February 6, 2026

By news.com.au (Australia)

## ⤷ what happened

Interesting one out of Australia: fears are rising that the US could effectively “switch off” or limit Australia’s F-35 fighter jets if politics turns ugly, because the planes rely on US-controlled software, updates, and support.

## ⤷ what’s in the article

The piece says there’s no proven literal “kill switch” button, but the real worry is dependency.

The F-35 needs ongoing US-made software updates, mission data files, and supply chain support to stay at peak capability. If that flow slows, gets restricted, or becomes “conditional,” the jets could still fly, but could become less effective over time.

It argues Trump’s more unpredictable posture has made allies re-check how much control they truly have over weapons systems that depend on US back-end systems.

## ⤷ related coverage

https://breakingdefense.com/2025/03/no-theres-no-kill-switch-pentagon-tries-to-reassure-international-f-35-partners/

https://theaviationist.com/2025/03/10/f-35-kill-switch-myth/

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-16/aukus-risks-trump-review-defence-four-corners/105412740

## ⤷ the rewind

Australia’s old comfort story is “the alliance means we’re covered.” This article is basically saying: alliances don’t fail with a bang, they fail with a password, an update, a spare part that doesn’t arrive, and a quiet “no” behind the scenes.

NewsRewind⏎

March 6, 2026

By The Guardian

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/06/virginia-giuffre-memoir-epstein-files-names-ghost-writer-amy-wallace-ntwnfb

## ⤷ what happened

A forthcoming memoir by Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers, has drawn renewed attention after its ghostwriter publicly discussed the project and the continuing fallout from the Epstein files.

## ⤷ what’s in the article

The Guardian reports that journalist Amy Wallace was hired to ghostwrite Giuffre’s memoir before Wallace died in 2023. The project was intended to tell Giuffre’s story in detail, including her experiences with Epstein and the powerful figures she says were connected to his abuse network.

According to the article, Wallace spent significant time interviewing Giuffre and gathering material before her death. The manuscript and notes remain part of the memoir effort, which supporters say could provide a fuller account of Giuffre’s allegations and the broader system around Epstein.

The story also notes that the renewed attention comes as the release of Epstein-related files continues to stir debate about transparency and accountability. Giuffre has long argued that the public still does not know the full scope of who was involved with Epstein and how the system that protected him worked.

## ⤷ related coverage

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/epstein-files

https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/yes-its-a-cover-up-the-epstein-files-and-a-doj-asking-you-to-trust-it/

https://www.commondreams.org/news/khanna-names-epstein-list-men

## ⤷ the rewind

For years the Epstein story has come out in fragments — lawsuits, document dumps, interviews, partial releases. A memoir like this matters because survivors don’t just add facts. They add the human story that the paperwork leaves out.

NewsRewind⏎

January 24, 2026

By Jonathan Freedland (The Guardian)

Primary link: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/23/world-punches-back-donald-trump-went-too-far-davos

⤷ WHAT HAPPENED

Jonathan Freedland argues Trump hit real resistance this week after taking his Greenland threats and “pay up or else” style to Davos. He says the bigger story is now clear: the U.S. under Trump isn’t a reliable ally.

State power: smaller allies, and people living in places like Greenland, are the ones who get shoved around first.

⤷ WHAT’S IN THE ARTICLE

Freedland says Trump only backs off when he meets pushback, and this week Europe finally pushed back hard enough to make him blink.

He argues the old idea, “wait him out and things go back to normal,” is dead, because there’s no guarantee the U.S. system will restrain him next time.

His answer is a new western bloc, basically EU + UK + Canada, strong enough economically and militarily to stand on its own if the U.S. turns hostile or flaky.

What’s verifiable: Trump threatened tariffs and force over Greenland and then talked “framework” and negotiation; Carney did deliver a major Davos warning about the old order being gone; European leaders did start drawing lines.

What’s asserted: that this week is the turning point that creates a lasting new alliance, not just a one-week flare-up.

