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We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
Iran is swiftly restoring its missile bunkers to operational status just hours after they have been targeted by US and Israeli strikes, according to the latest intelligence insights.
The White House has highlighted a decrease in Iranian drone and missile activity since the onset of the conflict, suggesting that Tehran’s strike capabilities are being significantly impaired.
However, a recent US intelligence report, referenced by The New York Times, paints a different picture. It indicates that Iran still maintains a considerable stockpile of weapons and is rapidly repairing the affected sites.
Many of these extensive missile bunkers are strategically located deep within granite mountains, designed to endure extreme pressures that surpass the limits of conventional building materials.
This robust fortification presents a formidable challenge even for the most advanced American bunker-busting bomb, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator.
One of these fortresses, the Yazd missile base, is thought to possess an automated rail system that runs through tunnels linking assembly areas, storage depots, and multiple concealed exits cut into different faces of the mountain.
In similar underground missile cities seen in Iranian propaganda videos, launchers are moved around rapidly on lorries, rolled out to fire, and withdrawn back underground behind heavy armoured doors in the blink of an eye.
Despite weeks of relentless US-Israeli strikes on its facilities, Iran is somehow still able to unleash its hidden arsenal of rockets and drones at targets across the Middle East.
Iran showed off a sprawling underground network of tunnels filled with row after row of drones and rockets in a propaganda video at the start of the war
Smoke was seen rising following an explosion at a missile base near the city of Baharestan in Iran last week
American officials warned that Tehran is deliberately preserving its missile strength to maintain pressure throughout a prolonged conflict and to retain leverage once hostilities end.
According to the NYT report, Washington can not be certain how many missile launchers have been destroyed, as Iran has deployed decoys.
While underground bunkers and silos may appear damaged, launchers can be quickly recovered from rubble and used for attacks, the report added.
Several underground ‘missile cities’ have reportedly been carved into mountains, forming a dispersed web of hardened sites that support the country’s ballistic missile capability.
The Islamic Republic has spent years constructing these cavernous bunkers to shield its vast missile arsenal from destruction, experts say.
Speaking to the Statesman, analyst Shanaka Anslem Perera said: ‘The mountain does not care how many sorties are flown above it.
‘The railway does not care how many portals are sealed. The geology is the defence, and the geology has been there for 300 million years.’
Penetration depth varies depending on whether a target is covered by soil, concrete, or dense rock.
Granite, in particular, absorbs and disperses explosive energy, reducing the effectiveness of even the largest conventional munitions.
According to RUSI, penetrating hardened underground facilities may require multiple strikes on the same point, detailed intelligence on internal layouts, and sustained follow-up attacks to prevent rapid repair.
And all of this must be carried out while suppressing air defences and coordinating attacks across multiple dispersed sites.
Speaking to Globes, tunnelling expert Dr Amichai Mittelman said: ‘The mountains in Iran provide a level of protection 50-100 meters thick of rock that is hard to crack even by heavy bombs.’
Meanwhile, experts told The Telegraph earlier this week that the slowdown in attacks may reflect a tactical shift, with Iran adapting its approach and becoming more adept at concealing mobile launchers after use.
The Pentagon said it hit 11,000 targets in the opening five weeks of the war, while Israeli forces reported three-quarters of Iran’s launchers had been destroyed by March 7.
Explosion at missile base in Iran on April 2, 2026
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Army in 2022, shows drones in an underground drone base, in an unknown location in Iran
Yet continued strikes by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard raise doubts over how close allies are to neutralising the threat.
Missile launches have dropped sharply – from hundreds per day at the outset to fewer than 40 more recently, with roughly 20 aimed at Israel daily.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to unleash between 50 and 100 drones each day across the region, most of which are intercepted.
Military analysts have cautioned that efforts to hunt down remaining launch systems may yield ‘diminishing returns’, particularly given Iran’s vast terrain and long-standing network of concealed ‘missile cities’.
On Monday, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said: ‘Yes, they will still shoot some missiles, but we will shoot them down.’ He added: ‘They will go underground, but we will find them.’
The report came after CNN also cited a US intelligence assessment that around half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers are still intact despite over a month of US-Israeli strikes across the country.
Some of the remaining missile launchers are not believed to be currently accessible, due to having been buried under rubble amid the waves of airstrikes.
In response to the CNN report, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: ‘Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks are down around 90 per cent, their navy is wiped out, two-thirds of their production facilities are damaged or destroyed, and the United States and Israel have overwhelming air dominance over Iran.’
But despite claims of air superiority, US special forces were deployed to rescue the pilot of a downed F-15E, while a search continued for the missing weapons officer.
Iranian authorities are reportedly offering rewards of around £50,000 for information leading to his capture.
In Dubai, debris from an intercepted drone struck a US tech office overnight. Authorities confirmed the incident caused no injuries, with only shrapnel hitting the building.
In a post shared on X, Dubai’s media office said: ‘Authorities confirm that they responded to a minor incident caused by debris from an aerial interception that fell on the facade of the Oracle building in Dubai Internet City. No injuries were reported.’
Tehran has previously warned it could target American technology firms operating across the Middle East.
Nollywood actress Lilian Afegbai publicly apologized to the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) organizers.
The apology followed her negative reaction to being excluded from the 12th edition nominations.
Afegbai recognized her outburst as disrespectful to the awards, fellow nominees, and the cast and crew of “To Kill a Monkey.”
In a recent turn of events, Nollywood star Lilian Afegbai has publicly apologized to the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) organizers. Her apology follows a social media outburst over her exclusion from the nominations for the event’s 12th edition.
Afegbai admitted that her initial reaction was disrespectful, not only to the awards committee but also to the other nominees, the team behind “To Kill a Monkey,” and her supporters. She clarified that her outburst was driven by personal disappointment rather than a legitimate complaint.
The actress shared that playing the role of Idia in Kemi Adetiba’s Netflix series “To Kill a Monkey” marked a significant career milestone, offering her much-needed recognition after years of feeling overlooked. Therefore, not seeing her name in the Best Supporting Actress category was disheartening, leading to a response she now regrets.
In her apology, she expressed, “This apology is overdue, and that tweet should never have been posted. There’s no excuse. It was disrespectful to AMVCA, the nominees, my ‘To Kill a Monkey’ family, and all of you who have supported me. I was truly disappointed, but that’s not an excuse for my response.”
