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Tyson Pedro punches Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua during the UFC Fight Night event in Adelaide in 2018.

(Photo: Jeff Bottari / Getty Images)

The UFC has become a dominant force in the professional fighting scene.

(Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images)

Training and travelling for the UFC became a huge financial burden for Tyson Pedro, who has walked away from the organisation to pursue a career in boxing.

(Photo: ABC TV - Four Corners)

Bec Rawlings was a trailblazing figure for Australian female mixed martial arts fighters.

(Photo: ABC TV - Four Corners)

Bec Rawlings says she took every fight given to her because she needed the money.

(Photo: Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC / Getty Images)

A UFC bout in Las Vegas in 2024.

(Photo: Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC / Getty Images)

UFC boss Dana White (centre, red tie) attended the inauguration of Donald Trump in Washington DC.

(Photo: Getty Images - Pool)

Nate Quarry was one of several plaintiffs in a lawsuit which alleged that the UFC engaged in unlawful anti-competitive conduct.

(Photo: ABC TV - Four Corners)

The lawsuit uncovered documents from the UFC that exposed just how profitable a business it is — and how little it was paying fighters.

"It showed that fighters made, on average every year, below 20 per cent of the total revenue," combat sports analyst John Nash says.

"The UFC's success, their valuation, their stock price — all that is dependent on making sure the fighters do not get a bigger share of the pie."

The UFC is a multi-billion-dollar sporting juggernaut.

(Photo: Darrian Traynor / Getty Images)

Australian Jack Della Maddalena is a UFC welterweight champion.

(Photo: ABC TV - Four Corners)

Athletes expose the reality of fighting for survival in the UFC

Tyson Pedro is one of a small but growing chorus of former fighters speaking up about their experience inside the ruthless UFC money-making machine. The men and women who put their bodies on the line, but say they weren't treated fairly by the business that has been valued at $US12 billion ($18.5 billion).

The UFC has become a towering force in sports, wielding vast influence across business, politics and culture.

But for its fighters a crucial question is emerging: who profits from the blows they must take?

By Mahmood Fazal, Lesley Robinson, and Anushri Sood

ABC TV - Four Corners program

ABC News Australia - 8 June 2025

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Watch related YouTube video >> ABC TV - Four Corners documentary: Heavy Hitters - The dark side of the UFC [9 June 2025 / 45mins.+41secs.]:

Some of the biggest names in Australian mixed martial arts say they were pushed to their physical and financial limits while the UFC made over a billion dollars in revenue.

In this week’s Four Corners, reporter Mahmood Fazal speaks to former fighters who describe a culture of exploitation, secrecy, and lasting damage.

Professional fighters share what it’s like to be locked into restrictive contracts, take punishing fights, and end up broke or broken after years in the cage.

The UFC has grown into a $12.1 billion business, a dominant force in global sport, and even in American politics. It’s received public money and public support here in Australia.

But evidence suggests the company has kept wages low, limited competition, and left fighters with few options.

Fighters are challenging the UFC in US courts, with one class action recently settled for $375 million.

As Australia embraces the UFC, Heavy Hitters reveals the cost for the fighters who risk so much for the spectacle.

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The only full concert John Lennon played after the break-up of The Beatles is a key part of this new documentary film about his life with Yoko Ono in the early 1970s.

(Photo supplied: Sydney Film Festival)

One to One: John & Yoko is an intimate insight into what drove the couple in their early New York years.

(Photo supplied: Sydney Film Festival)

Screen image from One To One: John & Yoko documentary film.

(Mercury Studios Media / Yoko Ono Lennon)

Screen image from One To One: John & Yoko documentary film.

(Mercury Studios Media / Yoko Ono Lennon)

Screen image from One To One: John & Yoko documentary film.

(Mercury Studios Media / Yoko Ono Lennon)

Screen image from One To One: John & Yoko documentary film.

(Mercury Studios Media / Yoko Ono Lennon)

John Lennon playing with son, Sean: screen image from One To One: John & Yoko documentary film.

(Mercury Studios Media / Yoko Ono Lennon)

Screen image from One To One: John & Yoko documentary film.

(Mercury Studios Media / Yoko Ono Lennon)

Title screen image from One To One: John & Yoko documentary film.

(Mercury Studios Media / Yoko Ono Lennon)

John & Yoko doco covers activism, music and life in 1970s New York

One To One: John and Yoko is a fascinating, fast-paced collage of old footage and taped phone conversations that take us inside the couples' movements at this time.

There are a few recurring narratives throughout that keep us engrossed. One of them involves capturing thousands of live flies for a Yoko Ono art exhibit, another sees them convince infamous Bob Dylan stalker A. J. Weberman to back off his target, while there are chilling moments where Lennon — who was shot dead in 1980 — ruminates about becoming a target when appearing at key demonstrations.

Another through line revolves around the only full-length concert John Lennon gave after The Beatles's split and before his death.

One To One: John & Yoko is a truly intimate capture of what drove this couple and how their very presence at this key moment had an impact on the countercultural movement of the time.

One To One: John & Yoko screens at the Sydney Film Festival this weekend.

By Dan Condon

ABC Radio • Double J

ABC News Australia - 3 June 2025

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YouTube video >> One To One: John & Yoko - Official Trailer | Exclusively in IMAX April 11 | John Lennon, Yoko Ono [13 March 2025 / 1min.+58secs.]:

An expansive and revelatory inside look at John Lennon and Yoko Ono's life in Greenwich Village in the early 1970s, ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO delivers an immersive cinematic experience that brings to life electrifying, never-before-seen material and newly restored footage of John and Yoko's only full-length concert. Featuring mind-blowing music newly remixed and produced by Sean Ono Lennon, the film is a seismic revelation that will challenge pre-existing notions of the iconic couple.

On August 30, 1972, in New York City, John Lennon played his only full-length show after leaving The Beatles, the One to One benefit concert at Madison Square Garden, a rollicking, dazzling performance from him and Yoko Ono. Oscar®-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald's riveting documentary takes that legendary musical event and uses it as the starting point to explore eighteen defining months in the lives of John and Yoko. By 1971 the couple was newly arrived in the United States- living in a tiny apartment in Greenwich Village and watching a huge amount of American television. The film uses a riotous mélange of American TV to conjure the era through what the two would have been seeing on the screen: the Vietnam War, The Price is Right, Nixon, Coca-Cola ads, Cronkite, The Waltons. As they experience a year of love and transformation in the US, John and Yoko begin to change their approach to protest - ultimately leading to the One to One concert, which was inspired by a Geraldo Rivera exposé they watched on TV. Filmed in a meticulously faithful reproduction of the NYC apartment the duo shared, ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO offers a bold new take on a seminal time in the lives of two of history's most influential artists.

Featuring archival footage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Directed by Kevin MacDonald.

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YouTube video >> Well Well Well - John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band with Elephant's Memory - from Power To The People 4K [10 April 2025 / 5mins.+23secs.]:

The first track to be released from the evening show of POWER TO THE PEOPLE - the newly re-edited and remixed versions of John & Yoko's One To One Concerts from 30 August 1972, produced by Sean Ono Lennon and mixed by Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon, with re-edited concert films directed by Simon Hilton and edited by Ben Wainwright-Pearce.

Available exclusively on vinyl as a 4-Track EP for Record Store Day 2025, with Instant Karma! (We All Shine On), Cold Turkey and Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For A Hand In The Snow).

The audio of the concerts will be released later in 2025 as POWER TO THE PEOPLE - in a Box Set, as well as CDs, LPs and on streaming. The films of the concerts are being completely re-edited from scratch, and will follow.

Meanwhile Kevin Macdonald's companion documentary of the era, ONE TO ONE, featuring excerpts of some of the songs from the concert, is in cinemas now:

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Palestinians have taken to the streets to protest against Hamas.

