A 27-year-old man has been charged with 596 child abuse related offences in Queensland.

Police launched an investigation in February last year, known as Operation Xray Wick, after detectives seized electronic devices from the man's residence in Maryborough.

The then 26-year-old man was arrested in relation to child abuse related offences and has been in custody since February last year.

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Over the course of a year, specialist investigators carried out extensive digital forensic examinations, allegedly finding more than 23,000 videos and images against 459 victims across multiple jurisdictions in Australia and overseas.

"Investigations remain ongoing, with interstate and international partners assisting to ensure every victim is identified and supported," Queensland Police said in a statement.

"Police will allege the man self-produced the child abuse material that was found on the electronic devices. 

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"It will be alleged the man had actively targeted children on social media and gaming platforms between 2018 and 2025. 

"The victims were primarily aged between seven and 15 years.

"Police will further allege the man created multiple online profiles, posing as both males and females and that the child exploitation material was collected by the offender directly from victims through grooming and coercion.

"Police will also allege the man recorded his interactions, meticulously saving images and videos to named folders."

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The 27-year-old man has been charged with a total of 596 charges against 259 identified victim children. 

Charges include 244 counts of producing child abuse material for use through a carriage service, 163 counts of using a carriage service to procure persons under 16 years of age, and 87 counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child using a carriage service.

The case is scheduled for a mention in Brisbane Magistrates Court today.

Crime Command Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Denzil Clark said allegations of this nature were "extremely concerning and disturbing".

"We are seeing an increasing prevalence of children being groomed, coerced, or threatened into taking and sending sexual images of themselves, often through popular apps, games, and social media sites," Clark said.

"The trauma that this causes a child is significant.

"Our investigators will not stop and I urge parents and caregivers to continue to take active and ongoing measures to ensure the online safety of young people."

Members of the public who have information about people involved in child sexual abuse and online exploitation are urged to contact police.

If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

In a matter of hours, the final nuclear treaty still in force between the US and Russia is set to expire, and there are grave fears about what comes next.

The New START Treaty, signed in 2010 by then-US president Barack Obama and then-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, imposed limitations on how many nuclear warheads each country could have deployed.

Observers have warned its abandonment could signal a new era of nuclear proliferation, even as other nations such as China seek to increase their own arsenal of the devastating weapons.

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The treaty was set to expire in 2021, but was extended for five years.

The clock will run out on Thursday, February 5, northern hemisphere time – or some time overnight in Australia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last year offered to agree to a one-year extension, but US President Donald Trump has so far been non-committal.

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The US, meanwhile, is about to sit down with Iranian representatives in Oman to discuss Tehran's nuclear program.

A White House official speaking anonymously told The Associated Press Trump wanted to keep limits on nuclear weapons globally, and involve China in any talks.

Trump would make a decision on nuclear arms control "on his own timeline," the official said.

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Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin discussed the pact's expiration with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but noted Washington had not responded to his proposed extension.

Russia would "act in a balanced and responsible manner based on thorough analysis of the security situation," Ushakov said.

Arms control advocates have long voiced concerns about the expiration, warning it could lead to a new arms race, foment global instability and increase the risk of nuclear conflict.

https://x.com/Pontifex/status/2019040748298178970

Pope Leo XIV called for the treaty "not to be abandoned without seeking to ensure its concrete and effective continuation".

Failure to agree on keeping the pact's limits would likely encourage a bigger deployment, said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association in Washington.

"We're at the point now where the two sides could, with the expiration of this treaty, for the first time in about 35 years, increase the number of nuclear weapons that are deployed on each side," Kimball told AP.

"And this would open up the possibility of an unconstrained, dangerous three-way arms race, not just between the US and Russia, but also involving China, which is also increasing its smaller but still deadly nuclear arsenal."

The New START agreement limited both nations to 1550 accountable deployed strategic nuclear warheads and bombs, and counted each heavy bomber as one warhead.

That's about 30 per cent below the 2200-warhead limit set by the previous agreement, the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty.

