General news

• Video shows poisonous snake curled up on bed among child’s stuffed animals in Australia

  19-06-2024 23:54 via foxnews.com
  
  An Australian family got a shocking serp-prize when they found a poisonous snake curled up among several stuffed animals on their child’s bed.Like something out of a horror movie, or someone’s worst nightmare, the red-bellied black snake was discovered in the child’s bedroom on Sunday morning in the town of Jimboomba, about 30 miles south of Brisbane.Video of the encounter was posted to Facebook by Snake Catchers Brisbane & Gold Coast. It showed Bryce Lockett taking on the
  
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• SNP manifesto: 11 key policies analysed

  19-06-2024 23:53 via bbc.com
  
  BBC correspondents analyse key policies in the SNP manifesto.
  
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• Hezbollah leader: Cyprus will be target if it lets Israel use its territory in conflict

  19-06-2024 22:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warns of ‘war without rules’ if Israel launches full-scale invasion against Lebanese militiaThe leader of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, warned of a war “without rules or ceilings” in the event of a full-scale Israeli offensive against the Lebanese militia, as he threatened that Cyprus could become a target if it allowed Israel to use its territory in any conflict.Cyprus and Israel have a bilateral defence cooperation agreement which has seen
  
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• Rachel Reeves vows to close gender pay gap ‘once and for all’ if she is chancellor

  19-06-2024 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Shadow chancellor says she wants to shatter ‘last glass ceiling in politics’ and improve women’s position‘No jobs women can’t do’: Rachel Reeves on idols, fiscal prudence and broken promisesThe women who came before: Rachel Reeves’s three Labour leading lightsRachel Reeves has promised to close the gender pay gap “once and for all” and make flexible working the norm if she becomes Britain’s first female chancellor.In an inter
  
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• ‘No jobs women can’t do’: Rachel Reeves on idols, fiscal prudence and broken promises

  19-06-2024 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Shadow chancellor on why the gender pay gap is at the top of her agenda and a terrible Tory inheritanceReeves vows to close gender pay gap ‘once and for all’ as chancellorThe women who came before: Rachel Reeves’ Labour leading lightsAfter a long day on the campaign trail across the south of England, Rachel Reeves was heading back to her home in London to do some late-night cooking with leftovers from Sunday lunch.“I don’t like waste,” she said, when asked if
  
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• Ramaphosa sworn in for second term as South African president

  19-06-2024 21:57 via foxnews.com
  
  Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in for a second term as South Africa's president on Wednesday in a ceremony in the administrative capital, Pretoria, after his reelection with the help from a coalition of parties, a first in the country's 30-year rule.Ramaphosa is now set to appoint a Cabinet in a new coalition government after his African National Congress party lost its parliamentary majority in an election last month. He was reelected president by lawmakers on Friday after the main opposition party
  
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• WATCH: Rare, stinky 'corpse flower' blooms in London

  19-06-2024 21:37
  
  A corpse flower, one of the world's rarest and smelliest plants, bloomed at London's Kew Gardens on Tuesday.
  
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• Labour suspends candidate after he reportedly shared pro-Russia posts

  19-06-2024 21:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Party removes support for Andy Brown, standing for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, after reported posts about novichok poisoningsUK election live – latest updatesLabour has suspended one of its candidates after reports that he shared pro-Russian material online.The shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said she “hadn’t heard of” the candidate Andy Brown until the disciplinary action was taken, but said it was “absolutely right” for Labour to swiftly remove sup
  
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• Prosecutors say Alec Baldwin was ‘engaged in horseplay’ with gun before fatal shooting

  19-06-2024 21:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Actor is due to go to trial over death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed on set of RustFewer than three weeks before actor Alec Baldwin is due to go on trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, prosecutors have said that he “engaged in horseplay with the revolver”, including firing a blank round at a crew member on the set of Rust before the tragic accident occurred.Baldwin is facing involuntary manslaughter charges in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
  
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• ‘I’ve waited a long time for this’: woman earns Stanford master’s degree at 105

  19-06-2024 21:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Virginia Hislop left school to care for her family during the second world war; 83 years later she received diplomaVirginia Hislop took 83 years to get her master’s degree from Stanford University. Now, at 105 years old, she’s finally graduated.“My goodness, I’ve waited a long time for this,” she said, walking across the stage on Sunday to receive her diploma. She was cheered on by her family, grandchildren and the 2024 graduating class. Continue reading...
  