(Photo: ABC News)

Amal Ashraf Al Shafa'a has photos of her three dead sons on the wall of her home.

(Photo: ABC News)

Amal Ashraf Al Shafa'a joined the public protests against Hamas.

(Photo: ABC News)

Protests broke out in the days after Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza.

(Photo: ABC News)

A protester carries a sign that reads "Hamas does not represent us".

(Photo: ABC News)

Dr Hasan Ayoub is not convinced the protests would have angered Hamas.

(Photo: ABC News)

A man holds a sign that reads "Enough killing children" at a protest against Hamas.

(Photo: ABC News)

Hamada Alza'anoun says Hamas "serves only the interests of their loyalists".

(Photo: ABC News)

Palestinian National Initiative leader Mustafa Barghouti says his own party needs significant reform.

(ABC News: Hamish Harty)

Mahmoud Abbas has been president of the Palestinian Authority for 20 years.

(Photo: Mohammed Torokman / Reuters)

Hamas accused of brutal crackdown on protesters in Gaza

Large crowds of Palestinian civilians took to the streets to rail against Hamas in the days after Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza, last March.

The demonstrations have been described as the largest anti-Hamas rallies since the war in Gaza began, following Hamas' deadly attacks on October 7, 2023.

Palestinians expressed their anguish over the immeasurable devastation wrought by Israeli forces during the war, but laid blame at the feet of Hamas for allowing it to continue.

Executions and reprisals: Hamas taking action as protests occur in Gaza

Since the protests broke out there have been reports of deadly reprisals against those who took to the streets.

Amnesty International said it had documented "a disturbing pattern of threats, intimidation and harassment, including interrogations and beatings by Hamas-run security forces against individuals exercising their right to peaceful protest".

By Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran and ABC staff in Gaza

ABC TV - 7.30 program

ABC News Australia - 2 June 2025

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COMMUNITY WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: The following ABC News article, '’Who did mummy talk to today?' The controlling behaviour at DV's core’ contains graphic pictures and descriptions of toxic social relationships, including coercive behaviour, domestic violence and sexual abuse that some viewers may find distressing.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

http://ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

Taking back control.

(Illustration: Sharon Gordon / ABC News)

Students at Whites Hill State College wear pink in honour of their former school captain Hannah Clarke.

(Photo: Josh Baker / ABC News)

Hannah Clarke and her three children all perished in the fire.

(Photos supplied: ABC News)

Hannah Clarke's parents, Sue and Lloyd Clarke, have been fierce advocates for criminalising coercive control and hope the program will help break the cycle of abuse for future generations.

(Photo: Mark Leonardi / ABC News)

HALT program facilitator Dave Kramer speaking to children at Hannah Clark's former school. Mr. Kramer says social media and pornography influence young people in who they become.

(Photo: Mark Leonardi / ABC News)

The HALT program is designed to challenge attitudes and stereotypes in young males.

Mr Kramer says young boys face significant barriers to knowing how to contribute to safe relationships.

"The way it works for us in the HALT program is to have those conversations earlier, to make sure young people have the skills they need to have safe conversations and relationships.

(Photo: Mark Leonardi / ABC News)

Laura says she was psychologically, physically and financially abused by her ex-husband for years. Laura says her daughter's strength helped her leave her partner's abusive behaviour.

Laura has welcomed coercive control as a standalone offence, but acknowledges gathering evidence will be hard.

(Photo: Mark Leonardi / ABC News)

Laura’s experience is typical of coercive control behaviour — an ongoing pattern of abuse that can be physical as well as emotional or financial.

The intention is to hurt, humiliate, isolate, frighten or threaten another person in order to control or dominate them.

(Illustration: Sharon Gordon / ABC News)

In NSW, a driving factor in introducing the laws was strong links to intimate partner homicide.

The state’s Domestic Violence Death Review Team found in 97 per cent of intimate partner domestic violence homicides cases, the victim had experienced coercive and controlling behaviours before being killed.

(Illustration: Sharon Gordon / ABC News)

Will tougher penalties make a difference in the fight against domestic violence?

