A surprise duet with Maisey Rika drew the night’s loudest applause at the Hamilton event.

Seven men are facing serious drug and firearm charges following their alleged involvement in a criminal syndicate supplying drugs throughout Sydney.

Following extensive investigations into the syndicate, detectives executed a search warrant at a Granville home on January 20, earlier this month.

An additional eight homes in Hurstville, Riverwood, Revesby, and Beverly Hills were searched yesterday.

READ MORE: Melbourne nail salon firebombed twice in two days

During the searches, police found and seized over 28kg of prohibited drugs, three firearms, more than $1 million in cash and a large quantity of steroids.

A ballistic vest and more than 800 rounds of ammunition were also located and seized.

The combined street value of the drugs seized totalled $3 million, including 24.9kg of methylamphetamines and 2.9kg of heroin confiscated by police.

At Granville, a 26-year-old man was arrested and taken to Granville Police Station, where he was charged with fifteen offences, including supplying prohibited drugs in a large commercial quantity and three counts of possession of an authorised pistol.

READ MORE: Three men charged in Sydney over $1 million insurance fraud

He was refused bail and was remanded to appear before Parramatta Court on March 23.

During yesterday's searches, five men, aged 30, 31, 32, 33 and 65, were arrested and taken to Hurstville Police Station, where they were charged with multiple offences.

The men were charged with large commercial drug supply, dealing with proceeds of crime and participating in a criminal group.

They were all refused bail and will face Sutherland Court today.

A sixth man, aged 68, was charged with supplying an indictable quantity of drugs and dealing with proceeds of crime.

He was granted conditional bail to appear before the Sutherland Court on March 17.

Investigations are still ongoing.

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Tesla dominated the electric vehicle industry by the mid-2010s with sleek, fast cars that helped combat the public perception that EVs were severely limited by short ranges.

Now the company, and its controversial Chief Executive, Elon Musk, face stiffer competition and political headwinds.

Its EV sales fell by a record 9 per cent in 2025, amid increasing rivalry from China and the expiration of the US EV sales tax credit.

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But Musk has been steering the company toward an audacious bet.

He believes Tesla's future won't ride on cars but on humanoid robots.

On Tesla's earnings call on Wednesday, Musk laid out a literal replacement of Tesla cars by robots – announcing Tesla would discontinue the Model S and Model X in favour of making more of its Optimus robots.

"We're gonna take the Model S and X production space in our Fremont factory and convert that into an Optimus factory, with the long-term goal of having one million units a year of Optimus robots in the current SX space in Fremont," he said.

It is the quintessential science-fiction dream of the future: Musk says Tesla's Optimus robots will do everything from cleaning your house to performing surgery.

He's called Optimus, the key to eliminating world poverty, making human work optional and reaching Mars.

And he claims they'll be on sale by the end of 2027.

"Every human on earth is going to have their own personal R2-D2, C3PO," Musk said in November, referring to the personal robots from Star Wars.

"But actually, Optimus will be better than that."

But critics say these are fever-dream distractions from Tesla's core automotive business.

And plenty of companies, like Boston Dynamics and Figure, are already deep into the humanoid robot business.

Musk's own success and pay are directly at stake.

Tesla must deliver one million Optimus robots within 10 years for Musk to fully realise an almost $US1 trillion ($1.4 trillion) Tesla pay plan approved by shareholders late last year.

"Elon is a big thinker, and he wants to be pushing the edge of people's imagination," a former Tesla senior engineer told CNN in an interview.

But the EV and robot markets are very different, the engineer said.

"With electric vehicles, Tesla was really the only one working on this hard problem. There's a lot of companies now and tons of competition."

READ MORE: 'Cold shower' for mortgage holders: Experts' gloomy rates' forecast

'Infinite money glitch'

Tesla first unveiled its humanoid robot project at a 2021 event, where a silvery figure danced to thumping techno music on a stage.

It was an actor in a robot suit, complete with a face that looked like a screen. "Obviously, that's not real," Musk said as the costumed figure left the stage.

Just months later, in January 2022, Musk said he thought Optimus could be "more significant than the vehicle business" for Tesla over time.

Tesla says Optimus can now sort objects, serve popcorn, throw out trash and dance.

