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Jarrod Watt

@jaywatt.bsky.social
1.3K followers 820 following 3.7K posts

Australian journo in Hong Kong; podcast editor/producer; Aus news correspondent RTHK3; journalism lecturer HKBU; ex SCMP, ABC, PBSFM, RRR; reformed music journo and bartender - jarrodwatt.com

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Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Aaron Busch @tripperhead.bsky.social · 17h
Hong Kong national security police have arrested Tang Ho-wing, the founder and operator of the digital news platform Boom News, on Wednesday morning.  He was detained on suspicion of publishing fake news to incite sedition. www.thestandard.com.hk/news/article...
thestandard.com.hk
Hong Kong national security police arrest founder of Boom News over alleged sedition
Hong Kong national security police arrested Tang Ho-wing, the founder and operator of the digital news platform Boom News, on Wednesday morning.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 19h
If only they'd used spellcheck... If only a human had checked it before publishing. If only they had a sub-editor
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 20h
What can we deduce when the #1 rage bait/pro-Beijing columnist in Hong Kong media starts quoting REM lyrics? Does he need some Country Feedback or does he need to know Everybody Hurts... or is he just Tired of Singing Trouble? What's the frequency, Alex?
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 22h
"Why is this happening over and over?" Indeed... why is Sam Altman not "helping police with enquiries" as we like to say. "OpenAI models are attacking websites and taking anything they can out of them because that is the business model of the company." prospect.org/2026/09/29/a...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 23h
Convicted felon announces ‘morally binding’ deal for self regulation of AI. Whose morals are they bound by? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump announces vague ‘morally binding’ AI deal among tech CEOs for ‘tremendous self-policing’
US president also issued executive order officially rebranding ‘artificial intelligence’ as ‘superintelligence’
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 23h
Harry Harrison with a #cartoon checkup for Hong Kong’s rapidly ageing population: we need more nurses, not arguments
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Melbourne: FIFO electricians are being flown in from mines in Qld and WA to meet the mad rush to build data centres before the protests get *really* organised Capetown: Civil rights groups in South Africa are protesting the expansion of data centers by American companies
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Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Aaron Busch @tripperhead.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Hong Kong police received 1,503 reports of unauthorised credit card purchases involving Apple’s new iPhone 18 totaling more than HK$30 million, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said. All affected transactions have been cancelled.
thestandard.com.hk
Police logs 1,503 iPhone 18 card fraud reports worth over $30m, all transactions canceled
Hong Kong police have received 1,503 reports of unauthorized credit card purchases involving Apple’s new iPhone 18, totaling more than HK$30 million, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Australia: Just wait - in the 2040s we're getting some serious submarine power, we'll be ready for the US war with our major trading partner China: Submarines? Wow. If only there was some way to defend against them... y'know like Ukraine against Russian tanks? www.scmp.com/news/china/s...
scmp.com
Chinese team sets world record with swarm of 116 underwater drones
Vehicles were deployed in sequence and carried out formation navigation with no human intervention during the test in a swimming pool.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seems simple: Hong Kong has a housing crisis. An office block stands vacant. Will the can-do Lion Rock Spirit prevail? "..some might view demolishing a 16-year-old grade A office building as a waste of resources that runs counter to sustainable development.." Cannot. www.scmp.com/business/chi...
scmp.com
Plan to turn Hong Kong office block into flats rejected despite high vacancies
The Town Planning Board’s decision has cast a potential shadow over future applications while sellers struggle to fill commercial buildings.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The many faces of Trump’s winning strategy with Iran: today’s #cartoon from @deadder.bsky.social eerily recreates the last 6 months of headlines
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Sensitive product categories such as semiconductors, batteries and electric vehicles are not covered in the $30bn tariff cut lists…” nor are soy beans - and how about those rare earth export controls? What a deal maker. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Foie gras, live dolphins and toasters: China and US cut reciprocal tariffs on $30bn each of goods
World’s biggest economies release lists of products in latest move away from trade war – but no strategic goods are included
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Probably don’t need a thousand words for this picture. It beggars belief this man can stand at the UN and rant about killing millions - and then refuse a ceasefire, linking further bombing with a mid term election… and the world’s media just moves on.
