A China-based threat group operating for almost two decades broke into the internal systems of Notepad++, an extremely popular open source-code editor, to spy on a select group of targeted users, researchers at Rapid7 said Monday.
Don Ho, the author and maintainer of the open-source tool, said independent security researchers confirmed a China state-sponsored group compromised Notepad++’s server for a six-month period starting in June 2025. Ho, who did not respond to a request for comment, released a software update Dec. 9 claiming to address authentication weaknesses that allowed attackers to hijack the Notepad++ updater client and user traffic.
The Chinese APT group Lotus Blossom, which has been active since at least 2009, gained recurring access and deployed various payloads — including a custom backdoor — to snoop on some users’ activities, according to Rapid7. The espionage group is also known as Billbug, Thrip and Raspberry Typhoon.
“We have no evidence of bulk data exfiltration,” Christiaan Beek, senior director of threat intelligence and analytics at Rapid7, told CyberScoop. “The tooling observed is consistent with post-compromise reconnaissance, command execution, and selective data access, rather than broad data harvesting.”
The attacks, which showcased resilience and stealth tradecraft, did not result in a mass compromise of all Notepad++ users, but rather a limited number of affected environments, according to Rapid7.
“Post-compromise behavior included system profiling, persistence mechanisms, and remote command execution consistent with long-term espionage access rather than immediate disruption or monetization,” Beek added. “The objective appears aligned with strategic intelligence collection, consistent with Lotus Blossom’s historical operations.”
The former hosting provider for Notepad++ said the attackers lost access to the tool’s server on Sept. 2, but maintained legitimate credentials to internal services until Dec. 2, which allowed the attackers to redirect Notepad++ update traffic to malicious servers, Ho said in a blog post.
Ho did not say when or how they first became aware of unauthorized access to Notepad++’s systems. The website, which attackers targeted to exploit “insufficient update verification controls that existed in older versions of Notepad++,” was moved to a new hosting provider with stronger security practices, Ho said in the blog post.
Beek confirmed that Lotus Blossom’s unauthorized access appears to have been disrupted, noting that its known infrastructure linked to the months-long campaign is no longer active. Some security researchers started surfacing reports of incidents linked to Notepad++ in November.
While Notepad++’s internal system improvements appear to have halted the malicious activity, users running older versions of the software should still update as a precaution, Beek said. “We are not seeing ongoing active exploitation tied to this campaign.”
Lotus Blossom targeted software that provided potential access to many sensitive targets. The Windows-based tool, which was first released in 2003 and typically used as an alternative to Windows Notepad, is widely used by developers, IT administrators, engineers and analysts, including some working in government, telecom, critical infrastructure and media, Beek said.
Many security researchers, analysts and users have taken their concerns to social media to warn about the potential risk of the long-term intrusion and share worries about the ultimate impact of the campaign.
This longing is shared by Angelica Angel, a 24-year-old student activist in exile.
She had grown up with tear gas and police beatings in Venezuela. After all, she had started protesting at age 15.
“They’ve pointed their guns at me, beaten me and almost arrested me. That’s when you realise that these people have no limits: They target the elderly, women and even young girls,” Angel said.
But the increasing political repression ultimately made her life in Merida, a college town in western Venezuela, untenable.
After 2024’s disputed presidential election, Angel decided to voice her outrage on social media.
Maduro had claimed a third term in office, despite evidence that he had lost in a landslide. The opposition coalition obtained copies of more than 80 percent of the country’s voter tallies, showing that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, had won the race.
Protests again broke out, and again, Maduro’s government responded with force.
Military and security officers detained nearly 2,000 people, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights lawyers.
When Angel denounced the arbitrary detentions on TikTok, she began receiving daily threats.
By day, anonymous phone calls warned her of her impending arrest. By night, she heard pro-government gangs on motorcycles circling her home.
Fearing detention, she fled to Colombia in August 2024, leaving her family and friends behind.
But living outside Venezuela gave her a new perspective. She came to realise that the threats, persecution and violence she had learned to live with were not normal in a democratic country.
“When you leave, you realise that it isn’t normal to be afraid of the police, of unknown phone calls,” said Angel, her voice trembling. “I’m afraid to go back to my country and to be in that reality again.”
