Hey everyone, welcome back to Flashback Friday. There’s been a few interesting things that have occurred this week. So let’s get straight into it.

First, we’ll start with some World Cup news. The World Cup continued this week with the Final Round of the Group Stage being played out, concluding early this morning, with a lot happening in just the one round. Reigning Champions Germany were eliminated from the tournament in the Group Stage for the first time in World Cup History, Australia were once again knocked out in The Group Stage after losing to Peru, and Group H was decided by the Fair Play rule of which team has less cards for the first time in World Cup History. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has also been causing more controversy, and Japan made a controversial move when they ran down the clock, changing their tactics to prevent themselves from conceding a second goal to Poland, after learning that Senegal had gone down 1-0 to Colombia. The head coach of the team spoke out himself, making this known. And it has really brought into question why the matches for each group are played at the same time if it’s not going to prevent this sort of play from occurring. It’s really poor. Senegal however should be congratulated and commended on their efforts at this year’s World Cup, and hopefully they will return in 2022 and go further. The Round of 16 begins tomorrow night (Saturday 30th June).

In world news now, and there has been yet another shooting in the US. This time, the shooting has occurred in Annapolis, Maryland, inside the newsroom at the Capital Gazette newspaper office. There have been 5 confirmed deaths so far as a result of the shooting. The shooter is in custody, and was reported to have shot through the glass door to enter the newsroom. The shooter also had a connection to the newspaper, having filed a defamation claim against it back in 2012, which was dismissed. The shooting is being classified as a targeted attack. This really is a terrible thing, and our thoughts and prayers are with all those who were in the newsroom and their families and friends, particularly the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy. This also just goes to show how guns need to be eradicated in the US, something I will be following up with a feature article coming soon.

Meanwhile, also in the US, Joe Jackson, father of the late king of pop Michael Jackson, passed away yesterday morning at the age of 89. The Jackson family patriarch was battling pancreatic cancer, and sadly lost his battle with the disease. Joe Jackson was the one responsible for launching the Jackson family musical dynasty, which saw the rise of the Jackson 5, Janet Jackson, La Toya Jackson and Rennie Jackson, and gave rise to the most famous Jackson of them all, the king of pop himself, Michael Jackson. His family paid tribute to him on social media following his death. He will be remembered for all the work he put into making the Jackson name famous. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

And in a bit of entertainment news now, and the Logies are fast approaching, with the awards ceremony taking place this Sunday at 7:30pm on the Gold Coast. Now usually the Logies are just another of those award ceremonies that no one really pays attention to. They happen, people might hear about them in the next few days afterwards, and they go away. But this year something has sort of changed the scenario. Comedian Tom Gleeson, known for his Hard Chat segment on The Weekly With Charlie Pickering, and his spinoff quiz show, Hard Quiz, sat down to Hard Chat much loved Family Feud host Grant Denyer this week on his segment on The Weekly. And after a few jabs, including pointing out the fact that it was ridiculous that Grant was up for the Gold Logie this year after his show had been axed from the third highest rating television network, Gleeson decided to turn the tables and told Grant that he would campaign for him to win the award because the Logies were a joke. Gleeson has said that he would drive his famed Big Brass Mug up the red carpet, campaigning for Denyer to win the Gold Logie. He has now started the Denyer4Gold campaign, which has been trending in Australia, and has since appeared on 2DayFM Breakfast Radio, ABC News Breakfast, and The Project to discuss the campaign, all the while wearing his Denyer4Gold tanker and giving his tv audiences flags with the campaign logo on them. Denyer is up against A Current Affair presenter Tracy Grimshaw, actress Jessica Marais, Selling Houses Australia presenter Andrew Winter, actor Rodger Corser, and The Living Room presenter Amanda Keller for the Gold Logie. It would be brilliant to see him win the award come Sunday night. Make sure to vote Denyer4Gold at the following link: https://www.nowtolove.com.au/logies-vote

And you can check out the Hard Chat segment here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uKqNrcBTsi8

And that’s it for this week. I’ll be back with more Flashback Friday next week, and be sure to look out for another edition of World Cup Wednesday and Mystery Monday out soon. Have a good one!

