Against a shifting global conflict landscape marked by rising drone usage in Ukraine and the Middle East, Australia’s Albanese government is moving rapidly to equip the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with cutting-edge counter-drone capabilities, locking in two major domestic contracts worth A$31.7 million as part of a 10-year, A$7 billion investment package. The latest funding announcement doubles the government’s existing commitment to counter-drone technology, aligned with the newly unveiled 2026 National Defence Strategy released last week. This strategy, which includes the biggest peacetime increase in Australian defence spending in modern history, boosts overall defence funding to A$887 billion for the 2023–2026 period, with A$425 billion earmarked for core defence capabilities through the Integrated Investment Program (IIP) — a A$150 billion increase since 2020. On Tuesday, the government confirmed A$21.3 million would go to domestic defence firm AIM Defence, while a further A$10.4 million will be awarded to SYPAQ Systems, two Australian companies leveraging local innovation to address evolving battlefield threats. The investment in AIM Defence will advance the development of the company’s Fractl high-powered counter-drone laser system, a revolutionary directed-energy weapon engineered to neutralize both single unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and large drone swarms. Capable of tracking moving targets as small as a 10C coin at distances exceeding 100 kilometers, the system delivers enough concentrated energy to burn through solid steel, making it effective against even hardened drone designs. For SYPAQ Systems, the funding will support the rollout of its Corvo Strike interceptor drone, a purpose-built kinetic weapon designed to autonomously track, target and eliminate the large UAVs increasingly commonly deployed on modern battlefields. In an official statement, the Australian government noted that while the nation’s unique geographic position has traditionally prioritized capabilities for countering large drones, the changing threat landscape requires urgent acceleration of countermeasures for medium-sized UAVs and small drone swarms — threats that Australian personnel may face both in complex overseas operational environments and during domestic security operations protecting critical infrastructure and civilian populations. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy emphasized that ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have clearly demonstrated how uncrewed aerial systems have reshaped modern warfare, becoming an increasingly central tool for adversarial forces. “The development of sovereign counter-drone solutions is essential to ensure the Australian Defence Force can detect, assess and respond to these threats,” Conroy said. Major General Hugh Meggitt, head of the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), explained that the investment is part of Mission Syracuse, a ADF-focused initiative designed to rapidly advance cutting-edge technology for countering UAV threats by leveraging Australian industry’s global leadership in both kinetic weapons and directed energy systems. “Mission Syracuse will exploit Australian industry’s world leading expertise in kinetic and directed energy to find, fix, track, target and engage Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles,” Meggitt said. “It will significantly enhance the ADF’s ability to counter the threat posed by UAVs employed by malicious actors; domestically and abroad.” Last week, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced the Albanese government would increase defence spending by more than A$53 billion over the coming decade, marking the largest expansion of Australian defence investment in peacetime. The new investment in counter-drone technology underlines the government’s priority of preparing the ADF for emerging asymmetric threats that have become increasingly common in 21st century conflict.
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Jetstar axes number of New Zealand flights by 12 per cent as soaring fuel costs continue to bite
Skyrocketing jet fuel costs, triggered by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz seven weeks ago, have forced Australian budget carrier Jetstar and its parent company Qantas to slash thousands of flights across Australia and New Zealand through the end of June, with New Zealand domestic routes bearing the brunt of the cuts. New data compiled by aviation industry publication AeroRoutes details the scale of the capacity cuts between May 18 and June 30, revealing stark disparities in how the reductions impact different regions. Jetstar is trimming just 2.7% of its domestic Australian flight capacity over the period, bringing total scheduled services to 10,237, while cutting 12% of its domestic New Zealand operations, dropping total flights to just 1,564 – a relative cut more than four times larger than the cuts to Australian domestic routes. The deep cuts to New Zealand domestic capacity mean local travelers will face far greater disruption than their Australian counterparts. For trans-Tasman routes connecting Australia and New Zealand, the largest reductions are concentrated on services running to and from Auckland and Christchurch, both operating out of Australia’s Gold Coast. On Australian domestic routes, two planned services have been pushed back or cancelled entirely: the scheduled June 17 resumption of Gold Coast to Darwin flights has been delayed until October, and all Sydney to Busselton (Western Australia) services are scrapped