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Daly Cherry-Evans’ illustrious State of Origin career appears to be over, after Queensland Maroons coach Billy Slater dropped the axe on his incumbent captain.
The 36-year-old, who has overseen three series triumphs and managed 26 caps for his state, has been replaced by Cowboys co-captain Tom Dearden in the No.7 jumper.
Watch Billy Slater’s press conference below:
Calls have grown since Queensland suffered an 18-6 game one series defeat for Cherry-Evans to vacate the jersey, with his side scoring just once in their past two matches – courtesy of a Blues error.
Game one debutant Beau Fermor, who managed just 17 minutes at Suncorp Stadium, has also not been retained, with bolters Ezra Mam and Jack Howarth called into the squad.
Veteran Kurt Capewell earned a recall on the back of his strong form for the Warriors, while Kurt Mann was expected to make his maiden appearance as the side’s utility.
Cherry-Evans’ bombshell is the biggest move, making him the first Queensland captain dropped mid-series since Trevor Gillmeister.
Seven men allegedly stormed a Sunshine Coast apartment where they held a man and a woman captive as they tried to extort money from the pair in what police have described as a “serious, vicious attack”.
The group of men allegedly forced their way into the Sixth Avenue unit complex in Maroochydore on April 10 this year, threatening the 27-year-old man and 29-year-old woman.
The hours-long ordeal ended after specialist police burst into the apartment, rescuing the pair and arresting two of the alleged attackers.
A file photo of officers from NSW Police’s Raptor Squad.Credit: NSW Police
Investigations led police to NSW where local Raptor Squad officers raided properties across Sydney’s western suburbs on Thursday, arresting the remaining five men.
Four of the men aged 27, 30, 30 and 32, were extradited to Queensland on Friday and are due to face Brisbane Magistrates Court today.
The fifth man will be extradited at a later date due to unrelated medical issues.
Sunshine Coast Detective Inspector Chris Toohey said the arrests were the result of exhaustive policing work.
“This was a serious, vicious and premeditated attack and this investigation outcome should serve as a strong warning criminal behaviour will not be tolerated,” he said.
A small group of cyclists has completed their first ride across the Story Bridge this morning after a court ruled they could not shut down the major route for a larger rally against the sudden closure of the structure’s walkways.
The Story Bridge’s footpaths were first closed on March 5, ahead of Cyclone Alfred, as they had reached a precarious level of disrepair. They are not expected to be reopened until at least the end of the year.
The council has refused to close off one lane of the Story Bridge for cyclists, while the footpaths are closed. Credit: Courtney Kruk
Newly-minted activist group, Story Bridge Travel Alliance, organised a “bike bus” protest after Brisbane City Council shut down their plans for a larger march, which would have required all six traffic lanes of the bridge to be closed.
So far, the council has refused to close one lane of traffic to vehicles to allow cyclists to cross the bridge, saying motorists need all six lanes for traffic to properly flow through the heart of the city.
The protesters are calling for the council to find a more suitable detour than the one currently provided, which reroutes riders and pedestrians across the Kangaroo Point Bridge and through the CBD.
The council has called for state and federal funding to begin a 15-year major repair project on the 85-year-old bridge, but has defended its year-on-year maintenance work despite scrutiny, even from the Prime Minister.
The mother of slain Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop has called for the Gin Gin community to show respect to the family of one of her daughter’s accused killers.
Pheobe’s housemates, 34-year-old James Woods and 33-year-old Tanika Bromley, have been charged with her murder.
Kylie Johnson, Pheobe’s mother, spoke to hundreds of people gathered at a sunset vigil for the 17-year-old on Sunday where she called for Bromley’s family, who live in the local community, to be treated fairly.
“They should receive respect, and I expect them to receive the respect they deserve,” she said.
Pheobe was last seen near Bundaberg airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to Western Australia to see her boyfriend.
Police allege Wood and Bromley drove Pheobe close to the airport but no one got out of the car.
