Global Pulse

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  • Eels don’t name Mitch Moses in potential Origin blow as Bulldogs star misses training

    Eels don’t name Mitch Moses in potential Origin blow as Bulldogs star misses training

    The build-up to the second State of Origin clash and this weekend’s round of the National Rugby League has been thrown into disarray, with a wave of injury updates, unexpected selection calls and Origin selection dilemmas shaking up teams across the competition.

    The most high-profile disruption hits New South Wales Blues head coach Laurie Daley, who faces a critical selection call in his playmaker group just weeks out from Origin II on June 17. Eels star Mitchell Moses, who was in line for a recall to the Blues starting side after missing the series opener with a hamstring injury, has not been named in Parramatta’s squad for their Monday night showdown against Canterbury Bulldogs. Initial assessments had suggested the injury was minor, but the latest Parramatta injury update confirms Moses is not expected to return to competitive play until either round 15 or 16.

    This timeline rules Moses out of any chance to prove his match fitness before the Blues name their Origin II squad early next week. With Moses sidelined, 22-year-old Ethan Strange, who was thrown into the starting five-eighth role last minute after Moses’ injury two days before Origin I, is now the firm favourite to retain his spot in the side for the second clash.

    Over at the Bulldogs, captain Stephen Crichton’s absence from Tuesday’s training session sparked rumours of a fresh shoulder injury ahead of both Monday’s club clash and potential Origin selection. However, the club confirmed the rest was planned, as the side is gearing up for five days of leave following the match. Bulldogs winger and potential Origin debutant Jacob Kiraz, who also took a light session on an exercise bike instead of full training, backed up his captain’s fitness.

    “I’m sure ‘Critta’ will be sweet,” Kiraz told reporters, addressing the injury rumours. The young winger, who is currently in contention to earn his first Origin cap, said planned rest was a necessary move following a string of physically demanding matches. “It’s a long turnaround. We’ve had a couple of big games the last couple of weeks, so probably the best thing is to (rest a bit),” he explained. When asked about his own potential Origin selection, Kiraz remained focused on his club commitments: “I guess it’s always nice to hear (your name in the mix). I know it’s probably the answer none of you want to hear, but being honest, I’m just worried about the Bulldogs at the moment. The Blues had a good win and I thought (Blues rookie Tolu Koula) has been outstanding.”

    In another major selection shock, Brisbane Broncos coach Michael Maguire has dropped starting five-eighth Ezra Mam following the side’s embarrassing home defeat to the previously winless St George Illawarra Dragons. Tom Duffy will step into the starting five-eighth role for the Broncos, with Xavier Willison shifting to lock, and Grant Anderson returning from injury to fill the gap left by injured starter Pat Carrigan.

    South Sydney Rabbitohs have received a major boost ahead of their upcoming clash, with star trio Brandon Smith, David Fifita and Campbell Graham all named to return to the starting side. Their returns offset the continued absence of star fullback Latrell Mitchell, who remains sidelined with his ongoing injury issue.

    The Rabbitohs’ opponents Manly Sea Eagles have been given clearance to select Blues winger Tolu Koula, who missed recent action after suffering a head knock in the opening Origin clash. Koula’s Blues teammate Haumole Olakau’atu is also set to return to the Manly side this week.

    Other key selection updates across the league include: Sydney Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase has been named in the reserves, in line for an earlier-than-expected return from injury; Newcastle Knights will field Fletcher Sharpe at five-eighth after regular starter Sandon Smith was ruled out with a calf injury; defending premiers Penrith Panthers have welcomed back their entire Origin trio – Nathan Cleary, Brian To’o and Isaah Yeo – who were rested for the previous round; and Cronulla Sharks will hand a starting start to hooker Jayden Berrell after rookie Blues representative Blayke Brailey suffered a broken arm in recent action.

  • China cracks down on ‘ghost kitchens’ in food delivery apps

    China cracks down on ‘ghost kitchens’ in food delivery apps

    China has rolled out new regulatory measures targeting unlicensed “ghost kitchens” — unregulated takeaway-only operations that lack physical storefronts — following a high-profile food safety scandal that exposed widespread industry misconduct. The new rules, which entered into force on Monday, require all food delivery platforms to verify that every listed merchant matches a registered physical operating location, and mandate vendors to clearly disclose if they do not offer on-site dine-in services.