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Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Rest of World @restofworld.org · 26/09/2026
Meta is facing a growing threat from social media bans for under-16s. Its response? Paying influencers in countries like India and Indonesia to promote its teen safety tools restofworld.org/2026/meta-influence…
A person is speaking in a video on a smartphone screen. The display shows engagement icons such as likes, comments, and shares. The Instagram account handle "hitentejwani" is visible, along with the option to follow the account.A panel discussion titled "What does safety look like from a young person's perspective?" is taking place on a stage. The backdrop displays the Meta logo and "Screen Smart." Several individuals are seated on stage, with an audience watching from the foreground.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Climate crisis. Energy crisis. Two powerful old men in charge of huge economies meet and… “China has agreed to purchase at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in both 2027 and 2028…” Glad that’s sorted… now for El Niño, what could possibly go wrong? au.finance.yahoo.com/news/china-a...
au.finance.yahoo.com
China agrees to buy 10 million tons of US coal in 2027 and 2028
Investing.com -- China has agreed to purchase at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in both 2027 and 2028 as Washington and Beijing expand trade cooperation following their latest high-level ta...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
And then a nation’s leader stood up at the United Nations and spoke the truth: “We have built a world with flawless logistics for war, and broken logistics for food… Hit by the climate, we did not warm, and again hit by the wars, we did not start.” www.thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2026...
thenewdaily.com.au
A lone voice pleads for help addressing this global catastrophe
As the world wrings it's hands over AI, which it seems to be enabling, a lone voice called for help fighting a true global catastrophe.
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Reposted by Jarrod Watt
CAMERON WILSON @cameronwilson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
As OpenAI disclosed "dozens" more breaches, new evidence on Australia's incident reveals that the company's agents spent a week persistently trying to access new types and sources of Australian health data - with Clare Armstrong www.abc.net.au/news/...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"A series of Canadian lawsuits against OpenAI over its failure to alert authorities to threats made on its ChatGPT platform ahead of one of the worst mass shootings in Canada’s history has renewed scrutiny.." 8 people dead. “I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement,” Altman wrote.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Observing ancient AFL tradition: cut the sound on TV, put the stereo on for a) the jibber jabber between quarters b) when signal/interest begins to fail Digging new #ausmusic landed on vinyl in Hong Kong: Audrey Powne on trumpet, vocals - track 2 doing it audreypowne.bandcamp.com/track/stay-a...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
So parts of Bangkok are flooding. Comparing info sent firsthand from oldmate with that published so far. Says his pics show the water is four feet higher than it should be and risin’…
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
On brand for 2026… trying to stream the AFL grand final on 7+ to find it’s enshittified
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Cometh the hour… cometh the ‘optics’? Elderly leaders of two superpowers deeply entwined in multinational wars in Ukraine & Iran, facing existential climate threat & serious AI concerns raised at the UN as the Gaza genocide continues ‘pledging to talk some more’ www.scmp.com/news/china/d...
scmp.com
Xi-Trump atmospherics welcomed but mask structural rifts: analysts
That two economic and military giants are talking – and pledging to talk some more – suggests some period of relative stability with caveats.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
If data centres are the answer, what is the question? @fionakatauskas.bsky.social with today’s #cartoon
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Today’s #cartoon from Harry Harrison ignores AI doom and old men dining and opining to seek the simple joy of lighting lanterns for Mid Autumn Festival in Hong Kong…
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“…we have both the capability and responsibility to develop and manage AI for good and ensure the development of AI is always under human control…” Control like atomic weapons, control like social media or control like the spread of a dangerous virus? www.afr.com/world/north-...