For exiled Venezuelans to return safely, Angel believes certain benchmarks must be met. The interim government must end arbitrary detention and allow opposition members, many of whom fled Venezuela, to return.
Only then, she explained, will Venezuela have moved past Maduro’s legacy.
“Exiles being able to return is a real test of whether a new country is taking shape,” she said.
Four Britons have died within four months of being struck down with stomach bugs while on holiday in Cape Verde, lawyers representing their families say.
Elena Walsh, from Birmingham, Mark Ashley, from Bedfordshire, Karen Pooley, from Gloucestershire, and a 56-year-old man all died last year after contracting severe gastric illnesses while staying on the island country off the coast of West Africa.
Law firm Irwin Mitchell is investigating their deaths, as well as the deaths of two other Britons who died on holiday there since January 2023.
It says it is representing more than 1,500 people who have fallen ill after visiting Cape Verde.
Ms Walsh, 64, died in August last year after falling ill during her stay at a resort on the island of Sal.
Image:Elena Walsh (centre) with her husband and son. Pic: PA
Mr Ashley, who had diabetes but controlled through medication, fell ill three days into his holiday in October last year, with symptoms including stomach pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, and extreme lethargy.
His widow Emma told PA their family is in “complete shock” over his death.
“We went to Cape Verde expecting a relaxing break, but Mark became violently ill and never recovered,” she said.
Ms Ashley says they booked their trip with Tui, which cost more than £3,000.
Image:Mark Ashley (back left) with his family. Pic: PA
She first reported her husband’s illness with Tui on 9 October, but his symptoms continued for some time upon their return to the UK.
On 12 November, Mr Ashley collapsed in their home in Houghton Regis and was pronounced dead in hospital minutes later.
Ms Pooley, 64, went on a two-week-long holiday in October last year that had also been booked through Tui and which cost more than £3,000.
She fell sick four days into the trip with gastric symptoms, and the next day slipped on water leaking from a fridge while going to the bathroom early in the morning.
She was airlifted to Tenerife for urgent care on 16 October and died the next day, her lawyers say.
Image:Karen Pooley. Pic: PA
Her husband Andy told the Press Association his wife appeared to be in “significant distress” when her family video-called her from home, and claims communication from both the clinic and holiday provider was poor.
“We were desperate for updates while watching Karen get worse,” he said.
“We’re devastated and struggling to understand how she went on holiday and never came home.”
Irwin Mitchell says Ms Pooley’s initial death certificate from Cape Verde authorities shows she died of multiple organ failure, sepsis, cardio-respiratory arrest and a broken left leg.
The two other Britons who have died while holidaying in Cape Verde since 2023 are Jane Pressley, who died aged 62 in January 2023 after falling ill during her holiday the previous November, and a man in his 60s who died in November 2024, who suffered gastric illness following a trip to the island country.
Personal injury claims
All six of the victims’ families are making personal injury claims for damages against Tui.
“The number of holidaymakers to Cape Verde being struck down with serious and debilitating gastric illnesses is truly staggering. Nothing brings the gravity of this situation into sharper focus than these recent deaths,” says Irwin Mitchell serious injury lawyer Jatinder Paul.
“In my experience, I’m used to supporting holidaymakers who have fallen ill at resorts across the globe, but I’ve never seen repeated and continued illness outbreaks at the same resorts on such a scale over such a period of time.”
He added: “Understandably, those we represent have serious concerns about hygiene standards in Cape Verde. While nothing can make up for what’s happened, we’re determined to at least help establish the answers they deserve.”
The law firm has called for tour operators to work with local authorities to ensure the highest hygiene and safety standards are always upheld.
Tui investigating claims
A spokesperson for Tui says it is fully investigating the claims being made and ensures any customers who fall ill while on holiday have access to appropriate care and assistance.
The holiday provider says sometimes individuals who fall ill do not report illness or seek support from them during their stay, which limits what they care they can offer.
As speculation swirls over whether California Gov. Gavin Newsom will run for president in 2028, a business group on Tuesday unveiled a billboard in New York City’s Times Square, comparing the Democratic leader to one of the NFL’s most consistently underperforming – some would say sorriest – franchises: the New York Jets.
The California Business and Industrial Alliance (CABIA), which announced the ad, said it coincides with Super Bowl week and represents Newsom’s track record on homelessness and higher taxes.
