Damian Botherway had since rid himself of his compulsion to watch porn.

Protesters have tried to block a bus taking the Iranian women's football team from their hotel on the Gold Coast to the airport and out of Australia after five members of the side who escaped their handlers were granted asylum by the federal government.

Members of the team appeared to pull one player towards the bus as the team left the RACV Royal Pines Resort this afternoon.

As the bus made its way out of the hotel, supporters stood in the vehicle's path and chanted "save our girls".

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Police attempted to move the group on before the bus eventually travelled to the airport with a police escort.

The development comes after five Iranian players were granted asylum after they escaped their handlers at a Gold Coast hotel with assistance from the Australian Federal Police.

The women, who are now under police protection, fear persecution if they return home after being labelled traitors for not singing the national anthem at the Asian Cup in Queensland.

This morning, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he met the women and had approved their application for humanitarian visas overnight.

"During the course of yesterday, it was made clear there were five women who wanted to stay in Australia," he said.

"They were moved to a safe location by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and last night I met with them at that location.

"I signed off last night for their applications to … be here."

He says the offer to remain in Australia is open to other team members.

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An AFP spokesperson confirmed federal police have provided assistance to Home Affairs over the past 72 hours.

"The AFP has long and enduring relationships with the Iranian diaspora through the AFP's Community Liaison Teams," the spokesperson said.

"The AFP acknowledges the community leaders, not-for-profit groups and ordinary Australians for their assistance and advocacy in this matter.

"The AFP will not be making further comment at this stage."

'I cried, this is amazing, amazing news'

Although only five of the team's players had been able to escape, it was initially hoped more would join them, Iranian Society of Queensland vice president Hadi Karimi told 9news.com.au.

"It was amazing, mate," Karimi said after it emerged that the five women were free.

"I cried, this is amazing, amazing news."

Karimi could not say how the five women had escaped from their hotel last night but said he hoped more of the players would be able to join them in the coming hours – although that appears less likely now with the team on its way out of Australia.

READ MORE: Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new Supreme Leader?

https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2031014184419197259

The five who were being protected by police were Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi, Karimi said.

"[They] have left the team's training camp and successfully sought refuge in Australia," he said in a post on Instagram.

"These five courageous athletes, currently in a safe location, have announced that they have joined Iran's national Lion and Sun Revolution."

Karimi said a group of volunteers would remain at the hotel throughout the night, ready to help if any other of the players managed to leave.

Concerns had grown for the footballers since Sunday night when it was claimed at least one of the women made "a sign for help" as the team bus left Gold Coast Stadium after their Asian Cup campaign ended.

More than 50,000 people have signed a petition urging the Australian government to step in.

Earlier on Monday, Professional Footballers Australia boss Beau Busch said efforts to speak to Iranian players had been in vain.

"The reality at the moment is that we're unable to get in touch with the players," Busch told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"That's incredibly concerning, that's not a new thing, that's really been since the repression really dialled up in this – sort of February, January etc.

"So we're really concerned about the players, but our responsibility right now is to do everything within our power to try and make sure that they're safe."

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong would not comment over the weekend on the specific cases of the women seeking asylum.

"We know this regime has brutally murdered many of its own people. We know this regime has brutally oppressed many Iranian women and we stand in solidarity with the men and women of Iran and particularly Iranian women and girls," she said.

"I don't want to get into commentary about the Iranian women's team."

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Iran has launched fresh attacks on Persian Gulf countries as it kept up pressure on the Middle East in a war that has sent oil prices surging and stunned global economies, while also insisting it will determine when the conflict ends.

Incoming missile sirens sounded early in the morning in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and in Bahrain, while Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region, and Kuwait's National Guard said it had shot down six drones.

In addition to firing missiles and drones at Israel and at American bases in the region, Iran has also been targeting energy infrastructure, which, combined with its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, has sent oil prices soaring.

READ MORE: Attempt to block bus with Iranian footballers on board after teammates get asylum

Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to nearly $US120 ($169) a barrel yesterday before falling back, but was still at around $US90 a barrel today, nearly 24 per cent higher than when the war started on February 28.

US President Donald Trump, who has previously said that the war could last for a month or longer, has sought to downplay growing fears that it could be a long-term regional conflict, saying it was “going to be a short-term excursion.”

Trump sends contradictory messages, Tehran says it's prepared for a long war

The war has choked off major supplies of oil and gas to world markets and sent fuel prices rising across the US.

The fighting has also led foreigners to flee from business hubs and prompted millions to seek shelter as bombs hit military bases, government buildings, oil and water installations, hotels and at least one school.

Iran has effectively stopped tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman — the gateway to the Indian Ocean — through which 20 per cent of the world's oil is carried.

Attacks on merchant ships near the strait have killed at least seven sailors, according to the International Maritime Organisation.

In a post on social media today, Trump seemed not to acknowledge that, saying that "If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far".

In an apparent response to Trump’s remarks published in Iranian state media, a spokesperson for the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Ali Mohammad Naini, said: “Iran will determine when the war ends".

Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy adviser to the office of the supreme leader, told CNN yesterday Iran is prepared for a long war.

He said he sees no “room for diplomacy anymore” unless economic pressure prompts other countries to intervene and stop the “aggression of Americans and Israelis against Iran".

READ MORE: Kyle breaks silence on shock radio split, calls on ARN to put him back on air

Airstrike on Iran-linked militia in Iraq kills 5

As the conflict has spread across the region, Israel has launched multiple attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group has responded by firing missiles into Israel.

Pro-Iran militias in Iraq have also launched attacks at US bases in the country since the beginning of the conflict.

Today, one of those militias, the 40th Brigade of the Popular Mobilisation Forces in the city of Kirkuk, was hit with an airstrike that killed at least five militiamen and wounded four others, according to officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to reporters.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the strikes.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it completed a series of strikes targeting Hezbollah’s financial arm, al-Qard Al-Hasan.

Israel says Hezbollah uses al-Qard al-Hasan to finance its military activities and has also targeted several of the group’s branches in southern and eastern Lebanon last week.

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Since the war began, at least 1230 people have been killed in Iran, at least 397 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, according to officials.

A total of seven US service members have been killed.

Financial markets, which swung wildly in recent days, opened the day in Asia with early gains, building on late optimism in the US.

As it faced headwinds from the conflict, Saudi Arabia’s oil giant Aramco reported 2025 profits of $US104 billion ($146.6 billion), down from $US110 billion ($155 billion) in 2024.

Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., said its 2025 revenues were $US445 billion ($627 billion), down from $US480 billion ($676 billion) in 2024.

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Ronald Thompson avoided a 2023 trial after being declared too ill to stand trial.

The city of Bundaberg on Queensland's central coast is bracing for major flooding similar to the 2010 disaster, with the Burnett River expected to peak at 7.6 metres overnight.

Bundaberg mayor Helen Blackburn warned this afternoon that 280 homes and 120 businesses are expected to be inundated by tomorrow morning.

"If the 2010 floods affected you then you need to consider leaving your property immediately and finding safe haven," Blackburn said.

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An emergency alert was issued this afternoon for anyone in Bundaberg North, East, Central and West to 'leave immediately'.

The two bridges connecting north and south Bundaberg have now closed, Blackburn confirmed just after 3pm AEST.

Any residents on the north side of the bridge will now be isolated until waters recede.

The river is expected to rise to 7.6 metres, just below the 2010 flood level of 7.92 metres, between midnight and 3am, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Photos posted to social media show Targo Street in Bundaberg Central was already underwater at 8am AEST.

Streets at risk are being door-knocked by council staff and emergency services.

Four state schools and five independent schools in the area are closed.

READ MORE: Kyle breaks silence on shock radio split, calls on ARN to put him back on air

The recreational precinct on Kendalls Rd in Branyan has now been designated as an evacuation centre but authorities are urging people to stay with family and friends if possible.

Premier David Crisafulli said the gauge upstream at Walla had reached 19 metres this afternoon, a key indicator of the impact to come for Bundaberg.

"There will be a large number of homes that will be impacted overnight into the early hours of tomorrow," Crisafulli said.

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"If you get a message from authorities, if somebody knocks on your door, if you can seek shelter with friends and family at higher ground if you are one of those properties that is below 7.5 metres, that is good advice that should be heeded."

He said 30 additional police, as well as other emergency services and rescue teams had been tasked to the region to help local crews.

"Yes, there will be challenges but this is a really mighty community," he said.

"To see the impacts of (the 2013 flood) and the way that people mobilised shows me everything I need to know about this community.

"This event won't be as big as 2013 but I bet you the response and the compassion and the ticker of this community will be just as big and they've proven it time and time again.

"There are people who will be impacted in the next 24 hours that it might be the fourth time in 15 years and yet they respond in the true Queensland way."

