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  • War in the Middle East: latest developments

    War in the Middle East: latest developments

    The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to unfold with a cascade of new developments across diplomatic, military, economic, and political fronts this week, reshaping regional dynamics and global market sentiment.

    On the diplomatic track, conflicting updates have emerged regarding planned indirect talks between Iran and the United States set to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan. Iran’s state-run television has firmly denied earlier reports that any Iranian negotiating delegation has already departed for the bilateral discussions, stating explicitly that no official group — whether core or ancillary — has left the country for the talks. A separate anonymous source familiar with U.S. planning confirmed to Agence France-Presse that an American delegation is still scheduled to travel to Pakistan “soon” for the new round of negotiations focused on de-escalation.

    Separately, the United States is moving forward with its diplomatic efforts to resolve tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border. A senior U.S. State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Washington will host a new round of direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese delegations on Thursday. This meeting follows an earlier negotiation session that paved the way for a fragile, currently holding ceasefire between Israeli forces and the Iran-aligned militant group Hezbollah. “We will continue to facilitate direct, good-faith discussions between the two governments,” the official noted.

    In northern Israel, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz outlined the dual strategy driving his country’s ongoing military campaign in southern Lebanon. Katz emphasized that Israel’s overarching objective is the full disarmament of Hezbollah, a step the country says is necessary to eliminate persistent security threats to Israeli communities located along the northern border. According to Katz, this goal will be pursued through a coordinated combination of targeted military pressure and parallel diplomatic action.

    Inside Iran, the national judiciary confirmed the execution of Amir Ali Mirjafari, a man convicted of multiple charges including collaboration with Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and the United States, involvement in arson at the prominent Gholhak Grand Mosque in Tehran, and leading anti-government security activities during pre-war protest waves. The execution was carried out by hanging on Wednesday morning, according to a statement published on Iran’s official judiciary Mizan Online website.

    On the maritime front, shipping industry intelligence outlet Lloyd’s List has documented that more than 20 Iranian-registered “shadow vessels” — unmarked or obscurely flagged vessels often used to evade trade restrictions — have successfully bypassed the U.S.-led naval blockade on Iranian ports. In normal peacetime conditions, the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil supplies, sees an average of 120 commercial vessel transits on a daily basis, the outlet noted.

    In comments on U.S. policy toward Iran, former U.S. President Donald Trump, who oversaw last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, offered updated remarks on the state of Iran’s uranium program. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump reiterated that the U.S. strikes achieved the complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear sites, adding that any future effort by the U.S. to recover enriched uranium from the targeted facilities would be an extended and logistically challenging process. Trump also reaffirmed his support for the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, stating that the trade restriction will remain in place until Iran signs a comprehensive peace agreement to end the current regional conflict. He noted that Iran loses an estimated $500 million daily under the blockade, a financial hit he described as unsustainable even over short timeframes.

    Global commodity and equity markets reacted to shifting optimism around a potential de-escalation deal that would end the conflict and reopen full transit through the Strait of Hormuz. As of 07:15 GMT, global benchmark Brent Crude fell 0.7% to trade at $94.78 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 1.4% to $88.35 per barrel. In contrast, global equity markets posted gains as investors grew more hopeful that a breakthrough deal could ease upward pressure on energy prices.

  • Australian shares stall as investors await outcome of US-Iran ceasefire talks

    Australian shares stall as investors await outcome of US-Iran ceasefire talks

    On Tuesday, Australian equity markets settled into a cautious holding pattern, with benchmark indices closing nearly unchanged as investors paused major moves ahead of a key Middle East ceasefire expiration set for Wednesday’s trading open. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 slid a marginal 3.9 points, a 0.04% dip, to close at 8949.4, while the wider All Ordinaries index gained a matching fractional 0.03%, adding 3.1 points to finish the session.

    The day began with an early upward push for stocks, but those initial gains evaporated as market participants braced for potential volatility linked to the pending expiration of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran. Industry analyst Tony Sycamore of trading firm IG flagged the Wednesday opening bell as a critical juncture for the local market, noting that the timing of the deadline could spark sharp price swings in early trading when markets reopen.

