Australia

The world No 1 expects to ‌skip events again this year and face likely sanctions rather than put her health at risk.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka has accused tennis authorities of “following their interests” and failing to put player welfare first over what she called an “insane” tennis season.

The Belarusian expects to ‌skip events this year rather than put her health at risk over ‍the course of ‍the season, even though she knows she is likely to be sanctioned by the WTA Tour for doing so, the world number one said on Thursday.

Top players are obliged to compete in all four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 ⁠tournaments and six WTA 500 events under WTA rules, with the punishment for missing them ​ranging from rankings points deductions to fines.

In 2025, Sabalenka competed in ‍just three WTA 500 events – Brisbane, Stuttgart and Berlin – making her one of several high-ranked players, including world number two Iga Swiatek, to be docked ranking points.

Asked if she would change ‍her plans for ⁠2026, the four-time Grand Slam champion told reporters: “The season is definitely insane, and that’s not good for all of us, as you see so many players getting injured …

“The rules are quite tricky with mandatory events, but I’m still skipping a couple of events in order to protect my body, because I struggled a lot last season,” she said after beating Sorana Cirstea at the Brisbane ​International.

“Even though the results were really consistent, some of the ‌tournaments I had been playing completely sick or I’d been really exhausted from overplaying. This season, we will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they are going to fine me by ‌the end of the season.

“But it’s tricky to do that. You cannot skip 1000 events. It’s really tricky, and I ‌think that’s insane what they do. I think they ⁠just follow their interests, but they’re not focusing on protecting all of us.”

The number of events in the tennis calendar has been a frequent complaint in recent months among the sport’s biggest names.

Men’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz is another to have voiced concern about the amount of tennis he plays, although he has also signed up to feature in lucrative exhibition matches.

He faces great rival Jannik Sinner in one such event on Saturday in South Korea, barely a week before the Australian Open.

The men’s and women’s circuits have faced criticism due to their 11-month seasons, and both tours came under new scrutiny during the “Asian swing” towards ‌the end of last year, with injuries piling up.

Bethell’s century, which took the tourists to 302-8 and a lead of 119, makes the 22-year-old the seventh youngest man to score a Test hundred for England against Australia.

Having come in during the first over, he strolled to the nineties but 29 balls passed with Bethell a hit away from a century.

Harry Brook, England’s vice-captain, wafted and waved at Mitchell Starc bouncers at the other end. Bethell’s dad, Graham, took deep breaths in the stands.

It was the man that mattered most who appeared the calmest of all.

Bethell had, of course, been here before.

In November 2024, he reached 96 against New Zealand in his second Test, only to nick behind off Tim Southee.

His response afterwards, that it would have been “flair” to “smack that through the covers” hinted at Bethell’s freer side – the one that had him pictured doing the YMCA during England’s ill-fated mid-Ashes trip to Noosa.

This hundred showed all of his maturity that is so highly regarded by England – and what persuaded them to make him their youngest captain on last year’s white-ball tour of Ireland.

“He played in a way that Test cricket has been played for many generations,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan on Test Match Special. “You respect the ball and have good technique.

“It was a technical masterclass. A masterclass in composure and calmness.

“The strokeplay, when he got a chance to score, he didn’t try to overhit it. We have seen a batting masterclass from someone who let the ball come.

“He didn’t hit the ball in the air that often. It was a throwback.”

Though the landmark came with a flick for four over mid-wicket off Beau Webster’s spin, Bethell’s first ton was moulded in a style from the old school.

While defending the danger area around his stumps, he timed back-foot punches rather than slashing cuts and clipped from his pads to keep the score moving.

A glorious on-drive off Michael Neser was the highlight and a dismissive pull off Cameron Green through mid-wicket a statement.

“I had two shots and a half,” said Cook, famed for his cuts, pulls and clips, on TNT Sports.

“Four shots would help anyone be world-class. He has guts and determination.

“There were some really tough balls but he has a nice solid technique down the ground.

“Clip, pull, drive and cut. A classic number three innings.”

Alongside Steve Smith, Khawaja is one of two remaining members of the Australia team beaten by England in their last series win in this country in 2010-11.

Khawaja has made 6,206 Test runs at an average of 43.39, with 16 hundreds.

He needs 30 runs in his final Test to go above Mike Hussey into 14th on Australia’s all-time run-scorers list, just behind the great Donald Bradman in 13th.

Khawaja played the last of his 40 one-day internationals in July 2019, having scored 1,554 runs at 42. He played in nine T20 internationals, scoring 241 runs at 26.77.

Now playing domestically for Queensland, Khawaja will end his career on the ground that was his home when he first played professional cricket for New South Wales in 2008.

Often in and out of the Australia team across his Test career, he found a home at the top of the order during the previous home Ashes in 2021-22.

However, his place came under scrutiny during this series after he suffered back spasms in the first Test that prevented him from opening.

Travis Head took Khawaja’s place in the second innings and made a swashbuckling century to lead Australia to an eight-wicket win.

Khawaja subsequently missed the second Test with the back problem and was due to be left out of the third, only to receive a late call-up when Steve Smith fell ill.

He made scores of 82 and 40 in Adelaide to retain his place in the fourth Test.

After the Ashes Australia will not play another Test until August, by which time Khawaja will be almost 40.

Australia lead the current Ashes series 3-1. The final Test starts on Sunday (23:30 GMT, Saturday).

New Year’s Eve celebrations are unfolding across the world as countries move into 2026 one time zone at a time.

The first major cities to mark the new year welcomed midnight with fireworks over their waterfronts, and large crowds gathered at public viewing points.

As the night continues, countries across the Americas will close out the global transition with events stretching from Rio de Janeiro’s beaches to Times Square in New York City and beyond.

This gallery shows how people are marking the start of 2026 around the world.

Dec. 31 (UPI) — Australia rang in 2026 with fireworks, solidarity, words of encouragement and heavily armed police officers on New Year’s Eve in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting.

“Peace” and “unity” were projected onto the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and fireworks exploded to celebrate the new year. The bridge was lit by a white light to symbolize peace, and a menorah was projected onto the bridge pylons as a show of solidarity.

