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  • AFL 2026: Adelaide forward Ben Keays reacts to ARC backflip ahead of season-defining Showdown

    AFL 2026: Adelaide forward Ben Keays reacts to ARC backflip ahead of season-defining Showdown

    As one of the players most personally impacted by the Australian Football League’s (AFL) experiment with ARC (AFL Review Centre) rule changes, Adelaide Crows forward Ben Keays was blindsided by the league’s sudden reversal of the new policy – just days out from the high-stakes annual Showdown clash against in-state rival Port Adelaide.

    Keays found out about the rule backflip during a routine media interview on Tuesday, barely hiding his shock at the sudden update. “Wow … I will probably leave it at that, I hope you guys don’t mind,” he told reporters, after confirming the announcement was the first he had heard of the change.

    The rule rollback brings the game back to the policy that directly cost Keays and the Crows a place in the 2023 finals. In that year’s round 23 match against Sydney, a late match-winning goal from Keays was incorrectly ruled a behind by the on-field goal umpire. By the old rules, the ARC could not intervene to correct the call once play had resumed after the score review. The mistake ended up eliminating Adelaide from finals contention by the thinnest of margins.

    In response to widespread criticism of that controversial incident, the AFL introduced a new rule for the 2025 season: the ARC would now be allowed to correct incorrect goal calls even after play had restarted, rolling back to the goal line to reset play once the correct call was made. However, after a series of logistical teething issues during the opening rounds of this season, league officials made the last-minute decision to scrap the new rule and revert to the pre-2025 framework.

    The unexpected policy change comes as the Crows prepare for one of their biggest matches of the 2025 season, Friday night’s Showdown at Adelaide Oval. Currently, Adelaide holds a 3-4 win-loss record after seven rounds, with a 96.1 percentage, while Port Adelaide enters the fixture on the back of a stunning upset win over premiership contender Geelong, putting Adelaide’s early premiership aspirations at serious risk.

    Despite the off-field rule drama hanging over the build-up, Keays said he is relishing the unique intensity of the cross-town derby. “I just love the energetic and intense atmosphere, sort of the hum of the crowd. That’s what makes it such an amazing fixture, it’s like a bit of a cauldron out there on the Adelaide Oval and that’s created by both sets of fans. I am looking forward to all the Crows fans being there in full voice and bringing that intense atmosphere,” he said.

    One major off-field issue remains unresolved for the Crows ahead of the match: the availability of star captain Jordan Dawson, who is still grieving the sudden passing of his brother. Dawson took the field against Brisbane last weekend but was clearly emotional after the final siren, and the club has not yet confirmed whether he will feature on Friday. Keays confirmed the entire squad is standing behind Dawson and his family, whatever decision he makes. “Absolutely, we’re going to support Daws however he needs, support his family as a club and whatever he needs we’ll be there for him,” he said.

  • Simeone, Atletico chasing redemption against Arsenal

    Simeone, Atletico chasing redemption against Arsenal

    Against a backdrop of repeated near-misses and crushing recent disappointment, Atletico Madrid and long-serving head coach Diego Simeone know exactly what is at stake when they welcome Premier League leaders Arsenal to the Metropolitano Stadium for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg. This high-stakes clash comes just over a week after the club’s devastating Copa del Rey final defeat, a result that left tens of thousands of traveling Atletico supporters returning home empty-handed — a familiar bitter feeling for a side that has fallen at the final hurdle of Europe’s top club competition three times before, including losses to city rivals Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016, and a defeat back in 1974. The club has never lifted the Champions League trophy, making this run a historic chance to end that long drought.

    This semi-final tie also falls during Atletico’s 123rd anniversary celebrations, adding extra emotional weight to a fixture that already promises to deliver electric atmosphere. In the team’s first home match following the Copa final heartbreak, Atletico fans greeted the side with a chilly reception during a La Liga clash against Athletic Bilbao. That negative mood shifted by the final whistle, however, as Atletico scraped a tense 3-2 victory — only their second win across all competitions in their previous nine outings. The three points provided a much-needed confidence boost heading into the Arsenal tie, and a reminder of the side’s fighting spirit.

