Danger man Travis Head crunched his fourth century in as many Tests at Adelaide Oval Friday as Australia built a 356-run lead over England to stand on the brink of retaining the Ashes.

The hosts were 271-4 at stumps on day three of the third Test with Head on 142 and first-innings century-maker Alex Carey not out 52, taking the five-match series out of England’s reach.

England must win after crashing inside two days at the first Test in Perth and inside four in Brisbane, both by eight wickets.

But it appears to be an impossible task with the highest run chase at the ground 316 by Australia against England in 1902.

Head’s crucial ton, his 11th, came off a composed 146 balls although he almost didn’t get there, dropped on 99 by Harry Brook as impatience got the better of him.

He has now scored a century in four consecutive Tests on his home ground, following 140 against India last year and 119 and 175 against the West Indies.

Australia suffered an early setback in a tense 20 minutes before lunch after England were all out for 286 on the back of Ben Stokes’ gritty 83 in response to Australia’s first innings 371.

Bryson Carse trapped Jake Weatherald lbw for one and he walked without reviewing after the umpire lifted his finger, although replays showed the ball was pitching outside leg stump.

It gave England a glimmer of hope, but after the break Head slammed the door shut, cutting and chopping boundaries to all corners of the ground.

Marnus Labuschagne went for 13 when he edged Josh Tongue to Harry Brook at slip, with reviews showing it carried.

Usman Khawaja, who hit a defiant 82 in the first innings after his last-minute call-up for the ill Steve Smith, was a perfect foil for the more aggressive Head.

But on 40 he was undone by the spin of Will Jacks, caught behind, and Cameron Green followed soon after for seven, edging Tongue to Brook.

After getting through the nervous 90s, Head finally brought up his century with a four off Joe Root, taking off his helmet and kissing the turf before pumping his fists.

While not in the same vein as his match-winning 69-ball century in Perth, it was a critical knock, supported by Carey and aided by Stokes not bowling after his exploits with the bat.

Gutsy Stokes

After a woeful batting display on Thursday, Stokes and Jofra Archer kept England’s dreams alive with a stirring 106-run ninth-wicket stand.

They resumed at 213-8 in muggy conditions with Stokes not out 45 and Archer on 30.

Stokes, who suffered leg cramps and dehydration during his gutsy rearguard action in sweltering 40 Celsius heat on Thursday, brought up his slowest ever 50 in Tests, off 159 balls.

England’s Ben Stokes (L) and Jofra Archer run between the wickets on the third day of the third Ashes cricket Test match between Australia and England at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide on December 19, 2025. — AFP
He kept plugging away but finally fell when Mitchell Starc took the new ball and bowled him, with Stokes one of the few players who showed the fight he had demanded before the game.

Archer was another, ably helping his captain.

The fast bowler was the last man out when caught by Labuschagne off Scott Boland for 51 — his highest Test score and a maiden half-century Boland ended with 3-45 while Pat Cummins took 3-69 in his first Test since July.

England’s woes began when openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, along with the under-performing Ollie Pope, departed in a 15-ball blitz on Thursday at the hands of Cummins and Nathan Lyon.

Harry Brook showed some resistance with 45, but the Australian attack was relentless.

PARIS: Next year promises trips around the Moon, footballing spectacles and a battle for control of the US Congress.

Here are five big events to watch out for in 2026.

Climate: Will the world act?

The world is already experiencing record heat — and things are likely to get hotter in 2026.

Last year was the warmest on record, but the UN says there is an 80% chance that at least one year will be even hotter by 2029.

How will nations react? COP30 in Brazil recently showed that multilateralism in climate action is not dead, despite the US boycott and geopolitical conflicts.

“2026 must be the year in which international climate diplomacy reinvents itself,” said Rebecca Thissen, from Climate Action Network.

“COPs are not an end in themselves but a high point in an international political agenda that desperately needs to get on the same page,” she added.

A close eye will be kept on how many countries respond to Colombia´s invitation to the first international conference on phasing out fossil fuels in April.

Aleksandar Rankovic, director of The Common Initiative think tank, was disappointed by COP30’s outcome and wondered if the “Gen Z-led rebellions that have emerged worldwide will start fighting for climate as well” in 2026.

Biggest football World Cup

The biggest World Cup in history will see 48 countries competing in the United States, Canada and Mexico, under the gaze of President Donald Trump.

The most-watched sports event in the world will unfold over nearly six weeks, from June 11 to July 19, with the US providing 11 of the 16 venues.

US President Donald Trump’s tensions with the co-hosts over tariffs and immigration could make for a politically charged competition.

On the pitch, a richly talented French squad led by Kylian Mbappe will be determined to make up for their defeat to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the 2022 final in Qatar, but Spain also have high hopes.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be 41 when the tournament kicks off, has said his sixth World Cup will be his last, and he would dearly like to crown his career with a first global title for Portugal.