afr.com
‘Always under human control’: Xi gives AI warning to Trump
Meeting his fierce rival for the second time this year, the Chinese president also said the US and China should have a “healthy competition”.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Things seem to have come to a head with this AI thing via the analogue legacy system of global partnership we haven’t heard much from… Nice the UN is invited Anyone else seen the Animatrix, Second Renaissance? Just checking for (remaining) future zeitgeist discussions apnews.com/article/ai-a...
apnews.com
Tech leaders to UN: For the sake of humanity, please control the AI technology we created
The heads of major artificial intelligence firms pleaded with the United Nations to set controls over the burgeoning technology they are designing in order to save the world — or at least its people.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Today’s AI #cartoon update thanks to David Pope - OpenAI hacks Medicare? Australia lets mining companies scrape what they want… maybe even blow up a sacred site. It’s all about economic growth… right? www.instagram.com/david.pope.c...
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Reposted by Jarrod Watt
CAMERON WILSON @cameronwilson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
re: OpenAI Medicare data hack, the intrusion wasn't sophisticated nor did it access particularly sensitive data as far we know. What is noteworthy is how OpenAI's models did it without being explicitly asked. The fear is what happens if this tech get more capable and accessible
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
If only we could get the two leaders of the superpowers who are fuelling the AI boom/bubble to meet in person and show real leadership to the world. The hour has cometh...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Two elderly men with nuclear arsenals that can destroy the planet meet as both oversee proxy wars with multinational forces, the worst El Nino in a century threatens, & AI runs loose... Xi said China and the United States “should be partners rather than rivals”. ok. www.scmp.com/news/china/a...
scmp.com
Warm welcome, trade truce extended: the takeaways as Xi arrives in US
Donald Trump greets Chinese leader on the tarmac in rare gesture ahead of their summit.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Not making news in Hong Kong: "The Pentagon is investigating how parts of the nation’s most advanced fighter jet ended up in Hong Kong..." apnews.com/article/f35-...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Grappling with AI and the 21st century version of the US-Soviet ‘missile gap’: @kaltoons.bsky.social with today’s #cartoon
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Open AI hacks Australia’s Medicare system… “the company took three months to notify of the breach, and when it did, it was in an email sent to the Services Australia public inbox.” Usually this is called a crime, police investigate, find the person(s) responsible www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...
abc.net.au
OpenAI agent hacked Medicare portal, PM says
Anthony Albanese says he has spoken to the Open AI chief executive to express his concern about the incident and the length of time it took the tech company to inform the government of the breach.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Dave Barry’s tribute to his wife, for what she’s experienced as a journalist over many years in sports… and how some cold corporate characters clinically and brutally end it, & her newspaper… is a love song, a blues and a lament for newspaper people davebarry.substack.com/p/michelle?r...
davebarry.substack.com
Michelle
A tribute.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Seconded: latter day politics were dodgy. He was a Bad Boy for Love He was a RocknRoll Outlaw He definitively was not a Nice Boy... and jeez he played some rocknroll, influencing so many tattooed whiteboys to form bands and follow the example... Cheers Angry www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFEx...
youtube.com
Rose Tattoo - Nice Boys - Live Boggo Road
YouTube video by Tania D
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Hong Kong not on the map for El Nino 2026-7... but does feature in a study of 2014-23. "Heat waves are increasingly frequent and linked to higher mortality risks in Hong Kong... estimates of total excess mortality associated with heat waves remain unavailable." phf2025.sph.hku.hk/assets/files...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
One story, two perspectives - Harry Harrison in Hong Kong, @fionakatauskas.bsky.social in Australia with today's #cartoon about why women aren't choosing to have children
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Fascinating story in China that didn't make the big news platforms, picked up by @manyapan.bsky.social at What's On Weibo. A basketball game between China & Japan, suddenly elevated to geopolitical/patriotic sensitivity for the date in history 95 years ago... www.whatsonweibo.com/keeping-scor...