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• Electioncast: The SNP manifesto

  19-06-2024 20:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Newscast and Newsnight unite in Birmingham
  
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• Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms

  19-06-2024 20:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Law passed requiring text to be displayed in every public school classroom, although lawsuits against it are expectedLouisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom under a bill signed into law by the Republican governor, Jeff Landry, on Wednesday.The GOP-drafted legislation mandates that a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” be required in all public classrooms, from kin
  
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• Israeli talk of war with Hezbollah almost certainly fresh attempt at deterrence

  19-06-2024 20:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Risk is that miscalculation leads to sudden conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which is far more powerful than HamasA warning from Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, that a decision on “all-out war” with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon is coming soon is almost certainly a fresh attempt at deterrence on his part – not least because both sides well understand how devastating full hostilities would be.The reality is that Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, is a more powerful
  
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• Sunak protection officer arrested over alleged bets on timing of election

  19-06-2024 20:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Officer arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, say Metropolitan policeOne of Rishi Sunak’s close protection officers has been arrested over alleged bets about the timing of the election.The officer was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the Metropolitan police said in a statement. Continue reading...
  
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• WATCH: Remembering the birthplace of Juneteenth

  19-06-2024 19:58
  
  The Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Gala kicks off the celebration of Juneteenth every year in Galveston, Texas.
  
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• US admits dams in Pacific north-west have devastated Native Americans

  19-06-2024 19:42 via theguardian.com
  
  US says dams killed off salmon, inundated villages and burial grounds, and spirited wealth away from tribesThe US government, in a report published on Tuesday, acknowledged for the first time the harms that federal dams have inflicted on Native American tribes in the US Pacific north-west.The report by the interior department details the “historic, ongoing and cumulative impacts of federal Columbia River dams on Columbia River Basin Tribes”, including how dams on the Columbia and Sna
  
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• Labour would need an effective opposition, says Hunt

  19-06-2024 19:34 via bbc.com
  
  The chancellor is the latest senior Tory to acknowledge his party could be on course for defeat.
  
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• Russia and North Korea sign mutual defence pact

  19-06-2024 19:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un’s agreement raises western alarm about possible Russian help for nuclear programmeThe Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, have signed a pact that includes a clause requiring the countries to come to each other’s aid if either is attacked, a move that has raised western concerns about potential Russian aid for Pyongyang’s missile or nuclear programmes.The inclusion of a mutual defence clause in their compreh
  
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• France’s far-right leader says he will not be PM without absolute majority

  19-06-2024 19:23 via theguardian.com
  
  National Rally’s Jordan Bardella insists he would need to govern free of partners if party wins parliamentary electionsJordan Bardella, the leader of the National Rally (RN), has said he will not accept the job of prime minister unless his far-right party wins an absolute majority in parliament because he would not have the freedom to act “in the daily lives of French people” as he sees fit.Polls suggest the RN is on course to win the snap parliamentary elections called by Emma
  
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• Beach buried by eruption of Mount Vesuvius reopens to public after restoration

  19-06-2024 19:16 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Extraordinary and unique’ ancient beach that was destroyed in AD79 disaster resurrected in southern ItalyAn ancient Roman beach that was buried by the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius has reopened to the public at Herculaneum archaeological park in southern Italy.The beach has been reinstated after conservation work in recent years restored its original level, including bringing back sand, which is aimed at giving visitors the experience of walking along the beach almost as it was be
  
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• France urged to step in to spur TotalEnergies’ transition from oil

  19-06-2024 19:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Commission recommends 33-point plan to ensure oil giant complies with state climate commitmentsThe French government should intervene in TotalEnergies and spur faster climate action, a senate inquiry commission has concluded.The commission, set up to explore ways the state could guarantee that the oil conglomerate complies with French climate commitments, recommended 33 steps the government should take to “encourage a rapid, orderly and effective transition”. Continue reading...
  
