Clive Palmer-scale political donations to be blocked under new electoral spending caps

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Candidates to receive $5 per vote from public funding, while parties and independents will receive $30,000 per MP and $15,000 per senator each

Donation and electoral spending caps could pass parliament as early as this fortnight, with Labor confident the Coalition will help it block campaigns of the size run by Clive Palmer at the national level and teal independents at the local level.

But the bill, to be introduced next week, could spark outrage from independents, emerging and minor parties, with plans to increase public funding of elections from $3.35 a vote to $5.

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Monaco Grand Prix’s long-term future resolved with F1 extension until 2031

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  • Race remains on F1 calendar after six-year deal agreed
  • Contest has been part of motor sport scene since 1950

Formula One’s iconic Monaco Grand Prix will remain on the calendar until at least 2031 after a six-year extension was announced on Thursday, with a date change to June that also avoids future clashes with the Indianapolis 500.

The race around the streets of Monte Carlo was part of the first world championship season in 1950 and has been present since, with the exception of 2020 during the global pandemic.

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Minister pledges better protection for UK airline passengers

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Louise Haigh says she hopes to ensure a repeat of the air traffic control failure of August 2023 never happens again

Airline passengers will benefit from tougher enforcement of consumer protection laws following an inquiry into the August 2023 air traffic control meltdown, transport secretary Louise Haigh has said.

She said she wants to ensure “all passengers feel confident when they fly”.

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First Thing: Israel accused of crimes against humanity over forced displacement in Gaza

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Human Rights Watch says its evidence suggests Israel has committed a war crime against civilians. Plus, Mark Zuckerberg drops a cover of Get Low with T-Pain

Good morning.

Israel has been accused of crimes against humanity over its use of evacuation orders to pursue the “deliberate and massive forced displacement” of civilians in Gaza, in a report by Human Rights Watch.

How much of Gaza’s population has been displaced? More than 90%, with many civilians forced to move multiple times.

What do the Geneva conventions say about displacement? That in occupied territories, civilians must be displaced only in exceptional circumstances – but Israel has used evacuation orders repeatedly.

What’s Gaetz’s background? As a member of the Maga-aligned Freedom Caucus in the House, he led the successful charge to oust the former Republican House speaker Kevin McCarthy from his role.

Why else might he be controversial? Though charges were never brought, he was investigated by the justice department in a sex-trafficking case involving children, and by the House ethics committee over allegations including sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. He denies wrongdoing.

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Israel Bombs Targets in Syria, and Keeps Up Strikes in Lebanon – The New York Times

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  1. Israel Bombs Targets in Syria, and Keeps Up Strikes in Lebanon  The New York Times
  2. LIVE: Israel pummels Beirut’s southern suburbs, keeps pounding Gaza  Al Jazeera English
  3. Israel hits Beirut suburb after US delivers truce proposal  Reuters
  4. Israeli strikes kill at least 12 Lebanese rescuers and 15 people in Syria  The Associated Press
  5. PIJ terrorist killed in Israeli airstrike, IDF hits Hezbollah terror sites  The Jerusalem Post
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Voting ends in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election that’s key for its new Marxist-leaning president – The Associated Press

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  1. Voting ends in Sri Lanka's parliamentary election that's key for its new Marxist-leaning president  The Associated Press
  2. Sri Lanka parliamentary elections 2024: What’s at stake?  Al Jazeera English
  3. Sri Lanka election: President Anura Kumara Dissanayake seeks increased parliamentary strength  Reuters
  4. The Tamil Question in a Changing Sri Lanka: The Limits of Dissanayake’s Leftist Agenda  The Diplomat
  5. Sri Lanka Heads For Snap Elections Today, Results Likely On Friday  NDTV
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How to pay for the poor world to go green – The Economist

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  1. How to pay for the poor world to go green  The Economist
  2. The question bringing COP29 to a halt: Who’s rich enough to pay for climate change?  Grist
  3. Who’s at the U.N. Climate Summit? Here Are 29 Years of Guests, Visualized.  The New York Times
  4. Earth's biggest polluters aren't sending leaders to UN climate talks in a year of weather extremes  The Associated Press
  5. COP29 host Azerbaijan hits out at West in defense of oil and gas  NBC News
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Head of UN’s nuclear watchdog visits Iran as Mideast wars and Trump’s return raise worries – ABC News

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  1. Head of UN's nuclear watchdog visits Iran as Mideast wars and Trump's return raise worries  ABC News
  2. Iran military heads vow 'crushing' response to Israel as UN atomic chief says nuke sites shouldn't be attacked  Fox News
  3. IAEA chief visits two nuclear sites during Iran trip  Reuters
  4. IAEA chief: Despite Iran attacks on Israel, no one should hit Tehran nuke facilities  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Iran willing to ‘resolve doubts’ about its atomic programme with IAEA  Al Jazeera English
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