sports
SportAustralian Associated PressFast Semenya arrested for speeding in SA
Olympic champion Caster Semenya has been sentenced to 50 hours of community service for speeding while driving in South Africa.The runner was arrested last Thursday and released on $35 bail ($A45), the National Prosecuting Authority said in a statement to The Associated Press.
SportAustralian Associated PressUS athletics team cancels pre-Oly camp
The United States' track and field team has cancelled its pre-Olympics training camp in Japan out of concerns for safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Local authorities said on Wednesday the team was set to train in Chiba but cancelled "out of concerns for their athletes' safety", raising more questions about the holding of the Games.
SportAustralian Associated PressCrossbar frustration in Roar-Mariners draw
The width of the crossbar was the difference as Brisbane Roar and Central Coast played to a 0-0 draw at a soggy Moreton Daily Stadium.Clear-cut chances were few and far between on the rain-drenched pitch, but both sides came close to breaking the deadlock late in Wednesday night's match.
NewsAustralian Associated PressFormer WA casino chief defends Crown ties
Western Australia's former chief casino officer has told a royal commission he was never knowingly influenced by his friendships with two Crown employees despite sharing regular fishing trips and selling a boat to one of the men.Michael Connolly stood aside from his role in February amid scrutiny of the friendships.
SportAustralian Associated PressDeep-dive sports docos here to stay: Watt
Gold Coast NRL administrator Dennis Watt expects candid, documentary-style access to become the "way of the world" in Australian sport after the Titans' risky foray this season.The four-part Building Titans series released on Kayo ahead of round one exposed the club's mediocre recent past with fly-on-the-wall training footage and personal sit-down interviews with current players.
NewsAustralian Associated PressMen charged over 'mayhem' at junior footy
The first thing Josh Jones told his father after regaining consciousness during a brawl at a junior rugby league game was "the kids don't have to see this".The 35-year-old sustained serious facial injuries during the altercation at a Queensland sports ground, with police saying the initial assault was "unprovoked" according to their early investigations.
NewsAustralian Associated PressGood behaviour bond for AFL star Rioli
AFL premiership forward Willie Rioli has avoided a conviction and been placed on a good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to drug possession.Northern Territory police found 24.
NewsAustralian Associated PressMorrison denies election budget slush fund
Scott Morrison has denied squirrelling away billions of dollars in the federal budget ahead of the next election.But the prime minister has threatened Labor with an election fought over coronavirus if the opposition "plays politics" with his pandemic response.
SportAustralian Associated PressFury versus Joshua will be in Saudi Arabia
A long-awaited world heavyweight boxing title unification fight between British rivals Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is set for Saudi Arabia in August, promoter Eddie Hearn says.Joshua, 31, holds the IBF, WBO, WBA and IBO titles while Fury, 32, is the WBC belt holder.
SportAustralian Associated PressBuffon to leave Juve but delays big call
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season but could still join another team if he receives a suitable offer.The 43-year-old first joined the Turin club from Parma in 2001 and has been there ever since, with the exception of one season at French side Paris Saint-Germain in 2018-19.
SportAustralian Associated PressGolf organisers hopeful of crowds at Open
This year's British Open could be played out in front of "significant numbers" of spectators, say the Royal and Ancient.The 149th Open, cancelled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will take place at the Royal St George's in Sandwich on the Kent coast from July 15-18.
SportAustralian Associated PressFury to fight Joshua in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia will host the world heavyweight boxing title unification fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in August, says promoter Eddie Hearn.Joshua holds the IBF, WBO, WBA and IBO titles while fellow Briton Fury is the WBC belt holder.
BusinessAustralian Associated PressWho are the budget winners and losers?
6 per cent dip in expenses over four years.
SportAustralian Associated PressBarty fires warning to French Open rivals
As if her hot run of results isn't evidence enough, Ash Barty believes she's a vastly superior claycourt exponent to when she claimed her maiden grand slam title in Paris in 2019.Despite not playing on the European red dirt in almost two years until last month, Barty has swiftly underlined her French Open title favouritism by extending her winning streak on the surface to 16 matches.
