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October 20, 2026
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Cinema: NAZA

A must-see, award-winning documentary investigating AI warfare in Gaza. Fresh from winning the Special Jury Prize at the 2026 Venice International Film Festival, NAZA, the latest documentary from Academy Award-winning filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor (No Other Land), examines artificial intelligence and surveillance in Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

Other News

Reef-building corals face elevated risk of extinction

A new paper from Dr C. Isabel Núñez Lendo shows nearly half of reef-building corals face elevated relative risk of extinction.

Push for free conservation rezoning as report reveals Byron habitat protection gap

Byron Shire landholders could be offered a free pathway to stronger conservation zoning under a proposal coming before today’s Council meeting, following a report identifying significant gaps in protection for the Shire’s valuable habitat.

Restricted mobility

Our mobility choices are an expression of our freedom of movement. Yet, not everyone in our community is able...

Mullumbimby Road to be temporarily closed

Byron Shire Council says Mullumbimby Road will be closed to outbound traffic for three days, except for buses and emergency vehicles, for three days from 16 to 18 November.

BSC insolvency

After numerous warnings, some more than a decade ago, why haven’t our two longest standing public servants Ndiaye and...

Culvert remediation works

Byron Shire Council says repairs to the damaged culvert on Coolamon Scenic Drive, between Dudgeons Road and Synotts Lane, will commence tomorrow (20 October 2026). The remediation works will address damage that has restricted traffic to one lane through the affected section.

Stories about "Michael McDonald":

Lord Vetinari’s rule

I am told that to have David Lovejoy’s life missing from the Echo editorial would seem strange, despite his son Hans’s comprehensive review, so I am your huckleberry – obscure Doc Holliday reference.

Old Man Shouts At Cloud #5: One word leads on to another, and another…

While playing Word Chums with a friend the other day I accidentally invented a new word: ‘wordrobe’. This is how so many of the great discoveries come about.

Old man shouts at cloud #3

At a beachside town a couple of years ago I saw a young couple dressed as Goths. Not as cathedrals in that style of architecture, or as members of an axe-wielding Germanic tribe, or as characters in an Emily Bronte novel (though that’s fairly close), but as the black-clothed, black eyelinered Emo youth of the 1980s and ‘90s.

Editorial: The beef about meat

Firstly, let me declare an interest: I have been a vegetarian for 49 years, so tasty cow parts are not high on my agenda.

The ghost in the archives #2

In which a former Echo drudge dives into the crypt and comes up covered in dusty memories.

Book review – Scattered: The Inside Story of Ice in Australia

Australian journalist and author Malcolm Knox has written a comprehensive, entertaining and eye-opening account of the rise and rise of methamphetamine use in Australia

Book review – Sweet Tooth

Ian McEwan is perhaps best known from the film of his novel Atonement, in which Keira Knightley gave one of her more powerful performances. He seems to have a real flair for understanding his female characters and this is on show again in Sweet Tooth.

Book review – Danse Macabre

If you ever wonder why people read or write horror fiction, or want some signposts to the good stuff, then Stephen King’s 1981 book Danse Macabre is a good place to start.

A Game Of Thrones

The book that launched a thousand TV episodes – or so it seems – A Game Of Thrones is the starting point for Martin’s epic fantasy world which so far has filled five books, with two more on the bleak and snowy horizon.

Interview with Genevieve Clay-Smith, director of Boss Cat showing at the Byron Bay Film Festival

When Sonja (Olivia Hargroder) loses her mother without warning, the only steady presence left in her life is her grandmother, Doris. But Doris’s idea of stability means dismantling everything Sonja has built. For Sonja, who lives with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and has spent her life fighting to be underestimated by no one, Doris’ plan feels less like protection and more like erasure. Directed by Genevieve Clay-Smith, Boss Cat is a vibrant, big-hearted Australian dramedy about independence, family and self-determination, anchored by a fearless lead performance.

Something for everyone at the Picture House

From Australian superstar musos, to brand new documentaries, to comedians at the top of their game, there really is something for everyone at the Brunswick Picture House.

Thirty-six unmissable films

The 2026 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival features an unmissable line up 36 films, including five retrospectives which will screen from 28 October to 29 November at Palace Byron Bay and Ballina Cinemas.

A timeless story of self-discovery

A husband with a promotion, two adorable children and a lovely new house. Nora thought she had it all. But did she? What was the discontent that was whispering to her in the shadows?