7News Just In

The State of Origin decider between New South Wales Blues and Queensland Maroons takes place tonight at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Queensland have won 10 of the last 12 deciders and the Blues have only sealed a series at Suncorp twice in Origin history. Both teams have key players cleared from ankle injuries, with Ethan Strange named as 18th man for New South Wales and Paddy Carrigan returning for Queensland after their six changes following a 20-point loss at the MCG.

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Jack Gibson Burrow, a graffiti artist known as 'Pam the Bird', has been remanded in custody until late September after staging a protest atop Melbourne's Bolte Bridge. The 22-year-old faces 13 fresh charges including burglary, criminal damage, and bail offences, adding to existing charges totalling $700,000 in alleged damages from previous graffiti stunts. The City of Melbourne faces a cleanup bill exceeding $20,000 to $30,000.

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Master Builders Australia is calling for skilled tradies to be moved from the third tier to the top priority tier of the skilled migration scheme, placing them alongside nurses and health specialists. The construction industry is seeking more than 115,000 workers to meet demand, while 71% of permanent visas in 2024-25 went to skilled workers, though only a third were the workers themselves with the remainder being accompanying family members. The government has tripled construction worker visas under Labor but continues to fall behind housing targets.

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Prince Harry has lost his High Court privacy case against the publishers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers. The judge dismissed all of the Duke of Sussex's claims, ruling there was insufficient evidence to prove the papers obtained information illegally when writing stories about him over approximately 20 years. Prince Harry brought the legal action alongside Liz Hurley, Sir Elton John and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, who all lost their claims.

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Christopher Nolan's $360 million adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic The Odyssey represents a cinematic first, shot entirely on IMAX cameras across six countries over 91 days. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, and Anne Hathaway as Penelope, with all cast members physically pushed to their limits during the demanding on-location shoot. Following Nolan's previous success with Oppenheimer, which earned over $1.4 billion and seven Oscars, expectations are exceptionally high for this modern spectacle bringing the 3,000-year-old tale to life.

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An 11-year-old Persian cat named Minam survived four hours trapped inside a running dryer in Melbourne after slipping in unnoticed when the owner left the door open. The cat emerged with only minor injuries, demanding cuddles and food as normal. Veterinarians report that while cats climbing into dryers is common, surviving such an ordeal is extremely rare.

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A 25-year-old Perth man, Lachie Perrem, is fighting for life in Fiona Stanley Hospital with burns to 75% of his body after a robotic vacuum cleaner exploded in his Brabham rental home. The freak explosion left the kitchen and living room unrecognisable, with investigators taking custody of the vacuum to determine what caused the catastrophic fault.

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China conducted a provocative nuclear-capable ballistic missile test in the South Pacific, with the projectile striking 800 kilometres north-northeast of the Solomon Islands. The submarine-launched missile test occurred during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to Honiara, where he addressed the nation's independence celebrations and negotiated a new security pact with Solomon Islands leaders. National security experts warn the test demonstrates a more unstable era than the Cold War, prompting condemnation from Australia, the United States, and NATO.

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China conducted a provocative nuclear-capable ballistic missile test in the South Pacific, with the projectile striking 800 kilometres north-northeast of the Solomon Islands. The submarine-launched missile test occurred during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to Honiara, where he addressed the nation's independence celebrations and negotiated a new security pact with Solomon Islands leaders. National security experts warn the test demonstrates a more unstable era than the Cold War, prompting condemnation from Australia, the United States, and NATO.

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Coleen Lamarre, mother of alleged double murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon, has been granted bail by a Supreme Court judge after spending two months in custody. The 63-year-old former police force employee is charged with perverting the course of justice and witness tampering ahead of her son's trial for the alleged murders of TV presenter Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies. Her son Beau Lamarre-Condon is due to stand trial in September and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted.

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