Global Pulse

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  • ‘We’ve lost the fabric of the game’: Ricky Stuart hits out at new six again rule as Raiders coach insists Matt Timoko will be at the club next year

    ‘We’ve lost the fabric of the game’: Ricky Stuart hits out at new six again rule as Raiders coach insists Matt Timoko will be at the club next year

    The National Rugby League is facing growing backlash over a controversial off-season rule overhaul, with one of the code’s most respected veteran coaches becoming the latest high-profile voice to condemn the change, arguing it has eroded the sport’s core identity.

    Ricky Stuart, head coach of the Canberra Raiders, once supported the NRL’s updated ‘six again’ rule interpretation, which was introduced during the 2024 off-season. Under the new regulation, referees award attacking teams an immediate set restart instead of a traditional penalty for ruck infringements or offside offences committed outside the 20-metre line. The rule was framed as a way to cut down on match stoppages and speed up overall gameplay, but it has sparked fierce pushback from fans and insiders alike.

    Stuart, who has led Canberra for more than a decade, said his initial optimism about the change has faded, as the rule has had unintended negative consequences that have hurt the quality of on-field product. Speaking ahead of the Raiders’ blockbuster Friday night home match against a Melbourne Storm side that has dropped four consecutive matches, Stuart said the league has lost the fundamental fabric of the sport that long-time fans love.

    “I was a fan of the six again, but I think we’ve lost the fabric of the game,” Stuart told reporters, aligning himself with thousands of fans who have voiced criticism of the rule on social media. “Six agains are just given now willy-nilly. There’s a free six again wave of the arm because there’s no repercussion on the decision right at the time. For me, a six again is something that has got to be penalty worthy, but I don’t think it is at the moment which is why we’re getting so much criticism with the speed of the game. Making the game faster doesn’t necessarily make it more attractive. Just because the scoreline is 50-30, I don’t believe it’s more attractive.”

    Proponents of the rule argue it has created more attacking opportunities and higher overall scores, which they claim makes matches more exciting for viewers. But critics, including Stuart, point out that the change has led to massively lopsided scorelines and forced defending teams to endure dozens of consecutive tackles, leading to excessive player fatigue late in matches that threatens both competitive balance and athlete welfare. While some top teams have adapted quickly and thrived under the new regulations, others have struggled to adjust to the relentless pace of play.

    Beyond the rule debate, Stuart confirmed a series of reshuffles to his Raiders starting side for this week’s clash, highlighted by a young winger’s personal request to step back to reserve grade. Twenty-one-year-old Savelio Tamale, who is in just his second full season of first-grade NRL, asked to drop down a level to rebuild his confidence after an unusual moment in last week’s match against South Sydney Rabbitohs in Perth. Video footage showed Tamale appearing to slow to a stop just centimetres from the try line before eventually grounding the ball for a five-pointer, a moment that sparked widespread discussion online.

    Stuart moved to shut down speculation around the incident, saying it is simply a matter of a young player working through a confidence slump, a challenge Tamale previously navigated last year following an injury spell. “He’s just down on confidence,” Stuart explained. “We don’t need to make it too big a story internally, because for us, we’ve just got to look after a young player who is lacking a bit of confidence. The same thing happened to him last year when he came back from injury. He’ll get through it. Outside of him being a talented footballer, he’s a really good bloke so he’ll get through it because he’s got good people around him and we’ll take care of him.”

    Tamale’s move to reserve grade has opened up a spot in the starting line-up, forcing a positional reshuffle: Seb Kris will shift from centre to left wing, allowing Matt Timoko to return to the starting side at centre for the first time in 2024. Timoko lost his starting spot to Simi Sasagi earlier in the season after an injury-interrupted off-season kept him out of match practice, and his stint in reserve grade sparked widespread speculation that he could seek a move away from Canberra before his current contract expires.

    Stuart was quick to dismiss those rumours, saying Timoko has acted with the utmost professionalism throughout his spell out of the starting side and remains a key part of the Raiders’ long-term plans. The coach added that Timoko, one of the NRL’s most talented attacking centres, only needed more time in reserve grade to work on his defensive fundamentals, and that he has no intention of leaving the club.

