A Syrian who arrived in Germany as a refugee in 2015 has won a mayoral election in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg. Ryyan Alshebl, who left his hometown of As Suwayda in Syria eight years ago, ran as an independent in the municipality of Ostelsheim. He won 55.41% of the votes on Sunday, beating two German candidates, Marco Strauss and Mathias Fey. Locals cheered the 29-year-old when he welcomed his win, a victory he described as “sensational,” German local broadcaster SWR reported Monday. “Today, Ostelsheim sent an example for broad-mindedness and cosmopolitanism for the whole of Germany,” he said, according to to German public broadcaster ZDF. “That’s not something that can be taken for granted in a conservative, rural area.” Alshebl’s first call after his victory was to his mother in Syria, who was thrilled with the news, SWR reported. The Association of Municipalities of Baden-Württemberg said Alshebl is the first man with Syrian roots to run for and win a mayor’s office. He will start his role in June. Ostelsheim residents have welcomed their incoming mayor. “The fairy tale has come true, and the right man has become our mayor,” Annette Keck, who lives in the village, told SWR. Strauss, one of his opponents, congratulated Alshebl. “I wish you good luck and at the same time ask for support for Mr. Alshebl, for our shared Ostelsheim,” he said on Facebook. The state’s Integration Minister Manne Lucha said that Alshebl’s victory showed that diversity is a natural part of Baden-Württemberg. “I would be very pleased if Ryyan Alshebl’s election encourages more people with a migration history to run for political office,” he said. Not everyone has been so warm to the 29-year-old. ZDF reported the Syrian received hateful comments on the campaign trail. The young politician went from house to house, promoting his election program, and “the experiences were predominantly positive,” but there was also a minority of far-right fringe voters in Ostelsheim that did not want to accept him due to his Syrian roots, Alshebl told ZDF. ‘Investing in your future’ Born to a schoolteacher and agricultural engineer in Syria, Alshebl described his life as carefree until the age of 20, according to his campaign website. At the time, protests against the Syrian government that began in 2011 soon devolved into chaotic war. The fighting and later rise of ISIS forced 10.6 million people from home by late 2015 – about half of Syria’s pre-war population. Alshebl faced the dilemma of being drafted for military service with the Syrian army or leaving the country, according to his website. While many Syrians were displaced internally or fled to countries in the region, others like Alshebl made the dangerous journey to Europe. He was 21 years old at the time, and said he crossed from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos in a rubber dinghy. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel had implemented a brief open-door policy in 2015 that saw the country take in about 1.2 million asylum seekers in the following years, including Alshebl. The move sparked a backlash in Germany and the sudden growth of the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the wake of summer 2015. Once in Germany, Alshebl lived close to Ostelsheim and said at the time he felt “there is only one thing you can do: get back on your feet quickly and start investing in your own future quickly.” For the last seven years he worked in the administration of Althengstett town hall, in a neighboring town. He drew from his experience, he said in his campaign, and made digital access to to public administration services one of priorities. Flexible childcare and climate protections are also on his agenda. Alshebl, who is a member of the Green Party and now has German citizenship, pledged during his campaign that once elected as mayor he would move to Ostelsheim. Source: CNN. News