JJ

Hey everyone, so in a follow up to World Cup Wednesday on a Monday and before the start of the Final Round of the Group Stage tonight, I thought I’d give you all a rundown of the equations in terms of what each team needs to progress to the Round of 16. So let’s get right into it.

First, a reminder, 8 teams are out with zero chance of progressing. They are: Egypt and Saudi Arabia from Group A, Morocco from Group B, Peru from Group C, Costa Rica from Group E, Tunisia and Panama from Group G, and Poland from Group H.

Group A: This is very simple. Russia and Uruguay are already through, and will just play for the top spot of the Group.

Group B: Portugal, Spain and Iran all have a chance here. Portugal and Spain have 4 points each, Iran are on 3. Portugal plays Iran, whilst Spain plays Morocco. Spain will probably win against Morocco and progress, meaning it will most likely come down to Portugal v Iran. Two draws will put Spain and Portugal through. A win for Iran will put Spain and Iran through. Iran and Portugal will only go through together in the case of a draw between them and a loss for Spain.

Group C: France is safely through. Denmark is on 3 points while Australia is on 1. Australia will need to beat Peru and hope France beat Denmark to progress. If France win by more than 1, Australia only need to win by 1. If France win by only 1, and Australia only wins by 1, it will go to goal difference, which will be equal, in which case whoever has the most cards will be knocked out. If that’s equal, the names of both teams will go into a draw and whoever gets drawn out progresses. If France win by 1 and Aus win by more than 1, they will progress. If Denmark win or draw in their match with France, France and Denmark will progress.

Group D: Croatia are safely through. Nigeria are on 3pts, Argentina and Iceland both have 1 each. If Iceland win against Croatia, and Argentina beat Nigeria, Iceland could progress on goal difference or cards depending on the scores. If Iceland lose or draw and Argentina win, Argentina will progress. If Nigeria win, they will progress.

Group E: Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia are all in with a chance of progressing to the Round of 16. Brazil and Switzerland are on 4pts each, Serbia is on 3. The Swiss should win their match against Costa Rica, which means it will come down to Brazil v Serbia. A draw will see Brazil Progress. A win from Brazil will see them progress, while a win for Serbia will see them do so. If the Swiss and Brazil draw, the both progress. If the Swiss lose and the Serbs and Brazil draw, it will go to goal difference for the Swiss and Serbs, and potentially cards, depending on the score.

Group F: Anyone can still go through in this one. Mexico are fairly safe on 6pts, Germany and Sweden are on 3 each, and South Korea are on 0. If Mexico beat Sweden and Germany win, Mexico and Germany progress. A Mexico win and a Germany loss will see the Swedes and Germans and potentially the South Koreans go to goal difference and potentially cards, depending on the scores. A draw for Mexico and Sweden and a loss for Germany will see the former two go through. If Mexico win and the Germans draw, the Germans progress with Mexico. If South Korea beat the Germans and win by at least 2, they may be in with a shot depending on the other results. This will be very interesting.

Group G: The other simple one. Belgium and England are both safely through to the Round of 16, and will play against each other for the top spot in the Group.

Group H: Japan, Senegal and Colombia are all in with a chance at progressing to the Round of 16. Japan and Senegal are on 4pts each, Colombia are on 3. If Senegal can win or draw against Colombia, they will progress safely. If Colombia beat Senegal, and Poland beat Japan, Colombia will progress, and it will come down to goal difference and potentially cards to decide who progresses between Senegal and Japan, depending on the scores. If Senegal win or draw against Colombia while Japan win or draw against Poland, Senegal and Japan progress. If Senegal lose and Japan win or draw, Colombia and Japan will progress. If Japan lose and Senegal and Colombia draw, Senegal will progress, and the second team to progress will be decided by goal difference and potentially cards.

So there you go. Those are the equations. They are complex and there are so many possibilities for teams who will progress to the Round of 16. Remember, there are only two Groups (A and G) which are already decided. There are four Groups with 3 teams vying for the top two positions, and there are two with all four teams still in the running. It will be an interesting Final Round of the Group Stage, and you never really know what’s going to happen. Enjoy!

