Global Pulse

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  • AFL stars’ drinks company Barry races to raise $5m from investors

    AFL stars’ drinks company Barry races to raise $5m from investors

    A cult-favorite Australian ready-to-drink (RTD) alcoholic beverage brand founded by four star Australian Football League (AFL) players is making waves with a groundbreaking crowdfunding campaign that has already pulled in more than $2.2 million, on track to hit its $5 million target by this Wednesday.

    Launched in 2023 by AFL standouts Bailey Smith, Nick Daicos, Josh Daicos and Charlie Curnow, Barry carved out a niche in the competitive RTD space with its line of low-sugar, low-carb spirit-based seltzers. The brand has already posted impressive early results, posting $3.68 million in revenue in the last financial year, achieving profitability early, and building a loyal customer base that has driven consistent, massive demand for its products.

    Unlike most early-stage beverage brands that turn to traditional private equity for expansion capital, Barry made a deliberate choice to open up investment opportunities to everyday Australian consumers, allowing members of its loyal customer community to become direct stakeholders in the business. The campaign is hosted by Australian investment platform OnMarket, with a minimum investment threshold of just $250. Investors who participate will receive ordinary shares in the company, granting them formal shareholder status.

    As of the latest update, Barry’s fundraising drive has already crossed the $2.2 million mark, and is set to close at 11:59 pm Wednesday. Company CEO Chris Pang noted that early response to the campaign has been far more promising than the team anticipated, crediting the brand’s tight-knit community for the groundswell of support. “The groundswell of support has been phenomenal and it’s clear that people can recognise the potential of the business,” Pang said, highlighting the brand’s early profitability and strong market traction. He added that the choice to pursue crowdfunding over private equity was rooted in the brand’s origins: “Our community has built Barry from day one and it’s important to us that they get to share its future.”

    The Australian RTD market, which currently has a total valuation of $5 billion, is one of the fastest-growing segments in the domestic alcohol industry, expanding 15% year-on-year driven primarily by shifting consumer preferences among Gen Z drinkers who prioritize lower-sugar, lower-calorie ready-to-drink options. Barry is positioning itself to capture a larger share of this growing market with the capital raised through the campaign, with plans to allocate the new funding toward expanding national distribution and deepening partnerships with commercial stakeholders.

    OnMarket Managing Director Tim Eisenhauer called the early response to Barry’s campaign exceptional and record-breaking, noting that the brand set a new platform record for the most single-day expression of interest sign-ups in the platform’s history.

    Even amid the enthusiastic response, industry guidelines remind potential investors that crowdfunded investments in early-stage startups carry inherent high risk. Early-stage companies are far less established than mature public or private businesses, and carry a significantly higher failure rate than more traditional investment options. If the company were to collapse, investors would stand to lose their entire contributed capital.

    The campaign marks a rare example of a consumer brand leaning into its community for growth capital rather than turning to institutional investors, giving casual consumers and loyal customers a rare opportunity to own a stake in a popular emerging business that aligns with their consumer preferences.

  • AFL 2026: Coach Luke Beveridge reveals timeline for Tom Liberatore’s Bulldogs return

    AFL 2026: Coach Luke Beveridge reveals timeline for Tom Liberatore’s Bulldogs return

    The Western Bulldogs are gearing up to welcome back one of their most influential midfielders in the coming weeks, with head coach Luke Beveridge confirming that star on-baller Tom Liberatore is on track for a round 15 comeback after a lengthy injury layoff.

    Liberatore has not featured at the top level since the club’s round 6 clash this season, after suffering a fresh knee issue and a concussion that forced the club’s coaching and medical staff to take an ultra-cautious approach to his rehabilitation. For much of his recovery, the hard-nosed inside midfielder was separated from the main senior training group, only re-integrating with the full squad in recent days.

    Speaking to media ahead of the Bulldogs’ Thursday night clash against Adelaide at Marvel Stadium, Beveridge laid out a clear timeline for Liberatore’s return, confirming the fan favourite will not be considered for selection this week. Instead, the 31-year-old will complete a full main training session this Saturday, before stepping into a full week of senior training with the entire group. The Bulldogs have an eight-day break between their round 14 match against Adelaide and their round 15 fixture, giving Liberatore the perfect window to prove his fitness ahead of a potential recall.