A billboard unveiled in Times Square features California Gov. Gavin Newsom likened to the New York Jets, one of the NFL’s worst-performing franchises. (California Business and Industrial Alliance (CABIA))
“Before trying to quarterback national politics, Gavin Newsom should take a hard look at how his game plan worked out in California,” said Tom Manzo, founder of CABIA. “Much like New Yorkers feel about the Jets, Californians expected more than what they’ve seen from Governor Newsom.”
The billboard features a green background in Jets colors and features Newsom wearing a Jets Jersey with “California” emblazoned” on the front.
“His record is worse than the Jets,” the billboard states. #1 in High Taxes and Homelessness.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom has been increasing his social media presence in recent weeks.(AP Photo)
Newsom has been heavily criticized by Republicans over the state’s homelessness crisis, which has grown over the past few years despite billions in spending.
A 2024 state audit found that California failed to track results from an unprecedented $24 billion spent on combating the issue. In addition, California has one of the country’s highest tax burdens and costs of living.
Meanwhile, the comparison to the Jets is meant to highlight Newsom’s perceived failures at governing the state. The Jets finished the 2025 NFL season with a 3-14 record, frustrating the team’s already demoralized fan base.
The team lost its first seven games of the season before finally notching a win.
New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez #6 fumbles in the first half when the New York Jets played the New England Patriots on Nov. 22, 2012.(Robert Sabo/NY Daily News via Getty Images)
The United Kingdom’s data protection authority launched a formal investigation into X and its Irish subsidiary over reports that the Grok AI assistant was used to generate nonconsensual sexual images.
This announcement comes after the ICO contacted X and xAI on January 7, seeking urgent information on the measures taken to comply with data protection law following reports that Grok created sexually explicit images using individuals’ personal data.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said today that it will examine whether X Internet Unlimited Company (XIUC) and X.AI LLC (X.AI) processed personal data lawfully and whether adequate safeguards were in place to prevent Grok from creating harmful, manipulated images.
The ICO also noted that losing control over personal data, when safeguards are not in place to prevent the creation of AI-generated intimate imagery, can cause immediate and significant harm, particularly involving children.
“The reports about Grok raise deeply troubling questions about how people’s personal data has been used to generate intimate or sexualised images without their knowledge or consent, and whether the necessary safeguards were put in place to prevent this,” said William Malcolm, ICO’s head of regulatory risk and innovation.
“Losing control of personal data in this way can cause immediate and significant harm. This is particularly the case where children are involved.”
As the UK’s independent data protection regulator, the privacy watchdog can impose fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of a company’s worldwide annual turnover.
Today, French prosecutors also raided X’s Paris offices as part of a criminal probe examining whether Grok generated child sexual abuse material and Holocaust denial content. The French authorities also summoned Elon Musk, X CEO Linda Yaccarino, and additional X employees for interviews in April.
In January 2026, the European Commission launched its own formal investigation to find whether X properly assessed risks under the Digital Services Act before deploying Grok on its platform after it was used to generate sexually explicit images.
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today’s big news
– Photo: Amar Ujala Graphics
Historic trade agreements signed between India and America on Monday After this, on Tuesday, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. The meeting took place ahead of the first Ministerial Conference on Critical Minerals. The weather of the country from north to south is showing many colors these days. At some places the effect of cold has intensified due to rain and snowfall, while at other places cold wave and dense fog have put life on hold. Due to the activity of Western Disturbance, the weather remains unstable in North India, while strong winds in the southern sea areas have increased the concern of fishermen. At least 14 people have died after a speedboat and a Greek coast guard boat collided near Greece’s eastern Aegean island of Chios. The Greek coast guard said Tuesday that 24 people were rescued and taken to hospital. Two Coast Guard officers have also been injured in this. It is not yet known how many people were in the speedboat. Read such important news of the country and the world at one place and with one click…
Marles announces government to sell off $3bn in defence owned property
The defence minister, Richard Marles, is announcing that the government will sell off $3bn in defence owned properties, which he calls the most “significant reform to Australia’s defence estate in our nation’s history”.
Marles says the issues around the defence estate have been known within defence circles for “a very long time”.
The sell-off comes after the government commissioned an audit of the estates. Marles says:
For any organisation, its home, its land, its infrastructure, its bricks and mortar, is fundamental to what it can do, and that is most certainly the case when it comes to defence.
