Good afternoon. An Adelaide family of four have spoken of a “nerve-racking” ordeal trying to escape Gaza. The family had been visiting relatives for the first time when the war erupted and were among 20 Australians who managed to escape via the Rafah crossing. The government says there are still 65 Australians stuck in Gaza.
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, said it was “critical” Israel heeds calls for restraint, and reiterated Australia’s call for “humanitarian pauses on hostilities”. “The people of Gaza cannot wait,” she said. Meanwhile the Greens leader, Adam Bandt, called on the Albanese government to halt military exports to Israel.
On the ground, 15 Israeli soldiers have been killed in intense fighting, and a UN commissioner visiting Gaza said the scale of the tragedy was “unprecedented”. The Palestinian death toll in Gaza is at 8,796, including 3,648 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Top news
Erin Patterson arrested over suspected mushroom poisoning deaths | The woman at the centre of the suspected mushroom poisoning that left three people dead and a fourth fighting for his life after a family lunch has been arrested by Victoria police. Patterson denies any wrongdoing. No charges have been laid.
John Howard not a fan of multiculturalism | The former PM told a right-wing conference in London he “always had trouble” with the concept of multiculturalism, arguing immigrants should be expected to “adopt the values and practices” of the country they move to.
‘Bazball’ dictionary inclusion ridiculed by Australian cricketers | Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne described the inclusion of Bazball in Collins dictionary as “garbage”. “Seriously I don’t know what that is, honestly,” he said. The term refers to the style of Test cricket implemented under England coach Brendon “Baz” McCullum.
Labor to grant judges immunity from civil lawsuits | The federal government is preparing to introduce reforms granting greater protections to inferior court judges after a landmark case in which a wrongfully imprisoned man successfully sued judge Salvatore Vasta.
Kmart fined $1.3m for breaching spam laws | Kmart paid the infringement notice over 212,471 marketing emails to customers who had previously unsubscribed between July 2022 and May 2023.
AustralianSuper rejects revised offer for Origin Energy | AustralianSuper – holder of about 13.7% of Origin Energy – has rejected a sweetened offer from two equity firms, Canada’s Brookfield and Saudi Arabia-backed EIG Partners, to buy one of Australia’s largest energy firms.
Ukraine reports most extensive Russian shelling of the year | Russia has shelled more than 100 settlements over the last 24 hours – more than in any single day so far this year – Ukraine has said as its commander-in-chief warns that the war with Russia is moving towards a new stage of static and attritional fighting, a phase that could allow Moscow to rebuild its military power.
Controversial Republican George Santos retains House seat | A vote to expel Santos from the US House of Representatives failed when fewer than two-thirds of the chamber supported the resolution, preserving Republicans’ narrow 221-212 majority. Santos is facing 23 federal charges.
China-US agree to rare nuclear talks | The nuclear arms control talks will reportedly take place next week, the first such talks since the Obama administration. It follows a visit to Washington by the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi.
In pictures
The 2023 BirdLife Australia photography awards
Mid-air fights, jabbering gang-gangs and villainous magpies are some of the 68 finalists from more than 6,000 entries in this year’s competition. The winner will be announced in November. Click here for the gallery.
What they said …
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“Multiculturalism is a concept that I’ve always had trouble with. I take the view that if people want to emigrate to a country, then they adopt the values and practices of that country.” – John Howard
In numbers
Emissions targets will be unachievable without policies to counter the country’s over-reliance on heavy and polluting trucks, the freight industry has warned.
Before bed read
Our best-value fruit and veg guide for November is in. Also in are mangoes!
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