At 11 p.m. AEDT, the festivities paused for a minute of silence for victims of the attack.

New South Wales Police said there were more than 2,500 police officers patrolling the streets of Sydney on Wednesday evening.

The heightened security is in response to the Dec. 14 attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Two gunmen shot and killed 14 people. One of the gunmen was also killed. There were 42 people injured in the attack.

Chris Minns, premier of NSW, noted that some might find the heavy police presence with guns “confronting.”

“But I make no apology for that,” Minns said. “We want people to be safe in our community.”

Before the event, the New York Times reported Sydney Mayor Clover Moore said, “I invite people at home and around the harbor to join with us by shining their phone torch in solidarity to show the Jewish community that we stand with them, and that we reject violence, fear and antisemitism.”

Joe and Lucy, British tourists, told the BBC that the boost of police presence reassured them. They were in Melbourne when the shooting happened.

“We had our worries about coming for New Year’s Eve,” Joe told the BBC. “But we were reading more recently in the news … how more police were going to be here, it would be a bit safer.”

The foundation has so far raised £65,000 through, in part, events like a ball at Worcestershire’s New Road and a golf day. But Lisa and Paul have hit an obstacle. Spending the money is proving more problematic than raising it.

“I thought it would be the other way around,” says Paul. “Raising money is never easy, but how do we change people’s lives, how do we make things better for people and have success stories to tell on the back of it?

“The aim is to give something back to the sport of cricket that we cherish as a family.

“It’s not something we have the expertise in, so we’re finding out how we can divert funds into helping people, clubs, or the medical side of the game. It could be helping juniors get to matches, or helping families where finances are a barrier.”

Now, Lisa and Paul are asking anyone who can give the JB33 Foundation some direction to get in touch via the charity’s Instagram page.

“It’s something we’re very passionate about, because it means so much to us,” says Lisa. “We need to start spending and shouting about what we’re doing.”

Even while they’re in Australia, Lisa and Paul are continuing to take calls and hold meetings about the Foundation. When they get home in the new year, they want to press on with their work before the new season begins.

Before then, they will finish their Ashes trip in Sydney. On day one of the fifth Test they will once again be wearing their JB33 T-shirts, as they have on the opening day of each of the previous four.

“It hurts like hell because they have his face on the back, but it’s also beautiful,” says Lisa.

Like Melbourne, returning to Sydney will stir unbearable emotions that no parent ever should feel.

It was outside the Sydney Cricket Ground where Josh bowled during the Ashes Test of 2011, and it was in the city when Josh had his winter cricketing adventure just months before he passed away.

“He wasn’t a big Christmas person,” says Lisa. “I don’t doubt that he wouldn’t have spent a Christmas at home for a long time – he’d have been out here playing cricket.

“He loved his life. Music was a big part. Certain songs come on and I have to take a deep breath. He loved his music. He was always singing.

“Coming to Australia is very special to us now. We feel closer to him out here at Christmas than we would at home.”

Families of victims of the deadly attack on a Jewish celebration at Australia’s Bondi Beach earlier this month have called for a national inquiry into rising anti-Semitism.

In an open letter published on Monday, relatives of 11 of the victims of the attack called on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to hold a royal commission into what they called the “rapid” and “dangerous” rise of anti-Jewish sentiment following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

Fifteen people, most of them Jewish, were killed when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach on December 14.

Australian authorities have said the suspected gunmen, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, were inspired by the ISIL (ISIS) group.

In their letter, the families said they needed to know why “clear warning signs were ignored” and “how antisemitic hatred … [was] allowed to dangerously grow unchecked”.

“As proud Australians and proud Jews, we have endured more than two and a half years of relentless attacks,” the families said.

“Our children feel unsafe at school and university. Our homes, workplaces, sporting fields, and public spaces no longer feel secure.”

The response of Albanese’s Labor government to the attack, including proposals to tighten gun laws and introduce tougher legislation against hate speech, was “not nearly enough,” the families said.

“The dangerous rise of antisemitism and radicalism in Australia is not going away,” they said.

“We need strong action now. We need leadership now.”

The calls for an inquiry into anti-Semitism came as Albanese on Monday announced the terms of an independent review into whether law enforcement and intelligence agencies could have done more to prevent the attack.

Albanese and his government colleagues have resisted calls for a public inquiry into the attack, arguing that such a process would take years and could undermine social cohesion by platforming extremist voices.

Albanese told a news conference that the review, led by former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson, would examine what authorities knew about the suspected gunmen before the attack and information sharing between federal and state agencies, among other issues.

“Just over two weeks ago, anti-Semitic terrorists tried to tear our country apart, but our country is stronger than these cowards,” Albanese said.

“They went to Bondi Beach to unleash mass murder against our Jewish community. We need to respond with unity and urgency rather than division and delay.”

Anti-Jewish sentiment, as well as anti-Islam and anti-immigration sentiment, are rising in Australia. Many Australians have expressed their concerns over a rise in right-wing extremism in the country, where one in two people is either born overseas or has a parent born overseas.

In September, thousands of people held rallies in cities, including Sydney, Perth, Canberra and Brisbane, demanding an end to “mass migration”.

The Australian government has condemned the rallies, which took place under the banner of “March for Australia”, as racist, while Minister for Multicultural Affairs Anne Aly said the gatherings were “organised by Nazis”.

The group behind “March for Australia” said on its website and social media that “mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together” and that its rallies aimed to do “what the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration”.

But Australia also experienced a sharp rise in both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents since October 7, 2023.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which supports the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, documented 1,654 anti-Jewish incidents nationwide between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025, after more than 2,060 incidents the previous year.

The Islamophobia Register Australia recorded 309 in-person incidents of Islamophobia and 366 online incidents between January 1, 2023 and November 31, 2024.

Numerous rights organisations, including some Jewish groups, have criticised the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, arguing that it has been used to conflate legitimate criticism of Israel – particularly of its genocidal war on Gaza – with anti-Jewish bigotry.