    Sycamore explained that Tuesday’s muted session followed modest overnight declines on major U.S. equity markets, where resurfaced geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran interrupted a multi-day winning streak for major American indices. He added that the relatively muted declines seen in both U.S. and Australian markets stem from a balancing act among traders: they are pricing in the new geopolitical risk while holding out hope that diplomatic negotiations will result in an extended or even permanent ceasefire agreement.

    Six of the 11 tracked sectors on the ASX 200 closed in positive territory on Tuesday. Consumer staples led all gainers with a 0.67% uplift, while the energy sector was the session’s weakest performer, dropping 1.03% overall. The decline in energy stocks aligned with a recent pullback in global crude prices: Brent Crude has fallen more than 5% over the past month and dipped below the $95 per barrel threshold.

    Among individual energy names, Viva Energy recovered 0.87% to close at $2.32, rebounding slightly from a steep drop in the prior session that came after a fire broke out at the company’s Geelong refinery during its first day of trading post-incident. By contrast, major oil and gas producer Woodside Energy fell 1.76% to $31.21, and competitor Santos lost 1.46% to close at $7.44.

    Australia’s big four national banks delivered a mixed performance, matching the market’s overall flat tone. National Australia Bank gained 0.46% to close at $41.21, and Westpac Banking Corporation rose 0.57% to finish at $40.25, putting both in positive territory. On the losing side, Commonwealth Bank of Australia slipped 0.32% to $179.58, and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group dropped 1.71% to close at $37.28.

    Some individual stocks posted strong gains on the back of positive corporate news. Vulcan Energy climbed 6.5% to $3.76 after announcing a €40 million engineering services agreement with Siemens for its planned lithium and renewable energy project. Counter-drone technology firm Droneshield rose 5.54% to close at $3.81.

    On the downside, investment platform HUB24 slid 8.33% to $87.50 following the release of its third-quarter operational update. Medical technology firm 4DMedical pulled back 6.15% to $5.34 in its first session as an official constituent of the ASX 200 index. Even with the pullback, long-term shareholders in 4DMedical have little cause for concern: the stock has posted a gain of more than 1800% over the past 12 months.

  • Bolt advises Gout not to forget track and field

    Bolt advises Gout not to forget track and field

    One of the most iconic names in sprinting history, Usain Bolt, has delivered critical guidance to teenage Australian track phenom Gout Gout, urging the rising star to prioritize his athletics career and surround himself with a trusted support team as growing attention brings new distractions. The 18-year-old speedster turned heads around the global athletics community earlier this month when he dominated the 200m event at the Australian Athletics Championships, defending his title with an astonishing time of 19.67 seconds. This performance not only toppled the existing world under-20 record of 19.69 seconds set by American sprinter Erriyon Knighton but also outpaced a historic mark: the 19.93-second 200m run that a teenage Usain Bolt clocked back in 2004.

    Gout, who already added the national under-20 100m title to his resume earlier in the championships, has been breaking age-group records for years. At just 16 years old, he set the fastest 200m time ever recorded for a runner of that age, posting a 20.04-second result at the 2024 World Under-20 Championships, where he took home a silver medal in the event. Last competitive season, he also became one of the rare teenagers to break the 20-second barrier, notching a wind-assisted 19.84-second run at the national championships.

    In an interview with CNN, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist, who has previously commented that Gout reminds him of his younger self, opened up about the unique challenges young elite sprinters face. Having navigated early fame himself, Bolt emphasized how easily promising young athletes can be pulled off course by outside opportunities and attention. “At that young age, because I was there, you start getting put left and right and then you forget track and field,” Bolt explained. “Hopefully he has the right set of people to guide him and keep him focused on track and field because the rest of the stuff will always be there. But if you mess up on track and field, then it all goes away.”

    Looking ahead, Gout is gearing up for a major milestone in his young career: his debut on the Diamond League circuit, where he will compete in the 200m event in Oslo this coming June. In a strategic move to prioritize his long-term development and junior elite goals, the sprinter has confirmed he will skip the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to focus his preparation on the World Under-20 Championships, scheduled to take place in Oregon this August.

  • Melbourne socialite Brynne Edelsten has bail conditions relaxed after police raid allegedly uncovered drugs

    Melbourne socialite Brynne Edelsten has bail conditions relaxed after police raid allegedly uncovered drugs

    A Melbourne-based former reality TV personality and socialite facing drug trafficking charges has received a modification to her bail terms, after a court-monitored support program issued a strongly positive assessment of her progress, a Melbourne court confirmed on Tuesday.

