☕️ Assange touches down in Canberra

There were incredible scenes in Canberra last night as Julian Assange stepped off a plane a free man. While the photos capture the sense of triumph from Assange and his team, I am incredibly intrigued to hear from the man himself about what this process has been like from his perspective.

Something tells me we won’t have to wait too long to hear Assange describe it all in his own words.

“It is unprecedented in the United States to use the Espionage Act to criminally prosecute a journalist or a publisher. In the more than 100-year history of this law, it has never been used in this fashion. It is certainly our hope that it will never again be used in this fashion.”
Barry Pollack, a member of Julian Assange’s legal team, speaking in Canberra last night. Pollack and Australian Human Rights Lawyer Jennifer Robinson accompanied Assange on his multi-day journey to Australia from the UK, via the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory in the Western Pacific, where a U.S. court certified his plea deal.

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How many European news outlets the Russian Government is banning from the country for sharing “false information about the special military operation” - that is, its invasion of Ukraine. Banned outlets include Agence-France Presse, Politico, and The Irish Times.

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The first nuclear plant in the world to be connected to an external electricity grid was launched in Russia. This was the first time nuclear energy was used to power homes and businesses.

Yesterday, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s plea deal was granted by a U.S. judge, allowing Assange to return to Australia a free man. Because of the time he has already spent in a UK prison, he will serve no further time behind bars.

Assange was reunited with his family at around 7:30pm last night.

The U.S. had sought to bring him to trial on 18 charges of spying, with a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. Instead, through a deal with U.S. authorities, he pleaded guilty yesterday to one charge of accessing classified material.

In 2010, WikiLeaks posted thousands of secret military documents, including claims U.S. armed forces were responsible for an estimated 15,000 unreported civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq.

From 2012-19, Ecuador’s embassy in the UK provided Assange with political asylum (protection). London police arrested Assange as soon as this protection ended.

He was detained in a UK high-security prison until Tuesday, as U.S. authorities sought to move him to America to face their charges.

A quarter of people who bought a GPS tracking device in 2023 had a record of domestic violence according to analysis by the NSW Crime Commission.

These devices, which include the Apple AirTag, Samsung Galaxy SmartTag, and Tracker Tile Mate, are commonly used to keep track of keys, luggage, and pets.

During its research, the Commission referred nearly 400 people to NSW Police for investigation.

Here’s what you need to know.

The NSW Crime Commission examined sales data from over 5,600 tracking devices over 2023. It identified 3,147 customers, and compared this data to criminal records.

One in four of these customers had a history of domestic violence offending.

Around 4% (126) of these customers had an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) out against them at the time of purchase.

The findings are the first of their kind in Australia.

37% of these tracking device customers had a criminal history relating to offences like violence or drug trafficking.

Another 15% were known to NSW Police for being associated with serious or organised crime activity. The Commission identified a “strong” link between organised crime and domestic violence through the use of GPS devices for tracking intimate partners.

The research also uncovered the illegal use of tracking devices within the private investigator industry.

“Domestic violence perpetrators use tracking devices as part of a series of behaviours intended to intimidate, frighten, and control their intimate partners.”
— NSW Crime Commissioner Michael Barnes

The NSW Crime Commission made five key recommendations to reduce the risk of harm caused by possession of a tracking device.

It proposed legislation to prohibit the use of tracking devices by people with an AVO and to impose restrictions for people on bail or parole.

The Commission also suggested licensing regulations for suppliers and mandates for retailers to record customer details.

Act Now, Stay Secure

Why you shouldn’t wait

Have you noticed an increase in calls from unknown numbers lately? Or suspicious emails or texts? Well, you’re not alone. Although you might know not to answer, or not to click dodgy links, cyber attacks are getting more sophisticated and more frequent.

But you don’t need to throw in the towel. There are still things you can do to protect yourself online, from setting up multi-factor authentication to installing software updates and creating strong and unique passphrases. Rather than waiting for something to happen - take these three simple steps now to be secure online.

Act Now, Stay Secure. Learn simple steps to protect yourself online at actnowstaysecure.gov.au

Research published with the University of Ottawa mapped the flight of the Painted Lady Butterflies after the species was spotted in South America — an area it’s not native to. By analysing the DNA of pollen that these butterflies were carrying, scientists matched it to plant species that grow in tropical parts of Africa, allowing them to map the butterflies’ transatlantic journey.

A California man went for what he thought was going to be a three-hour hike. Ten days later, firefighters found Lukas McClish alive and basically well in the wilderness after reports of someone yelling for help in the area.

He stayed alive by drinking three to four litres of water every day, which he collected in his hiking boots.

McClish told local news he “felt comfortable the whole time”. He even made a friend — a mountain lion “that was following me, and it was cool. It kept its distance.”

On Tuesday night, WA Senator Fatima Payman did what no Labor Government member had done since 1988 - she crossed the floor of the Senate to vote against her party. Payman voted with the Greens and two independents on a motion asking the Senate to urgently recognise a Palestinian state. In today’s deep dive, we’ll explore her historic move, why she did it, and what’s next.