While education is key, criminalising coercive control can have extended positive effects, including a more holistic approach to rehabilitation of perpetrators and coordinated service system response to victim-survivors.

(Illustration: Sharon Gordon / ABC News)

The controlling behaviour at DV’s core

It often begins with controlling behaviour creating fear, intimidation and isolation.

Australia’s domestic violence scourge has already claimed the lives of 18 women and several children this year.

At its core is coercive control which, according to one NSW review, played a role in almost 100 per cent of intimate partner murders over 10 years.

It’s now a standalone criminal offence in two Australian states, after coming into effect in Queensland today.

But will it be enough to end the violence when the next generation is being barraged with toxic online influences?

By Rachel Stewart

ABC News Australia - 26 May 2025

Watch related ABC video - Coercive Control Laws: Coercive control is now a criminal offence in Queensland [25 May 2025 / 3mins.+16secs.]:

Coercive control is a form of domestic violence that includes controlling and manipulative behaviour.

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'Everyone from my generation has an experience of being on chatrooms and getting solicited by someone much, much older, said Izzy Bouric, 24.

(Photo: Magali Delporte / The Guardian)

Izzy Bouric 24, with her flip phone that has allowed her to reclaim time and mental space.

(Photo: Magali Delporte / The Guardian)

'I found myself in moments of despair,' says Tobias, 20, from Austria.

‘My parents didn’t have a clue’: why many digital natives would not give their kids smartphones

Online bullying, violence and paedophilia have made young people sceptical of unfettered access to technology.

Sophie is one of many so-called digital natives who are growing sceptical of the largely unfettered access to technology that they grew up with. A poll this week suggested that almost half of young people would rather live in a world where the internet does not exist, and a similar number would support a digital curfew, while more than three-quarters felt worse about themselves after using social media.

By Rachel Hall

The Guardian- 25 May 2025

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Masculinity influencers like Andrew Tate showed Nick it was okay to have muscles, a sports car, more than one girlfriend. And you weren’t ‘toxic’.

(Illustration: Pete Reynolds / The Guardian)

Nick wanted to drop bodyfat and build his own micro-harem of women: how my friend fell for the red-pill hucksters of the manosphere

His is a cautionary tale of what happens when someone who feels inadequate listens to the new generation of masculinity salesmen.

The manosphere has long divided the world into rigid and distinct hierarchies. Women are rated on a scale from one to 10. Men apply a similar taxonomy of social rank to themselves and each other. There are alphas and betas; red-pilled and blue-pilled; high-status and low-status. With the advent of social media, the process of stratification intensified.

Dating is increasingly depicted as a winner-takes-all world in which a small percentage of men at the very top take the spoils. The rest are surplus men, condemned to a life of onanistic obstinacy.

By James Bloodworth

The Guardian - 25 May 2025

• This Guardian article is an edited extract from Lost Boys: A Personal Journey Through the Manosphere, by James Bloodworth [Pub. Atlantic Books]:

Combining compulsive memoir with powerful reporting, Lost Boys is an insightful guide to the contradictions in contemporary masculinity.

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COMMUNITY WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: The following Guardian news article, ‘There were no warning signs’: what happens when your partner falls into the ‘manosphere’? contains graphic descriptions of toxic social relationships, including sexual abuse that some viewers may find distressing.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

http://ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

Andrew Tate, who was awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, at a tribunal in Bucharest, Romania in March.

(Photo: Andreea Alexandru / AP)

Charities have observed a crossover between men involved in the manosphere and the far right.

(Photo: Edefoto / Getty Images)

Jordan Peterson addresses the Demographic Summit at the Fine Arts Museum in Budapest in 2023.

(Photo: Attila Kisbenedek / AFP / Getty Images)

‘There were no warning signs’: what happens when your partner falls into the ‘manosphere’?

More and more men are being sucked into parts of the internet that circulate misogynist content, leaving their families to deal with the wreckage.

By Maya Oppenheim

The Guardian - 20 April 2025

This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025. The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media.

