Category: Uncategorized

If Boaty McBoatface taught us one thing, it’s that the public do not take a naming ceremony particularly seriously.

Cue the newly named leaf-removal train: Ctrl Alt Deleaf.

Named after a public vote, Network Rail said the train was part of its fleet of “leaf-busters”, which blast mulch off rails.

Great Britain’s railway network stretches for 20,000 miles and has to cope with about 500bn leaves each year.

Ctrl Alt Deleaf – a pun on the computer keyboard command Control-Alt-Delete – will be deployed from a depot at Effingham Junction, Surrey, next week.

Other shortlisted entries for the train’s name were Leaf-Fall Weapon, Pulp Friction and The Autumn Avenger.

Leaves cause significant disruption every autumn when they stick to damp rails and become compressed by train wheels, Network Rail said.

This creates a thick, slippery layer similar to black ice on roads, which can reduce trains’ grip and result in signallers being unable to detect when a train has entered a new section of track.

Speed restrictions are imposed in an attempt to reduce accidents, such as the crash between two trains outside a tunnel near Salisbury, Wiltshire, in October 2021, which left 13 passengers and one driver requiring hospital treatment.

Lisa Angus, Network Rail’s industry weather response director, said: “Our leaf-busting trains are the unsung heroes of the British autumn, travelling the length and breadth of the country to keep the railway running.

“The scale of the operation involved in keeping passengers moving through the autumn is monumental: Ctrl Alt Deleaf and our fleet of leaf-busters trains will cover over a million miles, as well as deploying fast-reaction teams and using more technology than ever before.

“Our teams will be working non-stop to try and keep the tracks leaf-free this autumn so that passenger and freight services can continue running safely and reliably.”

In Scotland, there is a tradition of giving gritting lorries names suggested by the public. Some of these are proudly Scottish: Chilly Connolly, Robert Brrrns and Lew-ice Capaldi. Others go further afield for wordplay, giving us Gritney Spears, Lord Coldemort, For Your Ice Only and Grit Expectations.

In 2016, the Natural Environment Research Council opened a poll for the naming of a £200m polar research ship, which was won by RRS Boaty McBoatface.

The name choice was ultimately overruled and the ship was ultimately called the RRS Sir David Attenborough.

An Australian doctor who treated triple murderer Erin Patterson and her victims after the deadly mushroom lunch has been slapped with conditions by the health regulator after speaking out about the case.

Dr Christopher Webster, a GP in the Victorian town of Leongatha, south-east of Melbourne, was a witness in Patterson’s trial earlier this year.

After she was found guilty of murdering three of her relatives and attempting to murder a fourth, Webster gave several media interviews about the case, including one in which he called Patterson a “crazy bitch”.

On Wednesday, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) placed conditions on his registration.

According to Ahpra’s register of practitioners, Webster’s conditions include that he must complete one-on-one education with an approved educator for a minimum of eight hours.

During the sessions, he must address the following topics, Ahpra said: professionalism and ethics, professional communication, privacy and confidentiality, complying with obligations under “Good medical practice: a code of conduct for doctors in Australia” and “Social media: how to meet your obligations under the national law”.

The register also says that Webster must complete the one-on-one education within six months, and that once it is completed he must be mentored.

This mentoring must take place for a minimum of five hour-long sessions on a monthly basis, and must be completed within a year.

Webster was the first person to contact police after the July 2023 lunch, when he became concerned Patterson discharged herself against medical advice from the hospital.

During Patterson’s murder trial, Webster told the court she left Leongatha hospital within five minutes of arriving despite him telling her she required urgent treatment and that her guests – Don and Gail Patterson, and Ian and Heather Wilkinson – were gravely ill.

Webster called police in a bid to have Patterson returned to hospital.

“I had suggested to her that she had been exposed to potentially deadly death cap mushroom poisoning, and being in hospital would be a better place for her to be,” Webster told the court in May.

The lunch guests had arrived at hospital a day earlier. Don and Gail, the parents of Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon, and Heather, Gail’s sister, died within a week. Heather’s husband, Ian, was discharged from hospital months later, but has never fully recovered.

On 8 September, Patterson was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years for the murders of Don, Gail and Heather, and the attempted murder of Ian.

