Venus Williams suffers cruel Australian Open blow as Iga Swiatek nurses injuryVenus Williams’ hopes of competing at the 2023 Australian Open have been dealt a hammer blow as she has been ruled out of the season-opening Grand Slam due to injury. “Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to an injury sustained at the ASB Classic in New Zealand,” a tweet from the Australian Open read. There are also injury clouds over world No 1 Iga Swiatek and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu ahead of the hard-court major. Three-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek pulled out of the Adelaide International 2 as she is managing a shoulder injury following a busy schedule at the United Cup. The 2022 US Open winner has already made her way to Melbourne for the first major of 2023.

A perfect storm of drenching rain and seasonal sultriness is tipped to provide ideal breeding conditions for a proliferation of flies, mosquitoes and other bugs like ants. “My prediction would be, the fly season is going to go pretty crazy. We’re going to see a lot of flies around, and also mosquitoes and other general insect activity like ants. Another reason to resist climate changeCraddock said climate change-driven alterations in weather patterns could influence the fly season. There’s nothing particularly malicious in what they’re doing, they’re just trying to take advantage of their environment.

StuffWhich singer controversially did NOT make The Rolling Stone's list of the 200 Best Singers of All Time?

(In December the Household data rose an impressive +717,000 from November on the same seasonally-adjusted basis as the Establishment data. This reinforces the fact that the momentum in the American labour market is slowing, and the Fed will take heart from that. At the same time, American inflation is biting households. It is also a good result for them, and like the Americans, both their participation rate rose and their jobless rate fell. From the prior month, inflation is slowing fast, running at an annualised -4.2% deflation rate now.

England Men’s squad player John Gough has made history by becoming the first Englishman to win the prestigious Australian Master of the Amateurs title. The competition has previously featured future stars such as Tommy Fleetwood, Bryson DeChambeau, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler and Gough will now proudly wear the tournament’s famous green jacket following his outstanding success. “It was obviously great to come to the other side and get the win,” he said. “Before coming over here my dad said that you do see all four seasons in Melbourne and I can completely agree with that now! “Day two was a completely different day, I teed off at 1.30pm and with all the wind we had, it was absolutely brutal.

Instead, those arriving by air or sea will have to use a new digital system called the New Zealand Traveller Declaration. But it’s set to be revamped and reintroduced in the middle of this year, replacing the paper arrival cards. Customs says arrival cards will be replaced with the online New Zealand Traveller Declaration system by June 30, 2023. If you travelled last year, you may have already experienced the first take of the New Zealand Traveller Declaration. Supplied Under the Covid version of the New Zealand Traveller Declaration system, travellers received a QR code.

University of Auckland vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater said Stuart McCutcheon died suddenly on Friday. Stuart McCutcheon, the former University of Auckland vice-chancellor, has died. In a statement, University of Auckland vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater said McCutcheon died suddenly on Friday. Jeff McEwan/Stuff McCutcheon (right) was the vice chancellor of the University of Auckland for 15 years. After leaving the University of Auckland, McCutcheon served on a number of boards in the commercial, educational and philanthropic sectors.

MADOFF: THE MONSTER OF WALL STREET (NETFLIX)Four-part docu-series that follows the rise and fall of financier Bernie Madoff, who orchestrated one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in American history. Supplied Romantic Getaway and Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street are among the great shows available to stream this weekend. Supplied The Recruit is now available to stream on Netflix. WITHOUT SIN (TVNZ+)Line of Duty and Trigger Point’s Vicky McClure takes centre stage in this four-part ITV psychological thriller. “Complex characters, high-octane drama and a tantalising mystery make this a must-watch,” wrote The Evening Standard’s Emma Loffhagen.

Prince Harry, Prince William, Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge leave the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in 2020. The headline-dominating revelation is that Prince William allegedly physically assaulted Harry in 2019 during an altercation at Harry and wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s Kensington Palace home, Nottingham Cottage. William, Kate, Meghan and Harry attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate in 2018. According to the Guardian, Spare includes details of “an anguished meeting” that took place at Windsor Castle after Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021 involving Charles, William and Harry. Daniela Elser is a writer and a royal commentator with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles.

British tennis prospect Emma Raducanu hit out at the "very slippery" indoor court at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where an ankle injury has put her Australian Open in serious doubtAs her hopes of featuring at the 2023 Australian Open hang in the balance, Emma Raducanu has lashed out at the "very slippery" conditions that led to her latest injury. Raducanu understandably left the tournament in tears at the prospect of seeing her Australian Open end before its even begun, with only 11 days to go before the first Grand Slam of 2023. The Briton started 2022 with a second-round defeat to Danka Kovinic at the Australian Open having been hampered by hand blisters in the build-up. Raducanu was set to take part in the Transylvania Open in October, but another blow to her wrist forced a premature conclusion to 2022. Many will question why the indoor courts were not resurfaced prior to the tournament given Auckland's forecast for rain, with potential Australian Open absentee Raducanu likely to be at the head of that queue.

Isle of Seil Golf Club in western Scotland is to benefit from £17,600 of investment from sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund. The funding will not only ensure the preservation of the existing nine-hole golf course, which is the island’s main sports facility, but will also provide a base for the development of water sports such as canoeing and coastal rowing with a safe launch site on the golf club’s land. ‘Without this investment, this small rural community could have lost access to its only outdoor sports facility,’ states the Oban Times. ‘The golf club provides opportunities for participation to the whole community and has close links with the local school to ensure that young people have access to affordable, accessible sport and physical activity without leaving the island.’Welcoming the investment, Pat Mill, club captain from Isle of Seil Golf Club, said: “The course is a focal green space on the island. It is funded by the National Lottery.

Emma Raducanu blamed slippery indoor courts for an ankle injury which forced her to retire from the ASB Classic in tears and may jeopardise her Australian Open prospects. After commandeering the opening stages of her second-round match against Slovakia's Viktoria Kuzmova, the British No 1 rolled her left ankle during a rally at 5-5 in the second set. "I've put a lot of physical work in the last few months and I've been feeling good and optimistic. So to be stopped by a freak injury, rolling an ankle is pretty disappointing, in the first week as well. I thought I was playing some pretty decent tennis.

Emma Raducanu faces a race against time to be fit for the Australian Open after rolling her left ankle during the ASB Classic in Auckland in Thursday. Raducanu, who won the first 6-0 before losing the second 7-5, was critical of the “slippery” courts and says she will wait to see the extent of her injury. “I’ve put a lot of physical work in the last few months and I’ve been feeling good and optimistic. So to be stopped by a freak injury, rolling an ankle is pretty disappointing, in the first week as well. “The courts are incredibly slick, like very slippery, so to be honest it’s not a surprise that this happened to someone.

Emma Raducanu has criticized the indoor courts at New Zealand’s ASB Classic after suffering a potentially costly ankle injury 11 days before the start of the Australian Open. show Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for ‘The Guardian’. If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re using the most recent version. In the Guardian app, tap the menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications. Raducanu called for medical treatment before the start of the third set and it soon became clear she could not continue.

Emma Raducanu has an ankle issue (PA) (PA Wire)Emma Raducanu has criticised the indoor courts at the ASB Classic in New Zealand after suffering a potentially costly ankle injury 11 days before the start of the Australian Open. The contest had been moved indoors due to rain in Auckland, but Raducanu was not happy with the standard of the playing surface. “So to be stopped by a freak injury, rolling an ankle is pretty disappointing, in the first week as well. “The courts are incredibly slick, like very slippery, so to be honest it’s not a surprise that this happened to someone. Raducanu called for medical treatment before the start of the third set, and it quickly became apparent she could not continue.