‘Manosphere’ podcasts and moon-landing conspiracy theories to remain online under new laws, Wells says

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Communications minister rebuts claims that Labor’s digital duty of care laws would lead to government control of speech

Australians could still “listen to manosphere podcasts” or “say the moon landing was fake” under proposed new online safety laws, Anika Wells has stressed as she rubbished claims they would lead to government censorship

The communications minister also said she was considering updates to the digital duty of care laws to allow individual Australians to directly sue big tech companies flouting the new rules. This has been a key demand from the Greens for their support for the laws, while the Coalition accuses Labor of plans to “secretly control Australian speech”.

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Russia turns to new tactics to destroy Ukraine’s energy grid this winter for good – The Kyiv Independent

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  1. Russia turns to new tactics to destroy Ukraine’s energy grid this winter for good  The Kyiv Independent
  2. Why Russia Sees a Window to Bomb Ukraine Into Submission This Winter  The New York Times
  3. Attacks on Ukraine’s power plants show Russia has given up on military victory  The Guardian
  4. ‘Sodcit’ – after battlefield setbacks, Russia returns to destroying Ukraine’s morale  The Conversation
  5. Will Ukraine survive the winter?  Al Jazeera
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Why Hamas Cheered Navi Pillay’s Nobel Peace Prize – The Dispatch

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  1. Why Hamas Cheered Navi Pillay’s Nobel Peace Prize  The Dispatch
  2. Opinion | The Nobel Committee’s Bias and Moral Failing  WSJ
  3. My relative defined ‘genocide.’ Honoring him means scrutinizing Navi Pillay’s Israel findings.  Jewish Telegraphic Agency
  4. And the Nobel Prize for Antisemitism Goes to. . .  The Free Press
  5. Is the Whole World Wrong?  Tablet Magazine
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Parents of Chloe Moffat want Treasury staff held to account over her death

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Exclusive: David and Anne Moffat to meet permanent secretary after coroner found Treasury ‘materially contributed’ to employee taking her own life

The parents of a woman who killed herself after facing disciplinary proceedings at the Treasury will call for anyone found to have contributed to their daughter’s death to be held to account.

A coroner found in August that the Treasury had “materially contributed” to Chloe Moffat’s death after the 26-year-old personal assistant was called into a surprise disciplinary meeting about anonymous complaints alleging she had disclosed sensitive information at work, which she denied.

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Victoria to become first state to make abortions free as Coalition matches Labor election promise

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Exclusive: Out-of-pocket costs for abortion care to be covered regardless of who wins November election as Jess Wilson says Liberals and Nationals ‘will not allow Labor to play politics on this issue’

Victoria will become the first state in Australia to make access to abortion care free, no matter who wins the November election, with the Coalition matching Labor’s promise just hours after it was announced as it attempts to neutralise the issue.

The opposition leader, Jess Wilson, on Thursday afternoon told Guardian Australia a Liberal National Coalition government would match Labor’s commitment to cover out-of-pocket costs for abortion care up to 16 weeks’ gestation. This would include GP and specialist consultations, scans, tests or medication, which can quickly add up to more than $1,000.

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Greens senator Jordon Steele-John takes leave amid investigation into complaints

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Steele-John said he rejected the claims and had referred them to the Western Australian Greens for a ‘fair, independent process’

Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has taken leave from the party room after complaints were made, triggering an independent review.

The Nine newspapers reported on Thursday afternoon that seven party members demanded an investigation into allegations he made inappropriate comments to a number of women between 2017 and 2025.

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Verse from the waste land: Rotterdam’s poetic bin lorries granted cultural status

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Lyrical lines printed on side of city’s fleet of rubbish trucks now recognised as one of Netherlands’ proud traditions

It is best known for its rich migration history and striking modern architecture. But now the Dutch city of Rotterdam is seeking recognition for a rather different characteristic: its tradition of printing poetry on bin trucks.

Since a poetry festival first came up with the idea in 1988, lines of verse have been printed on all of the city’s waste vehicles. The practice was this week elevated to the status of intangible cultural heritage, with formal recognition from a Dutch body that guards the nation’s traditions.

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Desperate to clear toxic haze, Indonesia douses its skies with dry ice – BBC

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  1. Desperate to clear toxic haze, Indonesia douses its skies with dry ice  BBC
  2. Indonesia's president ready to accept foreign assistance to combat fires, foreign minister says  Reuters
  3. Indonesia fights fire with dry ice as toxic haze spreads across region  The Guardian
  4. Wildfire traps firefighters and volunteers in Indonesia’s Mount Bromo national park, killing 4  AP News
  5. ‘Forgive us’: Indonesians urge Singapore, Malaysia to sue Jakarta over haze  South China Morning Post
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Iranian attacks sink two ships in Strait of Hormuz – The Washington Post

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  1. Iranian attacks sink two ships in Strait of Hormuz  The Washington Post
  2. Two ships sink near Hormuz after being hit by projectiles amid surge in attacks  Reuters
  3. Attacks on Tankers in Mideast Surge, but Oil Exports Remain Steady  The New York Times
  4. Two cargo ships sunk in Strait of Hormuz as Iran ramps up attacks in run-up to midterms  CNN
  5. Container ship sinks in Strait of Hormuz as Iran steps up attacks  CNBC
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North Korea and China open new bridge after 12-year delay – BBC

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  1. North Korea and China open new bridge after 12-year delay  BBC
  2. North Korea says opening ceremony was held for new bridge to China  Reuters
  3. China-North Korea border bridge may do little to spur trade, experts say  Al Jazeera
  4. North Korea-China bridge finally opens but will it help Pyongyang evade sanctions?  CNN
  5. Bridge linking China, North Korea opens Thursday  NHKニュース
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Brazil cuts work week to 40 hours in win for Lula ahead of runoff

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Congress approves constitutional amendment that bans six-day workweeks, which could effect up to 30 million

Brazil’s congress has approved a constitutional amendment to shorten the working week to a maximum of 40 hours, a move that could affect 30 million workers and that will hand a political victory to the leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of the presidential runoff in under two weeks.

In an attempt to overturn the first-round lead secured by his opponent, far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula has strongly championed the amendment, which will give some workers an extra day off each week.

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German Police Investigating If Teens Were Piloting Robot That Groped 16-Year-Old Girl – Gizmodo

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  1. German Police Investigating If Teens Were Piloting Robot That Groped 16-Year-Old Girl  Gizmodo
  2. Police seize robot that groped 16-year-old girl, investigate whether young men were at the controls  AP News
  3. German police launch investigation after robot allegedly gropes teenage girl  CNN
  4. German police seize humanoid robot that allegedly groped teen girl, and phones of young men who had it  CBS News
  5. Robot seized by German police after it was allegedly used to grope teenage girl  BBC
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Watchdog group seeks to block Jared Kushner from serving in his volunteer envoy role – AP News

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  1. Watchdog group seeks to block Jared Kushner from serving in his volunteer envoy role  AP News
  2. Watchdog group sues Trump administration over Jared Kushner’s government work  Yahoo
  3. Watchdog group challenges legality of Kushner’s role in Trump administration  The Hill
  4. CREW sues to block Jared Kushner from acting as Trump envoy  Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
  5. White House Sued Over Kushner’s Government Work by Watchdog  Bloomberg.com
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