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  • Syria says reached deal with Moscow on fate of Russian bases

    Syria says reached deal with Moscow on fate of Russian bases

    In a pivotal shift that reshapes Russia’s long-standing military footprint in the Middle East following the 2024 ouster of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Syria announced Sunday that Damascus and Moscow have finalized a deal outlining the new status of Russia’s two military installations on Syrian soil.

    Russia emerged as Assad’s most critical military ally throughout Syria’s 13-year civil conflict, providing critical support that allowed the former president to retain power for over a decade. When Assad was forced from office last year, the development delivered a severe blow to Russia’s regional influence, leaving the future of Moscow’s only two official military bases outside the former Soviet Union in doubt. In the months that followed, Russian President Vladimir Putin moved quickly to build diplomatic ties with Syria’s new Islamist-led government in Damascus to protect Russia’s interests at the Hmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval base.

    According to Syria’s state-run SANA news agency, the two bases will be reconfigured into joint training and capacity-building centers under a new framework designed to protect the mutual interests of both nations. The agreement, which comes after 18 months of back-and-forth negotiations, includes a mandate to complete the full transition process within a three-month timeline. In the first phase of the rollout, all civilian infrastructure located at both sites will immediately be transferred to Syrian government control.

    As of Monday, Moscow has not yet issued an official statement confirming or commenting on the new agreement. Both bases remained fully operational throughout the negotiation period, and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani completed an official inspection tour of the facilities on Sunday to review all sites and infrastructure covered by the new memorandum of understanding.

    Omar al-Hasri, director-general of Syria’s Civil Aviation Authority, announced Sunday that his agency has assumed full control of Latakia International Airport, a major civilian facility located adjacent to the Hmeimim airbase that has operated in close coordination with Russian forces for years. Hasri noted that specialized technical teams have already begun on-site assessments of the airport’s infrastructure, runways and operational systems to develop a comprehensive rehabilitation plan. He described the transfer as a critical milestone toward reviving Syria’s aviation sector and reintegrating all national airports into a unified civilian aviation network.

    In the months since taking power, Syria’s new administration under President Ahmed al-Sharaa has prioritized mending ties with Moscow, and al-Sharaa has traveled to Moscow twice for meetings with President Putin, most recently in January 2025. During that latest summit, Putin praised the progress made in restoring bilateral relations, and commended al-Sharaa’s ongoing work to reestablish full Syrian territorial control. Al-Sharaa, in turn, recognized Russia’s historical role in Syria and the broader region, though Damascus has continued to formally demand that Moscow extradite Assad, who has lived in Moscow with his family since fleeing Syria in 2024.

    The new agreement marks the latest adjustment to Russia’s military presence in Syria: earlier this year, Russian forces completed a full withdrawal from Qamishli Airport located in northeastern Syria, signaling a broader drawdown and restructuring of Moscow’s regional military posture.

  • Lionel Messi bids farewell to father who guided his glittering career

    Lionel Messi bids farewell to father who guided his glittering career

    The global football community is united in grief this week following the passing of Jorge Messi, the father, first coach, and long-time agent of Argentine football legend Lionel Messi, at the age of 68 after a private battle with cancer. Lionel Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, returned to his hometown region of Rosario, Argentina, over the weekend to lay his father to rest, arriving on a private jet from Miami on Saturday alongside his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their three children.

    On Sunday, a small, private memorial service was held at El Prado Cemetery in Perez, a small town adjacent to Rosario, attended only by close family members and a handful of Messi’s current and former Argentina national team teammates. Even as the service remained closed to the public, hundreds of messages of support from fans across Argentina and around the world appeared on the cemetery’s gates: handwritten notes offering comfort to the Messi family, a large floral wreath, and signs reading “Stay strong, Leo, we love you” dotted the entrance. Fans traveled hundreds of kilometers to stand with the football star during his time of loss. Fifteen-year-old Lucas Blanco was among those gathered outside, noting that Messi had spent decades bringing joy to Argentine people, and this was a small chance to return that support. One couple drove 700 kilometers from Tres Arroyos, a town south of Buenos Aires, just to be present to offer their condolences.