    Forty-three-year-old Brynne Edelsten, who previously gained public attention for her high-profile marriage to late Australian billionaire Geoffrey Edelsten and multiple reality television appearances, appeared alongside co-accused Simon Pienaar at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday. During the hearing, the court scheduled a contested committal hearing for late July, which will determine whether the pair will proceed to a full criminal trial.

    The pair were first taken into custody in late December last year, following a police raid on Edelsten’s Fitzroy residence. Investigators allege they seized multiple controlled substances during the search, including methamphetamine, the anabolic steroid testosterone, and ketamine. Prosecutors further claim Pienaar’s fingerprints were recovered from drug packaging found at the property. Both Edelsten and Pienaar are currently facing charges including commercial quantity methamphetamine trafficking and drug possession; neither defendant has entered a plea at this stage of proceedings.

    Following the arrest, Edelsten was granted bail in late December, with a requirement that she participate in mandatory monitoring and support through Victoria’s Court Integrated Service Program (CISP). On Tuesday, Edelsten’s defense lawyer Veronika Drago requested an adjustment to these bail conditions to remove the CISP monitoring requirement. The court heard that the CISP, which has overseen Edelsten’s bail term since December, had itself recommended removing her from the program, citing her “excellent engagement” with all requirements, including consistent attendance at court-mandated counselling.

    Magistrate Donna Bakos, who approved the bail adjustment, noted that the CISP report described Edelsten’s progress and rehabilitation efforts in “very glowing terms.” “It’s important I acknowledge you have participated to the best you can, which is excellent,” Bakos told the defendant. “I strongly encourage you to continue on that path.” Edelsten thanked the magistrate following the ruling, and declined to comment on the case to reporters as she left the court building.

    Edelsten first became a household name in Australia following her 2009 marriage to Geoffrey Edelsten, a flamboyant billionaire medical entrepreneur and former owner of the Sydney Swans Australian Football League club. The pair had a 46-year age gap and held an extravagant, widely publicized wedding before separating in 2014. In the years following her divorce, Edelsten built a public profile as a media personality, appearing on high-rating reality series including *Dancing with the Stars*, *SAS Australia*, and her own reality docuseries *Brynne: My Bedazzled Life*.

    Both Edelsten and Pienaar are scheduled to return to the Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 27 for the upcoming committal hearing.

  • Albanese government backs in deals to protect Australian troops from drone ‘swarms’

    Albanese government backs in deals to protect Australian troops from drone ‘swarms’

    Against a shifting global conflict landscape marked by rising drone usage in Ukraine and the Middle East, Australia’s Albanese government is moving rapidly to equip the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with cutting-edge counter-drone capabilities, locking in two major domestic contracts worth A$31.7 million as part of a 10-year, A$7 billion investment package. The latest funding announcement doubles the government’s existing commitment to counter-drone technology, aligned with the newly unveiled 2026 National Defence Strategy released last week. This strategy, which includes the biggest peacetime increase in Australian defence spending in modern history, boosts overall defence funding to A$887 billion for the 2023–2026 period, with A$425 billion earmarked for core defence capabilities through the Integrated Investment Program (IIP) — a A$150 billion increase since 2020. On Tuesday, the government confirmed A$21.3 million would go to domestic defence firm AIM Defence, while a further A$10.4 million will be awarded to SYPAQ Systems, two Australian companies leveraging local innovation to address evolving battlefield threats. The investment in AIM Defence will advance the development of the company’s Fractl high-powered counter-drone laser system, a revolutionary directed-energy weapon engineered to neutralize both single unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and large drone swarms. Capable of tracking moving targets as small as a 10C coin at distances exceeding 100 kilometers, the system delivers enough concentrated energy to burn through solid steel, making it effective against even hardened drone designs. For SYPAQ Systems, the funding will support the rollout of its Corvo Strike interceptor drone, a purpose-built kinetic weapon designed to autonomously track, target and eliminate the large UAVs increasingly commonly deployed on modern battlefields. In an official statement, the Australian government noted that while the nation’s unique geographic position has traditionally prioritized capabilities for countering large drones, the changing threat landscape requires urgent acceleration of countermeasures for medium-sized UAVs and small drone swarms — threats that Australian personnel may face both in complex overseas operational environments and during domestic security operations protecting critical infrastructure and civilian populations. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy emphasized that ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have clearly demonstrated how uncrewed aerial systems have reshaped modern warfare, becoming an increasingly central tool for adversarial forces. “The development of sovereign counter-drone solutions is essential to ensure the Australian Defence Force can detect, assess and respond to these threats,” Conroy said. Major General Hugh Meggitt, head of the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), explained that the investment is part of Mission Syracuse, a ADF-focused initiative designed to rapidly advance cutting-edge technology for countering UAV threats by leveraging Australian industry’s global leadership in both kinetic weapons and directed energy systems. “Mission Syracuse will exploit Australian industry’s world leading expertise in kinetic and directed energy to find, fix, track, target and engage Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles,” Meggitt said. “It will significantly enhance the ADF’s ability to counter the threat posed by UAVs employed by malicious actors; domestically and abroad.” Last week, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced the Albanese government would increase defence spending by more than A$53 billion over the coming decade, marking the largest expansion of Australian defence investment in peacetime. The new investment in counter-drone technology underlines the government’s priority of preparing the ADF for emerging asymmetric threats that have become increasingly common in 21st century conflict.

