Morning everyone. The Albanese government will introduce a bill today to crack down on the controversial way Qantas and Virgin manage runway slots as the fight against anticompetitive behaviour by business gathers pace.
Zooming out a bit, climate scientists are warning the world faces “partial societal collapse” as Florida braces for another huge hurricane, the ferocity of which has been linked to global heating. Plus: Donald Trump secretly gave Vladimir Putin a Covid testing machine – and the burst of inspiration that won an Australian scientist $250,000.
Australia
‘Nice surprise’ | Prof Matthew Bailes (above), an astrophysicist at the Swinburne University of Technology, has won the top $250,000 honour at the prime minister’s prizes for science for his discovery of fast radio bursts.
Aviation crackdown | Airlines that strategically cancel flights to block competition at Sydney airport could face civil penalties as the Albanese government moves to counter the Qantas-Virgin duopoly.
Exclusive | Officials responsible for a regime to redetain people released from immigration detention have cast doubt on its effectiveness, warning the minimum nine-month timeframe to put cases together could make it harder for the government to win.
Target challenged | Scientists have challenged Tanya Plibersek’s claim that Australia is protecting more than half of its oceans and has “blitzed” a 30% target, arguing industrial longline fishing will still be allowed in some areas the government says it is conserving.
Driver data | A Choice analysis of carmaker privacy policies has found some of the biggest car sellers in Australia are able to harvest and share a range of driver-related data – especially from tech-heavy EVs – with third parties.
World
Florida warning | People on Florida’s western coast are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Milton, with the mayor of Tampa warning residents they are “going to die” if they stay behind. The storm has intensified at a rapid rate, with the US president, Joe Biden, saying it could be the worst storm to hit Florida in 100 years. It comes as a group of the world’s most senior climate experts warn many of the Earth’s “vital signs” have hit record extremes, indicating that “the future of humanity hangs in the balance”.
Test case | Donald Trump secretly sent Covid-19 testing machines to Vladimir Putin in the early stages of the pandemic when such resources were in short supply, a new book reveals.
Invasion stepped up | Israel is expanding its ground operation in Lebanon with the deployment of a fourth division but Hezbollah, the target of its invasion, says its capability is intact despite two weeks of bombardment. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that Israeli forces have taken out the would-be successors of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Mexico horror | Mexico’s new government has been shaken by the murder of the mayor of Chilpancingo, the capital of the southern state of Guerrero, who was attacked and beheaded days after taking office.
AI ‘godfather’ | Two researchers who helped lay the foundations for modern artificial intelligence – although one later warned of its potential harms – have been awarded the 2024 Nobel prize in physics.
Full Story
Could the crisis in the Middle East reshape Australian politics?
Political editor Karen Middleton tells Reged Ahmad how differing views of the Israel-Gaza war have percolated up into our political debate.
In-depth
After 12 months of good rain, the grasslands in central and northern Queensland have formed a solid bank of fuel that experts think means the regions face an increased risk of fire this season. The job of tackling the problem falls squarely on local residents: “We have tremendous fires here and sometimes you will leave home [to fight a fire] with your swag and you don’t come back for a couple of weeks,” one farmer explains to Mandy McKeesick.
Not the news
Sarah Blasko, one of Australia’s most revered singer-songwriters, was brought up in the Pentecostal church and taught to wait for the apocalypse. It’s a worldview that takes its toll and it’s examined on her new album, I Just Need to Conquer This Mountain. “I’m still a recovering Christian. I had to remodel my brain to just be in the moment, to be here and enjoy life,” she tells Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen as she talks about a “very freeflowing record” that tries to excavate other aspects of her life.
The world of sport
Tennis | The Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa (above) has apologised after she was accused of racism over a photo that appeared to show her pulling her eyes back with chopsticks while in China for a series of tournaments.
Cricket | England have reached 96-1 after the second day of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan after the hosts amassed 556 all out.
Football | Manchester City have accused the Premier League of “misleading” clubs over the legal case they fought over top-flight rules governing commercial deals.
Media roundup
The former Labor minister Kim Carr tells the Financial Review that the push to cap the number of international students is bad policy and is not to do with education. Melbourne mayoral hopefuls are arguing for the Allan government to introduce a protest permit system, the Herald Sun claims. Robbie Katter and One Nation could cause chaos for any new LNP government in Queensland with challenges to abortion and voluntary assisted dying laws, the Courier Mail reports.
What’s happening today
Schools | The Australian Education Union is holding a press conference in Canberra at 9.15am to announce the next steps in their public school funding campaign.
Economy | The Reserve Bank’s assistant governor, Christopher Kent, is giving a speech in Sydney at 11am.
Canberra | Timor-Leste’s president, José Ramos-Horta, will address the National Press Club.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