    Simeone, Atletico Madrid’s most successful manager in history, has echoed the fans’ desire for tangible success. “The fans don’t need messages from me; what they need is to win,” he stated ahead of the semi-final. Star striker Julian Alvarez, who hit the woodwork twice during Atletico’s 4-0 group stage defeat to Arsenal back in October, echoed his coach’s determination, saying: “We have to get up from that blow and give everything to get to the final.”

    The Metropolitano Stadium, which opened in 2017 to replace the iconic Vicente Calderón, has already proven to be a fortress for Simeone’s side this season. While it lacks the decades of history of its predecessor, big European nights under the lights like this one are exactly how new legends are built. When Atletico eliminated Barcelona in the quarter-finals, the atmosphere was described as frenzied and intoxicating, and supporters are expected to turn up the volume even higher for Arsenal’s visit. Leading Madrid newspaper AS summed up the fan mood: “Congratulations Atletico — if you beat Arsenal, then the anniversary celebration will be perfect.”

    Simeone has publicly called on Atletico’s famously passionate fanbase to give his side the critical edge against the English leaders, noting that the club’s current run of deep Champions League runs has been built on hard work and unwavering supporter backing. “We need them now more than ever, and hopefully, we can give them what they want on the pitch,” he said.

    Critics have long clung to the myth that Simeone’s Atletico rely solely on dour, defensive football, but recent dominant home performances have blown that narrative apart. Earlier this season, they blitzed Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final and romped to a 5-2 derby victory over Real Madrid, displaying clinical attacking flair alongside their trademark intensity. For Simeone, who is in his 14th season at the helm, non-negotiable traits have always remained the same: relentless work rate, unbreakable competitiveness, and the ability to dig in against superior opposition. The team’s motto “Coraje y corazon” — courage and heart — sums up this identity, and even in their current attacking setup, Atletico looks to hurt opponents with blistering power and pace.

    The squad is well-equipped to deliver on that identity: dynamic forwards Giuliano Simeone, Marcos Llorente and Alexander Sorloth bring constant physical pressure, while even creative talisman Antoine Griezmann — Atletico’s all-time top goalscorer, who will leave for MLS side Orlando City this summer — is renowned for his relentless work off the ball. Simeone joked at a recent press conference, sitting alongside Griezmann: “If you don’t run, you’re coming off tomorrow.”

    Alvarez confirmed he is 100% fit ahead of the tie, despite his difficult outing against Arsenal in October, but Atletico will be without energetic injured midfielder Pablo Barrios. Llorente noted that both sides have evolved dramatically since that early-season meeting, and the recent win over Athletic has given the squad renewed belief. Griezmann, who is soaking up every moment of his final weeks at the club, said: “I’m enjoying these last few games here. I hope I can gift something incredible to the fans.” For Simeone and the entire Atletico squad, though, the only gift that will satisfy the fanbase is silverware — and a win over Arsenal would put them one step closer to the redemption they have chased for so long.

  • ‘Full belief in what he can do’: Cameron Munster’s numbers are way down this year, but Storm teammates back him to respond

    ‘Full belief in what he can do’: Cameron Munster’s numbers are way down this year, but Storm teammates back him to respond

    The Melbourne Storm, one of the most dominant rugby league clubs of the 21st century, is facing its worst run of form in the Craig Bellamy era, after dropping a sixth consecutive match that has all but ended the club’s 2026 finals campaign. The slump has sparked widespread criticism of club and Queensland captain Cameron Munster, the franchise’s star five-eighth who has posted career-worst numbers across every key attacking and defensive metric this season. But teammate and utility Tyran Wishart has jumped to defend the veteran playmaker, saying the entire squad shares responsibility for the losing streak and that the team remains fully confident Munster can return to his elite best.

    Saturday’s 2026 Anzac Day clash at home against the South Sydney Rabbitohs marked a new low for the Storm: it was the first time the Rabbitohs had ever beaten Melbourne in Melbourne, and the defeat stretched the club’s losing run to six matches – a result Bellamy had never had to navigate across his decades-long tenure as head coach. Following the demoralizing loss, Bellamy made his frustration with the squad’s performance crystal clear.