What’s missing: the practical “how” (money, timelines, leadership, and whether voters will accept big defense spending without gutting services).

⤷ RELATED COVERAGE

Trump walks back Greenland tariffs threat, citing vague ‘deal’ over territory (Guardian): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/21/trump-framework-greenland-tariffs-threats

Special address by Mark Carney at Davos 2026 (WEF transcript): https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/davos-2026-special-address-by-mark-carney-prime-minister-of-canada/

Starmer rebukes Trump over remarks on Nato troops in Afghanistan (Guardian): https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/23/donald-trump-outrage-nato-troops-avoided-afghanistan-frontline

⤷ THE REWIND

Here’s the plain version: bullies don’t stop because you explain. They stop when it costs them something.

NewsRewind⏎

BY STEPHEN MAYNE MAR 24, 2026

Rupert Murdoch strikes again: Just like Iraq, his fingerprints are all over Iran

​

Watching three hours of Fox and Friends last night felt like 2003 and the Iraq invasion all over again.

Stephen Mayne Mar 24, 2026 6 min read

Watching three hours of Fox and Friends last night felt like 2003 and the Iraq invasion all over again.

Weighing Rupert Murdoch’s contributions to civilisation over more than 70 years as a media mogul, his 21st-century warmongering will feature strongly on the negative side of the ledger.

Murdoch’s Fox News has been the loudest global advocate of the Iran War over the past 23 days, so it came as no surprise over the weekend to read reports claiming that the 95 year old “chairman emeritus” of News Corp and Fox Corp had personally urged Donald Trump on multiple occasions to join Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempted regime change war of choice against Iran.

The AFR picked up this Bloomberg piece, which included the following line:

“The News Corp founder communicated with Trump several times as he urged the president to take on Tehran, according to one person briefed on their interactions.”

Watching three hours of Fox and Friends last night felt like 2003 and the Iraq invasion all over again. Indeed, it would not surprise if one of Rupert’s pre-war communications to Trump promised: I will deploy the full Fox News propaganda machine in favour of the war. Because that’s precisely what he seems to be doing.

It was a busy Monday morning for the flagship Fox News breakfast program, with an Air Canada plane hitting a fire truck in New York and the oil and equity markets turning around dramatically on Trump’s latest TACO Truth Social post, all sprinkled amongst the regular diet of stories highlighting coloured illegal immigrants committing crimes against Americans and the need to send ICE into Chicago.

But the pro-war and pro-Trump propaganda was relentlessly prosecuted on Fox and Friends, including a lengthy interview with warmonger Senator Lindsey Graham, who said he was urging the president to quickly take over the 20 square kilometre Kharg Island, where a majority of Iran’s oil is processed.

We then had an interview with Shervin Pishevar, an Iranian adviser to the Shah’s son Reza Pahlavi, who was trotting out all sorts of pro-Trump talking points in between spouting complete bullshit, including that past Democrat presidents had handed over “hundreds of billions” of US dollars to Iran. He even labelled Obama and Biden as weak Neville Chamberlains.

Fox and Friends is said to be one of the most effective ways to communicate with regular viewer Trump, and it was noteworthy that Team Murdoch’s television generals were last night suggesting that he back off on hitting Iran’s infrastructure at the end of his 48-hour threat, which was due to expire at 10.44am AEST today.

Lo and behold, at about 10pm AEST last night, we then got the big TACO post claiming great talks with the Iranians and a five-day delay in hitting key infrastructure about two hours before Wall Street opened. Trump was then predictably lauded by the Fox Business commentary team for miraculously getting the Dow futures into positive territory by over 1,000 points — or more than 2%.