NewsAustralian Associated Press'Reservations' on WA casino chief: inquiry
Western Australia's casino chief was appointed without consideration of other candidates despite concerns he wasn't suitably qualified, a royal commission has heard.The inquiry into Crown Perth on Tuesday heard evidence about the appointment of Mark Beecroft as chief casino officer earlier this year.
HealthAustralian Associated PressUS approves Pfizer vaccine for ages 12-15
US regulators have authorised Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for use in children as young as 12, widening the country's inoculation program as vaccination rates have slowed significantly.The vaccine has been available under an emergency use authorisation to people as young as 16 in the United States.
SportAustralian Associated PressBaffert defiant on Medina Spirit drug test
A defiant Bob Baffert has declared his innocence after his Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a drug test and Churchill Downs suspended him from entering horses at its famed racetrack."We did not cheat to win the Kentucky Derby," said Baffert told Fox News, adding that he plans to run the horse at the Preaknesss Stakes - the second of three races in the legendary Triple Crown series - on Saturday.
NewsAustralian Associated Press'Cautious' hugging OK in England next week
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given the green light to cautious hugging and the serving of pints inside pubs after months of strict restrictions as he set out the next phase of coronavirus lockdown easing in England.The government announced a four-step plan in February for the gradual easing of social restrictions, with the next phase due to come into force next week.
SportAustralian Associated PressSerena ready for WTA return on Rome clay
Forget all that speculation about Serena Williams considering retirement after her emotional hand-to-heart gesture upon her Australian Open exit three months ago.While Williams has not played since losing to Naomi Osaka in the Melbourne semi-finals in February, she has been practising "very intensely" on clay courts and is ready to "start fresh" in her pursuit of Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slam titles.
SportAustralian Associated PressBamboo a 'batsman's dream': UK uni study
If a group of Cambridge University scientists have their way, cricket fans might soon have to become accustomed to the sound of leather on bamboo.A study conducted by Darshil Shah and Ben Tinkler-Davies of Cambridge University said that bats made of laminated bamboo were stronger than those fashioned from the traditional willow.
NewsAustralian Associated PressEx-MP Johnsen now a govt, media consultant
Weeks after quitting parliament over sexual assault and sexting allegations, former NSW MP Michael Johnsen has rebranded himself as a consultant specialising in government relations and reputation management.Mr Johnsen resigned from parliament in March after he was accused of raping a sex worker in the Blue Mountains in 2019.
NewsAustralian Associated PressJapan PM has 'never put Olympics first'
Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday that he has never "put the Olympics first", the same day an opinion poll showed nearly 60 per cent of people in Japan want the Olympics cancelled less than three months before they begin.Japan has extended a state of emergency in Tokyo until the end of May and is struggling to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, raising further questions about whether the Games should go on.
NewsAustralian Associated PressUpper Hunter by-election voting begins
With less than two weeks until a crucial NSW by-election, a public stoush has erupted between Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Malcolm Turnbull.NSW National Party Leader Mr Barilaro was antagonised by the former Liberal prime minister's endorsement of an independent candidate in the 13-strong field for the Upper Hunter by-election on May 22.
SportAustralian Associated PressBamboo cricket bat 'a batsman's dream'
The sound of leather on willow is a quintessential sound of summer, but UK researchers have suggested leather on bamboo could be the future.A Cambridge University study indicated that a prototype bamboo cricket bat had a larger sweet spot than a traditional willow blade, is stronger, more sustainable and cheaper to produce.
NewsAustralian Associated PressEngland's lockdown to ease
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to set out the next phase of lockdown easing in England, giving the green light to "cautious hugging" and allowing pubs to serve customers pints inside after months of strict measures.The country is in the process of gradually lifting its latest lockdown over a period of months, in line with a four-step plan unveiled in February, after a rapid vaccine rollout helped drive down COVID-19 cases and deaths.