    Speaking to Fox League post-match, Munster, one of the most dynamic running five-eighths of the modern era, opened up about the team’s struggle, admitting the side fell well short of the standards expected of the historic club on a day that honors Australian and New Zealand service members. “We spoke about today about how lucky we are to play on a day like Anzac Day. You want to turn up for your teammates, club and the soldiers who served our country,” Munster said. “We all had moments we want to have back as players and as a group. We were very poor again … as a spine, we’ve been very poor. It’s frustrating because we’re training so well. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board.”

    The 2026 season has been a stark departure from Munster’s usual elite form. He has not crossed the try line in 23 consecutive outings, and all of his key attacking statistics have plummeted from his 2025 campaign. Last year, Munster notched 25 try assists; this season, he has recorded just four. He has broken the opposition line only once all year, and his average running metres per game are the lowest of his entire 14-year professional career. Defensively, the trend is equally concerning: he is missing a career-high 4.1 tackles per match, and on Saturday he was outmatched by rising Rabbitohs forward Tallis Duncan, who dominated physical collisions when carrying the ball.

    With the season teetering, the Storm will be forced to adjust their line-up for Friday’s clash against the Dolphins: starting halfback Jahrome Hughes is ruled out after sustaining a head knock, meaning Munster will line up alongside a new halves partner. Despite the mounting pressure and off-field criticism, Wishart said the entire squad remains firmly behind Munster, emphasizing that the playmaker has never shied away from accountability and continues to put in maximum effort at training.

    “He always tries hard and you can never knock him for that,” Wishart said. “He’s the first to put the blame on himself, but we all love playing with him. We know what he can do, he’s a competitor, and that’s what we love about him. The rest of this year, we’ve got full belief in what he can do so that’s not an issue for us.”

    For a club that has dominated the NRL for more than 20 years, missing the 2026 finals would be a historic shakeup to the league’s hierarchy, as the Storm works to reset and recover from its worst losing run in modern club history.

  • Australia aims to tax tech giants unless they pay news outlets

    Australia aims to tax tech giants unless they pay news outlets

    On Tuesday, the Australian government introduced a sweeping set of draft regulations targeting three of the world’s largest technology companies — Meta, Google, and TikTok — that would mandate the firms compensate domestic news publishers for hosting journalistic content, or face a mandatory annual levy equal to 2.25% of their Australian revenue. The legislative update marks a major correction to the country’s existing news media bargaining framework, closing a longstanding loophole that previously allowed digital platforms to avoid payment obligations by simply removing all news content from their services, a tactic both Meta and Google have deployed in past standoffs with Canberra over similar policy proposals.

    Speaking to reporters after the draft was released, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made clear that the new rules aim to hold large multinationals accountable for their reliance on original journalism to drive user engagement and platform growth. “Large digital platforms cannot avoid their obligations under the news media bargaining code,” Albanese said, noting that the three companies were specifically targeted based on their massive domestic user bases and significant Australian annual revenue. Under the draft framework, the firms will first get the opportunity to negotiate voluntary commercial compensation deals with local news outlets; only those that refuse to reach agreements will be subject to the compulsory levy.

    The policy comes as traditional news organizations across the globe face an existential crisis: as more consumers turn to social media and search engines for their daily news, the majority of digital advertising revenue has flowed to big tech platforms, rather than to the newsrooms that create the original content attracting those users and ad dollars. A 2024 study from the University of Canberra confirms this shifting landscape, finding that more than half of all Australian adults now get their news primarily from social media platforms.

    Albanese emphasized that the core principle of the legislation is basic fairness for journalism. “Journalism needed to have a ‘monetary value attached to it,’” he said. “It shouldn’t be able to be taken by a large multinational corporation and used to generate profits with no compensation.” Communications Minister Anika Wells echoed this sentiment, adding: “We believe it’s only fair that large digital platforms contribute to the hard work that enriches their feeds and that drives their revenue.”

    Reactions from the targeted tech firms align with past opposition to similar regulations globally. Meta pushed back against the proposal in a statement to Agence France-Presse, calling the new rules “nothing more than a digital services tax.” The company argued that news organizations voluntarily share content on its platforms to gain access to large audiences, adding that “the idea that we take their news content is simply wrong.” Google has also previously threatened to restrict access to its search engine in Australia if forced to implement mandatory compensation for news outlets, while Meta has already moved to end voluntary content deals with news publishers across the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany in recent months. The 2021 debate over Australia’s original bargaining code saw Meta temporarily block all news content for Australian users, drawing widespread backlash.