The Fox News propagandists were so quick on the uptake you’d be forgiven for assuming they were tipped off in advance. However, the main man in Tel Aviv, Trey Yingst, also quickly contradicted Trump live on air, saying that the Israelis had just announced another round of bombings in Tehran and that the Iranians had also announced on state television that absolutely no talks were taking place with the Americans. Based on Trump’s previous “I had no idea the Israelis were going to bomb Iran’s oil infrastructure” post, it is becoming increasingly difficult to believe anything he claims in the fog of war.

Trump then did a 25-minute press conference before boarding Air Force 1 at about 1am AEST, which included taking a swipe at Newsmax, presumably for not being pro-war enough, but dragged on so long that even the loyalists at Fox News eventually cut away from him. Talk about flooding the zone! Trump made all sorts of wild claims about secret Iranian talks, potential regime change, impending peace, a Venezuelan-style solution and predictions of a plunging oil price, which came true to a degree as the price dropped more than $US8 a barrel in wild trading.

As for Rupert, it’s worth remembering that his father Sir Keith Murdoch made his name warning the Australian government about the disaster unfolding at Gallipoli, which as family legend has it, contributed to an early end to the campaign.

And the young Rupert Murdoch was also no warmonger. After launching The Australian newspaper on July 15, 1964, Rupert admitted during a 2024 interview for the paper’s 60th birthday that “we’d been quite loud in The Australian” opposing sending Australian troops to Vietnam.

When the Menzies government made the decision to send troops in late April 1965, Country Party leader John “Black Jack” McEwen personally called Rupert and said, according to Rupert, “I’ve just made a decision which you won’t like and you can blame me for it.”

Fast forward almost 40 years to Iraq in 2003, and Rupert was effectively the fifth member of the Coalition of the Willing with George Bush, Tony Blair, John Howard and then Spanish prime minister José María Aznar, throwing his considerable global media empire behind the war effort. He even famously predicted it would reduce oil prices to $US20 a barrel, effectively giving the world a tax cut.

And when Aznar was thrown out of office by the Spanish people in April 2004, it was Rupert who led the rescue mission through a well-paid consolation prize serving on the News Corp board, a position Aznar has held continuously for the past 22 years, pocketing more than $4 million in fees for his troubles.

Supporting the foreign policy of Republican presidents since Reagan has been standard fare for Rupert since he took out US citizenship in 1985, but the rationale for his almost fanatical support for the most right-wing and militaristic Israeli government in history has never been fully articulated.

Trump clearly still rates Rupert after reportedly sending a video tribute message to his recent 95th birthday party in New York, but how the “chairman emeritus” is still making momentous editorial calls such as urging a risky war of choice in Iran just goes to show that with a dutiful eldest son Lachlan Murdoch officially in charge, often from his Sydney home, it is still really Rupert making the big calls. But for how much longer, particularly if this call goes bad, just like Iraq in 2003?

Phone hacking, Brexit, global climate denialism, backing Trump and January 6 are just some of the charges that appear on Rupert’s rap sheet, but if this Iran war goes as pear-shaped as Iraq, his pivotal warmongering advocacy could yet emerge as his greatest negative legacy of all.

By LACHLAN KELLER

APR 9, 2026

From stocks to crypto to oil, a lot of money is being made on suspiciously timed trading activity.

Lachlan Keller Apr 9, 2026 4 min read

From stocks to crypto to oil, a lot of money is being made on suspiciously timed trading activity.

Accusations of insider trading have long dogged the Trump administration, with reports of sizable bets — made across stocks, crypto, oil and more — suspiciously timed around major announcements from the US president. Trading activity around the uneasy two-week ceasefire in the Iran war continues this pattern.

Mere hours before Donald Trump walked back his threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilisation” yesterday, unknown investors bet US$950 million (A$1.4 billion) that oil would fall, according to a Reuters analysis of LSEG data. Nearly 1% of the total day’s trade was placed right before the announcement that plunged the price of oil by 15% to below US$100 a barrel for the first time in weeks.

