Morning Mail: Dozens die in Spain train crash; Menindee Lakes levels at a low; Obama and the Cheesecake Factory

Morning everyone. The Spanish prime minister has declared three days of mourning after a collision between two high-speed trains in central Spain left at least 68 people dead.

Water levels at Menindee Lakes in New South Wales are at their lowest point in five years, we have a special graphic to track how prices have risen in the past five years, Australia get on top in Cape Town, and is Barack Obama a snob for mocking Donald Trump’s taste?

Australia

• Lake low | Water levels at Menindee Lakes in western New South Wales have fallen to their lowest point in five years, prompting the state government to impose upstream water use restrictions as experts warn of potential mass fish deaths over summer.

• Recruitment battle | Australia faces an uphill battle to recruit and train enough naval personnel to serve on submarines planned for the future fleet of nuclear-powered vessels under the controversial $368bn Aukus deal, a retired admiral has warned.

• Hanson denial | Pauline Hanson has denied responsibility for a One Nation political colouring book that included a depiction of Bluey being held at knifepoint and carried an authorisation from the party leader.

• Election countdown | With the Victorian election now just a month away, our state politics correspondent, Benita Kolovos, explains what you need to know as Labor chases a fourth straight term.

• Australia on top | An excellent unbeaten counterattacking stand of 145 for the fifth wicket between Josh Inglis and Alex Carey has left Australia on 330-4 and on top at the end of the second day of the third Test in South Africa.

World

• Train tragedy | At least 68 people have been killed after two high-speed trains collided in Toledo province in central Spain, in the country’s second major train accident this year. The prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said this second disaster in nine months was “unacceptable” and has brought questions about safety.

• Israel deadlock | Israel’s future hangs in the balance as it became clear that Benjamin Netanyahu had lost his governing majority. His fate now depends on whether opposition Jewish parties are prepared to forge a common front with Palestinian parties, whose support surged in Tuesday’s elections.

• ‘Saddam opened a Cheesecake Factory’ | Barack Obama has been accused by some of snobbery after joking about Donald Trump’s gaudy taste in interior design, as the contrast between the pair was in full glare on the campaign trail. Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, faced a backlash for a “wildly racist tirade” during a campaign stop in Michigan in which he falsely asserted that Arabs never won major awards in science or literature.

• Great escape | A jet carrying the Brazilian far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro has landed in Miami, where the losing candidate in Sunday’s presidential election runoff left the airport under police escort without speaking to the press.

• Cruise chaos | A luxury cruise ship that had embarked on a years-long voyage around the world was forced to suspend its operations and leave passengers stranded in Cambodia because of high fuel prices.

Full Story

Alastair Campbell on Trump, political violence and why populism doesn’t work

The Rest is Politics podcast co-host speaks to the political editor, Tom McIlroy, about our “high-octane political environment” and why he argues that populist politics began in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

In-depth

Rising inflation has placed the cost of living at the centre of the political debate. You can use the brilliant graphic above to trace what’s gone up and what’s gone down in price over the past five years. This week’s inflation figures have helped the Reserve Bank prepare the ground for another rate rise, which Greg Jericho argues shows how Martin Place cares much less about unemployment than inflation.

Not the news

Hot on the heels of the excoriating reviews for Elon Musk’s AI-generated Odyssey, Luke Buckmaster dishes out the one-star treatment for Castle Walls, a new AI-generated medieval epic on Amazon. “Like Vaseline-smeared Madame Tussauds creations slowly melting in the sun,” he writes.

Sport

• Netball | The Diamonds have held on to their prized world No 1 ranking after avoiding a Constellation Cup clean sweep with a 68-58 win over New Zealand in Melbourne.

• Cricket | David Boon faces one of his biggest tests as he takes the reins as interim chair of Cricket Australia with BBL privatisation only the first task of many, writes Jack Snape.

• Football | Manchester City play Brighton, and Liverpool host Chelsea, in the pick of this morning’s Carabao Cup ties. Follow them live. And Fleetwood Town celebrate their shock win over Arsenal.

The Fin Review airs an industry and Coalition claim that Labor’s SMSF investment ban means 11,500 fewer new homes will be built each year. Australia’s first land-based ballistic missile shield could be based on Israel’s Iron Dome after an approach to Washington for a US version of the system, the Australian claims.

What’s happening today

• Economy | Senate estimates hearing on Reserve Bank.

• Business | JB Hi-Fi and Woolworths hold their AGMs.

• Perth | Hearing at federal court in the case brought by Banjima native title holders against WA for harm caused by asbestos mines at Wittenoom.

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Brain teaser

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

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