Australia

FABIO WARDLEY has floored the baffling suggestion that he could fight his mentor and pal Dillian Whyte.

After following all of Wardley’s career, we were stunned to hear the idea even mooted from some clumsy pundits.

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But Wardley told SunSport with a laugh: “From the second it would be announced, everybody who knows the sport and who knows us, would know it would be fake and not something I would ever do, because of the amount of love, respect and admiration I have for Dills.

“People go on about my story, white-collar, coming from nowhere, sparring Usyk.

“But none of that is possible without Dillian at the beginning, giving me all of these opportunities.

“So I would never spit in his face and fight him.

“Even if all the sanctioning bodies called for the fight and somebody was silly enough to put all the money up, I would take a knee in the first round and give him the win.”

Ipswich’s 30-year-old former recruitment worker and white-collar boxer headlines Portman Road on Saturday night against tough Australian Justis Huni.

Whyte was due to feature on the Ipswich undercard but pulled out to secure a summer showdown with Lawrence Okolie.

He has not boxed in England since November 2022 and was supposed to have a rematch with Anthony Joshua in August 2023.

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FABIO WARDLEY VS JUSTIS HUNI: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE BOUT

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But that O2 sell-out was scrapped when Whyte failed a doping test.

Whyte has boxed in Gibraltar and Ireland since that big-money clash was binned, landing underwhelming wins.

For Wardley, on June 16 his partner is scheduled to give birth to his first child, a bouncing baby girl.

For anyone else, the nail-biting fortnight would be a crippling rollercoaster of emotions impossible to combine. 

But the Suffolk Puncher – who went on an Oleksandr Usyk sparring trip to Ukraine in 2018 when he barely knew how to throw a jab – is loving the chaos.

The class act told SunSport: “June 2025 is going to be a wild month I talk a lot about, for the rest of my life.

“I will be an old man in a rocking chair, telling people about it and wondering how we pulled it off.

“Everything has come together at the same time, it might seem a bit hectic but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I thrive on it, I love the chaos.”

Nine months ago, the 18-0-1 ace got the wonderful news he would be a dad for the first time.

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And a few weeks later he got the offer of a lifetime, to headline at his boyhood football club, a chance that some Olympic and world champions never get.

It seems like a psychological and logistical nightmare that would be destined for the divorce courts but Team Wardley is way too tight.

“If my little girl is anything like me, then she’ll be chilled out and late, which will give me a little bit more time to decompress from the fight,” he grinned.

“The flight date has been moved around a few times but my missus has been unbelievable.

“I have just promised to her that, as soon as Saturday night is over, I am all theirs.

“This week, though, is just my week. I need to be totally focused on me and then it’s all on them.”

Wardley – who cracked 2020 Olympic bronze winner Frazer Clarke’s skull in their one-round rematch in October – somehow combines being a brutal boxer with being a lovely bloke and he insists that won’t change with another win or a baby.

“I don’t know how parenthood will affect me,” he said. “I do plan to be the fun-dad though. 

“I want mum to do the telling off. I think I will always be driven to push myself in everything, though. 

“That’s something just innate in me. And I am sure I will need to feed and stoke that fire regularly.”

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PM Albanese says government already increasing spending and decisions will be based on defence capability needs.

United States Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth has called on Australia to increase its military spending to 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) “as soon as possible”.

Responding on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government will decide on Australia’s defence capability needs before announcing spending.

“What you should do in defence is decide what you need, your capability, and then provide for it,” Albanese told reporters.

“That’s what my government is doing. Investing to our capability and investing in our relationships.”

Albanese added that his government is already increasing defence spending by about 10 billion Australian dollars ($6.5bn).

“We’re continuing to lift up,” he said, citing his government’s goal to increase spending to 2.3 percent of GDP by 2033.

However, the government is facing other demands on its budget.

Albanese was speaking from a farm in the state of South Australia, which is experiencing a significant drought.

Meanwhile, Australia’s treasurer said the country is facing a bill of billions due to recent floods in New South Wales and Cyclone Alfred.

Public broadcaster ABC reported that increasing military spending to 3.5 percent of GDP would cost 100 billion Australian dollars ($65bn) annually, 40 billion Australian dollars ($25bn) more than it spends currently.