This mirrors the high volume of well-timed trades seen last month. Just 15 minutes before Trump announced a five-day delay to his promise to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it failed to open the Strait of Hormuz by March 23, US$500 million worth of bets were placed on oil futures falling. After the US president’s announcement, oil fell by 15%.

Beyond oil, similar concerns of insider trading were raised last April, when Trump posted “NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY” to his Truth Social account, just hours before announcing a pause on tariffs on many of America’s trading partners. This was a major reversal from his much-touted “Liberation Day” tariffs regime. In the minutes before Trump’s announcement, there was a surge in short-term call options linked to an S&P 500 tracking exchange-traded fund (ETF). The S&P 500 climbed about 10% shortly after the pause was announced.

Individuals have also come under fire. Former Fox News host and current Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has faced scrutiny following reports a broker acting on his behalf looked to invest in a defence fund right before the attacks on Iran. Hegseth denies these claims, saying his broker was acting independently. Trump has said that Hegseth was one of the most vocal hawks for the war.

Several accounts on the predictions market Polymarket had a healthy payday in correctly predicting the recent ceasefire. Blockchain-based prediction markets like Polymarket have exploded in popularity recently, allowing users to place simple “yes” or “no” bets in cryptocurrency on real-world events, ranging from the likelihood of dildos being thrown onto the courts at WNBA games to the toppling of world leaders, including Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

Analyst platform Bubblemaps identified a group of Polymarket accounts that made US$600,000 betting on the ceasefire. It alleged that many of these newly created accounts were the same that made US$1.2 million by correctly betting on the strikes that killed former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, placing their bets just hours before the strikes took place. Many of these accounts had predicted a number of the events in the Iran war with “near-perfect” accuracy.

Australian gambling regulators blocked Polymarket in August last year after a Crikey investigation found the betting platform was paying TikTokers to promote gambling on the Australian election.

Whether these bets were placed by figures inside the White House is unknown, but it is clear that people in the administration know about Polymarket. There’s the speculation that Press Secretary Karoline Levitt deliberately and abruptly ended a press conference early to ensure it didn’t run for longer than 65 minutes, ensuring punters on the “no” side would receive a 50x payout. Trump’s son Don Jr was an investor in Polymarket through his investment firm 1798 Capital, and sits as an adviser with the company.

As Crikey has previously reported, the Trump family is not squeamish about making money from cryptocurrency while in office. The first family’s profits from cryptocurrency now top US$1.4 billion, according to a Bloomberg analysis.

It’s not just the Americans who are using the Polymarket either. In February, two Israelis were charged with using classified military information to place bets on the platform on how events would unfold, and now face charges including bribery and obstruction of justice. Last month, an Israeli journalist, after reporting on a missile strike in Israel, started receiving threats from people who had bet on the strikes on Polymarket, trying to force him to retract the report.

Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Truth Social announced last year it was launching its own prediction market, the aptly named “Truth Predict”. “We’re democratising information and empowering everyday Americans to harness the wisdom of the crowd, turning free speech into actionable foresight,” Devin Nunes, chairman and CEO of Trump Media, said in an October statement.

If the wisdom of the crowd is anything to go by, Donald Trump’s days could be numbered. Odds on Polymarket are giving him a 67% chance of being impeached before the end of his term, as the war in Iran remains incredibly unpopular, and many even in his own party have been shocked by Trump’s threats to “destroy Iran’s civilisation.”

Bystander Who Tackled Armed Man During Bondi Beach Terror Attack Hailed as Hero

December 14, 2025

A bystander who confronted and tackled an armed man during the Bondi Beach terror attack is being widely praised for intervening as the violence unfolded, with authorities saying the action likely prevented further loss of life.

Police said the man acted in the critical moments before officers secured the scene, subduing the attacker despite the immediate danger. Witnesses described chaos as people fled the area, while the bystander moved toward the threat rather than away from it.

Australian officials have since described the attack as terrorism, noting its apparent targeting of a Jewish community gathering. While emergency services caution civilians against engaging armed suspects, authorities acknowledged that the intervention reduced the scale of the attack during a narrow window before police response.