    “Matty has been amazing how he’s sat back and just kept working hard because he knows how well Simi has been playing,” Stuart said. “Even Matty said to me two weeks ago when I sat down and had a chat with him, ‘Mate, it’s hard at the moment because we’ve got Simi playing so well’, and he was fine with it and totally got it. He went back and kept working hard on his football and now he’s back in the team. He’s a club person so I know he’s excited and he’s ready to play. He’s here next year. That happens at any club when a first-grader comes back from injury and isn’t playing first grade or is put back to Cup to fix his game. All of a sudden there’s innuendo about the player being disgruntled or wants out. Matty’s not disgruntled and he doesn’t want out, and he hasn’t come and seen me. I’ve had good conversations with his manager so everything is OK from our point of view.”

    Friday’s match between the 2-win Raiders and 2-win Storm shapes as a critical turning point for both sides, who are desperate to reverse their poor early-season form and climb up the NRL ladder.

  • ‘Embarrassing’: Inmate at NSW prison accidentally set free after administrative blunder, massive search ensues

    ‘Embarrassing’: Inmate at NSW prison accidentally set free after administrative blunder, massive search ensues

    A wide-scale search operation is currently active across New South Wales, Australia after a serious administrative mistake at a state prison led to a convicted inmate being set free by accident just hours after he was sentenced to jail.

    Thirty-five-year-old Kyle Quayle, who was handed a 12-month prison sentence for convictions on assault and theft charges, was incorrectly released from Clarence Correctional Centre this Tuesday. The error occurred on the very same day that his sentence was handed down. Law enforcement officials say Quayle is believed to be currently operating within the Newcastle region, and have released a public description of the inmate to aid in tracking him: he stands 180 centimeters tall, has a medium build, black hair, brown eyes, and a typically unshaven face, with an Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance.

    Senior state officials have publicly acknowledged the serious misstep, with New South Wales Premier Chris Minns labeling the incident deeply embarrassing for the state’s correctional system. In comments to reporters, Minns apologized for the error, noting that with modern biometric and identification technology available in 2026, such a mistake should never have occurred. “I’m sorry it happened, really – it is embarrassing,” Minns said. “In 2026, with the biometric and identification tools available, it shouldn’t happen. I want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

    Local law enforcement has expanded the scope of the search beyond Newcastle to include the distant town of Taree, roughly two hours’ drive north of the initial search area. Newcastle District Police Superintendent Lisa Jones told local media that the investigation is relying on public support to locate Quayle quickly. “We just need the community to be our eyes and ears,” Jones told ABC Radio Newcastle. She issued a clear public warning: anyone who believes they have spotted Quayle should not approach him, and instead contact emergency service providers immediately.

    Red-faced state correctional authorities have issued an official public appeal for tips on the inmate’s location, and have directed any member of the public with information to contact Crime Stoppers on the dedicated hotline 1800 333 000.

  • Sri Lankan buyer paid $286 for barrel of oil, as actual prices diverge from markets

    Sri Lankan buyer paid $286 for barrel of oil, as actual prices diverge from markets

    Speaking at a Hong Kong investment forum on Tuesday, HSBC Group CEO Georges Elhedery drew attention to a stark gap between widely cited Western oil benchmark prices and the exorbitant actual costs that Asian buyers are currently facing, triggered by escalating geopolitical tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran.

    Against a backdrop of intensifying conflict in the Middle East, global headline oil prices have already climbed above $100 per barrel, but Elhedery warned these public figures do not capture the full extent of the market disruption.

    “What worries me is not the headlines. I mean, oil headline is above $100, $110,” Elhedery stated in comments recorded by Bloomberg and obtained by independent news outlet Sherwood. “Realistically, if you are now trying to get oil from the Middle East, you may be paying $140, $150.”

    The most extreme recorded case he cited saw a single barrel of oil reach $286 for buyers in Sri Lanka, a small South Asian island nation heavily dependent on imported Middle Eastern energy supplies.

    Current benchmark prices paint a far rosier picture than on-ground market conditions. As of this week, U.S.-based West Texas Intermediate trades around $91 per barrel, while the global benchmark Brent hovers near $95. The Omani benchmark, which is most closely aligned to Asian trade flows, sits around $100 per barrel – still less than two-thirds of the $150 price tag Elhedery says most Asian importers now pay.

