The Centre for Public Integrity says Australia lacks strong rules and transparency for government use of automated decisions and artificial intelligence. Its report calls for audits, a public register and independent oversight, citing concerns about an aged-care assessment tool that has under-assessed people’s needs.
Key Facts
The Centre for Public Integrity released a report called “Computer Says No” on government use of automated decision-making tools.
The report makes eight recommendations, including mandatory audits and a public register of government use of automated decisions.
The centre also called for an independent body with powers to monitor, audit and investigate government use of these tools.
An algorithm used in the government’s Integrated Assessment Tool helps determine older Australians’ eligibility for home support.
The article says the tool has routinely under-assessed people’s needs and entitlements, and assessors have been barred from overriding incorrect algorithmic decisions.
The attorney general’s department has been developing a framework, and public consultation ended in January 2025.
Attorney General Michelle Rowland said the framework would include transparency obligations and human oversight.
Independent MP Kate Chaney introduced a bill in September to create a mandatory legal framework for government use of automated decisions.
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Muslim Votes Matter will urge voters to rank Labor ahead of One Nation in every Victorian lower-house electorate and send volunteers to selected seats before the 28 November state election. The group says this shift from its anti-Labor approach at the 2025 federal election aims to limit One Nation’s influence, while its how-to-vote cards will still rank independents and minor parties above Labor.
Key Facts
Muslim Votes Matter (MVM) plans to campaign in Greenvale, Narre Warren South and Tarneit.
MVM will recommend Labor ahead of One Nation in all Victorian lower-house electorates.
The group focused on Greens and independent candidates to penalize Labor at the 2025 federal election over Gaza.
MVM spokesperson Ghaith Krayem said the group would not place Labor first on any how-to-vote card.
Labor holds Greenvale by a 7.1% two-party-preferred margin, Narre Warren South by 8.3%, and Tarneit by 12.3%.
The article reports that Muslim residents make up 13.1% of Narre Warren South and 14.6% of Tarneit, compared with 4.2% statewide.
MVM says dissatisfaction with Labor’s positions on Palestine, protests and freedom of speech remains an issue for Muslim communities.
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An annual Scanlon report found that Australia’s social cohesion index stayed at 78 out of 100, even as many people reported economic pressure, distrust of government and pessimism about the future. Support for immigration and multiculturalism remained high, while cost of living and housing ranked among the public’s leading concerns.
Key Facts
More than 10,000 Australians answered 100 questions for the Scanlon report.
The social cohesion index remained at 78 out of 100, unchanged since 2023.
Sixty-two percent of adults said they believed social cohesion had declined in recent years.
Nearly one-third of respondents expected their lives to worsen over the next four years, up from 29% last year.
Forty-eight percent were pessimistic about Australia’s future, compared with 43% in 2025.
Cost of living was the most-cited issue facing Australia, named by 36% of respondents; housing was second at 11%.
Seventy-seven percent were concerned about a severe global economic downturn.
The report said economic hardship was linked to some voters switching their support to One Nation.
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Foreign leaders and officials gave mixed reactions to Republican losses in the U.S. midterm elections. Iranian officials described the results as opposition to the war with Iran, while Russian officials said they did not expect a change in Moscow’s policies; Spain’s prime minister and an EU official pointed to possible wider political effects.
Key Facts
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the election results would not change Washington’s behavior toward Iran.
Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Americans had rejected the war with Iran.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped President Trump could continue his peace efforts after the elections.
Russia and Ukraine were scheduled to hold U.S.-brokered working-level talks in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10 and 11.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the election results would not change Russia’s foreign policy or its position on Ukraine.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the results and predicted a similar outcome in Spain’s Nov. 29 election.
European Parliament Vice President Christel Schaldemose said the results could affect support for Ukraine, the green transition and relations with other countries.
The article said Ukraine’s government had not immediately commented on the U.S. election results.
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Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente resigned after the country’s second deadly train crash in a year. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appointed First Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Cuerpo as interim transport minister.
Key Facts
Oscar Puente resigned as Spain’s transport minister.
His resignation followed a deadly train crash.
The crash was the second deadly train crash in Spain in a year.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appointed Carlos Cuerpo to replace Puente on an interim basis.
Carlos Cuerpo is Spain’s First Deputy Prime Minister.