What became clear was that defence as one of the largest owners of property in the country had a very significant estate, much of which was not being used.
Marles quotes from the audit:
Attempts to consolidate and rationalise property holdings in the past have been stymied by a lack of political and organisational will to overcome challenges … it is clear that maintaining the status quo is not an option.
Richard Marles. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images
Key events
Victorian government offers single day of travel – worth $11.40 – for commuters trapped on trains
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian transport minister, Gabrielle Williams, has offered a single free day of travel – worth $11.40 – for commuters who were trapped on trains for up to two hours yesterday.
Williams held a doorstop at parliament a short time ago where she also apologised for the inconvenience caused, particularly for the two trains that were halted near the overhead power fault at Armadale. For one train, this was a 90-minute wait and for the other, a two-hour wait before they were helped off and had to walk to nearby Malvern station.
She said:
The government will be offering compensation to those passengers and inviting those passengers to call the Transport Victoria call centre to get a ticket, which will effectively issue them with a day’s free travel.
So for anybody who was on those services, we again apologise. We appreciate the level of inconvenience and potentially even distress that was caused.
Williams said while investigations were ongoing, there was “no indication” it was related to the ramping up of the Metro Tunnel to full capacity, which occurred a day earlier:
Early indications are, it’s not related to the Metro Tunnel or the timetable at all. It seems to be at this stage, from what we understand, a cable fault near Hawksburn.
We will get an understanding in time of exactly what’s the cause. Some of our best and brightest are working on that as we speak, so that we can make sure that we are continuing to build a rail network that is reliable and gets people to where they need to go.
Labor’s beer excise freeze passes parliament
The government’s freeze on a beer excise has passed the House, but not without a touch of drama. The freeze, which will be in place for two years once it passes the Senate, will probably save consumers about one cent on a mid-strength pint.
The Nationals tried to move two amendments to the bill, which found support from none other than Andrew Hastie and a couple of conservative Liberal allies, including Tony Pasin, Terry Young and Ben Small. The amendment also had support from a few crossbenchers including Nicolette Boele and Andrew Wilkie.
None of the other Liberals were in the chamber to vote with the Nats.
Joe Hinchliffe
Rangers hunt last dingo in pack after death of Canadian backpacker
One dingo doomed to die remains at large on K’gari after wildlife rangers killed eight of its pack for their role in the death of Canadian backpacker Piper James on the world-heritage listed sand island off the Queensland coast.
A coroner’s preliminary assessment, released four days after the 19-year-old died in the early hours of 19 January after going for a dawn swim on her own, found “physical evidence consistent with drowning” as well as “injuries consistent with dingo bites” – noting these were unlikely to have been fatal bites.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the coroner was still “awaiting pathology results to further assist in determining the cause of death of Piper James” – a process expected to take several weeks.
A wild pure bred dingo on K’gari (formerly known as Fraser Island) in Queensland. The island is home to an estimated 200 dingoes. Photograph: Leamus/Getty Images
But a spokesperson for Queensland’s environment department said on Tuesday afternoon that eight dingoes had been “humanely euthanised”:
The operation is ongoing, with one dingo outstanding.
Jordyn Beazley
NSW Labor MLC criticises court delay over challenge to ‘draconian’ protest restrictions
A NSW Labor MLC has criticised the courts delay to hear a legal challenge on whether controversial protest restrictions are constitutional, saying the fact it couldn’t be heard until almost two months after it was filed was “a serious issue”.
Stephen Lawrence, who is also a barrister, pointed out to ABC radio on Tuesday afternoon that the state had agreed the case could be heard on 16 January but “after the judge on duty spoke to the chief justice, it was then not listed until the end of February”. He said:
The concern I’ve got is that very serious and draconian restrictions on the right to protest and assembly have been introduced. The people who seek to protest have not had the opportunity to have the court rule on it.
I’m a little bit surprised in the modern state of New South Wales that the supreme court, the court of appeal, can’t see a case, essentially in a sort of two-month period – that’s a serious issue.
Labor MLC Stephen Lawrence at NSW Parliament House in Sydney, 4 July, 2025. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
It comes as the protest restriction was extended for a fourth time on Tuesday ahead of a protest against a visit by the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog. Lawrence said:
I’m just not sure that continually extending this thing to apply it to the visit of the Israeli president is actually going to make us more safe. I think it could be creating a flashpoint, and it concerns me.