It does "some basic tasks in the factory," Musk said Wednesday, progress, but still a far cry from Musk's futuristic vision, even as he predicted Optimus could eventually generate $US10 trillion ($14 trillion) of revenue.

Yet Musk has set a speedy timeline for Optimus.

At the World Economic Forum this month, he said the robot will be available for sale by the end of 2027.

It is a lofty goal, one experts say may be tougher than Musk's bets on electric vehicles or SpaceX.

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Humanoid robots are among the most complex machines imaginable, and the race to build them is already heating up.

Tesla is not the only company in this space.

Hyundai and Google DeepMind are also deploying their Atlas humanoid robot internally in the coming months before rolling it out to customers.

Meanwhile, the CES tech show in January was full of companies, including Nvidia, Qualcomm and Intel, showing off humanoid robots powered by their chips and technologies.

More than 90 companies have a humanoid robot product, according to Ani Kelkar, a partner at McKinsey & Company who leads the firm's advanced automation and autonomy sector. More are coming, especially in the United States and China.

Experts from McKinsey, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley estimate the humanoid robot market could eventually be worth anywhere from $US370 billion ($524 billion) by 2040 to $US5 trillion ($7 trillion) by 2050.

Tesla does have critical advantages in its expertise in motors, batteries and mechanisms, said Ken Goldberg, a professor who supervises research in robotics and automation at the University of California, Berkeley.

"They also understand how to make something advanced in high volume – with cost effectiveness, and that's really important," Goldberg said.

READ MORE: Man kept alive for 48 hours with lungs removed

The company could also benefit from using Optimus internally and selling it externally, giving it a "cost advantage" that could enable Tesla to make "several thousand dollars per robot," Goldman Sachs said in an October report.

But most experts agree it'll be at least a decade before humanoid robots are widely deployed.

"A giant leap may happen, but we don't know when," Goldberg said.

"Most technology develops as a slow burn over time, so I think the expectations about having fully general humanoids seems over-inflated."

Others are sceptical about whether humanoid robots will ever be broadly useful in society.

Bill Ray, an analyst following emerging technologies and robotics for market research firm Gartner, previously told CNN that humanoid robots face too many limitations to be practical.

Optimus challenges

Musk has swung big with timelines before – and missed. He previously said Tesla cars would be fully autonomous by 2018, and that SpaceX would start sending rockets to Mars by 2018 – neither of which has happened yet.

And already with Optimus, Tesla has missed its leader's ambitious schedule. Musk had initially set internal goals for Tesla to produce at least 5000 Optimus units in 2025, according to The Information.

That goal was slashed to 2000 a few months later and has been lowered again since, The Information reported in October.

Tesla did not respond to CNN's request for comment.

Musk has acknowledged that his goals are not easy.

"Right now, we're struggling with the final design of the hardware," especially of the arm and hand, Musk said at the All In Summit in September.

"Human-like hands are notoriously hard for robots to emulate. Unlike people, robots have a hard time knowing how to grip different objects like a wet glass versus a piece of metal.

"People think of space travel as extraordinarily difficult, and it is, no doubt, but it turns out that getting a robot to reliably tie a sneaker is harder than getting a rocket out of the atmosphere," Goldberg said.

Musk's political commentary and support of US President Donald Trump have also made him a polarising figure, resulting in protests and vandalism at Tesla dealerships across the country.

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"If they won't buy his cars, why would they buy a huge robot for their home from him?" posted Ross Gerber, an early Tesla investor and CEO of investment firm Gerber Kawasaki, who is now a prominent critic of Musk.

Musk acknowledged the "many who doubt our ambitions for creating amazing abundance" on Wednesday's earnings call.

"But we're confident it can be done, and that we're making the right moves technologically to ensure that it does."
"And Tesla's obviously never been a company to shy away from solving some of the hardest problems," he added.

But Musk's version of the future won't happen instantly – and maybe not for a long time.

"Elon is a visionary, but he promises things that sometimes may take more time than his engineers can deliver," said Goldberg.

"The research community all over the world is working very hard on this, but it's not going to get solved overnight."