Afegbai also opened up about her long-standing struggle with feeling unnoticed in the industry and acknowledged that she had placed excessive importance on receiving a nomination as validation.
Lilian admitted her behavior was out of character and appealed for a chance to improve, saying, “Please give me a chance to be better. I no go fall una hand again. Love, forever your Lilly.”
See post below:
This apology should have come earlier, That tweet should not have happened. No excuse. It was disrespectful to AMVCA, the nominees, my To Kill A Monkey family, and all of you who have supported me. Honestly, I was disappointed. But that’s not an excuse for how I responded. I’ve…
@Iamlyday1:”We’re all human and no one is infallible. We see you though so please don’t feel invisible. We see you.”
@Abelpter:”AMVCA has an organization is already stretch enough. It features movies, Tv Shows, Series and many more. How las las how many people can they nominate? As it stands now I feel the nomination for each category is too much.”
@adwapapoku:”Aww don’t worry at the right time your efforts would be rewarded and we’ll all be here to celebrate with you.”
@AdaPereway:”Well done. Taking responsibility for your actions is a big deal.”
@Vero_Onyemowo:”U did so well, ur accolades are coming and they are not far anymore.”
@musingsofenigma:”Believe this, the paths and stars are aligned. Your accolades, you shall seek to flee from when the deluge unleashes. Best believe, we are already clapping hard for you from all corners of the globe. Be you, be human, be easy on yourself.”
In the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City, the ancient stones blend seamlessly together, their surfaces smoothed by the footsteps of countless pilgrims over the centuries. Here, the light plays gently on the worn steps, creating a scene rich with history.
As Easter approaches, these historic streets are usually alive with the murmurs and movements of worshippers, eagerly congregating for their traditional processions. The atmosphere is typically one of anticipation and reverence.
This year, however, an unusual silence blankets the area.
The path leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—revered as the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection—remains mostly empty, with the usual throngs of visitors replaced by vigilant security personnel.
Even the air seems to carry a weight, as if the city is collectively pausing in an unspoken moment of suspense.
Catholic clergymen carry palm fronds during the Palm Sunday procession at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem. Source: EPA / Abir Sultan
Access to the Old City’s holy sites has been largely restricted by Israel since 28 February. Authorities say the measures, linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East, are “life-saving”, particularly in areas without bomb shelters and along narrow, centuries-old passageways that emergency teams cannot easily reach.
Shrapnel from intercepted Iranian missiles has landed nearby, including on the roof of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate on 16 March, just metres from the church’s main building.
In the days that followed, leading up to Palm Sunday, Israeli authorities tightened restrictions and placed barricades to block clergy and worshippers from entering churches for scheduled services.
In a formal statement on 29 March, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced: “For the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”
Among those affected, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest-ranking Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, was stopped by Israeli police on his way to lead the Palm Sunday liturgy — the opening service of Holy Week, a period tracing Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem through to his resurrection. After public outcry, his access was later restored.
Authorities have said broader restrictions will remain in place across all major holy sites.
Holy Week is typically one of the busiest periods in the Old City, with tens of thousands of pilgrims and worshippers moving through its ancient streets. During this time, the faithful attend Lenten liturgies, trace the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows) — following the path believed to have been taken by Jesus to his crucifixion — and gather for the Holy Fire ceremony in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — one of the most sacred and visually striking moments of the year.
As during COVID-19, that vibrancy has again been stymied, with Easter, Ramadan and Passover unfolding under similar wartime constraints.
‘Save us from the occupiers’
For Jerusalemite Omar Haramy, the stillness of the Old City this Easter mirrors a familiar reality.
“That’s our church, that’s our community, that’s our people. We’ve been in the land since the resurrection,” he tells SBS News.
Haramy is the director of the Palestinian Christian organisation, Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center. He explains that his direct ancestors converted to Christianity on Pentecost, the day traditionally understood as the birth of the Church, roughly 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But despite that history, access to Jerusalem’s holy sites has long been uncertain for Christians, particularly Palestinians. Visiting them often requires a permit — granted or denied by military authorities — to pass through checkpoints and enter the city, measures Israeli authorities say are necessary for security.
Christians celebrate the arrival of Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa (centre), after he crossed an Israeli military checkpoint from Jerusalem ahead of midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Source: AP / Nasser Nasser
The journey to Jerusalem, even at Easter, is often interrupted or denied.
“With or without war, we’ve been complaining for many years — lay people, clergy, and also church leaders in different statements — that there have been plenty of restrictions of movement on Palestinian Christians,” he says.
This year’s closures follow that pattern. The absence of pilgrims and clergy has made visible the underlying restrictions that shape life in Jerusalem and determine who is allowed to remain within its walls during the most important week of the Christian calendar.
For Haramy, the significance of Easter cannot be detached from that reality.
“Palm Sunday was a major demonstration at the time of Jesus. When people said: ‘Hosanna in the highest’, Hosanna means save us from our occupiers,” he says, referring to the nearly 400-year Roman rule over historic Palestine.
“It was a political demonstration. They were telling Jesus, believing that he is the liberating Messiah, ‘come and save us from the occupiers’.”
A parallel, Haramy argues, continues to this day.
We live under occupation … different from the Roman occupation [during Jesus’ time], but very similar, which is the Israeli occupation.
In that context, the focus on access to a single site risks narrowing the frame. The church remains central, Haramy emphasises, but it does not stand apart from the people who sustain it.
“The church is not a building, it’s the people,” he says.
“The people will continue to meet, to organise, to worship.”
Beyond Jerusalem’s walls
Beyond the Old City, the consequences of regional war are felt on a far larger scale.
Conflicts across the Middle East have resulted in a large number of deaths in recent months. More than 75,000 people were killed in the first 16 months of the two-year war in Gaza, according to a study published in the Lancet Global Health medical journal, at least 25,000 more than the death toll reported by local authorities at the time.
Israel has questioned those tallies, citing Hamas control of Gaza’s health ministry, though a senior military officer told Israeli media in January the numbers were broadly accurate — a view later disputed by the army.
Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III holds the first candles lit during the ‘Holy Fire’ ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem’s Old City. Source: EPA / Atef Safadi
Elsewhere in the region, ongoing hostilities have also caused substantial casualties. In Lebanon, more than 1,000 people have been killed since Israel invaded the country’s south in March, while the broader regional war involving Iran and its allies has resulted in further deaths and injuries.