Emerging centre Deine Mariner will be a Bronco until at least the end of the 2027 season. Mariner, 19, was already signed with the Broncos to the end 2024 - and he has now committed to a three-year extension on top of that. The former Australian Schoolboys representative made his NRL debut for the Broncos at centre in Round 20 last season against the Tigers at Suncorp Stadium, and also played in Round 21. The Dolphins have re-signed back-rower Connelly Lemuelu for an additional season, locking him at the club until at least the end of 2025. Lemuelu's re-signing is the second in Dolphins history after the club tied down Jeremy Marshall-King last month. He will take on his former side North Queensland on Friday night. Across town and versatile back Jesse Arthars will remain a Broncos player until at least the end of the 2026 after inking a three-year extension with the club. Brisbane announced the re-signing of the 24-year-old following an impressive start to the season, after he returned from a year-long loan spell at the Warriors in 2022. The Panthers meanwhile have re-signed another key player, with star prop Moses Leota committing until the end of the 2027 season. Leota's extension at the club follows long-term deals for Brian To’o (2027), Nathan Cleary (2027) and Isaah Yeo (2027), James Fisher-Harris (2026). “Moses embodies the qualities that we hold at our club and has consistently demonstrated his strong work ethic," Panthers Rugby League CEO Matt Cameron said. The Titans have signed former Leeds captain Kruise Leeming on a one-year deal, with the England international providing important depth following the injury to Sam Verrills. Leeming, who led the Rhinos to last year's Super League grand final, has not played since last month asking the club for a release to pursue opportunities in the NRL. The Titans have also signed former Wests Tigers prop Thomas Mikaele for the remainder of the 2023 season, following his short stint in the Super League. The Sharks have re-signed try-scoring winger Sione Katoa on a three-year contract extension in a major boost for the club. South Sydney have locked in Jacob Host to a two-year contract extension, taking him through until at least the end of the 2025 season. The Sea Eagles have extended the contract of promising back-rower Ben Trbojevic through to the end of 2024 and added veteran prop Aaron Woods to their roster for the remainder of the 2023 season. Source: NRL.Com

Two powerhouses of the modern era will look to make one almighty statement when they kick off Round 6 on tonight in Melbourne. The Storm and Roosters have both won three games in 2023 to sit inside a top eight that bears little resemblance to the way things finished last year with the Sharks, Rabbitohs, Cowboys and Eels all on the outer after moderate starts to the season. Craig Bellamy's men have home ground advantage and momentum up after an impressive win over the Rabbitohs in Round 5 while the Roosters are also coming off a victory, having taken care of the Eels in emphatic fashion on the back of a dominant performance by Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (21 runs for 180m). The Storm have won five of the past six clashes between the two sides but it was the Roosters who prevailed 18-14 in the most recent meeting in Round 24 last year courtesy of tries to Daniel Tupou, Joseph Manu and Joseph Suaalii. Another tense and tight encounter can be expected as the 2018 grand finalists write another chapter in a great rivalry that has filled endless highlight reels during the past decade. Source: NRL.Com

Theme - Forgiveness and Kindness Blessed Easter to you, my people. Easter is a time for all of us, Papua New Guineans, to come in fellowship to remember our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross of Calvary to forgive us from our sins over 2000 years ago. Jesus Christ became the redeemer to forgive us of our sins. This season is a time we remember this great sacrifice our Lord made and translate the acts of forgiveness and healing into our own lives in the way we treat each other. As the nation of Christians, we must practice the act of forgiveness and become agents of healing in our beloved nation. As the Chief Servant of your country, I want each of you all to truly embrace each other as Christians should. I know our nation is facing many challenges in public services and Law & Order. For this, we can all assist ourselves and our country heal by practising Love, which begets forgiveness and care for each other. God, through Jesus Christ, paid the ultimate price, acting on our behalf. Surely, we can practice some of those values for each other to make our lives better for ourselves and our country, which I know each of you love dearly. As I close, let me assure you all that your Government is here and working for you. May God bless you all.  

Port Moresby’s Hekari United are giants of Papua New Guinea football. Founded in 2003 originally under the name of PRK Souths United, the club holds the record for the most titles in the PNG National Soccer League. They won a staggering eight titles in a row between 2006 and 2014 and are one of just two clubs from outside New Zealand and Australia to have won the OFC Champions League, the other being New Caledonia’s Hienghene Sport. (2019) Hekari United’s greatest success came in 2010 when they represented OFC at the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi. They had beaten New Zealand side Waitakere United 4-2 on aggregate in the OFC Champions League final after a 3-0 first leg win in Port Moresby and a 2-1 defeat in the second leg in Auckland. Hekari performed valiantly in a 3-0 defeat by hosts Al Wahda at the FIFA Club World Cup. The Hekari United team has been in transition for the past few years. They had recruited players from the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa and Brazil during their dominant years but now have a team made up entirely of local players. How Hekari United qualified for the 2023 OFC Champions League Hekari United upset the PNG National Champions Lae City 4-1 over two legs in the National Playoff in February. Lae City had represented PNG in last season’s OFC Champions League after a 2-1 win in a one off match. But Hekari had their sights set on revenge and came from a goal down to win the first leg in Lae City 2-1 before completing the job with two late goals in a 2-0 win in the second leg in Port Moresby.

After a draining first five weeks which has included 30 hours of flying, almost all of the Warriors frontline players were rested from training on Wednesday in order to refresh ahead of the Round 6 clash against the Knights. The club's mid-week field session included just five players who are named to play this week, with captain Tohu Harris and five-eighth Te Maire Martin both taking part after missing last week through injury, and forwards Josh Curran, Bunty Afoa and Tom Ale also present. While a potential rest was already penciled into the schedule, coach Andrew Webster said watching the toll last week's comeback win over the Sharks took on his squad confirmed it was the right time. "We looked at the boys, felt the situation and then decided to make the call," Webster said. "[The Sharks] had [54] percent possession, so if that's the case we were tackling a lot on the weekend, so we have got to take that into consideration. There is going to be a time for that, where we have got to aim up at training and do it regardless, but that wasn't this week. Andrew Webster "The travel does have an impact at times. I think you have got to be smart at different times on when to manage that. "I couldn't see us doing this [resting the majority of the group] for another 5-6 weeks again. "There's a big part of us that knows how much work we have got to do, to get a lot of things right about our game, but we want to make sure we fix those things with energy, rather than fix them tired and battered." While Martin is symptom-free following his Round 4 concussion and will be good to go against the Knights, Harris remains only a 50-50 chance right now, which Webster said could be the case for several weeks to come as he battles a knee injury. As he prepares to face Newcastle for the second time in five weeks, Webster said he sees plenty of similarities between the two clubs so far in 2023, particularly after the Knights overcame scoreboard deficits twice to secure a draw with the Sea Eagles last week. "They went to the Tigers [in Round 2], had all their injuries, had one sent off, and still managed to find away," Webster said of his opponents. "They had another guy in the bin on the weekend, they found a way. "We know how well they are going and how they are playing with lots of resilience also... Round 1 [against Newcastle] was one of the hardest games we've played. Source: NRL.Com

Like many young women in the 1980s, Debbra Harong planned to complete her education and secure a good job. But the Bougainville crisis interrupted her plans. The conflict forced Debbra to leave her high school and relocate with her family to New Ireland Province, where she was able to complete grade 10. As peace was restored to Bougainville, Debbra returned and began volunteering as a Tok Ples teacher in Reito village in North Bougainville. She then began teaching kindergarten and early learning. Debbra longed to become a qualified teacher, but with only a grade 10 certificate, she could not secure a paid role. She decided to complete her training, and in 2007, completed a certificate in Early Childhood Education with Teacher Direct Training and the PNG Education Institute. After that, Debbra was able to come back and teach full time as an early grade teacher for Reito Elementary School. Debbra loves teaching and wants to ensure the next generation of Bougainvilleans complete their early grade education to Grade 12 and beyond. “I enjoy teaching because I witnessed how many students had their education disrupted during the crisis, and how that contributed to low levels of literacy, growth and development for many years.” Debbra feels great satisfaction when she hears her students speak fluent English in grade 2 and go on to perform well in primary and secondary schools. She is ‘a happy teacher’ at the end of the day because she is achieving her goal of sharing knowledge and building a strong foundation for future generations. Lilian Raphael, from Namatoa village in Tinputz, another early grade teacher, agrees. She believes early grade education is a crucial building block for the future brains of Bougainville. Lilian joined the local Namatoa Women’s Group in 1986 after she completed her schooling at Hutjena High School. She was eager to ensure women were empowered to improve their lives. Lilian became the women’s group secretary and encouraged the group to build life skills and income-generating activities, such as sewing, cooking, baking and financial literacy. When a new elementary school opened in the community, Lilian put her hand up to volunteer as a teacher. She completed her Early Childhood Education certificate in 2002 and has now been teaching for 21 years at Puskaotou Elementary. Both Debbra and Lilian benefited from past investments in building the capacity of early grade teachers through the Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership. They have seen improved literacy and numeracy outcomes for their students. They are grateful to now be part of the first cohort of 140 early grade teachers in Bougainville to undergo a three-day intensive Standard Based Curriculum Bilum Books training program. Both women said the training would strengthen their teaching capabilities in the early grades. The course was delivered by Bilum Books, with funding from the Partnerships for Improving Education Program, through the PNGAusPartnership.  