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Phoebe Waller-Bridge has donated a London flat to Writers’ Block, a scheme that helps early-career writers from disadvantaged backgrounds find affordable accommodation. The initiative, which also receives support from other writers and creators, has signed up 15 homes and helped 12 writers find places to stay.
Key Facts
Writers using Waller-Bridge’s flat will pay only the bills.
Waller-Bridge also made a financial contribution to the initiative.
Screenwriter Jack Thorne is among the scheme’s financial backers.
The Sutton Trust and Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre found that 16% of people in the creative industries came from working-class backgrounds.
Writers’ Block grew out of the Adopt a Playwright Award, founded in 2008 by Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read.
The scheme invites London residents to offer rooms for up to £30 a night or £500 a month.
Writers’ Block has signed up 15 homes and helped 12 writers find accommodation.
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The UN refugee agency said the UK’s plan to make some refugees wait up to 30 years to apply for settlement raises significant concerns. The government retained longer waits for people who arrived by irregular routes, while allowing care workers to apply after five years; refugee advocates also criticized the policy.
Key Facts
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced changes to the government’s immigration plans earlier this week.
The plan keeps a possible wait of up to 30 years for refugees who arrived by irregular routes.
Some refugees can shorten the maximum wait through work or study, but people arriving by small boats or concealed in lorries face a 10-year penalty.
The government created an exemption allowing care workers to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years.
UNHCR said extended settlement waits, short-term stay arrangements and limits on access to citizenship could undermine refugees’ security and ability to integrate.
UNHCR welcomed the introduction of legal routes but said they would be available to only a small minority of people seeking sanctuary, according to the article.
The Helen Bamber Foundation said the policy could harm refugees, including survivors of torture and trafficking.
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Iranian officials celebrated U.S. midterm election results as a setback for President Donald Trump, while Iran’s supreme leader warned that the results would not change U.S. policy toward Iran. The article says the conflict and the disruption of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain unresolved, leaving open whether either side will reconsider its diplomatic approach.
Key Facts
Iran displayed a billboard in Tehran depicting Trump behind bars and carrying the message, “We will kill Trump.”
Iranian officials described the U.S. election results as a defeat for Trump and claimed Iran had influenced the outcome.
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said people were mistaken to expect U.S. policy toward Iran to change after partisan shifts.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, urged Trump to heed what he called the American public’s rejection of war.
The article says Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted oil shipments and contributed to inflation and higher diesel prices in the United States.
The article says Gulf monarchies, Russia and China may press Iran to reconsider the conflict and the blockade affecting oil exports.
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Israeli settlers placed prefabricated structures on rooftops above commercial buildings in Hebron’s Old City on October 29. Palestinian shopkeepers say the settlement expansion threatens their businesses, access to shops and the Palestinian character of the area.
Key Facts
About 500 Israeli settlers live in Hebron’s Old City, according to the article.
The article says the settler presence in the Old City began in 1978 and has expanded over time.
The rooftop structures are expected to house 20 new settler units.
Yusef al-Khatib has worked in his family’s tailoring shop for nearly 60 years; his father began the business about 80 years ago.
Al-Khatib says he fears the settlers above his shop but intends to keep it open.
Shopkeeper Bader al-Daour al-Tamimi says settlers have taken over the rooftop above his shop and that he fears losing access to it.
Shuhada Street has been closed to Palestinians since 1994, after an Israeli settler killed 29 Palestinians praying at the Ibrahimi Mosque, the article reports.
Shopkeeper Adel al-Shuyukhi says he inherited his shop from his father and has worked there for about 50 years.
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Families in Gaza are struggling to prepare for winter as Israeli forces bomb displacement camps. Israeli forces have arrested at least 45 people in the occupied West Bank since Tuesday, according to the report.
Key Facts
Families in Gaza are struggling to prepare for winter.
Israeli forces bombed displacement camps in Gaza.
Israeli forces arrested at least 45 people in the occupied West Bank.
The arrests took place since Tuesday.
Al Jazeera correspondent Hala Al Shami reported on the developments.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said U.S. election results would not end Washington’s hostility toward Iran and warned that another U.S. attack would bring a broader response. Other Iranian officials welcomed the Democrats’ congressional gains, saying U.S. voters had rejected the war, while some in Tehran hoped the new Congress would limit Trump’s actions.