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• Tory government ‘worst in postwar era’, claims expert study – as it happened

  19-06-2024 19:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Sir Anthony Seldon leads analysis that concludes that equality, growth and the UK’s standing in the world have all declined since 2010• Sign up to our Election Edition daily newsletterAnd here are some of the best pictures from yesterday’s campaigning. As more voting people than ever appear poised to turn away from the Tories, Sunak appeared in several photographs with sheep and lobsters as he visited North Devon, held by the Tories since 2015. The Guardian’s Archie bland
  
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• Birmingham general election hopeful joked about domestic violence on podcast

  19-06-2024 19:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Independent Akhmed Yakoob, who polls suggest is closing gap on Labour, also said ‘70% of hell will be women’ An independent candidate standing in Birmingham said “70% of hell will be women” and joked about domestic violence on a podcast earlier this year, it has emerged, as polling suggests he is closing the gap with Labour.Akhmed Yakoob, who came third in the West Midlands mayoral election in May with just over 10% of the vote, is standing against Labour’s Shabana
  
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• Alex Murdaugh’s son sues Netflix over docuseries linking him to 2015 death

  19-06-2024 18:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Son of convicted murderer says Netflix defamed him when suggesting he was involved in death of Stephen SmithRichard Alexander “Buster” Murdaugh, the son of imprisoned South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the streaming giant of “reckless indifference to the truth” when it linked him to the 2015 death of his schoolfriend Stephen Smith in a documentary.The 28-year-old son of Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted in 2022 o
  
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• White House disputes Netanyahu’s claim that US is withholding weapons from Israel

  19-06-2024 18:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Israeli leader made claim in X post, although Biden administration says it does not ‘know what he is talking about’The Biden administration has reacted furiously to criticisms by Benjamin Netanyahu that the US is holding back weapons and ammunition from Israel in its war in Gaza, reportedly cancelling a high-level meeting with Israeli officials on Iran in retaliation.Netanyahu made the claims of a supposedly deliberate weapons delay in a video posted on X in which he implied that Isr
  
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• Multiple deaths reported after fire causes explosion in capital of Chad

  19-06-2024 18:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Nine people died after blast at ammunition depot in N’Djamena and at least 40 have been injured, official saysNine people were killed and more than 40 injured when a fire set off explosions at a military ammunition depot in Chad’s capital, an official has said.Government spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said on Wednesday that 46 people were being treated for various injuries after the explosions jolted residents from their sleep late on Tuesday in the Goudji district of the capital
  
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• Today's the summer solstice - here's what you need to know

  19-06-2024 18:33 via bbc.com
  
  What is the summer solstice, when is it this year - and does it mean good weather?
  
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• Military ammunition depot explosion in Chad kills 9 people, wounds 46

  19-06-2024 18:30 via foxnews.com
  
  Nine people were killed and more than 40 injured when a fire set off explosions at a military ammunition depot in Chad’s capital, an official said Wednesday.Government spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said 46 people were being treated for various injuries after the explosions jolted residents from their sleep late Tuesday in the Goudji district of the capital, N’Djamena. The situation has been brought under control, Koulamallah said.The explosions lit up the sky as thick smoke cove
  
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• Washington Post publisher alleged to have advised Boris Johnson to ‘clean up’ phone during Partygate Covid scandal

  19-06-2024 18:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Sources’ claim suggests advice by Will Lewis, an informal adviser to then prime minister, contradicted instructions to staffWill Lewis, the Washington Post publisher, advised Boris Johnson and senior officials at 10 Downing Street to “clean up” their phones in the midst of a Covid-era political scandal, according to claims by three people familiar with the operations inside No 10 at the time.The advice is alleged to have been given in December 2021 and January 2022 as top offic
  
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• Mother of British teenager missing in Tenerife has ‘not slept at all’

  19-06-2024 18:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Jay Slater, 19, from Lancashire, last made contact on Monday morning from a mountainous areaThe mother of a British teenager who has gone missing during a holiday in Tenerife has said she has “not slept at all” as the search continues.Jay Slater, 19, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last heard from on Monday morning when he told a friend he planned to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus, a journey that would take about 11 hours on foot. Continue reading...
  
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• Sinn Féin: Election must bring 'change' in NI funding

  19-06-2024 18:08 via bbc.com
  
  Mary Lou McDonald was speaking at the launch of Sinn Féin's manifesto for the UK general election.
  
