The Herald Sun failed to seek a response from Brittany Groth, the wife of Sam Groth, the Victorian Liberals deputy leader and former tennis star, before wrongly outing her as a victim of child sexual assault who was preyed upon by her now-husband when he was her coach, the couple allege in federal court documents.
The Herald and Weekly Times, along with reporter Stephen Drill, who wrote the articles, and his editor Sam Weir, are being sued in the federal court by Brittany Groth, in the first test of a new statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy, and by Sam Groth for defamation.
Over 1,300 Artists Pledge to Boycott Israeli Film Institutions Amid Ongoing Gaza Conflict
More than 1,300 artists, including prominent Hollywood figures, have vowed to sever ties with Israeli film institutions accused of complicity in violations against Palestinians, as Israel’s war on Gaza continues into its 23rd month, reports 24brussels.
This initiative, announced on September 8, features notable names such as Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Tilda Swinton, and Javier Bardem. Their collective statement denounces what they describe as the “unrelenting horror” in Gaza, where Israeli military actions have claimed the lives of over 64,000 Palestinians and devastated much of the enclave.
“Inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid who refused to screen their films in apartheid South Africa, we pledge not to screen films, appear at, or otherwise engage with Israeli film institutions—including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters, and production companies—that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” the declaration states.
The signatories characterize complicity as “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them.” They also referenced findings by the International Court of Justice, indicating that the case against Israel regarding genocide is legally plausible while reaffirming the illegality of the occupation of Palestinian territories.
Human rights organizations, academics, and UN experts have consistently accused Israel of committing acts that constitute genocide, recognized as one of the gravest war crimes under United Nations definitions, characterized by acts intended to destroy, in whole or in part, national, ethnic, racial, or religious groups.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Lerner hailed the initiative as a “non-violent tool” to confront impunity. “It is the responsibility of every independently minded artist to use whatever powers of expression they possess to support the global resistance to overcome this horror,” he remarked.
This boycott signifies a notable shift within an industry historically known for maintaining pro-Israel narratives. Hollywood previously produced films like the 1960 feature Exodus, which glorified the founding of Israel. However, in recent years, actors and directors have begun openly criticizing Israeli policies, often facing significant professional repercussions.
In 2023, Susan Sarandon, a signatory of the current pledge, was dropped by her talent agency following her participation in a Palestine solidarity rally. Similarly, actress Melissa Barrera lost her role in the Scream franchise after posting comments critical of Israel on social media.
At the same time, Palestinian narratives have started to gain increased visibility within the film industry. In March, the Israeli-Palestinian co-production No Other Land, which documents the destruction of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. In September, The Voice of Hind Rajab, which recounts the final moments of a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces, received a 23-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.
The collective statement from the artists concluded: “As filmmakers, actors, film industry workers, and institutions, we recognize the power of cinema to shape perceptions. In this urgent moment of crisis, where many of our governments are enabling the carnage in Gaza, we must do everything we can to address complicity in that unrelenting horror.”
This coordinated action adds cultural weight to growing calls for accountability, as artists leverage their influence to challenge Israel’s actions in Gaza and elevate Palestinian voices on the global stage.
Beijing – During a meeting with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro in Beijing on Tuesday, President Xi Jinping emphasized the necessity of strengthening communication and deepening cooperation between China and the European Union amid growing global complexities and uncertainties, reports 24brussels.
Prime Minister Montenegro’s visit to China, occurring from September 8-10, 2025, marks his inaugural official trip to the country. He is set to engage with Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Zhao Leji.
Xi stated that China is eager to collaborate closely with Portugal in multilateral initiatives aimed at safeguarding the free trade system and promoting a more equitable global governance structure, as reported by state news agency Xinhua.
How does Xi see China-EU ties in turbulent times?
“The more turbulent and intertwined the international landscape becomes, the greater the need for China and Europe to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, and deepen cooperation,”
the Chinese leader proclaimed.
Xi expressed his expectations that Portugal would uphold and bolster the partnership between China and the EU, facilitating sustainable, stable, and healthy development in their bilateral relations.
Xi indicated that the world is once again undergoing significant upheaval and transformation. He reiterated China’s readiness to work closely with Portugal through multilateral engagement, aiming to promote true multilateralism, endorse the authority of the United Nations, and contribute to a balanced global governance structure.
When did the former PM Costa visit China?
