
How one Australian state has responded to a synagogue arson attack
The formation of the task force follows an arson attack on a synagogue in East Melbourne, where 20 worshippers inside escaped unharmed.
Police have arrested and charged a 34-year-old man in connection with the synagogue fire and are investigating whether the incident was an act of terrorism.
The Victorian government is drafting new legislation to ban face masks, the display of terror symbols, and devices used by protesters to attach themselves to objects.
Antisemitic incidents across Australia have escalated since October 2023, prompting the country to pass new anti-hate crime laws in February, including mandatory jail sentences for offences like giving a Nazi salute.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Morning Mail: US attack on Australian ‘freeloading', mushroom trial's ‘ghoulish fascination', Demon downed
Morning everyone. Powerful American lobby groups are trying to persuade the Trump administration to retaliate against what they believe are the Australian government's 'unfair' tactics in controlling the pharmaceutical market. We are also unpicking the stories behind the verdict in the Erin Patterson mushroom murder case and how the Northern Territory coroner invoked two centuries of colonisation in her Kumanjayi Walker verdict. Elsewhere, Alex de Minaur is out of Wimbledon and left wondering what might have been. Demon downed | Australia lost its last singles representative at Wimbledon when Alex de Minaur (pictured) lost to Novak Djokovic in four thrilling sets – although the Sydneysider's 6-1 winning margin in the first set initially raised hopes that he could overcome the Serbian great. 'Ghoulish fascination' | After 10 weeks watching the Erin Patterson trial, our reporter Nino Bucci writes today about the combination of laborious detail and ghoulish fascination and how the case hinged on the absence of motive versus her self-confessed lies. Meanwhile, the key exhibits from the case such as the beef wellingtons themselves and the infamous dehydrator can be shown for the first time. Australian 'freeloading' | Some of the most influential lobby groups in Washington are pushing the US to retaliate against Australia's treatment of American exporters, pointing to drug approvals and domestic manufacturing incentives as proof of unfair 'freeloading'. Cyber contact | A potential cybercriminal has made contact with Qantas, the airline has confirmed, after a major attack on its network exposed the personal records of up to 6 million customers. Zoo reopens | A zoo in Queensland where a woman lost her arm after being attacked on Sunday by a lioness will reopen today after insisting the animal 'was not hungry' or maltreated. Moscow mystery | Russia's former transport minister (above right) has been found dead in his car from a gunshot just hours after he was sacked by Vladimir Putin. Officials said it appeared that Roman Starovoit had killed himself. But Russian media, including the local edition of Forbes, have reported that Starovoit may have died as early as Friday evening. Thought bubble | Tony Blair's thinktank worked with a project developing a postwar Gaza plan that included the creation of a 'Trump Riviera' and a manufacturing zone named after Elon Musk. In the West Bank, Palestinians fear a new Israeli directive will give a green light for settlers to demolish villages in Masafer Yatta where residents keep watch at night for attacks. And elsewhere in the Middle East, the Iranian president has said that Israel attempted to assassinate him by bombarding an area in which he was holding a meeting. 'Lifetime of pain' | A paramedic who tricked a woman into having an abortion by secretly inserting drugs inside her during sex has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Scotland. Tariff trouble | Donald Trump has risked stoking a trade war with Japan and South Korea after revealing plans to impose tariffs of 25% on both countries from 1 August. India landslides | India's mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh has been left reeling after it was hit by rainstorms, flash floods and landslides, with dozens of people reported missing. Mushroom trial: Erin Patterson found guilty Justice and courts reporter Nino Bucci speaks to Reged Ahmad about how the Erin Patterson verdict was reached and what comes next. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ The death of Kumanjayi Walker in the Northern Territory town of Yuendumu in 2019 centred on 3.1 seconds between the first and second shots fired by then police officer Zachary Rolfe. But the state's coroner, Elisabeth Armitage, evoked centuries of pain in the Indigenous communities to make her 638-page report about how future deaths could be avoided. The case provides an obvious lesson in truth-telling, writes Lorena Allam. From Meera Sodha's vegan microwave chocolate, miso and banana mug cakes to Benjamina Ebuehi's grilled bananas with bourbon butter (above), and from Felicity Cloake's rhubarb crumble to Ravneet Gill's tinned cherry bakewell pudding, we pick eight winter warmer puddings to help you look forward to the winter nights. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Rugby league | The decision to bring Josh Papalii out of Origin retirement to bolster Queensland's forward line is the key talking point as both sides prepare for the series finale in Sydney tomorrow night. Formula One | Lando Norris has called his battle for world championship with Oscar Piastri as 'exhausting' in the wake of his controversial win at the British Grand Prix. Rugby union | Lion coach Andy Farrell has picked his strongest combination to date for his squad's match against the Brumbies tomorrow night as the countdown shortens ahead of the Test series against the Wallabies. The verdict in the Erin Patterson case is the lead in all the major outlets with the Age backgrounder claiming that 'one word on a tax form' sparked the murders, while the Herald Sun claims to be 'inside her mind'. A woman mauled by a lion at Darling Downs zoo is a relative of the zoo's owner, the Courier Mail reports. An elder has responded to the Kumanjayi Walker inquest findings by releasing a single demanding change, the NT News reports. Economy | The RBA's interest rate decision will announced at 2.30pm. Tasmania | A sentence is due for a racehorse trainer found guilty of hitting a horse with a whip 46 times in four minutes. Foreign affairs | Gareth Evans will speak at a webinar about Pacific region security. If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Australia news live: Jewish group calls for national anti-hate unit; RBA expected to cut rates
