Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Ben Simmons is facing another long stint on the sidelines, but fellow Australian Joe Ingles believes the basketball star can recover and return stronger. Ingles has offered his support to Simmons during another difficult period, saying he expects his compatriot to bounce back. Simmons now faces a lengthy road back, with Ingles backing him to overcome the latest setback.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday and held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as uncertainty grows over the prospect of renewed military action against Iran. The meeting was confirmed by a senior US military official, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to comment publicly. A second source involved in the matter in Israel also confirmed that Mr Netanyahu met Mr Hegseth. The visit came just over a week before elections in Israel, where Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud-led coalition is seeking to remain in power. The prime minister has said he…

An environmental activist who once supported Helen Haines has been identified as the man accused of deliberately driving a Toyota LandCruiser into the independent federal MP outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria. Ms Haines lost a leg and remains in a critical condition after the incident, which police are investigating as a deliberate attack. Brendan Nugent, 43, from nearby Tarrawingee, was arrested at the scene and remains in custody, with detectives expected to interview him. No charges had been laid by Tuesday morning. Police and counter-terrorism authorities are expected to examine Mr Nugent’s social media activity as part of…

Daiwa and Mizuho have cleared the final hurdles to launch securities units in China, Bloomberg has reported. The development paves the way for both Japanese financial groups to begin operations through their planned China securities businesses.

Kevin McKidd has joined the cast of the BBC drama The Young Team following his departure from Grey’s Anatomy. The 53-year-old Scottish actor will play Mr McGiver, described as an inspirational headteacher, in the series. Laura Fraser, known for Breaking Bad, has also been cast as Angela, the mother of teenager Azzy Williams. Directed by Paul McGuigan, The Young Team follows Azzy and his friends as they spend a Friday night roaming the streets of Airdrie in Scotland’s North Lanarkshire region. The teenagers become involved in drinking, drug-taking and violence as Azzy tries to prove himself and gain acceptance within…

Orange County commissioners have approved $812 million in tourist tax funding for 13 projects across the Orlando area, including a $350 million expansion of the Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and new sporting facilities at the University of Central Florida. The package was passed by six votes to one on Monday, October 19, after a hearing that attracted 78 public speakers and a protest led by labour unions. Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad was the only member to oppose the final recommendations. The money will come from Orange County’s Tourist Development Tax, a 6 per cent levy on hotel…

A coroner has called for national gambling reform after finding that online betting was the “direct and paramount causative fact” in the suicide of a Melbourne man who lost almost A$50,000 in four years. Kyle Hudson opened his first betting account on his 18th birthday and went on to place 8,585 bets with Sportsbet, Ladbrokes, Neds, Bookmaker and bet365. He lost A$47,945 before taking his own life at his home in Werribee, in Melbourne’s south-west, on 6 July 2021. In findings handed down on Tuesday, Victorian coroner Paul Lawrie said Mr Hudson’s case showed the “human cost of online gambling”…

A Sky News report centred on Donald Trump’s approval rating as the US midterm elections loom appears to be inaccessible, with the page returning an access-denied message. The visible HTML on the page includes an image tag referencing a photograph of Mr Trump at a rally, suggesting the intended visual accompanying the piece. The page displays an “Access Denied” notice reading: “You don’t have permission to access” on this server. Reference #18.8eb00f17.1792471348.140f0671. Because the page cannot be loaded, the article cannot be expanded with further details, quotes or context from that source.

Japan has launched an uncrewed mission to collect samples from Phobos, one of Mars’s two moons, and return them to Earth by 2031. The five-year mission aims to bring material from the Martian moon back for scientists to study. If successful, it would be the first mission to return samples from a moon of Mars. The mission marks Japan’s effort to carry out a historic sample-return operation beyond Earth, focused on Phobos and its place in the Mars system.

General Motors is due to unveil its third-quarter results on Tuesday, with investors assessing whether the carmaker will raise its 2026 outlook amid concerns about slowing sales and higher commodity costs. Analysts surveyed by LSEG expect adjusted earnings of $3.63 a share and revenue of $48.70 billion. That would represent broadly unchanged revenue from the same quarter last year, but a rise of about 30% in adjusted earnings per share. GM reported revenue of $48.59 billion in the third quarter of 2025, along with net income attributable to stockholders of $1.3 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $2.80. The…