  • Jetstar axes number of New Zealand flights by 12 per cent as soaring fuel costs continue to bite

    Jetstar axes number of New Zealand flights by 12 per cent as soaring fuel costs continue to bite

    Skyrocketing jet fuel costs, triggered by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz seven weeks ago, have forced Australian budget carrier Jetstar and its parent company Qantas to slash thousands of flights across Australia and New Zealand through the end of June, with New Zealand domestic routes bearing the brunt of the cuts. New data compiled by aviation industry publication AeroRoutes details the scale of the capacity cuts between May 18 and June 30, revealing stark disparities in how the reductions impact different regions. Jetstar is trimming just 2.7% of its domestic Australian flight capacity over the period, bringing total scheduled services to 10,237, while cutting 12% of its domestic New Zealand operations, dropping total flights to just 1,564 – a relative cut more than four times larger than the cuts to Australian domestic routes. The deep cuts to New Zealand domestic capacity mean local travelers will face far greater disruption than their Australian counterparts. For trans-Tasman routes connecting Australia and New Zealand, the largest reductions are concentrated on services running to and from Auckland and Christchurch, both operating out of Australia’s Gold Coast. On Australian domestic routes, two planned services have been pushed back or cancelled entirely: the scheduled June 17 resumption of Gold Coast to Darwin flights has been delayed until October, and all Sydney to Busselton (Western Australia) services are scrapped between June 1 and September 21. Across the entire seven-week cut period in Australia, most Jetstar routes see fewer than five cancelled trips per route, but domestic New Zealand sees far larger cuts to key intercity routes: 55 Auckland to Christchurch flights are axed, dropping total scheduled services to 310, and 53 Auckland to Wellington trips are removed from the schedule, leaving 142 remaining flights. Qantas, Jetstar’s parent company, has also implemented its own capacity cuts, trimming 3.6% of its total scheduled flights in the same May 18 to June 30 window. Qantas’s cuts fall most heavily on busy domestic trunk routes: 43 Brisbane to Melbourne flights, 31 Melbourne to Brisbane flights, 23 Melbourne to Adelaide flights, 27 Perth to Sydney flights, 50 Sydney to Brisbane flights, and 76 Sydney to Melbourne flights have all been cancelled. The root cause of the capacity pullback is a historic surge in jet fuel prices, that has seen costs for buyers in Asia and Oceania jump as much as 150% since the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint, was closed seven weeks ago. Last week, Qantas issued a formal update to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) warning that its total fuel bill for the second half of the 2024 financial year would be between $600 million and $800 million higher than initial projections. The steep rise in fuel costs comes even as the airline group’s core profitability metric, revenue per passenger kilometre, continues to climb as carriers push through higher ticket prices to offset growing costs. Neither Jetstar nor Qantas has issued a public statement responding to questions about the new capacity cut details from AeroRoutes. The widespread cuts highlight how global energy market disruptions are directly impacting regional aviation capacity across Oceania, putting additional pressure on travelers already facing rising airfares.