    The root of this gap lies in rapidly tightening energy supplies driven by geopolitical escalation. Iran has taken control of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass, halting most oil exports from Gulf nations. In response, the U.S. has implemented its own full blockade of Iranian oil exports this week, further squeezing available supply. Oil shipments through the strait have slowed to a fraction of normal volumes, leaving importers scrambling to secure alternative cargoes.

    While Saudi Arabia has stepped in as the region’s largest remaining exporter, moving roughly five million barrels of crude daily through its Red Sea port of Yanbu, this shift has brought new layers of cost that are not reflected in standard benchmark pricing. Shipping costs for cargo pulled from the Red Sea now run between $30 and $40 per barrel, a massive jump from pre-crisis levels. Meanwhile, insurance premiums have exploded: what previously cost importers 25 basis points of the cargo value now hits 5 percent, and most underwriters have pulled all war risk coverage entirely, leaving buyers to shoulder that risk at the elevated 5 percent rate.

    Geopolitical risks have continued to escalate in the days following Elhedery’s remarks. Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen have already disrupted traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another key Red Sea chokepoint, via repeated attacks on international commercial shipping. On Wednesday, a senior Iranian military commander issued a new threat to shut down all shipping across the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman unless the U.S. withdraws its blockade on Iranian oil exports. “Iran’s powerful armed forces will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, or the Red Sea,” stated Major General Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s military joint command.

    This report was originally published by Middle East Eye, an independent outlet focused on coverage of the Middle East, North Africa and global affairs connected to the region.

  • Fresh Russian barrage kills 14 in Ukraine

    Fresh Russian barrage kills 14 in Ukraine

    In a sharp escalation of hostilities following a widely violated 32-hour Orthodox Easter truce, overnight missile and drone barrages launched by Russia against multiple Ukrainian cities have killed at least 14 people — including a 12-year-old child — and left dozens more wounded, Ukrainian officials confirmed Thursday. Simultaneously, Ukrainian counter-strikes on Russian territory claimed the lives of two young children, according to Russian regional authorities, marking another bloody chapter in the four-year ongoing conflict.

    The deadliest of Thursday’s reported attacks hit the southern Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa, where seven people lost their lives in the barrage, regional military administration head Sergiy Lysak announced via his Telegram channel. In Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, the strikes left four people dead, including the 12-year-old boy, and injured at least 45 more — a group that includes several frontline medical workers, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko shared in a public update.

    Images and damage assessments shared by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service paint a grim picture of the destruction across the capital: residential and commercial structures were set ablaze, vehicle parks were reduced to charred wrecks, building windows were shattered across multiple neighborhoods, and several prominent hotel buildings suffered significant external damage. In Kyiv’s Podilsky district, one attack leveled part of an 18-story residential apartment block after a drone struck the building directly; emergency responders managed to pull one surviving child from the rubble of the collapsed structure, Klitschko added.

    Further casualties were recorded in central Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, where three people were killed in the strikes, regional administration head Oleksandr Ganzha confirmed. A separate attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s largest northeastern city, left two elderly residents wounded, regional military administration head Oleg Synegubov said.

    The Russian strikes triggered a city-wide missile air raid alert across Kyiv, with capital military administration chief Tymur Tkachenko urging all residents to remain in secured shelter facilities until the threat was formally cleared.

    On the Russian side of the border, two children — ages 5 and 14 — were killed in what regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev described as a terrorist drone attack on residential buildings in Tuapse, located in southern Russia’s Krasnodar Krai region. Kondratyev shared the news of the children’s deaths via his own Telegram channel Thursday morning.

    The fresh wave of violence comes just days after the 32-hour unilateral Orthodox Easter truce, declared by Russia earlier in the week, ended amid mutual accusations of widespread violations from both Moscow and Kyiv. For months, Russia has launched near-daily drone and missile strikes across Ukrainian territory, while Ukrainian forces have regularly carried out retaliatory strikes on targets inside Russian borders, a tit-for-tat pattern that has continued to drive civilian casualties on both sides.

  • Threat of grounded planes nears as jet fuel supplies dwindle

    Threat of grounded planes nears as jet fuel supplies dwindle

    The global aviation industry is facing growing uncertainty over imminent flight disruptions, as a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues to erode jet fuel supplies across key markets in Asia and Europe. Since the closure of the critical chokepoint on February 28 following the start of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, nearly 20% of the world’s daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments – the core input for jet fuel production – have been cut off from global markets, raising urgent alarms about looming shortages.

