Fan’s death overshadows Bayern’s win in Champions League as fans refrain from singing

SYDNEY (AP) — Australian breaker Rachael Gunn has told a Sydney radio station that she plans to retire from competition just three months after her unconventional routine at the Paris Olympics led to her being ridiculed and spawned conspiracy theories about how she qualified for the Games.

The now 37-year-old Sydney university lecturer failed to get on the scoreboard in all three of her competition rounds in August, with a routine that included unorthodox moves such as a kangaroo hop.

Gunn had initially planned to keep competing but said the experience had been so “upsetting” that she changed her mind.

“I just didn’t have any control over how people saw me or who I was,” she told radio station 2DayFM. “I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now. I think the level of scrutiny that’s going to be there, and people will be filming it, and it will go online.”

Breaking was being contested at an Olympics for the first time . And it might be a one-and-done, not scheduled on the Olympic program for Los Angeles in 2028 or for Brisbane, Australia in 2032.

“Raygun” as she was known, was later ridiculed on social media, with some posts also questioning the Olympic qualifying process.

In a television interview for The Project on Australia’s Channel 10 in September, she told of being chased by cameras through Paris streets and how she dealt with the very public reaction to her performance.

“That was really wild,” she said. “If people are chasing me, what do I do? That really did put me in a state of panic. I was nervous to be out in public. It was pretty nerve-wracking for a while.”

She apologized for the commotion, but again defended her performance and said she was thankful for support from others in the sport.

She had previously defended how she qualified for Paris, and reiterated it on the TV program.

“I won the Oceania championships. It was a direct qualifier,” Gunn said. “There were nine judges, all from overseas. I knew my chances were slim as soon as I qualified,” for the Olympics.

“People didn’t understand breaking and were just angry about my performance,” she added. “The conspiracy theories were just awful and that was really upsetting. People are now attacking our reputation and our integrity — none of them were grounded in facts.”

Gunn’s performance was mocked online and on television, including in a sketch on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night TV show.

In her Sydney radio interview Wednesday, Gunn said she won’t stop breaking entirely.

“I still dance and I still break.” she said. “But that’s like, in my living room with my partner.”

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AP Paris Olympics:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

WINNIPEG – Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says he will continue to push the benefits of trade with the United States now that the election south of the border is over.

President-elect Donald Trump has proposed 10 per cent across-the-board tariffs, which has worried Canadian business leaders.

Kinew says he will make the case that the U.S. benefits from Manitoba goods, and Manitoba critical minerals, as one example, have a lot to offer the American defence sector.

Kinew also says Manitoba has a key asset — Gary Doer, a former premier and ambassador to the U.S. whom Kinew appointed as trade adviser.

Kinew was asked whether he shares the concerns of Quebec Premier Francois Legault, who said Canada must act quickly to secure its borders against a possible wave of migrants looking to escape Trump’s threat of mass deportations.

Kinew says he supports strong borders but Manitoba is also a welcoming province that has benefited by taking in people from Ukraine and other parts of the world.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

EDMONTON – The Alberta government is making changes to strengthen privacy rules, including a ban on public bodies such as schools and municipalities selling private information.

Technology Minister Nate Glubish says while the province and other public bodies in Alberta are not believed to be selling such information, the bill would make clear it is prohibited.

“It was important to me to codify that into law so that Albertans knew for sure that no government ever could,” Glubish told reporters Wednesday before introducing one of two bills that, if passed, would replace the existing Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Glubish’s bill is also aimed at strengthening rules and increasing penalties to ensure there are clear procedures for collecting and disseminating private information.

The act increases fines to a maximum of $750,000 for anyone who knowingly breaks rules regarding personal information.

The bill clarifies when and how information is shared with public bodies, which include provincial and municipal governments, schools and police. Albertans would also be notified if personal data is processed through an automated system.

There would also be an online privacy portal so residents can see when, how and for what purpose their records are accessed. It’s to include data like vehicle registrations and medical records.

Albertans would also be able to file a privacy complaint if they believe their info has been leaked.

The second bill, sponsored by Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally, aims to streamline processes to give Albertans access to documents faster and more effectively through freedom of information rules.

Officials said the act would better define cabinet confidentiality and allow public bodies to proactively disclose information.

The bill would not allow the release of records subject to cabinet confidence or legal privilege, such as communications between cabinet members and political staff. The bill does not define who political staff are.

Asked why Albertans can’t request those communications, which are often part of crafting government policy, Nally said freedom of information is about accessing official documents.

“This is about the public’s right to access government records. If it’s a political conversation, then that’s not going to apply,” he said.

“If there’s a department official on the email, then that could fall under (freedom of information rules),” he said. “But if it’s just a political conversation, that does not constitute a government record.”

Opposition NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir said Alberta’s government hasn’t always been transparent with information, noting freedom of information requests can take a long time to process and often come back with unnecessary redactions.

The exemption could be used to hide information, he said.

Sabir added that when his party was in government, freedom of information requests could be made for his email and schedule.

“This is a government that is infamous for the leaking government records emails, so to some extent, (this legislation) looks like it’s a bit self-serving,” he told reporters.

Nally said the changes would not make it easier for the government to keep things secret, but modernize current legislation.

Glubish said splitting the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act into two new bills makes revising the legislation easier down the road.

“We can ensure that as technology continues to evolve and if amendments are required to strengthen our privacy protections for Albertans, we can be more nimble and focus exclusively on privacy and vice versa with access to information,” he said.

The bill is expected to come into force this spring.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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