Media

FBI veterans believe director may have flouted legal rules by prematurely divulging details of UFC attack plot inquiryKash Patel may have flouted legal constraints and the FBI’s disciplinary code in prematurely divulging arrests in an alleged plot to attack this month’s Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at the White House, bureau veterans have alleged. Continue reading...

• US CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper recently visited Israel and Lebanon, meeting with senior leaders and Lebanese Army Chief General Rodolph Haykal to discuss regional security and military cooperation. • Iranian media has reported that there are currently "no talks" occurring, despite updates regarding a potential meeting in Qatar involving Donald Trump. • In a separate diplomatic effort, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France and Oman will collaborate with international partners to demine the Strait of Hormuz.

• New Project Media (NPM) has launched new intelligence and data coverage focusing on renewable energy and data centers across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. • Founder and CEO Ken Meehan stated that this expansion transforms NPM into a global intelligence platform, building upon its existing presence in North America and Europe. • The move integrates APAC data with NPM's other offerings, including Distributed Generation, API integrations, and AI-powered intelligence via NPM Edge.

• Bollywood studio Yash Raj Films has invested in Rusk Media to expand its presence in vertical entertainment, focusing on microdramas and animation. • The partnership aims to capture Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences by creating original intellectual property tailored for short-form, vertical viewing habits. • CEO Akshaye Widhani emphasized that while platforms provide infrastructure, the investment is designed to secure cultural influence through content and IP.

Entertainment arm split from mobile and broadband in move that raises questions over future of Sky NewsBusiness live – latest updatesComcast is to spin off its media operation, which includes the Hollywood film studio, TV and theme park business NBCUniversal and Sky, into a separately publicly listed company.The move comes eight years after the US group, which said the separation will take a year to complete, acquired Sky’s European operations for £31bn. Continue reading...

• A royal commission has identified social media as the "most significant vector" for the spread of antisemitism. • In separate diplomatic developments, Australia and Vanuatu have officially signed a new security pact to strengthen regional ties. • The Reserve Bank of Australia's Deputy Governor stated that bond market support provided during the pandemic likely offered only a "marginal" benefit.

• NTU linguistics professor Luke Lu argues that Singapore should rethink its long-standing ban on dialects in public media. • The proposal suggests that localized forms of Hokkien and Teochew, which are unique products of regional multiculturalism, should no longer require special approval for broadcast. • This shift is not intended to introduce dialects into the formal education system or actively promote them, but rather to remove restrictive barriers.