diff --git a/ci/graal/common.json b/ci/graal/common.json
index ecfc756e7b..44b9d9f6ac 100644
--- a/ci/graal/common.json
+++ b/ci/graal/common.json
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
     "labsjdk-ee-21":      {"name": "labsjdk",   "version": "ee-21.0.2+13-jvmci-23.1-b33", "platformspecific": true },
     "labsjdk-ee-21Debug": {"name": "labsjdk",   "version": "ee-21.0.2+13-jvmci-23.1-b33-debug", "platformspecific": true },
     "labsjdk-ee-21-llvm": {"name": "labsjdk",   "version": "ee-21.0.2+13-jvmci-23.1-b33-sulong", "platformspecific": true },
-    "graalvm-ee-21":      {"name": "graalvm-java21", "version": "23.1.6", "platformspecific": true },
+    "graalvm-ee-21":      {"name": "graalvm-java21", "version": "23.1.10", "platformspecific": true },
 
     "oraclejdk24":       {"name": "jpg-jdk",   "version": "24", "build_id": "jdk-24.0.1+9", "platformspecific": true, "extrabundles": ["static-libs"]},
 
diff --git a/ci/python-gate.libsonnet b/ci/python-gate.libsonnet
index 59659c615b..b6ac88522d 100644
--- a/ci/python-gate.libsonnet
+++ b/ci/python-gate.libsonnet
@@ -534,10 +534,10 @@
                                             $.overlay_imports.BUILDBOT_COMMIT_SERVICE + '?repoName=graal&target=weekly&before-ts=${MAIN_COMMIT_TS}']],
             ["git", "clone", $.overlay_imports.GRAAL_ENTERPRISE_GIT, "../graal-enterprise"],
             ['git', '-C', '../graal', 'checkout', '${GRAAL_COMMIT}'],
+            // NOTE: this will checkout older graalpy. We need to live with that to ensure consistency with graal
             ['mx', '-p', '../graal/vm', '--dynamicimports', 'graalpython', 'sforceimports'],
             // NOTE: jvm-only, so not need to handle substratevm-enterprise-gcs
             ['mx', '-p', '../graal-enterprise/vm-enterprise', 'checkout-downstream', 'vm', 'vm-enterprise'],
-            ['git', 'checkout', '${MAIN_REVISION}'],
         ],
         run: [
             ['mx', 'python-coverage'] + self.coverage_args,
diff --git a/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.benchmarks/python/harness.py b/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.benchmarks/python/harness.py
index c33e2c9658..53226c94b4 100644
--- a/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.benchmarks/python/harness.py
+++ b/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.benchmarks/python/harness.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Copyright (c) 2018, 2025, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2018, 2026, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
 # DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER.
 #
 # The Universal Permissive License (UPL), Version 1.0
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 
 try:
     # https://docs.python.org/3/library/time.html#time.monotonic
-    # The reference point of the returned value is undefined, 
+    # The reference point of the returned value is undefined,
     # so that **only the difference between the results of two calls is valid**.
     from time import monotonic_ns
     _module_start_time = monotonic_ns()
@@ -143,6 +143,8 @@ def avg(values):
 
 def norm(values):
     _max, _min  = max(values), min(values)
+    if _max == _min:
+        return zeros(len(values))
     return [float(v - _min) / (_max - _min) * 100.0 for v in values]
 
 
@@ -487,7 +489,7 @@ def run_benchmark(args):
         else:
             bench_args.append(arg)
         i += 1
-        
+
     if startup and self_measurement:
         raise RuntimeError("It is not allowed to use the startup argument when self_measurement is enabled")
 
diff --git a/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.test/src/tests/unittest_tags/test_io.txt b/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.test/src/tests/unittest_tags/test_io.txt
index b3838cf62e..1963683e66 100644
--- a/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.test/src/tests/unittest_tags/test_io.txt
+++ b/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.test/src/tests/unittest_tags/test_io.txt
@@ -195,8 +195,9 @@ test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_attributes @ darwin-arm64,linux-aarch64,linux-aarc
 test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_check_encoding_warning @ darwin-arm64,linux-aarch64,linux-aarch64-github,linux-x86_64,linux-x86_64-github
 test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_create_fail @ darwin-arm64,linux-aarch64,linux-aarch64-github,linux-x86_64,linux-x86_64-github
 test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_create_writes @ darwin-arm64,linux-aarch64,linux-aarch64-github,linux-x86_64,linux-x86_64-github
-test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_daemon_threads_shutdown_stderr_deadlock @ darwin-arm64,linux-aarch64,linux-aarch64-github,linux-x86_64,linux-x86_64-github
-test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_daemon_threads_shutdown_stdout_deadlock @ darwin-arm64,linux-aarch64,linux-aarch64-github,linux-x86_64,linux-x86_64-github
+# GR-72206
+!test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_daemon_threads_shutdown_stderr_deadlock
+!test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_daemon_threads_shutdown_stdout_deadlock
 test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_io_after_close @ darwin-arm64,linux-aarch64,linux-aarch64-github,linux-x86_64,linux-x86_64-github
 test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_nonblock_pipe_write_bigbuf @ darwin-arm64,linux-aarch64,linux-aarch64-github,linux-x86_64,linux-x86_64-github
 test.test_io.CMiscIOTest.test_nonblock_pipe_write_smallbuf @ darwin-arm64,linux-aarch64,linux-aarch64-github,linux-x86_64,linux-x86_64-github
diff --git a/mx.graalpython/suite.py b/mx.graalpython/suite.py
index a9fd84691d..4969452b67 100644
--- a/mx.graalpython/suite.py
+++ b/mx.graalpython/suite.py
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
             },
             {
                 "name": "tools",
-                "version": "ac527eda5ff144d2f7e9994c5e82bd292b82b6ed",
+                "version": "f912c60fd6dda3b30d9a363ff244676f164fc166",
                 "subdir": True,
                 "urls": [
                     {"url": "https://github.com/oracle/graal", "kind": "git"},
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@
             },
             {
                 "name": "regex",
-                "version": "ac527eda5ff144d2f7e9994c5e82bd292b82b6ed",
+                "version": "f912c60fd6dda3b30d9a363ff244676f164fc166",
                 "subdir": True,
                 "urls": [
                     {"url": "https://github.com/oracle/graal", "kind": "git"},