    The draft legislation is now open for public consultation, with the comment period set to close in May. Following the consultation phase, the bill will be amended and introduced to the Australian Parliament for a vote later this year. Supporters of the reform say it is a critical step to sustain independent local journalism, which serves as a cornerstone of Australian democratic discourse, while critics argue the levy unfairly targets tech companies and could lead to reduced service access for Australian consumers.

  • S. Korea probes syringe hoarding as war hits plastic makers

    S. Korea probes syringe hoarding as war hits plastic makers

    Escalating conflict in the Middle East has triggered ripple effects across global supply chains, pushing South Korean authorities to open a formal investigation into alleged illicit stockpiling of medical syringes that has put the country’s critical healthcare supplies at risk.

    The crisis traces back to recent military tensions that have severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that carries the majority of the world’s seaborne oil trade. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and the near-total closure of the strait have upended deliveries of naphtha, a petroleum-derived liquid product that serves as the core input for manufacturing polypropylene and other plastic materials used in everything from medical tools to consumer packaging.

    This supply shock has hit Asian petrochemical manufacturers particularly hard, forcing regional governments to implement emergency regulations to prevent widespread shortages. Earlier this month, South Korea enacted a formal ban on excessive hoarding of syringes and hypodermic needles, moving quickly to head off potential market chaos as supply chain disruptions deepened.

    On Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed to AFP that it had launched an immediate investigation into four medical product distributors accused of violating the new hoarding ban. The probe was initiated after a formal complaint was filed by the country’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Law enforcement has pledged to ramp up inspections across every stage of the medical supply chain to root out and penalize illegal market manipulation.

    Under the emergency regulations, businesses are prohibited from holding stockpiles of syringes and needles exceeding 150 percent of the average monthly sales volume recorded in 2023 for five consecutive days or more. The rules also ban companies from refusing to sell legitimate orders to buyers without a verifiable justifiable reason. Despite these safeguards, food and drug officials say some distributors have intentionally exploited the supply crunch to stockpile inventory, intending to resell the products at inflated, gouged prices.

    Investigators have already confirmed that one distributor held more than 130,000 excess syringes for well over the five-day limit set by the ban, according to the ministry. For South Korea, the risk of naphtha shortages is particularly acute: official data from the South Korean presidential office shows that more than 50 percent of the country’s total naphtha imports in 2023 transited through the Strait of Hormuz.

    South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has publicly condemned the hoarding practices, taking to social media over the weekend to promise the strongest possible enforcement action against what he called antisocial behaviour. The president emphasized that actors who profit from public crises by worsening supply shortages for personal gain will not be tolerated. To mitigate the ongoing supply disruption, Lee’s chief of staff announced this month that the country has secured an additional 2.1 million tonnes of naphtha from alternative suppliers including Saudi Arabia and Oman, with all shipments routed through pathways that avoid the Strait of Hormuz.

  • AFL 2026: Collingwood great Scott Pendlebury to be rested despite Anzac Day performance

    AFL 2026: Collingwood great Scott Pendlebury to be rested despite Anzac Day performance

    AFL powerhouse Collingwood Football Club has officially confirmed that veteran club champion Scott Pendlebury will be rested for this week’s high-stakes Thursday blockbuster against Hawthorn, leaving the exact date of his historic league games record breaking still up in the air.

    At 38 years old, Pendlebury is currently just one game short of matching Brent Harvey’s long-standing all-time AFL record of 432 senior matches. Following a standout performance in the Anzac Day clash against Essendon that earned him a fourth Anzac Day medal, the club faced questions over whether the veteran would line up just five days later against Hawthorn, a turnaround coach Craig McRae says was always likely to be too much for the aging star.

    McRae revealed that the call to rest Pendlebury ultimately came from the player himself, after pre-planned conversations about managing his workload through the demanding season. “Pendles, funnily enough, I had a conversation with him yesterday and he was pretty keen to miss this game,” McRae told reporters. “So he’ll be managed, 38 years old, five-day breaks, all those things, but it’s not like it’s a reaction to this game – it was planned to some degree. It was never completely ruling him out until, like I said, we talked to the athlete and the athlete says, ‘I think I would enjoy the break’.”