    “Now we’re just including him in all the main drills with the whole group, which gives him the chance to get used to playing with bodies around him again and read the flow of game-style training,” Beveridge explained. “Our approach has always been rooted in duty of care and due diligence, we just want to make sure he feels completely comfortable and gets through next week’s training block unscathed. Right now, all signs point to him being available for selection in round 15.”

    Beyond the positive injury update on Liberatore, the Bulldogs remain the overwhelming favourite to lure Port Adelaide star midfielder Zak Butters to the Melbourne-based club when his current contract expires. Speculation has swirled in recent weeks that Beveridge held a secret meeting with Butters during Port Adelaide’s recent bye, but the veteran coach declined to confirm or deny the meeting when pressed by reporters.

    Beveridge did, however, share his perspective on the growing trend of players publicly announcing their future intentions years in advance – a common practice in the National Rugby League that has yet to take hold in the AFL. The Bulldogs coach argued that this sort of pre-emptive public declaration creates unnecessary tension for clubs, noting that it is impossible for current teammates and staff not to react emotionally when a star player confirms they will leave at the end of their contract.

    “I think we can only get ourselves into trouble as coaches if we talk too much about the acquisition overtures, whether it’s Zak or anyone else,” Beveridge said. “I can’t really talk about that in any detail, confirm or deny anything – I’d rather stay out of it. I don’t want to go down the NRL track. I think it’s a really difficult thing club-wise when one of your own players says publicly they’re leaving. Ultimately, they’ll be treated a bit differently once everyone knows they’re moving on at the end of the year, you can’t help but be emotional about it.”

    Beveridge and his side will take on Adelaide on Thursday night, aiming to close a two-win gap on the Crows in the AFL ladder after a hard-fought win over Hawthorn in round 13.

  • Fuel tax cut to end despite Middle East conflict, minister warns

    Fuel tax cut to end despite Middle East conflict, minister warns

    As resurgent military clashes between Iran and Israel roil global energy markets once again, the Australian government has laid out its clearest signal yet that a three-month temporary fuel tax cut, scheduled to expire on June 30, will not be extended.

    The policy, which halved the national fuel excise starting April 1, was rolled out as an emergency relief measure to shield Australian households and businesses from skyrocketing fuel prices. It cuts fuel costs by 26.3 cents per liter, at a total projected cost of $2.9 billion to Australia’s federal budget.

    The tax cut was originally crafted in response to a major global energy shock sparked by conflict that led to Tehran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical maritime chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s global oil supply passes. Its closure triggered a full-scale global energy crisis earlier this year, and while an April ceasefire paused open hostilities, tensions have erupted violently once more in recent days, with direct cross-border fire exchanges between Iranian and Israeli forces. Overnight, the United States launched strikes on Iranian port facilities along the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for the downing of an American Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman.

    Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday, Transport Minister Catherine King acknowledged the ongoing instability but urged Australian residents to prepare for the tax cut’s expiration. “Obviously, we are doing everything we can to shield Australians from this conflict in the Middle East, but people should, at this stage, expect that it’s coming off at the end of June,” King said, while also calling for a diplomatic resolution to the escalating regional conflict.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered a slightly more ambiguous stance shortly after, noting that no final formal decision on an extension has been finalized. “We’ll make the assessment … This is a volatile global environment,” Albanese told the same public broadcaster.

    Despite the ongoing unrest, the Prime Minister defended the government’s handling of the energy crisis, arguing the administration has outperformed early expectations. He pointed to the government’s underwriting scheme for fuel imports administered through Export Finance Australia, which has carried a heavy price tag but proven effective at stabilizing domestic fuel supplies.

    Albanese confirmed that domestic fuel stockpiles are currently higher than they were on February 28, before the full outbreak of the current crisis, crediting diplomatic partnerships and the government’s emergency policy structures for the improvement. “We have more fuel in Australia today than we had on February 28 and that’s a direct result of the relationships that we’ve built but also the structures that we’ve put in place as well,” he said.

    The Prime Minister added that the import underwriting program, which supports spot market fuel purchases, has been critical to keeping key sectors of the Australian economy operating. “That’s been very effective in making sure our farmers can continue to plant with confidence and making sure that people can go around and diesel can be used to deliver groceries on the supermarket shelves,” he said.

  • Woolly mammoth among trove of ancient DNA found in squirrel poo

    Woolly mammoth among trove of ancient DNA found in squirrel poo

    A remarkable scientific discovery has emerged from the frozen permafrost of Canada’s remote Yukon Territory, where researchers have recovered an unprecedented collection of ancient DNA—including genetic material from the extinct woolly mammoth—trapped within thousands of years of frozen arctic ground squirrel feces.

    Lead study author Tyler Murchie, a paleogenomics researcher at Canada’s McMaster University, notes that while sifting through fossilized squirrel excrement may seem far less glamorous than unearthing a full mammoth tusk, the wealth of genetic data recovered from these sealed burrows offers an extraordinary, underappreciated window into Earth’s ancient ecosystems. The recovered DNA ranges in age from 3,000 to 700,000 years old, providing a continuous timeline of environmental change stretching back hundreds of millennia.

    Beyond woolly mammoth DNA, the team uncovered genetic material from a wide range of ancient species, including gray wolves, ancient bison, prehistoric horses, a now-extinct North American cheetah, and hundreds of distinct plant species. The discovery came as a surprise: researchers initially set out only to study the arctic ground squirrel’s modern microbiome, instead stumbling upon a stunningly diverse cache of ancient organisms.

    Arctic ground squirrels have unintentionally acted as natural archivists for hundreds of thousands of years, Murchie explained. The species hibernates for roughly eight months out of every year, so during their short active period, they forage aggressively, gathering and stashing every kind of organic material—from seeds, nuts and leaves to small bones and fragments of fur—within deep underground burrows. Over millennia, shifting permafrost levels permanently sealed off many of these abandoned burrows in Yukon, creating ideal, sub-zero natural time capsules that preserved genetic material far better than many other fossil sources. In one burrow, researchers even found a perfectly preserved frozen squirrel that entered hibernation thousands of years ago and never woke, Murchie described.

    Using advanced genomic sequencing, the research team successfully reconstructed 18 full mitochondrial genomes from the recovered DNA fragments, including six from woolly mammoths that lived during distinct geological eras. The process of assembling these fragmented ancient sequences works like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, Murchie noted, with computational tools matching overlapping fragments to build complete genetic blueprints.

    The find comes as Dallas-based biotech firm Colossal Biosciences has garnered global attention for its stated goal of “de-extincting” the woolly mammoth, which disappeared from the Earth roughly 4,000 years ago. Many independent experts have expressed skepticism about the project, arguing that any resulting animal would be little more than a genetically modified Asian elephant with superficial mammoth traits, not a true resurrected mammoth. Murchie, who has no affiliation with Colossal, confirmed that all genetic data from the new study will be released publicly for any researcher or project to use, though he added the existing cache of already-sequenced mammoth genomes means the new data will likely be a small addition to existing resources.

    Published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications, the study opens up an entirely new avenue for recovering ancient DNA from permafrost regions. The research team is already working on a follow-up study that will detail what the new genetic material reveals about woolly mammoth evolution and adaptation to changing Arctic climates, though Murchie would not share details ahead of publication, only calling the preliminary findings “super cool.” Reflecting on the discovery, Murchie emphasized that the extraordinary insights gained from what began as fossilized squirrel feces highlight how unexpected sources can rewrite our understanding of prehistoric life.

  • Somalia backs referee after he is denied entry to US

    Somalia backs referee after he is denied entry to US

    A historic milestone for Somali football has been abruptly derailed, after award-winning referee Omar Artan was barred from entering the United States ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Somali government has issued unwavering public support for Artan, whose selection to the World Cup officiating roster marked the first time a Somali official had ever qualified for the global football finals, drawing widespread national pride.

    The 2025 CAF Men’s Referee of the Year arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday to process his entry, only to be turned away by U.S. border authorities. Following an 11-hour interview and additional hours of detainment in a holding cell, Artan was placed on a return flight to Istanbul, where he currently resides. Both Artan and a senior Somali government advisor confirmed that he held all valid documentation, including a legally obtained U.S. visa, for the trip.

    FIFA later confirmed that Artan would be removed from the 52-person officiating roster for the quadrennial tournament, which kicks off Thursday. A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection only described the denial as the outcome of a routine inspection, offering no further detail. Somalia remains on the U.S. travel restriction list first implemented during the Trump administration as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown, a policy that has remained in place through successive presidential terms.

