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India’s mammoth election has kicked off with nearly a billion voters expected to head to the polls over six weeks. Reged Ahmad speaks to south Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen about why prime minister Narendra Modi is popular yet divisive – and the international impact of the election You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

In July 2023, Erin Patterson hosted four relatives for lunch in the Victorian town of Leongatha. The guests were served beef wellington – which police allege was laced with a deadly mushroom. Patterson was charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder and is due to face court today. Courts and justice reporter Nino Bucci tells Nour Haydar about the latest developments in the case and why it has drawn intense media interest You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

The number of disabled students recognised as needing greater learning support has grown to almost 1 million nationally. But these children are increasingly being suspended from schools, including some as young as five years old. Investigative reporter Sarah Martin explains to Jane Lee how Australia’s education system has reached crisis point

In Australia – a multifaith and sometimes agnostic country – what role does faith play in the decision-making of those who run the country? With the upcoming release of his book, Plans For Your Good: A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness, Scott Morrison has placed his faith front and centre. But is this something new? Or has religion always been a part of Australia’s political democracy? Bridie Jabour speaks with editor in chief Lenore Taylor and deputy editor Patrick Keneally on the nuanced relationship between faith and politics You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

Rising education, health and rental costs have kept inflation higher than expected this year. Economics correspondent Peter Hannam tells Nour Haydar what the Reserve Bank’s reaction might be – are all hopes of an interest rate cut this year gone? And what does this mean for any cost of living relief the government might be considering?

My Place emerged from the highly vocal Covid-19 anti-lockdown protests. It’s a network which reportedly has thousands of members and is predominantly active in Facebook community groups. Some of the ideas that these groups believe are that vaccines are deadly, fluoride in water is dangerous and 5G is a threat. Lately My Place has been taking its ideologies offline and into local government, with some groups allegedly playing a role in supporting candidates in Queensland council elections. So with the Queensland state election coming up in October, what might be the potential impact of groups such as My Place on the polling results? You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport