Global Pulse

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大洋洲

  • Father and daughter battle storms and health scare as they sail around the world

    Father and daughter battle storms and health scare as they sail around the world

    What began as a long-held sailing dream for a veteran Australian captain has become the ultimate test of father-daughter bonding: a 15-month round-the-world voyage that has pushed both 59-year-old Rob Donald and his 19-year-old daughter Freya to their limits, with countless challenges and once-in-a-lifetime memories along the way. The pair departed from New South Wales, Australia, back in March 2025, with a final destination of Norway, and recently reached Penzance, Cornwall, where they paused to rest before kicking off the last leg of their epic journey.

    The voyage centers on Misha, a 9.8-meter all-wood yacht crafted by a renowned Dutch shipbuilder in 1937. Rob purchased the vintage vessel in France back in 1989, and after sailing it to Australia and making a return trip to France, he developed a decades-long dream: to sail Misha back to the Netherlands to prove the decades-old craft was still seaworthy. When his wife Hanne declined to join the expedition, Freya, who was just 18 at the time, stepped up to take her place. Many skeptics predicted the teenager would abandon the trip within a week, but 15 months later, the pair has logged an impressive 18,000 nautical miles across the world’s oceans.

    For Freya, the life aboard the small cramped yacht took some getting used to. She passed long days at sea crocheting hats, downloading movies, and adjusting to the isolation of open water. “It was really really weird for starters but I got used to it pretty quickly,” she shared, admitting there were points when she grew tired of the confined routine. But even through the hard days, she says she would never trade the experience. The 24-day rough crossing of the Indian Ocean ended with a stop in Madagascar, a trip that checked a top bucket-list item off her list: relaxing alongside wild lemurs in one of the world’s most biodiverse countries.

    The journey has been marked by far greater challenges than rough seas and cramped quarters. Along their route, which took them from Sydney to Darwin, Bali, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa and around the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Town, Rob received a devastating diagnosis: prostate cancer. He flew back to Australia for treatment, and became one of the first patients in the country to undergo single-port robotic surgery. Just weeks after the procedure, Rob insisted on returning to his yacht to finish the voyage, unwilling to miss the critical weather window that would allow them to sail from Cape Town to St. Helena. His surgeon cleared him to return to sea, and the pair resumed their journey.

    Even routine activities brought unexpected drama. To supplement their stores, the Donalds tow a fishing line behind Misha, and on one occasion they caught a yellowfin tuna — only for a tiger shark to seize half of their catch mid-pull. “For the next week we just had tuna every day, it was a bit like Forrest Gump and the shrimp, we had curried tuna, fried tuna, battered tuna, beer-battered tuna, raw tuna,” Rob laughed. To maintain their close bond through months of close quarters, the pair have prioritized respecting each other’s boundaries: separate bunks, personal space, and giving each other time to pursue their own hobbies, a system that has let them finish the voyage still as close as ever.

    After docking in Penzance, Freya immediately caught a train to London to reunite with her best friend — the bright lights and busy energy of a major city are what she missed most during months at sea, and the chance to socialize with people her own age was a long-awaited joy. While Freya explores London, Rob has been catching up with old friends in Cornwall. Soon, Freya will rejoin the trip in Falmouth, where Hanne will fly in to celebrate Rob’s upcoming 60th birthday. After the celebration, the intrepid pair will set sail once more, first for the Netherlands to fulfill Rob’s decades-old dream, then on to their final destination of Norway.

  • Labor lashes Pauline Hanson over One Nation housing policy confusion

    Labor lashes Pauline Hanson over One Nation housing policy confusion

    Australia’s political landscape has erupted in fresh criticism of One Nation after internal contradictions and public confusion gutted the right-wing populist party’s controversial new housing policy, which targets foreign-owned property across the country. Two key figures from both the ruling Labor Party and opposition Liberal-National Coalition have united in condemnation, calling the proposal unworkable and highlighting the deep disarray within One Nations’s policy drafting process.

    Amanda Rishworth, Australia’s Employment Minister and senior Labor Party MP, laid out the governing party’s criticism in an interview with Sky News on Sunday. She argued that One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s flagship proposal — which would require foreign owners of Australian residential property to sell their holdings within a fixed period, or face government repossession — is fundamentally unworkable, and even One Nation’s own parliamentary representatives cannot answer basic questions about how the policy would operate.

    The policy’s rollout last week was plagued by immediate confusion. Senior crossbencher Barnaby Joyce initially told reporters the mandate would extend to permanent residents of Australia holding property, only to reverse his position just hours later, clarifying that permanent residents would be exempt from the forced sale rule. Rishworth pointed to this back-and-forth as proof that One Nation lacks the discipline to craft viable policy, even on a high-priority issue like housing affordability.

    “If One Nation wants to be taken seriously as a political force, they’ve got to put in the work to develop coherent, actionable policy,” Rishworth said. “They correctly identify that housing affordability is a major problem for Australian people, but their proposed solution is total chaos. They keep pulling half-baked ideas together on the fly that simply will never work. That’s the core issue with One Nation: I understand why voters disillusioned with the major parties are looking for alternatives, but they don’t actually have real, workable solutions to the problems they highlight.”

    Rishworth acknowledged widespread voter discontent with the center-right Liberal Party that has driven disaffected supporters to One Nation, noting “pretty clear signs” of a shift, but declined to weigh in on the internal rivalry between the two parties. “On most key issues, the two are really just two sides of the same coin,” she added. She also called out One Nation for failing to release costing analysis for the housing policy and other signature proposals, saying the party has offered only excuses for the omission.

    For the opposition, Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson also labeled One Nation’s proposal shocking during his own Sky News appearance. Wilson argued that forcing law-abiding property owners — many of whom pay taxes and contribute to local Australian economies — to sell their homes and leave the country is a disturbing overreach that exposes One Nation’s true governing priorities.

    “It’s quite shocking that One Nation’s core agenda here is simply to evict people from their homes and expel them from the country,” Wilson said. “These are people acting in full compliance with Australian law, they’re local property owners contributing to our communities. This says something really distressing about what their objectives would be if they held government power. It’s a remarkably aggressive approach to people who are already here paying their taxes.”

    Wilson, however, defended the Coalition’s own controversial migration policy that would bar permanent residents from accessing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and other federal welfare programs, even though many permanent residents pay federal income and other taxes. He drew a clear distinction between the Coalition’s policy and One Nation’s proposal, noting that the Coalition’s welfare changes would be grandfathered for existing residents and would not include forced home sales or expulsion.

    “Our focus is on ensuring that people who come to Australia commit to the country and contribute to it,” Wilson explained. “We don’t believe it’s in the best interest of anyone — existing Australians or new migrants — for people to actively seek out welfare immediately upon arrival. This is a very different approach from what One Nation is proposing.”

    Confusion around One Nation’s policy persisted into the weekend, when One Nation Senator Sean Bell failed to clarify key outstanding details during a Sydney radio interview on 2GB. When pressed on whether the government would actually repossess properties if owners failed to sell within Hanson’s proposed two-year window, Bell evaded the question, only stating that it is “perfectly reasonable” to prioritize home ownership for Australian citizens. Interview host Mark Levy cut the conversation short after Bell failed to provide clear answers, saying the party needed to get its own story straight first.

  • Christmas Day lights up Epsom Derby as O’Brien makes more history

    Christmas Day lights up Epsom Derby as O’Brien makes more history

    In a landmark Saturday at Epsom Downs, legendary Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien etched his name deeper into horse racing history, becoming the first conditioner to claim four straight Epsom Derby titles after longshot entry Christmas Day claimed a comfortable victory in Britain’s most prestigious flat race.

    The 56-year-old trainer did not just notch another Derby win – he crossed a once-unthinkable threshold, securing his 50th victory in British Classic races, while extending his own all-time record for the most Epsom Derby titles to 12. Christmas Day, sent out at 7/1 odds as one of O’Brien’s four entries in the 14-horse field, was not the betting favorite going into the race. But jockey Ronan Whelan, in only his second season working with O’Brien’s stable, delivered a masterclass ride to guide the three-year-old colt to his first career Derby win.

    An unusual incident added an unexpected twist to the race after the finish. O’Brien’s pre-race favored entry Benvenuto Cellini, which crossed the finish line well down the rankings, was later officially declared a non-runner after stewards confirmed the horse had become caught in the starting stalls with one hind leg before the race got underway.

    Speaking after the win, O’Brien highlighted his colt’s steady improvement and endurance that made the victory possible. “We fancied his chances as he is improving all the time and stays,” he said. “Ronan gave him a beautiful ride. He is a tough hardy horse.” True to his longstanding habit, O’Brien deflected praise for the historic 50th Classic win onto the large team of stable staff back at his Irish base, saying: “It is unbelievable, but I am just a small part of a huge team.”

    For Whelan, who became the ninth different jockey to win a Derby under O’Brien’s training, the race felt almost effortless from the saddle. He credited fellow stable jockey Wayne Lordan, who rode O’Brien’s other entry Action, for setting a perfect early pace that let Christmas Day conserve energy down the hill to the finish. “It was so easy to be honest! I had Wayne there to do the fractions and he never gets it wrong from the front,” Whelan explained. “The horse loves the ground and it felt so effortless for him. I can’t thank everyone enough. It’s my second season (with O’Brien) and I’ve made friends for life down there. It hasn’t sunk in yet. When we were running down the hill and Wayne was smacking away, I knew I had loads left. I wish I was as cool a customer as the horse was!”

    Once Christmas Day moved to the front of the pack in the final finishing straight, no challenger ever seriously threatened his lead. Maltese Cross crossed the line in second place, while James J Braddock, trained by O’Brien’s son Joseph O’Brien, rounded out the top three. Remarkably, the Epsom win marked O’Brien’s second Derby title in just seven days: the week prior, he trained the first three finishers to claim victory in the French Derby, cementing his status as one of the greatest trainers in modern horse racing history.

  • Andreeva wins first Grand Slam title at French Open

    Andreeva wins first Grand Slam title at French Open

    Tennis history was made on the red clay of Roland Garros on Saturday, as 19-year-old Russian rising star Mirra Andreeva claimed her maiden Grand Slam crown with a dominant straight-sets victory over Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the women’s singles final. Finishing the clash 6-3, 6-2, Andreeva etched her name into the tournament’s record books as the youngest women’s singles champion at Roland Garros since then-18-year-old Monica Seles captured her third consecutive Paris title back in 1992.

    Beyond this milestone, Andreeva also made history as the first player of any gender born after 2005 to lift a Grand Slam singles trophy. This major win adds another prestigious accolade to Andreeva’s already impressive young career, which has seen her collect two WTA 1000 titles to date, and the iconic Coupe Suzanne Lenglen will now take pride of place in her growing trophy collection.

    Speaking to the crowd on centre court immediately after her victory, an emotional Andreeva shared that the win fulfilled a lifelong dream. “I’ve been watching Roland Garros on TV since I was very, very young, so it’s also a big dream of mine to win this tournament and I honestly cannot believe that I’m holding this trophy right now,” she said, before extending thanks to her support team, singling out her psychologist for special recognition. She also paid tribute to Chwalinska’s incredible run through the event: “Congrats to Maja for these amazing three weeks, passing through qualies, winning so many matches, beating so many great players.”

    For Chwalinska, ranked world No. 114 entering the tournament, the final defeat brought an end to a Cinderella run that already secured her place in tennis history. The Pole became the first qualifier ever to reach the women’s singles final of the French Open in the Open Era, after winning nine consecutive matches across qualifying and the main draw in Paris. While she fell short of the title, the run will catapult her rankings to No. 21, guaranteeing her direct entry and regular competition in all future Grand Slam tournaments.

    In her post-match remarks, Chwalinska graciously congratulated Andreeva on her win, joking: “Congrats to Mirra, you’re such an incredible player. You’re so young and talented, it’s so annoying. I wish (the spectators) could see a better match today, but Mirra was just too good for me, so I guess it’s her fault.” Adding of her breakthrough run, “I will definitely not forget these three weeks. Paris will stay forever in my heart.”

    The final got off to a tense start, with Chwalinska dropping two opening serves into the net on the very first point of the match. Blustery wind conditions on centre court amplified the pressure of the occasion for both players, who had never faced each other before, with the match opening with four consecutive breaks of serve. After the initial flurry of breaks, each player held serve once as they began to test one another’s strengths and weaknesses.

    Andreeva soon dug in and seized control of the set, showcasing greater consistency than her opponent to claim three straight games and build a 3-0 lead. Though Chwalinska briefly pulled back a game to cut the deficit, Andreeva held firm, showing impressive mental mettle for a player of her age to retain her advantage. She quickly closed in on the set, and though Chwalinska refused to surrender easily — holding serve to make it 5-1 before breaking Andreeva when she served for the set — the young Russian would not be denied. She closed out the set in the very next game, and carried her momentum through the second set to claim the historic win.