    The crackdown traces its origins back to a consumer complaint filed in Beijing last year. A local customer received a poorly made cake decorated with non-edible flowers from an online merchant, prompting an official investigation that uncovered a large-scale illegal operation. Officials discovered the cake chain listed nearly 380 store locations across major Chinese delivery platforms, but operated zero physical outlets, and used falsified business licenses to pass platform reviews. Further probes found the chain outsourced all orders to a third-party order-matching platform that awarded jobs to the lowest-bidding unvetted vendors, with more than 3.6 million cake orders processed across two matching platforms.

    A subsequent national inspection uncovered 67,000 unregistered ghost shops across seven of China’s largest food delivery platforms. State news agency Xinhua reported that these illegal operations and third-party intermediaries had formed a collusive illegal supply chain, with major delivery platforms turning a blind eye to violations to retain market share. One unnamed platform employee admitted to regulators that overly strict merchant reviews would push business to competing platforms, highlighting the cut-throat competition that has long defined China’s food delivery sector.

    The hyper-competitive market has already drawn regulatory scrutiny in recent years. A destructive price war between major platforms in 2024 prompted government warnings over the “race to the bottom” that not only compromised food safety, but also pushed delivery riders to accept extremely tight delivery deadlines for meager pay. In April 2025, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation imposed a total 3.6 billion yuan ($530 million) fine on seven leading e-commerce platforms including Taobao, JD.com, Meituan and Pinduoduo, with most penalties tied to illegal ghost kitchen operations.

    As the nationwide crackdown intensifies, regulators and industry players have rolled out new targeted measures to improve transparency. In the eastern city of Hangzhou, more than 20 registered takeaway vendors have installed live-streaming “transparent kitchen” systems that allow customers to watch food preparation in real time. In neighboring Anhui province, authorities have partnered with major platforms including Meituan, Taobao and JD.com on a new enforcement agreement that uses artificial intelligence to monitor kitchen operations, and offers financial rewards to delivery riders who report unlicensed ghost kitchens.

    This latest regulatory push marks the most comprehensive effort to date to clean up China’s $100-billion-plus food delivery sector, addressing longstanding consumer concerns over unregulated food preparation and unsafe operating practices.

  • Between ballet and war: Japanese dancers pursue dreams in Russia

    Between ballet and war: Japanese dancers pursue dreams in Russia

    Deep in Russia’s historic Volga region city of Nizhny Novgorod, two Japanese ballet artists have built their entire lives around the rigorous, demanding craft they traveled halfway across the world to master – even as geopolitical upheaval and the ongoing war in Ukraine have created unexpected disruptions to their daily routines.

    Thirty-two-year-old Jotaro Kanazasi first made the decision to move to Russia 14 years ago, drawn to the country’s unrivaled legacy in classical ballet, home to world-renowned institutions like Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre. Speaking in measured Russian, Kanazasi explains his choice was rooted in a desire to grow and reach his full potential as a professional dancer. Today, he holds the position of principal dancer at the Nizhny Novgorod Opera and Ballet Theatre, located roughly 400 kilometers east of Moscow, where he seamlessly transitions from iconic role to iconic role: the scheming sorcerer Rothbart in Swan Lake, the tragic noble Albrecht in Giselle, and more. When many foreign artists made the choice to leave Russia immediately following the start of the 2022 full-scale military campaign in Ukraine, Kanazasi made the deliberate decision to stay.

    For 20-year-old Haruka Takemi, who has now lived in Russia for six years, the draw of Russian ballet was similarly life-altering. “I love Russian ballet and I have always dreamed of being a professional dancer, but Japan does not have a national-level ballet school that offers the training I needed,” she explains. “That is why I chose to move here.”

    Both dancers say they prioritize their craft above all else, and only follow breaking news about the war in Ukraine very loosely. Takemi notes that it is her family back in Japan that monitors current events closely, constantly sharing news articles and updates to make sure she stays informed. That dynamic reflects the broader geopolitical context of their lives: Japan has stood firmly with Ukraine since the start of the Russian offensive, joining Western nations in imposing sweeping economic sanctions on Moscow, while Russia has introduced strict new censorship laws over the course of its military campaign, unmatched since the Soviet era.

    “I am either at the theatre rehearsing or performing, or at home resting – it is a constant cycle. I work all the time, and I only focus on ballet,” Takemi says, adding that her family back home is the one who carries the worry for her safety.