One of Albanese’s highest-profile critics in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – he blamed Albanese’s government for failing to protect Australia’s Jewish community and also linked the shooting to Australia’s recent decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.

I am a Palestinian. And increasingly, that fact alone is treated as a provocation.

In recent months, I have watched anti-Semitism — a real, lethal form of hatred with a long and horrific history — be stripped of its meaning and weaponised to silence Palestinians, criminalise solidarity with us, and shield Israel from accountability as it carries out a genocide in Gaza. This is not about protecting Jewish people. It is about protecting power.

The pattern is now impossible to ignore.

A children’s educator, Ms Rachel, whose entire public work is built around care, learning, and empathy, is branded “Anti-Semite of the Year” — not for her engaging in any form of hate speech, but for expressing concern for Palestinian children. For acknowledging that children in Gaza are being bombed, starved, and traumatised. For expressing compassion.

As a Palestinian, I hear the message clearly: even empathy for our children is dangerous.

Then there is Palestine Action, a protest movement that targets weapons manufacturers supplying Israel’s military. Instead of being debated, challenged, or even criticised within a democratic framework, it is proscribed as a “terrorist” organisation, casually equated with ISIL (ISIS) – a group responsible for mass executions, sexual slavery, and genocidal violence.

This comparison is not just obscene. It is deliberate. It collapses the meaning of “terrorism” so completely that political dissent becomes extremism by definition. Resistance becomes pathology. Protest becomes “terror”. And Palestinians, once again, are framed not as a people under occupation, but as a permanent threat.

Language itself is now being criminalised. Phrases like “globalise the Intifada” are banned without any serious engagement with history or meaning. Intifada — a word that literally means “shaking off” — is torn from its political context as an uprising against military occupation and reduced to a slur. Palestinians are denied even the right to name their resistance.

At the same time, international law is being actively dismantled.

Staff and judges at the International Criminal Court are sanctioned and intimidated for daring to investigate Israeli war crimes. Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine, has not only been sanctioned, but also relentlessly smeared — because she uses the language of international law to describe occupation, apartheid, and genocide.

When international law is applied to African leaders, it is celebrated.
When it is applied to Israel, it is treated as an act of hostility.

This brings us to Australia — and to one of the most revealing moments of all.

After the horrific Bondi Beach attack, which shocked and horrified people across Australia, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Australian government of encouraging anti-Semitism. Not because of any incitement, not because of inflammatory rhetoric — but because Australia had moved towards recognising Palestine as a state.

Read that again.

The diplomatic recognition of Palestinian statehood — long framed as essential to peace and grounded in international law — is presented as a moral failing, even as a contributor to anti-Semitic violence. Palestinian existence itself is treated as the problem.

What makes this moment so disturbing is not only that Netanyahu made this claim, but that so many centres of power ran with it rather than challenged it.

Instead of forcefully rejecting the idea that recognising Palestinian rights could “encourage anti-Semitism”, governments, institutions, and commentators allowed the premise to stand. Some echoed it outright. Others stayed silent. Almost none confronted the dangerous logic at its core: that Palestinian political recognition is inherently destabilising, provocative, or threatening.

This is how moral collapse happens — not with thunder, but with acquiescence.

The result is not safety for the Jewish people, but erasure of the Palestinian people.

As a Palestinian, I find it devastating.

It means my identity is not merely contested — it is criminalised. My grief is not simply ignored — it is politicised. My demand for justice is not debated — it is pathologised as hatred.

Anti-Semitism is real. It must be confronted seriously and without hesitation. The Jewish people deserve safety, dignity, and protection — everywhere. But when anti-Semitism is stretched to include children’s educators, UN experts, international judges, protest movements, chants, words, and even the diplomatic recognition of Palestine, then the term no longer serves to protect Jewish people.

It protects a state from accountability.

Worse still, this weaponisation endangers Jews by collapsing Jewish identity into the actions of a government committing mass atrocities. It tells the world that Israel speaks for all Jews — and that anyone who objects must therefore be hostile to Jews themselves. That is not protection. It is recklessness masquerading as morality.

For Palestinians like me, the psychological toll is immense.

I am tired of having to preface every sentence with disclaimers.

I am deeply pained by watching my people starve while being lectured about tone.

I am angry that international law seems to apply only in certain politically convenient cases.

And I am grieving — not just for Gaza, but for the moral collapse unfolding around it.

Opposing genocide is not anti-Semitism.

Solidarity is not “terrorism”.

Recognising Palestine is not incitement.

Naming your suffering is not violence.

If the world insists on calling me an anti-Semite for refusing to accept the annihilation of my people, then it is not anti-Semitism that is being countered.

It is genocide that is being justified.

And history will remember who helped make that possible.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Prior to the Test, stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith described the pitch as “furry and green” and said “batters would have to be on their game”.

Speaking after his side were beaten, Smith said he was “not sure” why MCG head groundsman Matthew Page had opted to leave so much grass on the pitch for the Boxing Day Test – a marquee event in the Australian sporting calendar. Page will talk to the media on Sunday.

“We let them judge it and do what they see fit,” said Smith.

“I said before the game it looked like it was going to offer a fair amount and it probably did more than we thought it was going to.

“It’s tough as a groundsman, always looking for the right balance. Maybe if he took it from 10mm to eight it would have been a nice, challenging wicket, maybe a little bit more even. Groundsmen are always learning and maybe he’ll take something from that.”

Former England captain Michael Vaughan had criticised the MCG pitch after day one and said it had “done too much” and the result was an “unfair” contest between bat and ball.

Pitches and outfields that have hosted international matches are given a rating by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Following the 2017 Ashes Test on this ground, the MCG pitch was given a “poor” rating for being too friendly for batting. Only 24 wickets fell across the entire Test and England’s Alastair Cook made an unbeaten 244.

On this occasion, England batter Joe Root, who also played in 2017, said this pitch was “challenging” to bat on.

“The argument is was it too one-sided – bat v ball? People are more qualified to judge that,” said Root. “It was certainly challenging from my point of view.

