Author: Press Room

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns pulled a midnight blockbuster on Wednesday, acquiring 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets, according to reports from ESPN and others.The outlets, citing unnamed sources, said the Suns added Durant to a starting lineup that already includes an All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, along with center Deandre Ayton. NBC News was not immediately able to confirm the development.Phoenix sent Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and additional draft compensation to the Nets.The Suns also receive forward T.J. Warren in the deal.The 34-year-old Durant is still playing at an…

Workplace Relations and Employment Minister Tony Burke says the reason why wage growth has remained relatively low is because the previous government “wanted to keep wages low”.“When we put to the Parliament stronger pay equity laws, they said no,” Mr Burke said during Question Time in Parliament on Thursday. “When we put forward better access to flexible working arrangements, they voted no.“When we put forward legislation to ban paid secrecy clauses, one of the key drivers of the gender pay gap, they… what do you reckon they said?” Source: Sky News

Government Services and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten admits “there are crooks” exploiting the NDIS after the IMF called for the scheme to become more sustainable, as it could cost Australian taxpayers more than $100 billion a year soon. “Wherever there is a big pile of government money, opportunists come,” Mr Shorten said. “There are improvements that can be made which will make the experience, the scheme, better for the person in the scheme, but also make it better for the taxpayer.” Source: Sky News

What’s in a name? Would a bundle of financial securities that represent the fractional ownership of some companies by any other moniker perform as sweetly? Apparently not.People increasingly categorise equities not just by sector or country, but according to “factors” — basically what stock market style they are, and what drives them. For example, large parts (though not all) of the technology world are “growth” stocks, in that they tend to be more expensive, faster-expanding companies. Energy companies, industrial conglomerates and car manufacturers are generally “value” stocks because they’re cheaper. However, how exactly you measure these things can sometimes have…

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A man convicted of killing three teenagers while they slept in a Texas Panhandle home more than 25 years ago was executed on Wednesday, the sixth inmate to be put to death in the U.S. this year and the second in as many days.John Balentine, 54, whose attorneys had argued that his trial was marred by racial bias, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, for the January 1998 shooting deaths of Edward Mark Caylor, 17, Kai Brooke Geyer, 15, and Steven Watson, 15, at a home in Amarillo. Prosecutors said all three…

Authorities are working to confirm reports a massive bull shark was caught and released by a fisherman in the Swan River, less than a kilometre from where a teenage girl was fatally attacked over the weekend.Stella Berry, 16, had jumped into the river near the Fremantle traffic bridge in Perth to swim near a pod of dolphins when she was mauled by what is believed to have been a bull shark. She was pulled from the water with significant injuries to her leg and could not be saved. WA Surf Life Saving said it received a report a 2.5 metre bull shark was…

Jacob Lennon, aged fifteen months, suffered ‘sadistic’ injuries to his genitals and his eyes were so badly swollen he looked like a ‘panda’, a murder trial has heardA baby boy’s eyes were so badly swollen he looked like a “panda” and he suffered “sadistic” injuries to his genitals, a murder trial has heard. Jacob Lennon, aged 15 months, died after he was rushed to hospital from the family home in Putney, southwest London with serious head injuries in August 2019. A post-mortem examination found injuries consistent with horrendous long-term abuse. Jake Drummond, 33, and Louise Lennon, 32, both face charges…

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is open to suggestions from the Coalition on the Voice to Parliament to ensure a successful result at the referendum.Mr Albanese is softening his stance in response to the shadow ministry’s push to provide more details to the Australian public. The government is in talks with the Coalition on pamphlets to be mailed to households. Source: Sky News

Unilever has warned that prices for consumer goods will rise further after posting record price increases last quarter that cut into demand for its products among cash-strapped shoppers.The maker of Knorr stock cubes, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Domestos bleach raised prices 13.3 per cent in the final three months of 2022 and said they would continue rising as it faced pressure on margins and costs.That is set to heighten pressure on households despite easing inflation rates — and in some cases price declines among input costs such as raw materials and energy.“We think we are probably past peak…

While rescuers in Turkey and Syria continue to search for survivors after Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake, hopes of finding more people alive in the rubble three days after the disaster are starting to fade as 15,000 people are confirmed dead.As of Thursday morning, at least 12,391 people died from the earthquake and its aftershocks in Turkey. The country’s disaster management agency said more than 60,000 have been injured and tens of thousands have been displaced. More than 2,900 people have been reported dead on Syria’s side of the border.Emergency crews working through the night in the city of Antakya managed to…