Matt Grudnoff, a senior economist with The Australia Institute, said “Australia already spends more than it should” on defence.

“Were Australia to increase its defence spending to 2.3% of GDP, we would be the ninth biggest spender on defence and the military,” Grudnoff said.

“Australia would be devoting more of its economy to defence than France and Taiwan, and on a par with the United Kingdom,” he added.

Worldwide military spending increased by 9.4 percent in 2024, the sharpest rise since the end of the Cold War, in part driven by increased spending by European countries, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The Australian government has already committed to spending hundreds of billions of dollars on US-manufactured nuclear submarines under its AUKUS agreement with the US and the UK in the coming decades.

It estimates that the programme could cost up to 368 billion Australian dollars ($238bn).

Hegseth and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles discussed security issues, including accelerating US defence capabilities in Australia and advancing industrial base cooperation during a meeting on Friday, a Pentagon statement said on Sunday.

Australia’s role in manufacturing weapons components has come under increasing scrutiny amid Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, with protests outside Australian weapons factories and at Australian ports, as well as legal challenges.

Albanese says Australia’s position on Taiwan has not changed

Hegseth’s call for Australia to increase its military spending comes after the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday that “the threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent”.

“There’s no reason to sugar-coat it,” the Pentagon chief added. The US continues to warn of the threat that China poses to Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of Chinese territory.

China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun skipped the conference, which is considered to be the region’s top security event.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by saying: “The US should not entertain illusions about using the question over Taiwan as a bargaining chip to contain China, nor should it play with fire.”

Asked about Hegseth’s remarks, Albanese said Australia will “determine our defence policy”.

“Our position with regard to Taiwan is very clear, [and] has been for a long period of time, which is a bipartisan position to support the status quo,” he said.

Maxwell, known as one of the game’s most powerful hitters, is calling time on his one-day career with Australia.

Explosive Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from one-day cricket, but will continue in Twenty20 cricket with his eye on next year’s World Cup.

The 36-year-old, who played 149 One Day Internationals (ODIs), blasting 3,990 runs, said he was starting to feel the physical toll of the 50-over game.

“I felt like I was letting the team down a little bit with how my body was reacting to the conditions,” said Maxwell on Monday, who was nicknamed “Big Show” for his all-action entertaining style of play.

“I had a good chat with [chair of selectors] George Bailey and I asked him what his thoughts were going forward.

“We talked about the 2027 [50-over] World Cup and I said to him, ‘I don’t think I am going to make that, it’s time to start planning for people in my position to have a crack at it and make the position their own’.

“I didn’t want to just hold on for a couple of series and almost play for selfish reasons.”

His last game was Australia’s Champions Trophy semifinal defeat to India in early March, after which fellow veteran Steve Smith also quit the 50-over format.

The mercurial Maxwell’s strike rate of 126.70 is the second-highest in ODI cricket, where he has crunched four hundreds and 23 half-centuries.

His rate of scoring is second only to West Indian heavy hitter Andre Russell. Maxwell has also taken 77 wickets with his off-spin.

An ODI career for the ages

In a career littered with many magic moments, perhaps his most memorable innings was at the 2023 World Cup against Afghanistan in Mumbai, when he was batting with Australia reeling at 91-7, chasing 293 to win.

In a high-pressure situation, and battling a severe cramp in searing heat, Maxwell took control, slamming 201 from just 128 balls to take his team to victory.

He scored 179 of those runs in an unbroken 202 partnership with Pat Cummins, who contributed just 12 after coming at number nine.

Australia went on to win the tournament, beating favourites India in the final at Ahmedabad.

Maxwell was also part of the Australia team that lifted the 2015 ODI World Cup.

“Glenn will be known as one of the one-day game’s most dynamic players, who had key roles in two ODI World Cup victories,” said Bailey.

“His level of natural talent and skill is remarkable. His energy in the field, under-rated ability with the ball and longevity has been superb.

“What else stands out is his passion for and commitment to playing for Australia.

“Fortunately, he still has much to offer Australia in the T20 format. All things going well, he will be pivotal in the next 12 months as we build toward the World Cup early next year.”

At the end of a nearly two-week trip to Melbourne, Australia, early last month, I drove with a friend 50 miles outside the city to a rural town with the amazing name of Cockatoo.