“You have a world-class attack and the ball is moving a considerable amount. Your job is to get on the right side of the result.”

England captain Ben Stokes says he is proud of the way his players “held firm” to win the fourth Ashes Test after a wave of criticism during the build-up to the match.

A failure to capitalise on good positions after they surrendered the Ashes inside only 11 days of cricket, questions over their preparation and attitude, plus off-the-field issues related to drinking are among the headlines to have blighted the tour.

But a pulsating four-wicket victory in the space of two days in Melbourne, in front of jubilant travelling supporters, meant England avoided the prospect of an Ashes clean sweep.

Stokes said he was “very proud” of the way his side reacted to secure victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ending an 18-match winless streak in Australia.

“On the back of everything we had to deal with in this game, I couldn’t be prouder of the way we held firm as a group and as individuals as well,” Stokes told Test Match Special.

“You get tested as leaders within sporting teams and organisations in different ways.

“That was a test of character, a test of qualities of leadership. The way we went about it, not only in public, in terms of all the media and all that sort of stuff.”

Stokes said there was no sense from his players they had been distracted by the extra scrutiny following their controversial mid-series break in Noosa.

He said: “Behind the scenes, it was important that everyone’s focus was on the cricket.

“It would have been so easy to put our focus and attention on all that stuff outside the dressing room. At the end of the day, the most important thing is what we need to do out there.

“I thought the way we bowled this week was exceptional, the way we went about that run-chase was exceptional.”

Stokes said his side are now determined to end the series with another victory in the fifth and final Test in Sydney, which starts on 3 January [23:30 GMT, 2 January].

“It is a very proud moment knowing how tough this tour has been and how everything has gone before this tour coming here,” Stokes added.

“So to get that win in over a long period of time we have been waiting for is pretty pleasing.

“We still have one more to go, and the focus has not moved away from that. We had two games, and we want to get two results go our way.”

There was an element of fortune to start. Travis Head dragged on to Gus Atkinson and Jake Weatherald was strangled down the leg side by Josh Tongue.

But then the latter’s skillful knack of snaffling wickets came to the fore as he bagged two of Australia’s dogged top order.

Marnus Labuschagne received a full delivery from Tongue angled into the stumps and edged to slip, before the same bowler snared Steve Smith with one which nipped to bowl him through the gate.

Michael Neser and Scott Boland followed to Tongue in consecutive deliveries – bowled by a nip-backer and caught at second slip respectively.

CricViz’s stats showed Tongue finished with 5-21 off the 24 deliveries that he pitched in the area of the pitch classed as full (3-6m).

In the ball-tracking era, only one English seamer (before Tongue today) has ever picked up five wickets from a full length in a Test innings.

That was a memorable effort by Stuart Broad at Trent Bridge in 2015.

Tongue’s pace dropped from an average of 86.7 mph in Adelaide to 85.3 mph in Melbourne. This looked and felt more like the ‘Redditch Rhythmist’, rather than the ‘Redditch Rocket’.

“It was a case of pressure really: good constant pressure and Australia couldn’t get away. England bowled how Australia did on that very hot day in Adelaide,” Tufnell added.

“You could get behind the bowling unit and clap them instead of being carved through gully. We have bowled too short all series until today but that was a good performance.

“There were a few overheads too, a few clouds, but they put it in good areas. I am delighted for Josh Tongue, he’s been the pick, without doubt. It was excellent bowling.”

England bowled full, and as their bowlers put their feet up between innings their glasses – whatever the tipple – must have been a little more than half full.

Even if their respite was shorter than they might have liked.

England’s innings gets off to a horror start, as Australia take three early wickets to leave the visitors on 8-3 inside the first five overs on day one of the foruth Ashes Test in Melbourne.

FOLLOW LIVE: The Ashes fourth Test – day one

Available to UK users only.

Growing up just outside Melbourne, Australia, Scotty James was more likely to spot the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot as he was to spot snow. For him, the Winter Olympics seemed about as accessible as Mars.

“It is very unique, being an Australian in winter sports,” he said. “We’re very few and far between.”

Unique, but not impossible. Because if he qualifies for February’s Milano-Cortina Olympics, as expected, James will become the first Australian man to represent the country in five separate Winter Olympics. If he reaches the podium in the men’s halfpipe, his specialty, he will become the most decorated winter Olympian in Australian history with three medals.

Yet it almost didn’t happen. If his father Phil, a passionate snowboarder, hadn’t talked a Vancouver ski-shop worker into selling 3-year-old Scotty a miniature display board during a family vacation to Canada decades ago, James still might be watching the Winter Olympics on TV.

“My parents were always making sure that I realized how fortunate I was to be doing what I was doing,” said the 31-year-old James, a four-time world champion and the most successful halfpipe rider in history. “And incredibly supportive through all of it, through the challenges and through the most recent great moments.”

But James, whose fortunate if still unfolding life story is told in the film “Scotty James: Pipe Dream,” which will be available on Netflix beginning Friday, won’t be the only accidental Olympian in competing in Italy. The Summer Games feature running, jumping, swimming and throwing, activities that can be done mostly anywhere, but many of the disciplines in the Winter Games — skiing, figure skating, luge and snowboarding, for example — require ice and snow, which are unavailable to about two-thirds of the world’s population.

That’s why more than 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries competed in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris and fewer than 3,000 representing about 90 nations will participate in Italy.

“Africa, big parts of southeast Asia, South America, many of those countries don’t have a heritage of winter sports,” said Gene Sykes, president and chair of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. “Given that there’s a limitation that all the sports have to conducted on snow or ice, we have to be creative.”

Among the creative ideas that have been discussed is adding events such as cross-country running, cycling and indoor sports that could be practiced anywhere to the Winter Olympics calendar, which would make the Games more universal.

In the meantime, athletes such as alpine skier Richardson Viano of Haiti and figure skater Donovan Carrillo of Mexico will be curiosities in Milan, having followed paths that were arduous, complicated and completely out of the ordinary.