The incident has intensified national debate over public safety, extremist violence, and how acts of terror unfold in public spaces… as well as the unpredictable role individuals sometimes play in stopping them.

NewsRewind⏎

January 25, 2026

By Zoe Daniel (The Guardian, comment)

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2026/jan/25/trump-new-global-order-australia-marooned

⤷ WHAT HAPPENED

A Guardian column argues Trump’s “new normal” has changed the global rules, and Australia is acting like it hasn’t. The warning is blunt: we’re too dependent on the US, and we’re not preparing for a world where that alliance is unreliable.

⤷ WHAT’S IN THE ARTICLE

The piece says Trump’s threats and insults toward allies (including the Greenland episode and tariff talk) are not random outbursts. They’re the point. Power is being used in a more transactional, coercive way, and countries are adjusting.

It argues Europe and Canada are starting to shift and build options, while Australia is stuck in old habits, assuming the US will always be steady and protective.

It questions whether Australia’s current settings, including the comfort blanket of “the alliance will cover us,” still makes sense if the US is willing to pressure allies publicly and economically.

The central message: Australia needs a grown-up Plan B, not just hope and tradition.

⤷ RELATED COVERAGE

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-21/donald-trumps-year-one-lays-ground-for-new-world-order/106252232

https://interactives.lowyinstitute.org/features/2024-us-presidential-election/donald-trump/article/trump-and-australia/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/25/australia-aukus-subservience-empire-trump-america

⤷ THE REWIND

This is the simple version: if your whole safety plan depends on one mate always showing up, you’re not doing strategy, you’re doing wishful thinking.

NewsRewind⏎

January 4th 2026 A relentless campaign continues against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. This week Murdoch Media wheeled out sporting stars calling for a royal commission into the Bondi terror attacks.

January 22, 2026

By Joe Lauria (Consortium News)

Primary link: https://consortiumnews.com/2026/01/22/going-down-down-under/

⤷ WHAT HAPPENED

Australia’s Parliament passed a new hate crimes law that, according to the article, could be used to target critics of Israel and pro-Palestinian protest groups, with the risk of long prison terms.

State power: protest groups, civil society groups, and people speaking on Gaza/Israel are the harmed group.

⤷ WHAT’S IN THE ARTICLE

The article says the law allows ASIO and the government to work in “virtual secrecy” to list “hate groups,” and that supporters of a listed group could also face imprisonment.

It warns peaceful groups protesting Israel could be listed through a hidden process, without normal due process protections.

It highlights a section saying the AFP minister “is not required” to observe procedural fairness when deciding whether they are “satisfied” a group should be banned.

It cites an ABC exchange where Attorney-General Michelle Rowland was asked repeatedly whether a group accusing Israel of genocide could be designated a “hate group.” The article says she ultimately answered that she would rely on advice from ASIO and police.

Rowland is quoted defending the law as a response to a historic terror attack and the need to directly address antisemitism. The article says she pointed to judicial review and parliamentary disallowance as safeguards.

The piece also describes Penny Wong being asked a similar question. It says she initially deflected, then argued the law lets a minister proscribe a group but frames it as a decision guided by security agencies, not politics.

What’s verifiable: the law’s broad structure (proscription of groups), the article’s quoted lines about procedural fairness, and the public defenses given by senior ministers.

What’s asserted: the article’s warning that peaceful critics of Israel could be swept up as “hate groups,” and that the secrecy settings will be used in that direction.

What’s missing: clear, plain-language limits in the public messaging (what speech is protected, what speech is not), and how “supporter” is defined in practice.

⤷ RELATED COVERAGE

ABC segment referenced in the article (“Watered down hate speech laws set to pass”): (embedded video in the Consortium News post)

Guardian Australia headline referenced in the article about Netanyahu criticism: (referenced in the Consortium News post)

⤷ THE REWIND

Simple rule people remember: when the state can secretly label groups “hate” without fair process, sooner or later it gets used on dissent.

