Four more charged over alleged murder of Chris Baghsarian
Four more people have been charged over the alleged kidnapping and murder of 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian in Sydney in February.
NSW police have now charged 11 men over the alleged crimes. They say one of the four men charged include the “alleged coordinator”.
Baghsarian was taken from his home in North Ryde on 13 February and his remains were found near a golf club in Pitt Town on 24 February.
Police say he was not the intended target of the kidnapping and was taken in a case of mistaken identity.
A 32-year-old man arrested in February over an unrelated investigation was re-arrested on 8 July and charged with detaining in company with intention to ransom, occasioning actual bodily harm, and murder. He was refused bail and remanded in custody to appear next on 17 July.
Last Thursday a 22 year old man was charged with detaining in company with intention to ransom, occasioning actual bodily harm, and murder.
On Monday morning police arrested a 21 year old man and a 19 year old man and charged them with being “accessory before the fact” to murder. The latter is due to appear in court today.
Key events
Angus Taylor says he criticised One Nation ‘with a heavy heart’
Opposition leader Angus Taylor answered questions earlier about his heavy criticism of One Nation, saying his primary focus remains “attacking a rotten Labor government”.
Taylor took to 2GB this morning, where he was asked about his speech last week in which he warned Australia was in for an “eternity of pain” if One Nation won government.
Taylor said he made those remarks with “a heavy heart”, going on:
90% of that speech, 95% of that speech, was against Labor and how they’re wrecking this country … I know many of the good people I want voting for us have been supporting [One Nation] …
They do not have a plan for the future of this country, they’re a one-person show …
We need a plan and a team that can get this country out of the economic crisis. I firmly believe that Matt Canavan and myself and our teams are the ones who can do that.
Sian Cain
Nolan fans are embarking on epic journeys to see The Odyssey the way he wants them to
Christopher Nolan’s fans are embarking on epic journeys of their own to see his adaptation of The Odyssey in one of the few surviving Imax 1570 cinemas around the world, the Oscar-winning film-maker’s preferred format.
Nolan has long been a champion of Imax 1570 film, the highest-resolution film format in existence. But 1570 is old technology; most cinemas shifted to digital around a decade ago, which means there are now only 41 cinemas in the whole world capable of projecting the format. These include the Imax in Melbourne, Australia.
Now, ahead of The Odyssey’s release this week, Nolan fans are heading down under from places as far flung as Turkey, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany and Los Angeles to watch the film at Imax Melbourne.
Read more:
600 trombonists attempt world record
We wrote about this fun story in the blog yesterday, but now we have some video. More than 600 trombone players attempted a world record for the largest ensemble of the instrument ever.
Take a look:
More on Peter Falconio … police hope new photos will jog memories in long investigation
Northern Territory police have reopened evidence boxes to uncover several previously unseen photographs from the investigation into the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio and attempted abduction of his girlfriend Joanne Lees.
Tuesday is the 25th anniversary of the outback disappearance, which still resonates as one of Australia’s most horrific and culturally defining crimes. It also carries unanswered questions for Falconio’s family.
Images released by police include the orange Kombi van the young couple were travelling in and cuts and grazes sustained by Lees during her ordeal.
In another photograph, evidence markers on the side of a desert highway appear to line a dark red stain on the rough bitumen.
Read more here:
Super funds slow on customer support, mystery shopper test finds
A mystery shopper test of superannuation funds shows the sector has a long way to go to fix systemic customer service shortcomings, a consumer advocacy group says.
But AAP reports the methodology of the study has been slammed by the sector, which claims it is making good progress following a scathing review which found chronic delays in paying out death benefits to members.
The report, released by Super Consumers Australia on Tuesday, found the call centres of 20 major super funds provided inconsistent, unempathetic customer support that often fell short of basic expectations.
The consumer group commissioned Customer Service Benchmarking Australia, a customer experience consultancy, to call funds posing as a prospective customer, a member facing financial hardship, or a family-member of a non-English speaking customer.