  • ‘Buckle up’: Dean Young brings Kade Reed in for NRL debut in first major move as Dragons coach

    ‘Buckle up’: Dean Young brings Kade Reed in for NRL debut in first major move as Dragons coach

    The 2025 National Rugby League (NRL) season has entered a dramatic new phase, as newly appointed interim head coach Dean Young has wasted no time implementing sweeping changes to the struggling St George Illawarra Dragons, just hours after taking over the role.

    With the Dragons mired in a winless 0-7 start to the campaign, Young moved quickly to grant promising young playmaker Kade Reed his long-awaited first-grade NRL debut this Anzac Day against the Sydney Roosters. The coaching shake-up follows the sudden departure of former head coach Shane Flanagan, whose son Kyle Flanagan — the incumbent starting half — has been demoted to the bench to make space for Reed in the starting lineup.

    Young’s appointment was confirmed by Dragons CEO Tim Watsford and chairman Andrew Lancaster at 5:30 p.m. Monday, and within hours, he drove directly to Reed’s family home to deliver the life-changing news in person, alongside the departure of assistant coach Michael Ennis from the club.

    Reflecting on the whirlwind sequence of events in his first official press conference, Young said he first broke the news to his own family, warning them of the chaotic stretch ahead, before heading to see Reed. “That’s the best part of coaching,” Young explained. “There are lots of things that you don’t enjoy about coaching, but when you give young men opportunities to reach their dreams, that’s the best part.”

    The rookie playmaker’s promotion comes after months of calls from Dragons supporters to give Reed a shot at the top level, with former coach Shane Flanagan opting to develop the teenager gradually through reserve grade to build his experience against bigger, more experienced opponents. Young, however, said the club’s poor start to the season demanded an immediate change, and he made the call because of his firm belief in Reed’s ability to deliver.

    Critics have already labelled the call risky, fielding an untested teenager on the high-profile Anzac Day match for a club stuck in a lengthy losing streak. But Young pushed back on that assessment during the press conference, saying he wanted Reed and his family to know he sees the young playmaker as a core part of the club’s long-term future. “To sit in the lounge room in front of his parents and his brother Cooper and tell him that he’s about to play on Anzac Day means a lot to me,” Young said. “I wouldn’t do it unless I believed in him.”

    Addressing Kyle Flanagan’s demotion, Young noted the halfback has only set up two tries through the first seven matches of the season, and will now provide cover at either half or hooker for starting hooker Damien Cook. Young added that he has a strong relationship with Flanagan, who has accepted the change for the good of the team. “We need change,” Young said. “Where we’re going isn’t getting us to where we want to go. We’re getting the same results each week where we’re leading games and then not getting it done, and we need a bit of a circuit breaker. I know Kade will do a good job, but Kade Reed is not the saviour of this club. He needs the 16 players that take the field on the weekend to do their job, and then he’ll be able to do his.”

    Outside of the Dragons’ major reshuffle, a host of other team changes have been confirmed across the league ahead of the upcoming round of matches. At the Wests Tigers, young rising winger Heamasi Makasini has been dropped from the first-grade side after a poor performance against the Brisbane Broncos, with Luke Laulilii named to take his place on the wing. Starford To’a will also step into the starting centers, replacing Patrick Herbert.

    The Canberra Raiders will be without forward Hudson Young due to suspension, while veteran prop Josh Papalii will miss up to eight weeks of play with a partially torn calf muscle. For the North Queensland Cowboys, three key players — Jeremiah Nanai, Murray Taulagi and Reed Mahoney — are all set to return to the lineup for their match against the Cronulla Sharks, who will welcome back veteran forward Cam McInnes on the bench, after McInnes recovered from a season-opening ACL tear.

    The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have mixed team news: captain Stephen Crichton has been cleared to return from a shoulder injury, but starting winger Jacob Kiraz will miss the team’s Friday match in Brisbane due to a knee injury. Their opponents, the Brisbane Broncos, will be without starting props Payne Haas and Corey Jensen, forcing coach Kevin Walters to name Ben Talty and Jack Gosiewski in the starting front row.

    Elsewhere, Brad Schneider will start at five-eighth for the Dolphins, replacing suspended playmaker Kodi Nikorima. Freddy Lussick will take over starting hooker duties for the Penrith Panthers while Mitch Kenny recovers from a serious leg injury. Manly Sea Eagles speedster Tolu Koula will replace injured fullback Tom Trbojevic, while the Parramatta Eels will welcome back Sean Russell and Kelma Tuilagi, both returning from concussion-related absences.

