Russian rocket takes Iranian satellites into orbit as ties grow closer – Al Jazeera English

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  1. Russian rocket takes Iranian satellites into orbit as ties grow closer  Al Jazeera English
  2. Russia launches Soyuz rocket with dozens of satellites, including two from Iran  Reuters
  3. Russian rocket launches Iranian satellites into orbit as Moscow and Tehran expand ties  The Associated Press
  4. Soyuz launches first Ionosfera mission  RussianSpaceWeb.com
  5. Russia to launch 2 Iranian satellites on Nov. 5, Iran's ambassador says  Kyiv Independent
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Australia politics live: Albanese tells caucus Labor will campaign on ‘risk’ of Dutton; Miles returns as Queensland Labor leader

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‘We need to extend the average time people stay in our defence force,’ says Matt Keough

The defence personnel minister, Matt Keough, has also been talking about that retention and renumeration package for defence.

We need to extend the average time people stay in our defence force.

That does mean it had a vulnerability. We’re looking at moving to more of a mesh-type arrangement of satellites, which provides greater resilience, with a more up-to-date technology, and we’ll be able to deliver the technology faster as well.

We are very much confident that we can meet these targets and that’s because we have properly funded them and we have a plan to get there, which is about really improving the terms of service for those who work in our defence forces.

We’re increasing and expanding the bonuses for continuing on in the defence force. We’re continuing the original retention bonus after your initial service obligation for three years and beyond that. There will be another bonus for people who stay in the defence force after that. And that’s really targeting those who are in their seventh, eighth, ninth years of service, which gets to the middle ranks where we’ve got an issue. And we’re also going to grow the active reserves so there are more opportunities for people in the reserve to do full-time or part-time work in the defence force.

This original plan goes back seven or eight years and it was about having two or three satellites above Australia to deliver that capability. Since then, we have seen technologies develop which can shoot satellites out of the sky but we have also seen technologies develop where you have thousands of micro satellites in a more distributed way providing the same effect and we are seeing that with Starlink above Ukraine.

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Hamas nixes Cairo’s proposal for brief Gaza ceasefire in exchange for 4 hostages – The Times of Israel

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  1. Hamas nixes Cairo’s proposal for brief Gaza ceasefire in exchange for 4 hostages  The Times of Israel
  2. Top U.S. Officials Are in the Middle East to Try to Jumpstart Cease-Fire Talks  The New York Times
  3. Hamas expected to reject any deal that doesn’t end Gaza war, source says  The Jerusalem Post
  4. Israel awaits the U.S. election before a Gaza cease-fire, an official says  NPR
  5. Hamas rejects proposal for 30-day Gaza ceasefire  Semafor
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Spain’s king stood his ground under a mud barrage. What will the iconic moment mean for his reign? – The Associated Press

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  1. Spain's king stood his ground under a mud barrage. What will the iconic moment mean for his reign?  The Associated Press
  2. Protesters hurl mud at Spain’s king, queen and prime minister after floods  The Washington Post
  3. Angry crowds boo and throw eggs at Spanish king as he visits flood-hit Valencia  CNN
  4. Spanish King Warns of Flood Misinformation as Death Toll Mounts  Bloomberg
  5. Unlike the Spanish, the British aren’t pelting their royals with mud. But patience is running out …  The Guardian
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William Tyrrell inquest: foster mother abused outside court after police allege she may have buried toddler

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Counsel assisting warns ‘fairness is deserved by all’ after inquest hears foster mother may have disposed of three-year-old’s body following accidental death in 2014

The coroner overseeing the inquest into William Tyrrell’s disappearance in 2014 has issued a warning after the toddler’s foster mother was abused outside court.

Counsel assisting Gerard Craddock SC told the deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame that someone had yelled at the foster mother at Lidcombe coroners court on Monday as the inquest resumed for two further weeks of evidence.