New START also limited Russia and the US to no more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers assigned to nuclear missions, apiece.

Deployed and nondeployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers and bombers were limited to 800.

"If New START ends, the US and Russia could virtually double their deployed nuclear weapons in about six months," Dr Tillman Ruff, of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Australia, told 9news.com.au previously.

With Associated Press

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Exclusive: Vasectomies are booming in Australia and many experts believe the rising cost of living could be a factor in younger men going under the knife.

A new study from Adelaide University researchers has revealed the number of vasectomies performed on men aged 18-44 each year has spiked by more than 60 per cent.

About 18,500 vasectomies were performed on men in that age range back in 2016.

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In 2024, the number had surged to more than 29,800.

Researchers also found the average number of vasectomies performed per month has increased by about 45 per cent, though the figure was much higher in some states.

For example, in NSW about 25 vasectomies were performed on men aged 18 to 44 per 100,000 male population per month in April 2016.

In December 2024, that figure had jumped to 39 – an increase of 56 per cent.

In Tasmania, the number of vasectomies were performed on men aged 18 to 44 per 100,000 male population per month rose from 41 in 2016 to 66 in 2024.

That's an increase of 61 per cent.

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Dr Jack Janetzki, lecturer in Pharmacy and Pharmacology at Adelaide University and co-author of the study, suspects the cost-of-living crisis played a role in the spike in vasectomy rates across the country.

"Rising housing costs, cost-of-living pressures and delayed partnership formation could all be associated with decisions to limit or forgo childbearing," he told nine.com.au.

"Vasectomy provides a definitive solution to limiting family size amid these pressures and people may now be making concrete decisions on family size at a greater rate."

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at our breaking newsletter here

Film studio Amazon MGM has pulled the documentary Melania from being screened at a cinema in the US after it was wryly mocked on the marquee.

The Lake Theatre and Cafe in Lake Oswego, Oregon, was screening the documentary about First Lady Melania Trump.

But the cinema lost the rights to the movie after Amazon was informed of the message on the sign outside the cinema.

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"Does Melania wear Prada? Find out Friday!" the marquee read.

Another sign read: "To defeat your enemy, you must know them."

In a blog post, cinema manager Jordan Perry revealed how much the movie had made for the Jeff Bezos-owned Amazon at his theatre.

"We contributed $196 to the Jeff Bezos Trust Fund this week.

"Jeff Bezos won't notice the $196. He wouldn't notice $1960, though someone on his team noticed our marquee."

The marquee now reads: "Amazon called. Our marquee made them mad. "All Melania shows cancelled. Show your support at Whole Foods instead."

Whole Foods is a grocery chain also owned by Amazon.

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Perry's blog post also defended screening the film in the first place, to the chagrin of people in the very progressive town south of Portland.

Perry said he thought the notion of a documentary about Melania Trump being released funny.

"If Kamala won, imagine Douglas being released this week — I mean, that's also funny, right?" he wrote.

"I did not find Melania boring! The woman, yes. The movie, no."

The cinema has a long history of wry jokes on its marquee. It described Killers of the Flower Moon, a film with Leonardo Di Caprio and Robert De Niro, as "Starring Lily Gladstone (and some other guys)".

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Current release Hamnet is described as "Hamnet's about Hamlet (Sort of)."

Perry said the marquee debacle may put the cinema on "Amazon's black list for a while".

Melania debuted in third place in the US box office with $10 million in takings.

This makes it the highest debut for a documentary in years.

But Melania has a steep hill to climb if it intends to be profitable for the studio.

Amazon paid $57 million for the rights to the movie, much of which went into the First Lady's pocket.

It also reportedly spent a further $50 million on promoting the movie.

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Melania has also shown an enormous divide between critical reception and how general audiences responded.

Critics reviews gathered by Rotten Tomatoes showed just 7 per cent of them liked the movie.

By contrast, 98 per cent of audience members on the site said they liked the movie.