    News of Jorge’s passing broke late Friday, when he died at a clinic in Rosario. Tributes began pouring in immediately from across the global football ecosystem. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced that all domestic matches across every age group would hold a minute of silence and require players to wear black armbands throughout the week. Clubs that Messi has represented throughout his iconic career—including FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Miami—along with governing bodies like the Spanish Football Federation, have all released statements of sympathy to the Messi family.

    Rodrigo de Paul, Messi’s close friend and current Inter Miami teammate, was among the first to pay public tribute. After scoring in Inter Miami’s 2-1 loss to Monterrey on Saturday, De Paul removed his match shirt to reveal a replica of Messi’s iconic number 10 Argentina jersey, honoring his friend’s loss. Leandro Paredes, a fellow Argentina international who plies his trade at Boca Juniors, told reporters after his club’s Saturday match that the national team’s players were rallying around their captain, saying “It will surely do him good for us to be there” as they planned their attendance at the service. De Paul had already traveled to Argentina to be with Messi before the service.

    Speculation over Jorge’s health had been circulating for months before his passing, after his conspicuous absence from Argentina’s campaign at the 2024 FIFA World Cup in June. During the tournament, Messi’s family publicly asked media to respect their privacy, asking for “humanity” amid ongoing rumors about Jorge’s condition. After scoring against Algeria during the group stage, a visibly emotional Messi broke down in tears, later acknowledging he was navigating “a situation outside of sports” that had left him with “a few difficult, complicated days.” He thanked his teammates and the Argentine delegation for standing by him through the turmoil, and returned to Rosario immediately after Argentina’s final loss to Spain to be with his family.

    Jorge Messi leaves behind a legacy as the foundational force behind one of the greatest football careers in history. A working-class metalworker from Rosario, Jorge also coached youth teams at local amateur club Grandoli, and introduced four-year-old Lionel to the game on the empty neighborhood lots where local children gathered to play. When 13-year-old Lionel was invited to join FC Barcelona’s youth academy in 2000—an opportunity that would allow him to access treatment for a growth hormone deficiency he had been diagnosed with as a child—Jorge made the life-altering decision to leave his job, his wife Celia, and his three other children behind in Argentina to relocate to Catalonia with his son.

    In later interviews, Messi recalled the quiet struggle the pair endured in those early, uncertain days in Spain: “When we arrived in Barcelona, I used to lock myself in my room to cry alone, and my father did the same — either without me seeing him or thinking I didn’t see him. We pretended we were both fine, but we were struggling.” As Lionel’s career exploded into global stardom, Jorge stepped into the role of his long-time agent, negotiating every major contract of his son’s career from his first deal with Barcelona through his moves to Paris Saint-Germain and most recently Inter Miami. For decades, he remained Lionel’s closest advisor and emotional anchor, through every trophy, every win, and every setback of a glittering, record-breaking career.

  • Bodies hanging from bridge revive violence in once-calm town in Mexico

    Bodies hanging from bridge revive violence in once-calm town in Mexico

    For years, the central Mexican state of Zacatecas was synonymous with brutal, narcotics-fueled bloodshed. Tucked between Mexico’s central interior and its northern and western borders, the region holds unrivaled strategic value for criminal cartels moving cocaine and other illicit substances north to the massive consumer market in the United States. Rival gangs fought endless territorial wars here, leaving bodies strewn across public spaces and communities terrorized by widespread disappearances, with killings reaching a peak of roughly 1,300 in 2022, according to official Mexican government data.

    By 2025, however, a fragile calm took hold. Government figures showed homicides plummeted to just 144 that year, a drop officials credited to improved coordination between state and federal law enforcement agencies. For residents of small agricultural towns like Pozos de Gamboa—a tight-knit community of 5,000 people best known for its bean crop—this new quiet felt like a chance to return to normal life. That hope shattered abruptly on July 18, when locals woke to a horrific, familiar sight: five bodies, including those of a former mayor, local civil servants and out-of-state business owners, hanging from a highway bridge on the edge of town. Five additional bodies were discovered in other parts of Pozos de Gamboa the same day.