A once-in-a-lifetime Korean meal in Australia

She teetered her pickup truck at the edge of a steep driveway, double-checking the address to make sure we were in the right place. She inched her way down to park and we walked the short path to a house nestled in the woods. Yoora Yoon greeted us at the door and welcomed us inside. We had made it to our Saturday lunch destination: Chae, a six-seat restaurant centered on the talents of Jung Eun Chae, to whom Yoon is married.

Yoon stood at the crook of the L-shaped counter where the diners had settled and introduced Chae as she quietly glided between tasks in the open kitchen we sat facing. Then he left the room. Chae placed pots of ginseng tea on burners in front of us. We were in her hands.

A plate of jeok and jeon (Korean meat or vegetable fritters) at Chae, a six-seat restaurant run by Jung Eun Chae in Cockatoo, Victoria, Australia.

(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)

A trio of bites comprised the first of seven courses. Sanjeok can refer to skewered meats and vegetables; Chae reconceived the dish as minced chicken marinated in ganjang (the Korean version of soy sauce that Chae makes herself) and pan-fried. She hid a lightly candied walnut half in its center for crunch. It was flanked by two jeon, or fritters. One was a loose ball of shrimp and julienned king oyster mushrooms nipped with spring onion and chile, flattened where it had browned in the skillet. The other was a zucchini coin cooked in translucent egg batter.

Each was a microcosm of mixed textures and savory flavors. I looked over with “ok, wow” raised eyebrows at the friend next to me, Besha Rodell. Longtime food-obsessed Angelenos will remember Besha as the last food critic for L.A. Weekly, from 2012 to 2017. She’s currently the chief restaurant critic for the Age and Good Weekend in Melbourne, and this month her memoir “Hunger Like A Thirst” was published.

We’ve been close for 20 years and shared many exceptional meals. Chae was shaping up to be one of them.

Jung Eun Chae at her six-seat restaurant Chae in Cockatoo, Victoria, Australia.

(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)

A stone bowl filled with more diverse tastes arrived next. Pyeonyuk, striated pork meat and fat pressed into square slices for satisfying chew. Yukhoe, a tangle of chopped raw beef glossed with just-made sesame oil. The dish often includes Asian pear; Chae spritzed it instead with a fermented apple extract she had concocted. Cilantro leaves dressed in nutty perilla oil acted as mulchy contrast against poached octopus and a ojingeo-jeot, squiggly fermented squid.

In the center of the plate, to season and balance the tastes, was a dense pool of cho-gochujang, a vinegared variation on the ubiquitous Korean chile paste. Chae had made this, too, from the very building blocks of Korean cuisine: She ferments her own meju, the bricks of crushed soybeans also used to craft ganjang and doenjang, the paste analogous to miso.

A platter of meat, seafood and vegetables that’s part of a multi-course meal at Chae, the six-seat restaurant run by chef Jung Eun Chae in Cockatoo, Victoria, Australia.

(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)

I’m generally a fast eater. This collage of small dishes, where every element felt so considered, managed to slow me way down.

Something beautifully simple followed: chicken noodle soup, its poultry-intense broth sharpened only by thin triangles of radish kimchi.

Chae, who was born in Seoul, had been working in Melbourne fine dining when she injured her ankle in a motorcycle accident, forcing her to step away from the extreme demands of kitchen work. She was considering her next move when she watched the season-three episode of “Chef’s Table” on Netflix about Buddhist nun-chef Jeong Kwan, who lives and teaches at the Baegyangsa temple in South Korea. Moved by the clarity of her philosophy and relationship to nature, Chae went to study with her. It set the path for her tiny home-based restaurant, where she would make her own jangs — as she remembered her mother doing in her childhood — and serve meals only two days a week.

What we have (and don’t have) in Los Angeles

I read up on all this after my meal with Besha, but aspects of the cooking registered as familiar even in the moment.

Kwang Uh, the chef and co-owner of extraordinary Baroo in Los Angeles, also studied with Jeong Kwan; he met his wife and business partner Mina Park at the temple. With a couple of day’s notice, Uh will make a vegetarian or vegan version of Baroo’s set menu. When I think of its bowls of wondrous, seaweed-seasoned rice and banchan of seasonal vegetables, and treasures like dried acorn jelly with the thick chew of cavatelli, I can trace the through-line of Jeong Kwan’s influence to both chefs. I’m remembering Chae’s finale of rice crowned with spinach and mushrooms and sides of kimchi and spicy radish salad; she served it alongside jeongol (hot pot) of mushrooms and croquettes of minced beef and tofu.

