The Australian Securities and Investments Commission says it has secured a record $830 million in civil penalties orders during the 2025-2026 Financial Year. It launched more than 250 investigations, which led to 25 criminal convictions and 11 individuals being sentenced to prison. Businesses subjected to major civil penalties include Union Standard International Group, HSBC Bank Australia, Westpac, Walker Stores and Mercer Super. SBS Reporter Stephanie Youssef has been speaking with ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland

Andy Burnham took office on Monday as Britain’s new prime minister, promising a 10-year plan to restore political stability and revive the economy while acknowledging that six other UK leaders have tried and failed to do so in the past decade. Speaking after being formally appointed by King Charles III, Burnham pledged to ease the cost of living for ordinary people, decentralize political power, revitalise industry and end street sleeping by homeless people. He said he would deliver a “circuit breaker” for a system that has taken wrong turns since the 1980s, when public services and utilities were privatized and local government eroded. Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, told the Associated Press that Labour may have backed Burnham - but he faces some challenges to persuade the rest of the country to do the same.

ASIC is warning Australians to be extremely cautious of investment tips received through social media and messaging apps, amid a spike in reports of so-called 'pump and dump' scams using fake celebrity endorsements and impersonations of financial institutions. ASIC says scammers use the identities and images of well-known finance industry figures, including respected market commentators and economists, to lure consumers into WhatsApp and other messaging groups where they are encouraged to buy investments, particularly shares. Once consumers join a messaging group, scammers provide stock tips designed to artificially inflate the price of a share before selling their own holdings. The share price then falls, leaving unsuspecting investors with significant losses. SBS Reporter Natalie Poyhonen has been talking to ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism has become one of the world's most influential and contested tools for identifying anti-Jewish hatred. Adopted by universities, public institutions, and governments across the globe, including here in Australia, supporters argue it helps recognise antisemitism in a consistent way, while critics say it can be used to blur the line between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of the state of Israel. Kenneth Stern is one of the lead drafters of the IHRA definition and a former director on antisemitism and extremism for the American Jewish Committee. He says the definition has been "weaponised" in ways he never intended, particularly when it's used to regulate speech or shut down debate on university campuses, the media and elsewhere. He's speaking to SBS reporter Tee Mitchell

The 2026 Fifa World Cup has finally reached the quarter final stage of the tournament. It's been a gruelling ride for our SBS commentators, including former Socceroo Tommy Oar. As we head into the business end of the competition, Tommy looks back on the story so far and what may lay ahead, He's talking to Chris Tan

Allan Rahari, the Interim Deputy Director General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency and the Director of Fisheries Operations. He calls tuna the "backbone" of the Pacific and speaks with SBS News about a major threat to the fishery: illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

A new national study has found that artificial intelligence (AI) escalates the amount of online sexual exploitation against children. The research, a collaboration between the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children Australia and the Australian Federal Police’s Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, found that at least one young person in every Year 12 classroom has experienced or known someone who has experienced AI-facilitated sexual abuse. Associate Professor Tim Cubitt from Adelaide University, an author of the study, tells SBS reporter Wing Kuang that AI is not only escalating sexual child abuse online, it’s also become a safehaven that many children who experienced sexual exploitation turn to for help.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released its 2026 health report, revealing the key drivers of health outcomes across the country, and where targeted attention is most needed. Researchers say Australians born today are expected to live longer than previous generations, cancer survival rates are improving, and coronary heart disease deaths are decreasing. But head of the Institute's Flagship Reporting Unit Melanie Dunford says the findings also show Australia is facing some significant health challenges and persistent inequalities

President Donald Trump has signed an agreement with Iran that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waives U.S.-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington. The initial deal to end the war takes “immediate effect” according to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the agreement. Pakistan has been central to the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the US. Huma Baqai, a foreign affairs expert from Pakistan's Millennium Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship told the Associated Press that Iran may have had a weak hand - but they played it well.

Eddie Izzard is a multi-talented artist whose career spans film, theatre and activism. Now she brings her unique brand of charisma and creativity to the Sydney Opera House with one of the world’s most enduring tragedies. This is Shakespeare's Hamlet as you’ve never seen it before. Izzard performs on the blank canvas of a bare stage, letting Shakespeare’s words and pure storytelling take the spotlight. Izzard shifts between the play's twenty-three characters with clarity and emotional depth. He's been talking to SBS's Wil Brincat.]]