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https://pnghausbung.com/us-president-joe-biden-to-propose-hiking-tax-on-rich/

Published on April 25, 2021

US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN TO 'PROPOSE HIKING TAX ON RICH'

US President Joe Biden is reportedly set to propose a tax hike on the wealthiest Americans. The proposal would raise the top marginal rate and increase taxes on investment gains for the rich. The tax rise would help pay for childcare and education, but would not be used for healthcare, according to reports. The news triggered a selloff on Wall Street, with major indexes slipping during Thursday's trading session. Biden unveils 'once in a generation' spending plan Minimum wage fight: 'There's no recovery without raising it' The White House said the American Family Plan, which Mr Biden is expected to lay out in full next week, will not affect any family earning less than $400,000 a year. "His view is that that should be on the backs... of the wealthiest Americans who can afford it and corporations and businesses who can afford it," said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. The proposal would increase the top marginal income tax rate to 39.6% from 37%, according to the New York Times and Bloomberg. The move would effectively reverse Donald Trump’s 2017 income tax cut for highest income earners. The plan would also nearly double taxes on capital gains to 39.6% for people earning more than $1m. It’s a dramatic increase from the current rate of 20%. In some states which impose their own capital gains tax, the total bill some investors could face might exceed 50%. The plan is widely expected to encounter resistance from Republicans in Congress. Although the Democrats hold a slim majority, they may not support the plan unanimously. Nevertheless, the news was enough to cause a few jitters on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 420 points before reigning in its losses slightly. "If it had a chance of passing, we'd be down 2,000 points," Thomas Hayes, from Great Hill Capital told Reuters. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index also slipped 0.9%. Source: BBC News

Published on April 25, 2021

https://pnghausbung.com/covid-19-sunderland-couple-spent-wedding-anniversary-in-hospital/

Published on April 25, 2021

COVID-19: SUNDERLAND COUPLE SPENT WEDDING ANNIVERSARY IN HOSPITAL

A couple who spent their eighth wedding anniversary in hospital together after they both contracted Covid-19 have thanked staff for saving their lives. Peter and Sheila Kirkup were admitted to Sunderland Royal Hospital within days of each other earlier this year. To celebrate their anniversary, staff on Ward E54 arranged for the couple to have their hospital meals together. Sheila said: "It was very emotional but I am just so happy that we are both here together and alive." Peter was admitted to hospital on 24 February after experiencing a continuous cough, shivering and breathlessness and spent 15 days on Ward E54. Five days later, Sheila was admitted. "I felt poorly for a few days over the weekend while Peter was in hospital, but by Monday it got to the point where I couldn't even speak, so I phoned an ambulance who took me to hospital straight away," she said. Her condition deteriorated and the 58-year-old spent three days in intensive care fighting the virus. Peter, 67, said: "We just didn't think we were going to come out, that's how bad it was. "We're getting there, it's a bit of an uphill battle because we still get breathless, but we're sitting in the sunshine in the garden and we didn't think we were going to see that anymore. "It's all thanks to the staff at Sunderland Royal, they were fantastic. We owe them, they saved our lives and we're just full of gratitude to them." The couple were clapped out of the ward by hospital staff when they were discharged together six weeks ago. Ward manager Deborah Carr said: "When we discovered that Peter and Sheila's wedding anniversary was coming up, we wanted to make it special considering their circumstances. "But, the biggest satisfaction for us was being able to discharge the couple back home together and see them smile as they left the ward." Source: BBC News

