NSW Police have assaulted dozens of peace protestors who gathered to protest the visit by Israeli president Isaac Herzog to Australia. Andrew Brown was there.

I was there. Not watching from a distance. Not reconstructing events from police statements. I was on the steps of Sydney Town Hall, with organisers and MPs, looking out over a vast peaceful crowd and then watching the state choose violence.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Sydney for a tightly secured visit. That context matters, because what unfolded was not crowd management. It was a demonstration of power. A message. A deliberate assertion of authority.

Western heads of state have been acting like “nannies” to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky during his talks with the US, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said.

In an interview with Georgia’s Rustavi 2 channel which aired on Sunday, Szijjarto said Ukraine’s European backers had rallied to prevent US President Donald Trump from pressuring Zelensky to agree to a peace deal with Russia.

Reporter Isobel Roe, who was at the Bondi Pavilion memorial this morning, says Israeli President Isaac Herzog laid a wreath to pay tribute to those killed during the December 14 terror attack.

He was joined by the Israeli first lady, NSW Premier Chris Minns and the Waverley Council mayor, Will Namesh.

The pavilion is metres from the scene of the attack.

Mr Herzog met some of the families of the victims.

ASIO has issued a rare public statement declaring it holds “grave concerns” about the accuracy of an ABC investigation into the Bondi massacre set to air on Four Corners on Monday night and warning of further action if false claims are broadcast.

The statement released on Sunday evening claims the ABC has relied in part on an “unreliable and disgruntled” source who had misidentified one of the alleged gunmen, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, and confused some of his actions before the attack with things done by someone else.

The ABC is standing by the story, which it said used extensive reporting and numerous sources to examine the Akrams’ actions leading up to the attack.

Award-winning Tasmanian cartoonist Jon Kudelka has died.

In a post on social media, his family said Kudelka, who drew cartoons for the Hobart Mercury, The Australian and The Saturday Paper, died in Hobart on Sunday, aged 53.

Kudelka was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, in early 2024.

"Jon was deeply loved and admired by many, including fellow Tasmanians, the legions of fans of his inimitable art, countless newspaper readers over 30 years, and even by the politicians he relentlessly skewered in his award-winning cartoons (many of whom have his work on their walls)," a post on the Kudelka Shop's website reads.

Max Blumenthal, the editor of The Grayzone, reports:

The global rise of authoritarianism is weakening climate governance just as warming accelerates and tipping points draw near. This failure now poses a direct threat to our future.

Authoritarianism is stalking nations and global institutions, often allied with climate scepticism and denial. This has weakened climate governance, most notably in the United States. In Russia and the Middle East oil and gas producers, climate denial-and-delay and authoritarianism co-mingle.  And climate barely rated a mention at Davos this year.

David Spratt

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged a “balanced” approach aimed at “cooling the arenas” and preventing an escalation six days before the October 7 massacre, according to a classified summary from an October 1, 2023, security meeting.

The document dated October 1 was presented by journalist Yaron Avraham on Channel 12’s main evening broadcast on Sunday. It was described as Netanyahu’s written summary of a consultation with Israel’s top security leadership.

Netanyahu did not include the full content of that meeting in his response to the State Comptroller’s Office, Channel 12 reported.

Will Lewis has stepped down as CEO and publisher of the Washington Post, days after a sweeping round of layoffs that affected virtually every desk. In recent years, the paper has reeled under a drastic fall in audience numbers and ad revenue.

In a message to staff shared by several outlets on Saturday, Lewis, who held the post since early 2024, said “difficult decisions” were made “to ensure the sustainable future of The Post,” adding that he believes the outlet will keep publishing “high-quality nonpartisan news” for years to come.

Unions representing employees welcomed Lewis’ departure, condemning his legacy as the “attempted destruction of a great American journalism institution” and urging owner Jeff Bezos to reverse course.

The German authorities have repeatedly tightened screws on AfD, which hits out at the EU’s migration policy and stands for a “good, partner-like dialogue” with Russia.

Two MPs are from the AfD (Alternative for Germany) faction, while the five other members support individual lawmakers. Salaries of all seven are being withheld, Bild reports.

The AfD members reportedly have to undergo an obligatory reliability check “to avert risks to the Bundestag’s security, functionality and operational capacity.”

AfD parliamentary manager Bernd Baumann has meanwhile signaled readiness to take legal action against Bundestag President Julia Kolckner, accusing her of “further discrimination against the AfD in parliamentary proceedings.”

Australia’s political and media response to Gaza, including the invitation to Israel’s president, reflects the influence of pro-Israel lobbying and the shrinking space for lawful criticism.

The powerful Zionist lobby has our political, media and academic class bluffed. Not surprisingly the lobby has seized the initiative following the tragic Bondi killings.

John Menadue

The lobby invited the Israeli President Herzog to visit Australia before it was considered by the Australian Government. Then, true to form, the Australian government followed and issued a formal invitation for the visit. The tail wagging the dog!

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has accused former British leader Boris Johnson of derailing a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine early on in the conflict.

The former British prime minister has long been regarded as one of the key figures behind the continuing hostilities and is believed to have torpedoed the first peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul in March 2022.

According to former Ukrainian head negotiator David Arakhamia and multiple corroborating media reports, Johnson told the Ukrainian leadership at the time to scrap negotiations with Russia and “just fight.” 

Russia has accused the former prime minister of derailing the peace process, though he has denied the allegations.

Australia's Liberal-National Coalition, the country's main opposition, reunited on Sunday, more than two weeks after the centre-right partners split in a row over hate speech laws. 

"The Coalition is back together and looking to the future, not to the past," Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley said, appearing alongside National Party leader David Littleproud in Canberra.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) attempted to shield former President Joe Biden by deleting an email referencing him from the Epstein files, former US Senate staffer and RT contributor Tara Reade has said.

Reade worked as a Senate aide for Biden in the early 1990s and has accused him of sexual assault. In 2023, she moved to Moscow, citing safety concerns, and was granted Russian citizenship two years later.

Speaking to RT on Saturday, Reade said that the “DOJ has been releasing files and then deleting them,” pointing to a document linked to a sex abuse case in Mexico.