Update: Date: 2025-07-07T20:38:58.000Z Title: Reserve Bank widely tipped to cut rates today Content: Borrowers should be in for some welcome good news today, with the Reserve Bank board widely expected to deliver an interest rate cut at 2:30pm, Sydney time. Financial markets and economists agree that a second straight cut is essentially a done deal, although there's always a chance that the central bank will surprise us all and hold. If they do follow up with a 0.25 percentage-point move lower to 3.6%, it will be the third cut in the RBA's cash rate target, following moves in February and May. Weak household spending and a bigger than expected drop in inflation in May both supported the case for lower rates, economists say, not to mention the looming threat of Donald Trump's trade war. A rate cut today would trim $76 from the monthly interest bill on a $500,000 mortgage, bringing the total benefit of this year's cuts to nearly $230 once lenders pass them on to their customers. Of course, what's good news for existing homeowners is more problematic for would-be homeowners, who are seeing property prices accelerating again as borrowing costs fall. RBA governor Michele Bullock will hold a press conference at 3:30pm where she will no doubt be asked whether we can expect further rate cuts this year. Update: Date: 2025-07-07T20:38:58.000Z Title: Welcome Content: Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I'm Martin Farrer with the best overnight stories before Rafqa Touma picks up the news baton. The Reserve Bank's monetary policy committee meets in Sydney today and it is widely expected by economists and analysts to conclude with a decision to cut interest rates by 0.25%. We have more coming up, plus the news when it happens at 2.30pm. Australia's leading Jewish group has stepped up its calls for a stronger government response to the alleged arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne by calling for a national unit to combat hate crimes. More coming up. The copyright case brought against Nine by the fiance of Bondi Junction stabbing victim Dawn Singleton over its use of a photograph of the dead woman in an edition of 60 Minutes ended last night with a judgment in favour of defendants on the eve of the trial. More coming up.


Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Remorseless, narcissistic and dumb - criminologist delivers damning assessment of mushroom killer Erin Patterson as she is found guilty of mass murder
Criminology professor Dr Xanthé Mallett delivered a scathing assessment of Erin Patterson 's character after the Australian mother-of-two was found guilty of mass murder. Speaking to the Mail's award-winning The Trial podcast, she described Patterson, who murdered three family members by poisoning, as a 'vengeful' woman who believed she could pull the wool over investigators' eyes. When veteran crime correspondent Caroline Cheetham asked what could drive a seemingly 'average' woman to kill three people, Dr Mallett identified Patterson's inability to process her divorce as the key factor. Erin Patterson was found guilty today of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for poisoning her estranged husband's relatives with death cap mushrooms hidden in a Beef Wellington lunch at her home in July 2023. 'I am divorced, I understand toxic marriages and simmering loathing – but I have never poisoned anyone', Dr Mallett began. 'I have seen cases where people - for example, those with narcissism mixed with a borderline personality disorder - can be led to a place where if they feel wronged, they act like an avenging angel. 'There's this righteousness to them… what I believe happened is that Patterson had this simmering rage for her ex-husband Simon and felt perhaps as if his family hadn't supported her. 'She then transferred some of that rage on them and felt justified in harming them because of this.' Dr Mallett argued that Patterson's choice to use Death Cap mushrooms reveals her callousness and extreme sense of vengeance. She told the podcast: 'Death Cap mushrooms have four different toxins within them. They're incredibly toxic and an awful, awful way to die. 'They shut down your organs and cause internal bleeding. There is a very small chance of survival once you've had a single dose. 'It takes a certain kind of person to want to use toxins of that nature. If Simon had gone to the lunch, he would have watched his family die. 'Not only that, but their grandchildren, her children, would have watched them die a painful, drawn-out death. What kind of person does that?' Drawing from her experience analysing similar cases, Dr Mallett believes Patterson feels little remorse for what she has done. 'I have seen and spoken to people like her - I expect her to be totally arrogant, totally assured in her actions – thinking she's done nothing wrong', the criminologist said. 'When she gave evidence, she kept talking about how difficult it was for her, how it had affected her life, how all the attention was impacting her. The Trial of Erin Patterson is available now, wherever you get your podcasts. Listen here 'Even when the family were in hospital, there was never any concern for them. It was all me, me, me. 'I think she feels justified in what she's done. I don't think there would be any remorse or guilt in her.' Having viewed her in court, host Cheetham thought Patterson came across as an 'academically intelligent woman.' She then asked Dr Mallett whether she agreed with that assessment, given Patterson's meticulous planning of the murders and her attempts to throw investigators off the scent. 'I think she's intelligent in some ways, very dumb in others', the professor argued. 'Frankly, this was obvious premeditation. It was not well planned; it was not well carried out. Her sense of own abilities is vastly overrated. 'She thought she could outpace the police, all the experts and the witnesses because she is so smart, right? That's the narcissist in her. 'I worked on a similar case where the accused was a narcissistic psychopath – they are not as smart as they think they are. 'Patterson is cunning though – she's manipulative, a good liar. A bit of a chameleon who can bend the truth. 'When she's caught in one lie, she twists it more and more.'