Global Pulse

作者： admin

  • Israel expands death penalty regime in the occupied West Bank

    Israel expands death penalty regime in the occupied West Bank

    On Sunday, Israel formally activated a controversial new law that mandates the death penalty as the default sentence for Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis in the occupied West Bank, following the signing of a required military order by Central Command Major General Avi Bluth.

    Under the terms of the new regulation, Israeli military courts — the only judicial bodies with jurisdiction over Palestinian residents of the West Bank — are required to hand down death sentences to Palestinians found guilty of murdering Israeli occupation soldiers or civilians. Life imprisonment can only be applied in rare, explicitly defined exceptional circumstances, shifting the entire sentencing framework to favor capital punishment as the standard outcome.

    First approved by Israeli lawmakers in March, the legislation codifies a dual-track legal system that operates exclusively along identity lines in the occupied territory. Israeli citizens and permanent residents living in West Bank settlements fall under the jurisdiction of Israeli civilian courts, and are thus entirely exempt from the new law’s provisions. This separation reinforces a longstanding legal structure that has been widely labeled by human rights groups as an apartheid system.

    The law’s wording further expands its reach to target acts of Palestinian resistance to occupation: one of the criteria for applying the death penalty requires only that the convicted person’s act was intended to “negate the existence of the State of Israel or the authority of the military commander in the area” — a broad standard that human rights advocates say overwhelmingly criminalizes Palestinians opposing Israeli occupation.

    Top Israeli officials have welcomed the activation of the measure, framing it as a critical tool to counter Palestinian resistance. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, celebrated the order as a campaign promise fulfilled. “We promised and we fulfilled,” Ben Gvir said, adding, “we do not capitulate or contain murderous terrorism, we defeat it.” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also endorsed the move.

    The new law has sparked fierce condemnation from Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights organizations, which warn it formalizes systematic discrimination against Palestinians and erases what remains of their basic legal protections. Critics say the policy deepens the already entrenched apartheid-style dual legal regime in the West Bank, where two separate populations live side by side under entirely separate systems of justice.

    Multiple human rights groups have labeled the move a dangerous escalation of Israeli repressive policy in the occupied territories, pointing to a sharp surge in mass arrests of Palestinians on broad, vague security charges in recent months. Since the intensification of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, rights monitors have also documented a steep rise in reports of torture, abuse, and deaths of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody.

    Palestinian prisoners’ rights organizations have described the legislation as an “unprecedented act of savagery,” accusing Israel of codifying state violence against detainees at a time when conditions for Palestinian prisoners have deteriorated dramatically. Even leading Israeli human rights advocacy groups, including Adalah, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, HaMoked, and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, have joined the condemnation, warning the law creates a deliberately “discriminatory punitive framework” that denies Palestinians equal protection under the law and removes legal safeguards against abuse.

  • AFL 2026: Collingwood legend Scott Pendlebury ahead of his record-breaking 433rd game

    AFL 2026: Collingwood legend Scott Pendlebury ahead of his record-breaking 433rd game

    As Collingwood Football Club icon Scott Pendlebury stands on the cusp of breaking the Australian Football League’s all-time games record this Saturday, the veteran midfielder says he is focused on sticking to his usual routine rather than getting swept up in the hype surrounding the unprecedented milestone.

    Pendlebury, who will notch his 433rd AFL appearance this weekend when Collingwood faces West Coast at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground, acknowledged that the weeks-long lead-up to the record-breaking match has disrupted his consistent preparation rhythm. Still, the champion player confirmed he will pause to soak in the moment when he runs onto the ground, a habit he has cultivated throughout his decades-long career and shares as advice with young rising stars.

    “I think one thing I have always done, I appreciate the game for what it is,” Pendlebury told reporters on Monday. “Every week regardless if it’s this week or not, I always take a moment to look around at the stands, find my family, try and say g’day. I always say to the young guys that ever play their first game, one bit of advice from me has got nothing to do with the game because you’re good enough. But when you get out here for the first time, look around, take a moment, just to take it all in because it’s pretty cool you’re achieving your dream. I still like that myself, I still feel like I’m achieving my dream every time I get to come out here.”

    The 400-game club, which includes AFL legends Michael Tuck, Shaun Burgoyne, Brent Harvey, Dustin Fletcher and Kevin Bartlett, will welcome Pendlebury into its elite ranks with an unprecedented new mark when he takes the field Saturday. When asked about the milestone, Pendlebury added that he expects to wander the ground taking in the atmosphere before the match, saying “There will be a part where I come out here and probably look lost or whatever, but I’ll just be wandering and taking it all in.”

    Collingwood has faced public criticism in recent weeks over how it has managed Pendlebury’s milestone schedule. The club rested the star midfielder in two consecutive matches leading up to Saturday’s game, which resulted in a draw against Hawthorn and a one-kick loss to an opponent, leaving fans and analysts questioning the decision to bench their leader for those contests. But Pendlebury has thrown his full support behind the club’s planned timeline, noting he was never likely to play against the Hawks even without the milestone context.