    When the winning backhand flew past Chwalinska, Andreeva collapsed to her knees in celebration, surpassing a milestone set by her own coach: former top player Conchita Martinez, who finished as Roland Garros runner-up in 2000. That 2000 final was won by Mary Pierce, who was in attendance for Saturday’s trophy ceremony — a detail Andreeva highlighted in a playful quip, saying “I don’t know if I should thank you, Mary, as you beat my coach here in the final. But I’m joking of course, thank you so much!”

  • Andreeva wins first Grand Slam title at French Open

    Andreeva wins first Grand Slam title at French Open

    In a historic display of teenage tennis talent at Roland Garros, 19-year-old Russian rising star Mirra Andreeva captured her maiden Grand Slam title on Saturday, outclassing Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in a straight-sets 6-3, 6-2 victory in the women’s singles final.

    Andreeva’s breakthrough win carries landmark significance beyond her first major crown. She becomes the youngest women’s singles champion at the French Open since 18-year-old Monica Seles claimed her third consecutive Paris title back in 1992, and also makes history as the first player of any gender born after 2005 to lift a Grand Slam trophy. The Coupe Suzanne Lenglen will now take pride of place in Andreeva’s fast-growing collection of silverware, which already includes two WTA 1000 titles earned earlier in her young career.

    For Chwalinska, the run to the final capped a truly astonishing underdog journey through the tournament. Starting her campaign in the qualifying draw, the world No. 114 won nine consecutive matches in Paris to become the first qualifier ever to reach the French Open women’s singles final in the Open era. While she fell just short of a fairy tale title, her remarkable run will catapult her to a career-high ranking of No. 21, guaranteeing her direct entry and regular competition in the sport’s biggest major events moving forward.

    The final unfolded with early tension amplified by blustery conditions on Philippe Chatrier Court, which threw off both players’ rhythm from the opening points. Chwalinska showed immediate nerves, dumping two opening serves into the net, and Andreeva survived a seven-minute opening game to secure the first break of serve. But the Pole responded instantly, breaking back when Andreeva overhit a backhand down the line after a prolonged rally of looping defensive exchanges.

    Blustery winds that sent spectators’ straw hats flying off the stands contributed to two more consecutive breaks, leaving both players still searching for their footing. Chwalinska was the first to settle, holding serve to love and winning over the Paris crowd with a spectacular display of shot variety: a deft drop shot drew Andreeva to the net, before she pulled off a perfectly weighted lob to take a 3-2 lead.

    But Andreeva showed the poise of a veteran far beyond her years. She fought through her first service hold of the match, closing the game out with a blistering winner up the line followed by an unreturnable ace. From that point, the 19-year-old seized control of the match. She pounced on a Chwalinska service game heavily disrupted by the wind to re-take the lead, held comfortably, then broke the Pole once more with a clinical crosscourt backhand winner to close out the first set.

    Andreeva carried her momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early lead as Chwalinska’s error count climbed. Though the Polish underdog pulled one break back to briefly threaten a comeback, Andreeva displayed immense mental toughness to hold serve and move ahead 3-0, putting Chwalinska firmly on the back foot. Andreeva won the next two games to move within one game of the title, but Chwalinska refused to capitulate, holding serve to make it 5-1 and breaking Andreeva when the teen served for the championship.

    That small comeback was not enough to derail Andreeva’s historic run. She broke straight back in the next game, sealing the title with a decisive backhand winner before collapsing to her knees in celebration. The win also sees her surpass the achievement of her own coach, Conchita Martinez, who finished as Roland Garros runner-up back in 2000. The victory lifts Andreeva to a new career-high ranking of world No. 6, announcing her as one of the leading new forces in women’s tennis.

  • Israeli strike kills three Lebanese soldiers

    Israeli strike kills three Lebanese soldiers

    Just days after Lebanese and Israeli negotiators announced a new conditional ceasefire during US-mediated talks in Washington, an Israeli airstrike on a military vehicle in southern Lebanon has left three Lebanese army personnel dead, throwing already fragile diplomatic efforts into further doubt, Lebanon’s military confirmed Saturday.

    The deadly incident marks the latest breakdown in a months-long conflict that began when Tehran-aligned armed group Hezbollah launched missile attacks against Israel in March, dragging Lebanon into the broader ongoing Middle East war. In response, Israel launched a cross-border ground and air operation aimed at eliminating Hezbollah’s presence in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s government has committed to eventually disarming Hezbollah, but has strongly condemned Israel’s incursion, accusing Israeli forces of using scorched-earth tactics to force civilian populations to flee southern Lebanese communities.

    According to the Lebanese military statement, the attack killed two officers and one enlisted soldier when their vehicle was hit on the highway linking the towns of Khardali and Nabatieh. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) responded to the incident by saying the targeted vehicle had been moving in a suspicious manner within an active combat zone, an area where the IDF had already ordered civilian evacuations ahead of military operations. The IDF emphasized that its campaign targets only Hezbollah, which it designates a terrorist organization, not official Lebanese state military forces, and confirmed that it is conducting an internal review of the strike.

    Hezbollah has condemned the attack as a “heinous crime”, and lashed out at the Lebanese government, accusing it of exposing the nation to bloodshed through what it called “complete surrender to the enemy’s demands” reached during the Washington talks.

    This latest violence comes amid a long history of unfulfilled ceasefire agreements between the two sides. A previous truce between Israel and Hezbollah was meant to enter into force on April 17, but it was never fully implemented, with both sides routinely accusing one another of violations and justifying their own attacks as responses to the opposing side’s breaches of the truce terms.

    The new conditional truce announced by envoys this week would require Hezbollah to cease all cross-border fire, withdraw its fighters from areas near the Israeli-Lebanese border, and allow the Lebanese army to deploy to new “pilot zones” in the region where it would exercise full security control. However, Hezbollah has already rejected the deal, demanding a complete withdrawal of all Israeli forces from what it considers Lebanese territory before any agreement can take hold.

    The Lebanese army issued a fierce condemnation of Saturday’s strike, saying that “the continuation of the deliberate and repeated brutal Israeli aggression… is aimed at thwarting all efforts to reach a solution”. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun joined in the denunciation, calling the attack a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty… despite Lebanon’s efforts in the Washington negotiations to put an end to the continued Israeli aggression that goes unchecked.”

    On the same day as the strike, Israel issued updated evacuation orders for five villages across southern and eastern Lebanon, ordering all remaining residents to relocate north of the Zahrani River. Lebanese state media also reported multiple additional Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon over the course of Saturday. In response, Hezbollah announced that it had carried out its own attack targeting Israeli troops.

    More than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched its large-scale military campaign in response to Hezbollah’s March incursion. Iran has repeatedly insisted that Lebanon must be included in any broader ceasefire agreement it reaches with the United States to end the wider regional war. However, in a CNN interview aired Friday, President Aoun pushed back against Iranian interference in Lebanese affairs, saying “It’s not your country, it’s our country. It’s not your job to interfere into our country.” He added, “They are using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in their negotiation with the United States. It’s unacceptable. The majority of the Lebanese people are fed up with war.”

  • Pope calls for end to polarisation on Spain visit

    Pope calls for end to polarisation on Spain visit

    Pope Leo XIV launched a landmark seven-day state visit to Spain on Saturday, opening his trip with a urgent call to reject deepening societal division in a country already roiled by fierce political debate over immigration policy. The U.S.-born pontiff, who has drawn repeated public criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump over his outspoken anti-war stances, delivered his opening address from Madrid’s Royal Palace, where he was formally welcomed by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. In his remarks, he pushed back against what he called “polarising narratives” and “sterile simplifications” that have split public opinion, framing peace as a core message that should resonate across ideological divides.

    “At present unfortunately [the message of peace] strikes some as naive and others as confrontational,” Leo told the gathered crowd of political, royal and religious leaders, “but should instead be welcomed by those who do not shut themselves off in preconceived ideologies.” The pontiff also extended public praise to Spain’s left-wing government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, commending the country for its “faithful adherence to international law and multilateralism” and its “active commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples.” Sánchez has made clear international stances that have put him at odds with global leaders: he has clashed repeatedly with Trump over policy toward Iran and with the Israeli government over the ongoing war in Gaza. Notably, even Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right anti-immigration party Vox, joined attendees in standing and applauding the pope’s speech. Vox, which is Spain’s third-largest political force, has led fierce opposition to Sánchez’s relatively liberal immigration approach, a policy that also puts the Spanish government at odds with many of its fellow European Union allies.