    The gruesome discovery has thrown the tiny town back into a state of paralyzing fear. Residents now lock their doors well before sunset, avoid public spaces after dark, and refuse to speak openly about the killings for fear of retaliation from cartel members. An anonymous local resident, speaking to Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity to protect his safety, described Pozos de Gamboa as a hollow ghost town. “Here, you always used to see people out and about,” he said. “But now, at 9 in the evening there is no one out on the street.” Like many in the town, he has already lost a family member to cartel violence, noting that gangs often kill over trivial disputes and go to great lengths to hide evidence of their crimes. “They kill over nothing at all,” he added.

    The bridge where the five bodies were displayed is no stranger to cartel intimidation tactics. Local residents confirmed it has been used for decades as a billboard for gangs to send violent messages to rivals and security forces. A street food vendor told AFP she spotted the hanging bodies as early as 4 a.m. that day, a sight that immediately brought back memories of the worst years of Mexico’s national drug war, which began in 2006 when the federal government deployed military forces to combat cartel activity. In that era, public displays of bodies like this were a common tactic to intimidate opponents and authorities.

    The killings have drawn swift intervention from Mexico’s federal government. Under President Claudia Sheinbaum, a leftist leader who has already deployed military troops to other violence-plagued states including Sinaloa and Michoacan, authorities have opened a full criminal investigation into the massacre and promised to arrest all those responsible. The state government of Zacatecas has requested additional support from the Mexican Army and National Guard to bolster security across the region, and has reaffirmed its commitment to reversing the recent gains cartels have made. Currently, only a small number of police patrols are visible along the highway connecting the state capital to Pozos de Gamboa, with no permanent roadblocks in place.

    The violence also comes amid ongoing international pressure on Sheinbaum’s administration from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has demanded Mexico take more aggressive direct action against cartels to stem the flow of illicit drugs across the shared U.S.-Mexico border. The two largest Mexican cartels, Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa, have been locked in a bitter battle for control of Zacatecas’s smuggling routes for years, a conflict that drove the state’s original wave of bloodshed. For residents of Pozos de Gamboa, the bridge killings are a devastating confirmation that the cartel conflict never truly went away—it was only lying in wait.

  • Vollering wins Tour de France Femmes after war of nerves

    Vollering wins Tour de France Femmes after war of nerves

    The 2026 Tour de France Femmes concluded in dramatic fashion on Sunday, as Dutch cycling star Demi Vollering secured her second overall general classification title with a stunning solo victory on the hilly final stage outside Nice. The 29-year-old, who also won the race in 2023, cemented her legacy as one of the event’s greatest competitors by executing a perfectly timed nine-day campaign, capped by back-to-back solo stage wins on the weekend’s final two routes.

    Vollering’s path to the yellow jersey was anything but straightforward. After 2024 winner Kasia Niewiadoma of Poland seized the overall lead with a dominant victory on the iconic Mont Ventoux climb on Friday, the race was set for a tense, high-stakes showdown. Vollering clawed back into the top spot on Saturday, launching a late attack on a short climb to take an eight-second advantage over Niewiadoma heading into the final stage. The day’s racing was marred by minor controversy, however: Niewiadoma publicly accused one of Vollering’s teammates of blocking her at a critical moment in the stage, though race officials took no disciplinary action. Following the Sunday finish, Vollering revealed that her teammate Celia Gery, who was identified as the rider in question, had received death threats on social media in the 24 hours after the incident. Calling the experience a devastating one for Gery, Vollering noted that such tight-quarters incidents are an unavoidable part of mass cycling races, adding that her entire team approached the event with honesty and humility.

    The final stage, featuring four grueling ascents of Col d’Eze on the outskirts of Nice, set the stage for a dramatic conclusion. With the general classification still within Niewiadoma’s reach, Vollering bided her time through the first three climbs before striking near the summit of the fourth ascent. She quickly opened up a 20-second gap on the chasing pack and held her advantage all the way down the descent to the Nice finish line, securing both the stage win and the overall title.

    Niewiadoma held on to second place overall after the tense final battle, while Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini moved up to third after Swiss rider Marlen Reusser crashed on a downhill descent and lost a two-minute buffer that had secured her place on the provisional podium. Additional classification honors went to Dutch riders across the board: sprinter Lorena Wiebes claimed the green points jersey, thanks to back-to-back wins on the opening two stages held in Switzerland, while Puck Pieterse secured the polka dot jersey for best climber ahead of the final stage. Germany’s Antonia Niedermaier took home the best young rider jersey and finished fourth overall in the general classification.

