Pat Cummins says Bondi terror attack ‘hit home pretty hard’ as tributes flow before third Ashes Test
Australia captain Pat Cummins has said the tragic events at Bondi beach ‘hit home pretty hard’ as they unfolded on Sunday night just down the road from his home in the neighbouring Sydney suburb of Bronte.As the cricket world prepares to pay tribute to the victims of the Bondi beach terror attack when the third Ashes Test gets under way in Adelaide on Wednesday, Cummins and England captain, Ben Stokes, revealed the profound impact the massacre had on them and their teammates.“Like most other Aussies and people in the world, I was just horrified watching on,” Cummins said.“We had just put the kids to bed and flicked on the news as that was coming through.Me and my wife were watching in disbelief.
“It’s a place that’s just around the corner from where we live and we take the kids there all the time.It’s hit home pretty hard.We really feel for the Bondi community and the Jewish community in particular.”Stokes said it was “an awful thing to watch unfold”.“We were sat in our team room and it came up on the news about what was happening.
It was silence from everyone in there seeing that happen.It’s incredibly sad for Australia, for Sydney and for the world.“It does put things into a lot of perspective when you see things like that happen.And for everyone that it’s affected, all our hearts go out to everyone.It’s a horrible thing to see happen.
”The third Ashes Test will be the first major sporting event to take place since the attack, and presents an opportunity for the cricket world to mourn the victims and show support for those impacted.Players of both teams will wear black armbands while there will be a moment’s silence before play starts at Adelaide Oval.Flags at the ground will be flown at half-mast.“This is a tragic time for all Australians and the thoughts of everyone in the cricket world are with the victims of this terrible event, their families, friends and the Jewish community,” said Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg.“While sport can seem insignificant at times like this, we have the unusual opportunity to bring millions of people together to pay tribute, to console and to contemplate what we want our nation to be.
”Big Bash League games in Sydney this week will go ahead as planned, with the Sixers playing at the SCG on Wednesday evening and the Thunder at Engie Stadium on Saturday, with victims and those affected by the attacks to be recognised.Cricket NSW said additional safety and access arrangements will be put in place for those games, while fans heading to Adelaide Oval have been reassured that there is no increased threat level, but extra security will be put in place in and around the ground as a precautionary measure.South Australia Police Commissioner, Grant Stevens, said special security-response police armed with rifles will be present at the third Ashes Test starting on Wednesday but fans should not be alarmed.“There’s no intelligence at this time to indicate that there are any increased levels of threat or security risks around the cricket or any other community event,” he said.“But notwithstanding that, we apply a level of diligence to make sure that people attending can do so with that confidence that they are attending a safe and well-managed event.
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Unemployment rises in US and UK, adding to pressure to cut interest rates – as it happened
Time to wrap up…. on a day in which unemployment has risen on both sides of the Atlantic….The US labor market grew by more than expected last month, recovering some of the damage inflicted by the federal government shutdown, according to official data.An estimated 105,000 jobs were lost in October, and 64,000 were added in November, a highly-anticipated report showed on Tuesday.Jobs growth was higher in November than anticipated by many economists, with a consensus forecast of some 40,000 jobs added
US lost 105,000 jobs in October and added 64,000 in November, according to delayed data
The US labor market grew by more than expected last month, recovering some of the damage inflicted by the federal government shutdown, according to official data.An estimated 105,000 jobs were lost in October, and 64,000 were added in November, a highly-anticipated report showed on Tuesday.Jobs growth was higher in November than anticipated by many economists, with a consensus forecast of some 40,000 jobs added.But the headline unemployment rate continued to climb – and hit 4.6%, a four-year high, last month – amid apprehension around the strength of the US economy
Water levels across the Great Lakes are falling – just as US data centers move in
The sign outside Tom Hermes’s farmyard in Perkins Township in Ohio, a short drive south of the shores of Lake Erie, proudly claims that his family have farmed the land here since 1900. Today, he raises 130 head of cattle and grows corn, wheat, grass and soybeans on 1,200 acres of land.For his family, his animals and wider business, water is life.So when, in May 2024, the Texas-based Aligned Data Centers broke ground on its NEO-01, four-building, 200,000 sq ft data center on a brownfield site that abuts farmland that Hermes rents, he was concerned.“We have city water here
Boost for artists in AI copyright battle as only 3% back UK active opt-out plan
A campaign fronted by popstars including Elton John and Dua Lipa to protect artists’ works from being mined to train AI models without consent has received a boost after almost every respondent to a government consultation backed their case.Ninety-five per cent of the more than 10,000 people who had their say over how music, novels, films and other works should be protected from copyright infringements by tech companies called for copyright to be strengthened and a requirement for licensing in all cases or no change to copyright law.By contrast, only 3% of people backed the government’s initial preferred tech company-friendly option, which was to require artists and copyright holders to actively opt out of having their material fed into data-hungry AI systems.Ministers subsequently dropped that preference in the face of a backlash. Artists who have opposed any dilution of their copyright include Sam Fender, Kate Bush and the Pet Shop Boys
Christmas Test a window to the world as Australia reels in wake of Bondi atrocity | Barney Ronay
The third Ashes Test in Adelaide will not be the first to take place in the shadow of modern-day acts of terror. The 2005 series in England began two weeks after the 7 July London bombings, which killed 52 people. Day one at Lord’s coincided with an aborted follow-up atrocity that failed only because of the incompetence of those involved. Twenty years on, after the murder of at least 15 people at Bondi beach on Sunday during a Hanukah celebration, the most heinous act of terror on Australian soil, the Australian government has bolstered its security operation for Adelaide.There are practical consequences
Harlequins coach refuses to rule out move for Northampton back George Furbank
The Harlequins senior coach, Jason Gilmore, has praised the ability of Northampton’s George Furbank and declined to rule out a move for the England back.The 29-year-old Saints star is out of contract next summer and has reportedly held talks with the south‑west London club over a switch from the 2023-24 Premiership winners.Gilmore, who is preparing the Harlequins squad for Big Game 17 against Bristol Bears at Twickenham on Saturday, said he is an admirer of the England international but he refused to comment on specific “ins and outs”.“George is a good player, isn’t he? And a good leader,” Gilmore said, when asked about transfer speculation surrounding the full‑back, who made his international debut under Eddie Jones in 2020.“He’s going to attract interest
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Australia v England: Ashes third Test, day one – live
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