    The current timeline will see Pendlebury equal Harvey’s record when Collingwood faces Geelong at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground the following week. But the club is still yet to lock in when he will officially break the record, facing a tricky balancing act between on-field performance and off-field celebration after that clash.

    After the Geelong match, Collingwood is scheduled to travel to Sydney to face the ladder-leading Sydney Swans, before returning to the MCG for a match against West Coast the week after that. The club must now choose between fielding one of their most valuable players for the tough away clash against the competition leaders, or resting him to let him break the record in front of a home crowd against West Coast – a moment that would draw major fan and media attention.

    McRae declined to reveal the club’s future plans for Pendlebury, noting the decision would depend on how the veteran’s body holds up after the Geelong game, and that competitive performance will always be a core factor in the call. “It’s a delicate balance,” McRae said. “Potentially, yeah, but do you have the Powerball numbers for me this Thursday? It’s hard to predict the future. We’re living in the moment of what is, so he won’t play this week, then he’ll play Geelong and we’ll see where that goes. We’ll have a conversation about how his body is and we all weigh up performance too.”

    While Collingwood will be without their veteran playmaker against Hawthorn, they will welcome back star defender and captain Darcy Moore, who has been sidelined through the pre-season and early rounds with recurring soft tissue issues. Moore had indicated he was ready to play last week, but the club opted for a cautious approach to avoid further injury setbacks. McRae confirmed this week that Moore would definitely line up against the Hawks: “Darcy will play, yeah, like we said this time last week, we were ambitious he would play but he’s available.”

  • Man who murdered UK dad in Australia declared mentally unfit for trial

    Man who murdered UK dad in Australia declared mentally unfit for trial

    A devastating unprovoked knife attack that claimed the life of a British tourist travelling through regional Australia has concluded with a landmark legal ruling: the perpetrator has been formally declared mentally unfit to stand criminal trial for the killing.

    Thirty-year-old Royce Mallett, a loving father of two from County Durham in the United Kingdom, was fatally wounded in the July 8, 2024 attack, which unfolded in the motel car park of the Hume Inn in Albury, a regional town in New South Wales. According to court testimony, Mallett had just climbed into a parked vehicle outside the accommodation when 29-year-old David Summers-Smith reached through the open car window and stabbed him once in the chest without warning or a single word, using a common steak knife as his weapon.

    Summers-Smith, who has a long documented diagnosis of schizophrenia, was experiencing acute psychotic episodes at the time of the fatal assault. He entered a formal plea of not guilty to the murder charge on the grounds of severe mental impairment. Following weeks of testimony and review of psychiatric evidence, Supreme Court Justice Dina Yehia delivered her ruling on Tuesday: while the court confirmed Summers-Smith did carry out the fatal stabbing, he cannot be held criminally responsible for his actions due to his mental state.

    In her written judgment, Justice Yehia described the single act of violence as “both catastrophic and tragic.” Court records show that immediately after the attack, Summers-Smith fled the scene, but within a short time contacted local police to confess he had stabbed a stranger, and reaffirmed his admission of guilt when officers took him into custody.

    Psychiatrists who conducted a formal assessment of Summers-Smith detailed his long and complex mental health history: his schizophrenia and persistent psychotic symptoms have not responded to standard prescription medication, and at the time of the attack, he was receiving court-ordered outpatient mental health treatment in the community. Experts also confirmed that in the weeks leading up to the stabbing, Summers-Smith had been self-medicating with illegal substances, including crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ice, and cannabis. His psychiatric team noted he held persistent delusional beliefs and had no insight into the severity of his illness or his need for ongoing structured treatment.

    The ruling has shone a light on the devastating impact of the attack on Mallett’s grieving family, whose victim impact statements laid bare the lifelong damage the killing has caused. Mallett’s partner, Caitlin O’Keeffe, told the court she now faces the prospect of raising their two young children alone, with the permanent knowledge that the children will grow up without their father’s guidance, love and support. “It affects not just today, but every future moment that he should have been part of, and everyday moments that he’s already missed,” she wrote in her victim statement.