READ MORE: Attempt to block bus with Iranian footballers on board after teammates get asylum

The catchment has been smashed with heavy rain since Friday morning, brought on by a tropical low moving over the state which has now mostly contracted offshore.

The Wide Bay and Burnett region has copped the brunt of the heavy rain in recent days, however the Burnett seems to have been spared property inundation, Crisafulli said.

"The peak in Gayndah and Mundubberah was just below impacting homes," he said.

Most of Queensland on flood watch

Widespread flooding is either occurring or possible in much of Queensland.

An emergency alert was issued this afternoon for people in low-lying areas of Chinchilla to prepare to leave as Charley's Creek is expected to reach the major flood level of 6m this afternoon and continue rising.

An emergency alert was also issued for people in the vicinity of Cooranga Creek, also in the Western Downs region, which is experiencing moderate flooding.

An enhanced image created by Weatherzone shows the widespread slow-moving rain storms that has left much of the state wet or saturated.

Crisafulli said there 760 roads impacted across the state, including many that had suffered significant damage.

Early reports suggest there have been at least 1000 livestock lost as well as significant crop losses and damage to agricultural communities, particularly near Gympie.

Crisafulli said water was still travelling through flooded river systems across the state, and some regions had not yet received the bulk of the water.

"To the south west of the state, we still haven't seen the peak for many of those communitites," he said.

"Towns like Bedourie are still isolated and it's still gonna be some time before the bulk of that water comes through the Georgina and the Ayr (rivers) and it shows you how big south-west Queensland is and the challenges they face."

Authorities beg drivers to stay out of floodwater

Crisafulli thanked rescue crews for putting their lives at risk to save others, regardless of how they got into the dangerous situations.

A number of swift water rescues have occurred across the region, with a man and a boy rescued from a car on a flooded causeway at Bargara yesterday morning.

The boy was pulled through the window of the sedan by a police officer before the driver, a 54-year-old man was also helped from the vehicle, and fined for driving without due care and attention.

An off-duty police officer was also rescued from the roof of her car at Peachester on the Sunshine Coast by swift water rescue teams.

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In Gympie, a man spent four hours on the roof of his car, waiting for rescue, just 50 metres from where a 14-year-old girl lost her life in raging water in the 2022 flood.

"We've had a fair number of rescues," Matthew Bruce from Queensland Fire and Rescue said.

"We really urge all people on the roads just to take extra care.

"It's much safer to turn around, don't drown."

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The collective value of Australian homes has surged nearly $400 million in just a few months, surpassing an astonishing $12 trillion milestone, new data shows.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show the nation's homes are now worth a combined $12.3 trillion, after increasing 3.2 per cent in the December 2025 quarter.

While house prices rose in every state and territory, Western Australia recorded the biggest spike, where dwellings rose an average of $70,500.

READ MORE: Bundaberg on emergency alert for major flooding similar to 2010 disaster

That hike has nudged the state into the million-dollar club alongside NSW and Queensland, where the mean dwelling price is more than $1 million.

The mean price of dwellings in the Northern Territory grew 15.1 per cent and Queensland rose 13.9 per cent.

Homes in Queensland saw an average 4.8 per cent hike in the last quarter, while South Australian prices weren't far behind, rising 4.5 per cent, or $40,800.

"Annually, dwelling prices in Western Australia have risen faster than any other state or territory, rising 16.8 per cent to $1.01 million since December quarter 2024," ABS financial statistics head Dr Mish Tan said.

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The ACT saw the slowest annual growth at three per cent, while Melbourne and Sydney prices also slowed, increasing 3.4 and 3.6 per cent in the year to December 2025, respectively.

The national average dwelling price growth was 7.2 per cent

Tan said the nation's housing market has grown without interruption since September 2022.

The most recent quarter saw the largest growth in those three years.

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A group spent four nights cutting into banana containers to retrieve the drugs.

Dramatic vision has shown the moment a police car swerved into the front of a home in Sydney's west, the second time it has happened to the same home in two years.

The officers in the vehicle were responding to an incident under lights and sirens when the police car swerved off Hilltop Road and ploughed into the Merrylands property at about 5pm yesterday.

The two officers and the occupants of the home were uninjured following the crash, however, the damage was so severe that the family could not stay there overnight.

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Police say the officers were responding to an assault, and they are assessing the actions of the officers involved.

They are also working with their insurance provider to help repair the home.

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Kyle Sandliands has claimed he has been banned from contacting his KIIS FM host Jackie 'O' Henderson and has urged his employer ARN Media to reinstate him in his first statement since the radio duo's shock split.

