UK retail sales growth slumps as shoppers wait for Black Friday deals

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Later October half-term break and budget uncertainty also led to lower spending, says industry

Growth in UK retail sales slumped in October, according to industry figures that suggest shoppers have put off spending in anticipation of Black Friday promotions and because of a later school half-term break.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show total sales grew by 0.6% year on year in October, significantly weaker than September’s and less than half the three-month average growth rate.

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Is your air fryer spying on you? Concerns over ‘excessive’ surveillance in smart devices

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UK consumer group Which? finds some everyday items including watches and speakers are ‘stuffed with trackers’

Air fryers that gather your personal data and audio speakers “stuffed with trackers” are among examples of smart devices engaged in “excessive” surveillance, according to the consumer group Which?

The organisation tested three air fryers, increasingly a staple of British kitchens, each of which requested permission to record audio on the user’s phone through a connected app.

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At least 25 dead after boat ‘deliberately capsized by traffickers,’ says UN migration agency – CNN

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  1. At least 25 dead after boat ‘deliberately capsized by traffickers,’ says UN migration agency  CNN
  2. Women, children among 24 dead in boat accident off Comoros Islands, says UN agency  Anadolu Agency | English
  3. At least 25 killed after traffickers capsize boat off Comoros: IOM  Al Jazeera English
  4. Boat capsizes off Comoros islands, 25 killed, UN agency says  Reuters
  5. Smugglers Sank Boat And Fled, Says Comoros Tragedy Survivor  Barron's
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Residents of conservative California county brace for tumultuous elections

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‘More and more divided’ Shasta is grappling with baseless conspiracy theories of voter fraud and election denialism

Residents of one of California’s most conservative counties are bracing for a contentious election, as the community grapples with a thriving election denialism movement that has amplified conspiracy theories about voter fraud and made life increasingly difficult for election workers.

In recent weeks, some residents of Shasta county, home to 180,000 people in the state’s far north, have urged the county not to certify the election results while one official warned that if Donald Trump is “cheated” out of the election, there would be “a price” to pay.

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Israeli strikes kill at least 16 people in Gaza, keep up pressure on north – Reuters

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  1. Israeli strikes kill at least 16 people in Gaza, keep up pressure on north  Reuters
  2. LIVE: Israel kills 17 people in Gaza, continues attacks on Lebanon  Al Jazeera English
  3. Israel-Gaza-Lebanon live updates: Israel killed 3,000 in Lebanon, officials say  Good Morning America
  4. An Israeli airstrike kills 20 people in northern Gaza, Palestinian officials say  The Associated Press
  5. Thirty Palestinians killed in Gaza, Israel issues new evacuation orders  Reuters
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Protesters hurl mud at Spain’s king, queen and prime minister after floods – The Washington Post

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  1. Protesters hurl mud at Spain’s king, queen and prime minister after floods  The Washington Post
  2. Queen Letizia in tears on visit to flood-hit Valencia  BBC.com
  3. Spain's king stood his ground under a mud barrage. What will the iconic moment mean for his reign?  The Associated Press
  4. Angry crowds boo and throw eggs at Spanish king as he visits flood-hit Valencia  CNN
  5. Unlike the Spanish, the British aren’t pelting their royals with mud. But patience is running out …  The Guardian
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Trump and Harris scramble to win votes in key states in final day of campaigning

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Ex-president hurtles through four rallies across three states as vice-president puts focus on Pennsylvania

Donald Trump began hurtling through four Maga rallies across three battleground states – and delivered a dark and dystopian speech about the supposed “migrant invasion” of murderers and drug dealers – while Kamala Harris put all her last chips on Pennsylvania in a frantic final day of campaigning from both candidates.

With the polls showing the contest essentially deadlocked between two vastly different political visions, both the ex-president and the vice-president were scrambling on Monday to drive home their message. Though early voting has smashed records across the country, there is still everything to play for in cajoling undecided and unengaged voters to the polls on election day.

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Trump v Harris on key issues

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Exclusive | Russia Suspected of Plotting to Send Incendiary Devices on U.S.-Bound Planes – The Wall Street Journal

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  1. Exclusive | Russia Suspected of Plotting to Send Incendiary Devices on U.S.-Bound Planes  The Wall Street Journal
  2. Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports  CNN
  3. Incendiary device plot targeting UK may have been dry run for US and Canada  The Guardian
  4. Russia accused of plotting to plant explosives aboard US-bound airplanes: report  Fox News
  5. Russia Suspected of Planning to Send Incendiary Devices to US  Bloomberg
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Tropical Storm Rafael triggers hurricane warning for Cayman Islands

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Storm expected to bring heavy rain to US Gulf coast later this week

Forecasters posted a hurricane warning in the Caribbean on Monday afternoon after a late-season disturbance south of Cuba strengthened into Tropical Storm Rafael and set its sights on the US Gulf coast.

The 17th named storm of an overactive Atlantic hurricane season will bring heavy rain to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before strengthening to a hurricane and probably hitting Cuba, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

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Butchered remains of dolphin discovered on New Jersey beach

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration investigates discovery of remains of common dolphin

The butchered remains of a dolphin were found on a New Jersey beach, and federal authorities are investigating.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which responds to reports of dead or distressed marine animals that come ashore in New Jersey, said the remains of a common dolphin were found on Wednesday on the beach in Allenhurst, just north of Asbury Park.

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