High-speed rail link between Sydney and Newcastle could be ‘shovel-ready’ in two years, Albanese government says

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Transport minister Catherine King will pledge $230m for planning work for the first phase of a bullet train on Australia’s east coast

Long-mooted plans for high-speed rail could be “shovel-ready” within two years, according to the federal government, which will on Tuesday announce another $230m for further planning work for fast trains between Sydney and Newcastle, as part of the first phase of an eventual east coast bullet train.

Rail journeys on the new fast train could take as little as one hour between Sydney and Newcastle, and 30 minutes between Sydney and the Central Coast, the transport and infrastructure minister, Catherine King, said. It currently takes more than 2.5 hours to travel by train from Sydney to Newcastle, and almost 1.5 hours from Sydney to the Central Coast.

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The U.S. deported a gay asylum-seeker to a third country where homosexuality is illegal – Los Angeles Times

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  1. The U.S. deported a gay asylum-seeker to a third country where homosexuality is illegal  Los Angeles Times
  2. Gay asylum-seeker says US deported her to country where being homosexual is illegal: 'What was done to me was...'  The Times of India
  3. Woman Deported Despite Court Protection Order, Forced to Hide in Morocco  Fine Day 102.3
  4. Trump Deportations: Asylum Seeker Sent Through Cameroon  Hoodline
  5. The US deported a gay asylum-seeker to a third country where homosexuality is illegal  The Cumberland Times-News
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Windsurfer, 55, is mauled to death in shark attack as horrified family watch on from beach on paradise island – Daily Mail

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  1. Windsurfer, 55, is mauled to death in shark attack as horrified family watch on from beach on paradise island  Daily Mail
  2. Doctor, 55, Killed in Horrific Shark Attack After Suffering 'Significant Injuries' While Wing Foiling Near Popular Beach  People.com
  3. Foil Surfer Dies After Shark Attack ‘Mutilation’ in New Caledonia  SURFER Magazine
  4. Windsurfer Dies in Horror Shark Attack at Popular Beach  Men's Journal
  5. Windsurfing doc, 55, mauled to death by shark as horrified family watched on  the-sun.com
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Bishop Varden at Lenten Retreat: St. Bernard, the Idealist – Vatican News

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  1. Bishop Varden at Lenten Retreat: St. Bernard, the Idealist  Vatican News
  2. Varden: Don’t use the Gospel as a weapon  Catholic World Report
  3. Pope Leo XIV begins Lenten spiritual exercises led by Bishop Erik Varden  EWTN News
  4. At Curia retreat, Bishop Varden warns of Gospel’s use ‘as a weapon in culture wars’  OSV News
  5. Lent’s Quiet Shift Inside the Vatican  EWTN Vatican
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Double Hungarian veto thwarts loan for Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia – Euronews.com

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  1. Double Hungarian veto thwarts loan for Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia  Euronews.com
  2. Hungary Poses Unexpected Hurdle to Europe’s 90-Billion Euro Loan to Ukraine  The New York Times
  3. Hungary blocks Russia sanctions, EU cash for Kyiv on eve of Ukraine war anniversary  Reuters
  4. Slovakia threatens to cut electricity to Ukraine over Russian oil spat  Al Jazeera
  5. 'Change EU rules to stop Hungary's abuse of veto' – Lithuanian FM  Euronews.com
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West Bank mosque set on fire, graffitied with ‘revenge’ in apparent settler attack – The Times of Israel

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  1. West Bank mosque set on fire, graffitied with ‘revenge’ in apparent settler attack  The Times of Israel
  2. Jewish settlers reportedly set fire to mosque near Nablus, spray 'revenge' in West Bank attack  The Jerusalem Post
  3. West Bank Mosque Torched in Suspected Settler Attack  Haaretz
  4. Israeli settlers torch and deface a West Bank mosque during Ramadan  Leader-Telegram
  5. Israeli settlers torch and deface a West Bank mosque as Ramadan begins  Boston Herald
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Russian lives for Ukrainian lands – Reuters

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  1. Russian lives for Ukrainian lands  Reuters
  2. Russian soldiers being killed faster than Kremlin can recruit them  The Telegraph
  3. In Ukraine, Russia is losing more soldiers than it’s recruiting  The Times
  4. Russia’s military recruitment numbers remain steady, but how long can the regions foot the bill? Meduza asks researcher Janis Kluge.  Meduza
  5. Oleksandr Syrsky, commander of the Ukrainian army, to Le Monde: 'Russian army losses have exceeded its recruitment level'  Le Monde.fr
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JD Vance invited the Pope to the USA’s 250th July 4th celebration and the Pope’s reaction has many people reeling with laughter – Yahoo Creators

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  1. JD Vance invited the Pope to the USA’s 250th July 4th celebration and the Pope’s reaction has many people reeling with laughter  Yahoo Creators
  2. Pope Leo Will Spend July 4 Visiting Island Known For Migrant Crossings  Time Magazine
  3. Pope to visit Pompeii, Naples, and Lampedusa on pastoral tour of Italy  Vatican News
  4. Pope Leo Rejects JD Vance's Personal 4th of July Invite; Vatican Confirms He's Spending It With Migrants Instead  International Business Times UK
  5. From Pompeii to Pavia: Pope Leo XIV to make 6 pastoral visits throughout Italy  TheCatholicSpirit.com
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Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 22, 2026 – Institute for the Study of War

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  1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 22, 2026  Institute for the Study of War
  2. Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,461  Al Jazeera
  3. Russian attack on Ukraine's Odesa region killed two people, injured three  Reuters
  4. Russia fires scores of missiles at Ukraine as Hungary threatens to block EU sanctions  The Guardian
  5. Ukraine updates: Russia hits Odesa ahead of war anniversary  DW.com
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The tragedy of Punch the monkey: why do mother animals abandon their offspring?

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Footage of Punch, a seven-month-old Japanese macaque, has gone viral around the world after he was rejected by his mother and formed a bond with a soft toy

A baby monkey in Japan has captured hearts around the world after videos of him being bullied by other monkeys and rejected by his mother went viral last week.

Punch, a Japanese macaque, was born last July at Ichikawa zoo. He has drawn international attention after zookeepers gave him a stuffed orangutan toy after he was abandoned by his mother.

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