Morning Mail: South Australia rejects abortion change, Harris agrees Trump 'a fascist', church's bizarre recruitment tactics ============================================================================== Morning everyone. A South Australian bill to ban late-stage abortions was narrowly defeated in the state's upper house last night - we look at what it was all about, and how it got so close. Anthony Albanese may have brought pressure on himself to consider changing tax concessions after his controversial home purchase, Kamala Harris calls it like she sees it, and can the King's visit revitalise the republican movement? Australia --------- * Moon watch | The October full moon that will rise in the sky tonight, also known as the hunter's moon, will be the third of four back-to-back supermoons. Here's how you can see it. * Abortion bill defeated | By the narrowest margin of 10 votes to nine, South Australia's upper house last night voted to reject legislation that would force women seeking an abortion after 27 weeks and six days - an extremely rare occurrence - to be induced, to deliver the child alive, and keep it or adopt it out. * Exclusive | Guardian Australia has seen training videos and documents that outline the bizarre recruitment methods used by the Korean Shincheonji church, which include calling recruits "fruit" and recruiters "leaves", and which former members claim amount to coercive control. * Home alone | Anthony Albanese may face renewed backbench pressure to ease capital gains tax concessions, as Labor MPs privately express dismay at his decision to buy a $4.3m waterfront home on the New South Wales Central Coast before an election in the middle of a housing crisis. * Crown duels | The most prominent republicans concede the challenges they face to have an Australian head of state, writes Josh Butler, but also claim the arrival this week of King Charles and Queen Camilla may be the shot in the arm their campaign needs. World ----- * 'Yes, we can say that' | Kamala Harris has agreed that Donald Trump is a fascist in her most forthright statement yet in casting her presidential opponent as a potential autocrat. Elon Musk doesn't seem to be worried about that though and has donated roughly US$75m over the past three months to his pro-Donald Trump spending group. * UN call | The UK, France and Algeria have called an urgent meeting of the UN security council amid mounting pressure on Israel to respond to a US warning that it would partially cut off military assistance unless humanitarian aid was allowed to flow unhindered into Gaza within 30 days. * 'Right next step' | Britain joined its Five Eyes intelligence partners on Wednesday in saying India's cooperation with Canada's legal process was "the right next step" in the deepening diplomatic row between the two countries, adding that it had full confidence in Canada's judicial system. * 'Race scientists' | An international network of "race science" activists seeking to influence public debate with discredited ideas on race and eugenics has been operating with secret funding from a multimillionaire US tech entrepreneur. * Alarming news | A state-of-the-art fire station in western Germany that was completed last year at a cost of tens of millions of euros has burned to the ground because it had not been fitted with a fire alarm. Full Story ---------- Will Australia ever ditch the monarchy? Kate Lyons discusses the King's visit with Matilda Boseley and what it might mean for the republican movement in Australia. In-depth -------- The Queensland Liberal National party leader, David Crisafulli, has been accused of "racialised dog whistling" for his repeated use of a phrase common in anti-crime social media groups, where it is used as a derogatory reference to Aboriginal children. Not the news ------------ Thou Shalt Not Steal is a "highly addictive and fiendishly entertaining series", according to Luke Buckmaster, about a delinquent on the run across outback Australia in the 1980s that has "real oomph and chutzpah". Starring Sherry-Lee Watson as Robyn, the Stan show co-created by director Dylan River and executive producer Tanith Glynn-Maloney has the makings of a classic. (By the way, Luke also has views on the Australian remake of The Office. One-star views.) The world of sport ------------------ * AFL | Western Bulldogs star Bailey Smith will go to Geelong after a last- gasp AFL trade, while Essendon forward Jake Stringer was offloaded to GWS after it had appeared that deal had fallen through. * Football | Thomas Tuchel has been confirmed as England's new manager, starting his reign by telling a media conference "sorry I have a German passport". * Cricket | James Duckett hit a century but England wobbled badly in their reply to Pakistan's opening total of 366 in the second Test in Multan. * Sailing | Great Britain's America's Cup comeback "is on" after they clawed one race back in the final against New Zealand overnight. Media roundup ------------- The Age says Australia's birthrate is the lowest on record as housing costs deter people from having children. Two houses will be razed in northern Sydney to make way for 38 apartments in the first part of the state housing plan, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. A B-double became trapped under a rail bridge, causing traffic chaos lasting hours, the Courier Mail reports. Labor stalwart Michelle Roberts has been given a standing ovation as she announced she was quitting parliament after 30 years, WAtoday reports. What's happening today ---------------------- * Society | Inquiry into NDIS participant experience in rural, regional and remote Australia. * Canberra | Transparency Summit 2024: Secrecy is not security. * Economy | ABS releases employment figures at 11.30am. Sign up ------- If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. And check out the full list of our local and international newsletters, including The Stakes, your guide to the twists and turns of the US presidential election. Prefer notifications? If you're reading this in our app, just click here and tap "Notifications" on the next screen for an instant alert when we publish every morning. Brain teaser ------------ And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. * Quick crossword * Cryptic crossword ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This article on the web: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/17/morning-mail-south-australia-rejects-abortion-change-harris-agrees-trump-a-fascist-churchs-bizarre-recruitment-tactics-ntwnfb All content (c) The Guardian