Cape Verde, Uzbekistan and the tiny island nation of Curacao are among the countries appearing for the first time.

Fans could face eye-watering costs for the most popular games due to Fifa’s use of dynamic ticket pricing.

Gaza, Israel, Netanyahu’s future

US pressure led to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that came into force on October 10, after two years of war.

The truce is proving highly fragile, and Trump’s peace plan for the Gaza Strip leaves many points unresolved, such as future stages of the Israeli army’s withdrawal, reconstruction of the Palestinian territory and its future governance.

By formally endorsing Trump´s plan, the UN Security Council laid the groundwork for the deployment of an international force in Gaza that, fundamentally, neither Israel nor Hamas wants.

The Palestinian group refuses to disarm under the conditions set by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is threatening to resume fighting if the Gaza Strip cannot be demilitarised through diplomacy.

Now 76, Netanyahu intends to run again in the elections due to be held no later than November 2026.

His multi-party coalition, which now holds just 60 of 120 seats in parliament, remains fragile.

A broad majority of Israelis want to see Netanyahu held accountable for the failures that led to the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war in Gaza.

A relative majority also oppose him receiving the presidential pardon he requested at the end of November in a bid to rid himself of his long-running corruption trials.

Netanyahu might therefore be tempted to pursue the military option against Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon to keep his far-right allies on board, and secure the total victory he has promised Israelis.

Control of US Congress

As voters brace for the 2026 US midterm elections, the stakes could hardly be higher — for Trump, Congress and the nation.

Trump isn’t on the ballot, but a strong Republican showing would validate his authority beyond the White House.

But if his favoured candidates fail to perform, it could expose cracks in his movement and complicate any succession plan.

Republican control of Congress, meanwhile, is hanging by a thread.

Razor-thin majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate hinge on defending constituencies with vulnerable incumbents in battlegrounds like Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio.

With no checkbox marked “Trump” on the ballot, the president is having to pull out all the stops to make sure his supporters turn out en masse.

Democrats see and opportunity, especially as the party of the incumbent typically loses seats in midterms.

Forecasts suggest Republicans could struggle to hold the House, and Democrats are also targeting four Senate seats needed to take control.

While full Republican control would let Trump cement his legacy, Democratic control in either chamber would slow his agenda and likely entangle his administration in investigations.

Astronauts around the Moon

Politicians and enthusiasts dream of the day when people will walk on the Moon again.

Although it’s unlikely to happen next year, Nasa is planning a crewed mission to fly around the Earth’s satellite — the much-delayed Artemis II is scheduled for lift-off by April at the latest.

It would be a huge step towards Americans once again setting foot on the lunar surface, a goal announced by Trump in his first term.

China aims to land on the Moon by 2030 and is also making progress.

Its Chang’e 7 mission is expected to be launched in 2026 for an exploration of the Moon’s south pole, and testing of its crewed spacecraft Mengzhou is also set to go ahead next year.

India, which landed a robot on the Moon in 2023, is another country with emerging space exploration ambitions, planning to send an astronaut into orbit in 2027.

SYDNEY:  A man credited with saving lives for wrestling a gun from one of the alleged attackers during a mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach received a cheque for more than A$2.5 million ($1.65 million) on Friday, after tens of thousands of people contributed to a donation website.

Ahmed al Ahmed hid behind parked cars before charging at one of the gunmen from behind, seizing his weapon and knocking him to the ground. Ahmed suffered gunshot wounds after apparently being fired on by a second perpetrator and remains in hospital after undergoing surgery.

Ahmed, a Muslim father-of-two, was presented with an oversized cheque at his St George hospital bed by Zachery Dereniowski, a social media influencer and co-organiser of the GoFundMe page, videos posted online showed.

More than 43,000 people worldwide contributed to the fundraising, including billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman who gave A$99,999 and shared the fundraiser on his X account. Australia’s prime minister and the state premier have visited Ahmed in hospital to praise his bravery.

When handed the cheque, Ahmed asks, “I deserve it?” to which Dereniowski says “every penny”, the video shows.

When asked what he would say to the people who donated, Ahmed said: “To stand with each other, all human beings. And forget everything bad … and keep going to save life.”

“When I saved the people I [did it] from the heart because it was a nice day, everyone enjoying celebrating, with their kids, women, men, teenagers, everyone was happy and they deserve, they deserve to enjoy,” Ahmed said, raising his uninjured fist in the air.

“This country [is the] best country in the world, but we’re not going to stand and keep watching — enough is enough. God protect Australia. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.” The tobacco store owner did not say what he planned to do with the money.

Ahmed, 43, left his hometown in Syria’s northwest province of Idlib nearly 20 years ago to seek work in Australia.

As many as 15 people were killed and dozens wounded on Sunday after two gunmen opened fire at people celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights at the famous beach.

Authorities allege a 50-year-old father, who was shot dead by police, and his 24-year-old son, who was critically wounded, carried out the attack.