The average customer experience score was 49.9%, based on a sample of 1,000 calls. No fund scored above 55%, far short of the 80% “green zone”, which indicates optimal performance for customer experience across sectors.
The Super Members Council criticised the study’s methodology. The mystery shoppers were not actual members of the funds and calls could not progress beyond member verification, which is important for funds to prevent scams and fraud, a spokesperson said.
Petra Stock
Dolphin deaths spike in South Australia after algal bloom decimates food sources
The number of dead dolphins washing up on South Australian beaches spiked in 2025, according to long-term data that reveals mortalities during the state’s devastating algal bloom were the highest in 12 years.
Last year, at least 70 carcasses of common and bottlenose dolphins were found across SA, with a further 20 reported in 2026, including the recent death of a popular Port River dolphin known as Zoom.
Many of those found in Gulf St Vincent, a large marine zone west of Adelaide, which was heavily affected by the bloom, were severely emaciated.
Read more here:
George Miller remembers Sam Neill as ‘comprehensively an amazing person’
Acclaimed director George Miller shared memories of the late Sam Neill, who died yesterday at the age of 78.
Miller told RN Breakfast this morning he was shocked by Neill’s death, saying he had been doing “really, really well”. He went on:
He was such an exemplary human being. We saw him as an actor and we got to know him as an actor. The world did. But what was so amazing about him is that he was comprehensively an amazing person. …
He lived life very, very fully, basically with an enormous amount of wisdom ultimately.
Miller said Neill was passionate about telling stories of and in both New Zealand and Australia.
He was, you know, part of the global industry, but never, never pretended he was from anywhere else. He’s one of those people that at heart, I guess he was a Kiwi, but Australia, he had significant influence on Australian cinema, and globally.
Sydney man charged with murder after 74-year-old man was allegedly assaulted on his morning walk
A Sydney man was charged with murder after the death of a 74-year-old man following an alleged assault in the city’s south-west last weekend.
NSW police said emergency services were called to Yennora amid reports a man had been found unconscious. On arrival, paramedics treated the man, 74, before he was taken to hospital in critical condition. Investigators believe the man was on his regular morning walk before the alleged assault.
He died in hospital on Monday.
After inquiries, police arrested and charged a man, 45, with murder and cause wounding/grievous bodily harm to a person with the intent to murder. He was refused bail and will appear before local court today.
Minister says government waiting to see ‘what happens’ after Trump threat of 20% strait of Hormuz tariff
Kristy McBain, the federal minister for emergency management, said the government is waiting to see “what happens” amid US president Donald Trump’s demand for a 20% tariff on all cargoes shipped through the strait of Hormuz.
McBain said the government was still calling for a deescalation in Iran amid renewed tensions with the US, but said Australia is well placed when it comes to oil reserves after securing increased shipments this year. When asked about Trump’s threatened tariffs, she had this to say to RN Breakfast:
We really need to see some restraint here and constructive engagement to prevent further escalation …
We’ll wait to see what happens here. … We know that there needs to be an agreement that is struck and one that lasts, because otherwise it is Australian households and consumers who ultimately end up paying the price. But we’ll continue to play our part here and continue to call for that de-escalation.
Read more here:
‘It can happen very quickly’: eSafety commissioner says organised crime groups use AI to perpetrate sextortion
Julie Inman Grant, the eSafety commissioner, is detailing the findings in that report, saying the perpetrators of sextortion are generally organised criminal group overseas. She spoke to ABC News this morning, saying:
They do a lot of research. They know who your followers are, who your parents and families might be. They’re increasingly using generative AI to create avatars or personas that are not real people or voice cloning. It can happen very quickly. …
Once you take your clothes off, they capture that and immediately start sextorting you.
Inman Grant said high-pressure tactics are used to “isolate and panic young people” to try to make them pay, which causes severe emotional distress and even suicide. She said:
Sometimes they feel like their life is over. One of the key tips we give them is to disclose, disclose, disclose. You won’t be surprised that it’s an underreported crime.
The eSafety commissioner said the agency is working with social media companies after finding many are overrun by bad actors “literally colonising” their platforms.