  • ‘Failure’: Pregnant prisoner denied medical termination

    ‘Failure’: Pregnant prisoner denied medical termination

    A systemic gap in gender-equitable healthcare for incarcerated women has been brought to public attention after a pregnant inmate at Adelaide Women’s Prison (AWP) in South Australia was denied a requested medical termination of pregnancy, due entirely to the facility’s lack of funding for 24-hour on-site medical care.

    The unnamed inmate filed a formal complaint with South Australia’s Ombudsman after prison staff rejected her request for a medication abortion once her pregnancy was confirmed. According to investigation findings, the denial stemmed from AWP’s inability to cover the cost of overnight nurse monitoring required for the procedure, a service the facility does not currently receive funding to provide.

    After a full review, Ombudsman Emily Strickland upheld the inmate’s complaint, labeling the refusal of care a clear failure to uphold fundamental human rights. “Access to safe termination of pregnancy is a universally recognised human right,” Strickland stated in her final report. She went on to outline multiple accessible alternatives that prison and health administrators never presented to the inmate, including transferring her to the nearby Yatala Labour Prison – a male facility that operates with full 24-hour medical monitoring capacity – arranging admission to a public hospital, or offering the procedure with clear informed consent that overnight monitoring would not be available on-site.

    Strickland’s investigation concluded that the failure to explore these existing options and allow the inmate to make an informed decision about her own body constituted an administrative error. The report also highlighted the broader structural inequality at the heart of the incident: women incarcerated at AWP face inherent disadvantage when it comes to care for gender-specific, sensitive health needs, because the facility lacks basic overnight medical services that are available at the state’s male prison.

    Following the release of the Ombudsman’s findings, Paul Furst, prison health executive for Central Adelaide Local Health Network, issued a formal apology to the wronged inmate. Furst acknowledged to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that medical terminations in correctional facilities often require overnight nurse monitoring that is not consistently available at AWP, and confirmed that the health network would implement a new formal policy to explicitly protect and support women’s reproductive choice around termination options.

    South Australia’s Health Minister Blair Boyer also weighed in on the case, describing the original denial of care as “not acceptable.” As of this report, no further details have been released about the current status of the inmate’s pregnancy, though surgical abortion services remain accessible to incarcerated people across the state’s correctional system.

  • Ukraine’s army evolves under fire, with new units challenging Soviet legacy

    Ukraine’s army evolves under fire, with new units challenging Soviet legacy

    In the chaotic opening weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a Ukrainian agricultural tycoon gathered 30 volunteers to form a small self-defense unit. He had no guarantee he would survive to see the group’s future, let alone watch it grow into one of Ukraine’s most capable and innovative fighting forces. Today, that small contingent has expanded into the 40,000-strong Khartiia Corps, a core component of Ukraine’s official defense structure that is leading a quiet revolution in the country’s military, breaking from decades of rigid Soviet-era doctrine.

    Vsevolod Kozhemyako, founder of the unit and now a senior adviser to the corps’ commander, framed the group’s mission around a core truth for Ukraine: the nation’s ultimate security guarantee lies in building a modern, effective army of its own. “Ukraine needs to have an effective modern army. And this is our number one guarantee of the country’s security,” Kozhemyako said. “We have kids, we have grandkids, and we will stay on this territory. The future of this country depends on us.”

    Khartiia’s rapid rise comes as Ukraine navigates stalled peace talks, shifting global attention away from the conflict to other global hotspots, and a decades-long struggle to shed Soviet military traditions that have plagued its forces for years. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited a massive military arsenal and force structure, but decades of underinvestment, corruption, and unaddressed institutional weakness were laid bare in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and launched its full-scale invasion of the Donbas. That shock sparked the first wave of volunteer mobilization and long-delayed military reforms, changes that helped Ukraine fend off Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. But as the war dragged into its third year, old flaws reemerged: rigid top-down command, crippling bureaucracy, and a culture that punishes bad news rather than encouraging honest problem-solving, all with tangible costs on the front line.