Former Prime Minister António Costa visited China from October 8-12, 2016. During that trip, he met with President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People and attended the fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, traveling to Beijing, Shanghai, and Macao.
Annie Dean will helm a new building experience lab at CBRE, which is being announced today.
CBRE
More companies are calling employees back to the office, either fully or part-time.
Former Facebook and Atlassian exec Annie Dean has a new job at CBRE, where she’ll be re-thinking workspaces.
CBRE manages more than two billion square feet of office space globally.
As workers head back into offices, many are encountering the same frustrations they did pre-pandemic: endless stretches of fluorescently-lit cubicles, limited space for hybrid meetings, and generally depressing design.
Annie Dean, formerly Facebook’s first director of remote work and Atlassian’s VP of future of work and workplace, says workers — and businesses — deserve better.
“People and companies know that offices are changing and that offices need to start feeling maybe a little bit more like hotels, with great service, seamless technology, inspiring design, and workplaces that create a true sense of place,” Dean told Business Insider. “When offices are positioned and built to draw people in, then community develops. And that’s really important for business — among other things.”
Dean made a name for herself studying flexible work. Until recently, she oversaw Atlassian’s real estate and workplace experience teams, as well as a research lab investigating new ways of working.
Last week, however, Dean started a new, decidedly in-person role: chief strategy officer for the building operations and experience division at CBRE, the world’s biggest commercial real-estate services firm.
In this role, Dean will oversee a new project, called the CBRExIndustrious Building Experience Lab, which the company announced Tuesday.
Applying rigor to workplace design
The lab will partner with client companies to collect data about how workplaces are being used and then create research and products to advance “how workplaces operate for the people and teams that use them,” said Dean.
CBRE manages two billion square feet of office space, including 65 million square feet of offices that Brookfield Properties owns, and many of the Deutsche Bank offices around the world.
Forty million people come into an office every day run by CBRE, the real-estate services firm said.That means there’s a huge amount of potential data to collect through partnerships.
The goal is for successful companies to be able to take the same level of rigor that they use to run their businesses and apply that data-driven approach to how they run their workplaces, said Dean.
Creating connection
CBRE’s lab is launching at a time when more companies are requiring employees to return to the office, whether employees are on board — or not. In July, foot traffic data indicated more US employees were working from an office than at any point since the pandemic.
“How do you make that work? How do you make it effective? How do you make it so people don’t feel resentful of their employers?” Jamie Hodari, CEO of CBRE’s building operations and experience division and chief commercial officer, told Business Insider. “It’s very easy to position this as coercive and coming from employers, but we are also in a cultural moment, I think, where people are feeling disconnected.”
Employers are looking to ensure offices create opportunities for collaboration, said Hodari, who cofounded flexible coworking space Industrious, which was acquired by CBRE in January.
“There’s a mixture of things that make for an amazing team; that make for cohesive teams; that make for people who really feel fulfilled in their work. And some part of that mix is being in-person together,” he said.
The office of the future
Dean,who got her start as a real-estate lending attorney, said that her new job feels like a natural fit, even after her time researching distributed and flexible models of working.
“Real estate has been a really big part of my career and life,” said Dean, whose father was an architect. “I’m just really interested in what buildings mean for people.”
Hodari, who Dean reports to, says the plan is to identify a few partner companies and launch the lab’s first collaborations by the end of the year.
“We have an opportunity to build a world that’s better for people,” said Dean. “Flexible work is clearly part of that, and it’s also clearly now the norm. But the next challenge incumbent on us is to take these physical spaces and to make them live up to the promise of what an office can and should be.”
A law professor at the centre of a leaked email controversy says the University of Melbourne attempted to expel him over his political expression after it unearthed allegedly racist emails which included references to First Nations people.
Dr Eric Descheemaeker launched legal action against Australia’s top-ranked university over his proposed dismissal earlier this year, alleging he was suspended over his political opinion.
Those on typical £200,000 mortgages taken out between October 2020 and February 2023 may see costs jump by £3,996 a year this winter
More than 350,000 households who locked in to low-interest fixed-rate mortgages five years ago are expected to see their costs jump this winter as they reach the end of their deals.
Analysis by the bill management app Nous found almost half of mortgages taken out between October 2020 – as the housing market revived after an initial Covid shock – and February 2023 were five-year fixed-rate deals.