Los Angeles, we all know, is blessed with one of the world’s great Korean dining cultures. If I’m hungry for jeon of many shapes, I can head to HanEuem in Koreatown. For soup that seemingly heals all ills, we have Hangari Kalguksu. For chefs that turn the essence of Korean cuisine into personal, meditative tasting menus, we have Uh at Baroo and Ki Kim at his new Restaurant Ki.

And still: How rich to have a meal, on the opposite side of the world, that expressed another side of the culinary Korean diaspora unlike anything I’ve experienced. The economics of a small operation like Chae‘s must sometimes feel precarious. But the impressive structure and flow of the meal, balanced with a forested home environment in a room full of honeycomb-colored woods, was singular. Would a chef anywhere in the Los Angeles area be able to age meju, produce their own jangs and serve meditative meals to a tiny number of people?

Unlikely, but if nothing else, it reminds me that the Korean dining possibilities here are inexhaustible.

A centered shot of ginseng tea at six-seat restaurant Chae in Cockatoo, Victoria, Australia.

(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)

Curtis Stone’s Malibu work retreat

I’ll be writing more in detail about my time eating in and around Melbourne in the coming months. Australia is on our minds at the Food section this weekend since the Times and Tourism Australia will present the 2nd Annual Great Australian Bite on Saturday, featuring chefs Curtis Stone of Gwen and Pie Room and Clare Falzon visiting from Staġuni above Adelaide in South Australia. The event has sold out, but food reporter Stephanie Breijo wrote about the Malibu property where Stone will host the event — and where he’s building a new lifestyle empire.

Chef Curtis Stone examines new growth in his vineyard at Four Stones Farm.

(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)

Also …

About 50,000 people are still isolated across New South Wales after a powerful weather system dumped months of rain in three days.

Record-breaking floods in eastern Australia have killed four people and stranded tens of thousands after days of relentless rain.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Christopher Minns visited affected communities on Friday, some of which have experienced their worst flooding on record this week.

Minns praised emergency workers and volunteers, who have rescued 678 people in recent days – 177 of them in the past 24 hours.

“It’s an amazing, heroic logistical effort where, in very difficult circumstances, many volunteers put themselves in harm’s way to rescue a complete stranger,” Minns told reporters.

“Without the volunteers, we would have had hundreds of deaths and we’re in deep, deep gratitude.”

As well as the four victims killed, one person is reported missing.

About 50,000 people are still isolated across New South Wales, the country’s most populous state. Entire towns remain cut off and roads submerged after a powerful weather system dumped months of rain in three days.

Flash floods tore through rural communities, washing away livestock, damaging homes, and turning streets into rivers. Coastal areas are now littered with debris and dead animals.

Authorities have warned returning residents to remain vigilant.

“Floodwaters have contaminants, there can be vermin, snakes … so you need to assess those risks. Electricity can also pose a danger as well,” said Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Damien Johnston.

Australia has faced a string of extreme weather events in recent years, a trend experts attribute to climate change.

“What once were rare downpours are now becoming the new normal – climate change is rewriting Australia’s weather patterns, one flood at a time,” said Davide Faranda, a climate researcher at ClimaMeter, in comments carried by the Reuters news agency.

The storm system has now moved south towards Sydney, causing further disruption.

Train services, including airport services, were affected by flooded tracks. Sydney airport shut two of its three runways for an hour on Friday morning, delaying flights.

Officials also warned that Warragamba Dam, which supplies 80 percent of Sydney’s water and is currently at 96 percent capacity, may soon overflow.

Heavy rains in New South Wales have caused record-breaking floods, killing two people and isolating tens of thousands of residents. Authorities warn of more rain and life-threatening flash floods as emergency teams continue rescue efforts.

Bell will return to Waratahs after his sabbatical, with his contract running through to the end of 2027.

Waratahs head coach Dan McKellar said the club were “supportive” of his decision to join Ulster to continue his “personal growth”.

“He’s a young man, who came straight out of school into the Waratahs system, and we think the time at Ulster will be good for his development on and off the field, which ultimately will help the Waratahs long term,” he said.