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome to the third edition of the much loved World Cup Wednesday. The thing you may be questioning right now at this very moment is: Why is World Cup Wednesday on a Monday? Great question. It’s just sounds weird doesn’t it? Well, here’s the reason: Why not? It’s always good to mix things up a little, you know? Just be a little spontaneous every now and then. Who knows what’s next? Flashback Friday could be on a Tuesday, or Mystery Monday could be on every fourth Saturday. Yeah, that should liven up the blog a bit. Nah look I’m just kidding around. The real reason is that the 2nd Round of the Group Stage has concluded, and the 3rd Round begins tonight, or tomorrow morning really. So, like last week, I’m going to go through and review the 2nd Round, and touch on what to expect from the Final Round of the Group Stage.

Russia v Egypt: Russia dominated the game after Egypt’s captain put the ball in his own net. The Russians scored another two, and whilst they conceded a penalty converted by Egypt’s star player Mohamed Salah, it had no impact on the match, with the host nation taking out the match 3-1, leaving Egypt to resign to the fact that after 28 years of attempting to get back into the World Cup, their dream was over. You’ve got to really feel sorry for Egypt, they did so much to keep themselves in the tournament. Russia now progress to the Round of 16, although there will be a fight for the top spot against Uruguay.

Portugal v Morocco: You’ve really got to feel sorry for Morocco too. They were solid against the Portuguese this week, and they really played well, making it surprising that they didn’t win the match. However, a few bad calls, and a header from Ronaldo in the first few minutes of the game unfortunately put Morocco in a position no team would want to be in. A 1-0 win put Portugal in a fairly good position on the Group B ladder, however they will have to ensure they beat Iran in their final game of the Group Stage in order to ensure they progress to the Round of 16. Morocco ,on the other hand, are out of the tournament.

Uruguay v Saudi Arabia: It was somewhat surprising that Uruguay didn’t score a lot against Saudi Arabia, considering the battering Russia gave them in their previous match. However, Saudi put up a fight, and kept Uruguay at bay most of the game, with striker Luis Suarez only scoring in the 23rd minute to win the match. This means that Uruguay are safely through, although they will play Russia to determine who gets the top spot of Group A, and Saudi Arabia are out of the tournament.

Iran v Spain: Iran have played quite well so far at this World Cup, and they kept that going against Spain, holding them off until the 54th, however, at least keeping them from scoring multiple goals. Iran are still very much in this tournament, and if they manage to beat or draw with Portugal this week, they may be able to progress to the Round of 16. Spain on the other hand only need a win or a draw this week against Morocco to progress.

Denmark v Australia: Now this was an interesting one. Australia knew they needed to get a result from this match, and Denmark were looking to guarantee themselves a spot in the Round of 16. And after a tense start for Australia, which saw them go down 1-0 within 7 minutes after Christian Eriksen scored off a volley, the Socceroos fought back to gain a penalty, again from a handball in the box, the second time they’ve done so in this World Cup. And after Jedinak converted once again, it was 1-1, and Australia began to fight harder. They dominated the second half, and were unlucky not to score, leaving the match as a draw. Australia now have a tough scenario to face, and will most certainly fight hard to win against Peru, hoping meanwhile that Denmark get beaten by France. This will be interesting.

France v Peru: Peru managed to play quite well against the French, continuing to favour a possessive style of football, not giving the ball up too easily. However, after making numerous attempts on goal, France managed to finally put one on the back of the net, with a strike from teenager Kylian Mbappe winning France the match 1-0. Peru is now out of the tournament, however have one left to play against Australia, and they will probably be looking to win for honour. France are safely through to the Round of 16, however, a win against Denmark would help them secure the top spot and potentially put Denmark out of the tournament.

Argentina v Croatia: Argentina were very much off their game in this match. Star player Lionel Messi was making barely any impact on the match, and after a costly mistake from goalkeeper Willy Caballero, Argentina’s game just got a whole lot worse. Croatia furthered their lead in the second half, with a brilliant wonder goal from Luka Modric, and an added time goal from Ivan Rakitic, easily beating out the Argentines 3-0. Croatia are now safely through to the Round of 16, whilst Argentina are facing a tough challenge to progress this week.

