Category Archives: headline

‘ISIS brides’ on slavery charges will remain behind bars

A pair of Islamic State-linked women charged with slavery offences will remain behind bars after postponing their bid for freedom.

Kawsar Ahmad, 53, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, had flagged plans to seek release into the community, but today before the Melbourne Magistrates Court there were no bail applications submitted.

The duo were among a larger group of women and children who returned to Australia amid chaotic airport scenes after languishing in a Syrian refugee camp for years.

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A combined image shows (left) a court sketch depicting Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, during her bail application in Melbourne, Friday, May 8, 2026 and (right) a court sketch depicting Zeinab Ahmad during her bail application in Melbourne.

They were led into the courtroom filled with reporters, with the elder Ahmad donning a light brown hijab while the younger woman wore a pink and white head covering.

They sat in the dock flanked by custody officers, smiling and looking at the courtroom crowd, which included supporters, throughout the proceeding.

While their bid for conditional freedom stalled today, lawyers for Zeinab have flagged a new bail application on June 4 and 5.

Kawsar's bid will be heard a fortnight later on June 16 and 17.

Both have been charged with several crimes against humanity and slavery offences allegedly committed in Syria.

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Kawsar Ahmad, one of two women linked to alleged Islamic State Jihadists, is seen inside a prison van while entering Melbourne Magistrates Court ahead of their bail application, which was later withdrawn, on May 11, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. Two women accused of slavery-related offences after returning from a Syrian refugee camp have applied to be released on bail. (Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Detectives allege Kawsar Ahmad, also known as Abbas, travelled to the region with her husband and children in 2014.

They allege she was complicit in buying a female slave for $US10,000, and knowingly kept the woman in her home.

She has been charged with enslavement, possessing a slave, using a slave and slave trading.

Charge sheets released by the court allege the 53-year-old enslaved, possessed and used the slave in Mayadin, Hajin, Gharanji, Bahra, Abu Hamam, Walaa and other places in the Deir ez-Zu province of Syria between June 2017 and November 2018.

It is alleged the younger Ahmad had also knowingly kept a female slave in her Syrian home, with police charging her with enslavement and using a slave offences over the same period.

A so-called ISIS bride is escorted into custody by federal officers.The two women, from a larger group who returned to Australia from Syria, were remanded in custody.

The document stated the pair's conduct was "committed intentionally or knowingly as part of a widespread or systemic attack directed against a civil population".

Police said the pair were detained by Kurdish forces in 2019 and held with other family members in Al Roj Internally Displaced Persons camp.

They are among three returnees charged following an almost decade-long investigation, which began after the women travelled to the Middle East with their partners, who allegedly intended to fight for Islamic State.

A third woman, 32-year-old Janai Safar, who flew into Sydney, was arrested and charged with entering a prohibited area and being a member of a terrorist organisation.

She was denied bail due to the seriousness of the charges and will return before the court in July.

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‘Very decomposed’ body found next to ute in manhunt for alleged triple killer

Warning: This article contains the name and image of Indigenous people who have died.

A decomposed body believed to be that of accused murderer Julian Ingram has been found beside an abandoned ute in a remote NSW national park, bringing a months-long hunt for the state's most wanted man to an end.

National Parks and Wildlife staff found the ute this afternoon in Central West NSW, months after Ingram allegedly murdered his heavily pregnant ex-partner Sophie Quinn, 25, her friend John Harris, 32, and aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, in Lake Cargelligo.

Loved ones were rocked by the discovery but said they could now finally grieve.

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Julian Ingram

Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said the discovery was a relief for officers who'd been involved in a major manhunt for the accused killer but particularly for the affected families.

"For the last four months, the strike forces involved in … the manhunt for Julian Ingram, have not given up," he said. 

"There's been hundreds of police involved. 

"Obviously, it's a relief for them to find this body – again, yet to be confirmed as Julian Ingram – but the main thing is, it brings closure to this investigation, it brings closure to the people of Lake Cargelligo and gives some solace to the town so they can relax."

While police had not officially confirmed the body was Ingram, they do believe it is him; it was found in his clothes next to the white Ford Ranger he was last seen fleeing the town in, and his licence was inside the vehicle.

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Police said the 37-year-old was last seen driving a dual cab Ford Ranger utility with the NSW registration DM-07-GZ.