James fits that description as well, having lived much of his life abroad, traveling to the U.S., Canada and the Nordic countries in search of mountains, snow and competition. That’s a hardship unknown to Winter Olympic athletes from Europe and North American.

“You know, 80% of the time I wasn’t really in Australia,” said James, who started competing in snowboard at the age of 6 and began traveling to events at 10. “I was always overseas. My mom would organize some tutors in different countries and then I would do some online stuff with my school back in Australia.”

There is snow in parts of Australia, but since the country is in the southern hemisphere, the winters there are short and they come during what is summer in the northern climes. So to stay fit and to compete in major events, James had to live on a Northern Hemisphere calendar, meaning he was overseas from October to May almost every year.

“It was a real task,” he said, “to get it all done.”

It was expensive, too, though it proved a wise investment since he progressed quickly, turning pro at 14 and making the Australian Olympic team at 15, becoming the country’s youngest male Olympian in 50 years and the youngest male competitor in the Vancouver Games in 2010.

Yet on the eve of those Games, James was ready to pass all that up.

“I didn’t love it anymore,” he said. “I would go home and cry to my mom all the time. I wanted to quit. I ended up in this spiral that made me want to go home and just have a normal life and go to school and be with my friends.”

It didn’t help that James broke his right wrist in practice before the Olympics. But he recovered from the injury and the lack of confidence to place 21st; four years later, while still a teenager, he won the first of four World Cup titles in the halfpipe and ranked No. 1 in the world.

At 23 he was chosen to carry the Australian flag in the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, where he won a bronze medal.

Scotty James carried the flag of Australia’s team during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

(Julie Jacobson / Associated Press)

“It’s one of the biggest honors, being an Olympic athlete, to walk your team into the opening ceremony,” he said. “The first time I ever watched the Olympics, I remember watching the opening ceremony and I believe one of the basketballers walked the team in. And I just remember being like ‘wow, that must be just a special thing to do.’

“Little did I know it was potentially on the radar for me. That’s a moment that lives rent-free in my head, that’s for sure.”

But if James had to leave Australia to become an Olympian, back home his exploits have made enough of a celebrity that he’s often recognized on the streets of Melbourne or Sydney.

“They remember for sure, which is really cool,” said the still-boyish James. “I always am chuffed when people come up and recognize me or have followed my career. It never gets old.”

Neither, it seems, does James, who turns 32 in July but isn’t ready to call his fifth Olympics his final one just yet.

“I don’t have a timeline. I don’t give myself an end date,” he said. “Every day when I wake up I think about how I can be better at snowboarding and what I can do to make myself better. So I really haven’t thought about that at all.”

But James, who is raising 14-month-old son Leo with his wife, Chloe Stroll, a Canadian singer-songwriter and daughter of Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll, has begun preparing for a life beyond the slopes. In the last two years he’s released two illustrated children’s books featuring MOOKi, James alter-ego who has adopted the snowboarder’s childhood nickname and his insistence on always dreaming big.

He’s also an investor and brand advisor for MSP Sports Capital, which purchased the X Games — James is a seven-time X Games gold medalist — in 2022, kicking off his move from snow moguls to business mogul. There’s also the Netflix film, directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Patrick Dimon, which will spread his legend and legacy even further.

“Typically athletes kind of close the door on their athletic journey and then they start to invest in their sport. But I want to do it right now,” he said. “I can really add value to a business like X Games because I’m still competing. I can speak to the athletes and I can give really good feedback about where it can get better.”

However, the contribution he’d really like to leave involves creating an environment that would allow the next generation of Australian Winter Olympians to learn and grow in their sports without having to leave their homes. James did that by building Australia’s only 13-foot mini halfpipe for kids in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, where he trains when he’s in Australia. That’s a project he’d like to expand.

“I would love to leave a mark in some sense of hopefully opening up the door and creating some access [for] freestyle sport in Australia,” James said. “Specifically in the winter, to see if we can produce some really great talent in the future.”

Captain Ben Stokes said protecting England players’ welfare was his top concern amid claims of excessive drinking on a mid-Ashes beach break, without directly addressing the allegations.

Stokes was peppered with questions on Wednesday ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne about the team’s behaviour at Noosa between the second and third Tests after British media reports compared it with a “stag-do”.

Unverified social media footage appeared to show opener Ben Duckett drunk and disoriented.

Their disastrous five-Test tour, which has seen Australia take an unassailable 3-0 lead, took another hit on Wednesday when pace spearhead Jofra Archer was ruled out of the rest of the series with a side strain.

England cricket chief Rob Key on Tuesday pledged to investigate the drinking claims, while the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement it was intent on establishing the facts.

Stokes, whose team have already lost the Ashes, said his main concern was the players’ mental welfare and to ensure they were ready for the Melbourne Test starting Friday.

“I’m obviously aware of the reports and everything circulating around right now,” Stokes said.

“My main concern is my players, and how I handle this moment is the most important thing to me.

“The welfare of everyone in there, and probably some certain individuals as well, is the most important thing to me right now as England captain.

“It’s never a nice place to be in when not only the media world, but also the social media world, is piling on top of you,” he added.

“It’s a very tough place to be in as an individual. As an individual, when you know you’ve got the support of the people who are sort of leaders, in a sense, it’s very good to know that you’ve got that support.”

Asked directly whether his teammates had “done anything wrong in Noosa”, Stokes replied: “I’ve just answered everything there.”

Stokes calls for focus as spotlight increases on England

England went to Queensland tourist resort Noosa after losing the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane heavily.

They spent several days on the sand and around restaurants and bars before travelling to Adelaide, where they lost the third Test as Australia retained the Ashes.

Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported that “after drowning their sorrows after the Brisbane Test, it is no exaggeration to say some, certainly not all, players drank for five or six days”.

It added that players “did nothing outrageous in Noosa” but there was concern over the level of drinking, with England’s professionalism already under the microscope after their limited preparations.

Stokes conceded that when a side was losing, there would be scrutiny, and “rightly so”.

“When you are 3-0 down you don’t really have a leg to stand on but we’ve got two games of cricket to play. That’s what we have to focus on,” he said.