whatsonweibo.com
Keeping Score of History: The Mukden Incident and China’s Basketball Defeat to Japan
China’s defeat against Japan at the Asian Games trended on the same day as the commemoration of the Mukden Incident—not as a separate event, but as a painful reminder of the humiliation of war.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
One fine day on Nathan Road in Hong Kong: a traditional exchange now with added stealth in today’s #cartoon from Harry Harrison
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Three years after the dismembered body of Abby Choi was found, her husband, father in law and brother in law to stand trial for murder in Hong Kong. www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
scmp.com
Murder trial of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi’s former relatives to begin
Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong, 31, his father Kwong Kau, 68, and elder brother Anthony Kwong, 35, face a joint count of murder.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Trump to Xi: "Have you seen my canopy, sir?" "A shipment of F-35 parts bound for the United States for repairs was rerouted... from Australia [to Hong Kong] The shipment included one of the jet’s canopies, which covers the cockpit & contains stealth technology." www.politico.com/news/2026/09...
politico.com
Hill investigates after F-35 parts diverted to Hong Kong
The incident raises the possibility that top secret weapons technology may have been exposed to a foreign adversary — including China.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Speaking truth to immense military/media power... “But I think only now, for those of us who live here, is the extent of the fascism becoming clear. Journalists, politicians and the media are forming some kind of incitement machine.” www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/...
aljazeera.com
NAZA: Why are old Gaza allegations causing new fury in Israel?
Israeli soldiers' Gaza testimony causes backlash across much of the country's political establishment.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
"In May 2025, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia signed a massive $142 billion defense sales agreement... touted as the "largest defense agreement in history"... How's that Return On Investment working out? The ever-expanding Trump omni-shermozzle just got bigger www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...
abc.net.au
Fire erupts near Riyadh airport as Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital
Yemen's Houthis say they have attacked "sensitive" sites in the Saudi capital Riyadh with missiles and drones, hours after flames and a large plume of smoke were seen near the city's main airport.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Oh look. Headlines about "warmest September day in years" and "a brief burst of summer" in Australia, almost as if nothing has happened in the northern hemisphere these past months. Brenda the Civil Disobedience Penguin has #cartoon info for those in the know. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Latest update on how we're going with that "integration of AI into defence capabilities and human decision making" thing. "Almost started a war." Good thing we're not thinking of rolling out AI autonomous weapons, right? www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-07/...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Please, please @justinwolfers.bsky.social can you ask the Americans if someone can get in touch with Jello Biafra… and see about doing a We Are the World-style update on a Dead Kennedies classic: “Holiday In Dystopia”. Do it to raise money for the Kennedy Centre. You know it makes sense.
Image of Jello Biafra and the text on the image includes Dead Kennedies and ‘Holiday’ from the song ‘Holiday in Cambodia’
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
And not for the first time do we ponder why a party of White Pride, White Prejudice and white supremacy keeps coming up with low quality white people. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
Alleged underworld supporters and unfounded health claims: One Nation rolls out more Victorian election candidates
Party has unveiled a steady stream of contenders for state election, including a former councillor who lost his licence for drink-driving
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
As Trump desperately grabs the news by the narrative with Greenland, a charmingly sub-divided #cartoon from @mackaycartoons.bsky.social on his record so far - and the really big EU news this week
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Any comment from the Murdochs and their ‘freedom of speech’ chorus line? “Press credentials aren’t a reward for loyalty to the government… The public deserves to hear about its government from independent voices, not just its leader’s loyalists and allies.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...
theguardian.com
‘It’s difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment’: criticism mounts over Trump’s media ban - live
Press freedom advocates, lawmakers and former president Barack Obama have all condemned Trump’s decision to kick CNN, Politico and MS Now out of White House
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Good lord... it's a miracle. The very reverend @rowecartoon.bsky.social has a vision of Xi, Musk, Altman, Amodei, Trump and Huang held in rapture in this evening's after supper #cartoon
Cartoon from Rowe in the style of the Last Supper by Da Vinci with a robot jAIsus in the middle of the table, with characters drawn as and labelled Xi, Musk, Altman left of him at the table, and characters marked Amodei, Trump, Huang to the right.
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