    “It’s an interesting one, we planned out at the start of the year a schedule to manage me for the whole season,” Pendlebury explained. “I’ve spoken about this before, but we’ve taken the long view of getting through the whole season. I certainly didn’t plan to have an achilles injury round 3 or 4. There was no chance, it was funny, I think I seen somewhere that I was moving well before the Hawthorn game. If you had of seen my GPS and top speed, you would probably run faster than me that day. I am comfortable with where it sits and I am really looking forward to Saturday.”

    The milestone match will see Pendlebury wear a special gold number on his Collingwood guernsey to mark the historic occasion, with thousands of fans expected to pack the MCG to witness the record-breaking moment.

  • Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives in the Netherlands

    Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives in the Netherlands

    In a conclusion to a high-stakes global health scare that triggered alerts across international public health networks, the cruise ship impacted by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has finally entered the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands to undergo full professional disinfection. The MV Hondius, operated by Dutch tour firm Oceanwide Expeditions, docked at Rotterdam on Monday morning carrying only 25 crew members and two on-board medical staff, after all passengers had been disembarked at previous stops across the Atlantic.

    Witnessed by an Associated Press reporter on-site, people on the vessel’s deck were all wearing face coverings as the cruise ship was guided into port by a tugboat and a Dutch police escort vessel. Dutch health authorities have confirmed that all crew members will begin mandatory quarantine immediately after the ship docks.

    The outbreak, which marks the first confirmed hantavirus incident on a commercial cruise ship, has claimed three passenger lives to date, including a Dutch couple that public health investigators trace as the first index cases, who were believed to have contracted the virus during a pre-cruise visit to South America. In total, the outbreak has been linked to at least 11 suspected infections, nine of which have received official laboratory confirmation.

    After passengers began showing symptomatic infections, the ship sailed for six days from the Canary Islands, where all remaining passengers were escorted off the vessel by medical teams in full-body personal protective equipment. Passengers were then placed on repatriation flights to more than 20 different countries, where they entered mandatory quarantine to prevent further community spread. As of the latest updates, 18 American passengers remain under active observation in specialized U.S. healthcare facilities equipped to manage high-risk infectious diseases, while Canada’s Public Health Agency has already confirmed one positive hantavirus case among the four Canadian repatriated passengers from the ship.

    According to Oceanwide Expeditions, none of the 25 crew and two medical staff remaining on the voyage to Rotterdam have developed any symptoms of hantavirus infection. The Dutch Ministry of Health noted last week that crew members who cannot arrange immediate repatriation to their home countries will complete their quarantine period within the Netherlands. Around two dozen passengers and crew from the vessel have already entered quarantine in the Netherlands after arriving on repatriation flights over the past two weeks.

    Once all personnel have disembarked the MV Hondius, the vessel will undergo a full decontamination process following strict Dutch national public health protocols. In a written update to the Dutch parliament, the ministry explained that specialized protective measures have been planned for cleaning teams to eliminate any risk of infection, meaning disinfection staff will not be required to enter quarantine after completing their work. Public health officials will conduct a full inspection of the vessel before it is cleared to resume commercial sailings.

    Genomic sequencing conducted by France’s Pasteur Institute, completed on a sample taken from an infected French passenger, confirmed that the virus detected is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which is already known to circulate in South America. Researchers found no evidence of new mutations that would increase the virus’s transmissibility between humans or make it more dangerous than known circulating strains.

    Despite the fatal outbreak, the Dutch company that owns the MV Hondius has stated it does not expect to make any changes to its scheduled operations. The vessel is still slated to depart on an Arctic cruise from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29, following inspection and decontamination.

  • India’s strategic $9 bn megaport plan for pristine island

    India’s strategic $9 bn megaport plan for pristine island

    Deep in the Andaman Sea, bulldozers have begun clearing old-growth rainforest on Great Nicobar Island, clearing ground for one of India’s most ambitious and controversial infrastructure initiatives ever conceived: a $9 billion megaport, new airport networks, dual-use military installations, and an entirely new planned city. Positioned just off the Strait of Malacca, the global shipping lane that carries roughly 30% of annual world trade, the project is the cornerstone of New Delhi’s efforts to counter China’s growing influence across the Indian Ocean, while transforming the remote archipelago into a major Indo-Pacific connectivity hub. From a geostrategic perspective, the location is unmatched: Great Nicobar sits less than 175 kilometers from Indonesia, far closer to Southeast Asia than any site on India’s mainland. Prime Minister Narendra Modi framed the initiative in September as a project of national, defense, and strategic importance that will reposition the region as a linchpin for maritime and air connectivity across the Indian Ocean.