    From its founding, Kozhemyako said Khartiia was built to reject that outdated model. As a service member who had fought since 2014, he knew first-hand the shortcomings of Ukraine’s post-Soviet force structure, and many of his earliest volunteers were veterans who refused to serve in traditional army units, but were eager to defend their country. Many of those early recruits came from civilian business backgrounds, bringing with them a mindset focused on initiative, adaptability, and results rather than rigid formalities.

    The corps built its doctrine from the ground up, adapting U.S. Army planning frameworks to Ukraine’s battlefield realities. It integrated Western protocols including Troop Leading Procedures (TLP) and After Action Reviews (AAR), refining the systems through in-house expertise rather than forcing rigid adherence to external models. TLP empowers lower-level units to plan operations far faster than traditional top-down structures, a critical advantage for seizing fleeting tactical opportunities on dynamic front lines. AAR requires troops to systematically debrief every mission, identifying what went wrong, why, and how to improve — a practice the corps has applied with particular rigor to its rapidly evolving drone and robotics program.

    Khartiia’s pioneering work with battlefield technology has even drawn international attention from U.S. military leaders. In an article published in Military Review, the U.S. Army’s official professional journal, Major General Curtis Taylor highlighted Khartiia’s December 2024 drone assault on Russian positions near Kharkiv as a milestone: the first fully robotic offensive against enemy positions in modern warfare. For the U.S. Army, Taylor argued, the operation is a critical wake-up call to rethink how traditional armored formations must adapt to survive on future battlefields.

    Today, robotics and autonomous systems are a routine part of Khartiia’s daily operations, used for everything from front-line supply deliveries to casualty evacuation. One 23-year-old platoon commander, who transferred to the corps from a traditional army unit and spoke on condition of anonymity per Ukrainian military rules, said he was immediately struck by how little emphasis the unit placed on unnecessary rigid formalities that had defined his previous posting — from strict, combat-irrelevant dress codes to repetitive administrative busywork.

    “People understand why we are here, and they don’t overload us with unnecessary tasks,” he said, noting he had just patrolled his position in a pair of soft blue house slippers. He also pointed to a starkly different command culture: unlike traditional units, where a rigid hierarchy and fear of punishment discouraged honest communication between junior troops and senior officers, Khartiia’s structure is built on mutual trust.

    “When officers look at you from above, like in rear units, they become almost like enemies to you,” he said. “In Khartiia, relationships are different. When you go on a mission, you trust the people giving you orders.”

    That cultural and doctrinal shift has delivered tangible battlefield results. In December 2025, Khartiia led a major counteroffensive in the Kupiansk direction, liberating multiple villages north of the city and pushing Russian forces back to the Oskil River. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War noted that seizing control of Kupiansk had been a top Russian priority since mid-2025, and after months of sustained assaults, Russian forces had failed to secure any significant gains in the sector. The think tank assessed that the operation proved Ukraine’s military remains fully capable of pulling off successful counterattacks and securing tactically important gains, particularly when Russian forces are overstretched across multiple front sectors. Like military forces on both sides of the conflict, Khartiia does not disclose public casualty figures, and has not suffered any major operational setbacks to date.

    Beyond its battlefield successes, Khartiia has also revolutionized how Ukrainian military units handle recruitment, outreach, and internal management. Operating largely on independent recruitment and private fundraising, the corps built a professional human resources system and a strong public brand, leveraging YouTube and social media, partnering with public figures, and simplifying online donations to expand its support base. A senior Ukrainian Ground Forces officer noted that the Third Army Corps and Khartiia were the first Ukrainian units to build distinct public brands, a model that other formations are now actively studying as the entire army faces ongoing pressure to recruit new troops.

    “The approaches that work in the commercial sphere translate perfectly here — only you are competing not for profit, but for people, equipment and attention of the volunteers,” the officer said.

    Inside one of Khartiia’s underground frontline command posts near Kharkiv, the unit’s philosophy is on full display: large screens stacked wall-to-wall display real-time reconnaissance footage from the front, overseen by a former bodybuilding coach who rose through the ranks from ordinary soldier to senior commander, dressed in a Khartiia hoodie with an energy drink at his keyboard. The command post feels more like a high-tech gaming facility than a traditional military headquarters, a reflection of the corps’ informal, results-first culture.