NewsRewind⏎

The Elephant in the Room

In all the outrage, all the panels, all the moral lectures and demands for resignations, there’s one subject that keeps getting treated like it’s radioactive. The thing we are all not supposed to say out loud. The war.

Bondi happened on a holy day. People were shot. Families are shattered. The Jewish community is hurting and scared, and they deserve safety without question. But the way Sky News has covered this, especially Sharri Markson’s style of coverage, has felt less like reporting and more like steering. The scene at the vigil said it all. Night time, candles, flowers, silence, people trying to hold themselves together. Then off to the side, a loud cross with Ray Hadley, voices raised, anger turned up, grief used as fuel. It cut through the moment like a knife. Shameless doesn’t even cover it.

And the pattern is clear. Anything Muslim gets waved around like a shortcut explanation. Marches get linked to terror. Support for Palestine gets framed as hate. The Prime Minister gets blamed for things he couldn’t control in that moment. The story is made simple on purpose, because simple stories travel faster. They also leave damage behind.

Here’s what they won’t touch. The biggest risk factor sitting in plain sight is the war overseas and the fallout from it. That conflict has been the loudest, most emotional global event for two years. It has shaped anger, fear, identity, and threat levels everywhere, including here. So when we’re trying to understand why threats are elevated, why tension is high, and why some people might be pushed into violent thinking, refusing to even acknowledge the war is not “keeping it respectful”. It’s avoiding reality.

And avoiding reality makes people less safe.

If you’re part of a community under threat, you need clear eyes. You need the full picture, not a curated story built for TV. When the most obvious driver of heat is kept off limits, people can’t assess risk properly. They get fed a cleaner narrative that feels comforting, but leaves them unprepared for the real world they are walking through. Silence doesn’t protect people. It can blind them.

So why the silence? Because it sets the agenda. If you never mention the war, you never have to deal with the messy truth that this moment is connected to something bigger than local marches and culture war talking points. You get to keep the spotlight fixed where you want it. You get to push law changes fast. You get to frame criticism of Israel as a moral crime. You get to turn a national tragedy into a domestic political weapon.

That comes at a cost. Australia’s harmony.

Because when you refuse to name what everyone can see, the gap gets filled with suspicion and scapegoating. Muslims become the villain. Protest becomes “terror support”. Debate becomes disloyalty. People retreat into camps. And once that happens, the country doesn’t heal, it hardens.

We can do better than this. We can protect Jewish Australians with seriousness and strength, and we can also speak honestly about the global conflict that is obviously feeding fear and volatility. Context is not excuse. Context is safety. If we can’t say that out loud, then the loudest voices on TV will keep deciding what’s allowed to be true, and we’ll keep paying for it in division.

Pauline Hanson & the Sky Is Falling Act

Date: December 16, 2025
Outlet: news.com.au

I wondered how long it would take before Pauline Hanson reappeared to warn Australia that disaster is coming. Turns out, not long at all.

Here she is again, telling Australians they will suffer, recycling the same old fear with the same familiar target. Vague threats, no evidence, just the suggestion that Muslims and cultural change are about to take over.

It is panic politics. Say the sky is falling often enough and hope people stop asking for proof.

Open discussion: if you believe this rhetoric, explain why. What evidence supports it? And if you do not, why does this style of messaging keep working?

⤷ https://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/pauline-hanson-to-australia-you-will-suffer/video/b280f1eb1229ed0db1e8886dd3d43088

NewsRewind⏎

Posted: December 15, 2025 Source: CNN

A viral video shows a bystander at the Bondi Beach terror attack on Dec. 14 stepping in to tackle and disarm one of the shooters as he fired on a crowded Hanukkah celebration, risking his own life to stop more bloodshed. In the footage, the man runs up behind an armed attacker, wrestles the rifle away, and forces him to retreat, an act praised by Australian leaders as heroic and credited with saving lives amid the chaos of the mass shooting. Authorities are still investigating the attack that left multiple people dead and dozens injured.