Police were given the controversial power to restrict protests in 14-day increments for up to 90 days after a terror attack, after the Minns government rushed laws through parliament last year in the wake of the Bondi beach terror attack.
Groups the Blak Caucus, the Palestine Action Group (PAG) and Jews Against the Occupation ’48 filed the legal challenge against New South Wales laws restricting protests after terrorist incidents in early January, arguing the laws were invalid because they impinge on the implied constitutional right to freedom of political communication.
Prof Ben Saul has applied to join the case as an amicus curiae, which would see him provide expertise on the matter as a “friend of the court”. Saul is the United Nations special rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism.
If Saul’s application to join the case is accepted, Saul told Guardian Australia he would argue that the protest restriction is at odds with Australia’s obligations to protect the freedom of peaceful assembly under international law.
Housing ‘part of the opportunity’ from defence estate sell-off
Jumping back to the press conference in Parliament House:
Richard Marles was asked whether housing will be built on any of the sold off land.
The defence minister says while that could be the case, it was not necessarily the priority of the audit.
I expect that housing will be part of the opportunity that is created here. But I want to be really clear, that’s not why we’re doing this. [This is] around making sure we have a defence estate which is properly attuned to the capabilities of the Australian defence force.
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, is with Marles – the finance department will be in charge of the sell-off. Gallagher says no decisions around what the land could be used for have been made yet.
The short answer is none of those decisions have been taken.
The divestment the land is coming to [the finance department], then there will be a piece of work done about what is the most appropriate use on those sites, and it will be varied. I mean, there are some prime locations. I imagine there will be a lot of interest and a lot of views about what it can be used for … It may be that some sites are suitable for housing, obviously, other sites will have contamination, heritage restrictions, other issues that need to be worked through.
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
You can read more on the announcement from my colleague, Tom McIlroy, here:
Nino Bucci
Former NSW Labor ministers fail in high court bid to overturn corruption convictions
Former NSW Labor ministers Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald, along with Obeid’s son Moses, have failed in a high court bid to have their 2021 corruption convictions overturned.
The high court ruled on Wednesday that the trio’s appeal against their convictions should be dismissed.
The men were found guilty of a conspiracy to wilfully have Macdonald, the former NSW minerals minister, commit misconduct in public office. The conspiracy involved Macdonald granting a lucrative coal exploration licence to land owned by an Obeid family company.
The court granted the men leave to appeal on a single ground – that the prosecution case at their NSW supreme court trial was “incapable at law” of amounting to a conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, given the prosecution did not allege there was an agreement for Macdonald to do a particular act of misconduct. In its judgment, the high court said:
For the reasons that follow, each appeal must be dismissed. The agreement alleged by the Crown in its indictment, as particularised during the trial, was a complete offence of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office.
The alleged agreement contemplated acts to be undertaken by Mr Macdonald that necessarily satisfied the elements of the predicate offence, albeit that it was not known and could not be known at the time the agreement was made what “particular acts” Mr Macdonald would undertake to bring about the objects of the agreement.
Sale of defence properties represents ‘opportunity to return billions of dollars to the government’s purse’: Richard Marles
Marles says that the government has agreed or agreed in principle to the 20 recommendations in the audit.
He says that of the 68 properties the audit recommends selling off, just one – the Pittwater annexe in Sydney – will be retained, and three others partly retained. Three have already been divested, Marles says.
He adds that the government has spent millions of dollars maintaining the buildings, including from vandalisation.
If we do nothing, we will be spending $2bn over the next 25 years, in respect of such properties, without a single contribution to defence capability, that is clearly unsustainable, and yet, on the flipside, the divestiture of these properties represents the opportunity to return billions of dollars to the government’s purse.
Three of the big-ticket properties are the Victoria Barracks in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Marles says the public deserve to be able to access those significant heritage sites.
These properties are protected by law with heritage overlays, and they will exist whatever their future use is, but being opened up and being allowed to be seen by the Australian people is a tremendous heritage outcome.
Victoria Barracks in Sydney. Photograph: Damian Shaw/AAP
Marles announces government to sell off $3bn in defence owned property
The defence minister, Richard Marles, is announcing that the government will sell off $3bn in defence owned properties, which he calls the most “significant reform to Australia’s defence estate in our nation’s history”.