Brazil v Costa Rica: The Costa Ricans played a much better match this time, holding Brazil off for the entirety of regular time, and putting in a good effort themselves to score. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas was brilliant between the posts, and played a great match, however it wasn’t enough to stop the Brazilians scoring two goals in the 91st and 97th, putting Costa Rica our of the Cup, and Brazil in a position where they need to beat Serbia this week to guarantee themselves a spot in the Round of 16.

Nigeria v Iceland: Nigeria played the match of their lives this Round. Striker Ahmed Musa was just too good for the Icelandic keeper, managing to net two goals in the second half to put Nigeria in a good position, but they aren’t safe just quite yet. Iceland, despite missing a penalty and losing 2-0, are not out of the tournament either, making this Group probably the most interesting one to watch.

Serbia v Switzerland: The Serbs started the match well, putting themselves in the lead early in the 5th minute. However, the Swiss made sure that they didn’t let the match slip from their grasp, with a goal from Granit Xhaka in the 52nd, and a last minute goal from Xherdan Shaqiri right on the 90th, putting Switzerland in a decent position on their Group ladder, however they need to get the win against Costa Rica to ensure they progress. Serbia are not yet out of the tournament either despite the loss.

Belgium v Tunisia: Belgium are really shining this year. This game was probably the best match of the Round. Belgium converted an early penalty, then put in a second goal in the 15th. But Tunisia struck back and put one in the back of Belgium’s net just two minutes later. Belgium put the score up to 3-1 just in half time, before adding two more to that in the second half, with a late goal from the Tunisians making it 5-2. Belgium now progress, while Tunisia are out of the tournament.

South Korea v Mexico: The Mexicans continued their winning ways this Round, after a penalty and a goal from Javier Hernandez was enough for them to win the game despite a late goal from Heung Min Son. Mexico are in prime position tor progress, however they are not completely safe just yet. The South Koreans are also not necessarily out, however it will take a minor miracle for them to progress from here.

Germany v Sweden: Sweden put the Germans on edge after scoring the opening goal of the match late in the first half. But the Germans fired back in the second, with an early goal in the second half bringing the scores level, before a last minute goal from a free kick saw the Germans take all three points. Germany now must win their final Group Stage match to progress, whilst Sweden must do the same.

England v Panama: There’s really not much to say about this one. England dominated the game from start to finish, and the Panamanians were lucky not to get a few red cards with the types of fouls they were conceding, and after two penalties. Credit to them for scoring a goal, however England were the better team. The 6-1 win now sees England progress, with a match against Belgium deciding who takes top of the Group, whilst Panama are out of the tournament.

Japan v Senegal: This was a tight match. Senegal provided the opening goal once again, with the Japanese levelling the scores late in the first half. The next goal didn’t come until the second half, with Senegal putting another one in in the 71st, only to see Keisuke Honda level it up again seven minutes later in the 78th. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, meaning that neither team is safe just yet, and both have to get results in the Final Round.

Poland v Colombia: Colombia played a great match, dominating the Polish, and putting three in the back of the net to win the game outright 3-0. This means that Poland are out of the tournament, although they could still have an impact on who progresses when they play Japan in the Final Round of the Group Stage, whilst Colombia will have to get a result from their final match of the Group Stage.

Highlight Of The Round: There were three games which really stood out this Round. Croatia’s win against Argentina was amazing to watch, and Luka Modric’s goal was a wonder to behold. Belgium v Tunisia was probably the most entertaining match of the Round, with a 7 goal thriller keeping the crowd in awe, and some amazing goals were scored. And England’s brilliant defeat of Panama, with 5 goals in 24 minutes in the first half, making the game so lively and so great to watch. I’ll add as well that Australia put in a really great effort this Round, and they should be commended for putting up such a great fight against Denmark, dominating the second half of the match, and hopefully they’ll be able to go one step further in their match against Peru.

Biggest Upsets: There was only really one major upset this week, that being Croatia’s big win against Argentina. Although both teams are highly skilled and play well, Croatia dominated the match and managed to put three past Argentina to win the match completely outright. It was a brilliant match for Croatia, and left Argentina questioning what went wrong.