between June 1 and September 21. Across the entire seven-week cut period in Australia, most Jetstar routes see fewer than five cancelled trips per route, but domestic New Zealand sees far larger cuts to key intercity routes: 55 Auckland to Christchurch flights are axed, dropping total scheduled services to 310, and 53 Auckland to Wellington trips are removed from the schedule, leaving 142 remaining flights. Qantas, Jetstar’s parent company, has also implemented its own capacity cuts, trimming 3.6% of its total scheduled flights in the same May 18 to June 30 window. Qantas’s cuts fall most heavily on busy domestic trunk routes: 43 Brisbane to Melbourne flights, 31 Melbourne to Brisbane flights, 23 Melbourne to Adelaide flights, 27 Perth to Sydney flights, 50 Sydney to Brisbane flights, and 76 Sydney to Melbourne flights have all been cancelled. The root cause of the capacity pullback is a historic surge in jet fuel prices, that has seen costs for buyers in Asia and Oceania jump as much as 150% since the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint, was closed seven weeks ago. Last week, Qantas issued a formal update to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) warning that its total fuel bill for the second half of the 2024 financial year would be between $600 million and $800 million higher than initial projections. The steep rise in fuel costs comes even as the airline group’s core profitability metric, revenue per passenger kilometre, continues to climb as carriers push through higher ticket prices to offset growing costs. Neither Jetstar nor Qantas has issued a public statement responding to questions about the new capacity cut details from AeroRoutes. The widespread cuts highlight how global energy market disruptions are directly impacting regional aviation capacity across Oceania, putting additional pressure on travelers already facing rising airfares.
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‘Buckle up’: Dean Young brings Kade Reed in for NRL debut in first major move as Dragons coach
The 2025 National Rugby League (NRL) season has entered a dramatic new phase, as newly appointed interim head coach Dean Young has wasted no time implementing sweeping changes to the struggling St George Illawarra Dragons, just hours after taking over the role.
With the Dragons mired in a winless 0-7 start to the campaign, Young moved quickly to grant promising young playmaker Kade Reed his long-awaited first-grade NRL debut this Anzac Day against the Sydney Roosters. The coaching shake-up follows the sudden departure of former head coach Shane Flanagan, whose son Kyle Flanagan — the incumbent starting half — has been demoted to the bench to make space for Reed in the starting lineup.
Young’s appointment was confirmed by Dragons CEO Tim Watsford and chairman Andrew Lancaster at 5:30 p.m. Monday, and within hours, he drove directly to Reed’s family home to deliver the life-changing news in person, alongside the departure of assistant coach Michael Ennis from the club.
Reflecting on the whirlwind sequence of events in his first official press conference, Young said he first broke the news to his own family, warning them of the chaotic stretch ahead, before heading to see Reed. “That’s the best part of coaching,” Young explained. “There are lots of things that you don’t enjoy about coaching, but when you give young men opportunities to reach their dreams, that’s the best part.”
The rookie playmaker’s promotion comes after months of calls from Dragons supporters to give Reed a shot at the top level, with former coach Shane Flanagan opting to develop the teenager gradually through reserve grade to build his experience against bigger, more experienced opponents. Young, however, said the club’s poor start to the season demanded an immediate change, and he made the call because of his firm belief in Reed’s ability to deliver.
Critics have already labelled the call risky, fielding an untested teenager on the high-profile Anzac Day match for a club stuck in a lengthy losing streak. But Young pushed back on that assessment during the press conference, saying he wanted Reed and his family to know he sees the young playmaker as a core part of the club’s long-term future. “To sit in the lounge room in front of his parents and his brother Cooper and tell him that he’s about to play on Anzac Day means a lot to me,” Young said. “I wouldn’t do it unless I believed in him.”
Addressing Kyle Flanagan’s demotion, Young noted the halfback has only set up two tries through the first seven matches of the season, and will now provide cover at either half or hooker for starting hooker Damien Cook. Young added that he has a strong relationship with Flanagan, who has accepted the change for the good of the team. “We need change,” Young said. “Where we’re going isn’t getting us to where we want to go. We’re getting the same results each week where we’re leading games and then not getting it done, and we need a bit of a circuit breaker. I know Kade will do a good job, but Kade Reed is not the saviour of this club. He needs the 16 players that take the field on the weekend to do their job, and then he’ll be able to do his.”
Outside of the Dragons’ major reshuffle, a host of other team changes have been confirmed across the league ahead of the upcoming round of matches. At the Wests Tigers, young rising winger Heamasi Makasini has been dropped from the first-grade side after a poor performance against the Brisbane Broncos, with Luke Laulilii named to take his place on the wing. Starford To’a will also step into the starting centers, replacing Patrick Herbert.
