Global Pulse

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  • ASX 200 slips as US attacks on Iran spook traders and send oil prices soaring

    ASX 200 slips as US attacks on Iran spook traders and send oil prices soaring

    A three-day consecutive gain for Australia’s domestic sharemarket came to an abrupt end on Tuesday, as renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East upended market forecasts and sent global crude oil prices surging by 2.3% in a single trading session. The sudden shift in sentiment followed conflicting developments in US-Iran diplomacy that left global investors scrambling to adjust their risk positioning.

    The benchmark ASX 200 closed the session down 34.20 points, a 0.39% drop that pushed the index to 8657.80. The downturn began immediately after the opening bell, when news broke of new US military strikes targeting Iranian assets, injecting fresh uncertainty into a region already roiled by ongoing conflict. The broader All Ordinaries index followed a similar trajectory, falling 32.80 points, or 0.37%, to settle at 8882.60. Against this backdrop, the Australian dollar edged slightly higher against the US dollar, hitting 71.67 US cents by market close.

    Oil emerged as the defining volatility driver of the session. Just hours before Australian markets opened, crude prices had fallen overnight after both US and Iranian officials announced a tentative, in-principle peace deal that would reopen the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly 20% of global oil supplies pass daily. That optimistic shift was completely erased, however, following reports of explosions near Bandar Abbas, Iran’s key coastal hub for access to the strait.

    IG market analyst Tony Sycamore explained that the blasts shattered growing market confidence that a breakthrough in US-Iran tensions was finally at hand. “These doubts have emerged just as markets were growing increasingly confident that a breakthrough was imminent, seemingly ignoring the fact that five previous attempts had fallen apart at the eleventh hour,” he noted. By the close of trading, Brent Crude had jumped 2.3% to settle at $US98.34, equal to around $A137.21, erasing all prior losses from the overnight session.

    Nearly all market sectors felt the downward pull of the uncertainty: 10 of the ASX’s 11 core sectors closed the session in negative territory, led by utilities, consumer staples, and Australia’s big four banks. Even the energy sector, which typically rises alongside crude prices, ended the day lower, dragged down by coal producers that reversed the strong gains they posted a day earlier, which had followed a deadly explosion at a major Chinese coal mine that disrupted global supply.

    Utilities were hit particularly hard after the national regulator announced an upcoming cut to retail electricity prices. Origin Energy shares dropped 2.30% to $10.64, while competitor AGL fell 2.79% to $8.70. Among consumer staples, major supermarket chains Woolworths and Coles slipped 0.75% and 0.56% respectively, while Treasury Wine Estates saw shares plummet 3.90% to $4.43.

    Australia’s four largest national banks all posted losses ahead of the release of key domestic inflation data scheduled for Wednesday. Economists forecast that headline annual inflation will rise to 4.4%, while the Reserve Bank of Australia’s preferred trimmed mean inflation measure is expected to come in at 3.4%. Current market pricing suggests slowing inflation growth, paired with last week’s unexpected jump in national unemployment, will give the RBA room to keep the official cash rate on hold at 4.35%. By close, Commonwealth Bank of Australia fell 0.18% to $164.30, Westpac dropped 0.44% to $36.61, National Australia Bank led the big four losses with a 0.76% drop to $37.99, and ANZ slipped 0.31% to $35.66.

    A handful of individual companies posted outsized moves on the day. Market operator ASX Ltd itself suffered its worst single-day performance since 2000, with shares plummeting 13% to an eight-week low of $51.03. Mexican fast food chain Guzman Y Gomez trimmed recent gains, falling 2.22% to $19.42, one day after the company confirmed it would fully exit the US market to focus on its domestic and Asian operations.

    Against the broader market downturn, two companies delivered strong positive gains off the back of promising business updates. Online electronics retailer Kogan soared 18.60% to $4.08 after releasing a mid-financial year update showing gross sales grew 18.2% and total revenue jumped 18.1% over the first 10 months of the fiscal year. Medical device manufacturer Fisher & Paykel Healthcare also rallied sharply, with shares jumping 9.2% to $30.05 after reporting a 24% year-on-year rise in full-year net profits that outperformed market expectations.