    Nizhny Novgorod, despite sitting more than 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, has not escaped the ripple effects of the conflict. In recent weeks, a major Lukoil oil refinery located in the nearby city of Kstovo was hit in a Ukrainian cross-border strike, part of Kyiv’s regular targeting of Russian military and energy infrastructure designed to weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its offensive. The digital space has also seen significant changes: Russia has imposed sweeping new digital restrictions over recent months, particularly limiting open access to mobile internet, and many popular foreign apps are now blocked.

    “There are difficulties with internet access, so we have to use a VPN to connect,” Takemi says. “But it is important for me to stay in touch with my family, so they know I am safe.”

    Valeri Konkov, director of the Nizhny Novgorod ballet company, notes that Japanese dancers are far from an anomaly in Russia’s professional ballet scene. Many are graduates of the country’s most elite ballet academies, including the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, St. Petersburg’s legendary Vaganova Academy, and the Perm State Ballet School. For Japanese artists, building a sustainable career in classical ballet in their home country remains incredibly challenging, even now. Despite all the disruptions and uncertainties that have come with the conflict, Kanazasi says his resolve to stay has never wavered.

    “As long as I am still able to dance, I will stay here,” he says.

  • Teen, 16, dies after allegedly stolen car rolls on Stuart Hwy in the Northern Territory

    Teen, 16, dies after allegedly stolen car rolls on Stuart Hwy in the Northern Territory

    A 16-year-old boy has lost his life after a stolen vehicle, at the center of a damaging multi-vehicle crime spree through a Northern Territory town, crashed and rolled on one of Australia’s major intercity highways. The sequence of dangerous events unfolded on Monday night in Katherine, a regional community located roughly 320 kilometers southeast of Darwin, according to Northern Territory Police.

    Authorities allege the trouble began just after 10:30 p.m. Monday, when offenders broke into a residential property on Zimin Drive and stole a parked car. The group of young people driving the stolen vehicle traveled to the local Charles Darwin University campus, where they abandoned the first stolen car before stealing two additional vehicles from the area.

    Over the following hours, the young drivers engaged in reckless, threatening behavior through Katherine’s central business district, police confirmed. The occupants of the stolen vehicles taunted responding officers and hurled objects, including a hammer, at police patrol cars while driving erratically through the town center. Acting Commander Mark Grieve of NT Police clarified that officers made the decision not to initiate a pursuit, a choice driven by the extremely dangerous driving that already put innocent bystanders at risk. In a separate pre-crash incident, Grieve added, a stolen vehicle drove past a parked police car whose officers were responding to an unrelated call, and threw objects at the unoccupied patrol vehicle.

    By roughly 6 a.m. the next day, Tuesday, one of the stolen vehicles carrying a group of teenagers rolled over on the Stuart Highway just north of Katherine. First responders arrived quickly at the crash site, transporting three 14-year-olds to a local hospital for treatment of injuries. The 16-year-old driver suffered critical trauma and could not be saved, dying at the scene of the crash.

    In the aftermath of the incident, police located two additional girls near the crash site, and investigators are working to confirm how many people total were in the vehicle when it rolled. The Stuart Highway was temporarily closed to all traffic to allow for forensic crash investigation, reopening once evidence collection was completed.

    Grieve described the incident as both tragic and deeply complex, noting that the series of dangerous criminal acts put the entire local community at grave risk. “We are investigating a significant series of offences, as well as the death of a 16-year-old male following extremely dangerous driving behaviour that placed the lives of the community at risk,” Grieve told reporters. “Our investigators will work to establish the full circumstances surrounding these events, and we continue to appeal to anyone with information to come forward.”

    The acting commander also highlighted a growing, nationwide concern: rising dangerous criminal activity among young people, a trend that has impacted the Northern Territory in particular. “It’s a trend and one we’re probably starting to see more of, we’ve been seeing it for quite a bit of time, unfortunately youth engage in this type of behaviour and see it as a bit of a game,” he said. “The youth space we’re dealing with is quite complex in nature, in the NT we’re trying to grapple with an increase in youth behaviours in the criminal space. It’s not only NT but Australia-wide and it’s not just a policing problem, it needs to be a whole community approach whether education, health or parental responsibility, it’s a big question to answer.”

    NT Police are continuing to urge any member of the public with details about the sequence of events leading to the crash to contact their investigators to assist with the ongoing inquiry.

