Anthony Albanese has confirmed police are investigating whether some of the perpetrators behind a spate of antisemitic attacks may have been “paid actors” rather than ideologically motivated offenders. The AFP boss, Reece Kershaw, says federal police “believe criminals for hire may be behind some incidents” as the investigation continues.
Peter Dutton has condemned the response of the prime minister and Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, while praising Chris Minns. The New South Wales premier has flagged changes to the state’s hate speech laws amid debate over their effectiveness as a deterrent.
Top news
Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, founder of Silk Road drug marketplace
Trump unveils US$500bn joint AI venture between OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank
‘Always going to have one or two’: Australian Open boss says rowdy crowds not a problem
Stephanie Gilmore extends break from World Surf League to ‘focus on healing’
Zelenskyy says Russia-Ukraine peace deal would require 200,000 allied troops
In pictures
Supporters of the impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk-Yeol gather near the constitutional court as captured in Guardian’s selection of the best photos from around the world.
What they said …
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“There’s no such ‘probably’ or ‘similar to’ or ‘controversial’ about it. The gesture speaks for itself.”
Germans have been responding to Elon Musk’s hand signal at Donald Trump’s inauguration. In a piece in Die Zeit – quoted above – the journalist Lenz Jacobsen called it a Hitler salute. Others are unsure.
In numbers
The streaming service ended the year with more than 300 million worldwide subscribers, an increase of 41 million from 2023.
Before bed read
“The transition from daycare to big school is not always a smooth one,” Sarah Ayoub writes. Early learning educators have been joining forces with experts like The Wiggles to see how music can help “develop confidence, emotional resilience and creative and scholarly skills”.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: RAP. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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