In Australia, Melania debuted on its opening weekend at 31st at the box office, selling just $22,284 worth of tickets.

In its first three days in release, it sold just $675 per screen.

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Exclusive: The cost-of-living crisis is hitting Australians so hard many are having to delay their dreams of becoming a parent, and in some cases even having to make the heartbreaking decision to terminate a pregnancy.

The government says it is trying to make parenthood more affordable through childcare subsidies and better paid parental leave.

But for Australians such as Alkira Barber, 24, it's just not enough.

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Barber fell pregnant unexpectedly in 2024.

She had a well-paid job but still couldn't afford to give a child the life she wanted for them.

"More than half my net pay goes to general living costs," she told nine.com.au.

"Australians aren't choosing careers over children, they're choosing financial survival."

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at our breaking newsletter here

A US government lawyer who vented to a court hearing about how much her job sucked has lost her job.

Department of Homeland Security attorney Julie Le was called to the US District Court of Minnesota to explain why detainees ordered released by the judge were not being set free.

Judge Jerry Blackwell was demanding answers after he had repeatedly asked for immigrants incorrectly detained by the department to be released, only to have his orders seemingly ignored.

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In a remarkable admission made to the court, Le opened up on what she really felt.

"What do you want me to do? The system sucks. This job sucks," she said.

"And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need."

The exasperated lawyer made a stunning remark.

"Sometime I wish you would just hold me in contempt, Your Honour, so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep," Le said.

"I work days and nights just because people (are) still in there."

Le told the court her team of lawyers had been swamped after sweeping raids in the city in Minneapolis.

Thousands of agents from Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are in the city to arrest immigrants.

Earlier today, it was announced 700 agents would be withdrawn from the city "effective immediately".

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The judge was responsive to Le's remarks but ultimately showed greater sympathy to those detained.

"What we really want is simply compliance," Blackwell said.

"Because on the other side of this is somebody who should not have been arrested in some instances in the first place who is being held in jail or put in shackles for days, if not a week-plus, after they've been ordered released."

Blackwell decried the government for taking unlawfully detained people from their homes in Minneapolis to detention facilities across the country and then releasing them without returning them.

"We learn that somebody is put out on the street with just the clothes on their backs and have to figure out how to get back here when they should not have been arrested here in the first place, let alone flown halfway across the continent of North America," he said.

"We have to now say, bring them back."

READ MORE: Trump fires his chief enforcer in Minneapolis

Blackwell was also sharply critical of unlawfully detained people being forced to wear ankle monitors so the government could track their whereabouts.

He also criticised the government releasing people onto the streets when it was -25 degrees outside.

Le spoke of her own concern about how Border Patrol and ICE were targeting people in Minnesota who were not white.

"I am not white, as you can see. And my family's at risk as any other people that might get picked up too," she said.

"Again, fixing a system, a broken system, I don't have a magic button to do it."

NBC News reported that Le "is no longer detailed to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota".

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Blackwell rose to prominence as the prosecutor who handled the infamous Derek Chauvin trial over the death of George Floyd.

He was appointed as a judge during the Biden administration.

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A photo of the former Prince Andrew with his arm around Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual assault, appears to be real, suggests an email released in the latest batch of Epstein files.

The former royal, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has steadfastly denied meeting Giuffre and questioned whether the photo was real.

But an email, apparently from Jeffrey Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, appears to confirm the photo was not fake, the BBC reports.

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Released by the US Justice Department, it is headed "draft statement", sent by a "G Maxwell" to Epstein in 2015.

"In 2001 I was in London when (redacted) met a number of friends of mine including Prince Andrew. A photograph was taken as I imagine she wanted to show it to friends and family," she wrote.

Giuffre died last April at her family home in Western Australia.

Her family says that the email showed Giuffre had been "vindicated".

"It truly does vindicate Virginia… she was not lying this entire time", Guiffre's brother, Sky Roberts, said.

"It's a moment where we're really proud of our sister", he added.

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US officials redacted the person's name from the released version of the statement, but the details point to Maxwell , who was convicted of recruiting young girls into sex trafficking, discussing Giuffre.

