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Ronnie Spector, the cat-eyed, bee-hived rock 'n' roll siren who sang such 1960s hits as Be My Baby, Baby I Love You and Walking in the Rain as leader of the girl group the Ronettes, has died. She was 78.

Spector died Wednesday after a brief battle with cancer, her family said.

"Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humour and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude," a statement said.

The Ronettes' sexy look and powerful voices -- plus songwriting and producing help from Phil Spector -- turned them into one of the premier acts of the girl-group era, touring England with the Rolling Stones and befriending the Beatles.

Spector, alongside her sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley, scored hits with pop masterpieces like Baby, I Love You, Walking in the Rain, I Can Hear Music and Be My Baby, which was co-written by Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.

"We weren't afraid to be hot. That was our gimmick," Spector said in her memoir.

"When we saw The Shirelles walk on stage with their wide party dresses, we went in the opposite direction and squeezed our bodies into the tightest skirts we could find. Then we'd get out on stage and hike them up to show our legs even more."

Spector, born Veronica Bennett, and her multiracial bandmates grew up in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. They began singing and dancing in clubs as Ronnie and the Relatives, becoming noteworthy for their liberal use of eyeliner and mascara.

In March 1963, Estelle Bennett managed to arrange an audition in front of Phil Spector, known for his big, brass-and-drum style dubbed the "wall of sound".

They were signed to Phillies Records in 1963. After being signed, they sang backup for other acts until Spector had the group record Be My Baby and Baby I Love You.

The group's debut album, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, was released in 1964. Five of its 12 tracks had made it to the US Billboard charts.

After touring Germany in 1967, the Ronettes broke up.

Spector married Ronnie in 1968, then she said he kept her locked in their Beverly Hills mansion. Her 1990 autobiography Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts And Madness tells an unhappy story of abuse.

The couple divorced in 1974. Phil Spector was sent to prison in 2009 for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson and died in 2020.

Ronnie Spector's influence was felt far and wide. Brian Wilson became obsessed with Be My Baby and Billy Joel wrote Say Goodbye to Hollywood in Spector's honour. Amy Winehouse frequently cited Spector as an idol.

Martin Scorsese used Be My Baby to open his 1973 film Mean Streets and the song appears in the title sequence of Dirty Dancing and the closing credits of Baby Mama.

When the Ronettes were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones remembered opening for the trio in England in the mid-1960s.

"They could sing all their way right through a wall of sound," Richards said.

"They didn't need anything. They touched my heart right there and then and they touch it still."

Ronnie Spector is survived her husband, Jonathan Greenfield, and two sons, Jason and Austin.

© AP 2022

Any expansion to what classifies an essential worker will be about managing risk and keeping Australia running amid widespread supply chain shortages, a leading epidemiologist says.

National cabinet will on Thursday discuss adding more industries and workers to the list of COVID-19 close contacts exempt from quarantine requirements.

Professor Catherine Bennett from Deakin University says the changes would not come from a starting point of zero risk and needed to be weighed up against the large number of critical workers being furloughed.

"People who might have had exposures won't necessarily go on to have an infection but at the moment are out of the workplace and that is causing this widespread disruption," she told the ABC ahead of Thursday's meeting.

"It's not going from zero risk ... it's actually saying we can select for people who are less likely to be infectious who can continue working if they have no symptoms."

People exposed to the virus at home will often already be at work while infectious before the original case is even identified, Prof Bennett said.

Ministers have flagged the possibility JobSeeker recipients could be deployed into workforces to help ease staff shortages.

A plan to increase the hours international students are able to work to 40 hours a fortnight is also being considered as a way to alleviate pressure on sectors hardest hit by the virus.

Chair of the Australian Trucking Association David Smith told Sky News upskilling and retraining drivers with truck licences could help address distribution shortages.

Mr Smith estimated about 30 per cent of truck drivers had been taken out of action due to COVID-19.

"There is quite a number of people in Australia that have had, or got, a truck licence that don't use them," he said.

"We believe we could reintroduce people back into the workforce to alleviate some of the pain".

Mr Smith said there were a number of Afghan refugees whose visas made it impossible to train as truck drivers.

"These people have already driven heavy vehicles in Afghanistan and trained by the Australian army but don't have an Australian licence. We are calling on the government to relax those visa rules so we can train them up."

A plan on how students can safely return to schools amid rising cases will also be thrashed out by leaders.

Principles for how schools would reopen and stay open in the wake of outbreaks have been finalised by federal, state and territory officials, before being put to national cabinet on Thursday.

It comes as more than 140,000 children aged between five and 11 were jabbed in the first three days of becoming eligible, including 55,570 on Wednesday alone, according to Health Minister Greg Hunt.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says the Queensland government's decision to delay the start of the school year was the right one.

He said other states and territories needed to make a decision based on health advice.

"Australians are voting with their feet literally, staying at home, they are making their own decisions and parents will make decisions in their interests of their children," he told ABC News on Thursday.

"It is extraordinary that in the third year of the pandemic we have people getting their booster shot appointments deferred, we have children who can't get their first shot causing anxiety for parents.

"The government needs to have that health assurance that it is safe."

It comes as more than 92,264 new infections have been reported in NSW after residents rushed to post positive results from rapid antigen tests since the start of the year.

The dramatic rise in case numbers comes on top of another grim milestone as the state reported a record 22 lives lost in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday.

There were 37,169 new cases and 25 deaths in Victoria.

© AAP 2022

Trinity Rodman, the teenage daughter of NBA Hall of famer Dennis Rodman, is among 25 players called into the first camp of the year for the US women's national soccer team.

Nineteen-year-old Rodman was included for the first time after an outstanding debut season in the National Women's Soccer League which earned her the Rookie of the Year award.

A forward for the Washington Spirit, Rodman started 19 of the 22 matches she appeared in, tallying six goals and five assists.

She also provided an assist for Kelley O'Hara's game-winning goal in the NWSL Championship, helping the club capture its first trophy in November.

"She was one of the most exciting players in the league this past season," said US team head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

"She's still a young player, but we do want to expose her to the environment where she can get her feet wet a little bit ... get used to my coaching and the players that she's around, and hopefully she can continue growing and show that what she was able to do in the league, she can do that at the international level."

Rodman joins fellow uncapped players Aubrey Kingsbury and Naomi Girma at the US team camp.

The team doesn't have any games scheduled for January but will compete in the SheBelieves Cup next month. The friendly four-team tournament also involving Czech Republic, Iceland and New Zealand will run from February 17-23 and feature games in Frisco, Texas, and Carson, California.

The full roster:- Goalkeepers: Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars).

Defenders: Alana Cook (OL Reign), Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave), Tierna Davidson (Chicago), Imani Dorsey (Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Racing Louisville), Naomi Girma (San Diego), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Kelley O'Hara (Washington), Emily Sonnett (Washington).

Midfielders: Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns), Jaelin Howell (Louisville), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (Gotham FC), Samantha Mewis (Kansas City Current), Ashley Sanchez (Washington), Andi Sullivan (Washington).

Forwards: Ashley Hatch (Washington), Mallory Pugh (Chicago), Margaret Purce (Gotham FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington), Sophia Smith (Portland), Lynn Williams (Kansas City).

© RAW 2022