Officers discovered what were believed to be the teenager’s remains about 2.30pm on Friday near Goodnight Scrub National Park, some 280 kilometres northeast of Brisbane and 9 kilometres from an earlier search site.
Prosecutors have alleged the pair moved Pheobe’s body multiple times.
United States National Guard troops have been deployed in Los Angeles, the first time in six decades that a state’s National Guard has been activated without a request from its governor.
US President Donald Trump ordered the US Northern Command to assume control of the National Guard and dispatch 2000 soldiers to the area “for 60 days or at the discretion of the Secretary of Defence”.
The troops arrived following protests against immigration raids that swept through the city from late on Friday, as part of Trump’s promise of mass deportations.
Rocks and chunks of cement were thrown at Border Patrol vehicles, and riot police used tear gas, flash-bang grenades and pepper balls to disperse the crowd.
On Sunday morning, the city remained quiet, with no further major protests.
Turning to some world news now: A humanitarian aid ship carrying Swedish climate advocate Greta Thunberg has been told to turn back by Israel’s defence minister.
The Freedom Flotilla, an organisation seeking to break Israel’s aid blockade of Gaza, is about 160 nautical miles (296km) from Gaza after setting sail from Sicily on June 1.
The group has previously attempted to breach the blockade, most recently a month ago, when it claimed the ship was disabled by a drone strike.
Despite difficulties on the ground, the Swiss-based non-profit said on Sunday it had reopened three distribution sites and initiated a pilot program delivering supplies directly to community leaders. The group said it has distributed enough staples to prepare more than 10 million meals.
Bloomberg
Police have launched a plea for public help to find a teenage girl missing from Inala for days.
Police have launched a plea for public assistance finding a 13-year-old girl.Credit: Queensland Police
The 13-year-old was last seen about 6pm on Wednesday at Corsair Avenue, with no reported sighting since.
Police described her as 160cm tall, of medium build with black hair and brown eyes.
Officers urged anyone with information regarding her whereabouts, or the girl herself, to come forward and contact police.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison has been honoured in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison has been recognised in this year’s honours list.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia – the highest honour – for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and his key role in the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal with Britain and the United States. All former prime ministers, except Paul Keating, have accepted being made a Companion since the inception of the honour.
Morrison said the award was “humbling” and called for the Coalition to continue focusing on economic security for Australians.
More than 800 people were recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours: you can explore the full list via the interactive here.
A court ruled protesters could not shut down all six traffic lanes of the Story Bridge for a walking protest – but it is still legal for cyclists to ride across.
A newly formed group, the Story Bridge Active Travel Alliance, has announced it will host a bike bus, departing from the southern end of the bridge from 8am on weekdays, starting today.
A bike bus, used by families to get children to school safely while cycling, involves a group of people riding bikes together along a set route to mitigate the dangers of vehicle traffic.
People have been encouraged to wear a high-vis vest or bright clothing and “as many flashing lights as you can”.
“We will be legally riding slowly over the bridge two abreast in the left-hand lane,” the group posted on Facebook.
Protesters had wanted to shut all six lanes of the Story Bridge on Friday, May 30, for a march to draw attention to their calls for Brisbane City Council to allocate one car lane to pedestrians, cyclist and scooter traffic while footpaths were repaired, but a court ruled it could not go ahead.
The bridge’s footpaths, used by about 4000 walkers, bike and scooter riders daily, were suddenly closed on March 5, reports later revealing parts of the bridge were an “extreme risk” to the public, while council called for cash from the state and federal governments for a restoration.
Winter has Brisbane in its icy grip, with a week’s worth of chilly nights forecast and clear days not quite warm enough to thaw us out.
Most evenings this week, the temperature in the River City is predicted to slip into single digits. Cloudless days with top temps failing to make even 20 degrees won’t trap much of the sun’s warmth, so jacket-and-jeans weather is officially back.
Here’s how the week is expected to pan out.
