Good morning. As Israel’s assault on Gaza continues, Australia’s potential supply of arms and ammunition to Israeli forces faces scrutiny in a landmark legal bid being taken by Palestinian human rights groups. The groups claim that Israel may be using Australian technology in serious human rights abuses.
We also exclusively reveal that thousands of MyGov accounts are being suspended each month over concern they have been breached by criminal “scam-in-a-box” kits. Meanwhile, the Department of Home Affairs has been paying a US company for access to a controversial tool tracking the movement of smartphones.
Additionally, we have the latest on a tragic crash that left five dead in a Daylesford pub garden. And we preview the Melbourne’s upcoming 33rd queer film festival, as it continues to push boundaries.
Australia
Revealed | Home Affairs has paid an American intelligence company to access Locate X, a controversial tool that can track the movement of smartphones – and has had access to the product since at least 2021.
Arms trade | Palestinian human rights groups have launched legal action to determine whether Australian-made weapons and ammunition are being sent to Israeli forces amid its attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Exclusive | Thousands of MyGov accounts are being suspended each month out of concern they have been breached via “scam-in-a-box” kits being sold by criminals on the dark web.
Rental market | The Greens say they would introduce an effective rent freeze across Brisbane by threatening landlords with massive land rates increases for any property investors who increase the rent.
Centrelink | Call centres will get an additional 3,000 staff as part of an immediate $228m funding boost to speed up claim payments after complaints of blown-out call wait times.
World
Israel-Hamas war | The US secretary of state says the Palestinian Authority should play a central role in what comes next in the Gaza Strip; relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are calling on Benjamin Netanyahu to make significant concessions to secure their freedom.
Russia-Ukraine war | Volodymyr Zelenskiy has denied a blunt assessment from his military’s commander-in-chief that the war with Russia has reached a stalemate and that a “beautiful breakthrough” is unlikely.
Donald Trump | Despite mounting legal peril, Trump has been buoyed in recent weeks by the well-worn legal playbook of attacking and distracting; with the US election just a year away, most Americans don’t want Biden or Trump.
Pedro Sánchez | Members of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ party have backed a plan to secure power in return for granting an amnesty for those involved in an illegal and unilateral bid for Catalan independence.
Grok | Elon Musk has unveiled an artificial intelligence chatbot with a “rebellious streak”, which he says is inspired by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Full Story
Speaker Johnson, Israel, government shutdown and Virginia
The new speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, faces the tough task of uniting a fractured Republican party and preventing a quick-approaching government shutdown. Jonathan Freedland and Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post discuss what we have learned about his approach to the job from his first week with the gavel.
In-depth
From Myanmar to Brisbane, author and journalist Conor Woodman has tracked the supply of methamphetamine to Australia – following the drug from origin to end users, while also examining addiction and use and the policing and treatment of that use. He talks with us about his book Meth Road, a life-and-death investigation following the world’s most destructive narcotic to Australia.
Not the news
The biggest and oldest queer film festival in Australia isn’t afraid to push modern boundaries – but there’s still much to learn from the movies of yesteryear. The theme of Melbourne’s 33rd queer film festival is “rewind to fast forward”, and opens in selected theatres on 9 November.
The world of sport
Cricket | India have thrashed South Africa by 243 runs in the Cricket World Cup; smog in Delhi disrupts Bangladesh and Sri Lanka training.
Football | Nottingham Forest have beaten Aston Villa 2-0 in the Premier League; Liverpool have been held to a 1-1 draw by Luton.
Tennis | Novak Djokovic has cruised to a record-extending seventh Paris Masters title.
Rugby union | Rassie Erasmus will return as South Africa head coach following their recent World Cup victory.
Media roundup
Billions of dollars in infrastructure projects around the country are on the chopping block and more face years-long delays in an attempt to drive down inflation as borrowers brace for the Reserve Bank to lift interest rates again, reports the Sydney Morning Herald; Anthony Albanese’s approval ratings have fallen sharply in the wake of the referendum defeat and the decline in living standards, polling for the Australian has shown; complaints of alleged misconduct within the horse racing, greyhound racing and harness racing industries are up by 31% this year compared with the previous five-year average as cost-of-living pressures bite, reports the Age.
What’s happening today
Diplomacy | The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, continues his state visit to China.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