Bell’s arrival later this year will continue the trend of southern-hemisphere players joining Irish provinces on short-term deals.

New Zealand international Jordie Barrett is nearing the end of his stint with Leinster having joined in December, with his All Blacks team-mate Rieko Ioane set to arrive at the end of 2025.

The announcement of Bell’s short-term deal comes on the same day Ulster confirmed the departure of New Zealand-born fly-half Aidan Morgan by “mutual consent”.

Ulster have already signed South African back row Juarno Augustus from Northampton Saints before next season, while loose-head Andy Warwick was among several departures at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

The province pulled off a major coup in 2022 when they landed South Africa’s World Cup-winning loose-head Steven Kitshoff, but he left after just one season.

Murphy’s side are hoping to bounce back after a miserable season in which they missed out on the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-offs and qualification for next season’s Investec Champions Cup.

National Party and Liberal Party part ways after more than 60-year alliance following election defeat.

Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and following a resounding loss in the national elections this month.

“It’s time to have a break,” the National leader, David Littleproud, told reporters on Tuesday.

The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Anthony Albanese’s centre-left Labor Party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against United States President Donald Trump’s policies.

Under the longstanding partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power in governments, with the Nationals broadly representing the interests of rural communities and the Liberals contesting city seats.

“We will not be re-entering a coalition agreement with the Liberal Party after this election,” Littleproud said, citing policy differences.

Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley, who was installed in the role last week, had pledged to revisit all policies in the wake of the election loss. She said on Tuesday she was disappointed with the Nationals’ decision, which came after they had sought specific commitments.

“As the largest nongovernment political party, the Liberals will form the official opposition,” she added.

The Liberals were reduced to 28 out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives, their worst result, as Labor increased its tally to 94 from 77, registering its largest-ever majority in an election. The National Party retained its 15 seats.

The Liberal Party lost key city seats to independents supporting gender equality and action on climate change.

Ley, a former outback pilot with three finance degrees, was elected as the party’s first female leader after opposition leader Peter Dutton lost his seat in the election.

“She is a leader that needs to rebuild the Liberal Party; they are going on a journey of rediscovery, and this will provide them the opportunity to do that,” said Littleproud.

The Nationals remain committed to “having the door open” for more coalition talks before the next election, but would uphold the interests of rural Australians, he said.

The Nationals had failed to gain a commitment from Ley that her party would continue a policy taken to the election supporting the introduction of nuclear power, and also wanted a crackdown on the market power of Australia’s large supermarkets, and better telecommunications in the Outback.

Australia has the world’s largest uranium reserves but bans nuclear energy.

Littleproud said nuclear power was needed because Australia’s move away from coal to “renewables only” under the Labor government was not reliable.

Wind farm turbines “are tearing up our landscape, they are tearing up your food security”, he said.

Michael Guerin, chief executive of AgForce, representing farmers in Queensland state, said the urban-rural divide was worsening.

“Perhaps we’re seeing that in the political forum,” he said, adding the Liberals and Nationals both needed to rebuild.

Labor Party treasurer Jim Chalmers said the split in the opposition was a “nuclear meltdown”, and the Liberals would have a presence “barely bigger” than the cross-bench of 12 independents and minor parties when Parliament sits.

It’s not the summer destination you’d expect from the head of the Catholic Church, but Pope Leo XIV’s friend has revealed his favourite summer destination

Surfing, beaches, camping and long road trips – not your typical summer for the man leading a billion Catholics. But for Pope Leo XIV, that lifestyle feels like a second home.

While Rome is now where he lives, it was in Australia where he truly enjoyed spending his down time. The 79-year-old has visited Australia many times and is said to have fallen in love with its lifestyle – its beach culture, vast roads and famous laidback spirit.

A close friend revealed it wasn’t just the beaches he fell in love during his trips, but he genuinely connected with the country’s pace and spirit. Father Banks, originally from Melbourne is a close friend of Pope Leo XIV revealed he visited the country many times and “loved the beaches”.

Banks has lived in Rome for the past 12 years and has witnessed how the Pope’s bond with Australia has grown stronger over time. “He felt very much at home in Australia, as a second home,” he added. “He enjoyed being in our company.”