  • Steampunk festival creates an unlikely capital for Victorian style and sci-fi oddity in New Zealand

    Steampunk festival creates an unlikely capital for Victorian style and sci-fi oddity in New Zealand

    Nestled along the coast of New Zealand’s South Island, the quiet rural town of Ōamaru — population 14,000, plus a colony of 3,000 endangered native penguins — transforms every year into a bustling, fantastical parallel world where Victorian-era steam power meets imaginative science fiction, for one of the world’s most beloved steampunk festivals.

    This year marked the event’s 17th iteration, drawing thousands of enthusiasts from across New Zealand and around the globe to embrace the genre’s core ethos: the stranger, the better. For four days, the town’s perfectly preserved 19th-century Victorian harbor street becomes a playground for eccentric personas, handcrafted costumes, and one-of-a-kind creative traditions built around the steampunk movement.

    Unlike rigid historical reenactment, steampunk re-imagines the Victorian era, blending its signature aesthetics and steam-based mechanics with modern sci-fi creativity to build a world where the industrial revolution never ended and imagination sets the only limit. The movement also prioritizes do-it-yourself craft and sustainable upcycling: enthusiasts spend months honing sewing, metalworking, and hat-trimming skills to build custom outfits that match their invented alter egos.

    Many attendees lead ordinary lives as bricklayers, engineers, farmers, and artists the rest of the year, and many describe themselves as shy in daily life. But at the festival, they step into entirely new identities. For festival regular Juliet Thorn, who attends as the charismatic Lady Sarsaparilla Ovabyte alongside her partner Greg “Captain Bob McSpoon” Thorn, the experience is transformative. “The first time you dress up and go out in public is really scary and then people get such a buzz out of it,” she explained. “It’s so cool that you take on a different personality.”

    Over nearly two decades, the festival has spawned its own unique set of quirky sporting events and community traditions. Hundreds of attendees pack into historic community halls to compete in unconventional contests, from speed cookie-dunking (where the goal is to dunk, then eat a soggy cookie faster than any competitor) to theatrical parasol dueling, judged just as much on style as speed. One of the most popular events is teapot racing, created by local enthusiast Ross McKay, now known by his steampunk persona Captain Roscoe Dangerfield. In the contest, participants navigate remote-controlled vehicles fitted with teapots through a tricky obstacle course, much to the delight of cheering crowds. McKay, a retired banker and self-described history geek and sci-fi nerd, originally thought steampunk was just “a bunch of weirdos” when he first saw photos, but quickly fell in love with the community. He has since brought teapot racing to steampunk events around the world, joking that “it’s lots of fun and the judges will take bribes.”

    This small South Island town was an unlikely pick to become the self-proclaimed steampunk capital of the world. For decades, Ōamaru was little more than a rest stop for travelers driving between the larger cities of Christchurch and Dunedin, overshadowed by the dramatic Lord of the Rings-era film locations that draw tourists to nearby regions. What put Ōamaru on the global steampunk map is its architectural quirk: a fully intact Victorian-era commercial street built from pale local stone, a leftover from the 1800s when Ōamaru was a bustling export hub shipping New Zealand meat, wool, and grain to Britain. Today, those historic buildings serve as the perfect immersive backdrop for the festival, which coexists peacefully with the town’s separate, historically accurate Victorian celebration held later in the year.

    Unlike the rigid social hierarchies of the actual 19th century, steampunk rewrites Victorian social norms to create an inclusive, equal-opportunity community. “Women, unlike in Victorian times, can be anything,” explained Iain Clark, the festival’s co-founder, who goes by the steampunk name Agent Darling. “We have female engineers, captains of industry, captains of airships, adventurers, explorers, scientists.” There are no hard rules for costumes or personas: attendees regularly bring multiple outfits to swap over the four-day event, and no concept is too wild to turn heads. Over the course of the festival, a Star Wars stormtrooper might wander past a group of costumed “wolves,” while first-time attendees jump straight into the fun, no experience required.

    For long-time guests, the community’s radical acceptance and celebration of creativity is what keeps them coming back. “You can be creative and you can be somebody else and no one cares,” said John Syben, attending his fourth festival. His partner Chris Sinclair noted that the pair have grown bolder with their costumes every year, adding: “There’s always someone who’s more nuts than you.” For countless steampunks, the small New Zealand festival has become more than an event — it’s their tribe.