    In an official statement released Tuesday, Somalia’s Ministry of Sports expressed deep regret over the outcome, noting that even with diplomatic engagement with both U.S. authorities and FIFA, officials were unable to reverse the entry denial. The ministry reaffirmed the country’s full confidence in Artan’s integrity, professionalism, and contributions to football both domestically and across the globe, calling him a shining example of Somali athletic talent. “Artan represents the very best of Somali talent,” the statement read.

    Long before the incident, Artan’s appointment to the World Cup roster was celebrated as a landmark moment across Somalia. In April, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called Artan “a symbol of inspiration for the new generation of Somalis”, a sentiment that has been echoed by senior political figures in the wake of the entry denial.

    Former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire took to social media platform X to voice his deep disappointment, telling Artan that “Africa and the world stand with you.” Khaire emphasized that Artan represents the aspirations of millions of young Africans who believe excellence, regardless of nationality, deserves global recognition.

    Former Somali government minister Abdirashid Hashi went further, calling the entry ban a politically motivated decision that contradicts football’s core mission of uniting people around the world. “He should be judged by his merit and professionalism — not by the passport he carries,” Hashi said, urging FIFA to intervene on Artan’s behalf. He also floated a potential workaround, noting that the World Cup is co-hosted by three North American nations, and calling on Canada and Mexico to issue Artan visas so he can still officiate matches held in their territories. “There is no reason a referee denied entry to one host country cannot still contribute to a World Cup being hosted across three countries,” Hashi added.

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has also expressed regret over the decision, confirming that the continental governing body has no authority to override U.S. immigration rulings. For Artan, the rejection has cost him the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong goal. In an interview with *The New York Times* from Istanbul, the referee described the experience as having the “biggest dream of my life” ripped away.

    “I am very, very disappointed,” Artan said. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”

    The news has sparked widespread public outrage across Somalia, with many citizens and officials echoing the view that the entry denial is unfair and discriminatory. As the World Cup prepares to kick off, calls for FIFA and the other host nations to find a path for Artan to participate continue to grow across the African football community.

  • Threats to US lawmakers spiked after Meta eased moderation: watchdog

    Threats to US lawmakers spiked after Meta eased moderation: watchdog

    A new report from a leading digital accountability watchdog has uncovered a dramatic surge in violent and abusive content targeting U.S. elected officials on Facebook, directly tied to Meta’s 2025 rollback of key content moderation safeguards. The non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) published its findings Tuesday, detailing how loosened platform rules have created a far more hostile environment for lawmakers across the political spectrum.

    To reach its conclusions, the CCDH analyzed nearly 8 million public Facebook comments mentioning 100 sitting members of Congress, comparing activity across two six-month periods: before and after Meta enacted its controversial policy changes last year. The data tells a stark story: violent threats against lawmakers — including explicit calls for assassination — quadrupled, overall harassment more than doubled, and rates of racist and gendered abuse against officials also saw significant spikes.

    Notably, the report also documented a sharp rise in content inciting violence against former President and current President-elect Donald Trump following the policy shift, including one comment that explicitly claimed Trump “deserves a bullet through his head.” Threats grew against lawmakers from both major political parties, underscoring the broad reach of harm created by reduced oversight.

    Imran Ahmed, chief executive officer of the CCDH, emphasized the broader systemic risk of Meta’s policy choices. “When platforms stop enforcing their own rules against threats, hate, and harassment, they become complicit in normalizing intimidation and harassment of elected officials,” Ahmed said. “The result is a culture where violence feels easier to justify and radicals feel empowered.”

    Meta pushed back against the findings in an official statement. A spokesperson for the Palo Alto-based tech giant noted that the company regularly publishes public reports tracking the prevalence of violating content on its platforms, and claimed “the prevalence of hateful conduct did not increase throughout 2025.” The spokesperson added that the company had not received the CCDH report ahead of its publication, and therefore could not directly address the watchdog’s specific claims.

    The CCDH’s investigation comes in the wake of two high-profile policy changes Meta rolled out in early 2025. First, the company eliminated its network of professional U.S. fact-checkers, shifting the task of debunking viral misinformation to a user-driven “Community Notes” system modeled after the approach adopted by Elon Musk on platform X. This move was widely interpreted as an effort to appease the incoming Trump administration, whose conservative base has long argued that mainstream platform fact-checking disproportionately censors right-wing speech. Meta also rolled back longstanding speech restrictions related to gender and sexual identity, a change that sparked widespread alarm from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.