    Mallett’s father added that he had lost not only his son, but his closest confidant and “best friend,” telling the court he now struggles to find joy in daily life or any motivation to complete routine tasks. Citing the family’s statements, Justice Yehia noted that Mallett’s loved ones remain unable to comprehend how a person with treatment-resistant severe mental illness was allowed to live and receive treatment in the community.

    As part of her ruling, Justice Yehia ordered that Summers-Smith be detained indefinitely in a secured mental health facility. His case will be subject to regular periodic review by the New South Wales Mental Health Review Tribunal, which will monitor his progress and potential recovery, and holds the authority to modify or amend his detention order should his mental health improve significantly.

  • Rebel Wilson says claims she bullied women on her film are ‘absolute nonsense’

    Rebel Wilson says claims she bullied women on her film are ‘absolute nonsense’

    One of Hollywood’s most recognizable comedic stars, Rebel Wilson, has forcefully rejected allegations that she bullied female colleagues on the set of her directorial debut, calling the claims “absolute nonsense” during her first day of testimony in a high-stakes defamation trial unfolding in Sydney. The legal action against the *Bridesmaids* actor was brought by 26-year-old Australian performer Charlotte MacInnes, who appeared in Wilson’s first feature film as director, *The Deb*. The case centers on a string of Instagram posts Wilson published between 2024 and 2025 that MacInnes argues have irreparably damaged her professional reputation.

    At the core of the dispute is how MacInnes described a 2023 incident involving producer Amanda Ghost, who also worked on *The Deb*. In her posts, Wilson alleged MacInnes had initially complained of sexual harassment by Ghost during a post-swim encounter at Bondi Beach, only to withdraw the claim to advance her own career. MacInnes vehemently denies ever making a sexual harassment allegation against Ghost, saying Wilson’s version of events is entirely fabricated.

    The incident that sparked the entire conflict dates to September 2023, when MacInnes and Ghost joined for an late-afternoon swim at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach. Ghost suffered a sudden and severe allergic reaction to cold water, a rare condition called cold urticaria that left her covered in painful red welts and shaking uncontrollably, the court heard during earlier proceedings. The pair hurried back to Ghost’s nearby beachside apartment, where MacInnes drew a hot bath to help ease Ghost’s symptoms. After Ghost got into a shower to warm up first, MacInnes stepped into the bath to warm herself; Ghost later joined her, and both remained in their swimsuits. Ghost’s assistant eventually brought hot drinks to the bathroom, where the three spoke briefly before the assistant left.

    After the incident, Wilson spoke with MacInnes about what happened, and while both sides agree the conversation took place, they offer vastly conflicting accounts of its content. Wilson maintains MacInnes told her the encounter left her feeling “uncomfortable”, while MacInnes says she only ever described the situation as “weird” and “bizarre”, never indicating she felt sexually threatened or uncomfortable. Text messages presented to the court show Wilson told Ghost immediately after the conversation that “Charlotte says all good” and “She just meant ‘it was a bizarre situation’ not that she personally felt uncomfortable.”

    When cross-examined by Sue Chrysanthou SC, MacInnes’ lead barrister, Wilson was pressed on her public self-identification as a “champion of women” — a label Wilson affirmed she still embraces. Chrysanthou challenged Wilson on this stance, pointing to accusations that the actor had publicly and privately mistreated MacInnes, Ghost, and a female writer on the set of *The Deb. “That’s absolute nonsense,” Wilson told the packed courtroom, which was filled with reporters, supporters from both sides, and multiple witnesses including Ghost. Wilson also pushed back on claims that her critical public social media posts about the women constituted mistreatment, arguing the statements were truthful, not malicious.

    Throughout hours of questioning, Wilson repeatedly said she could not recall key details related to the case, including widespread backlash she received in 2018 after claiming she was the “first ever plus-sized girl” to lead a romantic comedy. She also denied any involvement in anonymous websites that have spread damaging rumors about both Ghost and MacInnes. Prosecutors have previously alleged Wilson hired a U.S. public relations firm to create websites that compared Ghost to disgraced sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal ring. Prosecutors have also raised the issue of a nude photo of MacInnes that was leaked online after her social media accounts were hacked, though no link between Wilson and the hack has been proven in court.

