# Tech lobbying under fire; podcast delays trial; Dolly Parton celebrated

> Australian datacentre firms face scrutiny over political donations and lobbying, a true crime podcast delays a paedophile's trial, and rural New South Wales celebrates Dolly Parton.
- Title: Tech lobbying under fire; podcast delays trial; Dolly Parton…
- Summary: Australian datacentre firms face scrutiny over political donations and lobbying, a true crime podcast delays a paedophile's trial, and rural New South Wales…
- Keywords: datacentres, political donations, lobbying, shadow of doubt, the australian, sex offence trial, dolly parton festival, narromine, australia, news, politics, Tech
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/12/morning-mail-monday-ntwnfb
- Published: 2026-10-11T19:52:07+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: datacentres, political donations, lobbying, shadow of doubt, the australian, sex offence trial, dolly parton festival, narromine, australia, news, politics
## Tech firms' political influence under scrutiny
Lobbying and political donations from companies behind rapid datacentre development in Australia are facing scrutiny amid concerns over tech firms' access to the nation's decision-makers.
## Podcast delayed paedophile's trial by ten months
The Australian's podcast Shadow of Doubt led to a delay of ten months for the sex offence trial of a sadistic paedophile already serving a forty-eight-year jail term for abusing his daughter.
## Victim says podcast harmed her mental health
The victim in the case covered by Shadow of Doubt said the podcast had been highly detrimental to her mental health.
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> news to me
## Zelenskyy signals support for energy ceasefire
Despite his surprise at Trump's announcement, Zelenskyy has signalled support for a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire.
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Experts say Trump's Russian diesel deal will have little impact on United States fuel prices.
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Riyadh's King Khalid international airport has been hit again after a Houthi missile attack killed twelve people, the Saudi-led coalition says.
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## India's Cockroach movement accuses Modi of war on citizens
The leaders of India's Cockroach movement accused Narendra Modi's government of declaring war with its own citizens as unrest rocked Delhi for a second day.

> war with its own citizens
## Polish man detained over assassination plot
The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has said that a man accused of plotting to assassinate him and his defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, has been detained.
## Pope Leo the Fourteenth to undergo lung surgery
Pope Leo the Fourteenth has said he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a nodular lesion on his lung recently discovered during medical checks.
## Australian hiker found dead in Andes mountains
The Australian hiker Jordan Yap, who was last seen near the beginning of a challenging trek through the remote Andes mountains, has been found dead, his family has said.
## Narromine celebrates Australia's largest Dolly Parton festival
In a sporting oval in rural Narromine, four hundred thirty kilometres north-west of Sydney, dozens of Dolly Partons saunter down the runway as a boisterous crowd cheers.
## Key takeaway

Tech companies' political donations and lobbying over datacentre development face scrutiny; a true crime podcast delayed a sex offence trial by ten months; and Narromine held Australia's largest Dolly Parton festival.