Key Facts
Khamenei said changes between U.S. political parties would not alter U.S. policy toward Iran.
He said Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz had challenged the image of U.S. military strength.
Khamenei warned that a renewed U.S. attack would prompt a response on a wider scale.
The article reports that Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the war with Iran may have contributed to Republican losses, citing voters’ concerns about higher gasoline costs.
Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Americans had voted against the war.
Iranian officials including Mohammad Mokhber and Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei described the Republican result as a defeat for Trump.
An Al Jazeera correspondent in Tehran said some Iranians expected a Democratic-controlled Congress to restrain Trump, while others feared the election result could prompt a stronger response.
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Ukrainians do not expect Democrats’ victory in the U.S. midterm elections to bring a major change in U.S. policy toward the war with Russia, at least in the near term. FRANCE 24 correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had not yet responded to Democrats taking control of Congress.
Key Facts
Democrats won the U.S. midterm elections and took control of Congress, according to the report.
Ukrainians do not expect a drastic change in U.S. policy toward the war with Russia.
The report says any policy change is not expected to happen quickly.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had not yet reacted to the election result.
FRANCE 24 correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze reported from Kyiv.
The report was issued on November 4, 2026.
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Protests led largely by young people have spread across at least eight European countries, with demands spanning education, living costs, jobs, public services, military spending and other political concerns. Experts say the demonstrations lack a single leader or program, making them difficult for governments to address; officials have often focused on public order, while some policy measures have not stopped the protests.
Key Facts
Demonstrations have taken place in at least eight European countries and have continued in waves.
Protesters’ concerns include school conditions, fuel costs, economic insecurity and limited opportunities.
Experts describe the movements as decentralized and say they reflect broader distrust in governments’ ability to respond.
Protests in France have included school and university blockades over education conditions and the Parcoursup admissions system.
Germany has seen metal and electrical workers strike, while students have protested over fears that conscription could return.
Firefighters marched in Brussels to call for more staff and better equipment.
An Italian union said tens of thousands joined a Friday demonstration calling for lower military spending.
France’s education minister announced measures including limits on class sizes and additional places in higher technician programs, but demonstrations continued.
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Police in Belfast said an investigation into 17 improvised explosive devices and other items found in the Shankill Road area is linked to extreme-right terrorism. A 35-year-old man appeared in court on charges involving explosives and a prohibited weapon and was remanded in custody.
Key Facts
Police found 17 improvised explosive devices during searches on 30 and 31 October in the Shankill Road area of Belfast.
The haul also included two detonators and five stun guns.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the investigation is linked to extreme-right terrorism.
Police arrested one man in connection with the discovery.
Wesley Thomas Fletcher, 35, faced two charges of possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances and one charge of possessing a prohibited weapon, a Taser.
Fletcher did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody; his next hearing is scheduled for 30 November.
The Belfast Telegraph reported that this was the largest haul of weaponry linked to the far right ever seized in Northern Ireland.
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A Scottish sheriff concluded that the 2020 Stonehaven train derailment, which killed three people, might have been avoided if a drainage system had been built and overseen correctly. The train struck debris washed onto the track during heavy rain; the inquiry cited failures in drain construction and Network Rail’s oversight.
Key Facts
Driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie and passenger Christopher Stuchbury died in the crash near Carmont in August 2020.
The train derailed after hitting debris washed from a drainage system during intense rainfall.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston found that the drain was not built and installed according to its design.
The inquiry identified possible precautions, including building the drain to its design and preparing and providing Network Rail with as-built drawings.
Network Rail was fined £6.7 million in 2023 after admitting maintenance, inspection and other failures connected with the crash.
The train was travelling at about 73 mph when it hit the debris and struck a bridge parapet.
The sheriff noted that Network Rail has since increased weather monitoring and use of aerial surveys, and has placed greater focus on construction records.
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The UK Supreme Court began a two-day hearing on an appeal against the government’s proscription of Palestine Action. Police arrested about 25 people who demonstrated outside the court, according to the Press Association; the group’s cofounder says the ban harms freedom of speech and the right to protest.
Key Facts
The hearing began Wednesday at the Supreme Court in London.
Palestine Action cofounder Huda Ammori is challenging the group’s designation as a terrorist organisation.