The Canberra Raiders will be without forward Hudson Young due to suspension, while veteran prop Josh Papalii will miss up to eight weeks of play with a partially torn calf muscle. For the North Queensland Cowboys, three key players — Jeremiah Nanai, Murray Taulagi and Reed Mahoney — are all set to return to the lineup for their match against the Cronulla Sharks, who will welcome back veteran forward Cam McInnes on the bench, after McInnes recovered from a season-opening ACL tear.
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have mixed team news: captain Stephen Crichton has been cleared to return from a shoulder injury, but starting winger Jacob Kiraz will miss the team’s Friday match in Brisbane due to a knee injury. Their opponents, the Brisbane Broncos, will be without starting props Payne Haas and Corey Jensen, forcing coach Kevin Walters to name Ben Talty and Jack Gosiewski in the starting front row.
Elsewhere, Brad Schneider will start at five-eighth for the Dolphins, replacing suspended playmaker Kodi Nikorima. Freddy Lussick will take over starting hooker duties for the Penrith Panthers while Mitch Kenny recovers from a serious leg injury. Manly Sea Eagles speedster Tolu Koula will replace injured fullback Tom Trbojevic, while the Parramatta Eels will welcome back Sean Russell and Kelma Tuilagi, both returning from concussion-related absences.
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Pope’s visit to Equatorial Guinea is a diplomatic challenge as he closes his Africa trip
After wrapping up earlier stops across four African nations, Pope Leo XIV touched down in Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday for the closing leg of his first papal visit to the continent — a stop widely framed as the most diplomatically sensitive challenge of his early tenure leading the global Catholic Church.
Nestled on Central Africa’s west coast, this former Spanish colony has been under the uninterrupted rule of 83-year-old President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo since he seized power in a 1979 coup. Today, Obiang stands as Africa’s longest-serving incumbent head of state, and his administration has faced decades of global scrutiny over systemic authoritarian rule and widespread graft.
Equatorial Guinea’s economic trajectory shifted dramatically in the mid-1990s, when large offshore oil reserves were discovered. Data from the African Development Bank shows oil now makes up nearly half the country’s total gross domestic product and accounts for more than 90% of its export revenue. Despite this resource wealth, however, more than half of Equatorial Guinea’s 1.9 million residents live below the poverty line. Human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch, as well as ongoing court proceedings in France and Spain, have documented how the vast majority of oil revenues have been siphoned off to enrich Obiang’s ruling family rather than lifting living standards for the general population.
From the start of his maiden African pilgrimage, Pope Leo has made clear he has no intention of softening his rhetoric on global inequality and graft. His earlier stop in Cameroon offered a clear preview of what observers can expect during his time in Equatorial Guinea. Last week in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde, the pope met with 93-year-old President Paul Biya — the world’s oldest sitting head of state, who has held power since 1982 and faces identical accusations of authoritarianism. Standing beside Biya in the presidential palace during his arrival address, Leo did not hold back.
“In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption — which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility — must be broken,” the pope stated. “Hearts must be set free from an idolatrous thirst for profit.”
While Equatorial Guinea is officially designated a secular state, it is one of the most overwhelmingly Catholic nations in Africa, with roughly 75% of its population identifying as Catholic, and the Church holds a central role in the country’s political and social fabric. Tutu Alicante, a U.S.-based human rights activist who leads the advocacy group EG Justice, explains that Church leadership is deeply intertwined with Obiang’s government. “Part of it is the fear the government has instilled in everyone, including the church, and part of it is the monetary gains that the church derives from this government,” Alicante noted.
The Vatican’s approach to engaging with the regime is nuanced, explained the Rev. Fortunatus Nwachukwu, the second-highest ranking official in the Holy See’s missionary evangelization department. “Should the church go to war against the government? Surely no. Should the church swallow everything as if it were normal? No. The church has to continue preaching justice, always in defense of life, human dignity and the common good,” he said.
Beyond systemic corruption, Equatorial Guinea’s government regularly faces allegations of routine harassment, arbitrary arrest and intimidation targeting political opposition figures, dissident critics and independent journalists. On Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index, the country has consistently ranked among the bottom 10 out of all nations surveyed. Samuel Kaninda, Transparency International’s regional advisor for Africa, acknowledged that the Obiang administration has taken tentative steps in recent years to address public anger over graft, including passing a national anti-corruption law and moving to establish a dedicated anti-corruption commission. However, Kaninda stressed that these reforms will only deliver tangible change if the commission is granted full independence to investigate corrupt officials and the national judiciary operates free from political interference.