    The full scope of the plan extends far beyond the $4 billion first phase, which will deliver a deep-water container port at Galathea Bay and an airport at Campbell Bay, scheduled for completion within three years. Once fully operational, the port will handle more than 20 million twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo, earning it a place among India’s three largest container terminals. Devendra Kumar Joshi, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands governor and a former Indian navy admiral, projects the facility could eventually compete with Singapore and Malaysia’s Port Klang to become the leading container handling hub for the entire Indo-Pacific. Across the 836-island archipelago, plans call for expanding existing naval and air infrastructure, including two new airports and upgraded 3-kilometer runways capable of handling heavy military cargo aircraft. All new and updated runways will be dual-use, serving both civilian and military operations, with one upgraded runway on Car Nicobar already inaugurated by India’s Chief of Defence Staff in January. Most details of the military component of the project remain classified, but security analysts frame Great Nicobar’s location as a game-changer for Indian defense posture. New Delhi-based security expert Nitin Gokhale describes the island as “India’s unsinkable aircraft carrier,” noting that its position creates a permanent strategic advantage by allowing India to monitor activity across the region, a capability that redefines India’s security paradigm in the Indo-Pacific. The project is explicitly aligned with India’s Act East policy, designed to counter China’s so-called “string of pearls” strategy of developing port and military infrastructure across the Indian Ocean to secure its own economic and strategic interests.

    Indian officials have repeatedly pushed back against criticism, emphasizing that the project meets all national environmental regulations and includes dedicated protected zones to safeguard Indigenous communities, unique wildlife, and fragile ecosystems. India’s top environmental court ruled in 2023 that it found no justifiable reason to block the project, specifically noting its strategic importance in countering Chinese influence. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has insisted the initiative “poses no threat to the island’s tribal groups, does not come in the way of any species, and does not jeopardise the eco-sensitivity of the region.”

    But the massive development has sparked fierce pushback from environmentalists, Indigenous leaders, and local residents, who warn that the costs far outweigh any potential economic or strategic benefits. Roughly 95% of Great Nicobar’s 910 square kilometers is undisturbed, biologically under-explored old-growth forest home to dozens of endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. The project will require clearing nearly 20% of the island’s total land area. Most alarming to rights groups is the threat to Great Nicobar’s Indigenous populations, which total around 1,200 people including the hunter-gatherer Shompen people—one of the most isolated communities on the planet, who almost entirely avoid contact with outsiders—and the Nicobarese. London-based rights organization Survival International has warned that the project threatens “genocide in the name of ‘mega-development’” for these communities.

    Critics also dismiss the government’s environmental mitigation plan, which proposes replanting deforestation offsets thousands of kilometers away in the northern Indian state of Haryana. Manish Chandi, a researcher who has worked extensively with Indigenous communities on Great Nicobar, called the offset plan “nonsense”, noting “We are removing crocodiles from their natural habitat, and saying we are going to conserve them.” Chandi also questioned the economic rationale of the massive investment, saying there is no clear roadmap for recovering the $9 billion price tag. Beyond the port and military infrastructure, the plan includes a 161-square-kilometer new planned city, a combined gas and solar power plant, and large-scale tourism development. Current projections show the island’s population jumping from just 9,000 today to more than 335,000 by 2055, with annual tourist arrivals reaching 1 million by the same date.

    Indigenous leaders warn that the project will erase millennia-old traditional cultures that are deeply tied to the island’s land. “If we lose control of these lands, our culture too will be lost,” said Barnabas Manju, the most senior Nicobarese leader. Even mainland Indian settlers who have lived on the island for generations oppose the plan, many facing displacement without fair compensation. Sharda Devi, a 55-year-old daughter of one of the first mainland settlers who moved to Great Nicobar in 1969, told AFP the government will seize 11 acres of land allocated to her father without offering replacement land or adequate payment. Her neighbor Kusum Mishra, 71, who arrived on the island 50 years ago, called the offered compensation “petty”, saying “they are uprooting us and destroying our lives.”

    Hundreds of kilometers north on Little Andaman, the ripple effects of the broader development push are already being felt, as the government prepares for the “next developmental thrust” after Great Nicobar, per Governor Joshi. The Onge community, one of the archipelago’s most vulnerable Indigenous groups, numbers just 143 surviving members today. Many still maintain their traditional way of life, fishing in intact coral reefs and hunting in protected forest lands, but a growing number of young community members are engaging with the outside world, drawn by new opportunities. Last year, local police began recruiting more than 500 young Indigenous people from across the archipelago to serve as police homeguards, framing the initiative as a way to create local opportunity while leveraging their intimate knowledge of the islands. Raja, one of the first Onge recruits, said his steady salary has inspired other young community members to join, drawn by the chance to travel beyond their isolated villages and see the wider world. His friend Jhaj, another Onge recruit, recently made a major methamphetamine seizure of seven kilograms, catching drug traffickers who operate along the Andaman Sea route from Myanmar. Ashish Biswas, who works for the government-backed Indigenous advocacy group Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti, said the development brings both risks and opportunities. “These developments point to better things on the horizon,” he said, pointing to growing interest in education among young Indigenous people following the example of Jhaj and Raja.