  • Essendon star Zach Merrett on Brad Scott sacking, his future at the club

    Essendon star Zach Merrett on Brad Scott sacking, his future at the club

    In a startling revelation that lays bare the messy behind-the-scenes chaos of top-tier Australian rules football, Essendon’s star veteran Zach Merrett has shared that news of head coach Brad Scott’s dismissal reached him via an unexpected source: a random stranger at a neighborhood coffee shop, before the club officially notified its playing group.

    Merrett was quietly drafting training notes over a morning brew at a cafe near Essendon’s headquarters this Tuesday when the unknown patron approached him with the bombshell announcement. While club executives formally confirmed Scott’s termination soon after Merrett arrived at the facility, the six-time best and fairest winner says the unorthodox reveal left him stunned.

    Scott’s departure from the Bombers came after a dismal 12-month stretch that has left the club languishing at the bottom of the AFL ladder. The coach was let go Monday night, following a run that saw Essendon secure just one victory from 24 matches dating back to the middle of the 2025 season. The 2026 campaign has been equally underwhelming, with the side holding a 1-10 win-loss record halfway through the regular season.

    For Merrett, who served as captain for three of Scott’s four years at the helm, the coaching exit is a somber turning point for the club. “It’s always really difficult when you spend four years with someone, anyone, but particularly the head coach,” Merrett explained during an appearance at Sapporo Premium Beer’s 150th birthday celebration at Melbourne’s Rising Festival. “You spend a lot of time together… so it’s a sad moment and I’m more so thinking of him and his family. It’s a pretty stressful role for anyone in that position around the competition, so I hope he’s holding up all right.”

    Merrett’s own future at Essendon has been the subject of intense speculation since the end of the 2025 season, when he stepped down from the captaincy after a failed attempt to engineer a trade to Hawthorn. The club blocked the move, holding Merrett to his existing contract, which keeps him tied to Essendon until the end of the 2027 season. When asked whether Scott’s departure would change his plans long-term, Merrett said it was too early in the process to make any definitive calls.

    “Yeah, it’s probably all so raw right now, I’ll have a bit of time and space to reflect and think through that in the not-so-distant future,” he said. “But for now, to be honest, it’s about getting through the day… gather your thoughts and then make sure the young boys are focused on the game. There’s a game in five days’ time we want to perform in, I want to perform in, so making sure there’s no distractions. That (decision) will happen in time, for now I just feel like I need to hold my end of the bargain, make sure I am trying to lead these young boys through this weird phase.”

    As a seasoned player who has now experienced five separate coaching changes throughout his tenure at Essendon, Merrett is leaning on that experience to steady the young playing group through the transition. He emphasized that players bear responsibility for their own on-field performance regardless of off-field front office decisions.

    “Unfortunately I’ve been through this maybe five times now,” he said. “Not to make excuses, we’re paid to perform as players, we’re not on the board, we’re not there to make those decisions. We need to look after our own backyard so to speak, and perform and play our role. For me, it’s not getting distracted, still training extremely hard, locking in for what you need to do to prepare for a big game on Sunday night. And seeing it as an opportunity to respond and play in a way the fans can hopefully be proud of in the back-end of the year.”

  • 3 killed after passenger van hits an elephant in a Ugandan national park

    3 killed after passenger van hits an elephant in a Ugandan national park

    A devastating collision between a passenger van and a wild elephant at Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda has left three people dead and four others hospitalized with serious injuries, national police confirmed in an official briefing this week.

    The fatal accident unfolded Sunday along a paved roadway that cuts directly through the popular protected wildlife reserve, according to the statement released by police Monday. The vehicle was carrying a group of staff members from the Uganda Revenue Authority, who were en route from a city in northern Uganda back to the country’s capital, Kampala.

    Per the police account, after the van made impact with the elephant, the driver was unable to maintain control of the vehicle, leading to additional devastating damage and casualties. In the wake of the crash, law enforcement has issued a public safety advisory urging all motorists to practice heightened vigilance when traveling through national parks and other designated wildlife protection zones, where unexpected animal crossings remain a persistent risk.

    Graphic footage captured at the crash site shows traumatized survivors trapped in the wrecked van screaming and calling for emergency assistance, while the injured elephant can be seen frantically attempting to stand up in a thicket of brush a short distance from the road. As of Tuesday, authorities have not released a formal update on whether the elephant survived its injuries from the collision.

