Court finds Australia's ABC wrongly fired journalist over Gaza post
Australia's public broadcaster ABC unlawfully dismissed a radio journalist over a social media post related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, a court found Wednesday.
ABC apologised after being ordered to pay Antoinette Lattouf Aus$70,000 (US$45,000) in compensation, with a further financial penalty yet to be decided.
The broadcaster broke employment law by terminating her "for reasons including that she held political opinions opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza", Federal Court Justice Darryl Rangiah said in his ruling.
Lattouf took legal action after being dismissed in December 2023, three days into a five-day casual contract with the ABC.
She had re-posted to Instagram a Human Rights Watch video report on the Gaza conflict with the comment: "HRW reporting starvation as a tool of war".
ABC senior management's consternation over the post turned into a "state of panic", the judge said, and a decision was made to take her off the air "within the hour".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Largest British Jewish body suspends members for criticising Israel
The largest body representing British Jews has suspended five of its elected representatives for two years after they criticised Israel's conduct in Gaza. In April 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews signed a letter published in the Financial Times in which they strongly condemned Israel's assault on the Palestinian enclave and its withholding of food and aid, which has left hundreds of thousands on the brink of starvation. 'The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable, but our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out,' they wrote. The letter asserted that "Israel's soul is being ripped out" by the war on Gaza. "We stand against the war … it is our duty, as Jews, to speak out." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Leaders of the board accused the 36 deputies of 'misrepresenting our community' and launched disciplinary proceedings against them. They have now all been found to have breached the Board of Deputies' code of conduct. 'We are a democratic organisation' The findings of the investigation, released on Tuesday evening, said that "many media outlets, individuals and other community stakeholders initially understood [the letter] to be a statement of the board". It said the code of conduct requires deputies not to misrepresent the board's position or bring the institution into disrepute. The board's executive body sent a "notice of criticism" to 31 of the 36 signatories. But it suspended five deputies from the board for two years. The move comes after Daniel Grossman, a member of the board, resigned last month over what he described as the failure of its leaders to explicitly criticise 'the Israeli government's ongoing genocidal assault on Gaza'. Former Shin Bet chief backs criticism of Gaza war by Board of Deputies members Read More » And in late April a former head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency intervened in support of the members facing disciplinary action. Ami Ayalon said the 36 board members were 'true friends of Israel' who had 'expressed the exact concerns and sentiments' as those voiced during weekly anti-government protests attended by thousands in Israel. Ayalon, a former Israeli navy admiral and a longstanding critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said: 'It is not easy to speak out and I commend them for their bravery. I know that they will now face a backlash. However, so many of us leading the struggle in Israel wish that more of our friends in the diaspora would follow their lead.' The board has previously criticised the suspension of some arms export licences to Israel, and the withdrawal by the current Labour government of the objection against the prosecution of Israeli leaders at the International Criminal Court raised by the previous UK government. Phil Rosenberg, the board's president, also said last month that it was a mistake for the British government to suspend free trade talks with Israel. On Tuesday evening Michael Wegier, the board's chief executive, said: 'We are a democratic organisation that welcomes debate, diversity and free speech. Managing diversity of opinion within our organisation depends on our code of conduct. 'That code ensures deputies do not create misunderstandings about the position of the board or its members, do not bring the institution into disrepute, and treat one another and the institution with respect.'