Marles says the issues around the defence estate have been known within defence circles for “a very long time”.
The sell-off comes after the government commissioned an audit of the estates. Marles says:
For any organisation, its home, its land, its infrastructure, its bricks and mortar, is fundamental to what it can do, and that is most certainly the case when it comes to defence.
What became clear was that defence as one of the largest owners of property in the country had a very significant estate, much of which was not being used.
Marles quotes from the audit:
Attempts to consolidate and rationalise property holdings in the past have been stymied by a lack of political and organisational will to overcome challenges … it is clear that maintaining the status quo is not an option.
Richard Marles. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images
Benita Kolovos
Victorian Liberals call train delays a ‘disgrace’
The Victorian opposition public transport spokesperson, Matthew Guy, has blamed the major delays on the train lines that travel through the Metro Tunnel yesterday on the government failing to upgrade rail power systems.
He says it was a “disgrace” that people were trapped on trains for up to two hours as a result:
Yesterday was a disgrace. It was third world conditions – 1,200 people trapped on high capacity trains in the middle of stations, and they’ve got one small ladder to get them off.
Guy says while Labor invested in the new tunnel, which only ramped up to full capacity on Monday, and the new high-capacity trains that travel through it, the power substance were “decades old”:
If you don’t upgrade those before you introduce new trains, you’re going to trip the system and on hot days in Melbourne. And I hate to break it to most people, our trains’ air conditioning systems in Melbourne are only there to suit mid-30s temperature, so when it gets warmer than that, they’re not designed for that. So when you’ve got all these new high capacity trains, which came on just two days ago into the network in full, in the big switch, you’re drawing a huge amount of power out of the system.
Victorian opposition public transport spokesperson Matthew Guy. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP
Abdel-Fattah to appear with Louise Adler at ‘Not Writers’ Week’ festival in Adelaide
Stepping away from federal parliament for a moment:
Palestinian Australian author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah will appear at the Constellations or ‘Not Writers’ Week’ festival in conversation with former Adelaide writers’ week director Louise Adler on 1 March.
The Constellations event has been created at the last minute by a grassroots group of authors, publishers and booksellers in Adelaide after writers’ week was cancelled in January.
Abdel-Fattah’s invitation to appear at the writers’ festival was revoked by the board, leading to Adler resigning as director, and the festival being cancelled entirely.
Abdel-Fattah will also appear in the “Rivers of Reason: Blak & Arab Writers in Conversation” event alongside other writers including Melissa Lucashenko, Chelsea Watego, Ali Cobby Eckermann, and Daniel Nour.
Coal lobby-backed campaign group a ‘textbook example of Liberal astroturfing’ says independent MP
Independent MP Sophie Scamps, a “teal” who ousted former Liberal Jason Falinski in a blue-ribbon Sydney seat, has attacked campaign group Australians for Prosperity that was almost entirely funded by a coal lobby group.
Guardian Australia analysis of the Australian Electoral Commission’s transparency register found Australians for Prosperity, which attacked Labor, the Greens and teal independent candidates were backed by Coal Australia. Australians for Prosperity is connected with former Liberal MPs Falinski and Julian Simmonds.
Scamps told Guardian Australia “voters deserve honesty”.
Australians for Prosperity is a textbook example of Liberal party astroturfing. While it claims to be a grassroots movement “backed by Australians”, it emerged suddenly just before the last election with the purpose of attacking teal candidates advocating for climate action …
It’s well overdue the Liberal party came up with a few policies instead of relying on misleading tactics to win support.
In pictures: here’s who was roaming around the press gallery this morning
Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher speaks to journalists in the Press Gallery. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShadow Treasurer Ted O’Brien in the Press Gallery at Parliament House. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPNationals Leader David Littleproud speaks to journalists after an interview on Sky News Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Benita Kolovos
More on yesterday’s Melbourne train disruptions
We have some further info from Metro Trains on yesterday evening’s peak hour delays on the lines that travel through the new Metro Tunnel, which left some commuters trapped on trains for two hours.
They have confirmed the issues began at 5pm, when a fault on the overhead power supply on the network in Armadale affected trains on the Cranbourne and Pakenham line. The fault also stopped trains going through the Metro Tunnel and a section of the Sunbury line, as Metro Trains needed to suspend the line between West Footscray and Caulfield to undertake repairs.