Holland said the body was found in a "very decomposed" state but didn't give a specific estimate for when the man may have died, saying only it "appears to have been there for some time".

He did not confirm whether the weapon was the same alleged to have been used in the shooting or whether the man was believed to have died by suicide.

Police said NPWS workers carrying out feral animal eradication found the vehicle about 3.40pm today in Round Hill Nature Reserve, roughly 100 kilometres north-east of Lake Cargelligo.

Ingram, 37, had been on the run since the January 22 shooting.

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Lake Cargelligo shootings

He allegedly killed his pregnant former partner, Sophie Quinn, and her friend John Harris, then moving on to Sophie's Auntie Nerida, killing her and shooting Kaleb Macqueen, 19, the only victim to survive.

"I heard boom, boom. I seen her – she was holding her neck, and then he was laughing," Macqueen told 9News in January.

Sophie's mother, Cathy Quinn, called Ingram "gutless".

"We still grieving but justice will be served," she told 9News.

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John Harris was shot dead alongside Sophie Quinn.

Her sister, Tegan, said it was "about time they found him".

"We can grieve but now it feels so real and it's only has hit me now," she said.

The shooting devastated the tiny town and rattled the entire state.

Last month, police said Ingram was seen on the side of a road two days after the alleged murders.

Sophie's aunt Nerida was also shot dead.

At the time they said they believed he was receiving help from the public to evade capture but it's not clear how that would fit in with the decomposed state of the body.

In March, police offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

The coroner will now be charged with confirming how the man died and when.

If the body is confirmed to be Ingram, everything leading up to the killing will also be investigated, including why the repeated domestic violence offender was out on bail.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).

Banks were quick to pass on rate hikes – just not for savers

When the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised the cash rate target last Tuesday, the major banks were swift to announce their plans to pass on the hike to borrowers.

But the same cannot be said for most customers who hold savings accounts with the banks, with many still waiting to hear if they can expect a higher return on their deposits.

The official cash rate target is now at the same level of 4.35 per cent it was sitting at last February, before the RBA embarked on its brief easing cycle, in a further blow for borrowers already weary from surging inflation.

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Credit card from the big four banks: ANZ, CBA, NAB and Westpac.

All four major banks will start passing on the higher interest rates to borrowers from this Friday, May 15, in changes announced within hours of the RBA's announcement.

But so far, Westpac is the only one of the Big Four to confirm its changes to savings accounts.

It will pass on the full interest rate hike to some savings accounts – but only savers between the ages of 18 and 34 who meet the monthly bonus conditions are eligible.

The move means Westpac will have the highest ongoing savings rate in the country at 5.75 per cent on its Spend&Save account, for those who qualify.

However, the bank isn't passing on the interest rate hike to the base rate on this account, so those who miss the bonus criteria in any given month won't benefit.

AMP has already passed the May interest rate hike onto savers from today, meaning it currently has the highest "no strings attached" savings rate of 5.10 per cent.

This puts it ahead of rival Macquarie Bank, which is increasing its condition-free account to an ongoing rate of 5.00 per cent – but not until next Friday, May 22.

The Commonwealth Bank, NAB and ANZ have all stated that their savings rates are under review.

If previous rate hikes are a guide, the banks will likely follow Westpac in only partially passing on the rate hikes to savers or with strict conditions which force savers to go through hoops to get the full benefit.

READ MORE: 'ISIS brides' on slavery charges will remain behind bars

Macquarie Bank in the Sydney CBD.

Following the March rate hike, bonus saver accounts increased by 0.28 percentage points on average but the base rate scarcely moved at all, nudging up just 0.01 per cent, a Canstar analysis found.

Two out of five Australians with a "bonus" savings account fails to jump through the necessary hoops to get the maximum interest rate every month, according to Canstar.

More than one in ten never meet the criteria.

Delaying passing rate hikes on to savers or only partially passing these on with strict conditions helps raise banks' bottom lines.

Last year, the big four banks' profits rose to a collective $43 billion pre-tax, $16.9 billion of which was paid by owner-occupiers with a mortgage.

A new analysis by the Australia Institute has found the banks have joined mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP as the top six most profitable companies in Australia.

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The quick task experts say could slash your power bills this winter

Australians are rationing their own comfort to survive the cold, with nearly nine in 10 households cutting back on heaters and hot water to stay afloat.