The UK government borrowed more than expected last month, official figures show, adding to pressure on the Treasury in the run-up to the autumn budget.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed public sector net borrowing – the difference between public spending and income – rose to £18bn in August, £3.5bn more than in the same month a year earlier.

The reading was above City predictions for a deficit of £12.75bn and forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility of £12.5bn.

Grant Fitzner, the ONS chief economist, said the figure was the highest August borrowing total since the height of the Covid pandemic. “Although overall tax and national insurance receipts were noticeably up on last year, these increases were outstripped by higher spending on public services, benefits and debt interest.”

On top of upward revisions to previous months, total borrowing for the financial year to date rose to £83.8bn, also the highest level since 2020. The total was £16bn higher than in 2024 and above a £72.4bn forecast from the OBR.

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is widely expected to present a package of tax rises in her 26 November budget to offset deteriorating economic forecasts and plug a deficit that some estimates say could be up to £40bn.

James Murray, the chief secretary to the Treasury, said: “This government has a plan to bring down borrowing because taxpayer money should be spent on the country’s priorities, not on debt interest.

“Our focus is on economic stability, fiscal responsibility, ripping up needless red tape, tearing out waste from our public services, driving forward reforms, and putting more money in working people’s pockets.”

Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, said: “Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are too weak and distracted to take the action needed to reduce the deficit. The chancellor has lost control of the public finances, and Labour’s weakness means much needed welfare reforms have been abandoned.”

The borrowing figures come a day after the Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged at 4% and scaled back its multibillion-pound bond disposal plan to avoid distorting jittery financial markets.

Britain’s long-term borrowing costs have hit the highest level in 27 years, fuelled largely by global factors but also investor worries over the strength of the UK economy and the public finances. However, the Bank’s programme to reduce its stock of government bonds, known as “quantitative tightening” has also played a role.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Rising borrowing costs have added to the pressure on the government finances, alongside higher levels of spending on public services and benefits as pay rises and inflation increase running costs.

The ONS said central government debt interest rose to £8.4bn in August, £1.9bn higher than in the same month a year earlier.

Nabil Taleb, an economist at PwC UK, said: “Months of high borrowing and the political challenge of cutting spending have all but wiped out the chancellor’s headroom.

“Gilt yields, the effective cost of financing government debt, have also surged this month to their highest level in decades. Broader economic conditions are offering little relief.”

China has urged Papua New Guinea not to sign a treaty that could restrict or prevent it from cooperating with another country, days after Australia failed to secure a defence pact with the Pacific nation.

In a statement on Facebook late on Thursday, the Chinese embassy in Papua New Guinea said it respected the country’s “right to conclude a bilateral treaty with other countries on a voluntary basis”.

“However, such a treaty should not be exclusive in nature, nor should it restrict or prevents a sovereign country from cooperating with a third party for any reason. It should also refrain from targeting any third party or undermining its legitimate rights and interests.

“We hope that the PNG side will continue to uphold independence and self-reliance, properly handle issues bearing on its sovereignty and long-term interests,” it said.

The statement comes after Australia and its former colony were expected this week to ratify the Pukpuk mutual defence treaty. But Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, left Port Moresby on Wednesday without signing the deal with his counterpart, James Marape. Instead, Albanese sealed a communique that laid out the wording of the pact after Papua New Guniea’s cabinet failed to agree to the deal.

Albanese said the text of the defence agreement had been confirmed but both governments had more work to do. If signed, the treaty is expected to lock the two countries into joint defence arrangements in the event of a military attack, and to allow citizens of both countries to serve in the defence forces of the other.

“We will go through our respective cabinet processes and expect to finalise the signing of the treaty, the words of which have been agreed, in coming weeks,” Albanese told a press conference in Port Moresby on Wednesday.

Speaking to the Guardian, politicians and several prominent ex-military figures in Papua New Guinea have expressed reservations about the defence deal, arguing that it could impinge on the country’s independence.

The leader of the opposition, Douglas Tomuriesa, said Papua New Guinea “needs strong partnerships but not at the cost of our constitutional authority, legal protections for our citizens or independent decision-making”.

In a statement, Tomuriesa said he welcomed cooperation to strengthen the defence force but any arrangement must contain safeguards and “review mechanisms to keep sovereignty intact”.