Metro Trains said the two trains closest to the fault were halted and passengers were required to stay on board until the situation was safe. For one train, this was a 90-minute wait and for the other, a two-hour wait before they were helped off and had to walk to nearby Malvern station.
Passengers rush to board a train at Flinders Street station. Photograph: Joshua Stanyer/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
Albanese: Beer excise freeze a ‘cost of living measure’
The bells have rung and the House and Senate are sitting, but there’s not a whole lot of drama happening so far today.
The prime minister is giving a speech to the House on Labor’s beer excise freeze that will knock about one cent off a mid-strength pint, which he’s branded a cost-of-living measure. The beer tax will frozen for two years.
Anthony Albanese says:
It took a Labor government to freeze the beer excise making sure that this was just part of our cost of living measures that we implemented, not just talking about cost of living pressures, but doing something about it …
It’s a way of people getting through their university days or just working part-time for people when they’re raising a family as well. So good for our economy, good for our jobs, good for our local community as well. And that’s why, from the front part of the beer garden, when you raise a glass, you can do so, knowing that our government won’t be raising the price over that two years.
Again, the freeze will save about 18 cents on a 48-litre keg of mid-strength beer.
The legislative agenda is a little on the thin side at the moment, also on the notice paper is the bill to establish the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (Atec) which was supposed to be established last month, and a bill to give coal mining workers long service leave.
Labor are probably pretty happy that the focus remains on the Coalition’s messy split.
Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Paul Braven/AAP
Benita Kolovos
Victorian premier apologises after major delays on Metro Tunnel’s second day of full service
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has apologised for yesterday’s major delays on the lines that travel through the Metro Tunnel, which only ramped up to full capacity on Monday.
During the evening peak on Tuesday, Metro Trains suspended services on the Sunbury line and there were major delays on the Cranbourne/Pakenham lines due to a problem with overhead wires near Armadale. Both lines run through the new tunnel.
Allan says:
As Metro Trains has also done this morning, I’d like to acknowledge and apologise to those passengers who had had a really difficult experience last night as a result of a fault of the train network, and the investigations are continuing as to what was behind the cause of the disruption last night.
Victorian government announces free ADHD top-up scripts
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, is holding a press conference this morning to announce free top-up prescriptions for people with ADHD.
Under the plan, if someone with an existing ADHD diagnosis needs a new prescription urgently and can’t see their regular doctor, they will be able to dial into the Victorian virtual emergency department and have a free consultation.
The doctor will verify their current medication and dosage and send the prescription to their local pharmacy. The one-off refill will be for at least 30 days and up to six months.
It follows the announcement of a $750,000 plan yesterday to train GPs to be able to diagnose and prescribe medication for adults and children with ADHD.
Both changes come into effect in September. Allan says:
We’re doing this because we don’t want parents or kids to get caught out. We heard from Bronwyn yesterday about how she had to keep her little boy home from school for a couple of weeks when he had run out of the medication.
Jacinta Allan and Mary-Anne Thomas speak to media on Tuesday. Photograph: Michael Currie/AAP
The health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, says:
There are a range of reasons why people might not be able to access their medication, their script may have run out, they may have lost their script. This happens to the to all of us at any given time, but we know that there are real consequences for missing a medication that is designed to be taken every day, and that’s where the Victorian virtual emergency department … can step in to meet the needs of Victorians wherever they live.
One of the screenwriters of an Oscar-nominated film has been arrested in Tehran days after signing a statement condemning Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his regime’s violent crackdown on protesters.
Mehdi Mahmoudian, who co-wrote the script for the Iranian drama It Was Just An Accident, was arrested on Saturday, representatives of the film said in a statement. It is unclear what he is charged with.
In the statement, Mahmoudian and 16 others wrote: “The mass and systematic killing of citizens who bravely took to the streets to bring an end to an illegitimate regime constitutes an organised state crime against humanity.”
Among the signatories were journalist Vida Rabbani and human rights activist Abdullah Momeni, who were also arrested.
Image:Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr as Hamid, Majid Panahi as Ali, Hadis Pakbaten as Goli, from left, in It Was Just An Accident. Pic: AP
Mahmoudian’s arrest comes just weeks before the Academy Awards in March, where It Was Just An Accident is nominated for best screenplay and best international film.