    While deadly vehicle collisions between passenger vehicles and large wildlife remain uncommon in Uganda’s protected park systems, the incident has brought renewed attention to the growing human-wildlife conflict that conservation organizations have long flagged as a critical challenge. As more infrastructure is built through and around protected habitats to support human travel and economic activity, overlapping spaces for people and wild animals create frequent, often deadly points of conflict that demand targeted policy and safety interventions.

    Conservationists note that balancing the expansion of access to park lands for tourism and local transit with protections for both human communities and resident wildlife remains an ongoing priority for Uganda’s environmental management agencies, as the country works to preserve its rich biodiversity while supporting economic development across the region.

  • Watch: Light drones fall into water after malfunction in Sydney show

    Watch: Light drones fall into water after malfunction in Sydney show

    A technical failure disrupted a highly anticipated winter light display over one of Sydney’s most iconic waterfront spots this week, sending scores of unmanned aerial vehicles crashing into the water below. The incident unfolded at Darling Harbour, a central tourist and recreational hub that draws thousands of visitors annually for seasonal cultural events. Organizers had planned the drone display as a centerpiece of the city’s winter light festival, with the craft programmed to create intricate, glowing patterns across the evening sky for attendees gathered along the shore. Unexpected system errors triggered a widespread malfunction that affected nearly 90 of the drones, causing the unmanned devices to lose stability mid-flight and drop into the harbor. No injuries to bystanders or damage to nearby waterfront infrastructure have been reported in the wake of the incident, local event officials confirmed. Organizers have launched an investigation into the root cause of the malfunction, reviewing pre-flight system checks and in-air operational data to determine what led to the mass failure. The incident has sparked informal discussion among event technologists about safety protocols for large-scale drone light displays, which have grown in popularity as an innovative alternative to traditional fireworks across major cities in recent years.

  • Australia confirms first diphtheria death amid worst outbreak in decades

    Australia confirms first diphtheria death amid worst outbreak in decades

    Australia is confronting its most severe diphtheria outbreak in more than three decades, and health authorities have now confirmed the nation’s first fatality from the vaccine-preventable illness since 2018. The unprecedented spread of the disease, which is concentrated largely in remote Indigenous communities across the country’s north and west, has triggered a national public health response aimed at ramping up vaccination coverage and containing transmission.

    The outbreak first began to emerge in late 2025, with case counts climbing steadily through the start of 2026 before surging sharply in February. By March, Northern Territory (NT) officials formally declared a public health outbreak, with additional cases soon detected in Western Australia (WA), South Australia, and Queensland. As of mid-2026, total confirmed cases across the country have reached 245 – making this the largest national outbreak recorded since 1991.

    On Tuesday, NT Health Minister Steve Edgington announced that autopsy analysis conducted by an overseas laboratory confirmed diphtheria as the cause of a man’s death in April at Royal Darwin Hospital. This marks the first recorded diphtheria death in Australia in eight years, per national public health records.

    Breaking down the geographic distribution of cases, 60% of all 2026 infections have been recorded in the Northern Territory, with Western Australia accounting for another 36% of cases. Just a small handful of additional infections have been confirmed in South Australia and Queensland. Between January 2025 and May 2026, the NT alone documented 163 cases: 48 of the more dangerous respiratory diphtheria strain, and 115 cases of cutaneous diphtheria, which spreads through direct contact with infected skin lesions.

    Notably, WA’s confirmation of two respiratory diphtheria cases in March marked the first time the state has recorded such cases in more than 50 years, underscoring the unusual scope of the current outbreak.

    Diphtheria presents in two distinct forms, both of which are fully vaccine-preventable. Respiratory diphtheria, the deadlier strain, initially causes symptoms including fever, chills, and sore throat, and can progress to life-threatening breathing and swallowing complications. Cutaneous diphtheria, by contrast, typically causes slow-healing sores or ulcers on exposed skin and rarely results in severe illness.

    Australia’s standard national immunization schedule includes five doses of diphtheria vaccine for children between the ages of two months and four years, followed by a booster shot for adolescents between 12 and 13 years. Public health authorities are now urgently urging people in affected communities to ensure their vaccinations are up to date, particularly teenagers and adults who may be due for a booster dose.