During a 2019 interview with the BBC, Mountbatten-Windsor denied meeting Giuffre and suggested the photo may have been faked.

He said at the time: "Nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored but I don't recollect that photograph ever being taken."

He also famously claimed he was not at Maxwell's house but at a pizza restaurant in the town of Woking, south-west of London.

The former Prince Andrew has moved out of his longtime home on crown-owned land near Windsor Castle earlier than expected after the latest release of the Epstein files.

The 65-year-old brother of King Charles III, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, left the Royal Lodge in Windsor on Monday and is now living on the king's Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain's Press Association reported.

If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).

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Public calls for more limitations on e-bikes have been growing after rising numbers of deaths and dangerous behaviour, especially among children.

Just yesterday, video emerged of a crowd of youths on e-bikes swarming along the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with police vowing to track down those responsible.

E-bike regulations vary between jurisdictions, with no nationally-agreed framework for managing the issue, including what age kids can legally make use of them.

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In most states and territories, there is no strict age limit for using privately-owned e-bikes that meet road safety conditions including power and speed limits.

Most states and territories require e-bike riders to follow the same rules as bicycle riders, including helmet use and obeying footpath rules.

They are expected to give way to pedestrians, including personal mobility device users.

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It's also recommended that younger children be supervised and kept away from busier roads.

Only Western Australia, at this point, imposes an age-limit on ebike riders.

Users in that state must be at least 16 to ride an e-bike with its motor on.

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Outside of privately-owned e-bikes, however, age limits become more widespread.

Shared fleets of rented e-bikes, found in cities around the country, often have age limits on their use imposed by the owning company.

It's always best to check the conditions of hiring before using one.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a video call to discuss the burgeoning economic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing and their relations with the US.

The Kremlin leader accepted an invitation to visit China twice this year.

The call on Wednesday came amid a series of meetings between Xi and Western leaders who have sought to boost ties with China despite differences over the conflict in Ukraine.

READ MORE: Ukrainian families suffer as Russia targets power grid in record winter

European leaders have pressed China for years to end its support for Russia even as Beijing has become the number one trading partner for Moscow, which seeks relief from Western economic sanctions.

"I would like to once again assure you of firm support for our shared efforts to ensure the sovereignty and security of our countries, our socio-economic welfare and the right to choose our own development path," Putin said in opening remarks that were broadcast by Russian state television.

Many of America's closest partners are exploring opportunities with China following clashes with President Donald Trump over tariffs and his demands to take over Greenland from NATO ally Denmark.

The Xi-Putin call followed visits by the British and Canadian prime ministers to Beijing last month. The German chancellor is also expected to visit in February.

"Amid the growing global turbulence, the foreign policy link between Moscow and Beijing has remained a major stabilising factor," Putin said.

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Growing Russia-China relations

Xi said that he and Putin would discuss plans for the development of bilateral ties and "exchange views on major strategic issues," according to a Russian translation of his opening remarks.

He noted the two countries need to "use a historic opportunity to continue deepening strategic cooperation."

Noting that Wednesday was the first day of spring according to the Chinese calendar, Xi said he would Iike to work with Putin on "a new blueprint for China-Russia relations" on a day that symbolises new beginnings, an online report from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.

Putin praised their "strategic" energy ties along with cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy and high-tech projects, including in the industrial sphere and space research. He specifically applauded China's decision to allow visa-free entry for Russians, a move that Moscow reciprocated.

Xi noted that the two had led their countries' relations to a new stage of development in the past year and that their trade and economic exchanges are progressing steadily, CCTV said.

The Chinese leader called for close high-level exchanges and pragmatic cooperation to ensure the further development of ties with deeper strategic cooperation and more active great power responsibility, Chinese state media reported.

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Putin and Xi discuss ties with the US

Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters after the Putin-Xi call, emphasised that Moscow and Beijing "support each other on key issues concerning national interests in the face of external challenges."