  • Ultra Tune boss Sean Buckley accuses ex-girlfriend Jennifer Cruz Cole of blackmail in private prosecution

    Ultra Tune boss Sean Buckley accuses ex-girlfriend Jennifer Cruz Cole of blackmail in private prosecution

    A high-profile Australian automotive industry leader has launched a rare private criminal prosecution against his former model girlfriend, alleging a series of targeted blackmail attempts that saw her demand as much as $16 million or an engagement to suppress damaging audio recordings.

    Sean Buckley, executive chairman of national car service and roadside assistance provider Ultra Tune, has brought five formal blackmail charges against Jennifer Cruz Cole, his ex-partner and the mother of one of his children, which were officially filed with Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this Monday. Martin Amad, Buckley’s own solicitor, is leading the prosecution in the case, a unique arrangement permitted under Australian private prosecution rules that allow private citizens to initiate criminal proceedings instead of state law enforcement agencies.

    Cole, who previously worked as one of Ultra Tune’s well-known “rubber girl” promotional models, appeared in court in person following the service of charges on April 12. She was not required to enter a plea at this early procedural hearing.

    Court documents outline that between October 2019 and December 2020, when the former couple’s relationship was coming to an acrimonious end, Cole made five separate “unwarranted demands with menaces” against Buckley. The court ordered Buckley’s name be redacted from public charge sheets. The first charge details an October 2019 demand for $10 million, with a threat to damage the unnamed victim’s reputation via the high-rating current affairs program *A Current Affair*. The most serious allegation dates to late 2020, when Cole is accused of demanding either $16 million or a formal engagement agreement in exchange for withholding “reputationally damaging” audio recordings of the victim.

    Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge confirmed during the preliminary hearing that the severity of the charges means the case will eventually be transferred to the higher County Court for trial, a process that requires the state Director of Public Prosecutions to formally approve and sign the indictment.

    Cole’s legal team, led by barrister David Hancock, requested an interim gag order to temporarily block media from reporting case details, but the magistrate rejected the application, ruling a media ban would not be appropriate in this matter.

    This prosecution is the latest in a string of overlapping legal disputes between the former couple, who dated from 2017 until their split in December 2020. Buckley and Ultra Tune currently have an ongoing civil claim before the Supreme Court against Cole, centered on her alleged publication of a secretly recorded conversation between the two that took place in a Crown hotel room in early 2020.

    In a separate prior criminal matter, allegations that Buckley stalked, secretly recorded, and assaulted Cole in 2020 were dismissed by Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last August, four years after the claims were first filed. Buckley’s legal team has long maintained the allegations were a deliberate set-up by Cole.

    Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Amad confirmed Buckley’s decision to pursue a private prosecution was a choice he was legally entitled to make, and that the case would proceed through the courts according to due process. Hancock has stated he will not make any public comments on the matter at this stage. The case is scheduled to return to Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for a further procedural hearing on August 10.

  • A reversal in oil prices helps stock markets worldwide to steady

    A reversal in oil prices helps stock markets worldwide to steady

    Global financial markets regained a measure of calm on Monday, following a turbulent overnight session marked by sharp swings in crude oil prices fueled by escalating geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran. After a dramatic spike that sent Brent crude as high as $112 per barrel overnight, oil prices retreated by Monday morning, easing mounting pressure on bond markets and limiting steep losses for equities across the globe.

    Geopolitical uncertainty in the Persian Gulf has been the key driver of recent oil volatility, as the ongoing conflict with Iran has trapped dozens of oil tankers in the region, disrupting global crude supplies and pushing prices far above pre-war levels of roughly $70 per barrel. The spike was amplified Sunday after former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a threatening public statement to Iran on his social media platform, warning “the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.” By mid-morning Monday, however, crude prices pulled back, with Brent crude settling at $107.84 per barrel, a 1.3% drop from Friday’s close, as markets held out fragile hope for a negotiated deal that would reopen global oil flows. Even with the retreat, prices remain more than 50% higher than they were before the conflict broke out.

    The pullback in oil helped reverse early losses for European equities, which had tumbled at the opening of trading. France’s CAC 40 index swung from an early 1.2% loss to close up 0.3% by the end of the session. Most Asian markets had already closed for the day before the oil retreat, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 finishing 1% lower and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index down 1.1%. On Wall Street, trading remained muted in early morning action. The S&P 500 edged down 0.1%, holding just below the all-time high it set the previous week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 64 points, or 0.2%, at 9:35 a.m. Eastern Time, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.1% and stayed near its own recent record high.

    The recent weeks’ biggest market shifts have played out in global bond markets, where rapidly climbing yields have put intense pressure on economies and equity markets worldwide. Higher yields push up borrowing costs for households and businesses, a dynamic U.S. homebuyers have already experienced through sharply elevated mortgage rates. For the tech sector, higher interest rates also threaten to derail the massive capital spending plans for artificial intelligence infrastructure that have driven much of U.S. economic growth in recent quarters, as building large-scale AI data centers requires billions in borrowed capital.

