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That was great, man. Wow. Man, I loved that,' the president says from podium as multiple protesters interrupt his remarks

Swimming banned at Maroubra and Coogee while council prioritises culturally respectful' removal of remainsCoogee and Maroubra beaches have been closed as a precaution after a whale carcass washed up on the rocks between the two busy swimming and surfing spots in Sydney's eastern suburbs.The local council said it was working with rangers and the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries on the whale's removal from a difficult-to-access location surrounded by cliffs and rock ledge". Continue reading...

President was reportedly heckled at least nine times during campaign event for Darline GrahamMultiple protesters were removed from Donald Trump's rally at South Carolina's Clemson University on Wednesday, including one who was apparently punched by a rally attender - to the US president's delight.That was great, man. Wow. Man, I loved that. I watched that," Trump said. That was incredible. Wow. That was unbelievable. Is everybody OK? Continue reading...

Russia frees Stephen Hubbard after US request while Steve Witkoff praises Putin, wanted by ICC as war criminal, as a humanitarian'Vladimir Putin ordered the release of an American man from a Russian jail as he met Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on Wednesday for fresh talks on ending the war in Ukraine, amid increasingly close relations between Moscow and Washington.Trump had previously asked Putin to free Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher who had spent more than four years in Russian jails on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. Continue reading...

Author withdrawn from France's Prix Goncourt last month has repeatedly denied using artificial intelligence to write novelThe publisher of top-selling Haitian Canadian writer Thelyson Orelien, who was removed from France's most prestigious literary prize list last month, has confirmed the author used artificial intelligence to help write his novel C'etait ca ou mourir (It Was Either That or Die).Orelien has denied allegations that he used AI on his breakthrough novel and, last week, Canadian publisher Les Editions du Boreal said it was standing by the 38-year-old writer. Continue reading...

Former reality star and wellness influencer stands accused of choking and assaulting wife at Noosa in Queensland

Reports emerge of similar withdrawals in UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain amid concerns about a return to conflict with Iran after US midterm electionsThe US state department has ordered some diplomats and the families of US government employees to leave Saudi Arabia, as the gulf kingdom faces a barrage of near-daily attacks, with at least three people killed at an airport and oilfield on Wednesday evening.Attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure" by the Iranian-supported Houthis in Yemen were highlighted as the reason for the drawdown. State department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said: The safety and security of department personnel and their families remain our highest priority." Continue reading...

USDA says screwworm found in elk in Texas, and warns hunters and ranchers to be vigilant to help stop spreadThe US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday it had confirmed the first detection of flesh-eating parasite the New World screwworm in US wildlife in an elk in Pecos county, Texas.The elk was located on a game ranch and was reported after being harvested by a hunter, the USDA said in a statement. Continue reading...

Leaders criticised for spreading misleading information as France prepares for further protests this weekendEmmanuel Macron has accused Donald Trump and other foreign leaders of making stupid comments" about France's street unrest for political gain, as the country prepared for more protests this weekend.Speaking during a visit to Qatar, the French president did not name names but said manipulation of information" after Saturday's riots had led to comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid, from many people, including foreign leaders". Continue reading...

Home and office safety a common concern in Australian federal police and Asio safety briefings with politicians following alleged attack on MP Helen Haines

Musk says there's a lot of merit' to potential merger that would require approval of 50% of all Tesla shareholders, but he declined to elaborateInvestors were paying close attention to Tesla's third-quarter earnings call on Wednesday afternoon, after chief executive Elon Musk floated the idea of merging the car company with his rocket and AI company, SpaceX. But they didn't glean further information after the company announced there would be no questions on the matter.With regard to a potential merger with SpaceX, I think I said everything that should be said yesterday," Musk, the CEO of both companies, said on Tesla's earnings call. He repeated a phrase he said on Tuesday: I feel like I'm tap dancing through a minefield." Continue reading...

Committee cites shortfalls of submarines and warships and says dramatic progress' needed by end of decadeBritain risks failing to deter future Russian aggression in the high north beyond the UK because of shortfalls in the number and availability of Royal Navy submarines and warships, MPs on the defence select committee have said.The committee focused on the slow deployment of HMS Dragon to Cyprus this spring, declining numbers of frigates, and reports that all five Astute-class attack submarines were in dock this summer as evidence of a navy under-resourced for the threat. Continue reading...

Some in UK's security services questioned why Welsh Labour firebrand was of interestAneurin Nye" Bevan, the Welsh Labour firebrand who spearheaded the creation of the NHS, was monitored by security services for more than two decades, though his personal file was remarkably tame", according to official files released to the public.Bevan came to MI5's attention in the 1930s over concerns about his links with known communists, papers released to the National Archives show. Monitoring continued even after he became a minister in the postwar Labour government that created the NHS. Continue reading...

House prices in Sydney are at a two-year low after falling 4.7% in the September quarter to $1.66m, according to Domain report

Apes in study more likely to choose treats linked to sound of peers having fun, suggesting emotions influence learningOrangutans base their food choices on whether others appear to be having a good time, research suggests.Scientists studying captive orangutans have found that when the great apes heard the sound of their peers laughing before they searched a bowl for a tasty treat, they valued the reward more highly. Continue reading...

The south-west metro extension will open on Friday 30 October, more than two years after the former T3 heavy rail line closed

Australia-first laws provide a third legal option other than burial and cremation for the treatment of bodies

SEIU Local 1000, representing nurses and teachers, pushing for higher wages, telework and affordable healthcareThousands of California state workers began a sweeping one-day strike on Wednesday, with workers set to rally outside government buildings in several cities, as tensions boiled over lapsed contract negotiations with Governor Gavin Newsom's administration.SEIU Local 1000, a union that represents roughly 100,000 public employees, including nurses and teachers, has been pushing for higher wages, flexible telework and affordable healthcare. Continue reading...

Jack Ross was filmed allegedly discussing with an undercover reporter violent options to deal with enemiesA former Conservative election candidate has been suspended from the party after he was seemingly filmed discussing the cost of hiring contract killers and offering to broker" the services of a far-right activist with alleged paramilitary links.Jack Ross was filmed apparently asking an undercover reporter What do you want done?" before listing the type of violent options that could be bought. Continue reading...

US photojournalist describes protective shield', vows to return to work in West Bank and criticises Netanyahu comments on incidentThe Washington Post photojournalist who was attacked and seriously injured by Israeli settlers on the West Bank on Friday has described how she was saved with the help of local Palestinians.Heidi Levine sustained four fractured vertebrae, two broken ribs and four puncture wounds when she was knocked to the ground and repeatedly beaten by a crowd of masked settlers while she and other journalists were covering the olive harvest in the Palestinian village of Abu Falah, north of Ramallah. Continue reading...

Steve Witkoff's flattery of the Russian leader could be just the start of a mendacious stratagem from a US president who says Moscow has been fine on Ukraine'They say the first casualty of war is truth. For the Trump administration, the road to peace with Russia now encompasses some extraordinary lies.Steve Witkoff delivered one as he sat down with Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday, aiming to close the deal on Russia's land grab in Ukraine with the White House's strategy of maximum pressure on Kyiv and saccharine flattery of the Kremlin. Continue reading...

Officials say the explosion released an airborne irritant that can cause burning of the eyes, nose, mouth and skinOfficials are investigating a tank explosion in Toledo, Ohio, that released a chemical into the air, causing a mass evacuation in the area.One person, a first responder, was injured and taken to the hospital, but officials believe the injuries are non-life-threatening. They are also unsure about the cause of the explosion. Continue reading...

No 10 declines to rule out watering down plans to extend waiting period for indefinite leave to remain as cabinet split widensShabana Mahmood has been urged to read the room" on Labour opposition to her immigration policy, as No 10 declined to rule out watering down her plans to make foreign workers wait 15 years to get permanent residency.Mahmood, the home secretary, is consulting on plans to increase the period before foreign workers can claim indefinite leave to remain from five to 15 years, backdated to apply to anyone arriving from 2021 onwards. Continue reading...

Zia Yusuf claims undercover investigation broke the law as broadcaster stands by its journalismHere is an explainer by Jill Ambrose about the Jackdaw decision.But environmental groups have condemned the decision. Ami McCarthy, head of politics for Greenpeace UK, said:Approving Jackdaw shows the toxic grip fossil fuel lobbyists still hold over our energy policy. Andy Burnham promised pragmatism [see 8.40am], but there is nothing pragmatic about rubber-stamping a project that won't lower energy bills, won't boost energy security and will create just 27 full-time jobs ...True pragmatism means severing our reliance on expensive oil and gas that leaves British households broke, supercharges extreme weather, and leaves our energy security at the mercy of petrostates.Is the prime minister living in a parallel universe? One where we haven't just endured our hottest summer on record, with droughts, wildfires and, in all likelihood, the most heat-related deaths on record? And where the UN hasn't warned that we're on the brink of breaching the all-important 1.5 degree warming limit?Shell will be cheering this decision but it won't knock a penny off our energy bills, which is what's keeping people up at night, or make a meaningful difference to our gas supply.

Jaden J Read was arrested after federal authorities say he posted threats online before president's Wichita rallyA 24-year-old Kansas man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot Donald Trump.Authorities arrested Jaden J Read, of Clearwater, Kansas, last Saturday after he allegedly posted threats to kill the US president at his rally in the Wichita area on Monday, according to the justice department. Continue reading...

Party given additional penalty by Electoral Commission for not paying original fine on timeReform UK has been fined more than 2,000 for failing to declare it was the publisher of campaign material seen by voters - including an additional penalty for failing to pay on time.Nigel Farage's party was sanctioned by the Electoral Commission after four items of elections material were missing an imprint" - a declaration of the publisher so voters know who has paid for the promotional message. Continue reading...

Met police investigating after referral from PSNI about allegation former DUP leader raped woman in 2016The Metropolitan police are investigating an allegation that the former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman inside parliament in 2016.Scotland Yard confirmed it received a report from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on 13 October about an alleged rape in the Palace of Westminster involving a man now aged 63. Continue reading...

Person named K' from China paid five defendants to injure Huang Yi-hao, New Taipei prosecutors sayTaiwanese prosecutors have charged five men over a plot to ram a car into a comedian who made fun of the Chinese Communist party and Xi Jinping.Taiwan has repeatedly accused China of transnational repression to silence critics on the self-governed island, which Beijing claims as its territory and has vowed to take by force if necessary. Continue reading...

Alyssa Wilson, 17, was driving to a party at city zoo when prosecutors say Willie Herndon fired a gun at her carA Texas husband and wife are facing criminal charges following the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl who was driving to a Halloween celebration at the St Louis zoo when gunfire struck her vehicle on a Missouri highway.St Louis county prosecutor Melissa Price Smith announced on Monday that Willie Herndon, 43, has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the death of Alyssa Wilson. His wife, 45-year-old Taiya Herndon, is also facing a charge of hindering prosecution. Continue reading...

Brand, 51, faces three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault against six womenA woman said Russell Brand degraded her and treated her like a piece of meat" when he raped her at his London townhouse, a court has heard.She alleged she repeatedly begged the 51-year-old comedian to stop the assault which left her bleeding for days and in pain. Continue reading...

Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka spent a week in jail after defying restrictions on protests in Delhi amid government crackdownAn Indian court has ordered the release of two leaders of India's Cockroach movement, who were jailed last week amid a mounting state crackdown on youth-led protests.The two leaders of the Cockroach Janta party (CJP) movement, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, had spent a week in Delhi's Tihar jail after being arrested by Delhi police last week. Continue reading...

Students, teachers and civil servants have shown up in Athens, with demonstrations also in Thessaloniki and other citiesMeanwhile, back to Witkoff's meeting with Putin in St Petersburg, the US president, Donald Trump, has just welcomed the release of Stephen Hubbard, a US citizen held by Moscow on allegations of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine (11:24).In a post on Truth Social, he said:Stephen Hubbard, taken four years ago by Russia during the Biden Administration, was just released from prison, at the request of President Donald J. Trump, made directly to President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation last week.Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family. The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return - an unprecedented situation for Russia. There was no swap" necessary for this release. Continue reading...

Department drops efforts to return Tony Hall to Barbados, a country he left at 12 and where he has no living relativesThe Home Office has lifted a deportation order handed to a 62-year-old man who has lived in Britain for 50 years after criticism of the department's attempts to remove him to Barbados, a country he left as a child.The Home Office wrote to Tony Hall on Tuesday to inform him that his deportation order had been revoked. His case had been highlighted in the Guardian a day earlier. Continue reading...

About 80 US, Israeli and British volunteers held near Nahalin in West Bank and taken to police stationThe Israeli military has detained about 80 US, Israeli and British volunteers helping Palestinians harvest olives near Bethlehem, including the New York Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander, several rabbis and Israel's former deputy attorney general.I've been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis and volunteers," Lander posted from a bus taking him to a police station. We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nahalin in the West Bank. The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn't a crime under any law I know." Continue reading...

Enthusiasts like Grimes and A$AP Rocky may embrace AI-generated content, but they won't produce it themselvesStreaming services, notable musicians and fans are confronting the growing presence of AI-generated music and drawing lines in the sand.On Tuesday, Spotify announced it had removed about 50m songs considered AI slop from its recommendations to users over the past year. Continue reading...

Consumer prices rise by more than expected while government's debt interest payments surge to record high for September

Yield on 10-year government bonds passes 5% amid failure to pass budget and fallout from violent street protests

MPs say chaos' at Capita-run scheme could mean some claims miss tax-free time limit on lump sum paymentsBereaved families could face unconscionable" tax bills because of chaos" in the civil service pension scheme, the government has been warned.Some lump sum pension payments to families are only tax-free if made within two years of a scheme being told of the member's death. Continue reading...

Sadiq Khan says upgrade would unlock station's true potential and allow it to live up to its name

At 3pm BST / 4pm CEST Friday 23 Oct, Guardian Europe columnists Rokhaya Diallo and Alexander Hurst will be live taking questions from our readers about the riots and protests in France. Send your questions by email now to conversations@theguardian.com, or join the discussion on FridayAfter weeks of protests and a weekend of riots in which a town hall was set ablaze, 2,000-plus shops were looted, 2,300 people were arrested and 1,000 police injured, the repercussions for France - for its society and its economy - continue. Allegations of police brutality surfaced, and the violent protests unnerved investors, resulting in a debt sell-off, with borrowing costs rising higher than for Greece. All of this ahead of a hotly contested presidential election that's now just six months away.The French government's escalating financial problems were covered by the Guardian's Europe correspondent Jon Henley who wrote: France's national debt, at 119% of GDP, is at its highest level since 1946. Its budget deficit, at 5.1%, is also among the highest in the EU. There is just no money in the bank to ease the cost of living squeeze that brought 550,000 people on to the streets on Saturday." Continue reading...

Hamstrung governments seem to have no answer to the public's furious demands, making further discontent likely

Unorthodox campaign is challenging the ruling party's 12-year reign with a bold democratic experimentOn a cool autumn evening, a team of Serbian student volunteers went canvassing in the housing estates of Krnjaa, a Belgrade suburb. They were equipped with lanyards emblazoned with the word victory", a stock list of questions and a mobile app that mapped visited homes and the level of support in each.The volunteers were part of a mass student movement, Student List, that has rocked Serbia with two years of constant protests. On Sunday, the group will represent the most serious challenge Aleksandar Vui has faced in his 12 increasingly authoritarian years in power, by putting forward their own candidates in parliamentary elections. Continue reading...

AFP commissioner says MPs are generally concerned about growing volume of abuse and intimidation

Haines is in stable condition. Surgeons tried to save her right leg but both have now been amputated due to injuries

Court of appeal decision prevents woman from suing police and CPS for disclosing her address to violent ex-partnerThe Labour MP Jess Phillips has said she hopes the UK's highest court sees sense" and overturns a ruling preventing a domestic abuse survivor from suing Sussex police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for disclosing her address to her violent ex-partner.Phillips said that if the supreme court upheld the court of appeal's decision when it hears the case on Wednesday and Thursday, it would prevent police from being held accountable for failures in cases of violence against women and girls. Continue reading...

Friend of accused double murderer tells supreme court that van had lemony smell and blue tarp in back before Bunnings stop

Children as young as 12 among dozens subject to federal police operations since 2020, parliamentary inquiry hears

UK defence secretary had been due to unveil proposals on Thursday until concerns were raised at 11th hourWes Streeting has been forced to delay the publication of a plan to get more young people into defence industry jobs after pushback from trade unions, the Guardian understands.The defence secretary had been due to announce the proposals on Thursday, but some unions in the sector are understood to have reacted angrily to the plans, accusing the government of bypassing their members and minimising their roles in job creation. Continue reading...

During a summer fire that destroyed homes in Stourbridge, low pressure meant filling a water carrier took 40 minutesConcerns have been raised about how drought affects the UK's ability to cope with wildfires after MPs were told firefighters struggled for water supplies during this year's record summer.The government has been urged to set out water companies' statutory responsibilities during major fire incidents to improve the country's preparedness for the years ahead. Continue reading...

Rights groups say the planned 1.4km route, which ends at compound run by far-right settler group Elad, will displace Palestinians and reshape the cultural landscapeA fifth foreign company has pulled out of a plan to build a cable car from West to East Jerusalem that threatens to involve the seizure of land and property rights from dozens of Palestinian families along its route, but local authorities insist the scheme is proceeding as planned.The project appeared to have stalled for four years until late September, just weeks before Israel's 27 October elections, when the Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) issued a notice of intent to award a contract without a public tender to ROPES, a cable car engineering consultancy based in South Tyrol, Italy. Continue reading...