Kaninda said he holds cautious optimism about the papal visit, noting that even when authoritarian leaders attempt to frame papal trips as an endorsement of their rule, history shows these visits ultimately benefit ordinary citizens. “The risk is there, but at the same time, we see more of the opportunity to shed more light on a lot more that is happening there,” he said, adding that the high-profile visit could lift hopes among Equatorial Guinea’s population and draw global attention to the country’s unaddressed human rights and governance failures.
For many local residents, the visit has already delivered tangible, small-scale benefits: Equatorial Guinean seamstress Tumi Carine says she has seen a surge in orders for garments printed with Pope Leo’s image. “The coming of the pope brought us many customers,” Carine said. “We are really grateful for the coming of the pope, so, we are really happy.”
This is the first papal visit to Equatorial Guinea since Pope St. John Paul II traveled to the country in 1982. Pope Leo faces a packed schedule during his two-day trip: after arriving and holding an initial meeting with Obiang, he will deliver addresses to government leaders and diplomatic representatives, followed by a speech at the country’s national university. He will also celebrate multiple public Masses, visit a psychiatric hospital and a local prison, and meet with young people and their families. Before departing on Thursday, he will travel to the city of Bata to lay prayers at a memorial for the more than 100 people killed in a 2021 explosion at a nearby military barracks, which investigators blamed on grossly negligent handling of dynamite stored in a facility located close to residential neighborhoods.
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No cuddles, but lots of care: How a Paris-area wildlife hospital keeps rescued animals wild
Nestled in Maisons-Alfort, a southeastern suburb of Paris, France, a one-of-a-kind wildlife hospital operates under a simple but strict rule: no affectionate cuddling, but unwavering, expert care for every wild patient that passes through its doors. Every year, the facility takes in thousands of injured, ill, and orphaned wild animals, most of whom have been harmed directly or indirectly by human activity and the relentless spread of urbanization. Its ultimate mission is to heal these creatures and return them to their natural wild habitats.
Last week, local residents who keep hunting dogs discovered a tiny female fox cub alone in an outskirt garden, with no sign of her mother anywhere nearby. Estimated to be just two weeks old — far too young to fend for herself in the wild — the cub was quickly transported to the hospital for care. After a thorough examination by veterinarian Julie Piazza, the cub was found to be in generally good condition, with only a small wound likely caused by a bite from either another wild animal or one of the residents’ hunting dogs. Currently, a team of dedicated volunteers provides 24-hour care for the cub, feeding her specially formulated artificial milk that matches the nutrient composition of a wild fox mother’s milk. Piazza noted that the cub currently has a slightly swollen abdomen after adjusting to her new diet, a common condition for very young animals that have experienced a disruption to their regular feeding routine.
Animal caretaker Valentin Delon explained that the facility’s no-cuddling policy is not a lack of compassion, but a critical measure to protect the animals’ future. “Any kind of imprinting that makes animals dependent on human caregivers long-term has to be completely avoided,” Delon said. “So we don’t hold them, we don’t interact with them more than necessary, and we maintain a careful distance for their own good. If they become attached to humans, they’ll never be able to survive once released back into the wild.”
Once the cub gains enough weight and matures, she will not be released directly into the wild. Instead, she will first move to a specialized outdoor rehabilitation enclosure, where she will socialize with other young foxes. Staff will use a gradual release process: the enclosure door will be left open so the fox can come and go freely while still having access to food, before portions are slowly reduced to encourage her to hunt and forage on her own.
Over the 12 months prior to this report, the Wildlife Veterinary Hospital of Maisons-Alfort admitted more than 10,400 wild animals, covering a huge range of native species: from songbirds and waterfowl to European mammals including foxes, roe deer, and hedgehogs. Run by the nonprofit organization Faune Alfort, it is the only facility in the greater Paris region that provides medical care and rehabilitation for a full spectrum of wild species, with approximately 86% of its patients being birds. From swans with broken wings and injured hedgehogs to orphaned ducklings often found abandoned on urban balconies and injured city pigeons, every animal receives the same level of skilled care, regardless of how common or rare it is.
Elisa Mora, head of communications for Faune Alfort, told reporters that the facility saw a record 200 admissions in a single day last summer. Between April and September, wild animals enter their breeding season, bringing a surge of orphaned or injured juvenile animals to the hospital. “All wild animals face growing pressure from human activity, but juveniles are far more vulnerable than adults,” Mora explained. For animals whose injuries are too severe to heal, or who can never adapt to survival in the wild, humane euthanasia is the only option.
