10/03/2026

TUESDAY | MAR 10, 2026

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Australians rush for VPNs SYDNEY: Australians were downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) in droves, while one of the world’s largest pornography distributors said it was blocking users as the country rolled out sweeping online age restrictions yesterday. Last December, Australia became the first country to impose a ban on teenagers using social media. o Some websites blocked The country’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the measures aimed to afford children the same protection online as the world expected offline. “A child today can’t walk into a bar and order a drink, they can’t stroll into a strip club or browse an adult shop or sit down at a blackjack table in a casino,” she said.

Australians from accessing the platforms RedTube and YouPorn, while presenting a version of Pornhub without explicit content. All the websites carried a banner saying it was “not currently accepting new account registrations in your region”. Aylo said in an email it had “restricted access to our platforms in a number of locations, including the UK, France, and a number of US states, due to ineffective and haphazard age verification laws”. The Sydney Morning Herald quoted an Aylo spokesperson saying the company’s Australian users would be “presented with a safe-for-work experience when they view our platforms”. Tom Sulston, deputy chair of advocacy group Digital Rights Watch, said it was unsurprising that people were reaching for VPNs. “My hope is that, not only will they discover that this works for looking at spicier internet sites, but that it’s a good idea to use VPNs when you’re traversing the internet, because they do offer you some privacy protections.” – Reuters

“This just really brings ... those protections that we put for kids in place to the digital realm.” Three of the 15 most downloaded free smartphone apps yesterday were VPNs, a chart published by iPhone maker Apple showed. The most downloaded VPN, called VPN - Super Unlimited Proxy, ranked ahead of any social media platform, the chart showed. VPN - Super Unlimited Proxy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. All internet-connected devices carry an individual code which discloses their location, and VPNs hide the user’s location by assigning a new code to the device. Canada-based Aylo, owner of a large network of pornography websites, has blocked

Jailed Erdogan rival clashes with judge ISTANBUL: Istanbul’s jailed mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, argued with the presiding judge yesterday in a chaotic start to a sweeping corruption trial that could extinguish the ambition of Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival to become president at Turkiye’s next election. Imamoglu, 55, demanded permission to speak and urged the judge to “respect the right of people to defend themselves”, but the judge refused as he launched the trial of more than 400 defendants linked to the Istanbul municipality. Imamoglu is accused of leading a criminal organisation for profit, involving tender rigging and bribery. He and his main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deny the corruption charges. Police maintained tight security outside the courthouse at Silivri prison west of Istanbul, where Imamoglu has been held in pre-trial detention for almost a year amid a judicial crackdown on the CHP that is overshadowing politics ahead of elections expected to be held next year. Imamoglu, the CHP’s presidential candidate, waved his hands as he entered the courtroom, while the other defendants, lawyers and public stood up to clap, whistle and wave back at him. He then rose to protest the judge’s decision to hear other defendants before Imamoglu, who is the chief suspect. The judge called the protest disrespectful to the court, prompting more outcry from the public gallery, which the judge ordered to be emptied. CHP leader Ozgur Ozel and Imamoglu’s wife, Dilek, sat side-by-side in the large courtroom fitted out with two large screens. “We are nervous and anxious,” Dilek Imamoglu told reporters before the hearing started. “We hope that they move to trial without detention. I last saw Ekrem last week, and he was in very good spirits.” In comments to Reuters last month, Imamoglu struck a defiant tone, saying Erdogan should call elections right away. But his prospects of challenging the veteran leader look bleak amid a crackdown that rights groups and foreign observers say has undermined the democratic credentials of Nato member Turkiye. – Reuters Imamoglu ... trial widely denounced by rights groups. – REUTERSFILEPIC

A separate law requires AI-powered chatbot services to keep certain content – including pornography, extreme violence and self-harm and eating disorder material – from minors or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (RM137.5 million). The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of US states requiring websites which disseminate pornography to verify users are over 18. App stores must also run age checks before allowing downloads of software labelled 18+. Lawyers seek gag order in Bondi Beach shooting case SYDNEY: Lawyers for a man accused of carrying out a deadly shooting in Sydney’s Bondi Beach sought a court order yesterday to stop media naming his family, saying their safety was at risk. Police allege 24-year-old Naveed Akram opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Dec 14, killing 15. His father, Sajid Akram, who police also accuse of carrying out the shooting, was shot dead by police at the scene. Police say the men were inspired by the IS group to carry out the attack using high-powered weapons the elder man had legally acquired. Lawyers for Naveed Akram yesterday requested a court in Sydney prohibit the publication of the names of his mother, brother and sister, as well as their home address and places of work and schooling. Magistrate Greg Grogan extended an interim suppression order until next month, citing the global media interest in the case. Akram faces a total of 59 charges over the attack, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder and a terror offence. He is yet to enter a plea. The case is expected to briefly return to court next week, before a longer hearing on April 8, where the prosecution will outline its brief of evidence. The Bondi attack shocked a country with strict gun laws and fuelled calls for tougher controls and stronger action against antisemitism. Australia last month launched a government-backed inquiry into antisemitism and social cohesion in the country which is expected to report its findings by December.

The government has already responded by tightening gun laws and introducing new legislation against hate speech. – Reuters Bangladesh shooting suspects arrested in West Bengal

PEACE NOW ... A Korean wearing a traditional costume, Hanbok, holds a banner yesterday denouncing the US-Israel strikes on Iran, in front of the US embassy in Seoul. – REUTERSPIC

NEW DELHI: Indian police said on Sunday they had arrested two Bangladeshi nationals accused of murdering a popular student leader in Dhaka, after they allegedly entered India illegally. Sharif Osman Hadi, a vocal India critic who took part in the uprising in 2024 that led to the ouster of Bangladesh’s then-premier Sheikh

buildings including two major newspapers deemed to favour India. The killing further strained ties between India and Bangladesh. India’s Foreign Ministry has said it rejects “false narratives” about New Delhi’s involvement in Hadi’s killing. – AFP

There was “secret credible information” that the pair had fled Bangladesh and illegally entered India, trying to “take shelter in the border area ... with the intention of crossing back into Bangladesh”, police said. Hadi’s death set off violent protests in Bangladesh, with angry mobs torching several

Hasina, was shot by masked assailants last year and later died from his injuries. Police in India’s West Bengal state, which borders Bangladesh, said on Sunday that preliminary interrogation of two Bangladeshi nationals in their custody suggested they had been involved in Hadi’s murder.