Haramy says the situation inside Jerusalem’s walls, while troubling, pales in comparison to what’s happening beyond them.
“We should be very worried that there are thousands of graves being opened on a daily basis because of this war — in Iran, in Lebanon, in Gaza and the West Bank. We should focus … on where people are suffering, not on an empty church with an empty grave.”
Faith connected to land
The roads north from Jerusalem climb into the Hebron Hills, cleaved by a network of checkpoints that gradually open out into the cities of the occupied West Bank.
Nestled in those hills about 21km away is the city of Ramallah, one of the West Bank’s most cosmopolitan centres. As the administrative hub of the Palestinian Authority, its rhythm is shaped as much by movement as by restriction.
Ramallah is home to a small Christian community numbering in the mere thousands — a minority within a predominantly Muslim population — though historically the city had a significant Christian presence, particularly among Greek Orthodox believers.
Even here, the war is felt overhead.
Catholic clergy walk holding candles during the Holy Thursday procession of the Washing of the Feet inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Source: AP / Bernat Armangue
“We are caught between a war … and literally missiles fly over our heads, we hear explosions in the skies,” Reverend Fadi Diab tells SBS News.
Diab is the rector of St Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ramallah, part of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, which oversees congregations across Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories — which Australia recognises as the state of Palestine — and neighbouring countries. His parish is close enough to the Old City to feel its pull, but can not always reach it.
“In the Holy Land, Easter is very unique … this is where all the story happened,” he says.
But we speak about having the opportunity to visit Jerusalem, something that Palestinians are denied at the moment.
In Eastern tradition, Easter is a celebration that spills beyond the church, into the life of the city itself.
“It’s more of a national feast,” Diab says.
“You can imagine how devastated Christians in the Holy Land are to learn that the churches are closed for weeks at a time, when everyone looks towards the church.”
That connection, he suggests, is not incidental, but foundational.
“Part of our faith and theology is very much connected to the land,” he says.
“We live in the land of the very birthplace of the Christian faith, the very birthplace of Jesus. Christianity has been witnessing the love of God in this land for more than 2,000 years, and that is part of our identity — who we are as Christians, but also [who] we are as Palestinians in this land.”
Christian faithful carry a cross during the Good Friday procession along the Via Dolorosa, towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Source: EPA / Abir Sultan
Within the Anglican Church, that history takes a different shape. Originally established through British missionary activities in the 19th century, the Anglican presence in the Holy Land has, over time, evolved into a locally led church.
In practice, this involves Palestinian clergy leading Palestinian congregations in their own land, rather than a church directed by foreign leadership.
“We cannot deny that the origin of the establishment of the Diocese of Jerusalem started with both political and religious interests … in the Holy Land; controlling land that was geographically very important for the British empire,” Diab says.
But 50 years ago, the church became an indigenous community.
“Now we have a church that is run by a Palestinian leader … and the community takes pride in that indigenisation of the Anglican church.”
Under the magnifying glass
The Anglican Church’s colonial history, one that is painful and complex for many, has shaped its traditions and influenced how Palestinian Anglicans position themselves within the broader Christian landscape in the Holy Land.
These traditions began to take root in 1976 with the appointment of Archbishop Faik Ibrahim Haddad.
His grandson, John Na’em Snobar, recalls how he would read texts slowly, and never just once.
He describes his grandfather’s gesture clearly: a page lifted, a magnifying glass held over the text, each line painstakingly checked before he moved on. It was not about failing eyesight, nor habit; it was caution.
“He had such a sense of mistrust about what he was reading … he knew that the Anglican church was used to help colonise Palestine,” Na’em Snobar tells SBS News.
“He was extra sensitive to correspondence, and he really paid attention to every letter and every word.”
The Anglican Church in the region had been established through British missionary networks, with schools, hospitals and parishes built under a structure historically aligned with the English state, before transitioning to local leadership under Archbishop Faik Ibrahim Haddad. Source: Supplied / John Na’em Snobar
Ibrahim Haddad led the church at a time when its structures were still closely tied to its British missionary origins. His appointment was a turning point, after which local leadership and self-governance became hallmarks of the church.
This year will mark its golden jubilee.
Ibrahim Haddad’s daughter, Randa Haddad Snobar, says his legacy stands alongside that history.
“He was a very courageous man … very loving. He loved to serve people, not only his community and not only his church, but everybody,” she says.
He experienced being a refugee in 1948 … and that stayed with him for the rest of his life.
“It gave him something to fight for … and he carried that with him in everything he did — as a priest, as a bishop, and as a Palestinian.”
In the winter of 1980, under a night curfew imposed by Israeli authorities across Jerusalem, Ibrahim Haddad got into his official car — a vehicle recognised for its ecclesiastical and diplomatic authority — and drove through the city’s checkpoints to visit the Sunni Mufti.
The curfew had emptied the streets. He went anyway.
Na’em Snobar describes the moment as a gesture of religious solidarity.
“Recognising the danger that [the curfew] posed to Muslim-Christian unity, my grandfather took a very rare and courageous stand,” he says.
There are very few cracks in the solidarity between Palestinian Christians and Muslims. We work hand in hand. We are one people.
In October 2023, Na’em Snobar would make his own break with the institutions he served, resigning from his then-post with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in protest over the war in Gaza — a decision he says was shaped, in part, by the same “spirit” that informed his grandfather’s defiance.
John Na’em Snobar discusses the legacy of his grandfather, Archbishop Faik Ibrahim Haddad, and the indigenisation of the Anglican Church in the occupied Palestinian territories. Source: Supplied
For Randa Haddad Snobar, that legacy of solidarity is also carried in memory. As a child in Jerusalem, she remembers Easter taking shape along the city’s hills and stone paths, its rituals, led by her own father, tracing routes long worn into the landscape.
“On Palm Sunday, there were lots of roads that would be closed … everybody was carrying a piece of either an olive tree or a palm,” she says.
“We would go down from the Mount of Olives [the site of Jesus’ ascension] … lots of people, even pilgrims, it used to be huge.”
Even as the crowds thin at Easter this year, the land still holds the story.
A certified fitness trainer has revealed four chair exercises that are more effective at reducing love handles than traditional weight training.
For those over 60, love handles can be particularly stubborn due to the fact that the obliques and deep core muscles become less engaged in daily activities. While weight training is great for overall strength, it often lacks the precise tension needed to sculpt the waistline. Having worked with older clients for many years, I’ve observed that the most rapid improvements come from exercises that specifically and consistently target the core.
