The Guardian

Accommodation platform acts after long-standing guest complaints over doing dishes, taking out rubbish and stripping beds Airbnb hosts will no longer be able to ask guests to strip beds or wash dishes under the accommodation platform’s new rules. The changes, which apply to Airbnb reservations covered by the platform’s global policy, including bookings in Australia, will come into effect on 20 No…

Exclusive: Nvidia, Microsoft and Cisco taskforce urges ministers to offer areas greater benefits from tech infrastructure amid fears of US-style opposition AI companies have told ministers they have 12 months to head off public opposition to datacentres in the UK or risk US-style protests that could threaten their construction. Successive dry summers and rising energy bills are increasing public …

Test yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge every Thursday. How will you fare? The Thursday quiz is aware of standard international units of time, such as the Liz Truss (49 days) and the Scaramucci (11 days). Now a new unit of measurement has entered the chat: the Zacharia (five days). But whatever arbitrary length of time the world invents to measure chaos, political …

Andy Burnham advertises for policy experts in technology, economic growth and cost-of-living challenges Andy Burnham is to recruit a number of advisers to plug gaps in No 10, including an expert on how AI will affect society. The roles advertised by Downing Street give a glimpse into the biggest challenges facing the prime minister – and what he has decided to prioritise. Continue reading...

Kim Yo-jong, sister of Kim Jong-un, issues warning after inspecting border fortifications against backdrop of rising tensions Propaganda loudspeakers aimed at South Korea will be ready to restart within days along the entire border, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has said amid a worsening of ties between the two countries. The statement, carried by the state …

Grocer launches Cricklewood store as part of £1bn investment plan, with Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, to follow next month As part of a £1bn investment plan , Waitrose has chosen Cricklewood in north London as the location for its first supermarket in eight years. The upmarket grocer will open the store on Thursday and another supermarket in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, next month. It also p…

Antiques store owner, 74, pleads guilty to 13 charges after regulator uncovers hundreds of animals at his home and shop The white-walled room packed with magpies, galahs and sulphur-crested cockatoos, foxes and possums is eerily quiet. As a video pans across shelves filled with these and many other species, there is no flapping or squawking or hissing; the animals are frozen and silent. They are …

Perth man charged with ‘being armed in a way that may cause fear’ days after Helen Haines allegedly attacked with 4WD outside her Victorian office Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A man has been charged after allegedly threatening staff and wielding nunchucks at the electoral office of the Western Australian local government minister, Hannah Beazley. The arrest on Thur…

Swimming banned at Maroubra and Coogee while council prioritises ‘culturally respectful’ removal of remains Coogee and Maroubra beaches have been closed as a precaution after a whale carcass washed up on the rocks between the two busy swimming and surfing spots in Sydney ’s eastern suburbs. The local council said it was working with rangers and the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries…

Former reality star and wellness influencer stands accused of choking and assaulting wife at Noosa in Queensland Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Former reality television star Sam Wood will go to the Queensland supreme court seeking release from custody, more than two weeks after he was denied bail over allegations he choked and assaulted his wife. Wood, a 46-year-old…

Author withdrawn from France’s Prix Goncourt last month has repeatedly denied using artificial intelligence to write novel The publisher of top-selling Haitian Canadian writer Thélyson Orélien, who was removed from France’s most prestigious literary prize list last month, has confirmed the author used artificial intelligence to help write his novel C’était ça ou mourir (It Was Either That or Die)…

President was reportedly heckled at least nine times during campaign event for Darline Graham Multiple protesters were removed from Donald Trump’s rally at South Carolina’s Clemson University on Wednesday, including one who was apparently punched by a rally attender – to the US president’s delight. “That was great, man. Wow. Man, I loved that. I watched that,” Trump said. “That was incredible. Wo…

Reports emerge of similar withdrawals in UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain amid concerns about a return to conflict with Iran after US midterm elections The US state department has ordered some diplomats and the families of US government employees to leave Saudi Arabia, as the gulf kingdom faces a barrage of near-daily attacks, with at least three people killed at an airport and oilfield on Wednesda…

USDA says screwworm found in elk in Texas, and warns hunters and ranchers to be vigilant to help stop spread The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday it had ⁠confirmed the ⁠first detection ​of flesh-eating parasite the New World screwworm in US wildlife in an ⁠elk in Pecos county, Texas. The elk was located on a game ⁠ranch and was reported after being harvested by ​a hunter, the…

Some in UK’s security services questioned why Welsh Labour firebrand was of interest Aneurin “Nye” Bevan, the Welsh Labour firebrand who spearheaded the creation of the NHS, was monitored by security services for more than two decades, though his personal file was “remarkably tame”, according to official files released to the public. Bevan came to MI5’s attention in the 1930s over concerns about …