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COMMUNITY WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: The following ABC News article, ‘Palestinian men detained during Gaza war say Israeli forces tortured them’ contains graphic pictures and descriptions of war that some viewers may find distressing.

Two Palestinian men have alleged that they were tortured while detained by IDF forces.

(Photo: ABC News)

Ibrahim Mohamad Khalil Al-Shaweesh says he was detained and tortured at the Naqab prison in Israel.

(Photo: ABC News)

Mr Al-Shaweesh says he spent 45 days in detention at two different locations at Sde Temain prison.

(Photo: ABC News)

Sde Teiman military base has been turned into a detention base and has been used to house many detainees since October 7.

(Photo: Haidarr Jones / ABC News)

Mohamad Nawaf Ahmad Abu Taweeleh alleges he was given chemical burns during his time in Israeli detention.

(Photo: ABC News)

Mohamad Nawaf Ahmad Abu Taweeleh says he was arrested in Gaza City in March 2024.

(Photo: ABC News)

Mohammed is now back with his son, who was two months old when he was arrested.

(Photo: ABC News)

Mohamad Nawaf Ahmad Abu Taweeleh is now back in Gaza with his family.

(Photo: ABC News)

Palestinian men detained during Gaza war say Israeli forces tortured them

Two Palestinian men have made shocking allegations of abuse and torture at the hands of Israeli authorities after being detained for months during the war in Gaza.

Both men say they were starved and beaten by Israeli soldiers, and were held in the infamous Sde Temain defence facility.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was not aware of the men's claims, and insisted all prisoners and detainees had access to food and showers.

By Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran, Orly Halpern, Cherine Yazbeck and ABC staff in Gaza

ABC News (Australia) - 25 May 2025

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A small number of bakeries are reopening after aid arrived in Gaza.

(Photo: Hatem Khaled / Reuters)

"You need hundreds of trucks per day, 300, 400 per day — they're going to suffer predation but you need to keep going." David Satterfield said.

Long queues could be seen after the reopening of a bakery in the central Gaza town of Deir Al-Balah.

(Photo: Ramadan Abed / Reuters)

YouTube video >> ABC News (Australia) - ‘Hundreds of trucks a day' needed to prevent famine in Gaza • ABC TV - The World news program [22 May 2025 / 10mins.+10secs.]:

The IDF has fired shots towards diplomats on the West Bank, drawing swift international condemnation. The delegates were on an official mission to see the humanitarian situation around the Jenin refugee camp - which is the site of a major ongoing military operation that has impacted thousands of families.

Meanwhile, aid agencies say they are still facing hurdles getting food into Gaza, despite the temporary lifting of the humanitarian blockade. Former United States envoy for Gaza aid David Satterfield joined The World to discuss the situation from Houston.

Former Gaza envoy says more aid needs to reach Palestinians to avert famine

Former United States envoy for Gaza aid David Satterfield says a one-off trickle of aid into Gaza will not fix the crippling supply shortage in the Palestinian territory.

Israel has allowed limited aid into the enclave after an 11-week blockade.

Mr Satterfield says upwards of 300 trucks per day need to enter Gaza to address the humanitarian need.

By ABC News staff in Gaza

ABC News (Australia) - 22 May 2025

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Gaza’s ​suffering​ continues under military blockade ​and the Israeli government​’s new plans to control distribution of essential supplies.

(Photo: Anadolu / Getty Images)

Palestinians carrying out a search and rescue operation after Israeli attacks in Beit Lahia, Gaza, last week.

(Photo: Anadolu / Getty Images)

The world is at a ‘moral crossroads’ over Gaza

Is Israel using starvation as a weapon of war?

For today’s newsletter, we talked with Paola Gaeta, director of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, about whether we are seeing war crimes being committed with impunity in Gaza, and the possible consequences of Israel’s new strategy.

Human rights groups say there can now be no doubt that Israel intends to control humanitarian aid as part of its intended conquest of the Gaza Strip.