But it wasn’t only the sun that he enjoyed, Pope Leo also saw the beauty in the country’s scale and silence. “He enjoyed driving from Brisbane to Sydney,” Father Banks said. It was the “the loneliness of the distances” that he was really drawn to.

However his connection with Australia was deeper than holidays. He once visited during World Youth Day – a Catholic gathering, typically held every few years. In 2008, it was hosted in Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse.

Over that time, he also stopped at St Augustine’s College in Brookvale and met students and staff in a warm, down to earth exchange. “He has many great memories of Australia,” his friend added.

Australia is known for the relaxed atmosphere, surf scene and beautiful nature, which may seem a world away from the Vatican, but it seems the contrast is exactly why the new Pope loved it.

The country offered something he often didn’t find elsewhere, a place to slow down and just be – enjoying the outdoors and easygoing attitude. Whether it was the freedom of an open road or the casual warmth of a location conversation, Australia gave Pope Leo something beyond a holiday – it gave him a feeling of home, according to Father Banks.

Pope Leo was appointed last week and as he steps into one of the most powerful spiritual roles in the world, the memories he made in Australia will undoubtedly stay with him.

READ MORE: ‘I got an AirTag for the cheapest ever price by stacking a deal most don’t know about’

Decorated veteran Ben Roberts-Smith failed to have reports that he ‘murdered four Afghan men’ quashed.

Australia’s most decorated living war veteran has lost an appeal against a civil court ruling that implicated him in war crimes while serving in Afghanistan.

Australia’s Federal Court dismissed the appeal lodged by Ben Roberts-Smith on Friday, in the latest setback for the 46-year-old’s fight to salvage a reputation tattered by reports that he took part in the murder of four unarmed Afghan prisoners.

Three federal court judges unanimously rejected his appeal of a judge’s ruling in 2023, which said Roberts-Smith was not defamed by newspaper articles published in 2018 that accused him of a range of war crimes.

In the earlier ruling, a judge had found that the accusations were substantially true to a civil standard and Roberts-Smith was responsible for four of the six unlawful deaths of noncombatants he had been accused of.

Delivering the appeal court’s verdict, Justice Nye Perram explained that the reasons for the decision are being withheld due to national security implications that the government must consider.

The marathon 110-day trial is estimated to have cost 25 million Australian dollars ($16m) in legal fees that Roberts-Smith will likely be liable to pay.

He has however said he will fight to clear his name in Australia’s High Court, his last avenue of legal appeal.

“I continue to maintain my innocence and deny these egregious spiteful allegations,” Roberts-Smith said in a statement. “We will immediately seek to challenge this judgement in the High Court of Australia.”

Tory Maguire, an executive of Nine Entertainment that published the articles Roberts-Smith claimed were untrue, welcomed the ruling as an “emphatic win”.

“Today is also a great day for investigative journalism and underscores why it remains highly valued by the Australian people,” Maguire said.

Australia deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of United States and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other armed groups.

Perth-born Roberts-Smith, a former SAS corporal, had won the Victoria Cross – Australia’s highest military honour – for “conspicuous gallantry” in Afghanistan while on the hunt for a senior Taliban commander.

An Australian military report released in 2020 found evidence that Australian troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians. The report recommended 19 current and former soldiers face criminal investigation.

It’s not clear whether Roberts-Smith was one of them.

Police have been working with the Office of the Special Investigator, an Australian investigation agency established in 2021, to build cases against elite SAS and Commando Regiments troops who served in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.

The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times said in a series of reports in 2018 that Roberts-Smith had kicked an unarmed Afghan civilian off a cliff and ordered subordinates to shoot him.

He was also said to have taken part in the machine-gunning of a man with a prosthetic leg, which was later brought back to an army bar and used as a drinking vessel.

Australia’s code-crossing star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is to have surgery to fix a fractured jaw, putting the 21-year-old under pressure to be fit for the British and Irish Lions tour.

Suaalii was concussed in a collision with Waratah’s team-mate Andrew Kellaway during their defeat by Queensland Reds on Friday.

It was then found that he had a “small, undisplaced fracture” which needed an operation.

Suaalii is likely to be sidelined for at least four weeks.

“This is unfortunate for us and especially for Joseph. We wish him all the best in his recovery and return to full health,” Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said.