    Oil price volatility has been the top contributor to rising bond yields, as markets fear sustained high crude will keep inflation elevated longer than expected. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield edged down to 4.58% on Monday, down just one basis point from Friday’s close and well below the 4.63% peak it hit during overnight oil’s peak. Meanwhile, the 10-year Japanese government bond yield climbed toward levels not seen since the late 1990s, part of a global trend of rising yields driven by inflation fears. Analysts note that persistent high inflation could force major central banks to not only delay planned interest rate cuts but also consider additional rate hikes — a move that would tame inflation but at the cost of slowing economic growth and dragging down asset prices. Strong recent U.S. economic data and growing concerns over the U.S. federal government’s expanding debt load have also put additional upward pressure on yields.

    A handful of individual stocks posted notable moves on Monday driven by corporate news. Dominion Energy jumped 10.5% after NextEra Energy announced it would acquire the company in an all-stock deal that will create the world’s largest regulated electric utility by market capitalization. NextEra Energy fell 4.4% following the announcement. Boston Scientific gained 2% after confirming it would accelerate its share repurchase program, spending an extra $2 billion to reach $5 billion in total buybacks by the end of June, a move that directly returns capital to investors and lifts per-share earnings. Delta Air Lines rose 2.1%, lifted both by lower oil prices and news that Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s famed value investment firm, had purchased more than $2.6 billion in additional Delta stock.

    Geopolitical risks remain top of mind for investors, after a drone strike targeted the United Arab Emirates’ only nuclear power plant on Sunday. The attack sparked a small fire on the facility’s perimeter but caused no injuries or radiological leaks, though it underscored the fragility of the current ceasefire and the risk of a broader regional escalation.

    This week is packed with high-stakes corporate earnings reports that will give markets more clarity on the health of key sectors. The most anticipated release comes from chip giant Nvidia, which is set to report quarterly results on Wednesday. The company has consistently beaten analyst expectations in recent quarters and forecast stronger AI-driven growth than Wall Street projected, and a continued strong performance will be needed to keep the AI-led stock rally on track. Major retail giants including Target, Home Depot, and Walmart will also release their latest quarterly results throughout the week, offering insights into the state of U.S. consumer spending.

  • No new funding under Albanese’s affordable housing scheme in 2026-27, inquiry told

    No new funding under Albanese’s affordable housing scheme in 2026-27, inquiry told

    Australia’s deepening national housing affordability crisis has hit a new stumbling block, with the Albanese government’s cornerstone social and affordable housing initiative falling well behind its initial delivery timeline, a recent Senate inquiry has heard.

    Launched as a signature policy to address growing intergenerational housing inequality, the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) was designed to deliver 40,000 new social and affordable homes over five years starting in 2022, with completion targeted by mid-2029. The fund operates as a dedicated investment vehicle, issuing grants and low-interest loans to community housing providers and developers to deliver housing accessible to low-income and vulnerable households.

    Scott Langford, chief executive of Housing Australia, the government body overseeing the scheme, outlined the latest delivery progress to the Senate inquiry on Monday. As of the latest update, only 1,432 homes across the country have been completed – just over 3.5% of the total 40,000 target. Of those finished homes, 979 were completed in the current 2025-26 financial year, and 670 were classified as turnkey projects, where developers complete construction before handover to funding recipients. Langford confirmed that the agency does not directly purchase existing homes, but he was unable to immediately provide a breakdown of how many completed units were refurbished existing properties rather than entirely new builds, saying he would release full data at a later date.

    The most significant delay confirmed during the hearing involves the third round of HAFF funding, which opened for applications from industry and community groups in January this year. Langford told the inquiry that contracting for this round of funding has “slipped” from its original timeline, with contracts no longer expected to be finalized before the end of the current financial year. Despite the delay, Langford emphasized that all funding for round 3 will be fully allocated by the 2026-27 financial year, adding that the extended timeline will actually give the agency more time to assess proposals and ensure projects have sufficient runway for delivery.

    When pressed on whether the delay would put the overall 40,000-home target at risk, Langford maintained that Housing Australia remains fully committed to hitting the target by 2029. “We are coming towards the end of the second year of a five-year delivery window, and with funding commitments to be made in the second half of this financial year, we see a clear pathway to completion of all those projects,” he said, noting that the delay would not have a material impact on overall delivery and is actually a suitable adjustment to keep the project on track. To date, funding has already been contracted for 18,650 homes across the first two rounds of the scheme.

    The latest update on HAFF comes as Australia faces intensifying public and political pressure to tackle the country’s decade-long housing affordability crisis, which has pushed home ownership far out of reach for millions of would-be buyers and driven record rental prices. The Albanese government has positioned HAFF as its core policy to boost housing supply, and recently expanded its housing agenda with new proposed reforms to capital gains tax (CGT) and negative gearing, aimed at curbing excessive investor activity and freeing up more stock for first-home buyers.