Chair exercises offer an ideal environment for such focused workouts. They eliminate balance issues, allowing individuals to concentrate fully on engaging the obliques and stabilizing the torso. With the body supported, it’s easier to slow down, control each movement, and maintain muscle tension for longer periods.
This prolonged tension is crucial. Rapid repetitions won’t effectively tighten the waistline, but slow and deliberate movements will. By regularly activating the obliques and nearby core muscles, the midsection starts to feel firmer and more stable.
That time under tension makes all the difference. Fast reps won’t tighten the waist, but controlled, deliberate movement will. When you consistently activate the obliques and surrounding core muscles, the midsection begins to feel tighter and more stable.
The following chair exercises target the sides of the core while reinforcing posture and control. Sit tall, move slowly, and focus on squeezing through the waist during every repetition. That’s what drives results.
Seated Cross-Body Crunch
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This remains one of the most effective chair exercises for targeting the obliques directly. I use it constantly because it forces the abdominal muscles to contract across the body, which is exactly how the obliques function. Many people rush this movement, but slowing it down turns it into a powerful tool for tightening the waist.
Bringing the elbow toward the opposite knee creates a deep contraction through the side of the core. Holding that position briefly increases the intensity and keeps the muscles fully engaged. Over time, this consistent activation helps pull the waist inward and improve overall definition.
How to Do It
Sit tall with hands behind your head
Lift one knee across your body
Bring opposite elbow toward the knee
Pause briefly at the top
Lower slowly and alternate sides.
Seated Side Bends
Seated side bends isolate the obliques while improving control through the waist. I include this exercise often because it allows you to focus entirely on one side at a time, which helps build balanced strength across the midsection.
Sliding your hand down toward your knee creates a controlled stretch and contraction through the side of the core. The key involves returning slowly, which forces the obliques to engage rather than relying on momentum. This controlled effort builds strength and tightens the waistline over time.
How to Do It
Sit upright with feet flat
Place one hand on your side
Slide the other hand toward your knee
Return slowly to center
Alternate sides.
Seated Twist With Hold
This movement strengthens the obliques while improving rotational control. I rely on it because it trains the muscles that stabilize the spine during twisting movements, something that becomes increasingly important with age.
Rotating your torso and holding the position forces the core to stay engaged. That sustained tension builds endurance in the obliques and helps tighten the sides of the waist. Many clients feel this one working immediately when performed slowly and with control.
How to Do It
Sit tall with hands near your chest
Rotate your torso to one side
Hold for 2–3 seconds
Return slowly
Alternate sides.
Seated Knee Tucks With Twist
This final movement combines lower-abdominal activation with oblique engagement, making it highly effective for tightening the entire midsection. I often finish routines with this because it ties everything together while keeping the core under constant tension.
Pulling the knees in while slightly rotating the torso forces multiple areas of the core to work at once. The combination of movement and control increases intensity without adding strain. Over time, this helps flatten the waistline and improve overall core strength.
Megan Rapinoe, a retired star from Team USA’s soccer lineup, is voicing strong criticism against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following its decision to prohibit individuals identifying as women from participating in women’s Olympic events.
Rapinoe is particularly dismissive of the IOC’s assertion that it relied on scientific research indicating significant physical differences between male and female bodies, which it cited as the basis for ensuring fairness in women’s sports.
She argues that there is no scientific consensus supporting such claims and maintains that individuals who have transitioned from male to female share the same physical characteristics as their female counterparts.
In a decision announced last month, the IOC declared that participation in female category events at the Olympic Games, or any other IOC-sanctioned event, is now restricted to biological females. This determination is based on a one-time screening of the SRY gene, according to a report by Fox News.
The IOC emphasized that its policy is grounded in “evidence-based” research and has been evaluated by “experts” in the field.
But radical, LGBTQ+ activist Rapinoe objects.
“Unfortunately, we have to say that all in the same breath as a really horrible rule came out from the International Olympic Committee,” Rapinoe exclaimed. “They announced a new policy that they’re calling, I can’t even believe that they’re calling it this because it has nothing to do with protecting women, I feel like two people, who played at the very highest level for every competition that you possibly could, don’t agree with this and never felt like this was an issue at all, ‘The Protection of the Female [Women’s] Category.’”
She disputed the IOC’s evidence and also accused the sports authority of initiating “invasive testing” for transgender individuals and women alike.
“We already know that biology, as much as we want it to be just nice and clean and tight and perfectly in one category and another, it’s not,” the extremist insisted without much evidence. “We know that. So, now what we’re doing is subjecting everybody, all women and all people who are identifying as women to this really invasive testing that only to me says like, ‘Oh we’re just trying to whittle it down to a certain type of woman.’ Is that what we’re doing? That’s really the whole game here.”
She went on to insist that the policy is just based on “hate” for transgender people.
“They sort of lost the battle on gay marriage and lost the battle on all these things, so it’s just like, ‘We’re gonna have this whole campaign for all these years to just hate trans people,’ which is such a small percentage of the population. It’s actually on a single hand when we’re talking about sports. And just like thread the absolute tightest needle thread that you possibly could,” she continued.
Rapinoe then insisted there is no science behind the IOC’s decision.
“This committee is framing it as based in science, which it’s not,” she bloviated. “This will ultimately just prevent people from competing within the women’s category that they feel like they have an unfair advantage. It’s just really hateful. There’s been so few athletes that are trans or competing as trans and it’s so blatant on its face. It’s a total acquiescence to the Trump administration and to really right-wing conservative politics that really is just bringing down so much hate against such a small percentage of people who are just trying to live their life. It’s just horrible, and I’m just sickened by it, really.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: Facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston, or at X/Twitter @WTHuston
An Australian perpetrator of a heinous act of terrorism, responsible for the deaths of 51 individuals at a New Zealand mosque, has appeared in court with a startling new appearance as he attempts to challenge his sentence.
Brenton Tarrant, now aged 35, executed a brutal attack on two Christchurch mosques in March 2019. The massacre, which claimed the lives of men, women, and children and left many more wounded, ranks among the deadliest mass shootings globally.
In March 2020, Tarrant admitted guilt to multiple charges and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Despite this, he is now contesting his conviction, asserting that his guilty plea was coerced through ‘duress and torture.’