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President Donald Trump today threatened Canada with a 50 per cent tariff on any aircraft sold in the US, the latest salvo in his trade war with America’s northern neighbour as his feud with Prime Minister Mark Carney expands.

Trump’s threat posted on social media came after he threatened over the weekend to impose a 100 per cent tariff on goods imported from Canada if it went forward with a planned trade deal with China.

But Trump’s threat did not come with any details about when he would impose the import taxes, as Canada had already struck a deal.

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In Trump’s latest threat, the Republican president said he was retaliating against Canada for refusing to certify jets from Savannah, Georgia-based Gulfstream Aerospace.

Trump said the US, in return, would decertify all Canadian aircraft, including planes from its largest aircraft maker, Bombardier.

“If, for any reason, this situation is not immediately corrected, I am going to charge Canada a 50 per cent Tariff on any and all Aircraft sold into the United States of America,” Trump said in his post.

Spokespeople for Bombardier and Canada’s transport minister didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment today.

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This week's heatwave across a huge part of Australia has been a reminder of seeking protection from the sun during the day — but surging night time temperatures also pose a health risk.

Although the mercury has hit almost 50 degrees in parts of Victoria, NSW, South Australia, ACT and Queensland, some of those areas have endured temperatures over 34 degrees after the sun went down, Weatherzone said.

They include the small town of Marree in northern South Australia which recorded two consecutive overnight minimum temperatures of 34 degrees early on Wednesday and yesterday.

READ MORE: Heatwaves are a 'silent killer'. There are growing calls to give them names

These hot nights came after residents sweltered through daytime maximums above 48 degrees.

On Monday night, the mercury in Adelaide refused to budge below 36 degrees at midnight. It was more than seven degrees warmer than the city's average daytime maximum January temperature.

A heatwave is more technical than just a spate of hot days.

The Bureau of Meteorology declares a heatwave when the maximum and minimum temperatures are unusually hot compared to the local climate over three days, and the mercury fails to adequately cool overnight.

The ability for people to recover from hot days is impacted when they're followed by very warm nights.

READ MORE: The expert advice on exercising during a heatwave

One effect is beginning the day with high temperatures, which may result in more hours of daytime extreme heat.

Longer periods of scorching conditions also impacts the bodies of humans and animals by reducing recovery times.

Keeping cool on a sticky night

NSW Health warns very warm nights accompanying daytime heatwaves are dangerous, as they prevent the body recovering from heat exposure.

During these periods, especially if power outages occur, it is crucial to take steps to stay cool and hydrated.

It's important to stay hydrated, even if you don't feel thirsty, and reduce your intake of caffeinated drinks.

If you have air conditioning, keep it on through the evening. If you don't have it, spend daytime in a public library or shopping mall to keep your body cooler.

Remember heat stress can occur at night after a warm day. So look out for signs of heat exhaustion, such as dizziness, nausea, muscle cramps and heavy sweating.

More serious is heatstroke, which has symptoms of confusion or slurred speech. This is a serious health problem and you should seek medical help immediately. 

The good news is relief from the sticky nights is expected by late Saturday or Sunday for Adelaide and Melbourne, while residents in Sydney Canberra will have to wait until Monday.

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A Minnesota man was arrested and charged with impersonating an FBI agent after he tried to enter a federal jail and release suspected murderer Luigi Mangione, police sources said.

Mark Anderson, 36, arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday evening claiming he was an FBI agent with a court order for Mangione's release, according to a criminal complaint filed yesterday and a law enforcement source.

When officials with the Bureau of Prisons asked the man for his credentials, according to the complaint, the man provided a Minnesota driver's licence.

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He also allegedly stated he had weapons in his bag.

Anderson then allegedly threw paperwork at the BOP officers.

The papers appeared to be related to legal claims against the Justice Department, according to the FBI agent who signed the complaint.

Prison officials searched Anderson's backpack, according to the complaint, and found a barbecue-style fork and a circular steel blade.

Anderson travelled to New York for a potential job that didn't work out and had been working at a pizzeria before his arrest, the law enforcement source told CNN.

It isn't clear what connection, if any, he has to Mangione.

CNN has reached out to Mangione's attorney.