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• Henry Zeffman: Will falling inflation change minds on the campaign trail?

  19-06-2024 18:04 via bbc.com
  
  Henry Zeffman: Will falling inflation change minds on the campaign trail?
  
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• Sinn Féin manifesto: Key policies analysed

  19-06-2024 17:52 via bbc.com
  
  BBC News NI correspondents examine the detail of Sinn Féin's manifesto for the general election.
  
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• Suspended Labour candidate says he has been 'hung out to dry'

  19-06-2024 17:50 via bbc.com
  
  Andy Brown suggests his Facebook account may have been hacked and says he has been "hung out to dry".
  
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• IDF approving Lebanon 'offensive' is step toward ‘significant escalation’ against Hezbollah, ex-official warns

  19-06-2024 17:13 via foxnews.com
  
  The Israel Defense Forces’ announcement that it has approved plans for an "offensive in Lebanon" is "another step towards a significant escalation" against the terrorist group Hezbollah, a former IDF spokesperson tells Fox News Digital.  The IDF released a photo this week showing a meeting of top generals discussing war strategy, noting that "as part of the situational assessment, operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved and validated, and decisions were taken on th
  
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• Climate activists spray Stonehenge with orange powder, demanding end to fossil fuels in UK

  19-06-2024 17:09 via foxnews.com
  
  A climate activism group vandalized an ancient landmark in the U.K. as part of a wider protest against fossil fuels.Just Stop Oil, the organization behind the Wednesday incident, is demanding "the incoming U.K. government commit to working with other governments to agree an equitable plan to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.""Stonehenge at solstice is all about celebrating the natural world — but look at the state it’s in! We all have a right to live a life
  
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• European Commission warns France over fiscal rules as election looms

  19-06-2024 17:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Decision to launch ‘excessive deficit procedure’ sets up collision course with post-election governmentThe European Commission has issued a reprimand to France for breaking EU fiscal rules before an election where the frontrunners are making lavish spending promises.The EU executive’s decision to launch the “excessive deficit procedure” against France is a blow to Emmanuel Macron – with a deficit well above the EU threshold – and also sets up a collision
  
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• Israel-Gaza war: Hezbollah fires more projectiles at Israel despite warning – as it happened

  19-06-2024 17:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Iran-backed militant group fired more than a dozen projectiles into northern Israel, says Israeli army, day after Israel warned of ‘total war’ with groupSee all our Israel-Gaza coverageAgence France-Presse (AFP) report that there have been Israeli airstrikes and clashes between troops and Palestinian militants in Gaza on Wednesday.Witnesses and the civil defence agency in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip reported Israeli bombardment in western Rafah, where medics said drone strikes and shell
  
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• ‘You cannot do mass surveillance privately, full stop’: Signal boss hits out at government encryption-busting moves

  19-06-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A ‘legitimate grievance’ with big tech firms is being used by police as a pretext to undermine privacy, Meredith Whittaker saysGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastPolice have used the “very legitimate grievance” the public has with large tech companies like Meta about data collection and surveillance as a pretext to undermine user privacy, the president of encrypted messaging app Signal has said.Meredith Whittaker told Guardian Austral
  
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• Typical Aldi grocery bill 25% cheaper than at major supermarkets, Choice research finds

  19-06-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Undercover shopping study on 14 common items part of move to provide transparency after Coles and Woolworths accused of price gougingGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA basket of Aldi groceries is typically 25% cheaper than an equivalent purchase at major chains Coles and Woolworths, according to government-funded research conducted by consumer group Choice.The price comparison of 14 common grocery items is part of an initiative to provide better transparen
  
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• ‘No credible reason’ to expect cheaper power bills under Peter Dutton’s nuclear energy plan, experts say

  19-06-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Tony Wood of the Grattan Institute rejects Coalition’s claim electricity prices are high due to Labor’s renewables policyGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastPeter Dutton’s claim that nuclear energy would lead to cheaper power bills has been rejected by energy experts, with one saying there was “no credible reason” to think adding “the most expensive form of bulk electricity” would cut prices.They said a range of evide
  
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• Labor under pressure from within to act on gambling reform as one-year anniversary of landmark report nears