The UK government proscribed Palestine Action in July last year.
People convicted of belonging to or supporting Palestine Action can face up to 14 years in prison.
About 25 demonstrators were arrested outside the court, according to the Press Association.
Amnesty International and other rights organisations have called on the government to lift the ban.
The article says Swedish academic Andreas Malm was refused entry to the UK last week after the government said his presence was “not conducive to the public good.”
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Police in Germany, Austria and Hungary are investigating reports of needles and other sharp metal objects found in Halloween sweets. Two children suffered minor mouth injuries, while other children reportedly noticed the objects before swallowing the sweets.
Key Facts
A nine-year-old girl in Bremervörde, Germany, hurt her tongue while eating a chocolate bar that contained a 5-centimeter pin.
Police in Hungary opened a criminal investigation after nails, screws and wire were reportedly found in sweets given to children near Gyömrő.
A girl in Hungary noticed a nail inside a toffee before eating it.
Police in four Austrian states are investigating reports of sharp objects in sweets.
A 10-year-old girl near Amstetten, Austria, suffered a minor mouth injury after biting into a small chocolate bar.
Bavarian police said they had received reports of as many as 25 cases involving sweets with needles, screws or nails.
Police in Middle Franconia warned about possible copycat incidents after a child admitted to putting a needle in a chocolate bar.
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Passengers on a York-to-London train initially thought a stabbing victim was joking when he warned them to run, a court heard. Anthony Williams denies 10 counts of attempted murder over the train attack and four more counts relating to alleged earlier incidents; jurors must decide whether he intended to kill.
Key Facts
The train made an unscheduled stop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, after the attack on 1 November 2025.
Prosecutors allege Williams stabbed 10 people on the train between Peterborough and Huntingdon.
Jonathan Gjoshe, the first person stabbed, said he warned other passengers to run, but some stayed seated because they thought he was joking.
Gjoshe spent four days in hospital and said he asked staff whether he would die.
Another passenger, Sachin Balakrishnan, said he heard people screaming and running before he was stabbed in the arm.
Williams, 33, denies 10 attempted-murder charges over the train attack and four charges tied to alleged incidents in Peterborough and London.
The court has heard that Williams carried out the attacks; jurors must decide whether he intended to kill.
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Israel’s Central Elections Committee confirmed the final results of the October 27 election, saying its review found no evidence of fraud or interference that affected the outcome. The results left Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition without a governing majority, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot is expected to seek a coalition with support from opposition parties, including Palestinian-led parties.
Key Facts
The Central Elections Committee said it found no irregularities that compromised the election or changed its results.
Committee chair Noam Sohlberg said some suspicions remain under investigation but do not justify delaying the results.
Netanyahu’s coalition lost its governing majority in the October 27 vote.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara blocked a Shin Bet request to interrogate senior politicians from Palestinian-led parties, saying investigators had provided no evidence of wrongdoing.
President Isaac Herzog received the final results and is expected to give Eisenkot the first chance to form a government.
Jewish Israeli opposition parties have publicly backed Eisenkot, and Palestinian-led parties have said they prioritize removing Netanyahu from power.
Herzog condemned racist attacks and expressions directed at Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of using security services against political opponents and warned that attempts to undermine trust in the results were continuing.
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The UK Home Office is preparing to expand live facial recognition use by immigration enforcement, including at transport hubs and selected public events. Published documents describe possible watchlists for people accused of civil immigration breaches as well as criminal offenses; the Home Office says it is considering further trials.
Key Facts
The Home Office guidance and data protection assessment were published in October.
The documents say cameras could be used to find people sought for removal, people who may have re-entered the UK unlawfully, and people linked to immigration-related crimes.
Possible watchlist criteria include visa overstays and entry or stay without permission, which the documents describe as civil matters.
The programme has moved into a formal delivery phase, according to the documents.
Immigration enforcement ran three facial recognition trials at Holyhead port between November and February, focused on people arriving from Ireland who were subject to deportation orders or warrants for immigration-related crimes.
The guidance says people under 18 will not be placed on watchlists.
The Home Office said it is considering further trials and exploring the technology’s potential benefits and implications.
Campaigners criticized the plans, citing concerns about surveillance and the risk of facial recognition misidentifying people of colour.
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