Morning Mail: Nauru asylum seekers ‘going hungry’, ATO hunt ...

Morning everyone. It seems the vast cost of holding refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru – about $1.5m paid out per year to an American prisons operator for every detainee – is not enough to keep hunger at bay, with many telling us they can’t afford to eat. The ATO is pursuing a new batch of taxpayers for years-old debts. Two people have been killed in a terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester. Hamas is expected to demand key revisions to Donald Trump’s peace plan. And could Nigel Farage really become the next British prime minister?

Australia

‘Unstoppable’ | Wildfires have wreaked havoc around the world in the past year including killing 133 people in Chile and claiming 30 lives in Los Angeles, according to Australian-led researchers who warn that rising temperatures are making the fires unstoppable.
Nauru warning | Refugees and asylum seekers held on Nauru claim they can’t afford to eat and are forced to skip meals. Their plight comes despite Australia spending $1.5m a year per person for a US prisons operator to house them, although the contract does not provide food.
Tax hunt | The Australian Taxation Office is pursuing a new batch of taxpayers over decades-old debts, drawing comparisons to its widely criticised and suspended “robotax” initiative.
Housing block | Millions of Australians eligible to take up the federal government’s new 5% deposit scheme could be unable to afford mortgage repayments, analysis has shown.
Iron rules | China’s apparent ban on BHP iron ore shipments has sparked alarm about the potential impact on the Australian economy. The key number here is that a $10 drop in the price could mean up to $10bn off Australian GDP.

World

Manchester attack | Two people have been killed and three remain in a serious condition after a suspected terror attack outside a synagogue in Manchester by a man who was then shot dead by police at the scene, named by Greater Manchester police as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. Here’s what we know so far about what the UK government has deemed a terrorist attack timed to coincide with Yom Kippur.
Hamas decision | Hamas will demand key revisions to Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire proposal but are likely to accept the plan in coming days as a basis for renewed negotiations, analysts and sources close to the group say. As Hamas deliberates, at least 53 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunfire in Gaza overnight.
Intel shift | Donald Trump has called the US government shutdown an “unprecedented opportunity” to further his campaign of firing federal workers and downsizing departments. Meanwhile, in what would be a significant shift in White House support for Kyiv, the US will provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure targets deep inside Russia, according to reports.
‘Adversely influenced’ | A British woman who died of cancer after refusing chemotherapy was “adversely influenced” by her conspiracy theorist mother, according to a coroner.
Capital move | Iran’s president has claimed the country has no choice but to move its capital from Tehran to the south of the country due to the lack of adequate water supplies and the growing threat of subsidence.

Full Story

Newsroom edition: the battle to regulate AI

Bridie Jabour is joined by editor Lenore Taylor and deputy editor Patrick Keneally to discuss the need to regulate AI and the threat it poses to journalism.

In-depth

Interactive

When he wasn’t hanging out with Anthony Albanese, British prime minister Keir Starmer spent most of this week’s Labour party conference attacking the threat posed by Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party. But is there really a chance that the bumptious Brexiter could become Britain’s next leader?

Not the news

The renowned Australian photographer Jem Cresswell has spent five years documenting humpback whales in the waters surrounding the Tonga Trench for his new book, Giants. Check out this stunning gallery.

Sport

Formula One | Lando Norris has brushed off suggestions that McLaren would prioritise his teammate Oscar Piastri in the world championship fight after a resurgent Max Verstappen emerged as a rival contender.
NRL | Melbourne Storm’s high-flying winger Xavier Coates could be the difference-maker for his team as they head into Sunday’s grand final, writes Jack Snape.
Football | Ange Postecoglu leads his Nottingham Forest team in Europa League action this morning against the Danish team Midtjylland. Follow the action live.

Media roundup

A number of protesters were restrained in Sydney during a snap pro-Palestinian rally, the ABC reports, held in response to the interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Also on the ABC, Queensland’s deputy premier has vowed not to abolish and deregister the state branch of the CFMEU. According to the Australian, a US private equity giant is eyeing the purchase of Hamilton Island. And WAtoday has an interactive on the key question of how much a coffee costs in each capital city.

What’s happening today

Health | Decision in the industrial relations commission on psychiatrists v New South Wales government.
Economy | Motor sales figures released for September at 11.30am.

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.