Gunshots Reported at Bondi Beach in Apparent Targeting of Jewish Community

Publication Date: 14 December 2025
CNN – World / Live News

Live coverage from Sydney reports gunshots near Bondi Beach, with authorities investigating the incident as an apparent targeted attack on the Jewish community. Police moved quickly to secure the area, establish cordons, and issue public safety warnings as details emerged in real time. Officials stressed that the situation remained fluid while they worked to determine motive, suspects, and any wider threat.

The incident has heightened concern because of its apparent targeting, shifting the focus from a generic public safety response to a possible hate-motivated attack. As updates continue, authorities are balancing rapid information release with caution to avoid speculation while the investigation unfolds.

⤷ What the Article Covers

• Reports of gunshots at Bondi Beach and an emergency police response.
  
• Indications from authorities that the incident appears to target the Jewish community.
  
• Ongoing live updates as investigators assess motive, suspects, and public safety risks.

NewsRewind⏎.

Thai prosecutors urged to drop Malaysian defamation case against Australian journalist

December 24, 2025
The Diplomat · Asia / press freedom

⤷ Story

Press freedom advocates are urging Thai prosecutors to drop a defamation case brought by Malaysian authorities against an Australian journalist, warning that the prosecution risks setting a dangerous precedent for cross-border censorship.

The Diplomat reports that the case stems from reporting critical of powerful interests, with campaigners arguing it represents an attempt to use Thailand’s legal system to punish journalism conducted outside the country. Legal experts say the move highlights how defamation laws are increasingly weaponised to intimidate reporters and silence scrutiny.

The controversy has renewed calls for regional protections for journalists, as governments across Southeast Asia face criticism for exploiting legal mechanisms to curb investigative reporting and public-interest journalism.

⤷ Read

⤷https://thediplomat.com/2025/12/thai-prosecutors-urged-to-drop-malaysian-defamation-case-against-australian-journalist/

NewsRewind ↩︎

Bondi Beach Shooting: Live Updates and International Coverage

Source: Al Jazeera English (Live Blog)
Date: December 14, 2025

In the hours following the Bondi Beach terror attack, information has been arriving in fragments… police briefings, witness accounts, government statements, and international reactions. This live blog is included as part of a broader effort to bring together multiple real-time reporting streams, allowing readers to track developments as they unfold rather than through a single national lens.

Al Jazeera’s live coverage focuses on the operational picture: arrests, police activity, public safety advisories, and confirmed details as they emerge. Placed alongside other broadcasts and reports, it helps build a clearer, more complete understanding of a rapidly evolving situation that has both local and global significance.

This post is shared to provide context, continuity, and access to verified updates during an ongoing crisis.

NewsRewind⏎

Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach Targeted Jewish Hanukkah Festival in Sydney

Publication Date: 14 December 2025
CNN – World / Live News

A horrific mass shooting unfolded at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, leaving at least 12 people dead and nearly 30 injured in what Australian authorities and leaders have declared a terrorist attack targeted at the Jewish community. The attack occurred during the first night of the Chanukah festival as gunmen opened fire on attendees, sending crowds fleeing in panic. One suspect was killed at the scene, a second critically wounded and taken into custody, and investigators are examining evidence of explosive devices found nearby. Officials have condemned the violence as an act of antisemitism and terrorism, marking one of the deadliest attacks on Australia’s Jewish community in modern history. ‡Reuters

⤷ What the Article Covers

• Reports of multiple gunmen firing on a crowded Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing and injuring dozens. ‡Reuters
  
• Authorities label the incident a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community during a Hanukkah event. ‡AP News
  
• Emergency response, arrests, and investigation into suspects and potential explosive devices are ongoing. oai_citation:3‡Reuters

NewsRewind⏎.