    Beyond the central focus on immigration, the visit will tackle two other defining and sensitive issues for the Catholic Church in Spain: addressing decades of clerical sexual abuse and re-engaging a growing cohort of young people who have drifted away from organized religion. Speaking to reporters aboard his plane ahead of landing, Leo described clerical abuse as an “open wound” for the Church, echoing ongoing efforts to confront the long history of abuse that has been hidden by Church hierarchy for decades. A 2023 official report from Spain’s national ombudsman estimates that roughly 200,000 minors have suffered abuse at the hands of Church representatives since 1940. In March of this year, Sánchez’s government and the Spanish Catholic Church reached a landmark agreement to compensate surviving victims, ending years of institutional opacity and resistance from Church leadership. King Felipe VI praised the pope’s “clarity and firmness” on the abuse issue, noting that these qualities are “essential in the process of healing and reparation of the damage inflicted.”

    On Saturday evening, Leo is set to lead a large prayer vigil near Real Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, where organizers expect roughly 400,000 attendees, the vast majority of whom are young people. The pontiff said he was encouraged by growing signs of renewed interest in the Catholic Church among younger generations, noting that many young people are “realise there’s an emptiness, and a lack of a sense of meaning, and perhaps my visiting is helping to awaken even further something.” His visit coincidentally overlaps with a run of concerts in Madrid by global pop star Bad Bunny, a scheduling overlap that has led some cultural commentators to frame the moment as a choice between secular pop culture and spiritual faith for young attendees. Leo pushed back against this framing with characteristic good humor, saying “I think many will see Bad Bunny. But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something.”

    On Sunday, more than one million people are expected to gather in central Madrid for a public mass led by the pontiff. After the Madrid events, Leo will travel to Barcelona to bless the newly completed tower of the Sagrada Família Basilica, which will become the tallest church in the world upon completion. The visit will conclude with a stop in the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off the coast of West Africa that has become the primary entry point for irregular migrants arriving in Europe from Africa, after dangerous multi-week crossings. Leo and Sánchez will jointly honor the thousands of migrants who have died attempting to reach European shores. UN data from the International Organization for Migration shows that 1,172 migrants died or went missing along the Canary Islands route in 2025, a number only marginally lower than the 1,215 deaths recorded in 2024.

    Spanish security forces have deployed more than 15,000 personnel from the national police and Guardia Civil, alongside local law enforcement, to manage events and ensure security during the high-profile visit. The trip marks a shift from the papacy of Leo’s predecessor, Francis, who largely avoided visits to Europe’s traditional strongholds of Catholicism — including Spain, where rates of regular religious observance have plummeted in recent decades. The visit will also make history when Leo becomes the first pope to address the Spanish parliament, an unprecedented step that underscores the historic nature of his trip.

  • Iran World Cup squad heads to Mexico as US visa row erupts

    Iran World Cup squad heads to Mexico as US visa row erupts

    A bitter diplomatic row has erupted between Iran and the United States just days before the kickoff of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada, after Washington denied entry visas to a large contingent of key support staff for Iran’s national football squad. The dispute broke into the open Saturday as Iran’s first-team players prepared to depart their weeks-long training camp in the Turkish coastal resort of Antalya for a pre-tournament base in Mexico.

    On Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack took to social media platform X to announce that all members of Iran’s national team had received their travel visas, praising the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for its efficient processing work. But Iran’s Embassy in Ankara issued a sharp, immediate rebuke the following day, contradicting Barrack’s account and accusing Washington of deliberate, discriminatory targeting of the national squad.

    “Why do you not say that visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are an integral part of any national football team?” the Iranian mission wrote in its public X post. The statement added that the U.S. had “escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level.”

    According to Iranian domestic news outlets and leading Iranian sports outlet Verzesh3, the visa rejections include high-profile figures such as Mehdi Taj, the president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, alongside multiple executive committee members and team analysts.

    Tensions between the two nations have remained dangerously elevated since a joint U.S.-Israeli military bombing campaign against Iranian targets began in late February, which erupted into open hostilities. A fragile ceasefire agreed on April 8 has steadily unraveled in recent weeks, with both sides resuming offensive strikes and exchanging escalating threats.

