In October, a Senate inquiry was established into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm.

14/11/2022

Australia’s pokies addiction, Democrats hold on to US Senate, Istanbul attack

Chris York

Good morning. If you’re not looking forward to Monday morning then just remain thankful you’re not Donald Trump, who begins the week knowing the Democrats have retained control of the US Senate after many of his endorsed candidates flopped in key races across the country. The race for control of the House is still ongoing but an anticipated “red wave” has not materialised and Joe Biden is set to have one of the best midterm elections for a sitting administration in 20 years.

Here in Australia, the Guardian is taking a deep dive into Australia’s gambling addiction with a new series, the first of which examines why repeated attempts at policy reform haven’t worked and if that is about to change.

And, in Istanbul, at least six people have been killed in an explosion in the city centre.

Australia

Punters play poker machines in Tamworth, NSW

Pokies nation | The $25bn lost on gambling annually comes mostly from those who can least afford it but repeated attempts at policy reform have foundered. In the first part of a new series we ask why, and whether that may be about to change.

Racist recordings | The Queensland police minister, Mark Ryan, was sent an audio recording of officers joking about beating and burying black people last month but declined to meet with the whistleblower who sent it.

Prison population | The number of Australians in jail could be reduced by one-third with little risk to community safety, according to new research.

Summit season | Anthony Albanese will tell business leaders at the G20 summit that one of the pathways to recovery from global shocks including the pandemic and the inflation spiral is countries working together to deal with the climate emergency.

Climate crisis | It was an avoidable mistake for Anthony Albanese not to attend Cop27, writes Adam Morton. Elsewhere, Albanese compared notes with the US president ahead of Joe Biden’s landmark meeting with Xi Jinping today at the G20.

World

US politics | Democrats have kept control of the Senate after the crucial race in Nevada was announced in their favour, cementing a midterms election performance for the party that widely beat expectations.

Turkey | Six people have been killed and 53 injured after an explosion rocked Istanbul’s popular pedestrian thoroughfare İstiklal Avenue, in an apparent bomb attack that Turkey’s president described as an act of terrorism.

Dallas | Two historical military planes collided and crashed to the ground on Saturday during a Dallas airshow, federal officials said. Six people are feared dead.

Ukraine | After two nights of jubilation following the liberation of their city, the people of Kherson yesterday began to assess the extent of the damage wrought by eight long months of Russian occupation, with residents still without electricity and water.

France | An Iranian man who lived for 18 years in Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport and inspired the 2004 Steven Spielberg film The Terminal died on Saturday in the airport, officials said.

Full Story

A Medibank sign is seen at a store on Elizabeth Street in Melbourne

Medibank: how hackers got your private health data

After hackers infiltrated Medibank’s systems last week, sensitive health data from their customers, including information about abortions and reproductive healthcare, was posted on the dark web. The Australian federal police say they have identified the hackers, who they believe are primarily based in Russia, and will work with Interpol to try to bring them to justice. On this episode of Full Story, Josh Taylor tells Laura Murphy-Oates how the hack was pulled off, and what Medibank and Australian authorities are doing about the attack.

In-depth

Tattoo artist Alison Manners is photographed at her home in Brisbane

Prices are going up. Food, fuel, power, water, rent, mortgages – it has become a universally known fact that the cost of essentials have been rising across the board. “You will spend $200 on condiments before you even get to food,” Alison Manners told Guardian Australia after flooding forced her to replace everything in her house. Here’s how five Australians are managing in the cost-of-living crisis.

Not the news

It’s the answer to the question you never knew needed asked – why do cats, dogs and other carnivores have far neater and straighter teeth than humans?

The world of sport

Australia’s Glenn Maxwell reacts during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Australia and Afghanistan in Adelaide

Cricket | Star allrounder Glenn Maxwell could miss the rest of the summer and faces a lengthy rehabilitation after breaking his leg in a freak accident at a 50th birthday party in Melbourne at the weekend.

Rugby Union | Defeat to Italy proves Australia are over reliant on a handful of stars, argues Daniel Gallan.

T20 | The forecasters got it wrong and England got it right, as the predicted downpour held off and it was Jos Buttler’s side who reigned in Melbourne.

Media roundup

The Sydney Morning Herald examines the moment from which former prime minister Scott Morrison could never recover – and why Josh Frydenberg didn’t save their party. Sydney’s commuters have grown used to ongoing train delays in a year of hefty industrial action— but a new report card as revealed the issue is far more serious, the Daily Telegraph reports.

What’s happening today

G20 | Albanese flies to Bali today for the B20/G20

Climate crisis | Cop continues in Egypt

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Bored?

And finally, the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.

Quick crossword

Cryptic crossword

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