Published on April 25, 2021

https://pnghausbung.com/benjis-selfless-attitude-makes-bunnies-better/

Published on April 24, 2021

BENJI'S SELFLESS ATTITUDE MAKES BUNNIES BETTER

South Sydney playmaker Cody Walker says Benji Marshall's team-first attitude is rubbing off at Redfern as the Rabbitohs look to build a team capable of going all the way in 2021. Marshall's career lifeline from coach Wayne Bennett has the makings of a premiership masterstroke with the 36-year-old veteran proving to be the club's new Mr Fix-It with his ability to cover injuries or suspensions in almost any key position. "That's the beauty of signing a guy like Benji. He can cover quite a few different positions and whatever the team needs on the night he is happy to do," Walker said. "He has been around the game long enough now to know what his job is in different parts of the game. We are quite lucky to have a guy like Benji in our squad, he has been unreal for us not only the first team but also the younger guys in our squad he has been quite amazing." Marshall turned back the clock with his starring role in the 40-30 win over the Gold Coast on Friday night. He set up one try, scored two of his own and was threatening all over the park as the Rabbitohs fought back from a 24-10 deficit. It was another case of winning when they've been challenged for Souths, after being pushed to golden point by the Wests Tigers a week earlier. They face Canberra, Melbourne, Cronulla and Penrith over the next month and Walker knows they'll need to execute far better than they did in stages against the Titans to keep adding to their six-game winning streak. "I think that's the most pleasing part, we're not playing our best footy but still coming away with the two points," he said. "You know leaking 24 points in that first half was just not on … we showed in the second half the way we want to play our game, get through our sets, put it deep in their half and put the pressure on them." Walker said he was prepared for a few more weeks at fullback until Mitchell returns, with the seamless transition of partnering Marshall with Adam Reynolds in the halves showing the type of flexibility but also fluency in this attack that key players can change roles and it still works. "The beauty and positive we will take out of losing a guy like Latrell is we can push in a guy like Benji who is very experienced and knows his way around the footy field at five eighth and I just needed to slot in where I could slot in," Walker said. "Nothing really changes for us. It gave us confidence last year when we lost Latrell early on in the season that we still played some really good footy so we didn't lose any confidence out of that. "Although Latrell is a really big loss, I'm not discrediting that." Source: NRL (National Rugby League)

Published on April 24, 2021

https://pnghausbung.com/souths-nrl-support-latrell-after-two-people-arrested-over-alleged-racial-abuse/

Published on April 24, 2021

SOUTHS, NRL SUPPORT LATRELL AFTER TWO PEOPLE ARRESTED OVER ALLEGED RACIAL ABUSE

Online trolls targeting NRL players have been placed on notice after two men were arrested for allegedly sending racially abusive messages to South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell via social media. Mitchell earlier this week informed the NRL Integrity Unit that he had received numerous offensive and racially charged messages via his Instagram account and the details of his complaint was forwarded to NSW Police. A 22 year-old Taree man and a 25-year-old Lake Munmorah man were arrested on Friday after an investigation by the Fixated Persons Investigation Unit and with using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence. Police seized electronic devices at their homes. The men were granted bail and the 22-year-old will appear before Taree Local Court on May 18, while the 25-year-old will appear before Wyong Local Court on May 12. The arrests come a month after the NRL reported an incident to police involving threats made to Sydney Roosters centre Josh Morris by a man who threatened to wait for him outside Campbelltown Stadium after a match against Wests Tigers. The man made the threat to Morris through a direct message request and the matter was referred to NSW Police, while betting agencies immediately closed the man’s accounts.. NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the game would not tolerate racial abuse or threats against players. "The NRL was informed of this abuse over the weekend and our Integrity Unit immediately investigated and referred our file, with the support of Latrell, to NSW Police to commence a criminal investigation," Abdo said. "There is no place for fans like this in our game. Any fan who racially abuses or threatens our players will be referred to police. "I want to commend Latrell for the leadership role he is taking. We wholeheartedly support Latrell in reporting this matter. He is a leader in the fight against racism in our community." Souths chief executive Blake Solly urged other players to take similar action to Mitchell, who will hold a media conference on Monday. "Racism is absolutely abhorrent and has no place in our game or society in general," Solly said in a club statement. "We fully support Latrell's decision to refer the abuse to the NSW Police. "Latrell has shown great courage in taking this position, and I would encourage other NRL players who are subject to abuse of this nature to do the same thing." Mitchell has taken a stand against racist abuse on a number of occasions and revealed ahead of last year's Indigenous round that he had nearly quit the game because of it. Rabbitohs assistant coach Jason Demetriou, who will succeed Wayne Bennett next season, tweeted: "Extremely proud of Latrell". In response to concerns about online bullying, Instagram this week announced new controls in Australia to help high-profile athletes such as NRL and AFL stars block trolls. The move follows months of collaboration between sporting organisations and anti-discrimination bodies, and Instagram announced the changes on Wednesday which enable users to filter out abusive messages and block unwanted contact. Source: NRL (National Rugby League)