  • Western Australia leads population boom as nation’s total tops 28 million

    Western Australia leads population boom as nation’s total tops 28 million

    Australia has hit a landmark demographic milestone this week, with its total population officially crossing the 28 million threshold early Tuesday, according to real-time data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

    The ABS’s population clock, which generates continuous live estimates by tracking births, deaths and net international migration, ticked past the 28 million mark in the early hours of Tuesday. Current demographic trends show the nation adds one new resident to its population every 75 seconds on average.

    Digging into state-level growth data, Western Australia (WA) stands out as the primary engine of this national population expansion. ABS demography chief Phil Browning confirmed that WA recorded a 12-month growth rate of 2.2% between September 2024 and September 2025, outpacing every other state and territory across the country. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Tasmania recorded the nation’s slowest annual growth, with its population expanding by just 0.3% over the same period. These divergent state growth trends aligned exactly with forecasts published in last year’s annual population statement from Australia’s Centre for Population.

    While the nation celebrates the 28 million milestone, official projections paint a slowing growth picture for the coming year. The Centre for Population’s latest outlook forecasts that national population growth will cool to 1.3% for the 2025-2026 period, driven by two key factors: a projected decline in net overseas migration and a continued drop in national birth rates that is set to hit a historic new low.

    The report projects Australia’s national fertility rate will fall to a record low of 1.42 children per woman in 2025-2026 – far below the 2.1 children per woman rate required to sustain stable long-term natural population growth without migration. Net overseas migration, which surged to unprecedented highs in the post-pandemic 2022-2023 period, is also expected to continue normalizing to pre-pandemic levels, with the centre projecting net migration of 260,000 for 2025-2026. This pullback is largely attributed to a drop in temporary arrivals, particularly students and international visitors holding travel and study visas.

  • ‘I gave birth in the street’: Conflict makes childbirth risky in parts of Africa

    ‘I gave birth in the street’: Conflict makes childbirth risky in parts of Africa

    Near the Sudan-Central African Republic border, in the sweltering, dust-choked Birao refugee camp, Maude Ahmad Fadala’s story of childbirth encapsulates a growing public health catastrophe unfolding across conflict-stricken sub-Saharan Africa. Weakened by typhoid after fleeing Sudan’s ongoing civil war, Fadala went into labor at the camp that offered no obstetric care, and she had no money to pay for transport to the nearest medical facility. Staggering along rough dirt roads, stopping every few steps to ride out crippling contractions, she eventually could go no further. “I gave birth in the street,” she recalled. “There was no doctor, no midwife, and no one holding my hand.”

    Fadala’s experience is far from an isolated tragedy. It is one of hundreds of thousands of preventable maternal deaths recorded every year across sub-Saharan Africa, a region home to the world’s fastest-growing population and 70% of all global pregnancy-related maternal deaths – roughly 182,000 fatalities annually. Data from the World Health Organization confirms that nearly two-thirds of all maternal deaths worldwide occur in nations grappling with armed conflict or systemic fragility. For women like Fadala, who cross borders to escape war, the danger of dying in childbirth does not end when they reach safety; displacement itself amplifies risk at every turn.

    Displacement strips pregnant women of access to routine prenatal care, forces dangerous multi-mile journeys to access even basic health services, and strains already depleted health systems in host regions. The United Nations estimates that women in the Central African Republic, one of the world’s poorest nations, face a maternal mortality rate of 829 deaths per 100,000 births – 40 times higher than the rate recorded in the United States. Years of internal conflict have gutted the country’s health infrastructure, leaving critical care concentrated almost exclusively in major urban centers. Despite the Central African Republic’s extensive gold reserves, one in three residents survive on less than $2 per day, and health services remain nonexistent for many communities in remote border regions.

    In 2024, the Central African government acknowledged the depth of its maternal mortality crisis and announced a plan to increase funding for skilled birth attendants and reproductive care, but officials have not responded to requests for updates on the initiative’s implementation. What has worsened the crisis dramatically in recent years is sweeping cuts to humanitarian aid from the world’s top donors, led by the United States. In Birao, the border camp where Fadala now lives, all four local midwives who had received support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) lost their jobs last year, after the Trump administration cut all U.S. funding for the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency.