Who’s Out?: After two Rounds of the Group Stage, 8 teams have been eliminated, although they will still have to play their final Group Stage matches, some of which could have an impact on who progresses to the Round of 16. The 8 teams who have absolutely no chance of progressing to the next round, and who will be heading home after this week are: Egypt (Group A), Saudi Arabia (Group A), Morocco (Group B), Peru (Group C), Costa Rica (Group E), Tunisia (Group G), Panama (Group G), and Poland (Group H). South Korea appear to be out of the tournament, however there is still a very very slight chance that they will progress.

On Argentina: Argentina have made an attempted coup on their head coach Jorge Sampaoli after their loss this week, and the coach, whilst being allowed to stay on for the rest of the World Cup, will be sacked after Argentina’s World Cup concludes.

Controversy: Three Swiss players are being investigated by FIFA after their goal celebrations against Serbia this Round. Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri and Stephan Lichtsteiner are all under investigation for their celebration which involved linking their open hands together by the thumbs to make them look like a two headed eagle, a sign of rebellion and defiance against Serbia due to the players’ roots with the Republic of Kosovo. The World Cup is not supposed to be used as a stage for political reasons, and an investigation is under way.

Groups To Watch: There are two Groups in particular to keep your eye on this week, Group D and Group G. Both have all four of their teams still in with a chance at progressing to the Round of 16, so will be interesting to watch.

What To Expect From The Final Round: The Final Round of the Group Stage will be an interesting one. Some matches will be for pride, some will be for the top of the Group table, and others will be to secure a spot in the Round of 16. Groups B, C, E, F and H all have three teams vying for a top two finish, and Groups D and G have four. You can expect a lot of good matches this week, and many close ones. With so many teams going into the Final Round of the Group Stage fighting for a spot in the Round of 16, they will be fighting hard to ensure they aren’t eliminated from the tournament. And with all the games for each Group being played at the same time in order to prevent any teams from knowing what they have to do to progress, each team must fight like their lives depend on it to make it through. This should be a good one.

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome to the first bi-weekly Short Story Sunday. This’ll be exciting, because it’s the day when I get to share a story that I write, and you get to see a bit more of the creative side of myself and the blog, taking a break from the more journalistic and analytical side. So I give to you the first Short Story Sunday. Enjoy!

Bryan

It was a fairly warm day in the forest. The trees rustled in the slight wind that was creating a nice soft breeze for all the inhabitants of this dense space of living. This was one of those somewhat rare days in which the sun would come up and spread some warmth through the tall thick of the trees, warming up those who lived in this vast habitat. And one of those individuals was Bryan.

Bryan had lived in the forest for pretty much his entire life so far. His parents had raised him here, he had learnt how to hunt, how to fish, how to swim, how to behave, all the things that came with growing up. Despite the forest being somewhat dreary and a bit of a dull place to live, he didn’t mind it, because it was home, and that’s what really mattered after all.

The only thing that wasn’t the greatest about living in the forest was the somewhat intense fluctuations in the weather. Sometimes it was nice and warm, but at others, in particular in the winter, it was just really cold. In fact, some days it was beyond freezing. It was tough when it was cold, because it was quite difficult to maintain any warmth, most of which was dispelled by the biting winds, and the frosty chill of the night. That was the other thing. It was at night when the forest was at its worst. It was comparable to living in ice, and you’d do anything you could to conserve any shred of heat that was left, to let that heat, that feeling of warmth, spread over yourself so that you could protect yourself from the bone-chilling cold that spread out, possessing the pitch black that surrounded the dense woodlands in their deepest, darkest hours. But realistically, Bryan had no issue with it.

Bryan enjoyed his life. He loved going swimming, particularly on the more heat intensive days of the year, although he wouldn’t stray from a good swim even on some of the more frigid days in the forest. He loved fishing in the rivers that ran through the woods, and the Great Lake that covered a large portion of the centre of the dense thickets. Bryan was particularly jovial when he caught a fish or maybe even a few. He would be particularly pleased with his catches, even the smallest ones, consuming anything he caught.

Hunting was, however, what Bryan enjoyed most about his life. He loved hunting. There was something about the thrill of searching and chasing that made life so much more enjoyable. Wandering through his own homeland, his own neck of the woods per say, scavenging for something to kill and eat. It could be a deer, or a moose. Sometimes he would be quiet and sneak up on his prey, others he would go all guns blazing chasing after it to kill it. Although stealth was often favoured over brazen charging. But his parents, particularly his father, had taught him well, and he had killed many a deer in his time. He really did enjoy venison. It was one of the finest meats in his opinion. It was always a special treat for Bryan when he managed to successfully hunt and kill a deer, and he really did enjoy the meal he had shortly afterwards. But on from that.