Achol Arok
Young men report more ‘sextortion’ than any other age group, Australia’s online safety watchdog says
A new report by Australia’s online safety regulator has found “significant gaps” in how major tech platforms tackle online sexual extortion and child sexual exploitation, as “reports of this abuse continue to rise”.
The findings come from eSafety’s latest transparency report, examining how tech companies – including Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Snap, Discord and WhatsApp – are addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Between July and December 2025, more than 2,000 complaints of sexual extortion were made to eSafety. While men aged 18 to 24 made the most complaints of any cohort, accounting for about 800 reports, younger teens were increasingly being targeted, the regulator said.
Read more here:
More cancer in young people, but survival rates improving
Young people are increasingly being diagnosed with cancers but survival rates are improving, according to the most detailed picture of the disease, Australian Associated Press reports.
Some improvement in cancer outcomes for First Nations people has also been reported in Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data released today.
Though First Nations people are twice as likely to be diagnosed with cancers with low survival rates than other Australians, the number of cases is in decline.
Cancer incidence has dropped from 342 cases per 100,000 people to 315 between 2011 and 2025, while the mortality rate dropped from 148 deaths to 105.
The detailed figures could help better direct healthcare, the Institute’s spokesperson Justin Harvey said.
“This is the most comprehensive cancer data available for First Nations people to date,” Harvey said in a statement.
With a more complete picture of cancer outcomes, alongside more detailed information about geography and socio-economic status, it becomes possible to identify where disparities are greatest and where targeted action can make the biggest difference.
The analysis also confirmed cancer among younger people is on the rise with rates for those in their 30s increasing over the past 25 years, largely driven by more colorectal and thyroid cancers.
Good morning, Nick Visser here to pick up the blog. Let’s dive in.
Four more charged over alleged murder of Chris Baghsarian
Four more people have been charged over the alleged kidnapping and murder of 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian in Sydney in February.
NSW police have now charged 11 men over the alleged crimes. They say one of the four men charged include the “alleged coordinator”.
Baghsarian was taken from his home in North Ryde on 13 February and his remains were found near a golf club in Pitt Town on 24 February.
Police say he was not the intended target of the kidnapping and was taken in a case of mistaken identity.
A 32-year-old man arrested in February over an unrelated investigation was re-arrested on 8 July and charged with detaining in company with intention to ransom, occasioning actual bodily harm, and murder. He was refused bail and remanded in custody to appear next on 17 July.
Last Thursday a 22 year old man was charged with detaining in company with intention to ransom, occasioning actual bodily harm, and murder.
On Monday morning police arrested a 21 year old man and a 19 year old man and charged them with being “accessory before the fact” to murder. The latter is due to appear in court today.
NT police release unseen photos from Peter Falconio murder investigation
Northern Territory police have opened evidence boxes to uncover several previously unseen photographs from the investigation of the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio and attempted abduction of his girlfriend, Joanne Lees.
Tuesday is the 25th anniversary of the infamous outback disappearance.
Bradley John Murdoch was convicted of the 28-year-old’s murder but he died on 15 July 2025 without ever admitting to what he had done or disclosing the location of Falconio’s remains.
The photographs show a stunned looking Lees in the hours after her encounter with Murdoch on a remote part of the Stuart Highway on the fateful evening of 14 July 2001.
Another shows Murdoch as photographed by police, staring back at the camera.
Despite Murdoch being convicted and sentenced to life, the investigation into Falconio’s murder would stay open until his remains were found, the NT police commissioner, Martin Dole, said.
A reward of $500,000 remains on offer for information leading directly to the discovery of Falconio’s remains.
“No piece of information is too small; what may seem insignificant could prove critical in helping investigators finally resolve this case,” Dole said.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
Young people are increasingly being diagnosed with cancers but survival rates are improving, according to the most detailed picture of how the disease affects Australians.
There have been four more charges over the alleged kidnapping and murder of New South Wales man Chris Baghsarian, and NT police have issued a renewed plea for tips before the 25th anniversary of the murder of backpacker Peter Falconio, whose body was never found.