    Before the funding cuts, UNFPA operated four “safe birthing spaces” across Birao that served nearly 50,000 women, providing emergency transport for pregnant people to the local district hospital. All of those facilities have closed, along with two additional U.S.-backed health clinics. Across the entire country, UNFPA’s operating budget has been cut in half over the past two years, falling to just $6.5 million. Before the cuts, the agency was the sole provider of reproductive health supplies across Birao. “The risk of maternal death is going to increase if there is no solution,” said Victor Rakoto, UNFPA’s country director for the Central African Republic. U.N. data underscores this warning: conflict-affected settings like Birao account for six in 10 maternal deaths globally.

    A visit to Birao’s understaffed district hospital – the facility Fadala was never able to reach – reveals the full scale of the crisis. On a recent workday, dozens of pregnant women waited shoulder-to-shoulder on hard wooden benches in sweltering, unventilated waiting areas, many having walked for hours or risked complications by riding motorbikes over rutted dirt roads to reach care. Birthing assistant Delphine Zanabe moves between patients nonstop, saying most refugee women only arrive when labor is already well underway, skipping the eight prenatal checkups recommended by the World Health Organization.

    For displaced women, survival mode in unfamiliar territory compounds the existing barriers of generational poverty and limited education, all of which increase the risk of life-threatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth. The hospital’s maternity ward houses eight beds crammed into a room so small the mattresses almost touch, and the ward serves 70,000 local residents plus 22,000 Sudanese refugees. Twelve hospital staff members – most from the maternity department – have already lost their jobs due to aid cuts.

    That staffing shortage has already had fatal consequences. Amna Adam Hessen arrived at the hospital the day before her labor, burning with malaria fever. Her unborn child was in a breech position, a complication discovered far too late because she had been unable to attend prenatal appointments. Rushed to the hospital by motorbike from the camp, Hessen suffered severe hemorrhaging during labor and lost her baby. As her mother fanned her in the suffocating heat the next day, Hessen writhed on a bare foam mattress crying out in pain. “Giving birth here is exhausting,” her mother said.

    Clara Abessendé, one of the four unemployed Birao midwives, described the guilt of leaving her post as demand for care surged after Sudan’s war broke out in early 2023. After the conflict began, the number of pregnant women arriving at the hospital tripled, and staff quickly ran out of critical supplies including antibiotics and malaria treatments. “As a result, there were more cases of infant and maternal deaths,” she said. “The children born in my hands … I abandoned them like that.”

    For women waiting to give birth, the uncertainty is crippling. Katidje Idrisse Tahire, a nine-month pregnant refugee who fled Sudan on foot four months ago, lost all her belongings to armed robbers at the border and has not seen her husband since they fled Darfur. Carrying one child on her back while leading two more to fetch water in the camp, Tahire said she constantly aches, feels exhausted and unwell, and has no way to pay for care when she goes into labor. “I don’t know if anyone will be there to help me,” she said. Currently, more than 40% of all births in the Central African Republic happen outside of medical facilities, a statistic that experts warn will only rise as more aid cuts take hold, turning avoidable complications into fatal outcomes for thousands of women.

  • Bumper pay rise set to cost households two rate hikes

    Bumper pay rise set to cost households two rate hikes

    Starting July 1 this year, 2.8 million Australian workers — roughly one-fifth of the nation’s total workforce — will see their pay packets grow, following a landmark ruling from the Fair Work Commission announced on Tuesday. The independent industrial tribunal greenlit a 4.75% increase to the national minimum award wage, lifting hourly earnings from $24.95 to $26.44, and weekly minimum pay to $1004.90, up from $948. The adjustment applies to all workers whose pay is set by modern awards and are not covered by enterprise agreements, and it was designed to help low-income households keep pace with years of elevated cost-of-living increases.

    The final wage decision landed between the two extreme proposals put forward ahead of the ruling: trade unions had pushed for a more aggressive 6% increase to offset persistent inflation, while industry business groups argued that a more modest 3.5% bump would be manageable for already strained employers. In welcoming the outcome, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers framed the adjustment as a balanced, sustainable real wage increase that aligned with the federal government’s formal submission to the Fair Work Commission, noting it was a raise millions of working Australians both needed and earned.

    However, leading economic analysts have warned that the larger-than-expected pay hike could exacerbate the nation’s ongoing inflation challenges, paving the way for additional interest rate increases from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) that will deepen financial pressure on mortgage holders across the country.