This particular day, Bryan had been walking through the woods, his homeland, when he picked up a strange sound in the distance. He was currently on a hunt, and thought it may be a stray deer wandering through the forest. It would make his day if he could track it and successfully locate and kill it. He decided to be stealthy, and tread carefully through the thickets so as to not scare off this potential catch. He needed to be cautious that the deer, if it even was a deer, did not hear him coming and run away before he reached it. It would be a terrible shame if he was to lose out to a special meal of venison tonight. He thoroughly enjoyed it when the meat reached his mouth, and it really satisfied his hunger come meal time. So it would be a very special day if he could succeed in this mission now.

Continuing on his way, tracking his hunt through the woods, Bryan finally came to somewhat of a clearing, where he sighted a deer standing rigid directly across from his own position. He made sure to tread very carefully now, making sure not to alert the deer to his presence. He was hidden just behind a few bushes, so he was out of sight, invisible to the deer that was grazing in the forest green across the way. He was so close now, so close to a successful hunt. He made a decision, and began to move slowly and quietly, edging silently through the trees and the bushes, on his way to achieving yet another kill, and bringing home with him a delectable meal. He was now in prime position, in a bush just behind where the deer was. He could see it clearly now, with its head down in the lush green grass of the forest. This was when Bryan was in his element, heart racing, adrenaline pumping around his body, the thrill of the hunt taking him over, possessing him. He was filled with excitement at this moment, ready to make the kill. But then, almost out of nowhere, he heard a loud bang, his head jerking around to try to detect where it came from. Unable to ascertain its location, Bryan returned his vision to the deer to find it lying on the soft grass, bright red blood trickling from its side into the blades of grass it had fallen onto. Bryan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His hunt had been plucked from his own hands just as he had been about to take his opportunity. He had now lost that, the deer lying dead with a bullet in its side, and so he decided to wait until the bullet’s owner came forward before he made any sudden move, lest he take a bullet himself attempting to take the deer before its killer arrived.

He stayed hidden in the bushes, and saw someone appear in the distance, coming forward to claim their kill, to take the deer away, probably to have a spectacular meal of venison themselves. He watched and waited, saw the killer getting closer, rifle slung over his shoulder, the gun now behind him, resting on his back. Bryan took a moment to consider who this man was, why he was here. He now turned his attention back to the man, saw he was now standing over the deer. He had pulled some ropes out of a bag he had been carrying with him, ready to tie the deer up so he could drag it along with him better. As he bent and began threading and tying the ropes, Bryan decided to take his opportunity to take this meal from the unidentified man. So Bryan walked out of the bushes he had been hiding in for the last few minutes, and made his way over to the deer and the man. The man noticed him coming and a look of deep, immense fear presented itself on his face. He dropped the ropes and began to fumble for his hunting rifle, but Bryan was already close, close enough to at least swat the hunting rifle far away from him. Bryan took a moment to look the man up and down, considering what he was about to do. But this was for a meal of succulent venison, and he wasn’t about to allow this man to pry his food away from him. So Bryan, being unrelenting in his nature, and doing what his father had taught him to do in these situations, pounced onto the man and began attacking him, leaving him lying lifeless on the soft, dewy emerald grass. Then he turned and grabbed the deer, dragging it away with him out of the clearing and all the way back to his neck of the woods. Why, you may ask? Because Bryan wasn’t an innocent human being. Bryan was a bear, and that’s what bears do.

Hope you enjoyed it!

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome back to Flashback Friday. This week we’ve had a fair amount of news around the world, so, as always, let’s get right into it.