    Vollering, who has now finished on the Tour de France Femmes podium five times since the event was relaunched in 2022—including three second-place finishes—expressed overwhelming gratitude for the win at the finish line. “It’s a dream to live this life,” she told reporters after lifting her bike overhead in celebration. “I knew my level and even when Kasia won on Mont Ventoux I was still confident.”

    Her team, FDJ-United Suez, made history as the first French-registered squad to win the overall title at the modern Tour de France Femmes, drawing high praise from team principal Stephen Delcourt. Delcourt described Vollering as a transformative figure for the sport, highlighting her off-the-bike impact as much as her race results. “Through her high standards, sensitivity, authenticity, and the way she brings others along with her, she is redefining what it means to be a modern leader,” he said. “She inspires her teammates, she inspires the fans, she inspires an entire generation … She doesn’t just win races; she shows the way forward.”

  • Netanyahu rejects Gaza plan in new break from Trump

    Netanyahu rejects Gaza plan in new break from Trump

    In a move that opens a clear rift between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, Netanyahu has formally rejected a 15-point U.S.-led Gaza peace plan that had already secured endorsement from Hamas, a decision driven by domestic political pressures ahead of Israel’s upcoming national elections on October 27. The first national election held since the devastating October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that ignited the ongoing Gaza war, the upcoming vote has left Netanyahu fighting to hold his position, with recent polls showing him neck-and-neck or trailing his competitors, and his right-wing political base uniformly opposed to the proposed framework. After more than a week of incremental public criticism of the plan, and even after U.S. negotiators offered assurances that Israel would not be required to begin an immediate military withdrawal from Gaza, Netanyahu bowed to pressure from his far-right coalition allies and announced his outright opposition to the deal during a Sunday cabinet meeting. “Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu stated, referencing the proposal Hamas agreed to in late July. He added that the Israeli military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens.” While Netanyahu was careful to frame Trump, who has praised the deal as a landmark breakthrough for Middle Eastern peace, as “our greatest friend in the White House,” he made clear he had no intention of backing down from his opposition, noting that Israeli officials were formally presenting their objections to Washington. “They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters,” he said. The plan, overseen by the U.S.-created Board of Peace, is designed to prevent a repeat of the October 7 attack by establishing a phased process that begins with Hamas fully disarming, followed by an Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Nickolay Mladenov, the Board’s high representative for Gaza, defended the framework in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, calling it the only viable path forward to long-term stability. “The option we are offering today is the only way forward that ensures this tragedy does not happen again,” Mladenov said. He added that the current phase of the agreement only binds the United States, Hamas, and the Board of Peace — with Israel not required to take on any obligations until Hamas surrenders all weapons, including small arms like Kalashnikov rifles — though an eventual Israeli pullout is a core requirement of the final deal. Mladenov said he remained hopeful that productive follow-up talks with Israeli officials would yield a positive outcome. The plan won Hamas’ endorsement just days after the group selected Khalil al-Hayya as its new leader, and Hamas officials are now calling on the U.S. to pressure Netanyahu to drop his opposition. “We expect the mediators and the American guarantor to pressure Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap, and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons,” Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told AFP. In an official statement, Hamas reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to the terms of the plan. The rejection marks the latest in a growing series of disagreements between Netanyahu and Trump, who has long positioned himself as the most pro-Israel U.S. president in history, including taking the unprecedented step of moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. The two leaders jointly launched a military campaign against Iran in late February, but their alliance has frayed in recent months: as the conflict dragged on, dragging down Trump’s domestic approval ratings and pushing global oil prices sharply higher, Trump pushed for a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement, a position Netanyahu has resisted. Last week, just as U.S.-mediated ceasefire talks between Israel and Lebanon got underway, Netanyahu ordered new airstrikes on Lebanon in response to what Israel called a ceasefire violation by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. The Gaza proposal is the next step in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal announced in October that has reduced the scale of Israeli military operations in Gaza but failed to end them entirely. Even with Netanyahu’s formal rejection, Israeli operations have continued at a reduced pace since the plan was announced. On the same day Netanyahu announced his opposition, Israeli gunfire wounded multiple people in Khan Yunis, including a child who was evacuated to a local hospital, according to Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense. Since the October ceasefire took effect, Israeli operations in Gaza have killed 1,258 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry — a body administered by Hamas whose casualty figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza during the same period, according to Israeli military records. On the broader issue of Iran’s nuclear program, which Netanyahu has long framed as an existential threat to Israel, the prime minister reaffirmed his hardline stance Sunday, telling his cabinet that “with an agreement or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.”