    The trend of rising threats against U.S. public officials predates Meta’s policy changes, but the watchdog’s findings suggest the company’s choices have amplified an already dangerous crisis. In 2024, Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed in a politically motivated attack. Just months ago in April, a shooting near the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — which Trump was attending — forced the former president to be evacuated, marking one of dozens of high-profile security incidents targeting public officials in recent years.

    Utah Republican Senator John Curtis called the report’s findings deeply alarming in a statement provided to the CCDH. “When companies reduce oversight in areas like violence, hate, and harassment, it should not be any surprise to see those harms increase,” Curtis said. “Similarly, the reported surge in abusive and threatening content directed at public officials is deeply concerning, particularly in light of recent events.”

    Global fact-checking organizations have already warned that Meta’s policy shift could have catastrophic consequences if expanded beyond U.S. borders. The International Fact-Checking Network has noted that Meta’s current fact-checking program operates in more than 100 countries, and rolling back that infrastructure globally would leave communities worldwide vulnerable to rampant misinformation around public health, elections, and violence. AFP, one of the largest participants in Meta’s global fact-checking partnership, currently collaborates with the program across 26 languages, serving regions including Asia, Latin America, and the European Union.

  • Protesters torch buildings and vehicles, block roads over Belfast stabbing

    Protesters torch buildings and vehicles, block roads over Belfast stabbing

    A wave of violent anti-immigration unrest swept through Belfast, Northern Ireland on Tuesday evening, just 24 hours after a shocking stabbing attack allegedly carried out by a Sudanese refugee that sent shockwaves across the United Kingdom. Hundreds of demonstrators, many wearing masks to conceal their identities, gathered at multiple strategic locations across the city, leaving a trail of destroyed property in their wake. AFP correspondents on the ground confirmed that a passenger bus and multiple private cars were set ablaze, while a commercial and residential building on the edge of Belfast’s city center sustained significant fire damage, forcing all residents to evacuate urgently for their safety.

    Local residents described scenes of chaos as the unrest unfolded. Eemran, an Indian-origin engineer who has resided in Belfast for just over a year, recalled how the violence escalated rapidly. “By 7:30 pm, they started setting bins on fire… we heard police cars and sirens. More and more people started coming, they began throwing petrol bombs. Suddenly the fire spread, and we had smoke inside our building. Firefighters came in and ordered everyone to evacuate immediately,” he explained. Camila, a 36-year-old Chilean national who only relocated to Belfast one month prior, described the experience as deeply unsettling. “It’s scary. Of course I’m not used to this. I understand people feel rage, but there are far more peaceful ways to air grievances,” she noted.

    Law enforcement responded with a major show of force, deploying police helicopters to patrol over the city while local businesses shut their doors early to avoid potential damage. Michelle O’Neill, First Minister of Northern Ireland, issued a sharp rebuke of the violence and made a public appeal for de-escalation. “Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” she wrote on social platform X. “Racism, intimidation and violence are wrong wherever they occur. There can be no excuse and no justification for these attacks tonight. No one wants to see this on our streets, and I again appeal for calm.” Smaller crowds of demonstrators also assembled in Antrim, a town located roughly 25 kilometers west of Belfast.

    The unrest came in direct response to a stabbing attack that took place a day earlier, which was captured in a graphic video that circulated widely across social media. The 30-year-old suspect, whose identity has not been released to the public, was charged late Tuesday with three counts: attempted murder, possession of a bladed weapon in a public space, and making threats to kill. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Wednesday. UK authorities later confirmed that the suspect is a Sudanese refugee who entered the United Kingdom in 2023 via Paris and Dublin, and was granted a residence permit valid through 2028. Northern Ireland Police Chief Jon Boutcher confirmed the suspect had no prior national security flags and was not previously known to local law enforcement.

    The victim, a man in his 40s, was rushed to hospital with severe life-altering injuries, including significant damage to his eyes and deep slash wounds across his face and back. A kitchen knife believed to be the weapon used in the attack was recovered at the scene. Graphic footage of the attack shows the suspect straddling the victim on a public street and slashing repeatedly at his head and neck, a moment far-right groups have falsely framed as an attempted beheading. Multiple bystanders intervened to stop the attack, with one person wielding a traditional Irish hurling stick to tackle the suspect before police arrived.