Appearing before New Zealand’s Court of Appeal on Monday via video link from prison, Tarrant exhibited a markedly altered look compared to his last public appearance during the 2020 sentencing.
He could be seen wearing a white collared shirt, black dark-rimmed glasses and a shaved head.
Tarrant, who is seeking to have his pleas vacated and his sentence reduced, is set to give evidence over the next five days as to why he was incapable of making rational decisions at the time he pleaded guilty.
He will also need to explain why he delayed his appeal application, which must be made within 20 working days in New Zealand – not the two years he waited to file the documents.
Brenton Tarrant had a chilling new look when he fronted a New Zealand court on Monday
Tarrant was sentenced to life behind bars after pleading guilty to the horrific attack
The massacre at Al Noor mosque (pictured) and the Linwood Islamic Centre was live streamed
As stated in his original appeal application from 2022, Tarrant alleges he only entered a guilty plea after he was ‘held under illegal and torturous prison conditions, necessary legal documents withheld from myself, fallout with previous lawyers, irrationality brought on through prison conditions’.
‘It was a decision induced by the conditions, rather than a decision I rationally made,’ he said.
‘The prison conditions were making me irrational and I was like, “Okay, it’s nothing to do with changing beliefs, it’s the prison conditions that are doing this”.’
Tarrant claimed prison guards had played ‘mental games’ with him.
‘They kept saying they couldn’t hear me,’ he said. ‘They would say, “We don’t know what you’re saying, we can’t understand”.’
‘I would yell and they would say, “No we still don’t get it”.’
Tarrant told the court his lawyers had shown concern for his mental wellbeing and told him that he had ‘changed’ and not ‘speaking the way you normally do’.
‘They were quite concerned because I was different, and different in look,’ he said.
He spoke on video from a room inside a maximum security unit at Auckland Prison
New Zealand’s then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern refused to refer to the terrorist by his name
The victims of the Christchurch attack: (top row, from left) Mohamed Moosid Mohamedhosen, Lilik Abdul Hamid, Ansi Alibava, Maheboob Khokar, Syed Jahandad Ali, Hamza Mustafa, Osama Adnan, Areeb Ahmed; (second row, from left) Haroon Mahmood, Mohammad Atta Elayyan, Khaled Mustafa, Sayyad Milne, Haji Daoud Nabi, Farhaj Ahsan, Linda Armstrong, Ashraf Ali; (third row, from left) Abdulfatteh Qasem, Mucad Ibrahim, Mohammed Omar Faruk, Husne Ara Parvin, Ozair Kadir, Naeem Rashid and his son Talha Naeem, Tariq Omar, Musa Nur Awale; (fourth row, from left) Kamel Darwish, Arifbhai Vora, Sohail Shadid, Abdus Samad, Hussein al-Umari, Zeeshan Raza, Ali Elmadani, Zakaria Bhuiya; (fifth row, from left) Amjad Hamid, Mojammel Hoq, Ramiz Vora, Musa Vali Suleman Patel, Mounir Suleiman, Junaid Ismail, Ghulam Hussain, Karam Bibi, (bottom row, from left) Matiullah Safi, Muhammad Haziq Mohd-Tarmizi, Hussein Moustafa, Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohsen Mohammed Al Harbi, Ahmed Abdel Ghani, Zekeriya Tuyan and Abdukadir Elmi. Not pictured: Ashraf Morsi, Ashraf al-Masri
The hearing is subject to strict suppression orders, with the names of the lawyers representing Tarrant fully suppressed over concerns for their safety.
Victims and family members will be able to watch the hearing via a delayed broadcast.
Aya al-Umari, who lost her older brother Hussein in the attack on Al Noor mosque, is among those planning to watch the hearing.
‘It will be just an image that I am looking at, because he means absolutely nothing to me at this stage,’ she told the BBC.
‘I suspect one of his main motivations to do this is to open up traumas again and I won’t let him succeed in doing that – he just wants his limelight and to be relevant again.’
If the three appeal court judges decide Tarrant can withdraw his guilty plea, the case could potentially go to trial on all charges.
If his appeal bid fails, there could be another hearing later this year to consider his sentence.
New data reveals children who spend long hours in childcare have a higher risk of emotional development issues and learning problems.
Balancing work commitments and parenting responsibilities can be a formidable challenge for many parents. Recent studies, however, suggest that children who spend 40 hours a week in childcare face a heightened risk of encountering social and emotional difficulties.
The major Government study tracked 274,000 kids in Australia from birth to their first year at school.
New data reveals children who spend long hours in childcare have a higher risk of emotional development issues and learning problems. (iStock)
The research highlights that children exposed to over 30 hours weekly in childcare centers deemed “low quality” are more susceptible to challenges across at least one of five developmental areas.
The most significant effects were observed in social competence and emotional maturity, particularly when compared to their peers who did not engage in formal childcare settings.
Experts attribute this disparity partly to the frequent turnover of childcare staff. A child’s brain development flourishes through stable, secure attachments with consistent adult figures.
Conversely, specialists caution that keeping children solely at home is not invariably advantageous.
Childcare sometimes proves to be a better alternative for children who are experiencing disadvantage, who come from a single-parent household or those with a language background other than English.
The Albanese government expanded childcare support at the start of year with eligible families guaranteed three days of subsidised childcare per week.
While the help is welcomed by families, parent advocacy groups say there needs to be a stronger focus on boosting quality in the childcare sector, because reducing the hours of childcare is not an option for many working parents.
Renowned golf coach Butch Harmon has thrown his support behind Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Justin Rose as ideal contenders at Augusta National this week. However, he firmly believes that Donald Trump will never join their ranks. Harmon predicts that the former U.S. president is unlikely to ever secure membership at the prestigious club.
Speculation has long surrounded Trump’s desire to become part of the green jacket fraternity, fueled by his well-documented passion for golf.
In a candid interview with British journalists, Harmon, who has been acquainted with Trump for several decades, emphatically dismissed the idea of Trump’s membership.
When questioned about why Trump hasn’t gained access to the exclusive club, Harmon, 82, responded, “I think you can answer that yourself—because he’s Trump.”
Harmon continued, “I think he is who he is. He’s full of himself. He’s the type of person that I don’t think fits the profile of an Augusta member. I’ve known him most of my life, thanks to his father being a member at Winged Foot, where my father was the head professional. So, I’ve been familiar with Donald for much of my life.”