“We haven’t won a game in Australia for a long, long time.”

England have gone 18 Tests since winning a match in Australia, dating back to their last series victory there in 2010-11.

Their capitulation in this series in 11 days of play is the joint second quickest in more than a century, since the 1921 Ashes was completed in eight days.

Making matters worse, Archer will take no further part in the tour, with Gus Atkinson replacing him in Melbourne.

The under-performing Ollie Pope paid for his poor form at number three, with Jacob Bethell taking over in the only other change.

England’s Test woes in contrast to Australia’s Ashes high

Bowling with the ‌wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps can bruise a fast bowler’s ego, ‍but Australia paceman ‍Scott Boland said Alex Carey’s stellar glovework in the ongoing Ashes series has helped him grow comfortable with it.

Carey’s wicketkeeping masterclass has been a key factor in Australia’s unassailable lead in the five-match series, and the ⁠34-year-old was particularly impressive in the second Test at the Gabba, where he stood ​up to Boland and Michael Neser.

With the wicketkeeper breathing down their ‍necks, English batters were pretty much confined to the crease, which meant the home bowlers did not really need to vary their length.

“I’ve just never really bowled to the keeper up to the ‍stumps before,” Boland ⁠told reporters ahead of the fourth Test.

“Everyone wants to be a fast bowler, and you don’t really like the keeper up to the stumps.

“But I’ve seen over the last month how effective it is and how still I can keep their batters by Alex being up to the stumps.”

Wicketkeepers typically stand farther back from the stumps when facing fast bowlers to give ​themselves more time to react to the high speed ‌and bounce of the ball, reducing the risk of missed catches.

Even from close range, Carey showed tremendous reflexes to pouch a thick edge from Ben Stokes after the England captain had nicked a Neser delivery ‌in the second innings.

Dismissals like that gave confidence to Boland that he could continue bowling his edge-inducing length balls regardless ‌of where Carey stood.

“I just need to trust that ⁠the length balls I bowl to try and nick guys off is the same length I bowl when he’s up to the stumps or back,” the 36-year-old said.

“The Gabba was pretty bouncy and he ‌was up to the stumps for a bit of it and catching balls above waist-high and I bowled a bouncer and he caught that, so I have full trust ‍in him up there.”

Former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy called Carey “clearly the best in the world”, while teammate Steve Smith termed him a “freak”.

Palestinian, Jewish and Indigenous groups say they will launch constitutional challenge to anti-protest laws described as ‘rushed’.

The state of New South Wales (NSW) will have the toughest gun laws in Australia as well as wide-reaching new restrictions on free speech in the wake of the Bondi Beach mass shooting, which left 15 people dead.

Less than two weeks after the attack on a Jewish celebration, new legislation was passed by the state’s legislative assembly in the early hours of Wednesday morning, including restrictions that appear to target speech in solidarity with Palestinians.

Notably, the Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 gives police powers to restrict public protests for up to three months “following a terrorism declaration”, while the public display of symbols of prohibited organisations will be banned.

“Once a declaration is made, no public assemblies can be authorised in designated areas, including by a court and police will be able to move people on if their behaviour or presence obstructs traffic or causes fear, harassment or intimidation,” the NSW government said in a statement.

In the statement, NSW Premier Chris Minns and other top officials said that the sweeping changes would involve a review of “hate speech” and the words “globalise the Intifada” were singled out as an example of speech that will be banned. The term is often used in solidarity with Palestinians and their civil struggle against Israeli military occupation and illegal settlement expansion, dating back to the 1980s.

Minns acknowledged that the new laws involved “very significant changes that not everyone will agree with” but he added, “our state has changed following the horrific anti-Semitic attack on Bondi Beach and our laws must change too.”

He also said that new gun laws, which restrict certain types of guns to use by farmers, would also help to “calm a combustible situation”.

Constitutional challenge

Three NSW-based pro-Palestinian, Indigenous and Jewish advocacy groups said on Tuesday, before the final vote on the legislation, that they would be “filing a constitutional legal challenge against the draconian anti-protest laws”.

Palestine Action Group Sydney said in a statement shared on Facebook that it was launching the challenge together with the Indigenous group Blak Caucus and Jews Against the Occupation ’48.

“These outrageous laws will grant NSW Police sweeping powers to effectively ban protests,” the Palestinian advocacy group said, accusing the NSW government of “exploiting the horrific Bondi attack to advance a political agenda that suppresses political dissent and criticism of Israel, and curtails democratic freedoms”.

Changes to the state’s protest laws also come just months after more than 100,000 people marched over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in protest against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, after a court overturned an attempt by the Minns government to try to stop the peaceful protest from taking place.

Following the huge display of public support for ending Israel’s war on Gaza, Australia joined more than 145 other UN member states in recognising Palestinian statehood at the United Nations in September this year, much to the outrage of Israeli officials.

Within hours of the Bondi attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted for alleged war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC), linked the shooting to Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood.

UN special rapporteur Ben Saul, who is also an international law chair at the University of Sydney, criticised Netanyahu’s comments.

Saul, whose UN mandate focuses on ensuring human rights are protected while countering terrorism, called for a “measured response to the Bondi terrorist attack”.

“Overreach does not make us safer – it lets terror win,” Saul said in a post on social media.

Heroes to be honoured

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday that he plans to create a special honours list to recognise the people who rushed in to try to stop the two attackers as they targeted the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14.

Australian public broadcaster the ABC reported those honoured would likely include Australian-Syrian shop owner Ahmed al-Ahmed, as well as Boris and Sofia Gurman, a local couple who tried to stop the gunmen but were among those killed in the attack.

While al-Ahmed has been widely hailed as a hero around the world, less is known about a second Muslim man who ran in to help, even as he was tackled by bystanders because he was mistaken for being an attacker.

The man’s lawyer, Alisson Battisson, says that her client, whom she did not name, is a refugee who is potentially facing deportation due to a past criminal record, despite his repeated attempts to help stop the Bondi attack.

