This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happens.
Key events
Live updates
By Tom Williams
Stay in The Loop
That's all for The Loop this morning — thanks for being with us!
We'll be back tomorrow, but in the meantime, you can stay up to date on the ABC News website and by subscribing to our mobile alerts.
If you're just joining us, here's what you need to know:
- Medibank has confirmed hackers have released customer data on the dark web
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Virginia Giuffre has dropped a lawsuit claiming Alan Dershowitz was among the men Jeffrey Epstein compelled her to have sex with
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Australia's defence minister has ordered an investigation into reports former Australian soldiers have been approached to provide military training to China
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Ukraine says Russia is suffering 'extraordinarily high losses' in Donetsk
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British actor Leslie Phillips, best known for roles in the Carry On comedies and as the voice of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter movies, has died
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More instability on cryptocurrency markets, as Binance buys FTX.com
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British minister Gavin Williamson resigns amid bullying investigation
By Tom Williams
A Leslie Phillips obituary
Leslie Phillips was so much more than just the voice for the sorting hat. I hope you publish a more measured article on his legacy
- David Little
You're right, David.
We've done a longer piece about Leslie Phillips's life, which you can read here:
By Peta Fuller
Watch: A 'floating train' in Thailand
Bored of regular trains? This would spice up your morning commute — a "floating train" in Thailand that gives the illusion you're suspended in water.
How? It's thanks to a post-monsoon rise in water levels.
The route starts in the capital Bangkok and passes through a dam six hours away on an elevated track.
It travels just above the water level, which officials say has been unusually high this year.
By Tom Williams
A quick shout out to all you Loop readers!
OMG!!! Just realised this live blog is back…..not sure how long ago you started back post covid.. as I’m only glancing over news headlines these days as the news is always bad… Anyway…. I spend the lockdown with you and joined in the conversations…it was nice to see others had the same opinions and concerns as myself… it helped me feel connected to the “outside world” also enjoyed the gifs and jokes!!! So I came across this blog today and it feels like home coming week!!! Keep up the good work!! Will be logged in from morning till night reading your updates!!!!
- ElCee
Thanks for the love ElCee!
It's our pleasure bringing you the latest news and views (and gifs) every day.
By Tom Williams
Medibank confirms hackers have released customer data on the dark web
Medibank has released a statement saying it is "aware" that cyber criminals have posted files to the dark web which contain customer data "believed to have been stolen" from its systems.
The hackers had demanded a ransom to stop them from releasing the data, but Medibank earlier this week said it would not pay it because it would encourage further crime.
Overnight, the hackers posted the first lists.
"This data includes personal data such as names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, Medicare numbers for ahm customers (not expiry dates), in some cases passport numbers for our international students (not expiry dates), and some health claims data," Medibank said.
"The files appear to be a sample of the data that we earlier determined was accessed by the criminal. We will continue to work around the clock to inform customers of what data we believe has been stolen and any of their data included in the files on the dark web and provide advice on what customers should do."
Medibank said it expected the hackers would continue to release files.
The company said it had written to customers to alert them to the threat, and the fact criminals may contact them directly.
Medibank CEO David Koczkar said, "We unreservedly apologise to our customers.
"This is a criminal act designed to harm our customers and cause distress.
"We take seriously our responsibility to safeguard our customers and we stand ready to support them."
By Tom Williams
Actor Sean Penn gives his Oscar to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy
American actor and director Sean Penn has given his Oscar statuette to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a symbolic gesture as they met in Kyiv.
"When you win, bring it back", Penn said.
This is Penn's third visit to Ukraine since Russia's invasion of the country began in February.
Penn was also awarded with the Order of Merit of the III degree for his support of Ukraine, the presidential office of Ukraine said.
At the Walk of the Brave on the Constitution Square in Kyiv, Zelenskyy showed the actor a plaque carrying his name, located next to the names of world leaders who helped Ukraine.
By Peta Fuller
Missing 5-yo from WA found 'safe and well' in NSW
Some good news this morning — WA police who launched a national appeal to find a missing five-year-old boy say he has been found safe and well interstate.
Avkan Oso Vorkoeper was believed to have been travelling with a family member in a white four-wheel drive in recent days, with police last night appealing for help to find him.
They said the vehicle had left WA, but it was not known whether Avkan had also travelled interstate.
Police said they had concerns for his safety.
In a statement this morning, a WA Police spokesman said the boy had been located safe and well in New South Wales.
By Tom Williams
Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre ends defamation lawsuit against Alan Dershowitz
Virginia Giuffre, one of dozens of women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual misconduct, has dropped her lawsuit claiming Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz was among the men with whom Epstein compelled her to have sex.
In jointly issued statements, Giuffre, 39, said she "may have made a mistake" in saying Epstein trafficked her to Dershowitz two decades ago, saying she had been young at the time and was in a "very stressful and traumatic environment".
"This litigation has been very stressful and burdensome for me and my family, and we believe it is time to bring it to an end and move on with our lives," she said.