  • ‘I’m not their best option’: Daly Cherry-Evans stops short of retiring from rep footy but backs incumbents to lead Maroons

    ‘I’m not their best option’: Daly Cherry-Evans stops short of retiring from rep footy but backs incumbents to lead Maroons

    As Queensland Maroons head coach Billy Slater prepares to finalize his squad for the 2026 State of Origin series, one of the program’s most storied veterans has opened up about his uncertain future in the representative rugby league arena, delivering a refreshingly grounded perspective on his place in the side’s next chapter.

    Former Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans, who notched 26 Origin appearances across his career and led the side in the opening game of the 2025 series, has stopped short of formally announcing his retirement from the interstate contest. The 37-year-old Sydney Roosters playmaker, however, has thrown his unwavering support behind incumbent halves pairing Cameron Munster and Tom Dearden, who he says deserve to retain their starting spots for the upcoming series.

    Cherry-Evans’s 2025 Origin tenure ended abruptly after Queensland suffered a game one defeat at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, when coach Billy Slater made the blockbuster call to drop the veteran skipper from the side. Dearden was brought into the starting lineup in his place, while Munster was promoted to take over captaincy. The reshuffled pairing went on to lead Queensland to a historic come-from-behind series win, with Dearden claiming the prestigious Wally Lewis Medal as the series’s best player.

    Though Cherry-Evans remains technically eligible for selection and has left the door cracked open for a potential surprise recall, he acknowledged that the current pairing deserves first dibs on the roles, even noting that both Munster and Dearden have faced inconsistent form at their respective NRL club sides this season. “I’m never going to be that guy that just comes out and retires, but I’m very comfortable with the side that they picked last year to win the series in the back end,” Cherry-Evans said in a recent interview.

    “Tom Dearden and Cam Munster, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that they’re Queensland’s best options going forward. If something ever happened moving down the track, you just keep your options open, and it’d be bloody hard to say no to a Queensland jersey again. But I’m quite clear that I’m not their best option right now and I’m OK with that.”

    Reflecting on his decorated Origin career, Cherry-Evans said he holds nothing but positive memories of representing his home state, and has fully accepted the current reality of his position in the squad’s pecking order. “It’s really hard to talk about yourself when it comes to what you’ve done. I’m still playing, so I’ve got nothing but great memories of State of Origin. If I got another chance, that’d be great, but if not, that’s also OK,” he said. “I’m going to continue to work really hard on my game and try and get the Roosters to keep winning footy games and have a strong input in that. But where it is right now, I completely understand it and accept it, and that’s OK. If I’m not picked, that’s fine, I’ll be watching at home cheering for Queensland.”

    Slater, who played alongside Cherry-Evans for the Maroons during his own playing career, said he has been encouraged by the veteran’s form and mindset following his off-season move from Manly Sea Eagles to the Sydney Roosters, a shift Cherry-Evans said he needed to reignite his love for the game. The Queensland coach added that a Cherry-Evans recall is widely viewed as highly unlikely, with young playmakers Sam Walker of the Roosters and Ezra Mam of the Brisbane Broncos already in contention for a spot in this year’s squad.

    “He’s been great. It’s good to see him enjoying his footy. He said he needed a fresh start, and he’s got that,” Slater told reporters at the MCG on Monday. “He’s the oldest player in our game and he’s doing a wonderful job. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times at games, and it’s good to see him putting some games together. It was always going to take some time with Sammy Walker and ‘Chez’ being quite similar players, but they’re making it work. They’ve got a good roster at the Roosters, so the more they play together, the better they’re going to get. That’s dangerous for the rest of the competition.”

  • Eta appointment ‘no surprise’ for Union Berlin’s ascendant women

    Eta appointment ‘no surprise’ for Union Berlin’s ascendant women

    When news broke that Marie-Louise Eta would take the helm of Union Berlin’s women’s first team ahead of their 2025-26 top-flight debut, the landmark appointment made headlines across global football. Yet for everyone inside the ambitious German club, the move came as no shock — it was simply the next logical step in Union Berlin’s years-long, industry-leading push to elevate women’s football to full parity with the men’s program.