    “One of our secrets is that we don’t spare people during training — we train them constantly,” the commander said. “But during combat, it’s the opposite. People come first. We don’t save drones or equipment at the expense of our people.”

    Khartiia is now working to spread its model across Ukraine’s military, forging formal partnerships with other reform-minded formations. Most recently, Khartiia and the Third Army Corps, another leading new-wave formation, launched a joint training initiative to share resources, tactics, and expertise to standardize their modern fighting approach across units. For the two corps’ commanders, who are adjacent on the front line, the initiative grew from a shared practical observation: the biggest gap across Ukraine’s wider military is the urgent need to overhaul outdated basic combat training for troops, non-commissioned officers, and junior commanders.

    Khartiia commander Ihor Obolienskyi estimates that roughly 300,000 Ukrainian troops are deployed along the entire front line, with Khartiia and the Third Army Corps accounting for around 80,000 of that total — a large enough force to drive meaningful institutional change, even within a military system that remains inherently resistant to rapid overhaul. Commanders from other traditional army units have already reached out to study Khartiia’s model, a sign of growing demand for reform across the force. Still, it remains unclear whether Ukraine’s senior military command will be willing to fully abandon the Soviet legacy that has shaped the force for decades.

    Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the Third Army Corps, said during a joint briefing with Khartiia that the goal of the initiative is simple: to deliver a proven, tested reform tool to Ukraine’s General Staff. “Whether they accept it or not — that is their decision,” Biletskyi said.

  • A dispatch from inside the Vatican bubble during a remarkable exchange between pope and president

    A dispatch from inside the Vatican bubble during a remarkable exchange between pope and president

    Traveling with the Vatican press pool while covering Pope Leo XIV comes with a unique, almost secluded experience. Chaperoned between stops by police motorcades that cut through even the gridlock of the busiest urban centers, this exclusive press access offers no shortage of perks for working journalists. But during Leo XIV’s landmark four-nation tour of Africa, life inside the carefully managed Vatican “bubble” has taken on a surreal edge, as an unprecedented public exchange of words plays out across continents between the first American pope in history and U.S. President Donald Trump.

    Every morning of this tour, the roughly 70 accredited reporters traveling with the papal delegation wake to new overnight developments out of Washington, and one set of questions hangs over the entire press corps: Will Pope Leo engage directly with the latest attacks? How, if at all, will he address Trump’s criticism while staying focused on the pre-planned pastoral and diplomatic agenda he set for his African trip?

    That dynamic was on full display Wednesday, when the pontiff, his Vatican entourage and the traveling press pool boarded an ITA Airways charter for the second leg of Leo’s 11-day journey: a flight from Algiers, Algeria bound for Yaounde, Cameroon.

    Early in the trip, the pope had already delighted reporters by confronting Trump head-on. Shortly after departing Rome for Algiers on April 13, Leo stopped to answer press questions about a Truth Social post Trump had published the day prior, in which the U.S. president accused the pontiff of being soft on crime, aligned with progressive U.S. political factions, and even claimed Leo owed his election as pope to his own administration’s influence.

    Trump’s original criticism came in response to comments Leo made regarding the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran, where the pope had called for urgent peace and labeled Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization “truly unacceptable.” Aboard that first flight, the pope told reporters his calls for peace and rejection of war were nothing more than a straightforward articulation of Gospel values, and that he held no fear of the Trump administration.

    On Wednesday, however, Leo chose not to take new questions from reporters, and directed his brief on-plane remarks to his just-concluded visit to Algeria — the first papal visit to the North African nation in history — where he honored the legacy of St. Augustine of Hippo, his own reported spiritual inspiration. While he made no explicit mention of the Iran conflict or Trump’s latest attacks, his choice to deliver the entire address in English, a break from his usual multilingual remarks on the trip, left little doubt that the overnight broadsides from Washington had not gone unheard. In the hours leading up to the flight, Trump had renewed his criticism on Truth Social, while U.S. Vice President JD Vance — a convert to Catholicism — publicly warned the pope to “be careful” when discussing theological matters.

