Australia arrests dozens over app allegedly used by criminals worldwide – Al Jazeera English

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  1. Australia arrests dozens over app allegedly used by criminals worldwide  Al Jazeera English
  2. Australian police infiltrate encrypted messaging app Ghost and arrest dozens  The Associated Press
  3. Australian police bust Ghost cybercrime app, leading to dozens of global arrests  Fox News
  4. Global Coalition Takes Down New Criminal Communication Platform  Europol
  5. 'Ghost' cybercrime platform dismantled in global operation, 51 arrested  Reuters
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Sydney lawyer who gang-raped three teenagers during buck’s party had ‘no remorse’, judge says

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Judge raises questions about Maurice Hawell’s prospects of rehabilitation after he, brother Marius Hawell and Andrew David were all found guilty of the sexual assaults in July

Maurice Hawell, a Sydney lawyer convicted over the gang rapes of three teenage women during his buck’s weekend, was only remorseful for his own situation and showed no empathy towards his victims, a judge says.

Maurice Hawell, 30, Marius Hawell, 23, and Andrew David, 30, were all found guilty of the sexual assaults in July after a joint trial lasting almost four weeks.

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Sydney man charged over alleged fake terror plot as AFP crack secret messaging app

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The 31-year-old allegedly used the encrypted ‘Ghost’ platform to talk about machine guns, bombs and flags with terrorist insignia, the AFP said

A Sydney man has been charged for allegedly using an encrypted messaging platform called “Ghost” to fabricate a terror plot as police swooped on multiple targets after breaching an “un-hackable” system.

The alleged fabricated plot involved high-powered weapons and explosive devices and had been devised to get authorities to withdraw charges for a person involved in a separate criminal matter, Australian federal police said.

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UK inflation stays at 2.2% as lower petrol prices offset by higher air fares

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Annual rate in August unchanged, and hovering above Bank of England’s 2% target

The UK’s annual inflation rate rose by 2.2% in August, matching the increase in July, as lower petrol prices at the pump were offset by higher air fares.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the government’s preferred measure of the cost of living remained steady, matching forecasts by City economists and hovering just above the Bank of England’s 2% target.

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Australia news live: Labor’s preliminary refusal of Pep11 gas project ‘an amazing step forward’, Scamps says; total fire ban announced for parts of NSW

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Follow today’s news live

On the double-dissolution threat floated by Anthony Albanese yesterday, Sarah Hanson-Young says:

Again, why, why be so bullish about this? The Australian people don’t need a panicked prime minister who wants to press the exit button because he can’t get his own way.

They want a government that’s willing to work across the parliament. Now, a third of Australians voted for parties other than Labor or Liberal at the last election. And they did that because they want a parliament that works for them.

We want to fix it. We want to give the government the opportunity to fix it. I’m not just interested in saying no to things. I want to get outcomes. I guess that’s my concern.

This prime minister seems to have such a chip on his shoulder, doesn’t want to work with anyone. Just wants to do it all his way. I don’t think this is a very good sign for the future. Come on, come on, prime minister, you know, let’s put – put aside the politics and get on with getting some outcomes.

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Death toll in Lebanon walkie-talkie explosions rises to 20, with more than 450 injured – Middle East crisis as it happened

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Local Palestinian media is reporting that a 17-year-old child has been killed by Israeli security forces near Ni’lin, west of Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The claims have not been independently verified.

Overnight Israel’s military announced the deaths of four soldiers.

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Albanese government forging ahead with social media age restrictions despite Meta’s new Instagram teen accounts

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Communications minister Michelle Rowland welcomes Meta’s announcement but suggests it doesn’t strongly enforce its present age limit on Instagram

The Albanese government is forging ahead with its plans for an age restriction on social media despite Meta announcing new restrictions for teens on Instagram, with the communications minister arguing children’s use of social media is unbalanced.

On Wednesday Instagram announced changes to teen accounts, including giving parents the ability to set daily time limits for using the app, block teens from using Instagram at certain times and to see accounts their child is exchanging messages with and the content categories they are viewing.

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September Supermoon: the best place and time to see tonight’s bigger and brighter full moon

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Find a viewing spot that is dark and looks towards the east, which is where the moon will rise. A flat location will give a ‘really cool’ perspective, experts say

If you look up into the sky on Wednesday night, you’ll likely notice the full moon gleaming bigger and brighter than usual.

You’ll be looking at the second supermoon of the year – the term for when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth while it is full.

How to take a good photograph of the full moon on your phone or camera

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‘It is OK to stand out’: US teen’s hands and feet are world record-setting

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Eric Kilburn, 16, says those who put others down over differences ‘are usually the most unhappy people out there’

Eric Kilburn Jr’s mother knew his feet were exceptionally big when, in his teens, she began needing to spend thousands of dollars to have his shoes specially made. But it turned out they were bigger than anyone else’s in the world who was his age – and so were his hands.

Sixteen-year-old Eric fits his 13.5in (34cm) feet in American size 23 shoes (UK size 22) – more than double the average of adult men, which is about 9 in the US. His hands, at 9.13in, easily surpass the 7.14in average for his age.

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Labor urged to commit to universal childcare after report finds many children miss out on critical learning

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Productivity Commission report also says controversial activity test should be scrapped through overhaul of subsidies

Early education advocates have urged the Labor government to commit to universal childcare in the lead-up to the election, after a major report warned too many children were missing out on critical learning due to high costs and access issues.

The Productivity Commission has recommended that the federal government increase funding and simplify subsidies for early childhood education and care. It also said the controversial “activity test” should be scrapped, and called on state governments to provide out-of-hours care for older children in public schools.

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Wednesday briefing: Why Labour seems to be walking the walk on the climate crisis

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In today’s newsletter: The party talked up its plans for the climate during this summer’s election – and now seems to be backing that up with real action

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Good morning.

During their election campaign, Labour made it clear that the climate crisis would be a key focus should they make it into government. It looks as if they are making good on that promise. A number of senior cabinet ministers have come out this week, banging the drum for the government’s climate policies and reminding the public and the media that the climate crisis and its effects are at the top of their agenda.

Labour | Keir Starmer has declared more free tickets and gifts than other major party leaders in recent times, with his total now topping £100,000 after recent support for his lifestyle from Labour donor Waheed Alli.

Middle East | Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel after pagers used by its members exploded across Lebanon simultaneously, killing at least nine people and wounding almost 3,000. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The apparent sabotage attack followed months of targeted assassinations by Israel against senior Hezbollah leaders.

Music | Sean “Diddy” Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday. Combs had been arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.

NHS | A fifth of GPs are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT to help with tasks such as writing letters for their patients after appointments, according to a survey.

Aid | UK aid spending will fall to its lowest level since 2007 unless the government takes urgent remedial action in the autumn budget, a group of more than 100 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the aid and humanitarian sector jointly warned on Wednesday.

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Video of Chinese jet’s apparent intercept with Australian defence plane ‘deeply troubling’ propaganda, Coalition says

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Shadow defence minister calls on Australian prime minister to raise matter with Chinese president, saying it is ‘not the actions of a friend’

The release of a video appearing to show a Chinese military aircraft in a “dangerous” interception with an Australian surveillance plane has been criticised as “risky” and “deeply troubling” propaganda by the Australian opposition, who are calling for the prime minister to raise the matter with China’s president.

The footage, posted on video-hosting site BiliBili with the watermark of Chinese state television’s military affairs channel, appeared to show a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) J-16 fighter intercepting an Australian P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft. The incident took place in international airspace over the South China Sea in 2022.

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