Funded almost entirely by individual donations and charitable grants, the hospital depends heavily on its network of volunteers to handle daily feeding, cleaning, and basic care. The organization traces its roots back to 1987, when veterinarian Jean-François Courreau founded Faune Alfort after seeing veterinary students eager to develop better care protocols for wild animals. Six years later, the organization opened its dedicated hospital on the campus of the National Veterinary School of Alfort, an institution founded in the 18th century.
“It’s impossible to stand by and watch an animal in distress when you have the training to help,” Courreau said. “Before this center existed, people who found an injured wild animal would think ‘there’s nothing I can do, this animal will die.’ When they know they can bring it here to get care, it’s a huge relief for them too.”
Data from the hospital confirms that 60% to 80% of all admitted animals are harmed by human activity: common causes include vehicle collisions, entanglement in barbed wire fencing, and accidental injury from gardening or agricultural machinery. As urbanization continues to encroach on native wildlife habitats across France, the role of this unique wildlife hospital has grown more critical than ever.
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How mum inspired ‘goofy’ Mendoza to brink of NFL stardom
When Fernando Mendoza stepped to the podium to accept the Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious individual honor, emotion already flowed freely. But it was when the Indiana Hoosiers quarterback turned his remarks to his mother Elsa that his voice broke, laying bare the profound bond that fueled his extraordinary underdog journey.
“This is your trophy as much as it is mine,” Mendoza told the crowd. “You’ve always been my biggest fan. You’re my light, you’re my why.”
Elsa Mendoza’s influence stretches far beyond the typical supportive parent role. For nearly 20 years, she has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS), a degenerative neurological condition that now requires her to use a wheelchair. Her quiet resilience in the face of relentless symptoms has been the cornerstone of Fernando’s rise from a lightly regarded recruit to the overwhelming favorite for the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“You taught me that toughness doesn’t need to be loud,” Mendoza added. “It can be quiet and strong. It is believing in yourself when the world doesn’t give you much reason to.”
A former collegiate tennis player at the University of Miami, Elsa raised three sons to prioritize both athletic effort and academic achievement, never letting her own health struggles dim that commitment. From the earliest days of Fernando’s football career, when he was picked as the fourth-string quarterback for his 9-year-old team, Elsa pushed him to ignore the doubts of recruiters and coaches. Coming out of high school in the 2022 recruiting class, Fernando was ranked just 2149th nationally, and the 140th quarterback at his position. He received only one Power Five scholarship offer late in the recruiting cycle, a moment Elsa had always predicted would come.
Elsa only shared her MS diagnosis with her sons in 2020, after her condition worsened following a COVID-19 infection. In 2024, Fernando launched a public fundraising campaign for the National MS Society to honor his mother’s strength, bringing widespread attention to the condition alongside his athletic success. Days before the Heisman ceremony, Elsa penned an open letter to Fernando published on The Players’ Tribune, opening up about the shame she once felt over her worsening symptoms — and crediting her son with never making her feel anything less than loved.
“One of the biggest issues I had to overcome as my condition first worsened wasn’t just the condition itself. It was the embarrassment,” she wrote. “But you’ve never once looked away. You’ve never once treated me like I’m embarrassing, or deficient, or anything other than someone you love and are standing by.”
After transferring to Indiana last year to join his younger brother Alberto — who served as the team’s backup quarterback — Mendoza led the unheralded Hoosiers to a historic undefeated 16-0 season and the program’s first-ever national college football championship. The fairytale run reached its emotional peak in the title game, held in Mendoza’s hometown of Miami against the Miami Hurricanes, who did not even offer him a walk-on spot out of high school. Mendoza sealed the win with a iconic 12-yard game-winning touchdown, cementing his place in college football lore and capturing the hearts of sports fans across the country.
Beyond his on-field success, the 22-year-old Mendoza has stood out as a distinctly unconventional top prospect. A first-generation American with four Cuban immigrant grandparents, he has been open about his heritage and unafraid to show emotion, earning a reputation as a cheerful, unpretentious “goofy” overachiever. After Indiana upset powerhouse Ohio State to claim the conference title, he went viral for his unscripted exclamation that “the Hoosiers are flippin’ champs.”
