Good afternoon. It’s looking more likely that the Reserve Bank will resume hiking interest rates after the International Monetary Fund today called for more rate rises in Australia to combat “sticky” inflation.
The IMF found the Australian economy to be “resilient” but noted inflation would not return to the RBA’s preferred 2-3% band until early 2026 on current settings. Adding to the rate pressure are rising housing prices across the country.
Top news
Anti-war protesters occupy defence minister’s electoral office | A group of anti-Zionist Jewish activists have led a protest inside the Geelong office of the defence minister, Richard Marles, protesting against the government’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. Earlier today, Anthony Albanese held his first phone call with his Israeli counterpart since the war started, with Albanese reiterating the government’s position that “Israel has a right to defend itself, but how it defends itself matters”.
Diplomatic pressure mounts over Israel-Hamas war | A top UN official has resigned citing a “genocide” of Palestinian civilians and accusing the US, UK and much of Europe as “wholly complicit in the horrific assault”. Bolivia became the first country to sever ties with Israel over the Gaza assault, and Colombia and Chile have recalled their envoys from Israel. Inside Israel, support for the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is plummeting, while a Palestinian telecoms company says communications and internet services in Gaza have again been cut off.
Catholic church loses landmark case | The high court handed down a significant blow to the church’s controversial use of the deaths of paedophile priests to thwart survivors’ attempts at justice. A Guardian Australia investigation found the church routinely uses deaths of paedophile priests to avoid paying or to reduce the amount of settlements.
Convicted terrorist has Australian citizenship restored | The high court has ruled that the government cannot strip Australians of their citizenship even after a conviction on terrorism offences, after a successful appeal by the convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika. Just before his sentence was due to expire in 2020, the then home affairs minister Peter Dutton cancelled his citizenship using recently introduced powers.
Man charged with murder of Bendigo woman Analyn Osias | The 44-year-old man, who Victoria police say was known to the mother, will face court tomorrow. Osias was found dying at her home where her two primary school-age children were also located. The recent spate of violent deaths has politicians calling for better support for women and a national approach to tackling the scourge.
Victorian prison officers put spit hood on child | A child held in an adult prison was placed in a spit hood while spending months confined to his cell for up to 23 hours a day, the state’s children’s commissioner has revealed. After the spit hood incident, the prison turned off water in the child’s cell for about 22 hours, leaving him unable to wash his hands or use the toilet facilities or brush his teeth. Victoria’s principal commissioner for children and young people, Liana Buchanan, said she was “shocked” by this incident. “I almost couldn’t believe it.”
Microsoft in hot water over AI-generated poll on Lilie James | Guardian Australia has accused Microsoft of damaging its journalistic reputation by publishing an AI-generated poll speculating on the cause of the woman’s death next to an article by the news publisher.
WeWork to file for bankruptcy | The co-working company, once valued at A$74bn, never recovered from the scandal of its founder’s ouster and the shift to remote work. WeWork plans to file for bankruptcy as early as next week.
‘AI’ named most notable word of 2023 | The technology that is set to dominate the future – for good or ill – is now the word of the year. “AI” has been named the most notable word of 2023 by the dictionary publisher Collins. And according to a new UK study, AI could perform better than biopsies at assessing some cancers.
Full Story
‘We’re totally isolated’: inside Gaza as Israel’s war intensifies
As Israel steps up its military campaign in Gaza, residents trapped in the territory are facing a humanitarian crisis. Listen to this 23-minute episode.
What they said …
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“Covid is just nature’s way of dealing with old people.” – Boris Johnson
Crass and aggressive language was laid bare in evidence of exchanges between Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings and Patrick Vallance in the UK’s Covid inquiry.
In numbers
And about 50 this year.
Before bed read
What to stream in November? Check out our recommendations.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: EPS. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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