Morrison and Abbott praise Trump – as it happened

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There was some seriously colourful language in Senate estimates yesterday, but in this case the media regulator found radio hosts’ words were a step too far. Sarah Martin reports on what the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young described as “revolting, sexist, racist, misogynistic, divisive stuff”:

A “dangerous anti-abortion bill” before the Senate should be withdrawn, if the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, wants credibility on women’s healthcare, the minister for women, Katy Gallagher, says.

It is typical of Peter Dutton to view this purely as a matter of winning or losing votes, rather than any genuine commitment to women’s healthcare.

If Peter Dutton wants any credibility on women’s healthcare, he must immediately ensure Senators [Matt] Canavan and [Alex] Antic withdraw their dangerous anti-abortion bill currently before the Senate.

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US elections live: Harris makes unexpected stop at DNC headquarters as millions of Americans cast their votes

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Harris thanks Democratic staffers in Washington DC and says ‘we have so much work to do’ during phone-banking session

Dispatch from Grand Rapids, Michigan: They just showed a video here of Donald Trump shaving the head of Vince McMahon, the former CEO of WWE, during a wrestling event. It happened in 2007.

Needless to say, Trump hasn’t arrived yet.

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Donald Trump says ‘we made history’ as he closes in on victory with win in Pennsylvania – as it happened

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The state of American democracy and the economy were the top issues on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots in the 2024 presidential election, according to an NBC News exit poll.

The poll’s preliminary results show 35% of voters said democracy mattered most to their vote, while 31% said the economy.

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Protests in Israel after defence minister sacked – as it happened

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This blog is now closed. See our latest full report here and all our Middle East crisis coverage here

Al Jazeera reports that the death toll from an Israeli strike on tents housing displaced people in central Gaza has risen to six, and includes a six-year-old and a four-year-old child.

Lebanon’s Nation News Agency has reported that the Israeli army, which has been staging incursions inside the south of the country, “is booby-trapping and destroying entire neighbourhoods in cities and towns, such that more than 37 towns have been wiped out and their homes destroyed, and more than 40,000 housing units have been completely destroyed.”

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Israel Strikes Syria for Second Day, Targeting Hezbollah Weapons Facilities – The New York Times

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  1. Israel Strikes Syria for Second Day, Targeting Hezbollah Weapons Facilities  The New York Times
  2. Israeli attack targets town in Syria's Homs province, state TV reports  Reuters
  3. IAF strikes Hezbollah facility in Al Qusayr, Syria  The Jerusalem Post
  4. IDF Strikes Hezbollah Targets Near Damascus; 70 Rockets Fired at Israel From Lebanon  Haaretz
  5. Israeli airstrike reported in western Syria  The Times of Israel
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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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