Fentanyl is a deadly, synthetic opioid, 50 times more powerful than heroin. Americans are dying from it at such an alarming rate, that the US has approved the sale of naloxone - an overdose-reversing drug - without a prescription. But fentanyl's trail of destruction begins further south. Manzanillo is on the fentanyl frontline. This pretty, seaside town on Mexico's Pacific coast was made famous in the 1970s when Bo Derek ran along its sandy beaches in the Hollywood movie, 10. But today it lives in the shadow of cartel violence. Manzanillo is home to Mexico's largest port, the third busiest in Latin America - nearly 3.5 million containers from across the globe arrived there last year. All sorts of cargo pass through, including the chemicals that come mostly from China and India that are used to produce organised crime's most lucrative earners - synthetic drugs like fentanyl. As a result, the port has become the primary source of bloodshed and strife in Colima state. In 2022, this small western state had the highest per capita murder rate in Mexico, with the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels fighting for dominance. "Recently we made a seizure of propionyl chloride that's used in the synthesis of fentanyl. That's one of many precursor chemicals we see coming into Manzanillo," says the Naval Commander in charge of security at the port, who must remain nameless for safety reasons. The Mexican government put the Navy in charge of all seaports in 2021 in an attempt to reduce the endemic corruption that facilitates organised crime. Now, there's a sophisticated system of checks in place to monitor everyone working in the port of Manzanillo, and the businesses that trade in chemicals. But there's another obstacle - some ingredients are legitimately used in the manufacture of agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. This means there are stringent checks on paperwork, and teams of naval personnel test consignments of chemicals to ensure they conform to their labels. There's also a sniffer dog, a Belgian shepherd - a gift from the US Embassy - trained to find fentanyl pills or powder, and some precursor chemicals. Mexico's president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, recently made headlines when he said Mexico neither produces nor consumes fentanyl. But makeshift "laboratories" have been discovered and dismantled in Mexico City and the northern states of Nuevo Leon and Sinaloa. In Baja California, law enforcement busted two properties last year in the city of Tijuana and found large quantities of fentanyl pills and powder, with hydraulic presses to make tablets. Tijuana is a messy, brutal city that hugs the border with the United States. It's become "ground zero" for fentanyl - for the trafficking of the drug north into California, and for local use. "It's killing everybody - all my friends," says Smiley, a fentanyl addict who lives on the streets. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of people live rough around the Tijuana canal, a concrete channel that cuts through the heart of the city. Many are drug users. And, as so often happens in the United States, those who overdose in Mexico don't always know they are taking fentanyl.   Due to its potency, a tiny dose of fentanyl can kill. And on both sides of the Mexico / US border, it's being cut with other drugs including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Smiley thinks he has seen more than 20 people overdose, but he has revived them all by using naloxone, a medicated nasal spray which can reverse an opioid overdose. Naloxone's now becoming widely available in the US. But in Mexico you still need a prescription - Smiley gets his supply from a local charity. It isn't only homeless people who are affected. In 2022, the Mexican Red Cross were called to an average of 60 drug overdoses a month in Tijuana - people from all walks of life. There have been multiple overdose events too, but we don't know how many fentanyl-related deaths have occurred because those statistics aren't collected in Mexico. The cartels fight to dominate the mean streets of Tijuana - each block or street may be run by a different organised crime group. Competition to control the sale of drugs is violent and bloody. In January alone, there were 156 murders in Tijuana - a city of just over two million people. Fentanyl contributes to the insecurity - and the profits from its sale are huge. It's estimated this synthetic opioid can be made for a hundredth of