New research from Compare the Market reveals 87.4 per cent of Australians are actively taking steps to slash electricity costs as households brace for another expensive winter.

Turning appliances off at the wall was the most common measure, used by more than half of those surveyed.

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Millions of Victorians offered free electricity during the day

46.8 per cent said they were reducing their use of heaters or air conditioners, while 44.1 per cent had switched to energy-efficient light bulbs.

Another 23.2 per cent said they were taking shorter showers or cutting back on hot water use.

Compare the Market economic director David Koch said households were trying everything they could to keep bills manageable.

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Worried mature man reading power cut notification letternews,  holding heating bill, He is confused and astonished by unbelievable news: high bill tax invoice, debt notification, bad financial report, money problem

"Before we see anyone shivering through winter by switching off heating or taking cold showers, one effective bill buster is ensuring you're on the cheapest energy plan to begin with," he said.

He stressed that many Australians were still missing out on critical savings by failing to compare providers.

"The number of people I've met who complain about high bills but haven't compared their plan in more than a year is astounding," he said.

"It takes just a few minutes to compare. And hot tip: check your latest bill for a better bill offer message."

A consumer points to her electricity bill from Griddy energy on an app showing her energy cost of $3114.27.

Only 9.3 per cent have switched providers, even though ACCC data reveals a staggering 73.3 per cent are currently overpaying on the wrong plan.

The findings come ahead of the upcoming default market offer and Victorian default offer announcements, which help set electricity pricing benchmarks ahead of July 1.

They act as pricing indicators for electricity costs and can influence the wider market, with retailers often adjusting their own plans in response.

The amount of physical cash circulating in Australia is at a near-record high.

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Pregnant paramedic punched in the stomach after saving patient’s life

An exhausted Victorian ambulance fleet is pleading for an end to violence against frontline workers after a pregnant paramedic was punched in the face and stomach by a patient.

Paramedics were waiting to offload a female patient, who they had revived after she suffered a drug overdose, at The Austin Hospital in Melbourne's north on Monday when the woman lashed out and attacked the Ambulance Victoria employee.

Sally was kicked in the head and stomach despite telling the patient-turned-attacker she was 12 weeks pregnant.

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Ambulance Victoria chief executive Jordan Emery.

Sally continued to treat the woman for another 40 minutes until another crew could take over, because there were no hospital beds available.

The paramedic and her unborn child are okay but she is now too fearful to get back on the road.

"Her desire had been to continue working for many more months on-road, but she's had to make the decision for her own health and the health of her unborn child to come off-road because we just can't guarantee her safety," Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill said.

The attack came weeks after another unprovoked attack on Ambulance Victoria staff, where a paramedic was stabbed in the neck and face by a man while waiting for a coffee. That alleged attacker has been charged with attempted murder.

"This is not the only assault that's happened since our colleague Sam was stabbed in the face and neck just under two weeks ago," Ambulance Victoria chief executive Jordan Emery said.

"In fact, over the last week one of my paramedics has been bitten, another one has been shoved, another paramedic has had scissors pulled on them.

"What it reflects is an ongoing and appalling pattern of violence towards paramedics and first responders who go about providing care to Victorians in their time of need each and every day."

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The pregnant paramedic was punched in the face and stomach.

The sickening attacks have prompted Ambulance Victoria to support their staff in refusing care when patients become violent.

"If my people are not safe, we will withdraw care. It is the only safe option for my people," Emery said.

"If their lives are in danger we cannot help you or your loved ones and we plead for Victorians to take action now and stop this appalling pattern of violence towards our people."

The ambulance union is encouraging staff to report incidents to police.

"I'm glad that Ambulance Victoria has backed our call that anytime a paramedic fears for their safety they're able to leave the scene," Hill said.

"But that's just a horrible decision to have to make.

"Nobody wants to be in that situation where they have to choose between their own safety and treating their patient, but sadly that's where we're at.

"If you threaten our members, you are threatening the care your loved one receives."

Victorian Emergency Services Minister Harriet Shing called attacks on frontline workers "disgraceful".

"We're continuing to work alongside the Ambulance Workers' Union and I'm continuing to work alongside Ambulance Victoria to identify what we can do to further safeguard the safety of our paramedics," Shing said.

"We've made changes to the law to ensure that emergency services are able to access safer systems of work and that there are harsher penalties that apply to anyone that causes harm to an emergency service worker."

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