Retired major general Jerry Singirok, commander of the Papua New Guinea defence force during the 1990s, described the treaty as a “violation” of the constitution. He noted that Papua New Guinea had an “important principle … of not being aligned to any countries in the face of threat”.

“Because our foreign policy says that we are friends to all and enemies to none,” he said. “China is not a threat or enemy to Papua New Guinea. It’s [as] simple as that. This is the superpower rivalry in the region against smaller Pacific states.”

Former Papua New Guinea defence force (PNGDF) commander Maj Gen Gilbert Toropo agreed there were “competing interests in the region”. He said Papua New Guinea “stands in the crossroads of the region … where Papua New Guinea is going to be the playground for our big players”.

Toropo said Australia and Papua New Guinea should forge stronger ties, but not at the expense of his country’s “freedom to engage with other countries”.

“As a sovereign nation, we should have the flexibility to reach out to the rest of the world for our prosperity,” he said, adding that every Papua New Guinean should be consulted and made aware of the treaty’s contents.

Peter Ilau, PNGDF commander between 2001 and 2010, emphasised that Papua New Guinea could not compromise its sovereignty because of a “nice looking decree” that appeared to cover “all aspects of friendship, partnership, traditional friends”.

Analysts have also joined the call for the deal not to be rushed through, as former commander Singirok urged Papua New Guinea to consider alternative ways to strengthen the alliance.

“We have a very good close relationship with Australia,” he said. “But I’m sure there are other ways to develop our capabilities without absorbing our military into the Australian army.”

Indonesia will ban the construction of new hotels and restaurants built atop cleared rice fields and agricultural land on the popular resort island of Bali, after recent flash flooding killed at least 18 people.

A state of emergency was declared on Bali on 10 September after the island experienced the most severe flooding in more than a decade.

Triggered by heavy rainfall, the flooding caused extensive damage to homes, public facilities and infrastructure and affected thousands across Denpasar and its surrounding areas.

Environmental activists have long sounded the alarm about the impacts of mass tourism on the island, saying stricter controls to prevent land conversion would reduce the risks from flooding and other natural disasters.

In the wake of the floods the Bali governor, Wayan Koster, said this week that new rules had been issued.

“Starting this year, yes, there is already an instruction to all heads of districts and mayors across Bali,” he said on 14 September.

“After handling the floods, we will meet again to ensure no more permits are issued for hotels, restaurants or other facilities on productive land, especially rice fields,” he said, as quoted by Indonesia’s state news agency, Antara.

“Starting this year, the land conversion ban will align with Bali’s 100-year plan. From 2025 onward, no productive land can be converted into commercial facilities.”

Famous for its lush, green rice paddies and stunning beaches, the “island of the Gods” has undergone rapid change over the past half-century with locals and tourists complaining about the traffic, pollution and badly behaved foreigners that have come with the hotels and resorts that now swamp the island.

Indonesia said last year that it would place a moratorium on new hotels amid fears of overdevelopment, but the plan failed to eventuate. The new bylaws are expected to be brought into effect by the end of 2025.

The move follows a warning from Indonesia’s meteorology and climate agency about the potential for an extreme rainy season this year, and a worsening waste crisis that has aggravated flooding in several regions, including Bali.

Flooding is common in Indonesia during the wet season, which typically runs from September to March.

However, scientists say the climate crisis is intensifying the rainy season, bringing heavier rainfall and more frequent flash floods. Overdevelopment and widespread deforestation are believed to be worsening the impact of flooding.

Indonesia’s environmental minister, Hanif Faisal Nurofiq, said after the floods that the new bylaws were an important step for the island.

“This is also crucial for Bali’s tourism as the recent flooding has drawn serious attention,” he said.

“I actually told the governor last week that I really hope he will immediately stop the land conversions in Bali. This is extremely important.”

Extreme rainfall is more common and more intense because of human-caused climate breakdown across most of the world, particularly in Europe, most of Asia, central and eastern North America, and parts of South America, Africa and Australia.

This is because warmer air can hold more water vapour. Flooding has most likely become more frequent and severe in these locations as a result, but is also affected by human factors, such as the existence of flood defences and land use.