‘What you see is what you get with him. And I don’t think his personality fits the membership at Augusta.
Donald Trump is a golf obsessive, who has long been keen on a membership at Augusta
Many believe he will never be granted a place alongside the green jacketed elite in Georgia
‘I don’t think that (being president) has anything to do with it, because there’s been a lot of other presidents who played golf, and they’re not members. Clinton, Obama, they played golf. I think it’s just his personality doesn’t mix with that particular club. That’s as politically correct as I can be.’
It remains to be seen if Trump will make a surprise visit to this year’s tournament, having caused organizational bedlam with his trip to the Ryder Cup last autumn. Doubtless his presence only fueled the patriotic frenzy that spilled over into disgraceful crowd scenes across the weekend at Bethpage Black.
Since that episode, Harmon’s fellow Sky Sports pundit Ewen Murray cited that the behavior of fans in New York has hastened his decision to retire.
Harmon, who will be commentating for the broadcaster at the Masters, has now revealed that apprehension about what was to come prompted his own decision to swerve the 2025 Ryder Cup.
He said: ‘I thought the Ryder Cup was disgusting. It was embarrassing being an American. I love the Ryder Cup, it’s my favorite one to broadcast and being from New York, I had planned to work with the Sky team, but I decided to pull out for that main reason.
Butch Harmon, who has known Trump for many years, says that he ‘doesn’t fit the profile’
Trump appeared at the Ryder Cup in New York, before the atmosphere turned very ugly
‘I felt we would spend more time talking about what’s going on with the fans being unruly than we would the golf and I just didn’t feel I wanted to be part of it. Because as an American, I know those of you who have listened to me on TV, I’m very honest when I say stuff, and I was just afraid I would get a little carried away in a negative portion, so I didn’t think I would add a lot to commentary.
‘I’m disgusted with the way it was. But this is the beauty of Augusta. These are the best-behaved patrons in all of golf. I hated the way things were going at the Ryder Cup. I thought it was a terrible embarrassment for the for the United States, and let’s hope it never happens again.’
Meanwhile, Harmon has backed Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler to be favorites, despite neither man having won since Scheffler’s victory at the American Express in January. McIlroy tied for 46th at the Players Championship and withdrew the previous week with a back injury.
Harmon said: ‘They’re the number one and two players in the world, and Rory is the defending champion. The one I would also look at, who three times has been a runner up and this is his 21st Masters, is Justin Rose (who won the Farmers Insurance Open in February).
‘I think he’s playing the best he has in a long time. He just tore apart a very hard course, Torrey Pines, very easily and has gained some distance with his driver. He’s playing with a tremendous amount of confidence and as we know he has a good track record around here. So for me, I think if you’re looking for someone other than the two favorites, that’s who I would say.’
Trump plays a shot alongside his granddaughter Kai (left) in Doral, Florida
McIlroy’s challenge is arguably heightened by what is perceived as the curse of the defending champion – only Tiger Woods, Sir Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus have successful retained the title.
Harmon is convinced McIlroy can be the first since Woods in 2002. He said: ‘There’s more pressure on him with a chance to defend his title. But I think because he won last year and got that off his back, I don’t think he’s going to be as uptight as most people would think he was going to be. I think we’re going to see a more a more relaxed Rory there this year.
‘His game is starting to trend in a good direction. He reminds me of Tiger at that golf course. He has the ability, the way he drives the ball, to take over the golf course.
‘I think we’re going to see a Rory that doesn’t need to put the pressure on himself of trying to win this thing and get to the Grand Slam. So I think it’s going to be to his advantage, and I think he’ll be relaxed and be able to play the best of his ability.’
Watch more live Masters coverage than ever before, exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW from Thursday 9 April.
Back in 1984, 22-year-old Sandra Kaye Davis fell victim to a brutal assault and strangulation in Waycross. Now, after 41 years, a breakthrough has led to an arrest.
WAYCROSS, Ga. — Decades after the tragic murder of a young woman in Waycross, authorities have finally apprehended a suspect linked to the crime.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has revealed that Freddie Lee Granger Jr., a 68-year-old resident of Ware County, was taken into custody on Tuesday. He faces charges for the rape and murder of Sandra Kaye Davis, who was just 22 at the time of her death. Granger would have been in his mid-20s during the incident.
Davis’s lifeless body was found on September 1, 1984, by police officers beside a house on Kolluck Street in Waycross, according to the GBI. Persistent DNA testing over the years has now connected Granger to this long-standing case.
Currently held in the Ware County Jail, Granger faces multiple charges: one count of rape, one count of aggravated assault, one count of malice murder, and two counts of felony murder, all associated with Davis’s murder.
Granger Jr. is a registered sex offender in Georgia and has been in and out of prison since 1976 on various charges, including a 1992 rape conviction. He was most recently released from prison in April 2025 after serving a sentence for failing to register as a sex offender, according to Georgia records.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information on Davis’ death is asked to contact the GBI at 912-389-4103. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online.
There are numerous benchmarks for gauging a video game’s triumph: sales figures, critical acclaim, and prestigious awards. But how many can boast of literally ‘breaking’ the internet?
In September, digital platforms such as Steam, Nintendo’s eShop, the PlayStation Store, and the Microsoft Store reportedly faced outages due to overwhelming demand for one particular game — Hollow Knight: Silksong.
This adventure game immerses players in the role of an insect-like character navigating an expansive, interconnected realm filled with crumbling ruins, challenging platforming sections, and hostile adversaries.
So, what’s fueling all this excitement?
Silksong serves as the eagerly anticipated follow-up to Hollow Knight, a game first launched in 2017 by Team Cherry, an independent, three-person studio located in Adelaide.
Hollow Knight: Silksong had sold more than seven million copies worldwide by the end of 2025. Source: Supplied
The original was a phenomenon, earning praise for its deep world-building, stunning hand-drawn backgrounds, atmospheric soundtrack and rewarding gameplay. It won several awards and spawned an obsessive fan base.
The road to its follow-up was long. After its developers announced in 2019 that work on Silksong had begun, updates became scant.
Its eventual release was announced with just two weeks’ notice last year, catching fans and competitors off guard. Several developers reportedly delayed their own releases to avoid being overshadowed.
Team Cherry explained the simple reason behind the wait last year.
Hollow Knight: Silksong has been praised for its distinctive art style. Source: Supplied
“We’ve been having fun,” co-founder Ari Gibson told Bloomberg.
