Cricket match abandoned after charging bull stops play

• Ukraine's conflict with Russia has served as a critical demonstration of the future of warfare, exposing Russian military vulnerabilities and evolving combat strategies. • Myroslava Gongadze argues that the lessons learned over the past five years highlight a shift in the global security environment that NATO must now address.

• Pakistan urged the UN Security Council to prioritize diplomacy and de-escalation to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East following Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. • Islamabad officially condemned the strikes and expressed its firm support for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.

• Acting President Delcy Rodríguez is struggling to manage the aftermath of two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela. • The government faces intense public criticism as the crisis evolves into a humanitarian disaster.

• An analyst warns that Donald Trump's potential strategic outreach to Pakistan could lead to costly errors by repeating historical geopolitical mistakes. • The report suggests that Pakistan's renewed strategic importance may allow the country to avoid international scrutiny regarding its human rights record and domestic governance.

• UN special political missions have served as a critical, often invisible instrument for maintaining global peace throughout the organization's 80-year history. • These missions focus on preventing the escalation of conflicts through diplomatic efforts that range from modest interventions to historic agreements.

• Bilahari Kausikan, Chairman of the Middle East Institute, described Pakistan as a state "teetering on the brink of failure" during a National Press Foundation event. • Kausikan highlighted that the country is plagued by persistent domestic mismanagement, rising extremism, and a severe economic collapse.

• Former Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan warned that Pakistan is "teetering on the brink of failure" during a discussion titled "On Keeping Perspective in Volatile Geopolitical Times." • Kausikan highlighted profound internal instability, systemic economic vulnerabilities, and increasing radicalization as primary drivers of the nation's domestic decay.

• Afghanistan has become one of the world's least-funded humanitarian crises as global financing has dropped to its lowest level since 2019. • The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) highlighted Sweden's commitment to continuing aid allocations based on humanitarian need despite the global decline.

• Senator Marco Rubio is reportedly advocating for a diplomatic strategy in Lebanon that would allow for a prolonged or indefinite Israeli military occupation. • Critics argue that this approach ignores Lebanese sovereignty and risks destabilizing the region, potentially triggering a full-scale civil war.

Police are investigating what happened to a boy who was found with significant arm injuriesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA woman is in custody after police found the body of a pre-schooler at a home on the New South Wales Central Coast.Police rushed to the home at Wyong after a 32-year-old woman presented to the local police station on Saturday. Continue reading...

Follow the day’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning all and thanks for being with us. Graham Readfearn here.First up, we will have news in a few minutes that NSW has recorded its first confirmed case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu in a giant petrel found north of Newcastle at Hawks Nest. Continue reading...