Late-night show hosts including Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and David Letterman have rallied behind Jimmy Kimmel following ABC’s decision to indefinitely suspend his popular late-night show after his comments about the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk.

In his opening monologue on Thursday night, Stephen Colbert mocked executives at Disney, ABC’s parent company, for caving to threats from Brendan Carr, the FCC chairman, when they pulled Kimmel off the air.

In an excerpt posted on Instagram before broadcast, Colbert also scolded Carr for calling Kimmel’s commentary on the rush to politicize Kirk’s murder an affront to community values. “Well, you know what my community values are, Buster?” Colbert asked. “Freedom of speech.”

“People across the country are shocked by this blatant assault on the freedom of speech,” Colbert added.

Colbert went on to poke fun at Disney executives, saying: “As one source at ABC put it, they were pissing themselves all day” over the threat of Trump’s administration’s retaliation against the network. “On the bright side, that proves Disney is No 1 in streaming,” he joked.

Allow Instagram content?

This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.

In a separate video, the Late Show lampooned ABC parent company Disney, adapting a song from its animated hit Beauty and the Beast. In a message to employees at Disney, ABC, ESPN and Hulu, character Lumière’s lyrics in the song Be Our Guest were changed to say “shut your trap, we are warning you to cut the crap”.

The NBC late-night host Seth Meyers made light of fears that he might be next in line to be canceled, starting his show on Thursday by pausing to say that as “[Trump’s] administration is pursuing a crack down on free speech … completely unrelated, I just want to say before we get started here that I’ve always admired and respected Mr Trump”.

As his audience broke into laughter, Meyers continued: “I’ve always believed he was, no, no, so, a visionary, an innovator, a great president, an even better golfer. And if you’ve ever seen me say anything negative about him, that’s just AI.”

And earlier on Thursday, veteran TV host David Letterman also condemned ABC’s decision while speaking at a festival for the Atlantic magazine.

“I feel bad about this because we all see where this is going,” Letterman said. “It’s managed media. And it’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous. And you can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office. That’s just not how this works.”

The statements come amid growing criticism against big media companies such as ABC and Paramount over their decisions to cancel popular shows including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier.

Trump has repeatedly accused mainstream networks of unfair coverage. Speaking on Air Force One on Thursday, Trump claimed – without providing evidence – that “97% [of major US networks are] against me”, adding: “Again, 97% negative, and yet I won easily. I won all seven swing states … They give me only bad press. I mean they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their licenses should be taken away.”

Such show cancellations have been widely regarded as part of a broader trend where major media companies, eager to protect their business interests, are increasingly aligning with rightwing views supported by Trump. This shift, which reflects a growing chill across media networks, has drawn criticism from the public and Democratic lawmakers who feel the media is becoming more submissive to Trump’s White House at the expense of free speech.

House Democratic leaders have demanded the resignation of Carr following Kimmel’s show cancellation while free speech advocacy group PEN America, decried ABC’s decision, saying: “This marks a dark new level of capitulation and censorship of speech more redolent of autocracies than democracies.”

Meanwhile, the former president Barack Obama said: “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”

The controversy began after Kimmel, in a recent broadcast, suggested that “many in Maga land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk”. Within a day, Carr condemned the comments as “truly sick” and suggested ABC could face regulatory consequences.

The blowback on ABC and Disney on Thursday was swift, and ABC executives are reportedly hoping to find a way to bring Kimmel back soon.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that Bob Iger, the Disney CEO, and Dana Walden, Disney Entertainment co-chair, agreed to take Kimmel’s show off the air on Wednesday and find a way to bring him back later, after struggling to agree on how to address the social media furor that erupted over Kimmel’s comments about Kirk.

Reaction to Kimmel’s monologue had reached a fever pitch on Wednesday, including death threats that raised concerns for the safety of Kimmel and his staff, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The late-night host was prepared to make a statement, but Kimmel and Disney representatives could not find language that they agreed would not further inflame the situation.

Seven teenagers have been arrested over the stabbing deaths of 15-year-old Dau Akueng and 12-year-old Chol Achiek in Melbourne’s west.

Police have confirmed that a 19-year-old Thornhill Park man, a 19-year-old Caroline Springs man, an 18-year-old Wollert man, along with three 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy, all from the north-west suburbs of Melbourne, were arrested on Friday morning after raids on homes by homicide squad detectives.

The seven teenagers are now being interviewed by police.

Dau and Chol were walking home from a basketball game on 6 September when they were allegedly attacked on separate streets in Cobblebank, in the city’s west, by masked assailants armed with machetes and long-edged weapons.

_{Sign up: AU Breaking News email}

At the time Victoria police Det Insp Graham Banks said the case had “the hallmarks of youth gang crime” though the duo were not members.

Chol’s father, Chuti Ngong, described his son as a “lovely” and “peaceful boy” at a candlelight vigil last week.

“He loved everybody – loved all the family, siblings, everybody,” he said.

Terry Koumides, who met Dau in 2020 through a youth basketball program, described him as “sweet kid”.

“He was a contributor, he was well-mannered,” he said. “He was polite.”

Manny Hendrix, Dau’s basketball coach, said he had dreams of playing for the NBA. “Basketball was his life,” he said.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Since the deaths a “significant investigation” by the homicide squad has been under way to “collect all available evidence”, police said on Friday.

Police had also increased patrols in Cobblebank as part of community reassurance efforts, and met with schools, council and community leaders.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online.

New York lawmakers, immigrants’ rights activists and religious leaders were arrested on Thursday at protests both inside and outside the complex in lower Manhattan where federal officials have been routinely detaining immigrants amid the Trump administration’s anti-immigration agenda.

At least 70 demonstrators staged a direct-action protest to block access to and from the underground garage used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) to transport people arrested by the agency. The nature of the protest prompted the New York police department (NYPD) to begin arresting people sitting in front of the access ramp.

Others protesting were arrested by federal officers inside the federal building, which houses a number of facilities including offices for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – the parent agency of Ice – as well as the FBI and an immigration court.

Inside, 11 elected officials were detained after demanding to see the conditions inside the Ice intake facility on the 10th floor of the building, which has recently prompted reports of allegedly poor treatment.

These included Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller, who was previously arrested there in June by masked federal agents, provoking uproar and objections from New York governor Kathy Hochul. Lander was a Democratic party mayoral candidate this year but teamed up to cross-endorse eventual primary winner Zohran Mamdani.

In recent months, breaking norms, Ice has been showing up outside immigration court and arresting people in the hallways as they come out of hearings in the small courtrooms.

Tony Simone, a New York state representative who was arrested at the protest, said: “We will be back here time and time again,” and encouraged other officials to stand up to the administration’s aggressive immigration policies. “Ice is not welcome in our state,” he added.

In a statement responding to the protests, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that Lander and the other politicians were “pulling a stunt in attempt to get their 15 minutes of fame while endangering DHS personnel and detainees”.

“As a result of the chaos caused by Lander, Federal Protective Service called NYPD,” McLaughlin said, adding that local police and federal law enforcement “arrested 71 agitators and sanctuary politicians”, in a reference to New York being a sanctuary city where local law enforcement is supposed to limit or deny cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

In the statement, McLaughlin accused the immigrants who were kept inside the Ice intake facility of being gang members, possessing fentanyl or having a gun.

“Brad Lander’s obsession with attacking the brave men and women of law enforcement, physically and rhetorically, must stop NOW,” McLaughlin said.

Outside, dozens of protesters gathered with signs and banners as they crowded together to block the garage used by Ice – the only entry and exit for official vehicles at the complex at 26 Federal Plaza.

As the protesters sat and chanted a few meters from the garage entrance, NYPD officers arrived and ordered them to disperse.

When protesters refused, the officers, including members of the controversial Strategic Response Group, moved in to arrest them. New York City public advocate Jumaane Williams was the first to be detained from the demonstration outside.

Others arrested near the garage included city council members Tiffany Cabán and Sandy Nurse and state assembly member Phara Souffrant Forrest.

Police motioned to the people who remained sitting, then lifted up some, cuffing them with zip ties while they continued to chant. The protesters were then moved and lined up before being placed in a police van.

Inside, state senators Julia Salazar, Jabari Brisport and Gustavo Rivera and state representatives Jessica González-Rojas, Marcela Mitaynes, Emily Gallagher, Claire Valdez, Tony Simone, Robert Carroll and Steven Raga were arrested. The 11, including Lander, were charged with a federal misdemeanor for blocking the corridors, then released with a date to appear in court.