  • AFL 2026: Ross Lyon describes Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera injury as ‘arrow through the heart’

    AFL 2026: Ross Lyon describes Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera injury as ‘arrow through the heart’

    A devastating hamstring injury to St Kilda AFL star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera has thrown the club’s wildcard finals hopes into serious jeopardy, coming just eight minutes into a lopsided 44-point defeat to Carlton on Sunday night. For Saints head coach Ross Lyon, the early exit of one of the club’s most talented young players hit harder than any on-field blow.

    Describing the moment the star utility limped off the field, Lyon called the injury an “arrow through the heart” for the entire club. The injury blow capped off a catastrophic night for St Kilda, who entered the clash as a critical fixture in their push to secure a top-10 ladder position and a spot in the expanded wildcard finals series. Compounding their misery, the Saints also lost key forward Mason Wood to a calf injury during the match, while Tom De Koning, Brad Hill and Liam Ryan all played through painful shoulder and knee niggles that limited their on-field impact.

    Lyon, who typically keeps injury details close to his chest in post-match press conferences, openly acknowledged the severity of Wanganeen-Milera’s injury Sunday. Even in the best-case scenario, the 22-year-old star will be sidelined for a minimum of three weeks, ruling him out of any potential wildcard final if St Kilda somehow manages to cling to their spot in the top 10.

    “ I’m not sure what worst case is, but I would think what I saw – and I don’t know much about hamstrings – minimum three weeks,” Lyon told reporters post-game. “At halftime he just gave me a bit of a hug, really, so he’s a positive person, but hopefully it turns out not too significant. It’s weird … it’s not like we worked them (at training), so we’re scratching our heads a little bit on the soft tissue injury.”

    The Saints now face an uphill battle to secure a finals berth, needing to win both of their remaining regular-season matches against Richmond and Gold Coast without their star utility. The club’s current position on the brink of elimination is a particularly bitter disappointment for fans and management, after St Kilda invested a multi-million dollar sum in high-profile recruiting during the 2023 off-season to build a team capable of competing for finals. Lyon took full responsibility for the team’s underperformance this season, saying the failure to deliver on pre-season expectations sits with him.

    “That sits with me. I’ve got to wear it. I’m fine. I’m a big boy. I’m happy to take what comes,” Lyon said. “Leaders shepherd, protect and nurture and challenge their people under pressure and that’s my job and I’ll continue to do it until I’m either tapped or I tap myself. I hate losing. It’s a winning business … when you’re playing good footy you’ve got to win. When you’re playing good footy and you can get across the line and you don’t because these nights are coming. You’ve got to take your moments.”

    With the team’s poor form on full display against Carlton, Lyon confirmed that the club plans to make significant changes to their starting line-up for their remaining matches, calling up in-form players from the club’s VFL affiliate to add intensity and hunger to the side. “People have been knocking on the door,” Lyon said. “You know what? System is not being delivered on, we’ll bring the hardness and the hunger and the enthusiasm in because if you’re not getting it done, in the end, that’s what we’ve really done over the last few years. The feedback is: you need to develop from within more. We’ve got to set some standards and not accept some stuff, so we’ll look to bring some in.”

    St Kilda’s finals hopes now rely not just on two straight wins to close the season, but also on favorable results from other competing clubs around the league, leaving one of the league’s most improved recent sides on the brink of missing out on September action.

  • Kurdish PKK criticises Turkey bill on fate of its fighters

    Kurdish PKK criticises Turkey bill on fate of its fighters

    A day before Turkey’s parliament is set to debate a landmark piece of legislation aimed at winding down 40 years of armed conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the outlawed Kurdish group has issued sharp criticism of the bill, warning it will fail to deliver lasting peace without the release of its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan.