Giuffre sued Dershowitz in 2019, accusing him of defaming her by denying her claim. He later countersued her for defamation.
In a joint filing in federal court in Manhattan, both sides agreed to drop their respective claims and waive any appeal. No money is changing hands.
"Ms. Giuffre is to be commended for her courage in now stating publicly that she may have been mistaken about me," Dershowitz, 84, said in a statement.
Giuffre had also accused Britain's Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was 17. That lawsuit was dismissed earlier this year after both reached a settlement.
By Tom Williams
Defence orders investigation into reports ex-soldiers were approached to provide training to China
Defence Minister Richard Marles has ordered his department to investigate reports former Australian soldiers have been approached to provide military training to China.
Last month, Britain's Ministry of Defence announced it was taking immediate steps to "deter and penalise" UK personnel who work for the People's Liberation Army (PLA), following revelations dozens of former RAF pilots are being paid as instructors in China.
You can keep reading this story here:
By Tom Williams
Ukraine says Russia is suffering 'extraordinarily high losses' in Donetsk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces in Ukraine's Donetsk region are suffering "extraordinarily high losses".
Zelenskyy claimed Russia wanted to press its advance in eastern Ukraine beyond the Donetsk region, but Ukrainian forces would not yield "a single centimetre".
"The activity of the occupiers remains at an extremely high level -- dozens of attacks every day," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
"They are suffering extraordinarily high losses. But the order remains the same — to advance on the administrative boundary of Donetsk region. We will not yield a single centimetre of our land."
Zelenskyy also said about four million people are without power in 14 regions, plus the capital Kyiv, but on a stabilisation rather than an emergency basis.
By Tom Williams
Looking for the latest on the US midterm elections?
Luckily for you, while Americans are turning out to cast ballots in the US midterm elections, we've got reporters in Australia and the US live-blogging the latest details and early results.
If you need a bit of a refresher on what's happening and who the main players are, have a read here.
Otherwise, you can follow all of today's developments in our live blog right here:
By Tom Williams
More instability on cryptocurrency markets, as Binance buys FTX.com
Cryptocurrency meltdown?
- nerotorious
It's interesting you bring that up, 'nerotorious'.
Some major cryptocurrencies have seen swings and sell-offs, after crypto exchange Binance said it had signed a nonbinding agreement to buy rival FTX's non-US unit, FTX.com.
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said his company had signed a letter of intent to buy FTX because the smaller exchange was experiencing a "significant liquidity crunch".
FTX said it saw around $US6 billion ($9 billion) of withdrawals in the 72 hours before Tuesday morning, according to a message to staff sent by its CEO Sam Bankman-Fried that was seen by Reuters.
"On an average day, we have tens of millions of dollars of net in/outflows. Things were mostly average until this weekend, a few days ago," Bankman-Fried wrote.
"In the last 72 hours, we've had roughly $6b of net withdrawals from FTX."
He added that withdrawals at FTX's main unit, FTX.com, were "effectively paused", an issue that would be resolved in "the near future".
The news shook the cryptocurrency world as the biggest crypto exchange had to apparently bail out the third largest exchange.
Prices for major crypto assets plunged, with bitcoin prices falling more than 10% and ethereum dropping more than 15%.
By Tom Williams
Discovery of bronze statues rewrites Italy's Etruscan-Roman history
Italian authorities have announced the extraordinary discovery of 2,000-year-old bronze statues in an ancient Tuscan thermal spring, which they said will "rewrite history" about the transition from the Etruscan civilization to the Roman Empire.
The discovery near Siena, is one of the most significant ever in the Mediterranean.
Thanks to the mud that protected them, the two-dozen figurines and other bronze objects were found in a perfect state of conservation.
Jacopo Tabolli, who coordinated the dig, said the discovery was significant because it shed new light on the end of the Etruscan civilization and the expansion of the Roman Empire in today's central Italy between the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C.
The period was marked by wars and conflicts across what is today's Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio regions, and yet, the bronze statues show evidence that Etruscan and Roman families prayed together to deities in the sacred sanctuary of the thermal springs.
"While there were social and civil wars being fought outside the sanctuary … inside the sanctuary the great elite Etruscan and Roman families prayed together in a context of peace surrounded by conflict," Tabolli said.
By Tom Williams
British minister Gavin Williamson resigns amid bullying investigation
British minister Gavin Williamson has resigned from Rishi Sunak's government to "comply fully" with an investigation into whether he had bullied colleagues while in previous roles.
Sunak appointed Williamson, who had previously been fired as defence minister and education minister by Sunak's predecessors, to a ministerial role in the cabinet office just two weeks ago.
UK media have since reported that Williamson had treated government officials aggressively and sent expletive-laden messages to colleagues.
Williamson said in a letter to Sunak that he was complying with a complaints process and that while he refuted the characterisation of the messages he recognised that they were becoming a distraction for the government.
"I have therefore decided to step back from government so that I can comply fully with the complaints process that is underway and clear my name of any wrongdoing," he said in the letter, which he published on Twitter.
"It is with real sadness that I tender my resignation."