“We will do all we can to facilitate his recovery in consultation with Rugby Australia to have him in the best shape possible for his availability for the Wallabies.”

Dennis received a 17-month suspended sentence over a car incident in Australia which killed his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins.

Former Olympic cyclist and world champion Rohan Dennis received a suspended sentence over what was termed a “tragic accident” that led to the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins.

The 34-year-old appeared in South Australia District Court on Wednesday after an earlier charge of committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm.

Dennis was arrested after Hoskins, 32, was struck by his vehicle in front of their home at Medindie in Adelaide’s north on December 30, 2023. Hoskins suffered serious injuries in the crash and died at Royal Adelaide Hospital.

The court was told that the couple had argued over kitchen renovations before Dennis left their home and drove away. The court also heard that Hoskins had jumped onto the hood of the car during the incident.

Dennis on Wednesday was sentenced to one year, four months and 28 days in jail, to be suspended for two years. The sentence was reduced from two years and two months because of his guilty plea and he’s been placed on a two-year good behaviour bond.

His driver’s licence was also suspended for five years.

“I accept you have a sense of responsibility for all that occurred, I accept you have anguished over what could have been different if you had acted in some other way,” Judge Ian Press said Wednesday.

Dennis showed little emotion when Press sentenced him.

“Given your plea of guilty, your remorse, that you are the sole carer for your young children, and given all your other personal circumstances and the circumstances of the offending, I am satisfied that good reason exists to suspend that sentence,” the judge said.

The offence carried a maximum sentence of seven years in jail but lawyer Jane Abbey asked that her client receive a suspended sentence, which was not opposed by the prosecution.

During sentencing submissions in April, Amanda Hoskins said her daughter had loved Dennis “and I know that you would never intentionally hurt her”.

“I believe this is a tragic accident. Your temper is your downfall and needs to be addressed,” she said.

Hoskins’ funeral was held in her home city of Perth, Western Australia, and a public memorial service was held in Adelaide in February 2024. Dennis attended the service with their two children.

Hoskins competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics on the track in the team pursuit and was in the squad that won the 2015 world title. Dennis won two world titles in the road time trial, as well as silver in the team pursuit at the 2012 Olympics and bronze in the road time trial at the Tokyo Olympics.

ITV viewers were completely stunned as a late soap legend was spotted on TV, eight months after she passed away.

The actress sadly died in her sleep at the age of 72 last year in her home city of Melbourne, Australia.

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Janet Andrewartha was best known for her role as Lyn Scully in the hit soap, Neighbours.

She first made her debut on the former Channel 5 serial drama back in 1999.

She had a number of on and off stints on Ramsay Street, before departing for the final time in 2019.

But less than three months after she received a cancer diagnosis, the star passed away in July of last year.

At the time, her friend – and Neighbours co-star – Jackie Woodburne paid a heartfelt tribute to her pal.

She said: “[Janet] was one of the finest actors of a generation. I will miss her every day.”

However, viewers were shocked to see her appear on-screen once again in the ITV drama, Fake.

The show focuses on a smart magazine writer named Birdie (Asher Keddie) who seems to have found her ideal match.

On a dating app, she meets a successful farmer, but she later discovers that all is not as it seems.

Viewers were pleasantly surprised to see that Janet popped up on screen in scenes that were filmed before her death.

She starred in the gritty series as, Kath Tovey, which is a supporting role.

Her Neighbours co-star Anne Charleston, 82, is known for playing the beloved Madge Bishop on the soap for decades from 1986.

She also appears in Fake in a supporting role as the character, Shirley Burt alongside Janet.

Anne recently made her return to Neighbours in a new role as part of Harold’s departure storyline.

This was after Ian Smith revealed that he was diagnosed with “a very aggressive non-fixable cancer.”

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KRISPY Kreme has delighted its fans by bring a sought-after flavour to the UK.

The American doughnut brand was hounded by its UK customers to introduce the Pistachio Overload flavour that had already hit stores in Australia.

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Krispy Kreme told The Sun that “Brits begged the brand to bring the new flavour to the UK after seeing the delicious nutty treat go viral in Australia last month.”

Not only has Krispy Kreme brought the flavour from Australia to the UK, it teamed up with a British company to produce the yummy taste.