Tahawul Tech
an hour ago
- Tahawul Tech
U.S. on alert for Iranian cyberattacks
Critical infrastructure installations across the U.S. such as Hospitals, water dams and power plants are on alert for any potential Iranian cyberattacks in retaliation for recent US airstrikes on Iran nuclear sites. The United States dropped massive bombs on three nuclear sites inside Iran on Saturday, decisively entering into conflict with the country. In the three days since the US strikes, the US power grid's cyberthreat-sharing centre has monitored the dark web for Iranian activity, and hospital executives have checked in on the threat level with the FBI. It's a state of vigilance dictated by common sense: For Iran, retaliation against the US is far easier in cyberspace than physically. Tehran-linked hackers have previously attacked American hospitals and water facilities. 'Iran's kinetic retaliation is already in motion and the digital dimension to that may not be far behind', Adam Meyers, a Senior Vice President at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, said shortly after Iran fired missiles towards a US military base in Qatar in retaliation for the US strikes. 'This cyber element is what lets them extend their reach and there's an air of deniability to it'. There haven't been any new confirmed breaches of US organisations from Iranian hackers, Meyers said. But hackers linked with Iran have reportedly been scanning the internet for vulnerable software and have been talking openly about retaliating against US organisations, he said. Less planning may be needed for any Iranian response in cyberspace, and hacking operations can also be far below the threshold of war. Tehran has been opportunistic in the past about finding vulnerable US critical infrastructure to exploit, according to US officials. 'If it's there, and vulnerable, they have a higher likelihood of targeting it,' one US official, who was monitoring potential Iranian hacking threats to critical infrastructure. After the Israel-Gaza war began in fall of 2023, there were multiple cyberattacks on US water facilities that American officials blamed on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In one instance, pro-Iran hackers breached internet-connected industrial equipment that was sitting online at a water plant outside of Pittsburgh, forcing the plant to operate one of its pump stations manually. The hackers inscribed an anti-Israel message on the monitor that they breached. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a part of DHS, 'is actively coordinating with government, industry, and international partners to share actionable intelligence and strengthen collective defence,' CISA spokesperson Marci McCarthy said in a statement. 'There are currently no specific credible threats against the homeland.' Right now, US officials and corporate executives are keeping a close eye on that same group of hackers and other so-called 'hacktivist' personas linked to Iran. These hackers often exaggerate their success to gain a psychological edge over their targets. One of the alleged Iranian personas previously contacted American reporters in attempts to convince them to promote their cyberattacks. 'Low-level cyber attacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against US networks', DHS said in a public advisory Sunday. 'Iranian cyberattacks have been plays for attention as well as impact,' said Anne Neuberger, who served as deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology under President Joe Biden. Some cybersecurity executives are trying to flip the script on those mind games by preaching vigilance without over-hyping the threat. 'We understand from direct communications with the federal government that heightened vigilance and reporting is warranted for both cyber and physical threats', said John Riggi, a former FBI official who is now national advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association. The association, he said, 'is in close coordination with the FBI regarding any physical or cyber threats to hospitals and the broader healthcare sector'. Iran's cyber capabilities are not as advanced as those of China or Russia, experts say, but they can be more unpredictable. The FBI blamed Tehran for a cyberattack on Boston Children's Hospital in 2021 and for creating a website in 2020 that threatened US election officials with bull's-eyes over photos of their faces. 'Iran's growing expertise and willingness to conduct aggressive cyber operations make it a major threat to the security of U.S. networks and data', the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in its threat assessment in March. 'Guidance from Iranian leaders has incentivised cyber actors to become more aggressive in developing capabilities to conduct cyber attacks'. Source: CNN Image Credit: Stock Image
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Israel's Leviathan gasfield to resume production after shutdown during Iran conflict
Israel's NewMed Energy said the Leviathan gasfield that supplies Egypt and Jordan will resume operations on Wednesday after being shut down for nearly two weeks during the war with Iran. Two of Israel's three gasfields – Leviathan and Karish – have been shut since June 13, when the country began attacking Iran. Israeli officials said this was a precautionary measure taken in anticipation of an Iranian retaliation. Gas supplies to Egypt and Jordan were halted to prioritise domestic consumption. US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran from Tuesday that appeared to be holding. Israel's Energy Ministry said that after a security assessment, the larger Leviathan field and smaller Karish would reopen. This would lead to the resumption of gas exports, a rise in state tax revenue and greater flexibility in managing the electricity and industrial sectors. Leviathan produces 12 billion cubic metres of gas per year for sale to Israel, Egypt and Jordan. Israeli gas accounts for about 15-20 per cent of Egypt's consumption, data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative shows. To counter the unexpected drop in supplies, Egypt arranged to use three floating regasification units, two in the Red Sea and one in the Mediterranean, sources told The National last week. These receive shipments of liquefied natural gas, regasify it and then pump it through the national power grid. The Egyptian government also forced fertiliser factories to halt production nationwide because of the large amounts of natural gas they use. Israel resumed lower-volume gas supplies to Egypt on Thursday last week, the sources said. But the supplies halted again on Sunday.
