Why does Elon Musk want to merge Tesla and SpaceX?
Musk, who is CEO of both companies, says there is "a lot to be gained" from the merger, which would be the biggest in history.
Fifth foreign firm pulls out of controversial Israeli cable car project to East Jerusalem
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 landscape
A 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...US envoy to meet Putin in Russia as Zelensky says intelligence sharing ‘works now’
Ukraine had accused the US of withholding key intelligence - a claim rejected as "scandalous" by Washington.
BBC inside Australian court as man charged with attacking MP stays silent in first hearing
BBC's Katy Watson describes what unfolded in Wangaratta as 43-year-old Brendan Nugent appeared before court over the alleged attack of Helen Haines.
‘Trash Island’ or DC landmark? How a golf course got Trump in a messy legal dispute
Trump said he has plans to turn a 106-year-old public golf course in Washington DC into a tournament-capable golf course for pros, but local golfers are not happy.
Police charge accused Brendan Nugent with additional offences – as it happened
Independent MP’s condition remains critical on Wednesday after surgery to save her remaining leg
Anthony Albanese has described the police interview on Tuesday with Brendan Nugent as “extensive” but that the motivation of the alleged “violent” attack against Helen Haines is still unknown.
Certainly, it’s a reminder that the world is a more dangerous and divided place than it was a generation ago.
But I think that Australians do want to see their politicians be able to go about their business, to be able to get something from the back of their car, for goodness sake.
My side, every side included. We all have to recognise that politics has got more aggressive.
The particular impact on women in politics … [They] have got a different form of vilification and aggression towards them as well.
Continue reading...Haitian migrants changed this US town – Trump’s deportation drive is reshaping it again
The president thrust Springfield, Ohio, into the spotlight with a false pet-eating claim - years later, it remains at the heart of the immigration debate.
Fast-fashion giant Shein outperforms several Australian retailers on ethics, report says
Ghanda and Windsor Smith are among lowest-rated in Baptist World Aid ethical fashion report based on metrics such as wages and sustainability
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Online fast-fashion giant Shein is outperforming many Australian high street retailers on ethical standards, according to an industry review.
The 11th Baptist World Aid ethical fashion report, released on Tuesday, assessed the ethical practices of 138 Australian and international companies, representing 543 fashion brands.
Continue reading...University of Arizona sorority member alleges sexual assault at fraternity house
Student told the university’s police department that assault by two men occurred in August during a night of drinking
A sorority member at the University of Arizona has alleged she was sexually assaulted by two men at a fraternity house during a night of drinking in late August.
The student told the university’s police department that she consensually kissed one of the men at one point while at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house on 26 August but doesn’t remember agreeing to sex, according to search warrant records posted Monday night by KOLD-TV in Tucson.
Continue reading...France is divided over who to blame for weekend riots and what to learn from them
In France and beyond there is widespread disagreement over what led to some of the worst unrest seen in French cities in modern history.
Mariah Carey wins dismissal of brother’s defamation lawsuit over her memoir
Morgan Carey sued his sister over claims in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, which he said falsely portrayed him as a violent drug dealer
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit from Mariah Carey’s brother, five years after he accused her of defaming him in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey.
In the memoir, Carey described Morgan as a “sometimes drug dealing, been-in-the-system, drunk-ass brother” and called him her “ex-brother”.
Continue reading...Nigeria confirms Ebola case as outbreak spreads into western Africa
Case in Africa’s most populous country was detected in a woman who had travelled from Uganda
Nigeria has confirmed an Ebola case in its capital, Abuja, after a woman who arrived from Uganda tested positive for the virus, the health ministry said.
The woman began showing symptoms on 7 October and was admitted to a hospital in Abuja four days later, where she was later diagnosed with Ebola. It is unclear when she arrived in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.
Continue reading...Borneo burning: Life on the frontline of South East Asia’s toxic haze
A "Super El Niño" has fuelled months-long fires in Indonesia, making hundreds of thousands of people sick.
Is Ebola under control in Kenya after nine cases confirmed?
The US has advised its citizens to reconsider travelling to Kenya but the government tries to reassure people.
Elon Musk says Tesla-SpaceX merger being considered
Musk says special committees within both companies have been formed to look at a possible mega-merger.
Florida kills 77-year-old man in state’s 18th execution of year
Vietnam veteran William Reaves executed by lethal injection despite letter from fellow veterans urging halt
Florida carried out its 18th execution of the year on Tuesday under Republican governor Ron DeSantis’s aggressive use of the death penalty in his final term.
William Reaves, 77, was pronounced dead at 6.12pm following a three-drug injection at Florida state prison near Starke. He was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1986 shooting death of Indian River county deputy Richard Raczkowski.
Continue reading...Alabama governor commutes sentence of prisoner on death row
Toforest Johnson’s death penalty reduced to life in prison without parole over doubts about his conviction
Toforest Johnson, an Alabama death row inmate, will no longer face execution after the state’s Republican governor commuted his sentence amid increasing doubts about his conviction.
Kay Ivey, the Alabama governor, commuted Johnson’s sentence to life in prison without parole in the 1995 murder of William Hardy, a Jefferson county deputy sheriff. Johnson has long maintained he is innocent, and several former public officials, as well the local district attorney, have argued he should receive a new trial.
Continue reading...Alberta’s decisive decision to stay in Canada gives Carney backing to take on Trump
The overwhelming vote by Alberta to stay in Canada gives Mark Carney political capital to focus on remaking the country's economy, writes the BBC's Lyse Doucet.
Italy to deploy 500 troops to Milan after days of protests and looting
Government planning tougher security measures as France also says military forces will be deployed
Italy’s government is sending 500 soldiers to Milan and vowed a “firm response from the state” after protests against the cost of living descended into clashes with police, vandalism and looting. Further demonstrations are planned on Saturday.
The government of the far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, also announced new security measures, including an offence of violent participation in a demonstration, tougher penalties for rioters, and financial liability for parents whose children take part in vandalism and looting.
Continue reading...Suspect arrested after historic town hall set alight – French media
The spire of the clock tower at Limoges city hall dramatically collapsed as it was engulfed in flames on Saturday.