the cost of producing heroin. The drug cartels no longer have to control rural communities in Mexico and the land to grow poppies - they only need to secure access to the chemicals, and engage someone with the know-how to make fentanyl. And because it's so strong, it's a narcotic that's profitable in tiny amounts, even more so once it's smuggled to the US, where its price may increase 10-fold. "I'd wear like a Spanx - almost like a girdle, that kind of slims you down under your clothes, and I would shove [the fentanyl pills] down," remembers April Spring Kelly, when she speaks to the BBC from a US federal prison. Other times she would traffic drugs by car. Now April Spring Kelly is serving a lengthy sentence after admitting trafficking nearly half a million fentanyl pills plus other drugs from Tijuana into the US in 2018. Like many Americans, she had become addicted to opioid pain relievers but then turned to heroin produced by Mexican cartels when prescribed medications became harder to obtain. To fund her addiction, she rented an apartment in Tijuana and began moving fentanyl pills for organised crime across the border to San Diego. Last year 70,000 Americans died of a drug overdose associated with a synthetic opioid like fentanyl. April Spring Kelly lives with immense regret - one of the fentanyl pills she trafficked was linked to a baby's death. "It's horrible. And I hate that I was playing a part in it," she says. More than half the fentanyl confiscated in the US is stopped at the California border. April Spring Kelly was caught at the San Ysidro port of entry, where up to 120,000 people cross in a single day. Once across the border from Tijuana at San Ysidro, it's a 40 minute tram journey to downtown San Diego. In 2021, 814 people died of a fentanyl-related death in the city's county - that's more than 15 fatal overdoses a week in a population of just over three million people. "In the last couple of years, there have been so many people that died that we couldn't keep up if we did autopsies for all of those people," says the county's chief medical examiner, Dr Steven Campman. "If we did autopsies on all the people that overdosed, we'd have to hire four new pathologists," he adds. It's overwhelming. Especially for those dealing with bereavement. In Coronado, the pretty peninsula that sits across the bay from San Diego, Jan Baker reflects on an unforgettable morning in May, 2021 when she went to wake her 15-year-old son, Clark Salveron. "I walked into his bedroom around 7.30, and I found him. I remember throwing Clark on the floor trying to resuscitate him, even though I knew that he was gone. His computer was open, and he passed away at his desk in his chair." Clark died of acute fentanyl intoxication. He thought the pill he had taken was Percocet, a prescribed medication that contains the opioid, oxycodone. The fatal transaction was arranged online, says Adam Gordon, the assistant US attorney who prosecuted the case. When Clark was found dead, his laptop was still open on his Instagram page where he and the drug dealer had been messaging. Officers pretending to be Clark set up another drug deal and arrested the dealer. Those drugs came from Mexico. The fallout from fentanyl is incalculable - not just for bereaved relatives like Jan Baker but for the professionals who pick up the pieces. "I worked 486 deaths in four years," says Ed Byrne, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations. "That's a lot of scenes you go to - it's a lot of bodies." From 2018 until last year, Ed Byrne collected evidence from the locations where someone died to try to identify the drug dealers who supplied the fentanyl. "You can go from a tent that a homeless person lives in to $10 million homes in [expensive beachside neighbourhood] La Jolla," he says. And some of those death scenes have stayed with him. "They're like freezes in time almost, like paintings in your head." Pictures of lives lost - too many of them. And while Mexico's drug cartels continue to make and export fentanyl, there's no end in sight to a tragedy that plays out across the United States. Source: BBC