    The conservative Coalition opposition has taken a sharply different approach to the housing crisis, promising to scrap both the planned CGT and negative gearing reforms and abolish the HAFF entirely if elected. Instead, the opposition has proposed cutting planning red tape to speed up construction and adjusting migration intake levels to be tied directly to the number of new housing completions each year.

    Advocacy groups have offered mixed reactions to the government’s recent policy changes. Maiy Azize, national spokesperson for the housing campaign group Everybody’s Home, told the inquiry that her organization is broadly supportive of the proposed CGT and negative gearing changes. She noted that the reforms are not retrospective, a key win for policy stability, but added that they do not grandfather new investments, which will help deliver long-term change to the market. Azize described CGT reform as the most impactful of the proposed changes, but raised questions about whether the adjustments will be enough to shift investor behaviour after 25 years of the existing policy framework becoming entrenched in Australia’s property market. “There is a strong case to be made for doing more on negative gearing,” Azize said, pointing out that the current changes heavily protect existing investors and leave room for further reform to free up more housing stock for owner-occupiers.

  • What to Stream: John Krasinski, ‘Ladies First,’ Rod Stewart, Brooke Shields and a ‘Lego Batman’ game

    What to Stream: John Krasinski, ‘Ladies First,’ Rod Stewart, Brooke Shields and a ‘Lego Batman’ game

    As streaming platforms continue to flood audiences with new content every week, Associated Press entertainment writers have curated a handpicked selection of the most notable new films, series, music releases, and video games hitting digital platforms between May 18 and 24. From long-awaited franchise returns to genre-bending original stories, this week’s lineup offers something for every type of viewer and gamer.

    ## New Films Premiering This Week
    Four years after wrapping up his hit Amazon Prime Video series adaptation of Tom Clancy’s iconic spy franchise, John Krasinski is pulling the CIA analyst’s suit back on for the new standalone feature *Jack Ryan: Ghost War*, premiering Wednesday on Prime Video. Marking the sixth theatrical/streaming entry and third overall reboot of the decades-long Jack Ryan franchise, the new film also brings back fan-favorite series regulars Wendell Pierce, Michael Kelly, and Betty Gabriel to round out the core cast.

    Over on Netflix, the sharp gender satire *Ladies First* debuts Friday, May 22, headlined by Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike. Cohen steps into the role of an unapologetic chauvinist who wakes up one morning to find himself trapped in a parallel reality where women hold all the social and political power. The supporting cast is packed with acclaimed talent, including Charles Dance, Emily Mortimer, and Richard E. Grant.

    Hulu is adding Oscar-nominated animated fantasy *Arco* to its lineup this Friday, May 22. A vivid, rainbow-hued French time-travel adventure, the film follows 12-year-old Arco, who lives in the distant year 2932, only to accidentally warp back to 2072. There, he befriends a young girl growing up in a world reshaped by extreme climate disaster, where robots handle most child-rearing duties. In an earlier assessment, AP film critics praised the feature as a whimsical, dreamlike parable that “directly confronts ecological apocalypse and yet still finds a thrillingly optimistic note to end on.”

    Quentin Tarantino’s unified cut of his two-part revenge epic, *Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair*, makes its streaming debut Friday, May 22 on Peacock. The reworked film merges *Kill Bill Vol. 1* and *Kill Bill Vol. 2* into a single continuous narrative, adding a previously cut 7.5-minute animated sequence that was omitted from the original standalone releases after the project was split in two back in the early 2000s.

    ## New Music Releases to Stream
    With the Grammy Awards set to move their annual broadcast to ABC starting next year, CBS and the Recording Academy are celebrating one last collaboration this week with *Forever Young: A Grammy Salute to Rod Stewart*, a two-hour television special airing Tuesday on CBS. Blending live concert performances, intimate new interviews, and never-before-seen archival and behind-the-scenes footage, the special is a must-watch for any fan of the iconic British rock star. Paramount+ Premium subscribers can stream the special live or on-demand the same day, while those on the Essential tier will be able to watch it starting Wednesday.

    Acclaimed British singer-songwriter Maisie Peters expands her discography this week with the release of her new folk-pop album *Florescence*, out Friday. Peters, known for her sharp, intimate storytelling, leans into themes of new love across the album’s tracklist, creating a warm, relatable soundtrack that will appeal both to long-time fans and new listeners drawn to melodic, heartfelt pop.

    Indie rock duo Lowertown — made up of Atlanta-born, New York-based collaborators Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg — release their most polished and compelling work to date this Friday with *Ugly Duckling Union*, out via their own Summer Shade Records. Early in their career, the pair built a following as a lo-fi bedroom pop act heavily influenced by indie cult hero Alex G, signed to Dirty Hit Records, the label behind The 1975. The new record finds the duo refining their sound: hook-driven tracks like the standout love song “I Like You A Lot” trade scrappy lo-fi edges for catchy, accessible melodies, while experimental cuts like “Big Thumb” lean into stream-of-consciousness folk-jazz arrangements featuring harmonica and 12-string guitar. Narrative tracks like “Worst Friend” play to the pair’s chemistry, with Osby and Weinberg trading verses to amp up emotional impact. The release is already being tipped as one of the best indie rock records of 2024.

