Australia might be asked to play a military role in the Middle East, the prime minister says, after Israel and Iran targeted each other with strikes.

After sacking Luciano Spalletti, Italy are set to appoint Gennaro Gattuso as the team's manager.

A beaming Donald Trump is celebrating his birthday, and the Army’s 250th anniversary, with a military parade through the streets of Washington.

With international demand for lithium expected to grow tenfold in just the next few years, Australia is well placed to cash in as the world's biggest producer.

Marc Leishman is thrilled to be back at the majors and in the US Open mix after firing a fine third round at the US Open in Pennsylvania.

A man who shot his wife, severing her spine and leaving her unable to walk, is vowing to always make her feel “safe, loved and cherished”.

New Zealand driver Shane van Gisbergen will start from pole position for the NASCAR race in Mexico on Sunday after a superb qualifying session.

Karishma Tanna captivates in a striking black and white jumpsuit paired with layered gold accessories and smoky, golden-glow makeup — a perfect blend of edgy sophistication and effortless glamour.

PEOPLE smugglers are using women and children as human shields in a diversion tactic to get past French police – before mostly men make it onto a dinghy.

Families with young babies and kids were put at the front of the queue of migrants entering the vast beach from the sand dunes in Gravelines, near Calais, yesterday with young men trailing behind.

Getty

People-smugglers are using women and children as a diversion tactic to get young male migrants past French police[/caption]

The diversionary tactics meant the 40 police officers, armed and waiting with pepper spray and tear gas, remained calm and did not use force against the group straight away to avoid injuring the children.

Instead, officers kettled the group and successfully marched them off back into the sand dunes.

But, when the time was right and the police thought they had taken the group off the beach, a group of mostly men suddenly sprinted off into the sand dunes before making a break for it back onto the beach.

Most of the migrants with children did not return to the beach.

It comes after senior Labour minister Darren Jones was slammed after suggesting on BBC’s Question Time that the majority of migrants entering by small boats that he had seen were women and children.

A dramatic cat and mouse game followed yesterday with tear gas being fired over Gravelines beach in an attempt to keep migrants away from the sea.

But they failed to stop a nearby dinghy from picking up the migrants and it left for British shores with mostly men on board.

It comes after official figures showed that more than 919 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Friday on 14 dinghies – averaging around 66 people per boat.

It has taken the provisional annual total to 16,183, which is 42 per cent higher than the same point last year and 79 per cent up on the same date in 2023.

The highest daily number so far this year was 1,195 on May 31.

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégée Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today. 

ARIES

March 21 to April 20

Your natural leadership tendencies are enhanced this week as Mars fires up your workspace.

You may have hesitated to put yourself forward for a big role, but now you feel a perfect fit.

Plus, you have the skills to step in or step up, even at the last minute.

Love may feel like it’s asking a lot, but rewards can be so rich.

 TAURUS

April 21 to May 21

The heat of the sun is so strong in your sector of reaching out, and this can blast away any hesitation to talk or to listen.

Letting the past go is your first task – number two is celebrating the future you deserve.

This can include approaching someone you’ve admired for a long time, maybe even years.

Get all the latest Taurus horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

GEMINI

Your home situation may feel volatile, but this can pave the way for change, so roll with it.

Show people you care about that you are open to new ways of living – but do follow your internal rules.

As Jupiter and Saturn link friends to finances, only borrow or lend after really thinking things through.

Get all the latest Gemini horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

CANCER

June 22 to July 22

You’re at one with the sun, and your summer can officially begin.

Say yes to outdoor activities this week, and investigate growing things, from flowers to a side business.

There is an energy about you that others can’t resist.

Love-wise, this helps you step a way from a sticking point and move forward.

Get all the latest Cancer horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

LEO

July 23 to August 23

Instead of pushing on with a cash plan you sense is not enough, you can go back and start again this week.

Plus, you find your voice in a loud group and get your points taken seriously.

In love, it’s the little ways you make a partner feel special when you are together that keep your bond strong when you’re apart.

Get all the latest Leo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

VIRGO

August 24 to September 22

You and Mars make an unlikely couple – but one that gets great results.

You may need to pause your usual personal rules, and allow yourself to be a little wilder, but this can be a revelation.

Old friends with a new look can be a luck link, and you should consider taking that step towards talking on camera.

Get all the latest Virgo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

Getty

Letting the past go is your first task[/caption]

LIBRA

September 23 to October 23

Think twice about hiding anything this week, from feelings to facts, as Mars is so strong in the deepest part of your chart.

Honesty is your best policy, and you have the strength to say even difficult things.

With the sun now at the top of your chart, it’s a week to celebrate who you are and where you are going.

Get all the latest Libra horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

SCORPIO

October 24 to November 22

Maybe you’ve been feeling that friends or workmates are taking more than they give.

Thanks to Mars, now you can take back control, but do it with a cool head, not a hot heart.

Your passion profile is so pro-commitment, and this can be a week to make big promises, maybe when you least expect it.

Get all the latest Scorpio horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

SAGITTARIUS

November 23 to December 21

Your deepest desires can be illuminated by the sun, which also brings you the energy to start chasing a dream of looking in a very different way.

Making one promise to yourself, and keeping it, can redesign your future.

If you’re in love, giving a partner your time is the most valuable thing you can do.

Get all the latest Sagittarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

CAPRICORN

December 22 to January 20

Rules are broken as you are ready to be a very different version of yourself.

A time of going along with outside demands can change to fulfilling inner wishes, and your charm makes you a special member of any team.

A journey out of your comfort zone may be daunting, but the destination can be all you’ve ever dreamed of.

Get all the latest Capricorn horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

Supplied

This is your week to start expressing yourself in unique ways[/caption]

AQUARIUS

January 21 to February 18

That extra push you need to complete a challenging task can come from Mars.

Meanwhile, Jupiter and Saturn square up and you can say the right words to get yourself back in a work or health opportunity.

It’s important to talk to yourself in positive ways, especially about love, because you deserve happiness.

Get all the latest Aquarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

PISCES

February 19 to March 20

If your usual tactic is waiting and watching, get ready to choose action instead.

You can show you are ready to negotiate, but also set a deadline, in everything from work to love.

You can expect a surge in creative ideas, with the focus on music and art.

This is your week to start expressing yourself in unique ways.

Get all the latest Pisces horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions