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Jones, a former radio broadcaster, has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching

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The evidence of a star reporter whose investigation led to charges against Alan Jones was paused so the former 2GB broadcaster and horse racing enthusiast could watch the Melbourne Cup.

Jones’s defence barrister, Gabrielle Bashir SC, asked judge Glenn Walsh if the court could break just before 3pm to watch the race as Jones sat laughing loudly in the front row of the public gallery.

Company tugs at heartstrings with Pickles the talking toy dog as it celebrates 20 years of blockbuster festive ads

• Review: Kristin Scott Thomas v Pickles the evil AI overlord puppy

John Lewis has turned to a celebrity best known for playing aristocrats to put a playful but rather upmarket spin on the countdown to Christmas with this year’s festive ad, which features a toy dog called Pickles and a glamorous granny.

Kristin Scott Thomas, known for playing upper-crust characters in films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and the Apple TV show Slow Horses, is cast as Gloria, a grandmother searching for gift inspiration, with the tagline “don’t give up on giving”.

He needs a dialysis machine to survive, but on a flight it was first damaged, then it was lost

My father suffers from terminal renal failure and relies on a highly specific dialysis machine every night to survive. British Airways’ check-in staff twice insisted on checking this fragile 20kg lifeline into the aircraft hold where it was first damaged, then lost.

When his outbound flight arrived at Heathrow, it was returned broken resulting in a frantic search for a loan unit and hours spent in A&E so my father’s blood could be monitored. On the return flight to Rome, the machine could not be found. My parents waited until 2am before being told to go home without the equipment that keeps my father alive.

National Cyber Security Centre expects attacks on critical facilities such as power stations, airports and hospitals

AI-powered malicious software is “highly likely” to be used in hacking attacks against the UK’s power stations, airports and hospitals by 2028, according to the state cybersecurity body.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said AI will probably enable a ransomware attack against critical national infrastructure [CNI] between now and 2028. The UK’s definition of CNI covers a range of facilities and services across sectors including energy, transport, defence, food, health and finance.

National Cyber Security Centre expects attacks on critical facilities such as power stations, airports and hospitals

AI-powered malicious software is “highly likely” to be used in hacking attacks against the UK’s power stations, airports and hospitals by 2028, according to the state cybersecurity body.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said AI will probably enable a ransomware attack against critical national infrastructure [CNI] between now and 2028. The UK’s definition of CNI covers a range of facilities and services across sectors including energy, transport, defence, food, health and finance.

Kashmiri saffron is one of the world’s most expensive spices. It’s primarily cultivated in the Pampore region of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Often referred to as ‘red gold’ because of its high value, saffron is prized for its rich aroma, distinctive flavour and quality

Latest arrests come after DoJ unsuccessfully fought to force state election officials to set aside about 20,000 ballots

• US midterms – live updates

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) in California has charged six more people with alleged voter fraud crimes, an escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against the state’s election processes on the eve of the midterms.

Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and a close ally of the president, announced on Monday that his office was prosecuting six lawful permanent residents accused of unlawfully registering to vote and casting fraudulent ballots. The DoJ filed similar charges against 28 people across California last month and arranged for a dramatic on-camera arrest of one 72-year-old defendant, editing the footage into a DoJ promotional video.

Sam Levine contributed reporting

Latest arrests come after DoJ unsuccessfully fought to force state election officials to set aside about 20,000 ballots

• US midterms – live updates

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) in California has charged six more people with alleged voter fraud crimes, an escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against the state’s election processes on the eve of the midterms.

Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and a close ally of the president, announced on Monday that his office was prosecuting six lawful permanent residents accused of unlawfully registering to vote and casting fraudulent ballots. The DoJ filed similar charges against 28 people across California last month and arranged for a dramatic on-camera arrest of one 72-year-old defendant, editing the footage into a DoJ promotional video.

Sam Levine contributed reporting

After a second apparent cyber-attack in weeks, we examine possible culprits and their motives

• Shop fridges and freezers across Europe hit by fresh suspected cyber-attack

Supermarket fridges and freezers in seven European countries have malfunctioned, their thermostats remotely cranked up in some cases to 50C (122F).

The EU has condemned what it said was “a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and undermine consumers’ confidence in it”.

Justice department had ordered state to segregate and not count 20,000 ballots from people it claims are non-citizens

• US midterms – live updates

The supreme court on Monday ruled against the Trump administration and its attempts to force California election officials to segregate and not count ballots from people that the justice department claims are non-citizens. The ruling follows several lower courts siding with California officials, who argued the federal government was seeking to interfere in state elections.

The court did not issue an explanation for its ruling, which is customary in cases that come to it on an emergency basis. There were no noted dissents from the justices.

I was intrigued by the level of the new chatbot’s training. If I peppered her with questions, would she have answers?

Sophie’s voice is lovely. Warm, direct, intelligent. She’s friendly but not obsequious. She just wants to be helpful.

She wasn’t working at the mechanic business a week ago, when I’d taken in my old four-wheel drive for a fix-up. But now, here she was, at the other end of the phone. And there it was, in her very first sentence.

US president shares delayed results of chaotic renovation on DC site as Americans prepare to head to the polls

Donald Trump unveiled the delayed results of his $14m renovation of Washington DC’s Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in what is expected to be his final press conference before voters head to the polls for the midterm elections.

On the eve of a consequential election day, with polls indicating that most voters feel the US president has grown too focused on building projects in the nation’s capital, he stood in front of the newly opened reflecting pool to discuss – in detail – changes to the pool’s pipe, the grass surrounding the area and granite.