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Norway upsets balance as six European teams reach 2026 World Cup quarter-finals
The knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup has come to be dominated by European sides, with six of the eight quarter-finalists — Belgium, England, France, Norway, Spain and Switzerland — drawn from the continent. Norway’s progress helped tip the balance in Europe’s favour, producing the strongest European presence at a World Cup staged outside…
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Telstra chief Vicki Brady breaks silence on nationwide outage as leadership absence draws criticism
Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady has spoken publicly about the nationwide outage that knocked out phone, mobile data and card-payment services for millions of Australians, adding detail to a story that had been dominated by questions over absent leadership. The renewed scrutiny of how both Telstra and the government handled the crisis matters because the…
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Unusual or predictable? How Europe is dominating the World Cup
Six of the eight quarter-finalists at the 2026 World Cup are European sides — Belgium, England, France, Norway, Spain and Switzerland — a level of dominance not seen at a tournament outside Europe since 1994. This matters because European teams have historically struggled to win World Cups staged beyond their own continent, triumphing only twice…
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10 Marvel Heroes Strong Enough To Stop Doom
Entertainment site Collider has published a speculative feature by writer Michael Block listing ten Marvel heroes, allies or teams considered powerful enough to defeat Doctor Doom. The article is framed around the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday, in which Robert Downey Jr. is set to play a new version of Doctor Doom, marking his return to…
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Communications minister Anika Wells slammed for radio silence as Telstra goes down on her watch – before her bizarre Facebook post is deleted amid the chaos
Australia’s Communications Minister, Anika Wells, has been criticised for staying silent while a major Telstra network outage cut off millions of customers from phone calls, mobile data and electronic payments. The failure disrupted internet and phone services, knocked out EFTPOS systems at cafes, taxis and shops, and forced some businesses to close. As the minister…
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Michigan sees explosive outbreak of diarrheal parasite with over 700 cases
Michigan is experiencing an unusually large outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, with more than 700 cases and 36 hospitalisations reported since 22 June. The number of cases has risen sharply over a matter of days — from 170 on 30 June to 572 on 4 July and…
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6 Must-Read Fantasy Books for Fans of The Lord of the Rings
Collider writer Safwan Azeem has published a recommendation list of six fantasy novels for readers who enjoyed J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The piece argues that the best follow-up reads for Tolkien fans are not simply imitations of his quest narratives, but books that share his sense of a deep, aged world full…
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What Sky Is Really Buying in the ITV Deal
Comcast-owned Sky has agreed to buy ITV’s Media & Entertainment business — its free-to-air channels, the ITVX streaming service, advertising operations and its route to millions of British viewers — in a proposed deal worth £1.6 billion ($2.13 billion). Crucially, the deal does not include ITV Studios, the global production and distribution arm, which ITV…
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Get spirited away to a weird, scary version of a Japanese town and take pictures of the oddities you find in SOMBRAS: negative frames
Rock Paper Shotgun has previewed SOMBRAS: negative frames, an upcoming “horror-lite” photography game in which players explore an eerie, alternate version of a Japanese town and photograph the strange things they encounter. The piece frames the game as an attempt to capture the “magic” of shooting film through mechanics rather than visuals, making it of…
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Guitar Virtuoso Julian Lage Seems to Be Back on Tour With Bob Dylan
Guitarist Julian Lage rejoined Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour on 6 July 2026 at the Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee, Minnesota, after being absent for the previous five shows. His unexpected return, alongside newcomer Joel Paterson, marks the latest twist in a summer marred by unusual instability in Dylan’s guitar section, and it matters because…