    ## New Streaming Series to Watch
    Acorn TV’s new six-episode murder mystery *You’re Killing Me* premieres Monday, starring Brooke Shields as a beloved novelist who teams up with a true crime podcaster to unravel a small-town killing.

    Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany leads the new Apple TV+ original *Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed*, which drops its first two episodes Wednesday. Maslany plays a recently divorced woman down on her luck who witnesses a violent crime unfold in real time over a webcam feed, with Jake Johnson of *New Girl* fame co-starring as her ex-husband.

    *Stranger Things* creators the Duffer Brothers are stepping into a new genre as executive producers for Netflix’s *The Boroughs*, debuting Thursday. Leaving behind the teen-focused supernatural drama of their hit Netflix series, the Duffer Brothers’ new project centers on a very different group of heroes: residents of a quiet, picturesque retirement community who band together when monstrous threats emerge in their small town. The star-studded cast includes Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, and Denis O’Hare.

    Lena Waithe’s beloved Chicago-set drama *The Chi* returns for its eighth and final season this Friday, May 22 on Paramount+. The long-running coming-of-age series has followed a group of residents on Chicago’s South Side for nearly a decade, exploring how they navigate systemic racism, community violence, and the fight to build better lives for themselves and their families.

    ## New Video Games to Play This Week
    The most ambitious Lego Batman title ever made, *Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight*, launches Friday, May 22 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Developed by TT Games, a studio long known for balancing playful humor with heartfelt love for the DC franchise, the new release acts as a full career retrospective for the Caped Crusader, pulling inspiration from 80 years of Batman comics, films, and television shows. Players will face off against classic Batman villains including the Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, and Bane, and can even team up with a friend in co-op mode to play as Robin, Batgirl, or Catwoman. The open-world version of Gotham City built for the game is the studio’s largest and most detailed to date.

    Nintendo’s iconic dinosaur hero Yoshi headlines a new family-friendly adventure for the Switch 2, *Yoshi and the Mysterious Book*, launching Thursday. The game kicks off when Yoshi stumbles upon a talking encyclopedia named Mr. E, where every two-page spread opens into a brand new explorable world for Yoshi to bounce through. Staying true to classic Yoshi gameplay, the hero can swallow enemies with his long tongue and carry friendly creatures on his back to borrow their unique abilities. While the game is designed specifically for younger players, the vibrant, lush animation style is sure to appeal to adult players as well.

    Microsoft’s open-world racing franchise *Forza Horizon 6* hits Xbox Series X/S and PC this Tuesday, bringing the beloved series to Japan, one of the world’s most iconic destinations for car culture. The new entry features a diverse range of terrain, from winding mountain roads and coastal coastal trails to the neon-lit city streets of Tokyo. Beyond hundreds of on-road and off-road races, players can complete side activities including stunt challenges, food delivery missions, and collectible hunts for fast-food mascots — even a surprise giant robot encounter is hidden across the map. With 550 real-world licensed cars available to collect and upgrade, completionists will have dozens of hours of content to enjoy filling out their garages.

  • ASX falls to seven-week low, miners and industrials main draggers

    ASX falls to seven-week low, miners and industrials main draggers

    A sharp downturn has dragged Australia’s benchmark sharemarket to its lowest point in seven weeks, driven by skyrocketing global crude oil prices that have punished oil-reliant industries and triggered widespread selloffs across multiple blue-chip and mid-cap stocks on Monday.

    The S&P/ASX 200 closed the trading session at 8,505.3 points, marking a 1.45% drop that was twice as steep as pre-market futures had forecast. Out of the benchmark index’s 11 industry sectors, only energy managed to end the day in positive territory, while materials and industrial firms recorded the largest losses. The broader All Ordinaries index followed a similar trajectory, falling 1.52% for the day.

    Multiple individual stocks suffered dramatic single-day declines, driven by company-specific challenges alongside broader market headwinds. Pallet and supply chain giant Brambles led the blue-chip losses, plummeting 20.2% after issuing an $84 million revenue downgrade. The company disclosed that widespread labor shortages have left it unable to repair and refurbish pallets to the strict specifications required for automated robotic handling systems – robots cannot accommodate splintered, chipped, or bent pallets, disrupting Brambles’ core CHEP operations. Brambles is the latest in a string of major Australian blue chips, including Cochlear, Commonwealth Bank, and CSL, to see major selloffs in recent weeks.

    Other notable losers included Singapore-based telco holding company Tuas, which collapsed 62.8% after Singaporean authorities blocked a planned acquisition and revealed one of the firm’s local subsidiaries may have been illegally using unapproved radio frequencies. Agribusiness wholesaler Elders dropped 22.9% following the release of its half-year results, where the company reaffirmed that elevated diesel prices would continue to hit its bottom line. While high wool and livestock prices and favorable growing conditions in South Australia and Victoria have offset some losses, Elders is still grappling with severe drought and reduced crop yields in northern New South Wales, with diesel costs showing no signs of easing.