    In recent weeks, Australian officials have scaled up emergency vaccination efforts in high-risk regions, and data as of Tuesday shows new case numbers have begun to decline. Since March 30, more than 10,400 vaccine doses have been administered in the NT alone, with pop-up vaccination clinics set up in Darwin, Katherine, and Alice Springs to expand access and raise public awareness of the outbreak.

    “Our government has taken this situation very seriously, and we are working hard to understand the causes and working to contain the situation,” Edgington said in Tuesday’s announcement. NT Health officials emphasized that vaccination remains “the most important measure for preventing, protecting and reducing transmission” of the disease.

    Last week, national Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd formally designated the diphtheria outbreak a communicable disease incident of national significance, triggering a coordinated federal response. The federal government has also committed AU$7.2 million in emergency funding to expand vaccination capacity and boost public health resources in affected communities across the country.

  • ‘Give a damn’: Albanese government lashed as anti-racism framework languishes

    ‘Give a damn’: Albanese government lashed as anti-racism framework languishes

    A fiery partisan clash has erupted in Australian federal parliament over the Albanese government’s prolonged delay in allocating implementation funding for the country’s landmark National Anti-Racism Framework, with a senior Greens senator accusing the ruling Labor government of callous disregard for the daily harms experienced by communities of color across the nation.

    Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi delivered the scathing critique during Tuesday afternoon’s Senate estimates hearing, calling out the government for failing to earmark any funding for the framework’s rollout in the 2026-27 federal budget, more than 19 months after the policy document was formally released. The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) first unveiled the comprehensive framework in November 2024, which outlines 63 targeted actionable recommendations to counter systemic and interpersonal racism across four critical Australian sectors: law, education, healthcare, and media.

    Faruqi emphasized that even the nation’s top racial justice official has repeatedly pushed the federal government for urgent progress. “The Race Discrimination Commissioner has written to the Attorney-General on multiple occasions literally pleading for action on the National Anti-Racism Framework, and yet the only response that even the Race Discrimination Commissioner gets is it is being carefully considered,” Faruqi told the hearing. “But, while you are carefully considering people are being harmed every single day in this country.”

    She directly addressed Labor Senator Nita Green during the heated exchange, stating, “it just seems to me, Minister, that the government really does not give a damn about what people of colour are facing in the community every single day.”

    Green pushed back firmly against Faruqi’s accusations, rejecting the claim that the government is neglecting anti-racism action. She countered that the federal government already provided AHRC with funding to develop the framework in the first place, and is currently taking a deliberate, all-encompassing approach to evaluating the 63 recommendations.

    “It’s not a requirement that the government would respond in the way that other reports require a response,” Green noted. “But, we’re considering those recommendations, and further to that, we’re certainly committed to a holistic response to address racism.”

    Green also pointed to existing government investment in anti-racism initiatives, including funding for AHRC’s Seen and Heard project, and the recent passage of targeted hate speech regulatory reforms, as proof of the government’s ongoing commitment to combating racism. She added that implementation of the framework is not the sole responsibility of the Commonwealth government: the recommendations are designed to be enacted collaboratively by federal authorities, state and territorial governments, and private sector stakeholders.

    Federal officials echoed this stance during the hearing, noting that the government is also integrating consideration of the framework’s recommendations with ongoing work from the Special Envoys for Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, to address overlapping racial justice priorities across all levels of government.

  • Gisèle Pelicot ‘deeply shocked’ by decision not to jail boys in rape case

    Gisèle Pelicot ‘deeply shocked’ by decision not to jail boys in rape case

    A high-profile French rape survivor has spoken out against a controversial UK court decision that spared three teenage boys from custodial sentences for the repeated rape of two underage girls in southern England, calling the outcome a failure of justice for victims of sexual violence.

    The attacks unfolded in two separate incidents in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, between November 2024 and January 2025. Two 14-year-old boys carried out rapes against a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old girl, while a third 13-year-old boy was convicted of aiding and abetting the second assault. In a shocking detail that amplified the gravity of the crimes, the perpetrators recorded video of the attacks and shared the footage across social media platforms. The case has already sparked urgent questions about the responsibility of big tech firms in preventing the spread of abusive content.

    At Southampton Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Rowland handed down Youth Rehabilitation Orders (YROs) rather than custodial placements, arguing that the offenders’ young ages meant avoiding permanent criminalization was a priority. The two 14-year-olds (now 15) received three-year YROs with 180 days of intensive supervision, along with 10-year restraining orders and three-month curfews. The 13-year-old (now 14) was sentenced to an 18-month YRO for his role in the second attack. Judge Rowland acknowledged the extreme severity of the crimes, noting that the recording of the assaults made them even more abhorrent, but stood by his decision to spare the teens from youth detention.

    Following the ruling, the UK Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer announced he would launch a formal review of the sentences, with 28 days to determine if the outcome is unduly lenient and should be referred to the Court of Appeal for reconsideration. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also publicly labeled the case “appalling” and praised the two victims for their “extraordinary bravery” in coming forward amid such heinous circumstances.

    Now, 73-year-old Gisèle Pelicot, a veteran campaigner for sexual assault survivors who became a global symbol of courage after waiving anonymity in France’s largest ever mass rape trial, has spoken out about the UK ruling. In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Pelicot said she was “deeply shocked” that the offenders were allowed to walk free, while their victims carry lifelong trauma that will never fully heal.

    Pelicot’s own experience of abuse made headlines around the world: her husband Dominique Pelicot drugged her into unconsciousness for years and invited dozens of stranger to rape her, in a case that rocked France. Dominique Pelicot was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in prison, and Gisèle Pelicot has since dedicated herself to encouraging other survivors to speak out about their experiences.

    In the Fordingbridge case, one of the victims, now 16, described the non-custodial sentence as like a “rock straight in my face” and a mere “slap on the wrist” for the crimes committed against her. She told the BBC’s *Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg* that she and her family are pushing for the sentences to be changed, questioning why she endured the trauma of reliving the attack during trial if no significant punishment would be imposed.

    Pelicot said she salutes the incredible strength and courage of this victim for choosing to speak publicly about her abuse, adding that she hopes her own high-profile story helped give the young survivor the confidence to come forward. “Rape is a crime and justice has an essential role,” Pelicot said. “It’s there to, in fact, name the crimes, to recognise the suffering of victims, and to remember that in fact they must not remain unpunished.”

    She also called on national governments and large technology companies to step up their efforts to protect survivors of sexual violence, particularly amid the growing trend of perpetrators sharing abusive content of their attacks online that causes ongoing harm to victims long after the initial assault.

  • Knicks reach NBA Finals for first time in 27 years

    Knicks reach NBA Finals for first time in 27 years

    After nearly three decades of waiting, the New York Knicks have officially secured their spot in the NBA Finals, capping off a dominant 130-93 Game 4 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Eastern Conference Finals. The historic win extends the franchise’s all-time playoff winning streak to 11 consecutive games, marking one of the most impressive post-season runs in modern Knicks history.

    In a balanced offensive performance, Karl-Anthony Towns led all New York scorers with a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson, named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, added 15 points to the final tally. For the 29-year-old Brunson, this milestone carries unique personal weight: he was just two years old when the Knicks last made the Finals in 1999, a run that ended with a 4-1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. That 1999 squad included his father Rick Brunson, who now serves as an assistant coach for the current Knicks roster.

    Reflecting on the breakthrough, Brunson credited his team for the collective success: “It means a lot, but I wouldn’t be here without my team-mates, the belief they had in me. They give me the confidence. They let me be me. Most importantly, we all believe in each other from top to bottom. It’s an honour to play with them.”

    Sharpshooter Landry Shamet, who turned in a perfect shooting performance off the bench with 16 points on 4-for-4 three-point shooting, emphasized that the squad has no intention of celebrating early. “We are remaining focused on the larger goal rather than dwelling on our victory over the Cavaliers,” he said. “We’ve got four more wins to try and go get and we know it’s going to be even harder. Being in this position with this team, it’s pretty special.”

    The Knicks’ next challenge will wait for the outcome of the Western Conference Finals, where defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs are deadlocked at two games apiece. Game 5 of that series is scheduled to tip off Tuesday, with tipoff set for 01:30 BST on Wednesday.

    From the opening moments of Game 4 against Cleveland, New York controlled the tempo. The squad closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run, then opened the second quarter with 12 straight unanswered points to build a commanding 50-26 halftime lead. Shamet’s third three-pointer of the night pushed the Knicks advantage to 61-32, and the team never surrendered its momentum, forcing 22 Cleveland turnovers throughout the contest to keep the Cavaliers from mounting a comeback. Donovan Mitchell finished as Cleveland’s top scorer with 31 points in the losing effort.

    If New York can keep its win streak alive and claim the championship, a sweep of the Finals would see the Knicks tie the NBA’s all-time record for consecutive playoff wins: 15 straight victories, a mark set by the 2017 Golden State Warriors. The franchise, which has not claimed an NBA title since 1973, is now just four wins away from lifting its third championship banner.

  • Ibrahim Benbrika, son of terror leader, pleads guilty to robbery and assault of man ‘lured’ to park

    Ibrahim Benbrika, son of terror leader, pleads guilty to robbery and assault of man ‘lured’ to park

    In a sudden development at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, Ibrahim Benbrika – the 26-year-old son of notorious convicted Australian terrorist leader Abdul Nacer Benbrika – entered guilty pleas alongside two co-accused to charges of robbery, common assault, and illegal controlled weapon possession, wrapping up a hearing that had been scheduled to span two days.

    Benbrika’s co-offenders, 24-year-old Michel El-Chikhani and 24-year-old Oways Afaneh, also confirmed their guilty pleas in court before magistrate James FitzGerald. Prosecutor Michael Roper laid out the details of the Crown’s carefully compiled case against the three men, outlining how the elaborate scheme unfolded from September 2024 onward.

    According to Roper’s account, the 43-year-old victim, who had no prior connection to any of the three defendants, initiated conversations on Facebook with a profile operating under the name “Holly”. Over the course of several months, the pair exchanged messages discussing an agreement for sex in exchange for money, eventually arranging a meeting at an isolated Melbourne nature reserve around 11 p.m. on January 24 this year.

    When the victim arrived at the pre-arranged site, he was not met by “Holly”. Instead, Benbrika, El-Chikhani and Afaneh emerged, clad entirely in black and wearing balaclavas to conceal their identities. The trio immediately knocked the victim to the ground, delivering repeated punches and kicks while demanding his mobile phone and cash. Court documents and evidence presented during the hearing detailed particularly threatening moments: Benbrika was captured on video pressing a sheathed knife against the victim’s head, while El-Chikhani held a sharp hunting knife directly to the man’s throat at one point during the attack.

    After subduing the victim, Benbrika dragged him in a headlock back to his own vehicle. There, El-Chikhani used the victim’s own phone to complete an unauthorized bank transfer of $250 to the group. In addition to the stolen cash, the trio also took two of the victim’s mobile phones, his official identity documents, and a portable battery pack before fleeing the scene. The victim managed to flag down a passing motorist for help and was subsequently transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries.

    Roper emphasized the premeditated nature of the attack, telling the court: “This was a planned luring of a victim to a place that they’re alone at night. They are confronted by three armed men and terrorised.” Digital evidence recovered from the defendants’ phones corroborated the prosecution’s account: investigators found Snapchat clips recording segments of the assault stored on both Afaneh and Benbrika’s devices. Another video, recovered from the devices, captures the three men sitting around a kitchen table after the attack discussing their actions, with one referencing the idea of “catching pedophiles”.

    Defense lawyer Veronika Drago, representing Benbrika, told the court that this offhand comment provides critical context for the entire incident, a detail she says was omitted from the prosecution’s initial summary. Drago explained that the “Holly” Facebook profile listed the account holder as an underage minor, leading the three men to frame their actions as a vigilante attempt to apprehend a child predator. “These are three young and very foolish men,” Drago told the court, adding that the ongoing notoriety of Benbrika’s father has cast a shadow over every aspect of her client’s life, from persistent bullying during his school years to his current placement in a protective custody unit while awaiting sentencing.

    Abdul Nacer Benbrika, Ibrahim’s father, is one of Australia’s most high-profile convicted terrorists. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2009 for leading a domestic terror cell plotting attacks both within Australia and abroad. He completed his original custodial sentence in November 2020, but remained in detention under continuing detention orders until his release in December 2023, after serving 18 years total behind bars.

    Despite pushback from the prosecution, magistrate FitzGerald ruled that the case would remain within the jurisdiction of the Magistrates’ Court, rather than being elevated to the higher County Court for a plea hearing. FitzGerald noted that there was insufficient evidence before the court to confirm whether the trio had planned the attack over three months, or only became aware of the planned rendezvous shortly before the meeting. Still, he acknowledged the severity of the offense, calling it a “very aggressive attack on a person in the middle of the night” that must have been terrifying for the victim. All three defendants are scheduled to return to court on Wednesday for a scheduled pre-sentence hearing.

  • Round 13 team lists: Sharks lose Hynes for Manly blockbuster as Blues hopefuls return from injury in time for game two

    Round 13 team lists: Sharks lose Hynes for Manly blockbuster as Blues hopefuls return from injury in time for game two

    Just 48 hours after the opening match of the 2026 State of Origin series, NRL clubs have locked in their Round 13 lineups, delivering a mixed bag of injury updates that have reshaped upcoming fixtures across the league. While most clubs are taking a cautious approach to their representative Origin players, naming them to extended benches for fitness assessments later in the week, multiple teams have landed welcome boosts with key stars cleared to return from long injury layoffs.

    Cronulla Sharks have suffered an early setback ahead of their Friday night clash against the in-form Manly Sea Eagles, with star halfback and former Blues playmaker Nicho Hynes ruled out entirely. Scans conducted earlier this week confirmed a minor calf strain sustained during training, and the club confirmed further testing will be required to confirm the length of his stint on the sidelines. In Hynes’ absence, rookie Niwhai Puru has been named in the coveted number 7 jersey, pairing with Braydon Trindall in the halves for the Sharks. For Manly, the Sea Eagles have kept their own Blues representatives — Haumole Olakau’atu and Tolu Koula — on an extended bench, aligning with the league-wide cautious approach to monitoring Origin players post-series opener.

    The biggest boost of the round goes to the Brisbane Broncos, who have secured the return of superstar prop Payne Haas, who has made a full recovery from a knee injury. The NSW Blues mainstay is now on track to rejoin the state’s pack for the second Origin game, and will take the field for Brisbane this weekend against the St George Illawarra Dragons. Fellow Bronco Brendan Piakura has also earned a spot in the starting back row, with all of the club’s Origin representatives named to back up this weekend. The Dragons, for their part, have welcomed experienced hooker Jacob Liddle back to the squad, naming him on the bench for the Sunday clash.

    Wests Tigers have also earned a significant boost to their lineup ahead of their match against the Canterbury Bulldogs, with multiple key players cleared to return: representative fullback Jahream Bula, hooker Api Koroisau, and promising young centre Heamasi Makasini. Makasini will partner with winger Sunia Turuva in the centres for the Tigers, while Canterbury has retained Jacob Kiraz in the starting fullback role. Regular starting fullback Connor Tracey will join captain Stephen Crichton on the Bulldogs’ extended bench for this round.

    The Parramatta Eels are facing mixed injury fortunes ahead of Round 13: star halfback Mitch Moses remains sidelined with the hamstring strain that already ruled him out of the Origin series opener, but the club has welcomed dynamic fullback Isaiah Iongi back from an extended injury layoff. Long-time Eels prop and club great Junior Paulo recently underwent an arthroscopic procedure to treat a chronic right knee injury he had been playing through for the preceding three weeks, and is expected to make his return to the side in Round 21.

    Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco has been named in the starting fullback spot for the club’s away trip to face Melbourne Storm, with utility Cody Ramsey primed to shift into the role if the Blues star is rested for the round. The Storm will be without back-rower Shawn Blore, who was ruled out after suffering a head knock in training.

    For NSW Blues and Penrith Panthers fans, there is excellent news ahead of Sunday’s top-billed clash against the New Zealand Warriors: star back-rower Liam Martin has been officially cleared to return from injury. All of Penrith’s Origin representatives have been named to an extended bench and will undergo final fitness assessments later in the week. For the Warriors, incoming Dragons playmaker Luke Metcalf has been named in the reserves as he pushes for a return to the active playing lineup. The official NRL shared full details of all Round 13 team lists via social media on May 26, 2026.