“It was never stuck or anything. It was always progressing. It’s just the case that we’re a small team, and games take a lot of time.”
By the end of 2025, Silksong had sold more than seven million copies worldwide, won Best Action/Adventure Game at the prestigious Game Awards in the US — often dubbed the ‘Oscars of gaming’ — and received multiple additional nominations.
While Hollow Knight and Silksong are arguably Australia’s most successful gaming exports in recent years, they’re not the only ones. In the two decades since the country’s game industry faced near-collapse, several independent studios have found huge success.
Hollow Knight and its sequel have amassed a devoted fan base. Source: Getty / Aldara Zarraoa
So how did we get here — and how can it be sustained?
From bust to boom
In the early 2000s, Australian developers worked on several ‘AAA’ (big-budget) games — often developed by large teams and released by international companies. They were partly driven by overseas studios setting up Australian subsidiaries to help handle growing production demands.
In 2007, with the global financial crisis (GFC) looming, warning bells began to ring. Over the next few years, several international companies — including Pandemic Studios, THQ and Electronic Arts’ Visceral Games — shut down their Australian operations, citing economic pressures, high operating costs, and more attractive tax incentives overseas.
There were other issues. The Sydney-based Team Bondi developed the critically acclaimed LA Noire, released by Grand Theft Auto publisher Rockstar Games. But Team Bondi was embroiled in controversy, with allegations of poor working conditions.
Team Bondi entered administration and was later liquidated in 2011, owing more than $1.4 million to creditors, with unpaid wages and bonuses making up the bulk of the debt.
Brendan McNamara, the former studio head of Team Bondi, said in a 2012 interview his team often worked long hours under pressure but the studio paid “over the odds”.
By the mid-2010s, the landscape was severely diminished. In its place, smaller, scrappy teams started to emerge — many founded by developers who had cut their teeth in bigger companies.
Ed Orman, Andrew James and Ryan Lancaster are three such veterans. They held senior positions at 2K Australia (originally Irrational Australia, a subsidiary of American developer Irrational Games) and worked on major titles like BioShock and Fallout Tactics before striking out on their own in 2011.
They were encouraged by a burgeoning mobile games industry — an arena in which Australian developers found major success, with titles like Halfbrick Studios’ Fruit Ninja or Hipster Whale’s Crossy Road.
The trio’s studio, Uppercut, released its first game in 2011, the post-apocalyptic mobile shooter Epoch. They’ve been “leapfrogging” since.
“The first project we did was three of us. The next project was six, and then eight, and then 16. We’ve just grown and grown and grown,” Orman says.
The studio is best known for 2015’s Submerged and its 2020 sequel, Submerged: Hidden Depths; games that focus on exploration of the player’s environment rather than combat.
Uppercut Games are best known for the 2015 exploration game Submerged and its 2020 sequel. Source: Supplied
Orman says that while managing a company can be stressful, it is also “certainly very liberating to be able to go and just do your own thing”.
“The AAA background, having those big studios, was, I think, always a real benefit to Australia. It’s a great place for people to go into the industry and learn an awful lot about how to make games. We certainly took a lot of it away when we started out,” he says.
The latest industry snapshot from the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA), Australia’s peak association for the video games industry, released in March, found Australian video game studios generated more than $608 million in revenue in the 2025 financial year.
Chief executive of IGEA Ron Curry says it shows “we’ve always punched above our weight”.
Particularly if you go pre-GFC, we knew there were a lot of studios in Australia. They were global studios, international studios, but they were staffed by Australians who did fantastic work.
When the lights went out, Curry says developers were forced to experiment, and in doing so, found creative freedom.
“If we go back to around the GFC, there was a lot of the same in the industry. There was a lot of sameness globally. It really allowed the world to see Australians as being really creative and bringing their unique talent to the world.”
The power of being different
Many of Australia’s most successful recent games lean into that distinctiveness, often subverting traditional gameplay conventions.
Take 2019’s Untitled Goose Game, by Melbourne indie studio House House.
It takes the stealth elements from more violent games like Hitman or Metal Gear Solid, but situates them within a more novel premise: you are a goose in the village, and you are out to cause as much chaos as possible.
Untitled Goose Game, released by Melbourne studio House House, puts players in the role of a mischievous goose. Source: Supplied
Sometimes that means sneaking into a farmer’s garden and turning on the sprinklers. Sometimes it’s stealing food for a picnic, or trapping a child in a phone booth. Often, it involves honking.
The game sold one million copies within its first three months.
Six years on, House House is working on its next project, Big Walk, a multiplayer game in which a group of friends explore an open-world environment and cooperatively solve puzzles.
A goose causing havoc in Untitled Goose Game. Source: Supplied
Unpacking is another game that ditches typical conventions. The 2021 “zen puzzle” game, developed by Brisbane’s Witch Beam Studios, tells the story of an unseen protagonist through the act of’ unpacking her belongings into new homes over the course of a decade. There are no timers, no points to score and no fail states’. When you finish placing one box’s items, you move on to the next.
Lead designer Wren Brier drew inspiration from her own life, especially the experience of unpacking when her partner, Witch Beam co-director Tim Dawson, moved in.
“You take things out of a box, and then once the box is empty, you unlock the box underneath,” she says.
“We were tightly packing items into small spaces, arranging things neatly. Something about that felt very game-like.
Unpacking is a “zen puzzle” game released in 2021. Source: Supplied
“From the beginning, there was also this thought that you can tell a lot about someone from the items that they own.”
Brier had previously worked with Halfbrick Studios (makers of Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride) and as a freelancer when she and Dawson started developing Unpacking as a ‘side project.’
From those pixel-sized origins grew something neither expected. In 2018, the pair attended Stugan — a non-profit game accelerator program in Sweden.
“You go to Sweden in the summer to chill out in a cabin in the woods for two months and work on your dream game,” Brier says.
Back in Australia, Brier initially assumed the project might end there. But the internet had other plans — an animated GIF of a prototype developed in Sweden went viral on Twitter (now X). Screen Queensland agency encouraged the pair to apply for their grants program and publishers started reaching out.
A $50,000 grant enabled the hiring of a part-time pixel artist, while Witch Beam composer Jeff van Dyck joined to develop the game’s music and sound. It became the studio’s next project, helping to fund it with “modest” earnings from previous games.