Captain Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon have been left out of the Australia squad for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

Lyon is set to have surgery on a torn right hamstring which will sideline him for an extended period, while Cummins is rested as he continues to manage a long-standing back issue.

Cummins missed the first two Tests of the series but returned for the third in Adelaide as Australia retained the Ashes after just 11 days of play.

Batter Steve Smith, meanwhile, returns from an illness which kept him out of the third Test and will captain the side.

Seam bowler Jhye Richardson and spinner Todd Murphy have been recalled to the squad while Michael Neser, Beau Webster and Brendan Doggett retain their places despite not making the starting XI in Adelaide.

The fourth Test at the MCG in Melbourne begins at 23:30 GMT on 25 December.

Dec. 21 (UPI) — Seven days after a mass shooting devastated Bondi Beach, Australians gathered on Sunday for a national day of reflection.

The commemorations come as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faces intense public scrutiny and has ordered an urgent investigation into the nation’s intelligence and police frameworks.

The tragedy, which claimed 15 lives during a Hanukkah seaside event, is the deadliest mass shooting Australia has seen in nearly three decades.

Authorities have officially classified the massacre — which killed a 10-year-old girl, a British rabbi and a Holocaust survivor, among others — as a terrorist act aimed at the Jewish community.

As the clock struck 6:47 p.m., marking the exact moment the first shots rang out the previous Sunday, a minute of silence was observed. Mourners at Bondi Beach and across the country stood in unison to honor the fallen, according to the BBC.

The atmosphere in Sydney was one of high alert, NBC News reported, with a massive security detail involving rooftop snipers and water patrols.

The Sydney Opera House also paid tribute, illuminating its iconic sails with candle projections to mark the day of mourning.

Despite the somber occasion, Albanese met a hostile reception, NBC News reported. Sections of the crowd booed the prime minister upon his arrival, a sign of the growing friction between the government and the grieving Jewish community.

The BBC also reported that one protester shouted, “Blood on your hands,” while security personnel had to intercept an individual attempting to approach the prime minister.

In an acknowledgment of the criticism, Albanese said during the observation that he accepts his share of responsibility as the nation’s leader.

Addressing the crowd, David Ossip, president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, delivered a eulogy.

“Like the grass here at Bondi was stained with blood, so, too, has our nation been stained,” Ossip said, per NBC News. “We have landed up in a dark place.”

Ossip also shared a message of resilience from Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian shop owner who was injured while heroically disarming one of the gunmen.

From his hospital bed, al-Ahmed’s message to the mourners was, “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted. Today I stand with you, my brothers and sisters.”

Unlike Albanese, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns was met with applause, the BBC reported.

Minns offered a blunt apology for the state’s inability to prevent the shooting, stating, “The government’s highest duty is to protect its citizens. And we did not do that one week ago.”

He further warned that the tragedy exposed a “deep vein of antisemitic hate” that the country must now confront.

After the ceremony, the federal government pivoted toward legislative action.

Albanese announced a comprehensive review of federal intelligence and law enforcement to determine if current powers are sufficient for the modern security landscape. He characterized the “ISIS-inspired” attack as proof of a shifting threat environment.

Additionally, the government has committed to a massive national gun buyback initiative, the scale of which has not been seen since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.

From a Russian air strike in Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine to demonstrations calling for the removal of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement from Minnesota, here is a look at the week in photos.

The radio host and her producer boyfriend kept their relationship on the down low but are now celebrating their happy news.

Congratulations are in order as Kemi Rodgers, host of I’m A Celebrity: Unpacked, has announced she is engaged after her boyfriend Thomas Hannett proposed during a trip to Australia.

The radio presenter, 30, shared the happy news with fans over the weekend, posting a series of photos to Instagram showing off her engagement ring. In one snap, Kemi beamed as she held up her hand, while another captured the couple enjoying their time abroad.

Kemi, who hosts Unpacked alongside Joel Dommett, was in Australia for the duration of the series, which started on 19 November and ended on 7 December with YouTube star Angryginge taking the crowd.

She captioned the post: “I said yes.” Friends and celebrity colleagues were quick to flood the comments with congratulatory messages. Coronation Street actor Colson Smith wrote: “Congratulations Kemi!”

Capital FM star and This Morning host Sian Welby reacted with excitement, posting: “OMGGGG INCREDIBLE.” Former X Factor contestant Sam Lavery added: “OMG YESSSSS.” While Capital FM presenter Jordan North also shared his delight, commenting: “OMG! Congratulations guys.”

Thomas, who is a senior producer at Capital, and Kemi’s engagement comes just weeks after she revealed that they had actually been dating for over a year. The couple only went public with their relationship in September, when they shared photos from a romantic trip to Paris.

At the time, Kemi explained they had chosen to keep things private before stepping into the spotlight together.

In a short video shared on her Instagram page, Kemi and Thomas could be seen in Paris having a drink at a low-key restaurant as they enjoyed the weather.

They used the famous TikTok audio featuring a person’s voice saying: “Are you happy to be in Paris?”, which Thomas lip-synced before Kemi, 30, said: “Oui.” In the caption, she wrote: “Wine drunk in paris and thought the best way to hard launch my boyfriend on the grid was with the iconic nicki minaj ‘oui’ video loooooool.”

She added: “Full bottle of sancerre in the sun truly is the key to my heart.”

Friends and fans were delighted by the launch and took to the comment section to congratulate the pair. One pal wrote: “The hard launch we’ve all been waiting for,” and another said: “Finally.”

Last year, Kemi joined Sam Thompson and Joel Dommett in hosting a I’m A Celebrity spin-off show called Unpacked, four years after companion show Extra Camp was axed.

Australia has swept to an 82-run win in the third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval to retain the urn with two matches to spare and leave England facing recriminations over another failed campaign.

Chasing a world record 435 runs to win on Sunday, England battled doggedly on day five but folded for 352 with left-armed quick Mitchell Starc taking three wickets and Scott Boland the last dismissal of Josh Tongue before tea.