Published on April 24, 2021

https://pnghausbung.com/crying-game-emotional-barrett-hails-breakthrough-win-best-of-my-career/

Published on April 24, 2021

CRYING GAME: EMOTIONAL BARRETT HAILS BREAKTHROUGH WIN 'BEST OF MY CAREER'

An emotional Trent Barrett labelled Canterbury’s first win under his coaching as arguably the best of his career after the Bulldogs created history by becoming the first club to use the NRL’s new 18th man rule in Saturday night’s18-12 defeat of Cronulla. Barrett was in tears at full-time as he embraced Canterbury players on the sideline and he praised their courage and resolve to repeatedly repel the Sharks despite losing forwards Chris Smith and Matt Doorey in the first half and hooker Brad Deitz late in the match. With Sharks forward Siosifa Talakai sin-binned for a shoulder charge that forced Doorey from the field in the 26th minute, Barrett was able to call halfback Brandon Wakeham onto his bench because Canterbury had lost a player due to foul play and he played the last five minutes. “That’s the best win I have been involved in in my coaching career, and even as a player,” Barrett said. “It meant a hell of a lot to all of us. “No one really knows what goes on in the four walls of a football club, and the emotion in getting prepared every week. “I am just really proud of them, they showed a lot of resolve, determination, grit and care for the club, which is really important. They turn up every week, they never whinge, the work hard, the cop feedback and they deserve that result tonight. “That’s why you get emotional. You spend more time with the players than you do your family, so it’s a big thing for them. It’s something we can build our season on. “It’s easy to kick everyone when they’re down and we’ve had a rough six weeks.” The Bulldogs were without Josh Jackson (calf), Raymond Faitala-Mariner (foot), Jeremy Marshall-King (foot), Jack Hetherington (suspended) and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who was hospitalised on the eve of the match with a knee infection. Doorey had only been on the field for 11 minutes after replacing Smith, who also failed an HIA, when he was sent reeling out of heavy hit from Talakai that could be felt around Netstrata Jubilee Stadium as the two big men collided. Talakai lined up Doorey as he ran the ball in Canterbury’s half but replays suggested the Sharks' right shoulder had struck the Bulldogs forward under the chin, Referee Chris Butler sent him to the sin bin after the incident was reviewed by the bunker. After losing Dietz with a leg injury, Wakeham was thrust into action four minutes from full-time as Barrett’s men defended an 18-6 lead and, despite conceding a late try to Mawene Hiroti, they hung on for their first win of 2021. "Given what we have been through that was a huge win and they are a good team," Barrett said. "We are without a lot of players and I am just so happy for them." The Bulldogs are set to be bolstered next season by the arrival of Josh Addo-Carr and Matt Burton, and Barrett refuted comments by Penrith CEO Brian Fletcher that it would be better for Burton's career if he backflipped on his deal. "I am just happy for Matt that he is in first grade and he is playing well," Barrett said. "We'll keep improving the joint so that when he gets here he walks into a really good club and this is a great club with a hell of a lot of history." Three first-half tries laid the foundation for the Bulldogs first competition points of the 2021 season and Barrett’s first win as head coach but they needed to overcome just 35 per cent of possession in the second half. Canterbury were greatly helped by the Sharks having six tries denied. The first signs of a potential upset came in just the fourth minute when Bulldogs skipper Will Hopoate shrugged off centre opposite Josh Dugan and forced his way through the attempted tackles of Will Kennedy and Teig Wilton. Star recruit Nick Cotric, in his 100th game, scored his first try for Canterbury in the 10th minute after Dugan fumbled a Jake Averillo cross-field bomb and the NSW Origin representative latched onto the loose ball as he fell into the Sharks in-goal. However, the Bulldogs drought-breaking win was built on desperate defence as the scrambled to deny Cronulla on at least four occasions in the first half. Sharks winger Hiroti had three tries disallowed - one of which was a spectacular effort involving eight sets of hands as the home team shifted the ball from one touchline to the other after Townsend forced Cotric to fumble following a Johnson bomb. In contrast, the Bulldogs took their chances and Nick Meaney extended his side’s lead in the 22nd minute after lock Corey Waddell put him in a hole near the Cronulla line and the replacement fullback spun out of a Johnson tackle to score. The Sharks finally got on the scoreboard in the 46th minute when hooker Blayke Brailey grubbered into the goal post pad and beat Meaney to the ball. However, Townsend, winger Connor Tracey and centre Jesse Ramien all had tries disallowed as the Bulldogs dug deep in defence before Hiroti was finally able to claim a try in the 76th minute. Source: NRL (National Rugby League)