Wren Brier (centre) says she was blown away by the success of Unpacking. Source: Supplied
They spent three years working on the game and trying to sustain the momentum they had built. It sold 100,000 copies within 10 days and one million by the end of its first year. It was widely acclaimed, named one of the best video games of 2021 by The New Yorker and won several awards both in Australia and overseas, including two BAFTAs.
“It was honestly unbelievable,” Brier says.
“We were really blown away.”
As with Hollow Knight, the vast majority of sales for games like Untitled Goose Game and Unpacking come from outside Australia. Their success underscores a key reality: the local industry is small, but its audience is global.
Curry says that is no coincidence.
There’s a real appetite for really good, different, unique, independent games globally.
Julian Wilton is very aware of that fact. He’s one of the directors of Melbourne-based studio Massive Monster, the team behind 2022’s Cult of the Lamb that blends dungeon-crawling action with cult management, pairing dark, demonic themes with a deceptively cute art style.
Australia’s indie game industry is small, but its audience is global. Source: Getty / Andreas Rentz
Published by Texas-based Devolver Digital — widely regarded as one of the leading publishers in the world for indie games — the title has sold seven million copies as of March 2026. PC Gamer magazine reported the game had brought in US$90 million ($130 million) in revenue by April last year.
It’s been supported with updates and downloadable content, including the expansion Woolhaven released in January. Over that period, Massive Monster has grown from a team of three to around 20 staff.
“We’ve spent the last three, four years just supporting the game,” Wilton says. “That’s been really nice because we can give back to people that love it so much.”
Wilton says he and his co-directors were “figuring it out as we went” while making Cult — the studio’s third title. It was “surreal” when it became clear how strongly players were responding to it.
Cult of the Lamb blends dungeon-crawling and cult management — with an aesthetic blending the demonic and adorable. Source: Supplied
“I think we had recouped [costs] by the time we had launched the game, just on pre-orders. So, a pretty ‘change-your-life’ moment. We were like, ‘What the hell?’”
Like Curry, Wilton says there’s something unique about Australia’s game scene — something he partially attributes to growing financial support at both state and federal levels.
“There’s a lot of support here for developers, which means that people take a lot more risks. I think people make something a bit crazier,” Wilton says.
As a result, Wilton says Australia’s industry is filled with games that have strong, distinct personalities.
“I think that’s probably our biggest strength, leaning on those IPs. How do we build those brands? If you think of other exports, like Bluey, I think the Australian game industry is going more and more towards that with all these breakthrough games.”
Massive Monster co-director Julian Wilton says Australian indie developers are emboldened to take more risks. Source: AAP / Diego Fedele
Curry says that for a long time, developers were pushing against the tide.
“For many years, we didn’t have any government support,” he says.
“You’d go to any other developed country globally, and there was support for games similar to the support that was available for film, and we never had it here.
Over the last few years, at least four or five years, that support has increased.
In 2023, the Digital Games Tax Offset (DGTO) was introduced, allowing eligible companies to claim 30 per cent of qualifying Australian development expenditure.
In Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia, eligible developers can receive rebates of around 10 to 15 per cent of their expenditure in that state, typically administered through that state’s screen agency.
Victoria is widely considered to offer the most generous incentives, reflected in the fact that it houses the majority of Australia’s studios and developers. Wilton himself moved from Sydney to Melbourne to take advantage of that support.
He says Cult of the Lamb received around $40,000 in funding — a fairly modest amount, “but at the time, we had nothing”.
Cult of the Lamb has sold seven million copies since its release in 2022. Source: Supplied
“We used it to polish up a really nice pitch package we could send to publishers, get a nice trailer and just pay our musician a little bit. So it went a really long way.”
Wilton says it’s encouraging to see other states starting to catch up in recent years, and, combined with federal support, that is making Australia a “very compelling” place to build games.
“We have people in the United Kingdom as well, but because of things like the digital games tax offset, we’re encouraged to put a lot more resources in Australia, specifically Melbourne, because of the local incentives here.”
The gaps that remain
Despite these strides, Orman acknowledges there’s likely some “survivorship bias” in the success stories that break through — for every hit, many projects fail to find an audience.
Several states and territories are still lagging in the level of support they offer. And even with recent reforms, funding for games in Australia remains significantly lower than for other screen industries such as film and television.
“They still don’t consider games as important as the other parts of the screen industry,” Curry says.
Curry also points to what he calls the “‘missing middle”‘ — companies that have experienced initial success and are trying to scale up.
While Wilton supports the DGTO, he notes that the minimum expenditure threshold of $500,000 can be prohibitive. Massive Monster’s first two games were made with a “couple hundred thousand [dollars]” each.
“So it’s more set up for bigger companies. We can take advantage of it, but even us, sometimes … we’ve got to spend a bit more money to make sure we’re hitting thresholds on certain things,” he says.
“I think the state-level incentives are kind of similar. I think they want the big AAA companies to come set something up down here. [That] is probably how it’s positioned.”
Julian Wilton says a lack of a broader development ecosystem in Australia is one challenge. Source: AAP / Diego Fedele
In Uppercut’s case, the studio has grown beyond its indie beginnings — mostly through international deals. It received minority investment from Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent in 2021, allowing it to expand its team, and signed a publishing deal with French publishers Focus in 2024.
“So that’s the big change for us. We’re just over 51 people now, if you include contractors, so that’s the scale we’re at. We’re making the biggest project we’ve ever made, the most ambitious thing we’ve ever done,” Orman says.
Wilton says another challenge is the lack of a broader development ecosystem — something he’s actively trying to address in Melbourne.
Last year, Massive Monster announced a co-working space called MASS — designed as a hub for developers to collaborate, work and connect. Supported by VicScreen and Creative Victoria, Wilton says the space will provide developers both resources and community.
“The vision is basically getting all of the best Melbourne game developers in the same room,” he says.
The initiative also includes Monster Fund, an investment fund for Melbourne-based developers that Wilton says will offer funding and mentoring, alongside access to the co-working space, effectively creating an “incubation model”.
Meanwhile, in South Australia, the success of homegrown heroes Team Cherry and Silksong is being recognised. In October, the state government announced grants of up to $100,000 to support the creation of new local video games.
While Australia’s developers are yet to reach the global cultural footprint of something like children’s TV show Bluey, the momentum is clearly building. There is a growing recognition of games as a significant creative and economic export.
And if recent years are any indication, it may not be the last time an Australian game breaks the internet.
