An Australian nurse denied running an illegal surrogacy service in Cambodia when her trial began Tuesday, the first case of its kind in the country that recently banned the practice. Tammy Davis-Charles, 49, was arrested in late November with two Cambodians and accused of recruiting foreign couples and Cambodian surrogate mothers to a clinic in … Read more
Australia skipper Mile Jedinak has withdrawn from Tuesday’s friendly with Brazil and this month’s Confederations Cup with a groin injury, Football Federation Australia said. The Aston Villa midfielder pulled up sore after Australia’s 3-2 World Cup qualifier win over Saudi Arabia last week and coach Ange Postecoglou said with the Socceroos to play at least … Read more
Diego Souza will replace injured striker Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho is line to lead Brazil in Tuesday’s friendly with Australia in Melbourne. A replacement had to be found for Manchester City’s Jesus, who has returned home after suffering a fractured eye socket in Brazil’s 1-0 Superclasico loss to Argentina at the MCG on Friday. … Read more
Mohammad Hafeez has no problems with Pakistan being known as “unpredictable”, saying he “loves” the tag that is so often applied to the team. The Pakistan all-rounder is set to feature in a virtual Champions Trophy quarter-final against Sri Lanka when the two sides meet for the concluding Group B match in Cardiff on Monday. … Read more
Australia’s largest state Sunday said it was building a separate prison wing for extremist inmates to tackle radicalisation following a rise in homegrown attacks. New South Wales, home to about a third of Australia’s 24-million-strong population, has been the site of two terror attacks in recent years, including a cafe siege in 2014 where two … Read more
The world’s number one team Brazil will not be under-estimating Australia as they bid to rebound from their Superclasico loss to Argentina, officials said Sunday. The five-time World Cup champions are eager to bounce back from their 1-0 loss to their great South American rivals in Tuesday’s friendly against the Confederations Cup-bound Socceroos in Melbourne. … Read more
Fiji are looking forward to bolstering their playing strength ahead of next month’s World Cup qualifiers with two key lead-up Tests against Six Nations opposition, coach John McKee said. The Fijians showed glimpses of their potential in going down 37-14 to Australia in Melbourne on Saturday, but McKee said he was looking at the bigger … Read more
Israel Folau and Henry Speight scored try doubles as Australia launched their international season with a 37-14 win over Fiji in Melbourne on Saturday. Fullback Folau was outstanding in attack, running over 150 metres for the match, and Fijian-born winger Speight finished well as the Wallabies outscored Fiji five tries to two after leading 18-0 … Read more
Brazil manager Tite says he is considering changes for Tuesday’s game against Australia after blasting his side’s poor finishing in the loss to Argentina in Melbourne. The world’s number one ranked team wasted several scoring opportunities as Argentina hung on for a 1-0 win in their Superclasico at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. A … Read more
Coach Michael Cheika said veteran code-hopper Karmichael Hunt had earned his chance with Australia after overcoming the “hardship” of a cocaine scandal at the start of his rugby career. Hunt, whose introduction to rugby in 2015 was blighted by the scandal stemming from his days in the Australian Football League, will make his Wallabies debut … Read more
Argentina’s Superclasico showdown with arch-rivals Brazil is set to pump tens of millions of dollars into the Australian economy when they play in front of 100,000 fans on Friday. Although Neymar is missing from Brazil’s line-up, his Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi will light up the occasion at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Melbourne is just the … Read more
New manager Jorge Sampaoli says he is looking to superstar Lionel Messi to revive Argentina’s World Cup fortunes starting with Friday’s friendly with Brazil in Melbourne Sampaoli has been installed to kick-start the two-time world champions’ ailing South American campaign where they lag outside the automatic qualifying positions in fifth spot with four games left. … Read more
Skipper Stephen Moore was dropped Thursday for the Wallabies clash against Fiji with veteran hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau preferred in a team featuring two players on their debut including code-hopper Karmichael Hunt. Michael Hooper will lead Australia in Saturday’s showdown in Melbourne, with Hunt and Waratahs backrower Ned Hanigan winning their first caps. Coach Michael Cheika … Read more
An Australian Islamic council has called for taxpayer-funded “safe spaces” so young Muslims can express “inflammatory” views without fear in a move slammed Thursday as troubling and wrong. News of the request comes just days after a fatal shootout in Melbourne claimed by the Islamic State group, which is being treated as a terrorist incident. … Read more
Passengers on an Australian domestic flight left the plane via an emergency exit Tuesday after a man allegedly left a threatening note in the toilet in what appears to be a prank. The 42 passengers on the Virgin Australia service from Sydney to the rural town of Albury in southeastern Australia were ordered out of … Read more
A fatal shootout claimed by the Islamic State group was being treated as a terrorist attack, Australian police said Tuesday, as the prime minister condemned it as “shocking and cowardly”. A man of Somali background was killed in a gun battle with police when he opened fire following an hour-long standoff after taking an escort … Read more
Australian police are treating as a “terrorist incident” a Melbourne siege in which a gunman was killed. Officers went to an address in a suburb of the city on Monday after reports of an explosion and found one man already dead in a stairwell. Another man, now identified as Yacqub Khayre, was holding a woman … Read more
Australian police Monday shot dead a man who had taken a woman hostage in a Melbourne apartment and said they were investigating whether the incident was terror-related. Police responding to reports of an explosion at the apartment block in the suburb of Brighton had earlier found the body of another man in the foyer. The … Read more
Australian police Monday shot dead a man who took a woman hostage in a Melbourne apartment, after the body of another man was found in the building’s lobby. The woman escaped safely but three officers were injured as police stormed the building. Authorities have yet to determine whether the incident was terrorism-related. “Police have resolved … Read more
Coach Michael Cheika has vowed the Wallabies will lift the spirits of the Australian game amid a demoralising Super Rugby campaign in this week’s start to the international Test season. Australian rugby is in the doldrums with its five franchises struggling and one, as yet unnamed, facing the axe when Super Rugby reverts to 15 … Read more