    The oil price surge that shook market sentiment on Monday saw Brent crude climb above $110 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crossed the $107 per barrel threshold. This rally delivered clear gains to domestic energy producers: Woodside Energy rose 2.9%, Santos added 2.7%, Beach Energy gained 2.7%, and Viva Energy closed up 1.3%.

    In contrast, 36 of Australia’s 40 largest mining firms dropped by at least 1.3% on the day. BHP fell 2.8%, Fortescue Metals Group declined 2.9%, Rio Tinto slid 3.6%, and Northern Star Resources shed nearly 2.5%. Rising bond yields and persistent inflation concerns also weighed heavily on gold-focused mining equities, with Newmont dropping 4.2% and Greatland Resources falling 5.9%. The lone gainer among the 40 largest miners was Lynas Rare Earths, which rose 5.5% after federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers ordered Chinese shareholders to divest their holdings in rare earth miner Northern Minerals, clearing a path for increased market access for Australian producers.

    Justin Lin, a strategist at Global X ETFs, noted that the ASX materials sector has actually outperformed financials for nine consecutive months (excluding volatility tied to geopolitical tensions around Iran), marking the longest streak of relative outperformance in more than two decades. This run has been fueled by a range of tailwinds, including a low post-pandemic base, Western-led supply chain restructuring away from China, and surging global demand for critical minerals used in semiconductor manufacturing. “Smart money has clocked this trend for a while now,” Lin explained. “Due to the significant overweight position of financials within the domestic index, the road ahead for Australian equities could still prove challenging, even with materials acting as a ballast against weakening conditions in the local economy.”

    The Australian dollar also saw extreme volatility in May, completing what Westpac currency analysts described as a “full round trip” that erased almost 1.4 US cents of earlier gains. After trading comfortably above the US$0.72 mark for much of the month, the currency suffered a bruising pullback to end last week. Westpac analysts noted in a research note that the ongoing global bond selloff is now clearly spilling over into risk-sensitive assets, leaving the Australian dollar facing a packed week of market events with significant uncertainty to price in.

  • ‘Everest Man’ and ‘Mountain Queen’ break own records scaling world’s tallest peak

    ‘Everest Man’ and ‘Mountain Queen’ break own records scaling world’s tallest peak

    Two legendary Nepali Sherpa climbers have etched their names into mountaineering history once again, shattering their own world records for the most successful ascents of Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth at 8,849 meters above sea level.

    Fifty-six-year-old Kami Rita Sherpa, globally celebrated by the nickname “Everest Man”, notched his 32nd summit of the iconic peak on Sunday while working as a guide for commercial expedition group 14 Peaks Expedition. This achievement extends his unrivaled status as the mountaineer with the most Everest summits in history. Born into a multi-generational climbing family in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district, the region that hosts Mount Everest’s southern approach, Kami Rita first stood atop Everest in 1994. He has returned to the peak almost every year since, even summiting twice in some single climbing seasons. He first claimed the outright world record for most Everest ascents in 2018, when he reached the peak for the 22nd time, breaking a shared record he had held with two other veteran Nepali Sherpa climbers, both of whom have since retired from high-altitude expeditions.

    On the exact same day that Kami Rita set his new record, 52-year-old Lakpa Sherpa, known widely as the “Mountain Queen”, also broke her own existing record for the most Everest summits by a female climber, logging her 11th successful ascent of the mountain. Lakpa made history of her own back in 2000, when she became the first Nepali woman to both summit Everest and complete a safe descent back to base camp. Her extraordinary life, which includes her decades of high-altitude climbing and her experience raising children as a single mother, was the focus of a 2023 documentary that shares her “Mountain Queen” nickname.

    The record-breaking feats come amid what is already the busiest climbing season in Everest’s modern history. Nepal’s tourism department has issued a record-high number of climbing permits to foreign aspirants hoping to reach the peak this year, totaling almost 500. Unlike foreign climbers, Nepali guide staff do not need individual permits to join expeditions, meaning the total number of people attempting the ascent this year is far higher than the permit count alone.

    The busy season has been accompanied by unanticipated disruptions that have raised widespread safety concerns among the climbing community. A large unstable chunk of glacial ice broke off and blocked the traditional route from Nepal’s Base Camp to the upper slopes of the mountain earlier in the season, creating significant delays in opening the route for climbing. Many observers have warned that the combination of delayed route opening and an unprecedented number of climbers could lead to dangerous “traffic jams” in the high-altitude death zone near the summit, where prolonged exposure to low oxygen and freezing temperatures can quickly become fatal.

    Nepali official and political leaders have already issued public praise for the two record-setting climbers. Nepal’s Department of Tourism congratulated the pair on their “historic achievement”, and Prime Minister Balendra Shah also shared his congratulations via the social platform X. “Such historic success can only be achieved through unwavering courage, rigorous self-discipline, and honest dedication to one’s work,” Shah wrote of the pair’s accomplishment.