The Daily Brief

1Starship makes orbit but engine trouble cuts the victory lap short

SpaceX's Starship reached orbit for the first time yesterday and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, although engine trouble cut short a planned six-orbit flight.

9 mastheads, 5 newsrooms reported this

2David Shoebridge named new Greens leader in hotly contested ballot

David Shoebridge has been announced as the new leader of the Greens, with Steph Hodgins-May as deputy.

8 mastheads, 5 newsrooms reported this · New South Wales

3Missing Australian human rights activist charged in Vietnam

Vietnamese authorities have charged an Australian human rights activist and two other people over an alleged plot to carry out terrorist activities in the South-East Asian country.

8 mastheads, 5 newsrooms reported this · Melbourne, VIC

4Tran Hiep: Missing Aussie activist’s wife breaks silence on allegations

The wife of an Australian human rights activist missing in Cambodia has rubbished claims her husband planned terrorist activities in Vietnam after he was charged by authorities.

8 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this · Melbourne, VIC

5NSW man accused of murdering neighbour – and then murdering his relative two weeks later

Det Supt Joe Doueihi on Wednesday said the alleged murder victims were related. Police alleged the neighbour was responsible for both murders.

8 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this · New South Wales · heavy

6Petrol but no explosives found in suspect vehicles near UK air base

UK counterterrorism police say they found petrol but no explosives in suspect vehicles close to RAF Fairford.

8 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this · United Kingdom

Brisbane roar back to seal three-peat and break Fremantle hearts in AFL grand final classic

Wharfie Time backfires as Lions kick four goals in final four minutes. The Brisbane Lions secured a third-straight AFL premiership, defeating Fremantle 14.12 to 12.17 at the MCG.

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this · Brisbane, QLD

Stawell Gift winner Olufemi Komolafe stripped of title after positive ADHD drug test

A drug scandal has affected the Stawell Gift, with this year’s winner stripped of his title after testing positive to an ADHD medication.

7 mastheads, 3 newsrooms reported this · Adelaide, SA

Police allege mother stabbed three children in Blue Mountains leaving one child dead

Bystanders found all four on the side of the road at Valley Heights on Sunday with stabbing injuries.

8 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this · New South Wales · heavy

Double murder-accused Beau Lamarre-Condon acted in 'self defence', court told

Former Sydney police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon will argue he acted in self defence on the day he is accused of murdering Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this · Sydney, NSW · heavy

NSW cop Beau Lamarre-Condon disguised himself as Uber Eats rider before alleged murders, court hears

The 31-year-old former police officer has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder as his trial begins in Sydney’s supreme court.

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this · Sydney, NSW · heavy

Swimmer killed in shark attack off Australian west coast

A swimmer has been killed in a shark attack at a beach in Perth, on the west coast of Australia, police have said.

8 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this · Perth, WA · heavy

Leaked IPO docs: Anthropic tempts investors with existential risk warning

After a pitch to investors, Anthropic has laid bare its challenges in becoming anything like a profitable.

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this

OpenAI apologises for breaching Medicare-linked government website

OpenAI has publicly apologised to Australians after revealing one of its experimental AI models gained unauthorised access to a Medicare-linked government statistics portal and other public sector systems during internal.

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this

ABC finance journalist Alan Kohler to retire after three decades as Jim Chalmers says he will be ‘really missed’

Financial journalist Alan Kohler, a familiar face on the ABC’s 7pm news bulletin, will retire in December after three decades as the public broadcaster’s highly-respected financial guru.

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this

RBA hikes rates to 15-year high amid rising energy costs — as it happened

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this

RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank raises cash rate to highest level in 15 years and warns of more hikes ‘if needed’

The Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted its interest rate to 4.6%, its highest level since 2011, while warning of further hikes.

7 mastheads, 3 newsrooms reported this

Manchester City found guilty in Premier League's biggest scandal

An independent panel has found City guilty of almost all 115 charges against it, covering a nine-year period in which the Abu Dhabi-backed team changed the landscape of the richest.

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this

Lions fans celebrate Brisbane AFL premiership with players in Fitzroy

Brisbane players and supporters have packed Melbourne bars overnight to celebrate the Lions' last-minute win over the Dockers in the 2026 AFL grand final.

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this · Brisbane, QLD

Standing room only at AFL Grand Final parade

The threat of rain did little to deter footy fans from swarming Melbourne Park, as the AFL Grand Final parade rolled past the MCG.

7 mastheads, 3 newsrooms reported this · Melbourne, VIC

Greens leader Larissa Waters steps down due to illness

Senator Larissa Waters has announced she is standing down as Greens leader due to ill health.

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this

Albanese launches bid for UN security council seat and names former Murdoch aide to top diplomatic post

Anthony Albanese launched a formal bid for Australia to serve a two-year term on the UN security council in 2029 and 2030.

7 mastheads, 4 newsrooms reported this