Last week, more than 20 UN experts said that the desperate situation facing over 2 million people trapped in Gaza placed the world at a moral crossroads, facing a choice between acting to halt the violence or witnessing the annihilation of the Palestinian population in the territory. We are all collectively, they said, descending into a “moral abyss”.

By Annie Kelly

The Guardian - 12 May 2025

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COMMUNITY WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: The following Guardian news article, ‘A picture that shocked the world: the story behind baby Siwar Ashour’ contains graphic pictures and descriptions of war that some viewers may find distressing.

Siwar has struggled to breastfeed and is unable to tolerate many different kinds of formula.

(Photo: Doaa Albaz / Anadolu / Getty Images)

“I was exhausted all the time. There was no privacy, and I couldn’t get any rest,” said Najwa Aram, Siwar’s 23-year-old mother. “There was no food or proper nutrition, and when I gave birth to her, she was not like other babies.”

(Photo: Doaa Albaz / Anadolu / Getty Images)

The family has no source of income so relies on charity kitchens for food and some humanitarian aid, but that too is in desperately short supply as Israel’s total blockade of Gaza approaches the 70-day mark. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN relief agency, Unrwa, said this week: “the manmade and politically motivated starvation in Gaza is an expression of absolute cruelty”.

A picture that shocked the world: the story behind baby Siwar Ashour

Six-month-old Palestinian girl’s painfully emaciated body symbolised starvation in Gaza

Siwar Ashour was born into war and hunger and has known nothing else. She is now in real danger of dying without ever having known a moment of peace or contentment.

The six-month-old Palestinian girl, whose painfully emaciated body symbolised the deliberate starvation of Gaza when she appeared on the BBC this week, was only 2.5kg when she was born on 20 November last year.

By Malak A Tantesh in Gaza and Julian Borger

The Guardian - 12 May 2025

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COMMUNITY WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: The following BBC News article, ‘'No food when I gave birth': Malnutrition rises in Gaza as Israeli blockade enters third month’ contains graphic pictures and descriptions of war that some viewers may find distressing.

Siwar's mother, Najwa, is struggling to find the right kind of formula milk her baby needs to survive.

(Photo: BBC News)

A local BBC colleague filmed unmistakable signs of advanced malnutrition on baby Siwar's body.

(Photo: BBC News)

The UN has identified 10,000 cases of acute malnutrition among children in Gaza since January.

(Photo: BBC News)

Families in Gaza rely on charity kitchens for food but many are shutting down due to food shortages.

(Photo: BBC News)

'No food when I gave birth': Malnutrition rises in Gaza as Israeli blockade enters third month

Sometimes in war it is the smallest sound that can make the loudest statement.

In Gaza's Nasser hospital, a five-month-old girl struggles to cry.

Siwar Ashour is hoarse. Her voice has been robbed of the energy to fully communicate her distress. She cannot absorb regular formula milk and doctors say the Israeli blockade now in its third month means supplies of the food she needs are scarce.

By Fergal Keane

BBC News, Jerusalem - 7 May 2025

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Büsra Kayikçi - Piano Day

ARTE Concert 2025

• 00.00 - 6.49: The Middle of Nowhere

• 6:50 - 11.21: Kuledibi

• 11.22 - 17.20: Deep Seated Arrogance

• 17.21 - 24.09: Fernweh

• 24.10 - 30.04: Madde 42

• 30.05 - 34.49: Doğum

• 34.50 - 40.15: Tribute to Egyptian Song

• 40.16 - 44.53: Night Walk

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My Philosophy:

Daily life and every small thing is

the gate to the universe : )

by Koji Araki

YouTube video >> Koji Araki Art Works - SevenMetalSounds B&W [7 October 2013 / 7mins.+22secs.]:

This is the seven metal singing bowl sound. 56cm, 27cm and mini set are 5cm, 7cm, 8cm, 9cm, 10cm, 12m, 14.5cm, 17cm, 20cm:) and Universal Singing Bowl at 20cm.

