A polarized America goes to the polls: ‘I’m in a house divided’

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In the seven swing states that could decide whether Harris or Trump wins the election, voters feel fought over

America had previously always been “somebody else’s country,” said Christopher La Rose, a health researcher, as he waited just before 7am in Pine Lake, a village that’s too small for postal delivery just outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

But that changed recently for La Rose, who is of Guyanese descent, when he became an American citizen. He had the jitters on Monday night, before using his first-ever vote in a US election to back Kamala Harris.

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Lightning strike kills football player during match in Peru

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  • 34-year-old Hugo De La Cruz dies on way to hospital
  • Other players treated in hospital after incident

Lightning has killed a 34-year-old player and injured five others during a football match in Peru.

Sunday’s game between Juventud Bellavista and Familia Chocca in Huancayo province, about 70km south-east of Lima, was halted when lightning first struck, but a second bolt hit players as they began leaving the field. Video footage shows eight of the players collapsing after a loud crack.

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Oldest living survivor of Tulsa race massacre casts vote for Kamala Harris

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Viola Ford Fletcher, 110, voted for the vice-president in Oklahoma, CNN reporter says

Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa race massacre, cast her ballot in Oklahoma on Tuesday at 110 years old for Kamala Harris.

In a photo shared on social media, Fletcher is wearing an “I voted” sticker, and according to CNN journalist Abby Phillip, Fletcher voted for the vice-president, as she had previously said she would.

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Suspected homicide of politician shocks Antigua and Barbuda

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Prime minister of Caribbean island expresses ‘deep shock and sadness’ at death of MP Asot Michael

The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda has expressed “deep shock and sadness” after the suspected homicide of one of the country’s most prominent MPs.

Asot Michael, 54, was found unresponsive with what appeared to be “multiple puncture wounds about his body” at his home just after 8am, according to police on the Caribbean island. The representative for the country’s St Peter constituency was declared dead at the scene.

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Boots says it will ‘draw lessons’ from research into links to slavery

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Report looked into donations to Nottingham universities by Jesse Boot, who expanded pharmacy chain

The high-street pharmacy Boots’s links to the transatlantic slave trade have been revealed in new research that shows how the proceeds of enslavement became entangled with British capitalism.

Jesse Boot, the son of the company’s founder, expanded the chemist with the help of banks and premises linked to slavery. He was not identified as involved in the enslavement of people, the trade of enslaved people or trade in goods made by enslaved people.

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Benjamin Netanyahu fires defence minister Yoav Gallant, triggering protests across Israel

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Demonstrators in Tel Aviv and outside PM’s home condemn sacking of Gallant, widely seen by Israel’s allies as a brake on far-right elements of Israeli government

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has fired his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, a figure widely considered by Israel’s international allies to be a brake on the far-right elements of the country’s coalition government, prompting protests around Israel.

Netanyahu said in a video statement late on Tuesday that “significant gaps on handling the battle” in Gaza had emerged.

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Fight on French train involving axe and samurai sword leaves 4 students wounded, including one victim with hand cut off – CBS News

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  1. Fight on French train involving axe and samurai sword leaves 4 students wounded, including one victim with hand cut off  CBS News
  2. Axe Attack On Paris Train Leaves 4 Teens Injured  NDTV
  3. Four wounded after axe used in fight on Paris suburban train  The Guardian
  4. At least four wounded by axe in fight on France train  The Independent
  5. Four injured in violent axe attack on train near Paris  Euronews
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Meta to let US national security agencies and defense contractors use Llama AI

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Company typically prohibits its use for ‘military, warfare, nuclear industries or applications, [and] espionage’

Meta announced Monday that it would allow US national security agencies and defense contractors to use its open-source artificial intelligence model, Llama. The announcement came days after Reuters reported an older version of Llama had been used by researchers to develop defense applications for the military wing of the Chinese government.

Meta’s policies typically prohibit the use of its open-source large language model for “military, warfare, nuclear industries or applications, [and] espionage”. The company is making an exception for US agencies and contractors as well as similar national security agencies in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, according to Bloomberg.

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XL bully dog put down after fatal attack on North Yorkshire girl, 10

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Savannah Bentham, from the Malton area, killed by family pet in attack police said was out of character

An XL bully dog has been put down after fatally attacking a 10-year-old girl in North Yorkshire last week.

Savannah Bentham, from the Malton area, was fatally attacked by her family’s pet dog at home on Friday. On Tuesday, the dog was identified as an XL bully and was euthanised by a vet, North Yorkshire police said.

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Nearly all of US states are facing droughts, an unprecedented number

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More than 150 million people and 318m acres of crops are affected by droughts after summer of record heat

Every US state except Alaska and Kentucky is facing drought, an unprecedented number, according to the US Drought Monitor.

A little more than 45% of the US and Puerto Rico is in drought this week, according to the tracker. About 54% of land in the 48 contiguous US states is affected by droughts.

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Sara Sharif’s father says stepmother was ‘true villain’ as he denies murder

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Jury heard that Urfan Sharif tried to call an ambulance for his daughter but was told to ‘leave it'

The father of Sara Sharif denied killing his daughter as he claimed the 10-year-old’s stepmother was the “true villain of the piece”, a court was told.

Urfan Sharif tried to save his “limp” daughter and begged for an ambulance, only to be told: “Leave it; she’s dead,” jurors heard.

Sharif wept as he described Sara as a “beautiful angel” and denied abusing her, saying: “I did slap her; I never beat her … I have lot of flaws. I’m not even an average father. I never beat her any of the time. Never.”

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Shetland man’s bond with otter becomes subject of award-winning film

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Documentary about Billy Mail’s connection with orphaned pup Molly airs on National Geographic next week

National Geographic will be streaming a new documentary about an unlikely bond between a man and an otter in Shetland.

Billy Mail met Molly, a starving pup, in 2021 when he saw her jumping off a pontoon into the sea near his Shetland home. Mail wanted to see how close he could get to her before she fled. But it turned out that Molly had no intention of running away.

Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story will be available from 14 November on Disney+, and will air on 15 November on National Geographic

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