A self-described “football nerd” with a passion for both X’s and O’s and off-field growth, Mendoza prioritized academic achievement even as his football star rose. He originally committed to Yale University to study economics and play Ivy League football before accepting a scholarship at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in just three years at Cal, completing summer internships at real estate investment firms and coaching elementary school football teams to prepare for a life outside the sport, before transferring to Indiana to pursue a master’s degree and pursue a higher profile path to the NFL. When he declared for the 2026 draft days after winning the national championship, he posted a characteristically playful announcement: “my LinkedIn status is now Open to Work.”
Like his childhood idol Tom Brady, who went from a 199th overall draft pick to a seven-time Super Bowl champion, Mendoza has built his career on relentless preparation, following Brady’s well-documented approach to training, nutrition and recovery. The 6-foot-5, 236-pound quarterback has a similar build and playing style to Brady: a composed pocket passer who excels at making game-changing plays under pressure, even if he is not the fastest or most physically imposing prospect in the draft. Brady, now a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders — the team that holds the first overall pick in this year’s draft — has already praised Mendoza’s standout leadership, and the quarterback has said he would jump at the chance to learn from his idol. The Raiders recently signed veteran starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, a move widely interpreted to allow the first overall pick to develop under Cousins’ tutelage in his rookie season if the team selects Mendoza.
In a final gesture that underscores how central his family is to his success, Mendoza has turned down the traditional honor of walking across the draft stage in Pittsburgh when his name is called this week. Instead, he will remain at his family’s home in Miami, sharing the milestone moment with the woman whose strength and belief made it all possible.
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‘I’m not their best option’: Daly Cherry-Evans stops short of retiring from rep footy but backs incumbents to lead Maroons
As Queensland Maroons head coach Billy Slater prepares to finalize his squad for the 2026 State of Origin series, one of the program’s most storied veterans has opened up about his uncertain future in the representative rugby league arena, delivering a refreshingly grounded perspective on his place in the side’s next chapter.
Former Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans, who notched 26 Origin appearances across his career and led the side in the opening game of the 2025 series, has stopped short of formally announcing his retirement from the interstate contest. The 37-year-old Sydney Roosters playmaker, however, has thrown his unwavering support behind incumbent halves pairing Cameron Munster and Tom Dearden, who he says deserve to retain their starting spots for the upcoming series.
Cherry-Evans’s 2025 Origin tenure ended abruptly after Queensland suffered a game one defeat at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, when coach Billy Slater made the blockbuster call to drop the veteran skipper from the side. Dearden was brought into the starting lineup in his place, while Munster was promoted to take over captaincy. The reshuffled pairing went on to lead Queensland to a historic come-from-behind series win, with Dearden claiming the prestigious Wally Lewis Medal as the series’s best player.
Though Cherry-Evans remains technically eligible for selection and has left the door cracked open for a potential surprise recall, he acknowledged that the current pairing deserves first dibs on the roles, even noting that both Munster and Dearden have faced inconsistent form at their respective NRL club sides this season. “I’m never going to be that guy that just comes out and retires, but I’m very comfortable with the side that they picked last year to win the series in the back end,” Cherry-Evans said in a recent interview.
“Tom Dearden and Cam Munster, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that they’re Queensland’s best options going forward. If something ever happened moving down the track, you just keep your options open, and it’d be bloody hard to say no to a Queensland jersey again. But I’m quite clear that I’m not their best option right now and I’m OK with that.”
Reflecting on his decorated Origin career, Cherry-Evans said he holds nothing but positive memories of representing his home state, and has fully accepted the current reality of his position in the squad’s pecking order. “It’s really hard to talk about yourself when it comes to what you’ve done. I’m still playing, so I’ve got nothing but great memories of State of Origin. If I got another chance, that’d be great, but if not, that’s also OK,” he said. “I’m going to continue to work really hard on my game and try and get the Roosters to keep winning footy games and have a strong input in that. But where it is right now, I completely understand it and accept it, and that’s OK. If I’m not picked, that’s fine, I’ll be watching at home cheering for Queensland.”
Slater, who played alongside Cherry-Evans for the Maroons during his own playing career, said he has been encouraged by the veteran’s form and mindset following his off-season move from Manly Sea Eagles to the Sydney Roosters, a shift Cherry-Evans said he needed to reignite his love for the game. The Queensland coach added that a Cherry-Evans recall is widely viewed as highly unlikely, with young playmakers Sam Walker of the Roosters and Ezra Mam of the Brisbane Broncos already in contention for a spot in this year’s squad.