  19-06-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Discontent growing among advocates, crossbenchers and Labor MPs over delay in implementing 31 recommendations, including advertising banGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastCrossbenchers, gambling harm advocates and even some inside Labor are demanding the Albanese government speed up moves towards banning gambling advertisements, as pressure mounts on Labor to act.Next week marks one year since Peta Murphy’s landmark gambling report was deliv
  
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• Gender pay gap in Australian public service more than 13%, study finds

  19-06-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  It compares with 21.7% in the private sector, which WGEA report says is due to more flexible working practice and more full-time workGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastFor every dollar a male federal public servant makes, his female counterpart makes 86c, data reported for the first time by the government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) reveals.An analysis of data reported by 116 commonwealth public-sector employers found the public sector&rs
  
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• Climate needs come a distant second to politics in Dutton’s nuclear plans

  19-06-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Coalition still has questions to answer about its energy proposals – not least cost – but some wonder if the aim is just to disrupt renewablesLast year, when Peter Dutton campaigned against the proposed voice to parliament, he said repeatedly that it shouldn’t be supported because it lacked detail. Now, as he seeks to upend the transition to renewable energy in Australia and spend billions of dollars to build nuclear reactors instead, there is almost none.Dutton and Nationa
  
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• Iran’s reformist presidential candidate eyes improved relations with US

  19-06-2024 16:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Masoud Pezeshkian hopes to win over an apathetic electorateand revive talks on the country’s nuclear dealThe sole reformist candidate in Iran’s presidential elections this month has said he wants improved relations with the US, as he accused his conservative rivals of blighting the Iranian economy by not doing enough to revive the a nuclear deal with the west that had led to the lifting of some sanctions.Masoud Pezeshkian, who has unveiled the combative former foreign minster Javad Z
  
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• UK parliamentary candidate runs as 'first AI lawmaker' with interactive AI avatar

  19-06-2024 16:32 via foxnews.com
  
  Are you worried about AI taking over your job? You can write to your local MP, who might just be an AI too.Businessman Steve Endacott is among hundreds of candidates running in the July 4 national election in Britain to become a member of parliament (MP).Here's his hook: the face on the campaign leaflet is an AI-generated avatar of the 59-year-old, not the man himself.LABOUR PARTY LEADER VOWS END TO UK POLITICS DEFINED BY 'GESTURES AND GIMMICKS' IF HE WINS POWERAnd if his bid succeeds, it would
  
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• Search for missing pilgrims continues after hajj heat deaths

  19-06-2024 16:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Relatives seek news of missing loved ones after hundreds reported dead as temperatures hit 51.8C in Saudi ArabiaFriends and family of missing hajj pilgrims have been searching hospitals and pleading online for news, fearing the worst after hundreds died during the annual rites in Saudi Arabia.Arab diplomats on Tuesday told Agence France-Presse at least 550 pilgrims had died this year, the majority due to heat-related illnesses after temperatures reached 51.8C (125F) in Mecca, Islam’s holie
  
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• Cigarette smuggling has crippled aid delivery in Gaza as smokes go for $25 apiece

  19-06-2024 16:06 via foxnews.com
  
  The high price of tobacco in Gaza has given rise to a cigarette smuggling industry that now threatens United Nations aid convoys, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.Cigarettes can cost as much as $25 each in the war-torn region, and gangs have found ways to smuggle them in as contraband alongside aid deliveries. One group of Palestinian men demanded entry to a U.N. warehouse last week to secure a stash of cigarettes they knew was inside, according to the Journal.The smuggling
  
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• Frederick Richard is ready to show the world what he and men's gymnastics are made of

  19-06-2024 16:00 via nbcnews.com
  
  Frederick "Flips" Richard, who has grown a massive social media following, dreams big for men's gymnastics and himself as he aims for the next U.S. Olympic team.
  
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• Philippines accuses Chinese coastguards of piracy after violent confrontation

  19-06-2024 15:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Filipino sailor lost a thumb when coastguards rammed and boarded boats ‘with knives and spears’ in South China SeaThe Philippines has accused China’s coastguard of piracy in the disputed South China Sea after a violent confrontation in which it says its boats were rammed, punctured with knives and boarded by Chinese personnel.One Filipino sailor lost a thumb in the incident, according to the Philippines military, which said Chinese personnel also destroyed communication equipme
  
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