“Three-nil is hugely satisfying for many reasons but particularly with how the chat before the series was how equally poised it was going to be,” Australia captain Pat Cummins, who took ⁠six wickets on his return from a back injury, told reporters

“This group’s amazing at just cracking on.”

Much of the talk in the build-up to the Ashes had been the age ​profile of the Australia squad, but Starc said the veterans had proved their worth.

“We do laugh at some of the comments that get back to us about how old we are,” the 35-year-old said.

“I’m sure experience plays a part going through your highs and lows. … That plays a big part in all of this.”

After eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane, England have now lost the Ashes in three matches for the fourth consecutive tour while losing 16 of their last 18 Tests in the country.

Although two Tests remain, the latest surrender may top the previous tours for sheer disappointment.

There were expectations of a genuine contest, fighting words from England captain Ben Stokes and hope that “Bazball” might win the urn in Australia for the first time since 2010-2011.

All that was swept aside in Adelaide, where England ditched their trademark aggression, reverted to more traditional Test batting and were still beaten convincingly.

“We obviously came here with a goal in mind, and we haven’t been able to achieve it. It hurts, and it sucks,” England skipper Stokes said.

“They’ve been able to outdo us on a much higher level. … I thought we did incredibly well to take us where we did in this fourth innings.

“We couldn’t do what we came here to do, but there was some good stuff to come out of this game.”

The king of Adelaide

On day five while still needing 228 runs to win, England’s hopes were pinned on all-rounder Will Jacks and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith after they resumed on 207 for six.

Jacks turned his ankle when pushing off his crease for a run but battled on for 40 minutes until rain halted play.

England fans cheered, but it was just a passing squall, the ground soon bathed in sunshine.

The Surrey duo brought up a fifty-run partnership with the old ball and were soon spared spinner Nathan Lyon, who came off with a hamstring injury after cutting off a four in the field.

When the second new ball came, Smith attacked with gusto, smashing both Cummins and Starc for back-to-back fours.

But with the deficit trimmed to 150 runs, he threw the bat at a Starc delivery for a third time in succession and was caught for 60 by a ‌back-pedalling Cummins at mid-on.

Jacks played a steadier hand with tailender Carse, who finished 39 not out and hung ⁠tough with the all-rounder for 52 runs.

Home fans shifted uncomfortably in their seats as the pair reduced the deficit to under 100 runs, but Starc returned and Marnus Labuschagne flew in the slips to snuff out the danger.

Jacks, on 47, drove at a Starc ball that moved away off the seam, and Labuschagne dived to his left for another terrific one-handed catch, having removed Ollie Pope with a screamer in the slips on day ‌four.

Jofra Archer then tried to slog Starc but sent the ball down the throat of Jake Weatherald at deep point to leave England one wicket from defeat before Boland had Tongue sending another slips catch to Labuschagne.

Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey was named Man of the Match for a first-innings 106 and 72 in the second while Travis Head set up ‍the victory with 170 in the third innings, his fourth consecutive Test ton at Adelaide Oval.

“If he wasn’t before, he’s the king of Adelaide,” Starc said of Head, who also scored a match-winning 123 in Perth.

“He’s not going to have to pay for another beer [here]. I don’t know how he does it, but jeez, it’s bloody good to ‌watch.”

Prior to this series, the 34-year-old agreed a new England central contract that will run until the end of the next Ashes in the UK in 2027.

This series loss, completed in only 11 days of cricket across the first three Tests, is likely to put pressure on the positions of McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key.

Given Stokes’ influence and importance to the England team, the Durham man would probably be given the opportunity to continue as captain if he wants the role.

He has a chequered injury history – Stokes has been dogged by knee, hamstring and shoulder problems over the past two years.

And the captain has noticeably devoted a lot of emotional energy to this series. On being dismissed in the second innings of the second Test in Brisbane, then again in the first innings in Adelaide, he threw his bat in the air in frustration.

Asked if he still has the energy for the job, Stokes replied: “Absolutely.”

After making 83 in more than five hours at the crease in the first innings, Stokes did not bowl on the third day in Adelaide, before taking the ball at the beginning of day four.

“I just didn’t feel right,” he said. “I knew I still had a big role to play so I didn’t want to expose myself.

“I felt like I was going to snap every time I ran after a ball, so I just looked after myself.

“I had a good night’s kip, woke up next morning and I was good to go again, but I actually listened to the advice that was given to me for a change from a few of the senior boys.”

England’s Bazball regime is in tatters as yet another Ashes in Australia was lost in three Tests.

The tourists were defeated by 82 runs on the fifth day of the third Test in Adelaide to go 3-0 down and extend a winless run in this country to 18 matches.

Australia were delayed by a 40-minute rain shower, England pair Jamie Smith and Will Jacks, and a hamstring injury to spinner Nathan Lyon.

Smith had 60 when he miscued Mitchell Starc. Jacks battled past lunch for his 47 then edged the same bowler to first slip, where Marnus Labuschagne again took a breathtaking catch.

When Josh Tongue edged Scott Boland to Labuschagne, England were all out for 352 and their misery in this country prolonged to 14 years and counting.

This was supposed to be England’s opportunity to finally compete in Australia, the most highly-anticipated Ashes in recent memory.

Instead it has turned into the worst tour in recent times, leaving the futures of captain Ben Stokes, head coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key in doubt.

England have surrendered the chance to win the Ashes in only 11 days of cricket and now must find a result in either Melbourne or Sydney to avoid the ultimate humiliation of a 5-0 clean sweep.

This is the fourth successive Ashes tour in which England have lost the first three Tests. By the time Australia visit the UK in 2027, it will be 12 years since England’s previous Ashes win.

Who is in charge of England by then will come in for intense debate. Stokes and McCullum have contracts until the end of that series. In theory, Key has most sway over the fate of both men, but is probably under more pressure than either.

This is a stunning win for the Australians, who began the series with questions over selection and the age of their squad.

Captain Pat Cummins missed the first two Tests, Josh Hazlewood is out for the entire series, Lyon was omitted for the second Test and Steve Smith is absent in Adelaide.

Australia have still been far too good for England, as they have been on home turf since 2011.