Recording was normal live sound. I used EDIROL R-09 portable PCM recorder. Recording conditions were not good but I hope you enjoy. Thanks for listening. :)

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YouTube video >> Koji Araki Art Works - 2011 Road to Lumbini [7 August 2023 / 1hr.+5secs.]:

A slideshow of photos from my visit to Lumbini in 2011. The audio was recorded when the city of Kathmandu greeted the morning. All photos were taken by Koji Araki.

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COMMUNITY WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: The following ABC News article, ‘Roblox is played by 90 million users daily but in the dark corners of chat rooms, danger lurks for young players’ contains graphic descriptions of internet sexual exploitation and online predatory behaviour towards children that some viewers may find distressing.

YouTube video >> ABC TV - 7.30 program >> Dark Side of Gaming : Mum's warning after her nine-year-old was targeted by a predator on Roblox [2 December 2024 / 8mins+46secs.]:

Dangers still lurk for young social media users in chatrooms like Roblox

(Photo: Mike Lorigan / ABC News)

"There was one character on there [Roblox] that looked really trendy, really cool," the mother said, "which then asked her to download an app called Discord, and that's where he sent videos, photos and said really disgusting things."

Messages received by the nine-year-old.

(Photo supplied - ABC News)

The messages received by the nine-year-old quickly turned inappropriate.

(Photo supplied - ABC News)

"There were things said in there that she didn't understand, and he told her to Google it, things that she shouldn't know at nine years old," the mother said.

A screenshot from the Roblox website's "safety and civility" page. (corp.roblox.com)

Roblox website: http://corp.roblox.com

There are fears about the safety of chat rooms within Roblox.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Kirra Pendergast is an online safety educator.

(Photo: Richard Mockler / ABC News)

Kirra Pendergast with the principal of Scone Grammar School, Joseph Lynch.

(Photo: Richard Mockler / ABC News)

Roblox is played by 90 million users daily but in the dark corners of chat rooms, danger lurks for young players

A British mother says her nine-year-old daughter was befriended by a predator on Roblox before being bombarded with sexually graphic videos, photos and messages.

The youngest players on Roblox are believed to be around seven years old.

Online safety educator Kirra Pendergast has called for Roblox to be labelled social media in Australia and subject to newly passed legislation.

By Alysia Thomas-Sam and Mike Lorigan

ABC TV • 7.30 program - 2 December 2024

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Some experts have called for the federal government to establish a national gambling regulator years after it was first recommended by a parliamentary inquiry.

(Photo: Jasmine Hines / ABC News)

We lose billions each year to online gambling, but a new bill might help

Billions are lost by people betting online, mostly by those who can't afford it. A bill that would force online betting outfits to display to each client what they re losing, and what they’ve lost, each time they log on is hoped to change that.

(Photo: Jasmine Hines / ABC News)

"People signing up to the NSER are taking positive steps to remove online gambling from their lives. Their decision must not be compromised by companies like PointsBet," Ms O'Loughlin said.

Charles Livingstone says the federal government needs to establish a national gambling regulator.

(Photo supplied: Monash University)

Calls for a national gambling regulator

"Spamming those people is like giving an alcoholic a bottle of whiskey," Dr Livingstone said.

Gambling reform advocate Tim Costello says Australia's national blind spot is gambling.

(Photo: Scott Jewell / ABC News)

"We have the greatest gambling losses per head in the world and the greatest gambling harm of anywhere in the world. If America's blind spot is guns, ours is gambling," Tim Costello said.

PointsBet fined $500,000 after spamming customers with gambling ads

Online gambling provider PointsBet Australia has been fined $500,800 for breaching spam and gambling self-exclusion laws.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority found the company sent 508 marketing messages in a two-month period to people who had chosen to exclude themselves from online wagering.

Experts have called on the federal government to act on the 31 recommendations from the parliamentary inquiry into online gambling, specifically setting up a gambling regulator.

By Ahmed Yussuf

ABC News - 16 May 2025

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