The Pistachio Overload doughnut officially made it into stores on Monday (May 12), but was available at Krispy Kremes in Manchester a day earlier.

That was due to the fact Krispy Kreme had teamed up with the Mancunian brand, Blackmilk, to create the iconic dessert.

Blackmilk’s beloved Pistachio Cream spread is being used in the baking of the new doughnut flavour.

The green delight is topped with the Blackmilk cream, a white chocolate drizzle and candied pistachio nibs, while Krispy Kreme’s trademarked pistachio cream fills the doughnut.

Krispy Kreme confirmed to The Sun that Pistachio Overload will be available for £3.49 in all UK and Ireland stores until May 25.

It will land in Tesco UK branches on May 19 until May 25.

Krispy Kreme announced the doughnut’s arrival on social media and said it hoped the news would make up for the April Fools’ joke it had played on its followers.

On April 1, the brand posted a “message” from its managing director saying that after 87 years, it would be discontinuing its famous glazed doughnut.

The joke letter said the decision had been made in order to create space for the reintroduced, raspberry glazed doughnut.

The jam-filled treat was first discontinued in November 2024, causing a stir among sweet-toothed customers.

Even Alison Hammond begged the brand not to axe her favourite flavour on ITV’s This Morning.

The flavour is back by popular demand thanks to a nationwide public vote – dubbed “The Great Doughbate”.

This poll took place in Krispy Kreme shops and across social media between March 17 and 23.

Fans were given the opportunity to decide which discontinued favourite flavour to bring back.

The Glazed Raspberry was pitted against another fan favourite, Chocolate Custard.

However, the fruity flavour won out with the British public, receiving 66% of the total votes.

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Russia must pay damages for the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine in 2014, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) says.

The United Nations aviation agency has said Russia was responsible for the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine in 2014 that killed all 298 passengers and crew.

With 38 Australian citizens and 196 Dutch citizens on board the aircraft when it was downed, the two governments called on Russia to take responsibility for the incident and pay damages. However, Russia has consistently denied any involvement in the downing of the plane.

Late on Monday, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) said Australia and the Netherlands’ claims over the shooting down of flight MH17 were “well-founded in fact and in law”.

“The Russian Federation failed to uphold its obligations under international air law in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17,” the agency said in a statement.

According to international air law, a distinction must be made between military aircraft and commercial or other aircraft during warfare.

While the ICAO has no regulatory powers, it holds moral suasion and sets global aviation standards adopted by its 193-member states.

‘Important step’

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said in a statement that the ICAO’s ruling in the case launched in 2022 was an “important step towards establishing the truth and achieving justice”.

“This decision also sends a clear message to the international community: States cannot violate international law with impunity,” he said.

Moreover, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government welcomed the decision and urged ICAO to swiftly determine reparations.

“We call upon Russia to finally face up to its responsibility for this horrific act of violence and make reparations for its egregious conduct, as required under international law,” Wong said in a statement.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also welcomed the ruling and said the decision was another step towards “restoring justice for this crime”.

“No matter how much money and effort Russia put into lying to conceal its crimes, the truth wins out, and justice prevails,” Sybiha wrote on X.

On July 17, 2014, the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777, travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, where pro-Russian separatists were fighting Ukrainian forces.

At the time, separatists in the area claimed the airliner was shot down by a Ukrainian military jet, with Russian President Vladimir Putin accusing Ukraine of bearing “responsibility” for the deaths of the passengers.

In 2022, a Dutch court sentenced three men to life sentences over the downing of the plane, including two Russians that Moscow refused to extradite.

Wrexham will play three pre-season fixtures against A-League opposition during a summer tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Fresh from securing a historic third successive promotion, Phil Parkinson’s side will take on Melbourne Victory at the Marvel Stadium on 11 July before facing Sydney FC at the Allianz Stadium four days later.

The north Wales side will then play Wellington Phoenix at the Sky Stadium on 19 July.

Wrexham co-chairmen Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds said: “From the very beginning, we wanted to help make Wrexham a globally recognised team, town and brand.

“We could not be more excited to bring the Red Dragons to Australia and New Zealand, and we are particularly proud that this announcement features neither a Men at Work or Hugh Jackman joke.

“The latter of which took maturity and tremendous restraint. We’re proud of Ryan. Of course, we make no promises going forward.”