    AMP senior economist My Bui explained that while the commission’s choice to avoid negative real wage growth for low-income workers is logically understandable, the sheer scale of the workforce impacted means the adjustment will likely add broader inflationary momentum to the economy. “Tuesday’s decision is only expected to add less than 0.6 percentage points to annual wages growth next year, but the real risk is that wage pressures spill over into other parts of the private sector,” Bui noted. She added that elevated wage growth will further entrench sticky services inflation, as businesses pass higher labour and input costs through to consumers, at a time when goods prices already remain elevated.

    CreditorWatch chief economist Ivan Colhoun echoed this concern, pointing out that the pay rise will hit already struggling businesses with extra cost pressure, particularly in the four labour-intensive sectors that account for more than two-thirds of all award-reliant employment: retail, hospitality, healthcare and social assistance, and administrative and support services. “While the larger than expected minimum wage increase will be welcome for the lowest paid, many businesses and the RBA are unlikely to be as happy,” Colhoun said. “The rise will add to business costs at a time of already elevated inflation, higher interest rates and at least a temporary surge in fuel costs.” He added that the higher wage baseline will make it marginally harder for the RBA to pull inflation back to its target range of 2-3% annually.

    RBA governor Michele Bullock has already implemented three interest rate hikes this year in an aggressive effort to cool stubborn inflation. Prior to the Fair Work Commission’s announcement, AMP had forecast one final rate hike by August 2025. But in response to the wage ruling, the firm updated its outlook: AMP now expects the RBA will deliver another rate increase as early as November this year, pushing the peak cash rate for this cycle to 4.85%, with an outside risk that the hike could come even sooner than forecast.

    Inflation projections have also shifted upward. AMP now forecasts that annual inflation will climb to 4.8% by the end of the June quarter, before easing only to 4.1% by the end of 2025 — still well above the RBA’s 2-3% target range. Recent official data has already signaled that underlying inflation pressures remain persistent in the Australian economy: while annual headline inflation edged down from 4.6% in March to 4.2% in April, that decline was driven largely by temporary federal government policies including a halving of the fuel excise and a GST rebate. The RBA’s preferred trimmed mean inflation measure, which strips out volatile price swings to show underlying trends, rose to 3.4% for the 12 months to April, confirming that core price pressures are still building.

    For Australian mortgage holders, the outlook means a double whammy of financial strain: not only will higher wages fuel further inflation, but it will also force the RBA to keep tightening monetary policy, pushing monthly home loan repayments even higher just as many households are already struggling to keep up with cost-of-living increases.

  • ‘Type of player every club wants’: Connor Watson signs with the Chiefs, with star utility to spend 2027 at a rival club

    ‘Type of player every club wants’: Connor Watson signs with the Chiefs, with star utility to spend 2027 at a rival club

    In a layered player transfer deal that links three National Rugby League (NRL) clubs, versatile utility Connor Watson has secured an early release from the final year of his contract with the Sydney Roosters, clearing the way for a multi-stage move that will see him join the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2027 before linking up with the expansion Papua New Guinea (PNG) Chiefs for their historic inaugural 2028 NRL season.

    Watson, a former New South Wales representative who has built a reputation as one of the league’s most adaptable and team-first players, had been contracted to remain with the Roosters, widely known as the Tricolours, through the 2027 season. The early release approval will see him suit up for the Dragons (nicknamed the Red V) for a single 2027 campaign before his two-year deal with the PNG-based expansion side kicks in.

    The PNG Chiefs, who are preparing for their first ever NRL season in 2028, have now secured three high-profile marquee signings to build their foundational roster, following earlier acquisitions of star playmaker Jarome Luai and veteran winger Alex Johnston. Chiefs football general manager Michael Chammas emphasized that Watson’s commitment to the expansion project runs deeper than just a playing contract.

    “From the very start, Connor made it clear he wanted to be part of the PNG Chiefs and the incredible journey we’re building here,” Chammas said in a statement confirming the signing. “He and his partner Kiana recently visited Port Moresby, and they genuinely fell in love with the country, the people, and the chance to be part of something far bigger than rugby league itself.”