The longtime radio host broke his silence with a lengthy statement today, speaking directly to "my listeners, my colleagues and the public" about the events that led to his on-air suspension last month.

"On 20 February, I had an argument with Jackie on air about something that had been bothering me for a while. I said things I wish I had said differently," Sandilands said.

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"That same evening, I sent Jackie a message telling her I was sorry for anything I said that didn't go down well, that I love her and care for her, and that I could have handled it better. I meant every word of that, and I still do.

"Jackie and I have worked together for over 25 years. She is one of the most important people in my life. The idea that our partnership could end like this is devastating to me."

Sandilands went on to allege he has been banned from contacting Henderson or any of his colleagues, adding that he "did what was asked".

He then accused ARN of not giving him the chance to privately smooth things over with Henderson.

"All of this happened while I was being told to sit quietly and say nothing. That is not a genuine process," Sandilands said.

"Jackie told me she was hurt, and I accept that. But we have had disagreements before and we have always worked through them. That is what partners do.

"We never needed lawyers or ASX announcements to sort things out.

"I believe we could have sorted this out too, if ARN had given us the chance."

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Sandilands then called on his employer ARN to reinstate him as co-host of the Kyle & Jackie O Show and again denied allegations he was in breach of his contract.

The 54-year-old signed a $100 million deal in 2024 to remain on the airwaves alongside his longtime colleague Henderson until 2034.

"I want to be on air. I want to be with my audience. I want to do the job I have done my entire adult life," Sandilands continued.

"I am asking ARN to do the right thing: honour our agreement and let me get back to doing what I do best – entertaining the people who have supported this show for more than two decades.

"To my listeners: Thank you. I miss you. I'll be back."

Henderson officially exited the KIIS FM show on March 4 after an on-air argument with Sandilands.

She released a statement on Friday insisting she did not quit or resign from the Kyle and Jackie O Show.

"It has been truly heartbreaking to see how this has unfolded. At this stage, I am unable to say anything further, as I am addressing this through the appropriate legal channels," Henderson said.

In addition to Henderson's departure, ARN Media also announced that Sandilands could be out of the job if he does not prove within 14 days that he did not breach his contract for an alleged "act of serious misconduct" on that fateful show.

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A tearful David Littleproud has announced he is resigning as the leader of the federal National Party in a shock development for the junior Coalition party.

"I've got to a juncture where I believe it is time," he told reporters in Canberra this afternoon.

"I believe that it is now time to transition to a new leader."

READ MORE: Attempt to block bus with Iranian footballers on board after teammates get asylum

While he will quit as the leader of the federal parliamentary party, Littleproud said he won't resign as the local member for his regional Queensland seat of Maranoa.

Asked why he was pulling the pin after four years as party leader, Littleproud said he no longer had the energy for the role.

"I'm buggered, mate," he said.

"I'm out on my feet.

"You've to be honest with yourself… I love the National Party. I grew up in it. I'll bleed it till the day I die – green and gold.

"I love it, and it would be wrong for me to say that I'm the right person to continue to lead."

Having become Nationals leader following the 2022 federal election, the 49-year-old leaves behind a mixed legacy. 

READ MORE: Kyle breaks silence on shock radio split, calls on ARN to put him back on air

Held with more than 70 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote, his electorate of Maranoa is one of the safest in the country, and the Nationals held all of their seats last year despite the wipeout suffered by the Liberals.

However, under his leadership, several MPs – Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, Barnaby Joyce and Andrew Gee – defected, the Nationals have faced a major threat to their primary vote from One Nation, and he oversaw two splits from the Liberal Party in less than a year.

The second ultimately led to Sussan Ley being deposed as opposition leader.

A key proponent of the controversial nuclear policy taken to the last election, Littleproud said he didn't sleep for days following the Coalition's catastrophic defeat, and that he'd become a "punching bag" in recent months.

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"I've never had that trauma in my life before," he said. 

"And then it just kept going."

Standing alongside his wife, Amelia, Littleproud said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family.

"I get to go home to my wife, Amelia, and my family and I want to spend more time with them," he said.

"I still love coming to this place and I want to come back as I did when I first came to parliament with a spring in my excitement." 

Littleproud didn't suggest who he thought should replace him at the helm of the Nationals, although outspoken conservative senator Matt Canavan contested for the leadership last year, while former leader Michael McCormack may also consider a tilt.

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