    The proposed bill, which enjoys cross-party backing from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the pro-Kurdish DEM party, forms the cornerstone of Turkey’s latest push to end decades of deadly fighting that has claimed at least 50,000 lives since the conflict began. The legislation does not offer a full blanket amnesty for PKK fighters. Instead, it pauses prosecutions and prison sentences for some offenses for a period between five and 10 years. If individuals covered by the law do not reoffend within that window, all active investigations are dropped and sentences are counted as completed. Serious violent offenses, including intentional homicide, are excluded from the protections of the bill, a carveout that pro-government media argue should bar Ocalan, who has served a life sentence since 1999, from any early release.

    In an official statement published Sunday by the PKK-aligned ANF news agency, the group’s leadership condemned the legislation as fundamentally flawed. The statement argued that key proposals aimed at advancing democratic reform and a comprehensive solution to the long-running Kurdish political issue were completely ignored by lawmakers crafting the bill. The PKK also pointed out that the legislation frames the process solely around disarmament, but never explicitly references the “Kurdish issue” – a choice that the group says proves the proposal fails to address the root of the conflict at its core. Beyond demanding Ocalan’s release, the PKK also called for binding legal guarantees that former fighters who lay down their arms will be able to participate freely in Turkish political life without the threat of imprisonment for their political beliefs.

    The PKK warned that every provision included in the bill would amount to nothing more than a “dead letter” if 77-year-old Ocalan, the group’s founding and longtime leader, is not granted release from prison. Ocalan’s path to release remains unclear: last year, he called on the PKK to disarm and disband in response to a new peace initiative launched by Turkish authorities in late 2024, but no official decision has been made on his future. The PKK formally announced its disarmament and disbandment plan last year in line with Ocalan’s call.

    Not all Kurdish political figures have rejected the bill, however. Prominent former Kurdish opposition leader Selahattin Demirtas, who has been imprisoned in Turkey since 2016, threw his support behind the legislation Sunday. Demirtas, who previously served as co-chair of Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party, described the bill as a crucial moment for the country, saying he hopes the parliamentary debate will mark another critical step forward in this historic peace effort. If implemented successfully, Demirtas argued, the law will fundamentally and permanently transform the future of Turkey and its Kurdish region, bringing an end to more than 40 years of violence that has reshaped the lives of millions of people across the country. For decades, Kurds across Turkey and the wider region have held regular demonstrations calling for Ocalan’s release from prison.

  • NSW government to offer $250 washing machines in electricity bill push

    NSW government to offer $250 washing machines in electricity bill push

    As cost-of-living pressures continue to squeeze household budgets across Australia, the New South Wales (NSW) state government has launched a new round of a popular practical relief program, offering thousands of low-income and vulnerable residents heavily discounted energy and water-efficient washing machines to cut long-term utility bills.

    Under the expanded initiative, at least 6,000 eligible households – including qualifying pensioners, veterans, social housing tenants, and low-income families – will be able to replace their old, inefficient top-loading washing machines with a new 8kg front-loading model that meets modern water and energy efficiency standards for just $250. The scheme includes additional perks beyond the discounted appliance: major white goods retailer The Good Guys handles delivery to any location across NSW, provides a two-year manufacturer’s warranty, and arranges for the responsible recycling and removal of the old unit.

    State officials estimate that the switch from an older top-loader to a new efficient model will save the average participating household roughly $300 per year through combined reductions in electricity use, water consumption, and detergent costs. Beyond household savings, the initiative also delivers measurable environmental benefits: across the roughly 12,000 upgrades completed in the program’s first two rounds, total water usage has fallen by an estimated 223 million liters – a volume equivalent to 93 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

    Housing Minister Rose Jackson highlighted that the program has consistently outperformed expectations in demand, with all discounted units selling out in less than a week in both previous rounds. “The response to this program has been extraordinary with machines snapped up in next to no time and that’s why we’re back again with another 6,000 discounted washing machines,” Jackson said, adding that the scheme delivers targeted, long-lasting cost-of-living support for households struggling with ongoing economic pressure.

    Veterans Affairs Minister David Harris emphasized that the program is one small way the state can honor its commitment to former service members. “The state’s veterans are owed an unpayable debt,” Harris said. “Easing their electricity bills with a new washing machine is the least we can do.” Seniors Minister Jodie Harrison echoed that sentiment, noting that cumulative annual savings add up to meaningful financial relief for older residents on fixed incomes, urging eligible seniors to apply quickly given the program’s history of rapid sell-outs.