    In his remarks, Leo highlighted the “goodness,” “generosity,” and “respect” extended by the Algerian government during his visit, noting the honor of a full military aerial escort that accompanied the papal plane through Algerian airspace. He also reflected on his historic stop at Algiers’ Great Mosque, framing the visit as a powerful demonstration that even with differing religious beliefs, worship practices and ways of life, diverse communities can coexist peacefully. He added that St. Augustine’s core message — of seeking God and truth, building cross-community bridges, and working toward unity — is a lesson the modern world desperately needs to hear, and one the apostolic trip would continue to lift up through his papal witness.

    Beyond the high-profile transatlantic tension, the papal traveling press pool operates by its own set of rules. Like other heads of state, the pope travels internationally with both an in-house Vatican media team and a cohort of reporters from external global news organizations, which pay substantial fees to secure a spot on the papal plane and gain exclusive access to the pontiff’s events.

    Life inside the Vatican bubble carries clear journalistic tradeoffs. On one hand, reporters get unrivaled access to the pope and his delegation, travel under the protection of the Vatican’s robust security apparatus, and face none of the logistical hurdles that come with independent international reporting: the Vatican handles advance visa processing, secures local SIM cards, arranges accommodation and ground transportation, freeing journalists to focus on reporting rather than planning. Reporters also receive advance copies of the pope’s speeches, occasional off-the-record access to senior Vatican officials, and real-time updates from the Vatican spokesman.

    For most news organizations, however, the primary draw of investing thousands of dollars per reporter for a single papal trip is the chance to be present for impromptu on-board press briefings, the only setting where popes regularly take unscripted questions from reporters while cruising at 35,000 feet. One of the most iconic papal quotes of modern history came from exactly this setting: Pope Francis’ famous “Who am I to judge” remark, made during his 2013 maiden papal trip to Rio de Janeiro when asked about a reportedly gay priest.

    The downside of the bubble, however, stems from the same perks that make it appealing: it deliberately separates reporters from the on-the-ground reality of the countries the pope visits, whether that’s Algeria or any other nation, leaving little time for the independent grassroots reporting that creates balanced, nuanced news coverage. Large news organizations with sufficient resources often offset this gap by deploying separate reporting teams on the ground to produce local context, or allow bubble-based reporters to break away for independent trips, resulting in a mix of official Vatican access and on-the-ground insight.

    But when the biggest breaking news involving the pope is unfolding thousands of miles away, across multiple time zones, life inside the bubble becomes a distinctly jarring experience. The story every news outlet is chasing is not always the formal pastoral agenda the pope has laid out for the trip. Even so, for a historic trip that marks the first visit by an American pope to Africa, the bubble has offered unrivaled front-row access to a moment that will shape both Vatican-U.S. relations and the pope’s global legacy.

    This reporting on religion from the Associated Press is supported through a collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP retains full editorial responsibility for all content.

  • ‘I understand it’: Controversial disrupter rule receives rare support from NRL star

    ‘I understand it’: Controversial disrupter rule receives rare support from NRL star

    The National Rugby League’s polarizing disrupter rule has sparked weeks of fierce backlash after a string of widely criticized officiating calls — but one of the code’s most respected star players has broken with popular opinion to offer rare public support for the controversial regulation.

    Sydney Roosters skipper James Tedesco has stepped forward to defend the rule, just days after the NRL publicly admitted officials misapplied it during a high-stakes weekend clash between his side and the Cronulla Sharks, a mistake that cost the Roosters a guaranteed try. The incorrect call came when match officials ruled Roosters forward Robert Toia had illegally disrupted Sharks winger Sam Stonestreet as Stonestreet attempted to catch a high kick, adjudging Toia’s contact enough to invalidate what would have been a Roosters try. Post-match review confirmed the contact was minimal and the ruling wrong, yet the NRL has confirmed it has no plans to scrap the rule despite growing outcry from fans, coaches and players.

    Luckily for the Roosters, the officiating error did not shift the final result: the Sharks scored a try of their own just a minute after the disallowed Roosters four-pointer, but Trent Robinson’s side held on to secure the win. Speaking at a promotional event for Greyhound National Adoption Day on Thursday, Tedesco said he believed the core purpose of the rule — which is designed to protect players jumping to catch high kicks — is sound, and that most confusion stems from inconsistent application rather than a flaw in the rule itself.

    “I think I understand it,” Tedesco said alongside Parramatta Eels star Mitch Moses at the launch event. “I thought there was nothing wrong with that challenge on the weekend but they thought it was, and now they’ve said they got it wrong. So as long as it’s clear going forward and consistent with the calls, then I’ll be happy.”