It Was Just An Accident was filmed covertly in Iran and was inspired by director Jafar Panahi’s most recent stint in prison, where he met Mahmoudian. He said his co-writer was “a pillar” to other prisoners.
Panahi, who also signed the statement criticising the Iranian regime, condemned Mahmoudian’s arrest.
He said the screenwriter was “a rare moral presence… whose absence is immediately felt, both inside the prison walls and beyond them”.
One of the most acclaimed international filmmakers, Panahi has made films through various states of imprisonment, house arrest and travel ban.
Last year, he was again sentenced to a year in prison for “propaganda activities against the system”. Despite the sentence, Panahi, who has been travelling internationally to promote the film, said he will return to Iran.
The director previously spoke out about the recent crackdown on protesters by the Iranian government, calling it a “savage massacre”.
Estimates from human rights organisations and doctors on the number of people who were killed in the deadly protests range from over 5,000 at the conservative end to 33,000 by one count, and even as high as 50,000, according to one unverified claim.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a New Orleans Police Department recruit from Cameroon who was issued a firearm despite an active deportation order, just one week before he was set to graduate from the police academy.
ICE said in a press release Tuesday that 46-year-old Larry Temah was arrested Jan. 28 and remains in ICE custody.
The New Orleans Police Department recruited Temah and issued him a firearm despite federal law prohibiting illegal aliens from possessing firearms, according to ICE.
Temah entered the U.S. legally in 2015 on a visitor visa and was granted conditional residency the following year after marrying a U.S. citizen, ICE said.
Temah was ordered to appear in immigration court three times but failed to appear, resulting in an immigration judge ordering him removed from the country in absentia, ICE said.
ICE arrested a New Orleans police recruit from Cameroon who was issued a firearm despite an active deportation order, prompting a dispute with city officials.(Octavio Jones/Reuters)
ICE also said Temah did not have valid work authorization and remains in custody pending removal proceedings.
“This illegal alien from Cameroon, Larry Temah, is not only breaking the law with every step he takes in this country illegally, but the New Orleans Police Department hired him and issued him a firearm — what kind of law enforcement department gives criminal illegal aliens guns and badges?” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “It’s a felony for illegal aliens to possess a firearm.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blasted NOPD for issuing a firearm to an illegal immigrant, saying it violates federal law.(Charly Triballeau/ AFP via Getty Images)
McLaughlin said ICE is restoring law and order under President Trump and Secretary Noem and accused sanctuary cities such as New Orleans of protecting illegal aliens at the expense of American citizens.
A spokesperson for the New Orleans Police Department disputed ICE’s claims, calling them misleading.
“The New Orleans Police Department verified Mr. Temah’s employment eligibility through ICE’s E-Verify system prior to hiring and was never notified of any ICE detainer,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “New Orleans is not a sanctuary city, and NOPD does not control jail operations or detainer decisions, which fall under the Sheriff’s Office.”
Gautam Gambhir Reaction Pakistan Boycott T20 World Cup 2026: Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to comment on Pakistan’s boycott stand against India before the T20 World Cup 2026. The Pakistan government has not allowed its cricket team to play against India in the tournament.
Gambhir’s reaction on Pakistan refusing to play against India goes viral.
New Delhi. There is an uproar before the T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan, showing sympathy with Bangladesh, refused to play in the tournament against India, after which it is being criticized in world cricket. However, Pakistan has not officially informed ICC about its decision. Now what action ICC is going to take against PCB regarding this gimmick of Pakistan will be known later, but amidst this whole matter, a video of Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir is going viral. In fact, when Gautam Gambhir was asked a question about Pakistan’s decision to refuse to play the T20 World Cup match against India, the reaction he gave is making headlines.
When Gautam Gambhir was leaving for Mumbai, the media personnel at the airport asked him questions about Pakistan’s refusal to play in the T20 World Cup against India, but the head coach of Team India was seen avoiding saying anything on this issue. However, Gambhir first thanked the media for wishing well for Team India. After this, when he was questioned about Pakistan, he moved ahead without saying anything and did not give any reaction. During this time, at one point it seemed that Gambhir wanted to say something, but he stopped. Its video is going viral on social media.