Anderson, who is charged with one count of falsely pretending to be an officer of the US government, is expected to appear in federal court in Brooklyn yesterday afternoon.

Mangione has been held at the federal jail since his arrest in December 2024 for the suspected murder of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson.

He is facing federal and state murder charges and has pleaded not guilty.

READ MORE: Man who squirted vinegar on politician is charged with assaulting and intimidating her

The judge overseeing his federal trial last week said jury selection in that case would begin on September 8, with opening statements commencing in October if she ruled the Justice Department could not pursue the death penalty — or in January 2027 if the capital charge remains.

A ruling is expected today.

On Wednesday, the Manhattan District Attorney's office, which first filed murder charges, asked the judge overseeing the state case to order its trial for July — two months before the federal case.

Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann said the murder took place in Manhattan, the investigation was led by his office and the New York Police Department, and the state indictment was returned before a federal complaint was filed.

"The State has an overriding interest in trying this defendant for the cold-blooded execution of Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024. It resulted in the tragic death of a guest to our city on our streets," he wrote.

"Federal law supports our request that we proceed first and our right to a speedy resolution of this case would be severely compromised should the federal trial proceed first."

In a statement, Mangione's lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said they needed time to prepare for the federal trial.

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A Queensland man has been charged after a large knife was allegedly found in his carry-on luggage at Brisbane Domestic Airport.

The man, 49, was stopped by airport security on December 10, 2025.

They found the large knife during a security screening and alerted the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

READ MORE: 'Cold shower' for mortgage holders: Experts' gloomy rates' forecast

When police arrived, the man allegedly became aggressive and resisted arrest.

The man was eventually detained.

"Brisbane Airport's screening processes are strict for a reason and there is a zero-tolerance policy to anyone attempting to take prohibited items on a flight," AFP Detective Superintendent Anthony Conway said.

"During this incident, airport security and the AFP worked together to prevent a potential threat to the travelling public and workers."

The man was charged with one count of carrying a weapon through a screening point, one count of obstructing a Commonwealth official, and one count of public nuisance.

The combined maximum penalty for the three offences is nine-and-a-half-years imprisonment.

He is scheduled to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court today.

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The AFP encourages travellers at Australian airports to report any suspicious behaviour, like individuals avoiding screening, leaving bags unattended, taking photos of security measures, and exhibiting erratic behaviour.

Contact Airport Watch at 131 237 (131 AFP) to make a report.

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Mortgage holders across Australia are likely to be hit with an interest rate hike next week, according to a survey of experts.

More than half the 33 economists and financial experts in the Finder Cash Rate Survey believe a sudden spike in inflation will force the Reserve Bank of Australia's hand when it announces its decision next Tuesday.

New inflation data released this week showed the trimmed mean, the RBA's preferred measure of underlying inflation, increased to 3.3 per cent and headline inflation shot up to 3.8 per cent in the year to December – both well outside the central bank's target band.

READ MORE: The three things that could save Aussies from looming interest rate hell

The Finder research found 17 of those surveyed, or 51 per cent, believe the central bank will green-light a 0.25 per cent rise in the cash rate, raising it to 3.85 per cent.

This is a marked turnaround from last December when only 9 per cent of experts in a Finder survey forecast a February rates lift.

Head of Finder consumer research Graham Cooke says the big four banks and most economists are now backing a hike.

"This news will feel like a cold shower for homeowners after a brief reprieve.

"Many who refinanced or entered the market during the 2025 easing cycle may feel blindsided, as the pivot from falling to rising rates in just six months has created significant whiplash."

READ MORE: How Australian spy base could play role in US strike on Iran

Adding to the gloomy outlook, more than four in five experts who weighed in believe a rate cut in the next 12 months is unlikely.

Homeowners on the average home loan of $693,802 will see an annual increase of $1313 to their mortgage repayments if the RBA raises the cash rate by 0.25 per cent next Tuesday.

On a $1 million mortgage, the same hike would cost a homeowner nearly $1893 a year more in interest – a rise of $158.

A rates rise next week would be the first in Australia since November 2023, and would follow the RBA's easing cycle that brought relief for mortgage holders. 

Cooke says mortgage they should now scrutinise their interest rate with the easing cycle unlikely to restart again soon.

