Morning Mail: first counter-terror laws pass, terror attack in Europe 'inevitable'
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Version 0 of 1. Good morning folks, and welcome to the Morning Mail – sign up here to get it straight to your inbox before 8am every weekday. Terror A major terrorist attack in Europe is inevitable as Islamic State fighters return from Iraq and Syria, senior EU officials have said. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has blamed the rise of Isis on western meddling in the Middle East. Radical Islamic group Al-Furqan has denied any link to Abdul Numan Haider’s stabbing of two police officers in Melbourne on Tuesday night. Three days after the US launched air strikes against Khorosan, an obscure al-Qaida cell in Syria, officials remained unclear on what threat the group posed or what they were planning. We have live updates on events overnight including new US air strikes in Iraq. Nine people have been arrested in London anti-terrorism raids, including radical preacher Anjem Choudary. Fox News presenters have mocked a female pilot from the UAE who took part in a bombing mission in Syria, describing her as “boobs on the ground”. More from around the web • The government’s first tranche of counter-terrorism laws have cleared the Senate, allowing Asio to monitor the entire internet and meaning journalists and whistleblowers will face jail for releasing classified information, the SMH reports. • An updated version of the government’s data retention plan will capture metadata belonging to any company providing communication services to the Australian public, including social media services Twitter and Facebook, the Australian reports. • Senior Muslim figures in Victoria have reported concerns to police about radical group Al-Furqan, the Age reports. • An innocent man wrongly identified as Abdul Numan Haider on the front page of Fairfax papers yesterday has said he cannot leave his house for fear of being branded a terrorist, the ABC reports. • Maywand Osman, who was detained in counter-terrorism raids last week but not charged, is calling for an explanation, the Mail Online reports. • An armed intruder threatened students and staff at an Islamic school in Sydney yesterday, the SMH reports. • Crikey has an explainer on the new counter-terrorism laws. • New Matilda looks at the police response to Haider’s shooting. Australian politics • Scott Morrison is pushing for major changes to Australian asylum seeker laws that will block upcoming legal appeals as well as introducing two new classes of temporary protection visas. • Bill Shorten has called Liberal MP George Christensen a member of “team idiot” for suggesting Queensland’s biggest terrorism threat comes from “extreme greens”. • A second Liberal MP has co-sponsored the new push to amend section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act to allow people the right to offend or insult based on race. • Coalition senators have rejected calls for a federal Icac, saying corruption is not an issue at the federal level. Australian news • WA’s attorney general has resisted calls for an independent inquiry into the death of a 22-year-old Aboriginal woman in police custody. • An Australian Defence Force officer has reportedly been assaulted in Sydney’s north-west. • Daily Mail Australia and News Corp have reached a confidential legal settlement three months after a plagiarism row. • Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O have been given an Ernie award for sexist behaviour over on-air questioning of reporter Erin Molan. Around the world • US president Barack Obama says the world is not moving fast enough to combat Ebola; Sierra Leone has quarantined more than 1m people, a third of the country. Our health editor runs down the current situation. • British prime minister David Cameron will apologise to the Queen for saying she “purred” on hearing that Scotland had voted against independence. • Fatah and Hamas have agreed a deal for a unity government to take control of Gaza, in a move designed to ease the blockade and open the way to reconstruction. • A kidnapped Nigerian student has escaped from Boko Haram; 276 girls are still in captivity. • Obama will create the world’s largest ocean reserve in the Pacific. • A newly discovered bug in Bash could be a bigger threat than Heartbleed, security experts have warned. One last thing John Cusack on the movie industry and his new film Maps to the Stars: “Hollywood is a whorehouse and people go mad.” Have an excellent day – and if you spot anything I’ve missed, let me know in the comments here or on Twitter @newsmary. Sign up Get the Morning Mail direct to your inbox before 8am every day by signing up here. |