    Wilson’s legal team has argued MacInnes has not suffered any professional harm from the Instagram posts, pointing instead to a string of career advances she has secured since the posts were published: MacInnes recently signed a record deal with major label Atlantic Records and landed a role in a new U.S. theater production being produced by Ghost. MacInnes is seeking aggravated damages for the alleged defamation and a court order to stop Wilson from repeating the claims on any public platform.

    Wilson’s testimony is scheduled to continue on Wednesday, as the high-profile trial progresses through Sydney’s court system.

  • ‘No person deserves cancer’: Trbojevic brothers help launch new initiative to raise money at Magic Round

    ‘No person deserves cancer’: Trbojevic brothers help launch new initiative to raise money at Magic Round

    Australia and New Zealand’s National Rugby League (NRL) is adding a heartfelt new layer of purpose to this year’s highly anticipated Magic Round, launching the groundbreaking Kick for a Cause charity initiative that aims to raise $1 million to support children battling cancer across both nations.

    Replacing the league’s former Try July fundraising program, the new campaign has secured major backing from insurance provider Youi, which has committed to donating directly for every successful kick scored during the May 15-17 event in Brisbane. For every completed conversion kick and penalty goal, Youi will contribute $1,000, while a larger $2,000 donation will be made for every field goal kicked across the three days of competition.

    All funds generated through the initiative will be distributed to 11 leading pediatric cancer centers across Australia and New Zealand, in partnership with two respected non-profit organizations: the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation and the Starship Foundation. These 11 institutions deliver specialized clinical treatment, fund pioneering medical research, and run critical support programs for young cancer patients and their families who face the daily challenges of the disease.

    Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V’landys emphasized that the campaign brings the entire rugby league community together around a shared mission. “Every child fighting cancer deserves the very best care, comfort and hope – and rugby league is stepping up to help deliver it,” V’landys said. “At Magic Round, our game comes together in a powerful way. Every kick, every cheer and every dollar raised will make a real difference for kids and families doing it tough. We thank our partner, Youi, for their support of this important initiative and urge all fans travelling to Brisbane for Magic Round as well as those cheering on from home to get behind a very worthy cause by helping those who need it most.”

    The official launch of the campaign took place earlier this week at Manly’s 4 Pines Park, where Manly Sea Eagles star brothers Jake, Tom and Ben Trbojevic led the event. The launch holds deep personal meaning for the trio, who formed a close bond with 12-year-old Beau Hewitt, a passionate Manly tragic who passed away last year from a rare form of cancer. The brothers first met Beau in 2024 through connections at the local Mona Vale Raiders junior club, and quickly grew close to the young fan, who had an extraordinary knowledge of the game that left a lasting impact.

    Beau, who played for the Mona Vale Raiders, even once tipped the brothers off about an impending coaching ambush from then-Manly head coach Des Hasler ahead of a key match. Recalling their time with Beau, Jake Trbojevic said the young fan’s love for rugby league was unmatched. “He played for the Raiders, and lots of people reached out for us to come meet him in the hospital,” Jake said. “We went and met him in the hospital, and just seeing how much he loved rugby league was like no other, honestly. He loved it. Seeing how much he loved rugby league, you could honestly ring and have a chat with him. He’d even text you about game plans. He was well advanced for his years.”

    Jake added that carrying on Beau’s legacy through the Kick for a Cause campaign is a point of pride for the brothers. “He was a great kid, we really enjoyed hanging out with him, and just seeing how it all went was horrible. It was horrible for his family, but seeing his legacy live on through things like this makes you proud. Getting to know Beau and seeing what that whole experience was like was horrible. I can only feel very sorry for families going through it, and I think cancer has a lot to answer for, especially when it’s kids. No person deserves cancer, but no kid does. So to see the NRL and Youi get behind this cause is remarkable, and it obviously makes us very proud.”

    Off the campaign trail, Jake Trbojevic offered a lighthearted piece of advice for wingers across the league: bring the ball under the posts whenever possible to set up easier conversion kicks that will boost total fundraising. The veteran forward also showed off his kicking skills at the launch, but confirmed he is happy to let Manly’s regular goalkicker Jamal Fogarty remain the team’s first option.