By Tom Williams
Minister for Cyber Security says Medibank customers should be on "high alert"
In the wake of alleged Medibank customer data appearing on the dark web (see my earlier post for those details), Minister for Cyber Security, Clare O’Neil, says customers should be "on high alert".
In a statement, she says Medibank's decision not to pay a ransom to the hackers "is consistent with Australian Government advice".
"We urge people who may be affected to be on high alert for attempts by cyber criminals to extort individuals over their personal information," she says.
"Do not assume that anyone who contacts you has access to your data, or that paying a ransom will protect your data privacy
"Cyber criminals commit to undertaking actions in return for payment, but so often re-victimise companies and individuals.
"The Australian Government is working closely with Medibank Private to provide all the support possible to help resolve this situation and assist those customers who may have been affected.
"Medibank Private is receiving ongoing technical advice and assistance from Australian Government agencies, including the Australian Signals Directorate."
By Tom Williams
Ukraine’s president suggests he’s open to peace talks with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested he's open to peace talks with Russia, softening his refusal to negotiate with Moscow as long as President Vladimir Putin is in power while sticking to Kyiv's core demands.
Zelenskyy's appeal to the international community to "force Russia into real peace talks" reflected a change in rhetoric.
In late September, after Russia illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions, he signed a decree stating "the impossibility of holding talks" with Putin.
But the preconditions the Ukrainian leader listed appear to be non-starters for Moscow, so it's hard to see how Zelenskyy's latest comments would advance any talks.
Zelenskyy reiterated that his conditions for dialogue were the return of all of Ukraine's occupied lands, compensation for war damage and the prosecution of war crimes.
He didn't specify how world leaders should coerce Russia into talks.
AP
By Tom Williams
Armenia and Azerbaijan hold talks in the US
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed at talks in Washington to expedite negotiations between the two South Caucasus nations that have clashed repeatedly over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the US State Department said.
"The foreign ministers agreed to expedite their negotiations," State Department spokesman Ned Price said of Monday's talks between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
"Yesterday was positive in that the two sides met, they surfaced many of their areas of disagreement, at the end of the day they were able to agree on a joint statement," he said.
"They were able to agree to continue meeting, engaging in direct dialogue and diplomacy in the weeks that follow."
By Tom Williams
One thing from overnight: Medibank hackers have started posting allegedly stolen data
A ransomware group has started posting client data on the dark web which it allegedly stole from Australia's largest health insurer, Medibank.
As AAP reports, hundreds of names, addresses, birthdates and Medicare details were being posted under a "good-list" and a "naughty-list" on a blog belonging to the group.
The hackers had demanded a ransom to stop them from releasing the data, but Medibank earlier this week said it would not pay it because it would encourage further crime.
Shortly after midnight, the group posted the first lists.
"Looking back that data is stored not very understandable format (table dumps) we'll take some time to sort it out," they said in the early hours of Wednesday.
"We'll continue posting data partially, need some time to do it pretty [sic]."
Medibank is yet to comment on the posted data.
The hackers also appeared to have revealed screenshots of private messages recently exchanged between themselves and Medibank representatives.
Medibank previously confirmed almost 500,000 health claims were stolen by the hackers, along with personal information.
Some 9.7 million current and former customers have been affected.
No credit card or banking details were accessed.
By Tom Williams
News while you snoozed
Someone who bought a lottery ticket in Southern California has won a record $US2.04 billion ($3 billion) Powerball jackpot after more than three months without anyone hitting the top prize.
The jackpot was by far the largest lottery prize ever won, topping the previous record $US1.586 billion prize won by three ticketholders in 2016.
The jackpot was initially reported as an estimated $US1.9 billion on Monday, but the prize was increased to $US2.04 billion after updated calculations.
The $US2.04 billion prize is for a winner who chooses an annuity, paid annually over 29 years. Nearly all winners instead opt for cash, which was valued at $997.6 million.
The odds of winning the jackpot were 1 in 292.2 million.
In tennis, Australia has taken an unassailable 2-0 lead against Slovakia in the Billie Jean King Cup, in a strong start to its push for its first title in 48 years.
Storm Sanders and Ajla Tomljanovic claimed victories in singles to earn the Australians the win in Group B before the closing doubles.
Sanders beat Viktoria Kuzmova 6-4, 6-3, while Tomljanovic was a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the Scottish city of Glasgow.
Australia is a seven-time winner of the competition formerly known as the Fed Cup, but all of the country's titles came between 1964 and 1974.
By Tom Williams
Here's the news Australia is searching for online
- Leslie Phillips. The British actor, best known for his roles in the Carry On comedies and as the voice of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter movies, has died. He was 98. His agent confirmed that Phillips died "peacefully at home" on Monday
- Peter Reith. The former Liberal defence minister Peter Reith has died aged 72. Over his 17 years in parliament Mr Reith served under Malcolm Fraser, Andrew Peacock, John Hewson, Alexander Downer and John Howard. Mr Reith's former press secretary Ian Hanke said he died with Alzheimer's disease
