World News

The fall-out has been swift as the Olympics spy-gate" controversy deepened. Photo: AFP It is the drone heard around the world. New Zealand has found itself at the centre of one of the major international storylines of the Paris Olympic Games days out from the opening, as the "spy-gate" controversy deepened. The scandal kicked off when it was revealed that a rogue support staffer with Canada's women's football team had flown a drone over the Football Ferns training as part of a scouting mission. Following internal investigations, the Canadian Olympic Committee confirmed the staffer had also filmed a second, earlier Ferns training session. The fall-out has been swift. Canada head coach Bev Priestman has stood herself down from overseeing Friday's opening match against New Zealand, while J...

Canada's head coach, and the former head of Football New Zealand, Bev Priestman. Photo: AFP The Canadian women's football team head coach - and former head of NZ Football - will stand down for the match against the Football Ferns. It came as a second drone incident was revealed by the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC). NZOC said Team Canada confirmed a second incident took place on 19 July, three days before the latest drone was caught by the Football Ferns. Both incidents occurred in St Etienne where the two teams were due to play. Canada's assistant coach and an analyst have been kicked out of the Olympic squad after New Zealand said its team had their training session disrupted by a drone flown by a staff member of their Group A opponents. Head coach Bev Priestman also removed her...

Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing near Port Macquarie in New South Wales when a 3m great white shark bit him. Photo: GoFundMe/supplied By Hannah Ritchie, BBC News, Sydney The severed leg of a surfer who was attacked by a shark has washed up on an Australian beach, with doctors now racing to see if it can be reattached. Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing near Port Macquarie in New South Wales on Tuesday, when a 3m great white shark bit him. He managed to catch a wave into shore, where an off-duty police officer used a makeshift tourniquet to stem his bleeding, according to authorities. His leg washed up a short time later and was put on ice by locals before being taken to hospital, where a medical team is now assessing surgery options. McKenzie - who is a sponsored surfer - remains in a serious b...

By Katie Falkingham for BBC Charlotte Dujardin. Photo: photosport With the Paris 2024 Olympics just days away, the equestrian world has been rocked by the news of Charlotte Dujardin's withdrawal, and subsequent provisional suspension, after footage emerged of her "excessively" whipping a horse. The video, since obtained by the BBC, shows Dujardin repeatedly striking the horse with a long whip around its legs. Here, BBC Sport recaps what happened, the reaction, and looks at what happens next. Who is Charlotte Dujardin? Dujardin, 39, made her name at the London 2012 Olympics, when she won individual and team dressage gold on Valegro. Four years later, they won individual gold and team silver, before Dujardin sealed double bronze on Gio at the Tokyo Games in 2021. Dujardin is also a two...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the chamber of the House of Representatives at the US Capitol. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images/AFP By Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick, Reuters Dozens of Democratic lawmakers skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress Thursday morning, expressing dismay over the thousands of civilian deaths and the humanitarian crisis from Israel's campaign in Gaza. Thousands of demonstrators took to streets near the Capitol to protest Netanyahu's appearance amid the tightest security since the 6 January, 2021, attack. The Capitol building was surrounded by high fencing, with a heavy police presence. Given a standing ovation on his arrival, the longtime Israeli leader delivered his spee...

Bougainvillean residents say Rio Tinto is responsible for the large scale environmental and social harm. Photo: 123rf There are now 4500 Bougainvillean residents backing a legal suit against mining giant Rio Tinto. This is an additional 1500 people from the autonomous Papua New Guinea region joining the action since it was filed in May this year. Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama said the lawsuit was disappointing and was pursued by those people acting against Bougainville's interests. The government was not backing it in any way, shape or form, he said. The claimants are seeking billions of dollars in compensation from Rio Tinto which operated the Panguna copper and gold mine in the 1970s and 1980s, before it was forced to shut by civil war. The mine was at the heart of that war w...

Samoan Police have paid tribute to Detective Sargent Perite for his"unwavering dedication to upholding the law and protecting the vulnerable". Photo: Facebook / Samoa Police, Prisons & Corrections Services An alleged double murderer hiding in dense bush was caught and arrested on Tuesday following a large manhunt in Samoa. The 58-year-old farmer is accused of shooting and killing of two men, including a lead homicide detective. Samoan police confirmed he was captured in Fasito'o, on the northwest coast of Upolu. A 20-strong team of detectives and tactical unit police carried out the search for the accused gunman. Detective Sergeant Peniamina Perite was investigating an horrific family dispute and was trying to arrest the suspect when he was shot with a .22 rifle, police said. Depu...

Kat Torres, a Brazillian model and social media influencer, was convicted of human trafficking. Photo: Instagram Katiuscia "Kat" Torres's first steps to stardom and then infamy were ho-hum - just another Brazilian model moving to America in search of a brighter spotlight. She aimed to act in Hollywood, but quickly found notoriety as a social media influencer in New York. Her impeccably staged images of a wealthy, successful life beamed through Instagram to more than a million followers. But far from appearing as a shallow persona fixed on the physical world, Torres positioned herself as a spiritual guide, hypnotist, self-help author and life coach who regularly consumed ayahuasca, a psychedelic with a reputation for triggering inner healing but also violence and abuse. Torres "started g...

By Jessica Riga, ABC News Vice President Kamala Harris. Photo: AFP / Jeff Kowalsky You've likely seen the news that Joe Biden has pulled out of his re-election bid for the White House and has instead thrown his support behind Kamala Harris to be the next US president. You might have also seen a bunch of memes about coconut trees, phrases like "unburdened" and "the context in which you live", and clips from a comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. And while it can be hard to keep up with US politics, keeping up with internet jokes can be harder. So get comfy, find some shade under a coconut tree, and let us explain what it all means. The coconut tree meme This is the meme of the moment, and the one that is gaining the most traction with actual, real-life Democratic senators. It s...

By Annabelle Liang Rescuers work at the site after a Saurya Airlines' plane crashed during takeoff at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on 24 July, 2024. Photo: AFP At least 18 people were killed after a plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off from Nepal's capital of Kathmandu on Wednesday. The pilot, who is currently receiving treatment in hospital, is the only survivor of the fatal accident. Some 19 people were on the Saurya Airlines test flight, including technical staff members of the airline and two crew members. The plane was headed to Pokhara, a popular tourism destination. Videos posted online showed the plane being enveloped in fire and smoke. Fire engines and ambulances were rushed to the spot after the incident. The incident happened at around 11.1...