    The expanded washing machine scheme is part of the incumbent Labor state government’s broader push to deliver tangible cost-of-living relief to voters, ahead of state elections scheduled for 2025. Ongoing geopolitical instability in the Middle East has continued to put upward pressure on global fuel prices and supply chains, keeping utility and grocery costs elevated for Australian households. In addition to energy efficiency support, the government has recently expanded access to common prescription medications, allowing women to access contraceptive pills without a doctor’s prescription and broadening access to ADHD medication without requiring a specialist referral.

  • Five dead in new Russia, Ukraine strikes

    Five dead in new Russia, Ukraine strikes

    Five civilians have been killed and dozens more injured in a fresh wave of reciprocal long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine over the weekend, marking an escalating escalation of hostilities more than four years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.

    Overnight strikes carried out by Russian forces left two civilians dead and 23 wounded in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv, where a residential building suffered a partial collapse that reduced four of its floors to rubble, Ukrainian officials confirmed. Regional governor Oleg Synegoubov released on-site images showing emergency responders working to clear debris from the gutted structure after the attack.

    Additional Russian strikes targeted infrastructure and residential areas across southern and central Ukraine overnight. Eight people were wounded in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, where the strikes damaged critical port facilities, residential buildings, and local power grids. In Pavlohrad, located in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, nine people including four children were wounded in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an “absolutely brutal” strike on energy infrastructure adjacent to a local shopping center.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) added its voice to international condemnation after one of its supply warehouses in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, which stored critical medical and humanitarian supplies, was completely destroyed in strikes carried out Friday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated that attacks on healthcare infrastructure are prohibited under international law, saying in a Sunday post on X: “I cannot say loudly enough: attacks on health care MUST STOP. Otherwise, people are deprived of lifesaving healthcare. Even wars have rules. One of those is that health must be protected!”

    Across the border in Russia’s Belgorod region, a Ukrainian drone strike left three civilians dead and 25 wounded, including children aged four and nine, according to acting regional governor Alexander Shuvaev. The attack sparked large fires in two apartment buildings, a private residence, and multiple parked cars, with local media footage showing one residential building engulfed in towering flames as onlookers gathered across the street to watch the blaze.

    Zelenskyy defended Ukraine’s cross-border strikes as legitimate responses to unprovoked Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory. In his Sunday evening address, he noted that Russia has waged a campaign of what he called “ballistic terror” against Ukraine, with 61 missiles of varying ranges fired at Ukrainian targets over the past week. “More pressure, more sanctions against Russia and more air defence for Ukraine are needed,” Zelenskyy wrote in a separate social media post Sunday. He added that Ukraine’s targeted strikes on Russian infrastructure including oil refineries, air defense systems and radar stations are “truly just responses” to Russian aggression, noting that “The Russian war will be increasingly felt at home, in Russia.”

    On the eastern front line in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the Russian military announced Sunday that it had seized control of two small villages, including Vasiutynske, which sits roughly six miles from Kramatorsk, a key Ukrainian logistics and population hub. The claim has not yet been verified by independent third-party observers.

    The escalating cycle of cross-border strikes and rising civilian casualties has drawn sharp condemnation from the United Nations. Last week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned both Russia and Ukraine for repeated strikes on civilian areas, saying “Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are a clear violation of international humanitarian law, and must stop immediately.”

    Nearly four and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, peace talks remain effectively stalled, with no signs of a negotiated breakthrough to end the ongoing conflict.

  • Gold Coast Suns snap 10-game losing streak to dent Giants’ finals hopes

    Gold Coast Suns snap 10-game losing streak to dent Giants’ finals hopes

    On a rain-soaked Sunday afternoon in Canberra, the Gold Coast Suns pulled off one of the most cathartic wins of the 2026 AFL season, snapping a demoralizing 10-match losing skid with a nail-biting 79-77 victory over the Greater Western Sydney Giants that leaves GWS’ finals prospects hanging by a thread.