    Anti-immigration public figures have seized on the attack to stoke tensions, with high-profile names like Nigel Farage, leader of the hard-right Reform UK party, and Rupert Lowe of Restore Britain demanding the release of additional details about the suspect. Elon Musk, the US tech billionaire and owner of X, also amplified calls for continued action, retweeting a post from controversial anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (known professionally as Tommy Robinson) and adding: “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”

    Tensions around immigration have been simmering across the UK for weeks, following violent clashes last week in the southern English city of Southampton linked to the fatal stabbing of a young white student by a British Sikh man. On Tuesday, dozens of protesters gathered outside a hotel that houses asylum seekers in Southampton, carrying banners reading “no racism, just patriotism” and “enough is enough”.

    UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled the original Belfast stabbing “horrific” and “sickening” in a post on X. The leaders of Northern Ireland’s five largest political parties issued a joint statement condemning the attack, stressing that “there is no place in our society for this kind of brutality.” Both political leaders and law enforcement urged the public not to share the graphic attack footage, noting that its violent content would only serve to retraumatize victims and those affected by the incident. Despite this appeal, dozens of far-right and anti-immigration social media accounts have circulated the footage widely, using it to mobilize supporters to protest the UK’s current immigration policies.

    Immigration has emerged as one of the most divisive hot-button issues in UK politics in recent years, a factor that has driven a sharp rise in polling support for the hard-right Reform UK party ahead of upcoming elections.

  • Italian astronaut to pilot Artemis III mission

    Italian astronaut to pilot Artemis III mission

    In a landmark moment for international space cooperation, veteran Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano has been named lead pilot of NASA’s Artemis III mission, scheduled for launch in 2027. The mission, which will see the crew test two next-generation lunar modules in cislunar space near Earth, marks one of the most high-profile roles for a European astronaut in NASA’s modern lunar exploration program.

    Parmitano, who already has his eye on bringing a signature touch of Italian culture to the mission, says iconic Italian cuisine is almost guaranteed a spot on the crew’s menu. During a recent interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP), he recalled that Artemis II’s April 2025 flight already included a jar of the popular Italian spread Nutella, which went viral when it was spotted floating through the Orion capsule during a live space broadcast. “I do expect something Italian to show up on the menu, and I don’t even have to bring it up because Italian food is a treasure of UNESCO,” Parmitano said Tuesday. “Everybody wants some Italian food.”

    Beyond his contribution to the mission’s culinary lineup, Parmitano brings decades of elite space experience to the Artemis III crew. A former colonel in the Italian Air Force, he was first selected as an astronaut by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2009 and has already completed two long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS). During his ISS tenure, he carried out multiple complex spacewalks, including one that tested his courage and training after a critical suit failure left his helmet filling with water, a near-fatal emergency he navigated successfully to return safely to the station.

    As lead pilot, Parmitano will share mission responsibilities with NASA commander Randy Bresnik, a fellow test pilot. “We are both test pilots, and the spacecraft needs a crew of 2 to fly it, so we share the responsibilities,” Parmitano explained. The 49-year-old father of two said he was both shocked and deeply honored by his appointment. “It was unexpected because I didn’t know that I was in the run for that position,” he said. “I am also very humbled by the task in front of us. It’s a very complex mission.”

    Parmitano regularly wears a uniform embroidered with both the Italian flag and the ESA mission patch, framing the partnership between Italy, ESA and NASA as a model of global collaboration. “When NASA chooses a European astronaut to be a pilot, it is sending a strong message that our leadership is understood, that our cooperation is valued, and that our technical expertise – both in our constructions, because Europe builds part of the spacecraft, but also our personnel – is solid,” he said.

    The Artemis III crew boasts a diverse makeup of backgrounds and experience levels. Rounding out the four-person team are Andre Douglas, an African American NASA astronaut who will make his first spaceflight on the mission, and Frank Rubio, a US astronaut of Salvadoran descent who already has extensive ISS experience. Parmitano noted he has known commander Bresnik for his entire career, and said the full team bonded quickly after their assignment was announced. He added that the mix of ages, nationalities and professional backgrounds “just enriches the crew in general,” creating a dynamic that will serve the ambitious mission well.

  • Trump-endorsed Brit Steve Hilton advances in California governor’s race

    Trump-endorsed Brit Steve Hilton advances in California governor’s race

    After seven days of ongoing ballot counting from California’s June 2 gubernatorial primary, US media projections have confirmed that Steve Hilton, a former senior advisor to ex-United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron and one-time Fox News host, will advance to the November general election as one of the two remaining candidates.