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ABC to review editorial policies after investigation finds gunshots ‘inadvertently’ added to Afghanistan footage

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Director of news Justin Stevens apologises for ‘editing errors’ in the video clips

The ABC will review its editorial policies after an independent review found five additional sounds of gunshots were “inadvertently but inaccurately” introduced into footage showing a commando firing from a helicopter.

But the review by the former ABC editorial executive Alan Sunderland said there was no evidence that anyone at Australia’s national broadcaster “deliberately doctored, falsified, manipulated or distorted information, material or evidence in order to mislead audiences”.

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US elections 2024: 10 key House races to watch

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Democrats only need to flip a handful of seats to get back control of the lower chamber – here’s what to keep an eye on

Much attention has been paid to the historic race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, but the results of down-ballot elections will determine whether the new president will actually be able to implement a legislative agenda next year.

With Republicans defending a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats only need to flip a handful of seats to wrest back control of the lower chamber, and both parties are going all out to win.

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Peter Dutton rules out Coalition abortion policy changes and blasts MPs for stirring debate

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It follows party criticism of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price for condemning later term abortions, though opposition leader did not name names

Peter Dutton has blasted Coalition MPs for fuelling a federal debate on abortion laws, declaring there would be no change to policy if he wins government and they must show more “discipline” on the topic.

Dutton told MPs in his private weekly party-room address on Tuesday morning that the 11th-hour emergence of the issue during the recent Queensland state election campaign may have cost the Liberal National party votes.

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Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 4, 2024 – Institute for the Study of War

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  1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 4, 2024  Institute for the Study of War
  2. ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November, 4, 2024  Kyiv Post
  3. Russia Has a New Enemy in the Ukraine War (Not NATO)  The National Interest Online
  4. ISW: Russians advance in Svatove, Kreminna, Siversk, and Vuhledar  Euromaidan Press
  5. Ukraine faces Russian advances on multiple fronts, Moscow's intentions confirmed  The New Voice of Ukraine
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More than 500 new poker machines installed in NSW despite Chris Minns promising to slash numbers

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Total number of machines in state increased from 87,094 in March last year to 87,644 in October

More than 500 new poker machines have been installed since Labor won office in New South Wales last year, despite a campaign pledge to cut their numbers in pubs and clubs.

In January 2023, two months before the state election, the now premier, Chris Minns, declared a Labor government would “reduce the number of poker machines” in NSW.

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China reviews plan to increase local government debt – CNBC

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  1. China reviews plan to increase local government debt  CNBC
  2. China Reviews Plan to Refinance Local Governments’ Hidden Debt  Bloomberg
  3. China's lawmakers review bill to raise local government debt ceilings  Reuters
  4. In stimulus signal, China’s top legislature mulls debt swap plan on first day  South China Morning Post
  5. Experts Predict CN New Round of Debt Swaps Could Reach RMB6-10T; Local Govts May Restart Issuing Swap Bonds: CN Media  AASTOCKS.com
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North Korea tells UN it is speeding up nuclear weapons programme

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Pyongyang’s envoy to the United Nations says buildup is to counter threat from ‘hostile nuclear weapons states’

North Korea’s UN envoy has said Pyongyang will accelerate a buildup of its nuclear weapons programme just days after it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time this year at a moment of rising tensions with the west.

Kim Song, North Korea’s ambassador to the UN, said during a security council meeting on Monday that Pyongyang would accelerate the programme to “counter any threat presented by hostile nuclear weapons states”.

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Eight staff of Australian Electoral Commission contractor fabricated voice referendum location data

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AEC ‘considering its legal position’ after investigation prompted by Guardian reporting into allegations from McNair whistleblower

Eight staff fabricated location data on Indigenous communities while working for a company contracted by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) during last year’s failed voice referendum process, an investigation has found.

The AEC said it was now “considering its legal position” over the scandal and remained “incredibly disappointed” in the alleged behaviour of McNair yellowSquares, a market research firm engaged as part of the commission’s efforts to improve participation in the vote.

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