    Tedesco went on to break down his reading of the rule, explaining that it properly targets dangerous, unawares contact rather than fair contests between two players both focused on the ball. “The main thing it brought in was to protect the catcher. If there’s contact before the ball is coming down and (the offender) weren’t looking at the ball, then that’s a penalty, that’s a disrupter. Whereas two guys looking at the ball competing for the ball is always going to be contact.”

    The Roosters fullback added that the rule does not change his own approach to aerial contests, noting that he keeps his eyes on the ball on both attack and defense, a habit that aligns with the rule’s core intent. “Let’s hope there’s consistency going forward and it’s all cleared up, because you don’t want them coming out after the game saying that was wrong and it costs us a try,” he said.

    Off the field, Tedesco also shared his thoughts on this weekend’s upcoming clash, where the third-placed Roosters will host the resurgent Newcastle Knights at Allianz Stadium on Sunday. The Knights have been one of the NRL’s biggest surprise packages in the 2026 season, transforming from having the league’s worst attack in 2025 to a top-performing offensive unit under new head coach Justin Holbrook — a man who served as an assistant coach at the Roosters over the past two years before taking the Knights top job.

    Holbrook’s return to a head coaching role comes three years after he was sacked by the Gold Coast Titans in 2023, and Tedesco said he is thrilled to see his former mentor finding success in his new role. “We’ve had chats over the years, obviously it was pretty difficult for him going in there (to the Titans) and the sort of situation he was in. So I definitely felt bad for him in that way,” Tedesco said. “I was very happy for him that he landed with us (as an assistant). He’s a very high energy guy, very positive, and definitely brought out some of my best attacking footy as well. So I’m very happy for him to get another chance up there and to see them doing really well even with injuries to key players.”

    Despite his personal respect for Holbrook, Tedesco made clear that any goodwill will be put aside when the two sides run out on Sunday. “But there’ll be no feelings from playing on the weekend, we really want to go after a win and if that’s going to affect Justo, then that’s just how it is.”

  • Iran participating in World Cup, FIFA president confirms

    Iran participating in World Cup, FIFA president confirms

    FIFA President Gianni Infantino has issued a definitive confirmation that Iran will compete in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, pushing back against growing speculation that the nation’s participation would be derailed by ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East. Speaking Wednesday at an economic conference hosted by business broadcaster CNBC in Washington D.C., Infantino left no room for ambiguity about Iran’s spot in the global tournament. “Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help,” Infantino told attendees.

    In justifying the governing body’s position, Infantino emphasized that national teams represent their civilian populations rather than political leadership, noting that the Iranian squad earned their qualification through standard tournament pathways and that the players themselves have expressed overwhelming desire to compete. This stance marks a repetition of commitments Infantino made back in March, when he appeared in person at an Iran-Costa Rica friendly match held in Antalya, Turkey. That appearance came even after former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly questioned whether Iranian athletes would be able to compete safely on U.S. soil during the tournament.

    The 2026 World Cup, a historic edition as the first to expand to 48 participating teams, is co-hosted by three North American nations: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Iran was drawn into Group G, with all three of its scheduled group-stage matches set to take place across U.S. venues — two contests in Los Angeles, one in Seattle — with the team planning to base its training camp in Tucson, Arizona. Iran’s participation has faced uncertainty since large-scale conflict broke out across the Middle East involving the U.S., Israel and Iran in late February.

    Initially, Iranian officials raised the possibility of a full boycott of the tournament, before formally requesting FIFA relocate its U.S.-hosted matches to Mexico, a petition that global soccer’s governing body rejected outright. After weeks of cross-border air strikes and Iranian retaliatory attacks targeting Israel and regional partners, a fragile ceasefire took effect on April 8. Tensions remain high, however: Tehran has restricted access to the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, and since Monday the U.S. has enforced a full naval blockade on all vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports.

    Sticking to FIFA’s long-standing position that sport should remain separate from political tensions, Infantino reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to using soccer as a unifying force. “If there’s nobody else that believes in building bridges and keeping them intact and together, we are doing the job,” he said. The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to kick off on June 11, bringing 48 teams together across 16 host cities in the three co-host nations.