Ushakov said Xi invited Putin to visit China in the first half of the year and the Russian leader accepted. Putin will also attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that China will host in Shenzhen in November, he added.

Putin and Xi exchanged views about their countries' relations with the US, Ushakov said, noting they "practically coincide," including their assessment o Trump's Board of Peace.

"Russia and China stand for equal and mutually beneficial cooperation on the basis of international law and the United Nations Charter," Ushakov said.

Putin had previously thanked Trump for the invitation to join the Board of Peace and said Moscow would consider it. He also offered to earmark US$1 billion from the Russian assets frozen in the US to help rebuild Gaza.

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A reprieve from the rapidly growing cost of a pint is one step closer to reality but complaints remain that big numbers of Australian drinkers are being left out of the shout.

The House of Representatives yesterday approved a bill temporarily freezing excise on draught beer in a move the government pitched as a cost-of-living measure.

The pub industry thanked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by name and he was quick to claim credit in question time.

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"I note we had a debate about a cost-of-living measure before question time today," he said, when asked an unrelated question about whether he would take responsibility for Tuesday's interest rate hike by the Reserve Bank.

"Those opposite can't even agree on cheaper beer, remarkably."

But while the bill would pause the six-monthly increase in beer tax for two years, there's no relief in sight for spirits drinkers or those who prefer beer of the bottled variety.

The Nationals tried to extend the freeze to tap spirits, arguing it leaves out Australians who don't love a lager.

"Look, I'm not a big beer drinker and, frankly, a lot of women are not big beer drinkers," Member for Lyne Alison Penfold argued in parliament.

"So whilst this is something that speaks to the tradies and to many people across the electorate, to be quite frank, women tend to drink more tap spirits.

"Certainly, there are some local producers in my electorate looking at tap spirits and low-carb options as well for those of us who are very conscious of our diets. 

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"We need to do something that's far more comprehensive, far more far-reaching, far more inclusive of all Australians and their preferences when it comes to having a drink at a pub or a club."

Party members, who were sitting on the crossbench for the first time in decades following their second split from the Liberal Party since last year's election, also called for a wholesale review of the country's alcohol tax system.

"It's really nothing more than crumbs from the Treasurer's table; it will deliver less than a cent per pint, and it's not good enough. It doesn't fix the system. It doesn't deal with the fundamentals," Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan argued.

"Only a thorough review of our alcohol tax settings can do that. For years now, on both sides of politics there has been a broad acceptance that Australia's alcohol tax system is broken. 

"It is overly complex. It taxes similar products in wildly different ways."

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But Labor used its huge majority to vote down the changes as Assistant Treasurer Dr Daniel Mulino said the amendments were well intentioned but would cost the government a lot more.

"What we're proposing here is a round of beers for our pubs and clubs on the government," he said.

"It's a gesture of goodwill to acknowledge the hard work of our hospitality industry—but it's a measure within our means. 

"Some members are asking us to reach instead to the top shelf for that round and some are going further and asking us to put our card behind the bar indefinitely."

Teal MP Monique Ryan's bid to widen the freeze to all craft beer – arguing the current bill would mostly benefit big multinationals – and other amendments to make the freeze indefinite or "axe the tax" completely also failed.

Australian Hotels Association chief executive Stephen Ferguson thanked the PM for the move.

"We know that there is a strong desire to make sure that all parts of the brewing and distilling industries can share in excise relief – but it's also clear the freeze on draught beer is an important first step and should be welcomed," he said, in a statement.

Night Time Industries Association chief executive Mick Gibb said Australia already had the highest spirits taxes outside of Scandinavia and the automatic hike would impact venues.

"Spirits are taxed more than beer or wine, and the tax increases every six months," he said, in a statement.

"This latest rise will mean around $32 of the price of a standard 700mL bottle of gin or whisky is tax going straight to the Government." 

The bill, which will take effect from in August if passed, will now go to the Senate, where independent Tasmanian senator Tammy Tyrrell will again try to make the freeze indefinite.

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