  • Democrats eye Virginia gains in war with Trump over US voting map

    Democrats eye Virginia gains in war with Trump over US voting map

    As the United States gears up for November’s critical midterm elections, all eyes are turning to Virginia, where voters head to the polls Tuesday for a high-stakes referendum that could upend the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives. What began as a redistricting push championed by former President Donald Trump to shore up Republican advantages has evolved into a major liability for the GOP, with Democrats positioned to pick up four additional congressional seats if the measure passes.

    The fight over this ballot initiative sits at the heart of a broader national battle over gerrymandering, the longstanding and widely decried practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor the controlling political party. This clash has emerged as one of the defining issues of the 2024 midterm campaign cycle.

    If approved, the measure would allow Virginia to redraw its congressional districts years ahead of the next scheduled nationwide redistricting, which is tied to the decennial U.S. census and not set to occur until 2030. Currently, Democrats hold a narrow 6-5 advantage in the state’s 11 House seats; the new map would boost that edge to 10 out of 11 districts, delivering a major boost to Democratic efforts to flip or retain control of the chamber.

    Control of the House currently hangs by a thread, making the Virginia referendum outcome potentially decisive for the trajectory of Donald Trump’s remaining term in office. A Democratic majority would empower the party to block Trump’s legislative agenda and launch new investigations into his administration, while a continued Republican majority would leave Trump with a compliant congressional body aligned with his policy priorities.

    The current national redistricting fight traces back to Trump’s 2023 call on Republican-led states to redraw district maps mid-decade, a move designed to protect the GOP’s fragile House majority. That call triggered a tit-for-tat response, with both parties racing to secure additional congressional seats ahead of November’s vote.

    Texas was the first major state to act, approving a new map that could net Republicans up to five extra seats. California quickly countered with its own ballot measure aimed at delivering five new seats for Democrats. Now, Virginia represents one of the Democratic Party’s last major opportunities to gain ground through redistricting before voters cast their ballots nationwide.

    Democratic Party organizations have poured unprecedented sums of money into the Virginia campaign, turning the referendum into one of the costliest redistricting fights in U.S. history. Combined, the two leading opposing campaigns have raised nearly $100 million, a large share of which comes from so-called “dark money” groups: non-profit organizations that can spend heavily on political activity without revealing the identities of their donors to the public.

    According to reporting from *The Hill*, the pro-redistricting group Virginians for Fair Elections has raised the majority of that total, pulling in nearly $65 million to support the yes campaign. Former President Barack Obama, still one of the Democratic Party’s most high-profile and influential surrogates, released a video message urging Virginia voters to support the measure.

    “By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms… And we’re counting on you,” Obama said.

    Democrats frame the Virginia map change as a necessary countermeasure to balance out Trump’s nationwide push for partisan redistricting that benefits Republicans. Republicans, by contrast, decry the initiative as a brazen power grab in a politically competitive state where Trump won 46 percent of the popular vote in the 2024 presidential election.

    Virginia Republican Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, whose own congressional district would be reshaped by the new map, told ABC News that ramming through the redistricting plan would “come back to bite” Democrats in future elections.

    Early voting and absentee ballot data cited by *The Hill* shows more than one million Virginians have already cast their ballots, with Democrats holding a substantial lead in turnout among early voters. However, recent public opinion polling shows yes supporters hold only a narrow single-digit lead, and political analysts warn the outcome remains far from certain.

    Larry Sabato, a prominent political scientist at the University of Virginia, told AFP that a lopsided 10-1 advantage for Democrats is far from a guaranteed outcome. “To get 10 out of 11 seats is not easy, even with Virginia leaning more Democratic,” Sabato said. “And of late… it hasn’t been as Democratic as it had been previously.”

    A victory in the referendum would deliver a major political boost to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has led national Democratic efforts to neutralize pro-Trump gerrymandered maps passed in Republican-led states. A loss, by contrast, would be a significant blow to Virginia Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger, who has staked much of her political capital on the push for redistricting and has seen her approval ratings slip amid the high-profile fight.

    The outcome in Virginia will also set the stage for the final phase of the national redistricting battle. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called for a special legislative session to redraw that state’s congressional map, a move that could net Republicans up to five additional seats and potentially erase any Democratic gains from a Virginia victory.