The New York Times has lost its blue tick on Twitter after it said it would not pay to remain verified. Twitter has started removing verification badges from accounts which already had a blue tick, after announcing they would be part of a paid subscription from 1 April. The New York Times, along with several other organisations and celebrities, said they would not pay for the tick. It prompted Elon Musk to launch a volley of insults at the newspaper. "The real tragedy of @NYTimes is that their propaganda isn't even interesting", Mr Musk, who owns Twitter, wrote on the platform. "Also, their feed is the Twitter equivalent of diarrhea. It's unreadable," he added. There has been no official comment from Twitter and the New York Times has not responded to Mr Musk's comments. Under Twitter's new rules, blue ticks which once showed official, verified accounts, will start to be removed from accounts which do not pay for it. Organisations seeking verification badges instead have to pay a monthly fee of $1,000 (£810) to receive a gold verification tick, while individual accounts must pay $8 (£6.40) a month for a blue one. The subscription service will generate revenue for Twitter, however concerns have been raised that without the verification process, it will be difficult to tell genuine accounts from impersonators. As well as not paying the subscription fee, the New York Times said it would also not pay for the verification of its journalists' Twitter accounts, apart from in "rare instances where this status would be essential for reporting purposes", a spokesperson said. Following the announcement, the newspaper, which has almost 55 million Twitter followers, lost its verification badge. But it is unclear whether all organisations must sign up to the subscription service in order to remain verified. Ten thousand of the most-followed organisations on Twitter will be exempt from the rules, the New York Times reports, citing an internal Twitter document. Since December, Twitter has introduced three different coloured verification badges: gold ticks are used for business organisations, grey ticks are for government-affiliated accounts or multilateral organisations, and blue ticks are used for individual accounts. Many news organisations including CNN, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post - companies which also said they will not pay for Twitter verification - now have gold ticks. Other New York Times accounts, such as New York Times Arts and New York Times Travel, also have the gold badge. The removal of the blue ticks seems to be happening gradually. This could be because it is largely a manual process, according to The Washington Post, citing former employees of the company. Celebrities like American basketball great LeBron James, who said he would not be paying for Twitter verification, still has a blue tick. The same is true of US rapper Ice-T, who has also criticised the new fee-paying system. Source: BBC

Thousands of people took to the streets of Lisbon and other cities across Portugal on Saturday in protest against soaring rents and house prices at a time when high inflation is making it even tougher for people to make ends meet. “There is a huge housing crisis today,” Rita Silva, from the Habita housing group, said at the Lisbon protest. “This is a social emergency.” Portugal is one of Western Europe’s poorest countries, with government data showing more than 50% of workers earned less than 1,000 euros ($1,084) per month last year. The monthly minimum wage is 760 euros ($826). Rents in Lisbon, a tourist hotspot, have jumped 65% since 2015 and sale prices have sky-rocketed 137% in that period, figures from Confidencial Imobiliario, which collects data on housing, show. Rents increased 37% last year alone, more than in Barcelona or Paris, according to another real estate data company, Casafari. The situation is particularly hard on the young. The average rent for a one-bedroom flat in Lisbon is around 1,350 euros, a study by housing portal Imovirtual showed. The Socialist government announced last month a housing package that, among other measures, ended the controversial “Golden Visa” scheme and banned new licenses for Airbnb properties but critics say it is not enough to lower prices in the short term. At the protest, which was organised by the movement “Home to Live” and other groups, 35-year-old illustrator Diogo Guerra said he hears stories about people struggling to access housing every day. “People who… work and are homeless, people are evicted because their house is turned into short-term accommodations (for tourists),” he said. Low wages and high rents make Lisbon the world’s third-least viable city to live in, according to a study by insurance brokers CIA Landlords. Portugal’s current 8.2% inflation rate has exacerbated the problem. “With my salary, which is higher than the average salary in Lisbon, I cannot afford renting a flat because it’s too expensive,” said Nuncio Renzi, a sales executive from Italy living in the capital. Source: CNN