“He’s been great. It’s good to see him enjoying his footy. He said he needed a fresh start, and he’s got that,” Slater told reporters at the MCG on Monday. “He’s the oldest player in our game and he’s doing a wonderful job. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times at games, and it’s good to see him putting some games together. It was always going to take some time with Sammy Walker and ‘Chez’ being quite similar players, but they’re making it work. They’ve got a good roster at the Roosters, so the more they play together, the better they’re going to get. That’s dangerous for the rest of the competition.”
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Pakistan delivers weapons to Libya’s Haftar as part of Saudi-financed deal, sources say
New unreported arms shipments from Pakistan to the eastern Libyan administration led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar have been carried out earlier this year, with financing and facilitation from Saudi Arabia, multiple Western and Arab officials with direct knowledge of the matter have confirmed to Middle East Eye.
One official who was present at Benghazi’s main airport during the offloading process confirmed that at least five Pakistani cargo jets carrying military hardware arrived and were unloaded in March. A second senior official verified the shipments occurred, but declined to share details on the specific types of weapons transferred. This delivery marks the first confirmed execution of a massive $4 billion arms framework between Pakistan and Haftar’s government, a deal that was first reported by Reuters after a December visit to Benghazi by Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Haftar, 82, accompanied by his son Saddam Haftar — widely viewed as his likely political successor — made a rare official trip to Islamabad in early February, where the pair held meetings with Munir and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The Arab official confirmed that the full terms of the March weapons shipments were finalized during this high-level visit.
This delivery comes at a moment of growing uncertainty for Pakistan’s broader arms export agenda across Africa, just after another major Pakistani arms deal with Sudan’s transitional government collapsed earlier this month when Saudi Arabia withdrew its pledged financing for the purchase.
According to regional and Western diplomatic sources, the new deal is part of a deliberate Saudi push to expand its influence in eastern Libya and displace the long-standing dominance the United Arab Emirates has held over Haftar and his political bloc. One senior Arab official called the deal an explicit outreach strategy, stating: “This deal was done to pull Haftar away from the UAE. Saudi Arabia is using honey, and saying ‘we can sponsor you’.” A Libyan source familiar with Haftar’s inner circle expressed skepticism about the success of this gambit, noting that the Haftar family retains extensive business holdings and assets in the Emirates.
Beyond shifting influence dynamics in Libya, the deal also ties to Saudi regional priorities in the ongoing Sudan conflict. Western and Arab officials confirm Riyadh is pressing Haftar to block illegal cross-border weapons flows from southeastern Libya to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group fighting Sudan’s military government. The deal is also structured to buy Haftar’s cooperation with ongoing efforts to integrate his eastern military forces with the military wing of the internationally recognized Tripoli-based government under Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. In March, forces from both sides participated in joint training exercises during the U.S.-led Flintlock military drill, and a joint military coordination committee has already been established to advance integration. As one Western official put it: “There is a sense that Saudi Arabia is buying Haftar’s cooperation with new supplies. The integration of Libya’s military is against the UAE’s interest vis-a-vis Sudan.”
The Saudi-UAE rift that underpins this new initiative has deepened rapidly over the past year, despite the two countries’ long history as Gulf allies. Both nations joined forces to intervene in Yemen’s civil war and backed Haftar’s failed 2019 offensive to seize full control of Tripoli, but their alignment collapsed after the outbreak of Sudan’s 2023 civil war. Tensions flared after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman lobbied former U.S. President Donald Trump to oppose the UAE’s open support for the RSF. Rifts escalated further in December, when Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes against UAE-aligned militia groups in Yemen.
While the two sides have attempted to contain open conflict, with bin Salman sending a February letter to UAE National Security Advisor Tahnoon bin Zayed that outlined Riyadh’s grievances and called for mediation, recent regional shifts have only deepened divisions. The outbreak of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict sparked speculation that Gulf powers would put aside differences to present a unified front, but the war has instead widened the gap between the two: Saudi Arabia has sought to balance U.S. requests for military access with public calls for a negotiated end to tensions, while the UAE has taken a hardline hawkish stance against Iran and has publicly expressed frustration with U.S.-led direct talks with Tehran — talks that Pakistan has helped facilitate.
Libya has remained split into two competing administrative blocs since 2014, and a United Nations arms embargo imposed on the country has been routinely violated by outside powers seeking to advance their own regional interests. Middle East Eye reached out to the Saudi and Pakistani embassies in Washington D.C. for official comment on the arms shipment, but received no response prior to publication.
