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By Scott Murdoch and Lewis Jackson SYDNEY A Brookfield-led consortium's A$16.3 billion ($10.61 billion) bid for Origin Energy

Pitchers Collin McHugh, Aj Smith-Shawver and Jesse Chavez could make returns to the Braves roster for the postseason.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said he “strongly, strongly disagree[d” with the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the use of affirmative action programmes in college admissions decisions and condemned the six-justice majority that did so as “not a normal court”. Mr Biden’s harsh words for the highest court in the land came in response to a reporter’s query on whether the court was acting as a “rogue court,” just after he addressed the landmark decision in brief remarks before departing the White House for New York. Speaking from the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing, the president echoed the dissenting Justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, in his reaction to the ruling, which ends the long-standing precedent that allowed colleges and universities to use affirmative action to help establish a diverse group of accepted students. “Discrimination still exists in America. Today’s decision does not change that,” Mr Biden said in a brief press conference. He added: “I believe our colleges are stronger when they’re racially diverse. Our nation is stronger because we are tapping into the full range of talent in this nation. We cannot let this decision be the last word.” The rulings come from two consolidated cases, Students for Fair Admissions v University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College. Both cases were brought forth by the anti-affirmative action organisation Students for Fair Admissions. That group, which is headed by conservative legal strategist Edward Blum, has for years made attempts to give the court’s GOP-appointed majority a chance to gut previous court precedents which have been used to justify limited use of race-based preferences in college admissions. While the court upheld such programmes in a decision nearly two decades, ago, the newly-emboldened conservative majority swept away any legal justification for them in Thursday’s opinions. In a 6-3 and 6-2 decision, the Court’s conservative majority sided with Students for Fair Admissions claiming the use of race-conscious admissions was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Now, higher education institutions will no longer be allowed to consider race as a factor in admissions. Instead, students who wish to have their race or culture considered in their application will have to volunteer the information like in their personal essay. At the end of the press conference, Mr Biden responded to a question about the court’s decision to strike down a long-standing precedent: “This is not a normal Court.” Leaders from Harvard said in a letter that they would “comply” with the court’s decision but emphasised that “deep and transformative teaching, learning, and research depend upon a community comprising people of many backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences.” Mr Biden said he is directing the Department of Education to analyse best practices for high education institutions to create more inclusive and diverse student bodies without using race as a conscious factor in admissions and recruiting. The Harvard Black Students Association called the court’s decision, “detrimental”, adding that it “poses a significant threat to the future of the Black community on and beyond our campus.” “It is evident that the college application system cannot maintain holistic evaluation without taking into consideration how race profoundly influences our experiences, perspectives, and identities in multifaceted ways,” the Harvard Black Students Association wrote. Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement: “In a society still scarred by the wounds of racial disparities, the Supreme Court has displayed a willful ignorance of our reality.” Discussions around affirmative action have generated debate among Republicans and Democrats for years. Those in support of it believe it is necessary to create fair and equal opportunity for students of color because higher education institutions have failed at creating diverse student bodies. Those against affirmative action believe it puts other students, like white or Asian American students, at a disadvantage. Former president Donald Trump celebrated the ruling calling it “everyone was waiting for” in a post on Truth Social. “We’re going back to all merit-based – and that’s the way it should be!” Mr Trump wrote. Mr Trump appointed three of the six conservative Justices on the Court while serving as President of the United States – Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Mr Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, also expressed support for the Court’s decision, writing on Twitter, “I am honored to have played a role in appointing three of the Justices that ensured today’s welcomed decision.” He added: “There is no place for discrimination based on race in the United States, and I am pleased that the Supreme Court has put an end to this egregious violation of civil and constitutional rights in admissions processes, which only served to perpetuate racism.” The ruling will likely have repercussions beyond higher education institutions, extending to elementary, middle and high schools as well as workplaces and more as it opens a door for challenges to racial diversity programs. Read More Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson delivers searing civil rights lesson in dissent to affirmative action ruling How the government that promised to ‘stop the boats’ has lost control of its immigration policy Clarence Thomas says he doesn’t have a ‘clue’ what diversity means as Supreme Court takes aim at affirmative action One year after the anti-abortion ruling, the White House keeps a spotlight on the issue

“I want to play Champions League football,” said Ruben Neves, as, all of a month ago, he explained why he might leave Wolves. Maybe he had just omitted a word, because, after winning the Saudi league, Al Hilal can provide him with that chance. He is bound for the Asian Champions League. A swift change of destination on the exit from Molineux – to Riyadh rather than Barcelona – has left Neves accused of paying greater attention to his wallet than his heart, to his bank balance than his ambitions. If many of the others decamping to Saudi Arabia are in their thirties, signing up for a final pay day, Neves is 26. He may be a trendsetter if others in their prime follow suit or, like Oscar, who left Chelsea for China at 25, be seen as a player who gave up his seat at the top table too soon. The simplistic accusation may be to brand Neves a mercenary. The reality may be more complex: not for the first time, he is an example of trends in the modern game. He is joining Al Hilal for £47m; the price could appear inflated, given that he had a solitary year left on his contract at Wolves, or market value, considering his class as a passer. Either way, it put him beyond Barcelona’s reach, even before the availability of Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer meant they could acquire a top-class alternative rather cheaper. The dream move was stripped of any realism. Barcelona’s financial difficulties have altered the equation for many another who might otherwise have been bound for Catalonia, as Neves’ Portugal teammate Bernardo Silva can testify. The broader collapse of the European transfer market is part of a wider theme affecting Premier League clubs and their greater struggle to sell. There are only a handful on the continent capable of paying a £47m fee for a midfielder; if, for various reasons, they can be ruled out, it reduces the alternatives to the big buyers in England. That they have overlooked Neves points in part to the high number of talented midfielders on the market this summer, but also to the sense he is a man out of time. A languid passer may not suit sides with a greater focus on pressing. Neves may not be a Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola or Mikel Arteta-style midfielder. But the changing dynamics in the game may have meant he was an ever more incongruous presence at Molineux. Odd as it felt that he traded the Champions League – where, at 18, he was its youngest ever captain in his Porto days – for the Championship, his first three years at Wolves were an unqualified success, with promotion and successive seventh-place finishes. The last three, however, have been underwhelming, with mid-table finishes, a lack of goals, and this season, a flirtation with relegation. Neves has still been excellent. Wolves have not been. He has been their classiest player since their golden age more than six decades ago; the added benefit was that he stayed for six years and 253 games. The axis of Neves and Joao Moutinho brought a level of style Wolves may not see again in midfield for decades. But if Neves is leaving a traditional club for a new player in the football firmament, an alternative perspective is to say he has traded one moneyed project where Jorge Mendes has exerted an influence and where Portuguese players have signed up for another. The super-agent has a habit of spotting opportunities and Wolves, under the ownership of Fosun, provided one. Not that Wolves provides such scope for signings this summer. As even Julen Lopetegui seems to have belatedly acknowledged, they have an issue with Financial Fair Play. Heavy spending in the last two windows was often misguided – Goncalo Guedes and Matheus Cunha, particularly – while a lack of buyers on the continent means Wolves cannot recoup much of their money. Neves was one of the few remaining assets, a footballer who had publicly said his time was up without having a better exit strategy. Lower mid-table at Wolves followed by a spell in Saudi Arabia was scarcely the career trajectory that many envisaged when he was skippering Porto in the Champions League as a teenager. Sympathy may be in short supply, given the probable scale of his remuneration. He may be happy at Al Hilal. But Neves, a quality player at his peak, seemed short of options. And if that is a shame, it is also part of a bigger picture. Once again, Neves is a sign of how the game is changing. Read More Saudi Arabia money has turned transfers into ‘chaos’ – will it last? N’Golo Kante, the midfield miracle worker who changed football

Cesc Fabregas is determined to take Como to Serie A after taking over as boss at the Italian club. The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder, who is an investor in the club along with Thierry Henry, replaced Moreno Longo as interim boss on Monday in what is his first managerial position. He ended his playing career in the lakeside city last season and was coach of the club’s under-19s before getting the top job. Como are a club on the rise, having won back-to-back promotions and currently sit sixth in Serie B following a 2019 takeover. The Spaniard says he does not see the position as a stepping stone for a Premier League job, but a long-term project to get them to the top tier in Italy. “Obviously, now it is one of the main objectives, 100 per cent,” he said at Web Summit in Lisbon. “Whatever my role is I will always give my best. “When I joined the club one of the main objectives was to become the coach of Como 1907, I didn’t expect it to come so soon because I retired a little bit earlier, I could still be playing. “It is an opportunity for me. It is a long-term project, I am not here for two days or two months, it is a long thing. I trust the club, I trust the people, my family has found happiness in Como. “I feel great, I feel ready. This is something that happened very quickly in the last couple of days. “I have a lot of respect for the manager that was in charge for the last year and a half. I am used to the pressure, I am used to the requirements that the club wants, I am looking forward to it, it is very, very exciting.” Mirwan Suwarso, representative of the Como ownership group, said they sacked Longo because data showed they were regressing ahead of the January transfer window. He has grand plans to turn Como into the “ultimate soccer tourism destination”. It is an opportunity for me it is a long-term project, I am not here for two days or two months, it is a long thing. Cesc Fabregas “We have to rely on data and it showed that as we are heading towards the transfer window we are actually regressing in terms of our performance,” he said. “So instead of investing heavily in the transfer window in the wrong bloke we had to fix it so that is why we pulled the trigger. “When we stumbled upon the football club in Como we realised we had a great opportunity. Como is a great destination for tourism but at the same time there is nothing around it. “So our goal is to build the ultimate soccer tourism destination in the world and Lake Como is the perfect setting for it. It shows, we have been growing extensively.” Read More England skipper Jos Buttler vows to learn from World Cup ‘mistakes’ Anything is possible – Eric Dier on Tottenham’s Premier League title challenge Welsh Rugby Union was a ‘toxic’ environment, independent report finds We know what it means to Wales to get to Euro 2024 – Jordan James Rohit Sharma urges India to retain same mindset for World Cup semi-final Sol Campbell ‘happy in different space’ as he turns back on football management