We’ll start with some World Cup news. Round 1 of the Group Stage is over, and around 2 is well underway, with an upset or two already occurring. And I’ll be wrapping Round 2 in an article on Sunday. However, just a bit of news that you may or may not have heard, Croatian player Nikola Kalinic was sent home by head coach Zlatko Dalic after he refused to come on as a substitution towards the end of Croatia’s match against Nigeria. The player claimed to have a back injury and told the head coach he was unable to play, and was subsequently sent home. And in some more recent news from the Australia v Denmark game last night, Australian striker Andrew Nabbout will likely be unable to play in future World Cup matches this tournament after dislocating his shoulder after falling and landing on it badly last night. Meanwhile, Tim Cahill and the Australian supporters are questioning why he wasn’t brought on, however it may be due to the better striking options in terms of pace. It’ll be an interesting equation for Group C as well next week, but more to come on that later in articles to be published early next week.

To some world news now, and there’s been tensions in the US this week, with the US Government, particularly President Trump’s Administration, being slammed for separating immigrant children from their parents/families who are crossing the Mexican border illegally. The children are taken away and fostered out, while their parents are sent to prison for crossing the border, being labelled as criminals. Between the beginning of October 2017 and the end of May 2018, approximately 2700 children were separated from their parents and families, with around 1995 of those occurring in the last six weeks of that period alone. According to some mothers and families, they were told by Border Patrol agents that took their children that their children were being taken for a bath, but hours later they were still gone, and also that ‘their families would not exist anymore’ and that they would ‘never see their children again’ which is absolutely appalling. After days of protest, of people taking swipes at the Trump Administration and the rest of the US Government for allowing this to happen, US President Donald Trump finally signed an executive order to keep families together while they are detained. However it is still unclear as to what will happen to the children already separated from their families. This comes just days after the US also pulled out of the United Nations Human Rights Council, criticising them for a ‘cesspool of political bias’ against Israel.

In more local news, and the Australian Parliament is still a chaotic mess. This week has seen Pauline Hanson support the company tax cuts that she practically forced former One Nation Senator Brian Burston to resign for supporting. Hanson has flipped on these tax cuts so many times, and she finally conceded to supporting them yesterday when the Senate passed the tax cuts in a vote of 37-34. They will now have to be passed by the House of Representatives, who will most likely pass them with ease as the Liberal National Government have the majority. The other big news this week in Parliament is that Clive Palmer has relaunched his old Palmer United Party as the United Australia Party, claiming in a media conference on Monday that the Party has already gained the support of 20000 people over the weekend. And former One Nation Senator Brian Burston, who formally announced his quitting One Nation and his intentions to be an independent in the Senate only shortly before joining Clive Palmer in his media conference to announce he was joining the United Australia Party, and that together they would ‘Unite Australia’. This had people questioning if he had practically just lied to the Senate, with 2GB radio host Ray Hadley raising the question on his radio show on Monday morning. Clive Palmer has also suggested that he is considering coming back into the Parliamentary fold and running for a seat in the House of Representatives in the next federal election, claiming his ‘assets have not been frozen’. This should get interesting.

A bit of breaking news now, and former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has once again been jailed, after being in and out of jail for a year or so. However, this time he has been found guilty of rigging a council election after being convicted of over 100 counts of electoral fraud back in April this year, and has subsequently been sentenced to 21 months in prison, with a non parole period of 11 months, meaning that will be the minimum time he will spend in prison.

And now to a bit of entertainment news, and this week saw the annual MTV Movie and TV Awards in the US. The big winner was Black Panther and it’s incredible cast, with Chadwick Boseman taking out the award for Best Hero and Best Actor In A Movie, Michael B. Jordan taking out Best Villain, and the film itself taking out the coveted Best Movie Award. One of the best moments however was when Chadwick Boseman invited hero cop James Shaw Jr., the beyond brave police officer who disarmed a gunman at a Waffle House without being armed himself, saving many lives in the process, up to the stage to thank him, and gave him the Best Hero Award to keep for himself, saying that ‘this is gonna live at your house.’ And another highlight, something a little more humorous, was when Michael B. Jordan gave his acceptance speech, and said at the end of it that ‘Chadwick Boseman personally asked me to ask y’all to stop asking him to say Wakanda Forever out on the streets, y’all taking the forever thing a little too seriously.’ Something the Black Panther fans should understand there.

And that’s a wrap for the week. There has been a lot more news, but I can’t really cover everything, and I have a lot of articles and a short story to work on for release in the coming days. So thanks for reading again, enjoy the week ahead, and I’ll be back next week to wrap the news of the week.

JJ