Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
The United States election is in full swing. North Carolina became the first battleground state in the US to be called, and it was called for Donald Trump, with Georgia flipping red shortly afterwards. Iowa was also won by the Republicans, a blow to Kamala Harris’s Democrats who were hoping to maintain a slight lead in the state.
Harris won California – her home state – as well as New Mexico and Washington, to name a few, but Trump is leading in several battleground states remaining on the board – including in the so-called blue wall of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Republicans have also won the Senate majority.
With hours or even days left to finish the count, the 2024 election has already made history: Democrats Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland are the first black women voted to the Senate of their respective states. Delaware state senator Sarah McBride became the first trans person elected to the US House of Representatives.
You can keep up with the full election results here, and brush up on how counting works here.
Top news
Heatwave sweeps across large parts of Australia | Forecasters have warned of heatwave conditions and elevated fire danger warnings for Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania.
Bridget McKenzie failed to declare more than a dozen flight upgrades | The shadow transport spokesperson is likely to belatedly disclose the upgrades on Qantas and Virgin flights to the parliament this week, after it was revealed she had failed to declare the offers of better seats.
High court quashes government’s regime for former immigration detainees | The harsh regime of ankle bracelets and curfews imposed on non-citizens released from indefinite immigration detention has been struck down by the high court, which ruled in favour of a stateless refugee from Eritrea.
Thousands rally in Tel Aviv to protest against sacking of defence minister | After news that Yoav Gallant had been fired, demonstrators held up signs with slogans such as “We deserve better leaders” and “Leaving no one behind!” A senior US official has said it has “real questions” about the reasons behind the firing.
At least 89 people remain missing after floods in eastern Spain | The number includes only those who have been reported missing by family members. More than 200 people were confirmed to have died after heavy rains last week.
Conor McGregor allegedly raped woman in Dublin hotel, court hears | Nikita Ní Laimhín is claiming civil damages against the Irish mixed martial arts fighter, and another man, alleging she was sexually assaulted in 2018. The defence has claimed in the evidence booklet that Ní Laimhín had several opportunities to complain to people about how she was treated but did not. The court heard the defence would also claim that Ní Laimhín was engaged in an attempt at extortion.
Congested AFLW fixture scrapped for next season | The congested fixture was largely unpopular and was cited as the cause of dour play and increased risk of injury and will not feature in 2025’s 12-game, 12-week season.
Barry Keoghan hits out at ‘disgusting’ online trolls | Speaking on the Louis Theroux podcast, the actor spoke about the damaging impact of online trolling, as well as his own difficult childhood in foster care and the death of his mother after struggling with drug addiction.
Mayhem at New York airport after raccoon falls through ceiling | Passengers awaiting an early morning flight at LaGuardia airport were surprised by the sudden arrival of an unexpected extra flyer. Accompanying audio captured the chaos of the moment: a barking dog, people screaming and an alarm siren blaring.
In pictures
Fields aflame and a ruined school: the Ian Parry photojournalism grant 2024
A look at the work of the recipients of the 2024 Ian Parry photojournalism grant (IPPG), which supports young and emerging photographers. The IPPG’s partner, Save the Children, selected Shefali Rafiq from the shortlist of 10 finalists.
What they said …
***
“I hope the poor devil got over it.”
A fresh spin on political airline drama today after revelations that an Australian government staffer left classified cabinet documents on a plane. Embassy staff were notified after the documents went missing on a flight from Mumbai to Doha on an Indian airline, but they were unable to retrieve them. The Labor senator Glenn Sterle expressed some sympathy for the staffer at the centre of the drama.
In numbers
For the first time, the Australian Marine Conservation Society has evaluated the nation’s most popular tuna brands and classed them as green, amber or red based on their sustainability credentials. Safcol’s No Net Tuna is the only fully green-ranked product.
Before bed read
Australian supermarket anchovy taste test: the cheapest brand is also the best for cooking
While on the topic of seafood, in his taste test of 11 tinned and jarred anchovies, Nicholas Jordan would happily eat any of the fish fillets again – with the exception of one “brutal” brand.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: FLAM. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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