. Images from the scene show the Pajero with an L-plate on display. Queensland school students returned for term three on Monday. The crash happened about 1.5km from the state high school. The Courier Mail reported Wynnum State High School principal Sandra Quinn alerted the school community to the incident. 'The student was a much-loved year nine male student and valued member of our Wynnum State High School community,' Ms Quinn said. 'I know that you will join me in offering our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time. 'As a tight-knit school community, we share our shock and sadness at the enormity of this situation.' NewsWire has contacted the school for comment.
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Emirates halves Dubai flights from major city
Emirates is cutting flights between Perth and Dubai, suspending one of its two daily services from late October. The early morning flight, which only recommenced in December 2024 after being scrapped in 2019, will stop operating from October 26, 2025. 'As part of our adjustment to the winter 2025 schedule, our second daily flight between Dubai and Perth (EK424/425) will be suspended from 26 October 2025,' an Emirates spokesperson told PerthNow. The service cut comes less than a year after the flight was reinstated. NewsWire / Sarah Matray. Credit: News Corp Australia The move comes less than a year after the service was brought back, and is expected to remove about 2000 seats a week from the route, a change that is tipped to lead to higher airfares. 'The decision follows a periodic operational review to optimise aircraft fleet utilisation and support our broader operations across Australia,' the spokesperson said. 'Emirates is committed to serving our customers, and those impacted will be booked on our other daily flight between Dubai and Perth (EK420/421), which will continue to operate as scheduled with an Airbus A380.' Travellers booked on the discontinued flight have been notified and booked on other services.