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Nearly one in three primary schools in England do not have a male classroom teacher, a study suggests. The proportion of secondary school teachers who are male remains at a record low (35%), according to a Warwick Business School report. Researchers said boys from poorer backgrounds would benefit from having a male teacher in school but they are less likely to have one. Raising teachers’ pay, reducing working hours and improving school leadership could help boost recruitment and retention, the report said. Worryingly, the decline in the number of male classroom teachers is getting worse Dr Joshua Fullard, Warwick Business School The study analysed the latest data from the annual School Workforce Census to identify trends in gender diversity among teachers in state schools in England since 2010. It found that nearly a quarter (24.3%) of all state schools in England have no male classroom teachers. In two local authorities, Rutland in the East Midlands and Northumberland in the North East, at least half of the primary schools do not have a male classroom teacher. The study found that more than two in five (41.9%) of the primary schools placed in special measures by Ofsted had no male classroom teachers. The report said: “This could be due to selection – male teachers are in relatively high demand and therefore might be less likely to sort into the lowest achieving school. “Alternately, having no gender diversity in the classroom might negatively impact the functioning of a school.” It’s important for all children and young people to experience a diverse range of positive role models James Bowen, NAHT Dr Joshua Fullard, assistant professor of behavioural science at Warwick Business School, said: “Worryingly, the decline in the number of male classroom teachers is getting worse. “This has an impact on the education that children receive. There is a large body of research that shows students benefit from being educated by a teacher with certain similarities to them. “Boys from less affluent backgrounds are already the lowest achievers in school. They are the students who would benefit most from a male teacher, but they are less and less likely to have one. “It’s not just boys who are losing out. Having no gender diversity could negatively affect how a school functions, as schools in special measures are less like to have a male classroom teacher.” The report called for teachers’ pay to be raised by more than 10% and for a merit-based reduction in tuition fees for university-led teacher training to be introduced. Dr Fullard said: “Men are more likely to consider finances when deciding to go into, or leave, a profession. This explains why the persistent decline in teachers’ pay has affected male teacher numbers more than their female counterparts.” Since 2010, there has been an increase of over 7,000 male teachers in state-funded nursery and primary schools Department for Education James Bowen, assistant general secretary at school leaders’ union the NAHT, said: “It’s important for all children and young people to experience a diverse range of positive role models. “The impact of a diverse school workforce, at all levels in education, is well recognised, including by the Department for Education. “It can help children and young people, especially those from deprived backgrounds, to visualise positive futures and fulfil their potential.” Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Having a diverse workforce is a huge asset to a school, but currently many are struggling simply to put a teacher at the front of every classroom. “A great deal of work needs to be done to make teaching a more attractive career to men and women alike. This includes reversing the real terms pay cuts that teachers have experienced since 2010, reducing unmanageable workloads and ensuring all schools are properly funded. “Until these issues are addressed then the profession will continue to lose men and women, whether they are new graduates or experienced teachers, to jobs that are offering more competitive pay and better conditions of service.” A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We want teaching to be an inclusive profession, with equal opportunity for all, regardless of gender, to develop and progress in their careers. “Since 2010, there has been an increase of over 7,000 male teachers in state-funded nursery and primary schools. “We want to continue bringing great people into teaching and have introduced bursaries worth up to £27,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to £29,000 tax-free, to attract talented trainees in subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.”

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Keke Palmer has heaped praise on Sergio Hudson, explaining that his designs help to "accentuate" her figure.

On social media, the poet criticised the US, accusing it of "funding the bombardment of Gaza".

The release of the computer-animated movie 'Super Mario Bros.' has been pushed back from December until April 2023.