Published on April 24, 2021

https://pnghausbung.com/belief-growing-at-cowboys-as-holmes-inspires-comeback-win/

Published on April 24, 2021

BELIEF GROWING AT COWBOYS AS HOLMES INSPIRES COMEBACK WIN

Valentine Holmes played a stellar role in giving the Cowboys an upset 26-24 win over the Raiders at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Saturday night. Relishing his role at fullback, Holmes seemed to be everywhere and in everything. He ran for 193 metres, busted out of seven tackles, made a line break, a try assist and kicked five goals to underpin the victory. After stumbling into the 2021 season with four straight losses, the Cowboys now have a hat-trick of wins for the first time since round 10-12 in 2019, and they did it roaring back from 18 points down just before half-time. "We just played the right way. It's a pretty simple game when you hold the ball and put pressure on the opposition rather than yourselves," coach Todd Payten said. "If anything came out of tonight we've got the belief that we can actually hang in there when things are tough. It was an arm wrestle... we didn't make an error, we stayed in the fight, and we came away with the chocolates." The Raiders are now officially in a mini-slump after successive losses to the Panthers, the Eels and now the Cowboys. A win would have propelled them back into the top eight. The match began with tit-for-tat tries – Jordan Rapana off a nice Raiders left-edge move and four minutes later Kyle Fedlt from a slick right-side attack. That was the winger’s 31st try in 32 home games in Townsville. The scores remained locked at 6-6 until Josh Papalii redeemed himself with a sneaky off-load, under the weight of two defenders, to help Tom Starling put Emre Guler over. Papalii had been demoted to the bench and fellow international forward Joe Tapine dropped altogether by coach Ricky Stuart after the 35-10 pounding Parramatta handed out at GIO Stadium a week ago. Rapana then scored his second in the same spot as his first, before a Starling bust upfield to put George Williams away had the visitors out to an 18-point lead. But Cowboys second rower Ben Condon scored in the shadow of the half-time siren to give the home side a sniff at 24-12. A determined Reece Robson barging his way over Cowboys early in the second half reduced the margin to just six points. The Cowboys were on a roll and had their home fans in full voice behind them. Experienced centre Justin O’Neill chased down a Scott Drinkwater grubber to lock scores up 24-24 with 20 minutes to play. A Holmes penalty was his 15th goal in a row and gave his side the lead for the first time in the match – in the 69th minute. Payten said the win was more pleasing than the previous two over the Bulldogs and Wests Tigers. "I'll take them anyway they come but tonight was a far better performance because we played the game the right way," he said. Payten now has a nostalgic round coming up - travelling down to Gosford to play the Warriors, who he coached and lived with in camp on the NSW central coast after head coach Stephen Kearney was sacked last June. Source: NRL (National Rugby League)

Published on April 24, 2021