Afternoon Update: US 'freebirthing' business linked to death of Melbourne woman; World Cup penalty shootouts; and eight days lost at sea

An investigation-themed afternoon update links a US “freebirthing” business to the death of a Melbourne woman while also tracking unrelated sports and maritime news. The Guardian reported connections between the Free Birth Society (FBS), described as a multimillion-dollar organization linked to baby deaths worldwide, and Emily Lal, the unlicensed birth attendant at the inquest for Emilee Saldaya’s case. The article says Saldaya, a nutritionist and wellness influencer who led FBS, repeatedly claimed she had never heard of a woman dying after a freebirth, before Stacey Warnecke died at age 30 from complications of a massive postpartum haemorrhage. A 2025 Guardian investigation identified 48 cases of late-term stillbirths, neonatal deaths, or serious harm involving mothers or birth attendants linked to FBS, while the inquest remains ongoing with no findings. Elsewhere in the update, World Cup 2026 results include Paraguay beating Germany via sudden-death penalties, and Morocco and Brazil also advancing, while a separate report covers New Zealand air force rescue after eight days adrift in the Pacific.