    The result caps a turbulent three-month stretch for the Suns, who entered the 2026 campaign with high expectations after opening the season with a promising 7-3 record that landed them inside the top four. But a dramatic slump saw Gold Coast drop 10 straight contests — four by fewer than 10 points — tumbling all the way to 14th on the ladder and eliminating them from mathematical finals contention heading into the round 22 clash. Retired Melbourne Demons legend Gerard Healy described the brutal stretch as “three months of hell” for the club.

    No player stepped up larger to end the drought than reigning Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell, who turned in what is widely being called the best performance of his young career. The Suns midfielder dominated all over the ground, notching a career-best 40 disposals, a season-high 17 clearances, 10 inside-50 entries, and an staggering 16 tackles to anchor his side through the scrappy, wet-weather affair. Healy praised Rowell’s standout showing, telling Fox Footy the young star was “in a class of his own” throughout the match.

    The Suns’ defensive unit also overcame significant adversity to lock in the win. Key defender Sam Collins was ruled out as a late starter, seemingly stripping Gold Coast of its primary aerial presence at the back. But 22-year-old halfback Mac Andrew stepped into the void to deliver a career-defining performance, finishing with eight marks, 11 intercept possessions, 13 disposals and three score involvements. Most impressively, Andrew held GWS young gun Aaron Cadman — one of the league’s most promising young key forwards — goalless and to zero total marks for the first time all season. Former Brisbane premiership defender Alastair Lynch noted during Fox Footy’s coverage that Andrew was “putting on a clinic”, while GWS head coach Adam Kingsley later applauded his intercept work and ability to repel Giants attacking drives.

    The match stayed tightly contested through the final quarter, with GWS keeping the margin within striking distance the entire time. But the Suns held firm, clinching their first victory since May and delivering a much-needed boost to the club as it looks ahead to the 2027 season.

    Suns head coach Damien Hardwick opened up pre-match about his own accountability for the team’s poor form this year, admitting he had strayed from his core coaching philosophy and accepted full blame for the disappointing campaign. Post-match, he doubled down on the club’s acceptance of criticism, saying the team “welcome as much scrutiny as possible” because it proves the club is relevant. “We have been disappointing this year and we accept that, we accept responsibility,” Hardwick told reporters. “(2026) is going to have been a very very important year for us both on and off the field about the learnings we’ve come away with.”

    Hardwick added that the club remains on the cusp of a breakthrough, pointing to Sydney’s quick turnaround from a disappointing 2025 campaign to a strong 2026 season as a blueprint for Gold Coast’s future. “Come and watch our trainings, you wouldn’t know we’ve had 10 losses in a row the way the guys show up every week,” he said.

    For the Giants, the devastating narrow loss leaves their wildcard finals hopes all but extinguished. GWS entered the round with a chance to jump into a wildcard spot if results broke their way, but the defeat means they now need to win both of their remaining remaining matches and rely on losses from both Carlton and St Kilda in their final fixtures to qualify. If they fail to make the finals, 2026 will mark the first season Kingsley has missed the post-season since taking over as head coach in 2023. The Giants also suffered two major injury blows during Sunday’s match, with Jayden Laverde exiting with a rib injury and Toby Bedford leaving before half-time with a back complaint.

    Kingsley acknowledged after the match that finals qualification is now “unlikely”, though he insisted the club would continue pushing to the final siren of the season. “I don’t know if it’s impossible yet but it’s difficult now and that’s the reality of it. There’s nothing we can do about it now. We’ll continue to move on, we’ve got two more games, and we’ll do our best and try and win both and see if that is enough to qualify, but it looks unlikely,” he said. Kingsley also pointed to poor attacking 50 entries as the key difference in the match, noting “I don’t think we really stressed their defence as much with our entries. I felt like we could’ve attacked the goals a little bit more, but we didn’t.”

    Looking ahead to the final two rounds of the home-and-away season, GWS will host 16th-placed West Coast at home next weekend before traveling to Adelaide to face the Crows in their season finale. Gold Coast, meanwhile, will play the Brisbane Lions in the QClash at the Gabba next round before closing out their season against St Kilda in Melbourne. With nothing left to play for in 2026, the Suns will head into their final two matches with all pressure lifted, while the Giants face two straight must-win games to keep their season alive.

    Final scorecard: GWS Giants 11.11 (77), Gold Coast Suns 11.13 (79)