Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Queensland’s credit rating has been downgraded for the first time since 2009, increasing pressure on the state’s finances as debt is forecast to exceed A$216 billion by 2029-30. S&P Global Ratings has cut Queensland’s long-term rating from AA+ to AA, while assigning a stable outlook. The decision is expected to increase the cost of borrowing for the state as it funds a major infrastructure programme and prepares for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Queensland Treasury Corporation’s latest figures show interest payments are expected to reach A$6.83 billion in the current financial year and rise to almost A$11 billion by…

EastEnders’ Zoe Slater has been found dead by her mother Kat in a devastating episode that brings Michelle Ryan’s return to the BBC soap to a tragic end. Kat was alerted to something being wrong when Zoe’s cat, Mini Mo, began meowing outside her daughter’s room at 3am in the Queen Vic. “Oi you, you’re going to wake Zoe up,” Kat told the cat before opening the bedroom door. She found Zoe lying fully clothed on the bed, still wearing her shoes. Kat attempted to wake her, asking: “Zoe, why are you still dressed?” But she quickly realised that her…

David Fifita fought back tears as he paid tribute to his late father and described South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett as a “second father” before Friday’s NRL elimination final. Fifita’s father, Siaosi, died on September 12 last year, meaning the Rabbitohs’ clash with Newcastle at Allianz Stadium comes almost exactly a year after his death. The South Sydney forward said he would dedicate his performance to his father, who he believes will be watching from above as he makes his finals return. “I do everything for him,” Fifita said. “I know he’s looking down on me, and I will…

British veterans of the Afghanistan war have described their sacrifice as a “pointless waste of time”, 25 years after the September 11 attacks triggered the Western intervention that ultimately ended with the Taliban returning to power. More than two decades of fighting came to an abrupt conclusion in August 2021, when Taliban forces seized Kabul in just ten days as Nato troops withdrew. The collapse left veterans questioning the purpose of a conflict in which 457 British service personnel died and 2,188 were wounded in action, according to Ministry of Defence figures. The UK’s evacuation operation, codenamed Operation Pitting, airlifted…

Aston Villa are advancing in talks with Ian Maatsen over a new contract after Manchester United explored a possible move for the left-back, according to reports. The 24-year-old Netherlands international is regarded as an important part of Unai Emery’s plans at Villa Park, with the club keen to underline his status and secure his long-term future. Football Insider reports that discussions over improved terms are progressing, despite Maatsen already being contracted to Aston Villa until 2030. The club are understood to be determined to remove any uncertainty surrounding the defender after United’s interest during the summer transfer window. Manchester United…

A Daly City substation fire that disrupted Bay Area Rapid Transit services was linked to extreme heat and ageing electrical equipment, according to BART officials. Sylvia Lamb, BART’s assistant general manager of operations, told the agency’s board that an HVAC unit failed inside the substation on Tuesday, September 8, allowing temperatures to rise before the fire broke out. The facility is at least 40 years old and was already among those due for replacement. “This is a very clear failure that is due to aging equipment,” Ms Lamb said. The blaze damaged the substation, train-control equipment and a traction-power cable…

Victoria has emerged as Australia’s car-theft capital, with more than 12,300 insurance claims for stolen or broken-into vehicles costing insurers A$244 million in the 2025-26 financial year. The figures, released by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), show that most claims came from metropolitan Melbourne, where more cars were stolen or broken into than in every other Australian capital city combined. The data was published ahead of Victoria’s state election in November as the insurance industry called on the next government to introduce a statewide strategy to tackle vehicle theft and property crime. ICA chief executive Andrew Hall said a…

UK economic growth held steady at 0.4 per cent in the three months to July, official figures showed, as strong services activity offset falls in production and construction. The Office for National Statistics said the economy expanded by 0.4 per cent in July alone, following growth of 0.3 per cent in June and no change in May. It was the eighth consecutive period of three-month growth. ([ons.gov.uk](https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/gdpmonthlyestimateuk/july2026)) Services output rose by 0.6 per cent over the three months to July, while production and construction each fell by 0.5 per cent. Computer programming, scientific research and development, and rental and leasing…

Japan will maintain close communication with the US Treasury to help ensure orderly foreign exchange markets, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Friday. Katayama said Japan’s policy stance had not changed since Tokyo and Washington conducted a coordinated intervention and issued a joint statement on currency markets. “We will continue to maintain close communication with the U.S. Treasury and work to ensure orderly foreign exchange markets,” she told a regular press conference. The comments follow a joint yen-buying operation carried out by Japan’s Ministry of Finance in coordination with the US Department of the Treasury on July 31, according to…

Sydney Sweeney has appeared seemingly naked in a new Novig advert, using footballs and other sporting equipment to cover herself in a playful campaign filmed while she was working in Australia. The actress features in the “Just Sports” video for the sports prediction market, opening with two footballs held across her chest before moving through a series of sporting set-ups involving basketball, hockey, baseball and tennis. ([7news.com.au](https://7news.com.au/entertainment/sydney-sweeney-strips-down-for-latest-ad-campaign-shot-in-australia-c-22856747)) “Thinking of sports? Prove it,” Sweeney says in the advert. She later adds: “Novig is just sports, so they wanted to show … just sports.” The campaign ends with the Euphoria star declaring:…