    Hilton narrowly bested Democratic billionaire climate campaigner Tom Steyer to claim his place on the general election ballot. He will now face off against Xavier Becerra, who served as Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration, for California’s top executive office this fall.

    The candidacy has earned the public backing of former President Donald Trump. Should Hilton claim victory in November, he will become the first Republican governor to lead the heavily Democratic-leaning state in 15 years, marking a major political shift for California.

    The primary race drew an unprecedentedly large field of more than 60 candidates, the vast majority of whom were Democrats vying to replace incumbent Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who is barred from seeking re-election due to state term limits. Newsom, who has long been named as a potential Democratic contender for future presidential campaigns, built a high-profile profile as one of the most prominent critics of Trump’s policy agenda during his tenure. California repeatedly clashed with the Trump White House over a sweeping range of policy issues, from immigration regulation to environmental and climate action.

    Over the coming months, Hilton and Becerra will campaign across the state, competing to win the governorship — a role that carries responsibility for managing a state budget worth hundreds of billions of dollars, supervising a workforce of tens of thousands of public employees, and overseeing hundreds of separate state agencies that touch nearly every aspect of life for California’s 39 million residents.

  • With no team in World Cup, China fans rally around a red card-happy referee

    With no team in World Cup, China fans rally around a red card-happy referee

    As the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off this week, China finds itself in a familiar position: absent from the competition’s national team bracket for the third consecutive tournament after its only appearance in 2002. This time around, however, one Chinese figure has captured the hearts and attention of domestic football fans across the country: 46-year-old veteran referee Ma Ning, who is set to become the first Chinese referee to officiate at a World Cup in 20 years, earning his place as China’s unlikely breakout star of the tournament.

    Ma’s journey to the 2026 World Cup marks a historic milestone for Chinese football. Having held FIFA certification since 2011 and made his first World Cup appearances four years ago in Qatar as an off-pitch fourth official, this tournament will be his first opportunity to serve as a lead referee on the global game’s biggest stage. He is currently joined by two other Chinese officials – assistant referee Zhou Fei and video assistant referee Fu Ming – at a 10-day pre-tournament referee training camp in Miami, where all selected officials complete final preparations ahead of the opening matches.

    Widely recognized for his uncompromising, strict officiating style, Ma earned the popular nickname “Card Master” early in his career after a 2015 Shanghai domestic match where he issued nine yellow cards and three red cards to enforce on-pitch discipline. That reputation has translated into massive viral popularity among Chinese fans, who have turned memes and discussion of Ma into one of the biggest trending topics across Chinese social media platforms including RedNote (Xiaohongshu) and Weibo, with related topics racking up millions of views in the lead-up to the tournament.

    Two weeks before the tournament began, Ma launched his own official RedNote account to document his World Cup preparations, and quickly amassed more than 197,000 followers in under a fortnight. His first viral post saw him joke about his red-card reputation, pulling a small red notebook – a playful nod to RedNote’s Chinese name and his signature calls – from the front pocket of his referee uniform. Subsequent posts have shown him packing his competition gear, completing gym training, and featured equipment from his brand partners: Ma has already secured major sponsorship deals with leading Chinese tech firms including Lenovo and consumer electronics giant Hisense, a rare level of commercial endorsement for a football referee.

    For many Chinese football fans starved of national team success, Ma’s presence at the World Cup has become a bittersweet talking point. While many fans have rallied around the referee, celebrating his achievement as a win for Chinese football even in the absence of a national team, other posts have reflected the widespread disappointment around the state of the men’s game domestically. Viral memes circulating on Weibo contrast the squads of other participating nations with a single photo of Ma, while popular social media captions highlight the gap: “Other countries get to cheer for their teams, we get to cheer for our referee handing out cards.”

    China’s men’s national team has not qualified for the World Cup since its solitary debut in 2002, where the squad exited in the group stage without earning a single point or scoring a goal. Over the past two decades, Chinese men’s football has been crippled by systemic issues, from widespread match-fixing and corruption that has resulted in lifetime bans for dozens of players, referees and club officials, to ongoing financial instability that has left multiple top-tier clubs on the brink of collapse. Beyond his career as an elite referee, Ma also serves as a lecturer at the Nanjing Sport Institute, where he trains the next generation of Chinese football officials.

    As the tournament prepares to get underway, Ma has struck a confident tone in his public posts: “I take up this appointment with confidence and composure. World Cup, here we come.”