"If your rate isn't one of the best, now might be a good time to give yourself a rate cut. Many banks will also throw in some cash for your trouble."

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The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.



Scammers are preying on desperate Perth renters struggling to get a roof over their heads.

Fake "private landlords" on Facebook Marketplace are promising listings below market price for a costly deposit. 

They're posting real pictures of real properties to lure their victims, but the prices are often too good to be true.

READ MORE: Kids shelter on bus as cops open fire outside school

Finding a rental has never been this hard and WA Commissioner for Consumer Protection Trish Blake says it's a "perfect playground for scammers".

"[There's ]a lot of grooming by these scammers," she said.

"So they'll tell you that they're there to help the underdog and that you're the perfect person, they can see that you're a real battler, that you're a good person and they want to help you out."

Messages show how the scammers take advantage of the high demand for rentals.

"Due to the large number of people making offers for the apartment and which I can not attend to all.. my lawyer mandated a commitment fee to secure the apartment and filter out many people to secure it down for one person," one message reads.

"You can have the space secured ahead of your move in date by paying a security deposit of the first week rent of $400.

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"The deposit act more like a commitment fee which is fully refundable if upon physical visit you have a change of mind and it will be added to your first week rent if everything goes as planned.

"The deposit secure down the apartment for you and it will be reserved exclusively only for you.. I will stop taking offers for it and remove it from the Market."

Blake warned renters not to hand over any money before they'd seen the property.

In 2025, at least 20 people reported a rental scam, losing $50,000, an increase of 27 per cent compared to the year before.

Median rental prices in Perth are at record highs. 

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It costs $700 per week for a house and $670 to rent a unit while properties are snatched up in just 16 days. 

"People have pure desperation and people will do what they can for their family and think they're doing the right thing and potentially dealing with unsavoury characters," Real Estate Institute of Western Australia member Rob Mandanici said.

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Police have shot a man outside a Victorian school as an allegedly stolen car was driven at officers during a pursuit in Geelong.

Terrified children ducked for cover inside a school bus as the allegedly stolen Kia Optima reversed into it near Matthew Flinders Girls' Secondary College in Newtown.

Officers shot at the Kia as it allegedly sped at them and crashed into another vehicle. A man and a woman jumped out of the Kia and allegedly tried to flee on foot.

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Footage shows police cars surrounding the intersection of LaTrobe Terrace and Myers Street outside the school where the pair were arrested.

A 37-year-old man was taken to hospital under police guard with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm.

A 37-year-old woman was taken to hospital under police guard with minor injuries.

The female driver of the vehicle hit by the Kia suffered minor injuries.

The police chase began when the Kia was spotted by the police Air Wing near the intersection of the Princes Highway and Roebuck Street in the Geelong suburb of Newtown about 3.40pm.

READ MORE: Melbourne youth gang members on notice after police warning

Police have said there is no threat to the community.

"This event would've been absolutely terrifying for anyone who was there, let alone for the many school kids who were all on their first day of school today," Commander Melissa Webbers said.

"I'm really dismayed to see such violent and reckless behaviour exhibited by this offender, who put our community at risk, who put our police at risk.

"We are really fortunate today that none of our community and none of our police have been injured in this incident.

"I want to assure the community the offenders for this matter are in custody and we aren't looking for anyone else.

"There were lots of children, it was the start of the school year and it was absolutely traumatic, I'm sure for all of those people that were there."

Witness Chaz Cheatley said he was in "disbelief" when he saw the incident unfold while waiting at a red light at the intersection of LaTrobe Terrace and Myers Street.

"I was a little bit worried, especially when I started hearing shots," Chaz said.

"Basically felt like I was watching a movie, it was all just happening in front of me."

Cheatley said the allegedly stolen car came "out of nowhere", followed by police.

"They hit the traffic pole, they knocked that down, as they were trying to flee the scene they go through the intersection, and then they end up t-boning another car," he claimed.

Armed Crime Squad detectives will investigate the incident with Professional Standards Command oversight, as is standard practice when a police firearm is discharged.

It's alleged the Kia was stolen in NSW.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

Latrobe Terrace was closed both directions between Ryrie Street and McKillop Street.

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