Prop Blake Lawrie has revealed that the Dragons have targeted a top-four finish as they aim for a second win against the Titans this season and insists they will continue to improve. After triumphing 38-12 against the Dolphins at WIN Stadium last Saturday night, St George Illawarra are just one point behind fourth-placed Manly and would be higher on the ladder if not for a late fade out against the Broncos. The Dragons conceded four tries in the last 10 minutes to crash 40-18 in Brisbane after leading 16-8 at halftime, and succumbed 40-8 to the Sharks a week later, but bounced back in impressive fashion against the Dolphins. St George Illawarra won their first match of the season in Round 2, after being the first team to have a bye, with a 32-18 defeat of the Titans at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium. “Obviously, the last 10 minutes against Broncos was real disappointing, and the second half against the Sharks was disgraceful,” Lawrie said. “That’s not us and that’s not our standards. “If we stick to our game plan, we can win games, because the Dolphins are no slouches in the competition. Their first four or five weeks had been outstanding.” While the scoreline against the Dolphins was St George Illawarra’s biggest winning margin and the most points they have scored in two seasons, it was a victory built on defence. Lawrie said the team needed to show the same resolve each week. “That is the minimum standard. We have more steps to go,” he said. “It's a good step in the right direction. It was a good convincing win and to keep them to 12 points, it was pretty convincing. “You want to win every week and especially after our last two performances. If you get 40 put on you, you are not going to win any game and top four teams keep teams under 16 points. That’s what our goal is, and we want to be in the top four.” Another win against the Titans after their seven-tries-to-two defeat of the Dolphins should help to ease speculation about the future of St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin and off contract players at the club. However, Lawrie said the players had not been distracted by the “outside noise” and were focused on doing their jobs. Source: NRL.com

The Warriors have produced one of the club's biggest comeback wins, mowing down the Sharks 32-30 with a last-minute penalty goal at PointsBet Stadium on Sunday. In a remarkable finish, Shaun Johnson slotted a goal near the siren after Josh Curran was ruled to have been pushed while attempting to chase down a kick, before Nicho Hynes missed his own goal kick at full-time to level the scores. The Sharks picked up where they left off against the Dragons last week to run in four tries in 26 minutes and set up a 20-0 lead but by the 68th minute they were locked in a 30-30 battle against a Warriors side inspired by Johnson. A try to Curran via a Johnson pass levelled the scores in the 67th minute as the locals at Shark Park looked on stunned with the visitors on the verge of snatching the win. The Warriors were forced to make 60 more tackles than their opponents early with Teig Wilton opening the scoring via a Nicho Hynes kick before wingers Ronaldo Mulitalo and Sione Katoa crossed through simple backline movements. Warriors hooker Wayde Egan finished off a Johnson kick to get the visitors on the board until Will Kennedy, who took advantage of Ronald Volkman being off the field for a head injury assessment, strolled over on the right edge. The Warriors hit back through Marata Niukore on the right edge to complete a high-scoring first half but the back-rower finished the opening 40 minutes in the sin-bin for an alleged hip drop on Siosifa Talakai. Niukore's absence was not felt, however, with the Warriors striking again through Johnson after a clean drop by Mulitalo was picked up by the former Sharks playmaker to run to the line. An error from Talakai, who failed to play the ball correctly, opened the door for the Warriors to pounce again and a slick play on the right edge enabled Edward Kosi to charge over the line with 26 minutes left. A second try to Mulitalo on the left edge, who took advantage of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad error in the air, gave the Sharks some breathing space with a converted try separating them before Curran's effort levelled the game and set up the win.  Source: NRL.com