    Despite the diplomatic fallout from the visa dispute, Iran’s senior players have proceeded with their planned travel itinerary. Team Melli’s chartered flight departed Antalya at 15:20 local time (1220 GMT) Saturday, with a scheduled stopover in Spain en route to Mexico. The squad is expected to touch down in Mexico at 01:30 local time (0730 GMT) on Sunday.

    Unlike the original plan that would have placed the team’s pre- and in-tournament training base on U.S. soil, Iran relocated its camp to the Mexican border city of Tijuana months ago, a change made in direct response to heightened geopolitical tensions between the two nations stemming from the ongoing conflict. Even with the team based in Mexico, all three of Iran’s Group G group-stage matches will take place across the U.S. border.

    Iran is scheduled to kick off its World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, followed by a second group match against Belgium in the same city six days later. The squad will wrap up group play against Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

    In the lead-up to the tournament, Iran held two warm-up friendlies at their Antalya training camp: a 3-1 victory over Gambia on May 29, and a 2-0 shutout win against Mali in their final preparation match on Thursday.

  • Brandt Graham: Police fear fugitive being ‘actively assisted’ after wild courthouse escape

    Brandt Graham: Police fear fugitive being ‘actively assisted’ after wild courthouse escape

    A widespread manhunt is currently underway in the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory, after a 44-year-old detainee pulled off a dramatic escape from a local courtroom last Friday. Brandt Graham, who was in official custody at the time of his breakout, fled the Darwin Local Court shortly before 10 a.m. local time, and has evaded law enforcement detection for more than 24 hours as of the latest updates.

    According to official statements from the Northern Territory Police Force, Graham was under the direct supervision of court security officers from private security firm G4S when he executed his escape. Local media outlet NT News confirmed that the fugitive scaled an 8-foot-tall glass-enclosed holding dock inside the courtroom, breaking away from pursuing security staff to flee the building entirely.

    Surveillance footage from the office of ABC Darwin, located directly across the street from the courthouse, captured visual confirmation of Graham’s escape. The footage shows the fugitive running from the area wearing a green long-sleeve shirt and black shorts. Roughly 50 minutes after his breakout, law enforcement received reports of a possible sighting of Graham at Doctors Gully, a waterfront location within Darwin.

    In a public advisory released Saturday, Northern Territory Police confirmed their working theory that Graham remains in the greater Darwin region, and raised serious new concerns that third parties are knowingly providing active assistance to help him avoid recapture. “The public are urged not to approach him and to contact police immediately via triple-0 if sighted,” the advisory warned, as law enforcement continues to step up patrols and search operations across the capital.

  • Late French president Chirac’s widow dies aged 93: daughter

    Late French president Chirac’s widow dies aged 93: daughter

    Bernadette Chirac, the steadfast widow of former French President Jacques Chirac and a respected public figure in her own right, has passed away at the age of 93. The news was confirmed to Agence France-Presse on Saturday by the couple’s daughter, Claude Chirac.

    According to Claude Chirac, Bernadette died peacefully on Friday evening, surrounded by her close family. Just one week before her death, she had celebrated her 93rd birthday on May 18.

    For much of her public life, Bernadette Chirac was widely viewed as operating in the shadow of her charismatic husband, who led France from 1995 to 2007 and earned global recognition for his bold opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Jacques Chirac passed away in 2019, and throughout their decades-long marriage, Bernadette remained unwaveringly by his side even amid well-documented public revelations of his infidelities — a topic both addressed openly in their respective autobiographical memoirs.

    Beyond her role as first lady, Bernadette Chirac carved out an independent political legacy that sets her apart from all other women who have held the position of France’s first lady. From 1979 to 2015, she served continuously as a general councillor for the central French department of Correze, making her the only first spouse in modern French history to hold elected public office in her own name.

    Her signature quiet demeanor and consistently polished public image also turned her into a beloved cultural icon in France. In 2023, one of the country’s most celebrated screen stars, Catherine Deneuve, portrayed her in a feature film chronicling her years in the Elysee Palace, titled simply *Bernadette*.

    Current French President Emmanuel Macron quickly issued a public tribute following news of Bernadette’s death, praising her as a “great woman of heart” who left an indelible mark on French history. In a post on X, Macron highlighted that Bernadette changed countless lives through her quiet, determined service, both as an elected representative for the people of Correze and through her decades-long leadership of a French hospital foundation, where her consistent commitment improved outcomes for millions of ordinary patients across the country.