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Eta appointment ‘no surprise’ for Union Berlin’s ascendant women
When news broke that Marie-Louise Eta would take the helm of Union Berlin’s women’s first team ahead of their 2025-26 top-flight debut, the landmark appointment made headlines across global football. Yet for everyone inside the ambitious German club, the move came as no shock — it was simply the next logical step in Union Berlin’s years-long, industry-leading push to elevate women’s football to full parity with the men’s program.
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Democrats eye Virginia gains in war with Trump over US voting map
As the United States gears up for November’s critical midterm elections, all eyes are turning to Virginia, where voters head to the polls Tuesday for a high-stakes referendum that could upend the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives. What began as a redistricting push championed by former President Donald Trump to shore up Republican advantages has evolved into a major liability for the GOP, with Democrats positioned to pick up four additional congressional seats if the measure passes.
The fight over this ballot initiative sits at the heart of a broader national battle over gerrymandering, the longstanding and widely decried practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor the controlling political party. This clash has emerged as one of the defining issues of the 2024 midterm campaign cycle.
If approved, the measure would allow Virginia to redraw its congressional districts years ahead of the next scheduled nationwide redistricting, which is tied to the decennial U.S. census and not set to occur until 2030. Currently, Democrats hold a narrow 6-5 advantage in the state’s 11 House seats; the new map would boost that edge to 10 out of 11 districts, delivering a major boost to Democratic efforts to flip or retain control of the chamber.
Control of the House currently hangs by a thread, making the Virginia referendum outcome potentially decisive for the trajectory of Donald Trump’s remaining term in office. A Democratic majority would empower the party to block Trump’s legislative agenda and launch new investigations into his administration, while a continued Republican majority would leave Trump with a compliant congressional body aligned with his policy priorities.
The current national redistricting fight traces back to Trump’s 2023 call on Republican-led states to redraw district maps mid-decade, a move designed to protect the GOP’s fragile House majority. That call triggered a tit-for-tat response, with both parties racing to secure additional congressional seats ahead of November’s vote.
Texas was the first major state to act, approving a new map that could net Republicans up to five extra seats. California quickly countered with its own ballot measure aimed at delivering five new seats for Democrats. Now, Virginia represents one of the Democratic Party’s last major opportunities to gain ground through redistricting before voters cast their ballots nationwide.
Democratic Party organizations have poured unprecedented sums of money into the Virginia campaign, turning the referendum into one of the costliest redistricting fights in U.S. history. Combined, the two leading opposing campaigns have raised nearly $100 million, a large share of which comes from so-called “dark money” groups: non-profit organizations that can spend heavily on political activity without revealing the identities of their donors to the public.
According to reporting from *The Hill*, the pro-redistricting group Virginians for Fair Elections has raised the majority of that total, pulling in nearly $65 million to support the yes campaign. Former President Barack Obama, still one of the Democratic Party’s most high-profile and influential surrogates, released a video message urging Virginia voters to support the measure.
“By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms… And we’re counting on you,” Obama said.
Democrats frame the Virginia map change as a necessary countermeasure to balance out Trump’s nationwide push for partisan redistricting that benefits Republicans. Republicans, by contrast, decry the initiative as a brazen power grab in a politically competitive state where Trump won 46 percent of the popular vote in the 2024 presidential election.
Virginia Republican Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, whose own congressional district would be reshaped by the new map, told ABC News that ramming through the redistricting plan would “come back to bite” Democrats in future elections.
Early voting and absentee ballot data cited by *The Hill* shows more than one million Virginians have already cast their ballots, with Democrats holding a substantial lead in turnout among early voters. However, recent public opinion polling shows yes supporters hold only a narrow single-digit lead, and political analysts warn the outcome remains far from certain.
Larry Sabato, a prominent political scientist at the University of Virginia, told AFP that a lopsided 10-1 advantage for Democrats is far from a guaranteed outcome. “To get 10 out of 11 seats is not easy, even with Virginia leaning more Democratic,” Sabato said. “And of late… it hasn’t been as Democratic as it had been previously.”
A victory in the referendum would deliver a major political boost to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has led national Democratic efforts to neutralize pro-Trump gerrymandered maps passed in Republican-led states. A loss, by contrast, would be a significant blow to Virginia Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger, who has staked much of her political capital on the push for redistricting and has seen her approval ratings slip amid the high-profile fight.
The outcome in Virginia will also set the stage for the final phase of the national redistricting battle. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called for a special legislative session to redraw that state’s congressional map, a move that could net Republicans up to five additional seats and potentially erase any Democratic gains from a Virginia victory.