China angered by the address, criticising Europe for allowing ‘separatist activities’ to be carried out in parliament building

Taiwan’s vice-president, Bi-Khim Hsiao, urged the EU to boost security and trade ties with the self-governing island and support its democracy in the face of growing threats by China in a rare address to a group of international lawmakers in Brussels.

“Peace in the Taiwan Strait is essential to global stability and economic continuity, and international opposition against unilateral changes to the status quo by force cannot be overstated,” Hsiao told lawmakers assembled for a China-focused conference in the European parliament building.

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© Photograph: Virginia Mayo/AP

© Photograph: Virginia Mayo/AP

© Photograph: Virginia Mayo/AP

High court’s order comes after appeals court rejected Trump administration’s request to block November benefits

The supreme court has issued an emergency order temporarily blocking full Snap food aid payments.

The high court’s order came after the Trump administration asked a federal appeals court on Friday to block a judge’s order that it distribute November’s full monthly food stamp benefits amid a US federal government shutdown.

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© Photograph: Mark Makela/Reuters

© Photograph: Mark Makela/Reuters

© Photograph: Mark Makela/Reuters

Administration has long accused South Africa of allowing white Afrikaner farmers to be persecuted and attacked

Donald Trump said Friday that no US government officials would be attending the Group of 20 summit this year in South Africa, citing the country’s treatment of white farmers.

The US president had already announced he would not attend the annual summit for heads of state from the globe’s leading and emerging economies. JD Vance had been scheduled to attend in Trump’s place, but a person familiar with Vance’s plans who was granted anonymity to talk about his schedule said Vance would no longer travel there for the summit.

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© Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

© Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

© Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

President asks justice department to open an investigation but provides no proof to support his allegations

Donald Trump on Friday accused foreign-owned meat packers of driving up the price of beef in the US and asked the Department of Justice to open an investigation.

The Republican president announced the move on social media days after his party suffered losses in key elections in which the winning Democratic candidates focused relentlessly on the public’s concerns about the cost of living.

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© Photograph: Stefania Pelfini la Waziya/Getty Images

© Photograph: Stefania Pelfini la Waziya/Getty Images

© Photograph: Stefania Pelfini la Waziya/Getty Images

Nobel prize winner shaped medicine, crimefighting and genealogy, but later years marred by racist remarks

James Dewey Watson, whose co-discovery of the twisted-ladder structure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on a revolution in medicine, crimefighting, genealogy and ethics, has died, according to his former research lab. He was 97.

The breakthrough – made when the brash, Chicago-born Watson was just 24 – turned him into a hallowed figure in the world of science for decades. But near the end of his life, he faced condemnation and professional censure for offensive remarks, including saying Black people were less intelligent than white people.

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© Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP

© Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP

© Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP

• Trump grants full pardon to New York Mets great

• Strawberry hit 335 HRs and was eight-time All-Star

• US president cites faith, sobriety, ministry work

Donald Trump has pardoned former New York Mets great Darryl Strawberry on past tax evasion and drug charges, citing the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year’s post-career embrace of his Christian faith and longtime sobriety.

Strawberry was an outfielder and eight-time All-Star, including seven with the Mets from 1983 through 1990. He hit 335 homers and had 1,000 RBIs and 221 stolen bases in 17 seasons.

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© Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

© Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

© Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

Most justices on Brazil's Supreme Court panel have rejected former President Jair Bolsonaro’s appeal

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Authorities say suspect is 17-year-old male student and warn against terrorist attack speculation after Jakarta blasts

At least 54 people have been injured in explosions that shook a mosque at a high school during Friday prayers in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Authorities later said the suspect was a 17-year-old male student who had been injured and was undergoing surgery.

Witnesses told local television stations that they heard at least two loud blasts at about midday, just as the sermon had started, from inside and outside the mosque at SMA 72, a state high school within a navy compound in Jakarta’s northern Kelapa Gading neighbourhood.

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© Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock

© AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File

Flights at 40 major U.S. airports, including in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, were cut Friday as airlines complied with the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to scale back flights nationwide because of the government shutdown.

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2025

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

The A350-1000ULR is on the assembly line in France with the fuselage sections, wings and landing gear attached

Qantas has released the “first images” of its specially configured plane that will fly Australians non-stop from Sydney to London and New York from 2027.

The A350-1000ULR is on the Airbus assembly line in Toulouse, France, with its fuselage sections, wings and landing gear now attached, the airline said on Friday.

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© Photograph: QANTAS/PR IMAGE

© Photograph: QANTAS/PR IMAGE

© Photograph: QANTAS/PR IMAGE

Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2025

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today’s top photos chosen by Associated Press photo editors.

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Major U.S. airports are among those facing 10% reductions in air traffic Friday due to the government shutdown

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

The Federal Aviation Administration is forcing airlines to cut 10% of their flights at 40 of the busiest airports across the nation to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers during the ongoing government shutdown and ensure that flying remains safe

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

According to a list distributed to the airlines and obtained by The Associated Press, airports in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago along with hubs across the U.S. are among the 40 that will see flights cut starting Friday due to the government shutdown

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced on Thursday that she will not seek reelection to the U.S. House. Pelosi, a Democrat who was the first woman in the speaker’s office and who has represented San Francisco for nearly 40 years, said she would finish out her final year in office.

© Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

• Hosts fail to capitalise on good start chasing 168

• Last nine wickets go for 52 in Gold Coast

India’s spinners trapped Australia in a web of despair to secure a 48-run win in the T20 international on the Gold Coast to take a 2-1 series lead.

India made 8-167 after being asked to bat on Thursday and Australia were tracking nicely at 1-67, but spinners Axar Patel (2-20) and Varun Chakravarthy (1-26) sent the required run rate skyrocketing as the pressure built on the hosts.

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© Photograph: Dave Hunt/AP

© Photograph: Dave Hunt/AP

© Photograph: Dave Hunt/AP

The deaths were mostly from drowning in flash floods, with 127 people still missing, many in the hard-hit central province of Cebu

Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared a state of emergency after typhoon Kalmaegi left at least 114 people dead and nearly 130 missing in central provinces in the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year.

The deaths were mostly from drowning in flash floods, and 127 people were still missing, many in the hard-hit central province of Cebu. The tropical cyclone blew out of the archipelago on Wednesday into the South China Sea.

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© Photograph: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters

© Photograph: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters

© Photograph: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters

• Dodgers’ win draws 51m viewers worldwide

• Most-watched game since 1991 World Series

• Game 7 peaks with 27m across Fox platforms

The Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in 11 innings in Game 7 of the World Series averaged 51m viewers combined across the United States, Canada and Japan. Major League Baseball said it is the most-watched game since Game 7 of the 1991 World Series between the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves.

Last Saturday’s game averaged 27.33m on Fox Sports, Fox Deportes and Fox’s streaming platforms. According to Nielsen, it was the second most-watched broadcast of last week.

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© Photograph: Chris Young/AP

© Photograph: Chris Young/AP

© Photograph: Chris Young/AP