“To be clear, Ice should be abolished,” Brisport said. He described how when the lawmakers had requested to enter the Ice intake facility, officials zip-tied the doors shut and added duct tape over windows to prevent the politicians from seeing inside.

Cabán said: “As an elected official, it is my duty to protect my constituents from cruelty and violence. Ice is cruel and violent. Ice puts New Yorkers and our democracy in danger.”

She called for the abolition of Ice and said federal enforcement officers were “kidnapping my neighbors”, detaining and sending people to “cruel for-profit detention camps”. She also called for proposed legislation to be passed, including the New York for All bill prohibiting local and state agencies from assisting in federal immigration enforcement.

“Ice has terrorized over 3,000 New Yorkers this year, kidnapping them as they attempt to attend court dates and immigration check-ins, holding them in inhumane conditions, without medicine, changes of clothing, adequate food, beds or contact with the outside world, snatching away due process,” Cabán said.

The alleged gunman who killed three officers and wounded two more in southern Pennsylvania before he was killed by police was a 24-year-old being sought on stalking charges, according to court documents and law enforcement.

The violence erupted in rural York county as officers sought Matthew James Ruth, who had also been charged with trespassing, loitering and prowling at night in a domestic-related investigation that began a day earlier, court documents show.

Details on the domestic situation that led police to the farm began to emerge on Thursday. In addition to the three officers killed, two were injured while trying to execute a warrant related to domestic violence charges.

The gunman, according to York county district attorney Timothy Barker, fired an AR-15-style rifle from inside the home of his ex-girlfriend, killing the three detectives as they attempted to enter the unlocked front door of the residence.

The officers were identified as Det Sgt Cody Becker, Det Mark Baker, and Det Isaiah Emenheiser. They were leaders in the Northern York County Regional Police Department, according to police chief David Lash.

“Each of these men represented the very best of policing – they served with professionalism, dedication, and courage,” Lash said at a news conference.

The two injured officers were in stable condition in the hospital.

The chain of events that led up to the shootings appears to have begun late on Tuesday when the suspected gunman was spotted loitering in the driveway of a former girlfriend, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Police arrived at the home at about 11.30pm after the owner spotted a man wearing camouflage with binoculars looking through the window, according to the court documents.

Officers said they saw an AR-15 style rifle slung across the man’s chest in photos obtained from a trail camera. The homeowner’s daughter told police it was Ruth, a former boyfriend she “only dated for a short period of time” and who had never visited their house.

“Over the next several hours, officers attempted to locate Ruth in the area, but were unsuccessful,” the officers said in the affidavit.

The daughter told police she suspected Ruth set her pickup truck on fire while it sat in her driveway in August. On Monday, a fire investigator determined the fire was set intentionally.

As a result, Ruth was charged with misdemeanor stalking, misdemeanor prowling at nighttime, and summary criminal trespass. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and officers were visiting the home when they were ambushed by a gunman believed to be Ruth.

“We need to do better as a society,” the state’s governor, Josh Shapiro, said. “We need to help the people who think that picking up a gun, picking up a weapon, is the answer to resolving disputes.”

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Wednesday was one of the state’s deadliest days for law enforcement this century, matching the toll from a day in 2009 when three officers were ambushed by a domestic violence suspect sporting a bulletproof vest.

As news of the tragedy spread, community members held American flags and saluted as police and emergency vehicles formed a procession to the coroner’s office. Police departments across the region mourned their colleagues on social media, while people left flowers at police headquarters.

The US attorney general, Pamela Bondi, called violence against police “a scourge on our society”.

The confrontation unfolded on a rural road in south-central Pennsylvania, not far from Maryland. Neighbor Dirk Anderson said he heard “quite a few” shots from his home across the street and wondered what was happening. Then he saw a helicopter and police arrive.

Some 30 police vehicles blocked off roads bordered by a barn, a goat farm and soybean and corn fields. The area, North Codorus township, sits about 115 miles (185km) west of Philadelphia.

Another officer was killed in York county in February, when a man armed with a pistol and zip ties entered a hospital’s intensive care unit and took staff members hostage before a shootout that left both the man and an officer dead.