    Chammas highlighted Watson’s intangible and on-field value for the fledgling club, noting: “Connor is exactly the type of player every organization wants to build around. He’s selfless, tough, relentlessly professional, and commands incredible respect across the entire league. His versatility and years of top-flight experience will be absolutely invaluable as we continue putting our squad together for 2028. Every signing matters for a new club, and there’s something really exciting about watching this roster come together piece by piece. Locking in Connor as our third major signing is another key milestone in the PNG Chiefs journey. We also want to thank the Sydney Roosters for their professionalism, patience, and understanding throughout this entire process.”

    For the St George Illawarra Dragons, Watson’s one-season stint comes at a critical time, as the club is set to lose veteran starting hooker Damien Cook to the UK’s Super League ahead of 2027. Dragons chief executive Tim Watsford said the club is eager to add Watson’s proven quality to their roster, even for just one season.

    “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Connor to the club next year,” Watsford said. “He’s performed at the highest level in the toughest competitions the game has to offer, and we love everything he brings to our group. He’s a true professional, and we’re confident his addition, even for one season, will make our entire team better. We’ve identified that his combination of skill, athleticism, and versatility fills key gaps for us, and we can’t wait to see him in the Red V.”

    This structured one-year “layover” arrangement follows a similar model used in other recent NRL transfers, including deals for Jonah Pezet at Parramatta Eels and Davvy Moale at Melbourne Storm for the 2026 season. For the Roosters, the early release also creates valuable salary cap space, with the club widely expected to finalize the signing of North Queensland Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi in the coming weeks.

    In an official statement confirming Watson’s release, the Roosters said: “The Sydney Roosters today announced that Connor Watson has been granted an early release from the final year of his contract following a request from his management, allowing him to pursue an opportunity with another NRL club. Watson will remain with the Roosters for the remainder of the 2026 season and will continue to play an important role within the club’s NRL squad.”

    Watson’s arrival adds to a busy offseason of recruitment for the Dragons, who have already locked in other key 2027 signings including Luke Metcalf, Keaon Koloamatangi, Scott Drinkwater and Phil Sami.

  • Russian attack on Ukraine kills at least 11 and traps others in damaged buildings

    Russian attack on Ukraine kills at least 11 and traps others in damaged buildings

    In a devastating large-scale overnight assault that unfolded across multiple regions of Ukraine on Tuesday, Russian strikes launched with a mix of missiles and drones have claimed at least 11 civilian lives and left dozens more injured, with multiple people still trapped beneath the rubble of destroyed residential buildings, Ukrainian emergency authorities confirmed Wednesday.

    In Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, the attack left four residents dead and 58 people wounded — three of whom are children — the State Emergency Service of Ukraine announced in an official Telegram post. The assault damaged residential buildings and critical civilian infrastructure across eight of the capital’s administrative districts, sowing destruction across large swathes of the city.

    The violence was not confined to the capital: strikes also hit targets across other Ukrainian regions. In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian projectiles struck the city of Dnipro, killing six people and wounding 36 more. In a deadly secondary strike that targeted first responders who had already arrived at the scene to rescue survivors, one rescue worker was killed, emergency officials confirmed. In Dnipro, the attack destroyed a two-story residential building and caused partial collapse of a four-story apartment block, leaving multiple people trapped under the rubble of the larger structure.

    Witnesses reported the sound of nonstop explosions echoing across the region from overnight into the early hours of Wednesday morning. Kyiv had been on high alert for days ahead of this assault, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued repeated public warnings that Russia was gearing up for a renewed large-scale offensive against civilian targets. The president had urged all residents to stay vigilant and move to designated shelters immediately when air raid sirens sound.

    Across Kyiv’s hardest-hit districts, destruction is widespread. In Podilskyi district, the upper floors of a nine-story residential building suffered major partial damage, trapping multiple people in the collapsed debris. As of early Wednesday morning, rescue operations were still ongoing, with first responders continuing their search for survivors even while the air raid alert stayed active across the capital. In the Solomianskyi district, two large residential buildings — a 20-story and a 24-story structure — both sustained significant damage from the strikes.

    For weeks, senior Ukrainian officials have ramped up diplomatic pressure on the country’s Western allies to deliver additional advanced air defense systems and interceptors to counter the persistent Russian missile and drone campaign against civilian and infrastructure targets. While Ukrainian air defenses have managed to successfully intercept a large share of Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia in these attacks, the country’s defensive networks still face a critical, unaddressed vulnerability when countering Russian ballistic missiles, which are far faster and harder to intercept.