    For Tom Trbojevic, the superstar fullback will not take the field at Magic Round this year as he continues his recovery from a recurring hamstring injury. Still, he said his rehabilitation is progressing on schedule, and he remains optimistic about a return to action in roughly four weeks. “It’s going good. Obviously, I’m disappointed and it’s frustrating, but I’m back on the mend and just working hard to get back out there,” he said. “It’s probably hard to get a vibe right now, but it feels like I’m on schedule. I guess it’s hard to really tell.”

  • Nations to kick off world-first fossil fuel exit talks

    Nations to kick off world-first fossil fuel exit talks

    Against a backdrop of escalating geopolitical tensions, global energy market volatility, and growing alarm over accelerating climate change, more than 50 national delegations have gathered in the Colombian Caribbean port city of Santa Marta this week for the world’s first dedicated international conference focused on phasing out fossil fuels, the primary driver of anthropogenic global warming.

    Co-hosted by fossil fuel-dependent Colombia and the Netherlands, the two-day summit is being held outside the framework of long-running United Nations climate negotiations, a deliberate choice that reflects widespread frustration among participating nations over the UN process’s repeated failure to make meaningful progress on fossil fuel reduction. Santa Marta, the host city, is a fitting backdrop for the talks: it sits at the heart of one of Colombia’s busiest coal exporting hubs, a reminder of the deep economic ties many nations still retain to planet-warming fossil fuels.

    As delegates arrived for the opening of talks on Tuesday, climate activists and Indigenous community groups marched through the city’s streets and along its beaches to demand urgent action, with coal tankers clearly visible lined up on the ocean horizon beyond the shore. The summit is not mandated to produce binding international commitments, but an independent scientific advisory panel has put forward a sweeping 12-point policy menu for attending nations to consider, headlined by a call for an immediate halt to all new fossil fuel extraction and infrastructure expansion projects.

    The attendee list includes a diverse cross-section of major fossil fuel producers, large energy consumers, and climate-vulnerable nations: major developed producers Canada, Norway and Australia, developing energy giants Brazil, Nigeria and Angola, European Union member states, coal-dependent emerging economies Turkey and Vietnam, and small island developing states that face existential risk from rising sea levels driven by climate change. Notably absent from the talks are the world’s three largest greenhouse gas emitters—the United States, China and India—as well as oil-rich Gulf nations.

    Organizers first announced the summit in late 2024, but recent geopolitical upheaval, including the ongoing Iran conflict and subsequent oil and gas market disruptions, has only sharpened the urgency of the conversation, according to speakers. UK special climate envoy Rachel Kyte told reporters on the ground in Santa Marta that the current crisis has underscored a core truth long argued by climate advocates: global reliance on fossil fuels is a major source of geopolitical and economic instability.

    “People seem refreshed to be able to talk about these issues without having to sort of argue the existential question of — do we need to do this at all?” Kyte said. “Many nations are here in good faith to really work through what is a very complex challenge made more urgent by the crisis.”

    Alongside calls to halt new fossil fuel development, the summit’s agenda includes work to map out a framework for equitable reductions in global fossil fuel production and consumption, and strategies to reform harmful fossil fuel subsidies that currently skew global energy markets and block much-needed investment in renewable energy. A new analysis released Monday by the International Institute for Sustainable Development highlights the scale of this challenge: the research found that governments around the world still spend five times more public funding on fossil fuel support than they invest in renewable energy alternatives.

    Scientists leading the advisory panel have stressed that there is no possible justification for opening new fossil fuel extraction sites, even as renewable energy investment hits record highs. Speaking to AFP in Santa Marta, Carlos Nobre, a Brazilian climate scientist and former member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, warned that even if no new fossil fuel projects are developed, the existing reserves of coal, oil and gas already in production or development are enough to push global average temperatures 2.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2050.

    The planet has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages, and current policy trajectories put the world on track to blow past the 1.5 degree Celsius warming threshold that scientists identify as the limit for avoiding catastrophic, irreversible climate impacts. Beyond that threshold, scientists warn of irreversible losses including the complete disappearance of the world’s coral reef systems and the full collapse of the Greenland ice sheet, which would eventually raise global sea levels by more than seven meters, displacing hundreds of millions of people worldwide.