March 3: Albo & Trump & Iran; Canada's Carney flies in for middle-power meetings; massive AI-powered mortgage scam revealed

This week's episode begins with discussion of the some of the reasons Melbourne has so many magnificent bands with amazing brass sections - and some chit-chat about one of those bands, Jazzparty, who are in the process of delivering more quality Australian-made music on all your favourite listening platforms.

Trump bombs Iran, Albanese gets on board as Canada's PM Mark Carney flies in for some middle power broking

But we start in Melbourne’s CBD, where Iranians gathered on Bourke Street on Sunday in a spontaneous show of solidarity and slightly anxious-flavoured optimism at the end of the Ayatollah's rule in Iran as bombs continue dropping and missiles continue flying. After the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran that are illegal according to international law and the global "rules based order" as well as America's own Constitution requiring Congressional approval for wars, Australia’s government faces renewed scrutiny over its alliance with Washington — and a decades-long pattern of following U.S.-led wars without parliamentary debate.

As more and more scrutibny falls on Australia’s links to the American war machine via the Pine Gap satellite spy base and its role in the supply chain to build the stealth bombers and drones used in Israel's genocide of Gaza, Prime Minister Albanese also is receiving an official visit from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, on his tour through India, Australia and Japan to realign “middle powers” through new trade and defence partnerships. This week’s events show a shifting world order and Carney’s official visit to Canberra — his first in nearly 20 years for a Canadian leader — underscores a push for cooperation beyond the U.S. orbit.

Your free fun factoid of Australia-Canada relations: it was a Canadian named Charles Ross who died fighting the British redcoats at the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat in 1856 who designed the Southern Cross flag, the insignia included on the Australian flag as well as being tattooed on every bogan across Australia.

Massive AI scandal brewing: multimillion dollar mortgage fraud

Plus, a new front in Australia’s financial world: the Commonwealth Bank reports what could be one of the country’s largest-ever fraud cases — and the first major example of artificial intelligence used to commit large-scale banking crime. With fake mortgage documents built from stolen data, the case reveals both the promise and peril of AI-driven finance.

New Australian-made songs played on RTHK3

Mick Daley - Tangerine Believers

Jazzparty - Not Human

Birdsnake - Hydrostatic Pressure

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.