In short:

A series of strikes in Gaza has killed at least 31 people, according to Palestinian medics, as part of an Israeli offensive.

Gaza's health ministry says one of the strikes was on a polio vaccination centre, where children were among those injured.

Meanwhile, an Iranian-American journalist has reportedly been detained in Iran, according to the Associated Press.

What's for dinner tonight?

While not Aus specific it's a good look at ETFs for those interested. Paywalled link below, non paywalled link above.

https://www.ft.com/content/22663af0-7e17-4477-9dde-71354042b6ef

In short:

An additional 2,500 troops have been sent to join the 5,000 already in Valencia that are helping with flood recovery.

An alert from regional authorities has warned of potential landslides and more flooding.

What's next?

A protest will be held on Saturday calling on regional president Carlos Mazon to step down.

The move came after employees working for OPTF were approached by the Victoria police and Australian federal police over several months including via help chat messages, letters and phone calls. Victoria police also visited the apartment of an employee late last year, asking questions about the app and its encrypted messaging, the company says.

Under anti-terrorism laws passed in 2018, law enforcement can issue notices requiring developers to assist with an investigation. This can include technical assistance which could require companies to build capability for law enforcement to break the encryption used in their services.

But the powers have rarely been used. And if they had, neither the AFP or the services targeted can divulge what an organisation has been ordered to do.

The office of the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, was approached for comment.

The Greens digital rights spokesperson, Senator David Shoebridge, said it was a problem if Australia had policies hostile to end-to-end encryption while privacy law was failing to protect people’s personal information.

He said the AFP approaching Session employees was “seriously troubling”.

“Are police now taking the view that just trying to protect your privacy makes you potentially guilty?

“We need a sovereign tech industry that delivers safe and secure products for local users and to make this happen the industry is telling us they urgently need an effective suite of privacy and data laws.”

Good to see this getting some coverage in mainstream outlets, and by the Greens.

Did the image need to be a spooky-scary guy, though?

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4423236

Archived link

In Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor, disabled people of all ages are among the most vulnerable.

The Oleshky Children’s Boarding School [in Ukraine] had a reputation for being one of the best of its kind in Ukraine. The state-funded school accepted orphans as well as children diagnosed with varying degrees of mental and physical disabilities. Many of the children fell into both categories, but the school was known for its attentive care and specialized treatments for all its students, regardless of their status.

[…]

The school staff who stayed after Feb. 24 [in 2022, when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine had started] watched in fear as the Russian occupying forces began swiftly implementing administrative control over social institutions, primarily targeting the spheres of education, health care and social security.

Russian military officials, sometimes in plain clothing, other times in uniforms with automatic rifles, attempted several times to get the Oleshky school to “cooperate” with the occupying forces. Sometimes, they made surprise visits, offering donations of food in exchange for information, such as the whereabouts and headcounts of the children.

[...]

“From the beginning of the occupation, there were constant rumors among employees that Ukraine was evacuating us. But all efforts failed at the planning stage,” said Vadym Reutsky, a teacher and sports coach at the school who stayed for the first months of the occupation. Everyone understood that it was only a matter of time before Russia would come to seize full control of the school, he said.

[...]

The deportations were being orchestrated from the highest levels of the Russian government. Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, was in the region of Kherson’s left bank in October and November, where the occupying forces were nervously watching the rapid Ukrainian approach. On Nov. 11, the official Telegram channels of the occupying authorities wrote that Lvova-Belova, who has since been indicted by the International Criminal Court for the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children, instructed the remaining students at the Oleshky boarding school to move to Skadovsk, another occupied small city on the shores of the Black Sea.

After Lvova-Belova made a request to the Ministry of Health in Russia, “they promptly responded, providing 14 ambulances for the evacuation of the children from Oleshky,” a statement read, adding that local official Alla Barkhatnova, the acting Minister of Social Policy and Labor for Kherson Region, took part in the decision. That same day, 56 disabled children and adults were transported by ambulances to the Nadiia Rehabilitation Centre in Skadovsk.

[...]

Can't decide on a horse tomorrow? I've got a dart board and I've had a few drinks. Let me decide for you. I've got 18 horses left. All you have to say is go!

*Remember gamble responsibly.

Original URL: https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/man-charged-by-nsw-police-after-allegedly-wearing-offensive-antiisrael-shirt-at-popular-bondi-beach-in-sydneys-east/news-story/75b93cc258745f9ee16b763d468a38b1

I don't trust Sky News as far as I could kick them, but I can't find any reporting by non-Murdoch publications (or even the more reputable Murdoch ones). If anyone can find reporting other than Sky News and the Daily Mail, let me know.

With that in mind, I'm cautious that Sky News' coverage is missing details, if only because they've half-arsed it. If the guy was being a menace, surely they would have used whatever details were available to paint an anti-israel activist in a bad light.

The man was charged with two counts of behaving in offensive manner in/near public place and one count of stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm.

Seems like overkill if he was in fact just wearing a shirt around. I think it may be technically/arguably illegal to have a shirt with 'fuck' written on it, but it's very selectively enforced. The case brought against Sydney activist Danny Lim a few years back comes to mind.

Grazier using wild donkeys to regenerate land in legal battle.

I'm making this post directly in response to the extremist moderation in this thread, though I came very close a little while ago to a similar post because of moderation here

Comments that have been removed on the grounds of "No bigotry" include:

There are no good guys in that conflict. Only innocent civilians.

Maybe provide examples? I see nothing that would prevent me from saying that with a straight face.

Gee, I don't know, I vaguely recall a (perhaps minor) news item happening on the 7th, something about a music festival? I may be misremembering though, since this very impartial news site has no mention of it whatsoever.

It's a terrorist organization vs terrorist state. The only good guys are the civilians dying on both sides.

Everyone who opposes genocide, colonialism, and terrorism are the good guys, so neither Israel or Hamas. But Hamas is not Palestine/Palestinians, the same way that Israel/Zionism is not Jewish/Judaism; no matter how much Israel, Hamas, the media, or military industrial complex tries to conflate them all. IMO Israel is more to blame than Hamas as they should know better given a) their history of persecution b) their significantly greater wealth and education, and c) their demographics — more than half of all Palestinians are technically children, below 18.

I don't know what could possibly be less "bigotry" than that last statement. Now, I side pretty much 100% with Palestine in the Palestinian genocide being committed by Israel, but it's not even remotely bigoted to suggest that maybe the killing of civilians, even if done in the name of a good cause, does not make the killers "the good guys" (even if they are "the better guys of the two bad guys").

And in the other thread, they removed comments like:

That's pathetic. That's a pathetic misunderstanding of geopolitics and the nature of modern intelligence infrastructure. You're still in the mindset of "Having SIGINT = bad guys". As if places like Russia, and North Korea would just be magical kingdoms of freedom and accountability if they just didn't have signals intelligence! That's stupid. What differentiates the west (much like what differentiates good media sources from bad) - is accountability, and oversight. Anyways I'll let you get back to your petty fears and misunderstanding the basic lay of the informational and geopolitical landscapes. Maybe if Trump magically wins the election Glenn Greenwald will spend Trump's time in office attacking the Democrats and defending Trump and Russia again. I'm sure you'd enjoy that. The crypto-rightwing are just like that. Aren't you. Semi-pro-authoritarians who don't understand what causes freedom, and think it's something about being a soldier of fortune for a foreign state, or something that comes from "the barrel of a gun". Idiots believing they're freedom fighters popping some imaginary info-bubble. You don't know how lucky you are, or how good you have it, or why... That's your problem, and your weakness.

which were critical of authoritarian states in a mildly impolite way for being violations of their "Be respectful" rule. Meanwhile they failed to remove (and in fact, the comments came directly from an admin) comments that are far more directly disrespectful to their interlocutor, like:

This is wrong on so many levels 😂 If you’re this propagandized, then I’m sure you don’t know what actually happened in and around Tiananmen Square, which by the way is not even censored in China like we’re always told.

Followed by a gish gallop of links.

And

Okay, stay confidently incorrect in the Five Eyes corporate media bubble then 👍

“I’m in this photo and I don’t like it.”

and the especially pathetic disrespectful comment consisting of nothing but:

The admins of that instance are pretty blatantly disregarding their own rules in order to push their agenda. If that shouldn't be grounds for defederation, I don't know what should.

edit: accidentally left a link out earlier

In footage from Wednesday night's Student Representative Council (SRC) meeting, two male students can be seen tearing up, and a third throwing pages from The Red Zone report.

The report came out of the 2018 investigation by national group End Rape on Campus Australia and uncovered disturbing behaviour at Sydney University's colleges, including male students ejaculating into female students' beauty products and an annual event where students were encouraged to post graphic details about one another online.

Ross Kerridge 'seriously concerned' by Newcastle Airport's debt scandal

By Simon McCarthy

Updated November 3 2024 - 3:10pm, first published November 2 2024 - 4:34pm

Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge says he will call for a meeting with the Newcastle Airport's senior management after revelations the region's key infrastructural asset was drowning in debt and looking for a potential ratepayer bailout.

The airport, which is jointly owned by Newcastle and Port Stephens councils, is teetering and in desperate need of a funding injection, and internal reports show staff repeatedly warned the organisation was in financial turmoil with no clear plan to fund major projects.

Cr Kerridge took to social media on Saturday and said the contrast between the airport's public statements and what its own internal reports reveal "raises serious questions".

"As Newcastle and Port Stephens residents are the ultimate owners of this vital infrastructure, they deserve clear and transparent information about its financial health," he said.

"The potential consequences of any financial instability at the airport would directly impact our residents - our community shareholders - through increased rates, reduced community services, sale of assets, or raising charges to customers at the airport.

"It may also impact negotiations with potential industries or partners wishing to join the Newcastle Airport precinct developments. This does not, and will not ever, sit comfortably with me."

"Our community deserves nothing less than complete transparency about the state of their airport."

The crisis comes as a multi-million-dollar terminal expansion faces cost blowouts amid falling passenger numbers and unbudgeted spending for the Kongsberg missile factory and Lockheed Martin Air 6500 project.

The airport's outgoing CEO Peter Cock has strenuously denied the airport was facing money problems, though, and has insisted that the organisation's financial situation remains "robust".

Newcastle Airport board chair Jude Munro has similarly denied the organisation is in hot water and has labelled the Newcastle Herald's reporting on the subject as "sensationalised and inaccurate".

When she, Dr Cock and the airport were asked to detail any misrepresentations, they declined.

"I am disappointed to learn that our commitment to good governance and ongoing risk management analysis has been misrepresented," she said in a statement earlier this week.

"Our board of directors, known for their experience and expertise, passed a resolution and directed the airport leadership team for prudent management to maintain cash reserves of $15 million.

"This decision aligns with our best practice standards as a skills-based and risk-averse board."

As the Herald revealed at the weekend, the airport's loss-making property development arm, the Greater Newcastle Aerotropolis (GNAPL), appeared to be at the root of its problems and only survives due to cash injections from the airport's general operations.

According to a financial deep-dive report from April, GNAPL is simply not viable, or "bankable", as a standalone company yet. Falling passenger numbers following the collapse of Bonza and diverting millions in unbudgeted cash reserves to prop up GNAPL's property developments have sparked insolvency concerns.

Insiders say there are fears the airport is being "bled dry" and needs an urgent bailout.

"I will be meeting with the airport's senior management soon and expect these issues to be clarified," Cr Kerridge said.

Customarily, directors from both the City of Newcastle and Port Stephens Council sit on the Newcastle Airport Pty Ltd (NAPL) and the Greater Newcastle Aerotropolis (GNAPL) boards. Former Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath have retained their positions on the board until at least February next year in the interest of "stability" after the council voted on the matter earlier this week.

Councillors voted on Tuesday to keep Cr Nelmes and Mr Bath, whose fees for work as boards directors have risen to nearly $80,000 each per year, in the roles on an interim basis until a "merit-based" application process can be put together.

Cr Nelmes used her casting vote to appoint herself to the board in 2019 for a fee of $50,000.

The former mayor said there is a "huge amount of work" in the role and offered to mentor the person who is selected to take her place.

Cr Kerridge, who has declared a conflict of interest that would preclude him from sitting on the boards, absented himself from the vote.

Port Stephens general manager Tim Crosdale also sits on the boards, and newly elected Port Stephens mayor Leah Anderson has replaced the former mayor Ryan Palmer.

The details of this report are developing. It may be updated.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4412873

Archived link

One of China’s biggest challenges today is its unprecedented low birth rate that threatens its economic development, especially given the country’s unsustainable pension system that is expected to be financially unviable by 2035. Besides this, the system shows wide discrepancies between northern and southern Chinese regions, which stems from their different economic development models. And while Chinese authorities continue to adopt and implement multiple policies aimed at boosting marriage and birth rates, Chinese citizens are increasingly disengaging from the party-state.

**A Propaganda Machine Stuck in the Past **

By all standards, China is a surveillance state that uses social credit, face recognition AI and other means to control its own population. From 1980 to 2015, Beijing successfully imposed its infamous One-Child Policy that led to effective population control. [...] Indeed, the combination of strict birth control and economic opening-up did lead to a dramatic improvement in living standards.

At the same time, Beijing showed that it would stop at nothing to enforce its coercive measures that included hefty fines in rural areas, forced abortions at late stages, and even forced sterilization. The One-Child Policy also resulted in an alarming gender gap, with over 30 million women gone missing, which has led to large-scale trafficking from other Asian countries.

Today, the challenge is the opposite of the situation in the early 1980s: China needs more children. China’s birth rate hit its lowest in 2023, with 6.2 children per 1,000 inhabitants, nearing the figures in Japan and South Korea.

[...]

Faced with a record low birth rate, Beijing finds itself caught in its own narrative. As suggested by [the state-controlled media outlet] Global Times article: “China regards the people’s right to subsistence and development as its top priority.” However, the Chinese people are long past the level of ‘subsistence’ this refers to, and the people are now seeking security amid a crumbling system. And while it is too early to talk about a ‘parallel’ society that exists outside the system in China, the society’s refusal to comply with state policies that are essential to the party’s survival is already an indication of a larger crack in the system.

What's for dinner tonight?

Australia will increase its missile defence capability after China’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the South Pacific raised “significant concerns” and as the Asia Pacific region enters a “missile age”.

[...]

Australia has previously said it would spend 74 billion Australian dollars ($49bn) on missile acquisition and missile defence over the next decade, including 21 billion Australian dollars ($13.7bn) to fund the Australian Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise, a new domestic manufacturing capability.

“We must show potential adversaries that hostile acts against Australia would not succeed and could not be sustained if conflict were protracted,” Conroy said in the speech.