Joe Biden went off-script during a speech at the White House.

Many Republicans have criticized Hunter Biden's plea deal. Some of them have focused on how the prosecutor who negotiated the deal, an appointee of President Donald Trump, agreed not only to endorse a sentence of probation on two misdemeanor tax crimes to which Biden pleaded guilty but to also permit the president's son to avoid a conviction on a felony charge of being a drug user or addict in possession of a firearm.

Lauryn Hill was forced to postpone a concert in Philadelphia this week on doctor's orders, to prevent "serious strain or damage" to her vocal cords, but she is still planning to play in Toronto on Thursday (26.10.23).

Since the 1960s, one scholar has dedicated his career to arguing that Jesus was not a living man, but in fact a mushroom. John Marco Allegro was one of the first scholars permitted to decipher the ancient documents now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, that were discovered in 1947 in the Judean Desert. They contained the oldest surviving versions of books that would later be incorporated into the biblical canon. Allegro and his colleagues were the first to go about making sense of the documents, as they were obviously discovered untranslated, eventually publishing the texts after hard work and disagreements. Allegro then went on to write two more books on the subject in 1958, The Dead Sea Scrolls and The People of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which remain extremely influential. Then in 1970 and again in 1979, Allegro published two more books. These expanded on his idea that Christianity was a cover for a secret cryptic sex cult generated by people under the influence of Amanita muscaria, more commonly known as Fly agaric. And that Jesus was a metaphor for the fungus and its influences. Using etymology, Allegro argued that early Christianity was created by an Essene cult that recorded their practices through the texts of the New Testament. And that evangelists misunderstood the text's true meaning when they transcribed it. There was never a man called Jesus, only a cult that used mushrooms to have hallucinations. He also argued that the God of the Old Testament was "a mighty penis in the heavens who in a thunderous climax of the storm ejaculated semen upon the furrows of Mother Earth." Allegro's views were not well received, with some believing he created the argument as revenge against Christian critics who dismissed his earlier translations of the Dead Sea Scrolls, whilst some believed he just ran away with the wrong idea. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Earth is home to truly stunning natural features, but sometimes you need a new perspective to appreciate it all over again. Thankfully, the experts at NASA are on hand to remind us just how incredible our planet is with the release of new photos showing the “blood of Earth”. The incredible images seem to show it bleeding, with dramatic red liquid appearing to cascade over the surface. However, it’s nothing at all to do with blood – which is probably just as well. Instead, the first picture shows the Laguna Colorada in the Bolivian Andes in South America from space. Remarkably, the image was taken by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS) using just a Nikon digital camera. The fact that it was taken more than 400 kilometres away from Earth on a handheld device is pretty staggering, and it offers a look at a natural phenomenon which we’d never otherwise get to see. The first picture shows the impact of red algae flourishing in the shallow water of the laguna, while the second shows the Betsiboka River Delta in Madagascar. This time, the red colour comes as a result of the iron-rich sediment. It’s pretty awe-inspiring stuff, and it’s not the first time that red “blood” has been seen running from our planet, either. Antarctica’s Blood Falls is a bizarre geographical feature in the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of the continent, and it’s one of the strangest natural phenomena you're likely to see. It features a flow of water the colour of blood that can be seen seeping out from a glacier into the ocean. The mystery behind it has fascinated members of the scientific community for decades, but a solution has now been found. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

JAKARTA Short video app TikTok is in the process of obtaining an e-commerce permit from Indonesia's government, state

Andrew Tate denies Matt Shea entry in his mansion for not receiving a box of chocolates

Ozzy Osbourne's family can't discuss his decision to pull out of Power Trip festival for health reasons because he finds it too upsetting to talk about.

William Saliba states his ambition to win everything possible at Arsenal after signing a new four-year contract.

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman took his record-breaking show to Ireland

Two people were killed in Brussels after a gunman opened fire in the city centre, police have said. Footage shared online showed a man dressed in an orange jacket unloading several shots, using a large weapon. Local media outlets said the two victims were Swedish nationals. The man was reportedly seen leaving the crime scene on a scooter. The violent incident came ahead of a qualifier game for the UEFA Euros between Sweden and Belgium at the Heysel Stadium, some 3 miles away. Local outlets reported a nervous atmosphere near to the arena following reports of the shooting, and extra security measures were added. The second half of the match was later called off, after players reportedly refused to return to the field. A message from the Swedish FA, sent to supporters advised fans to remain inside the stadium. Footage showed security personnel ushering supporters back inside the stadium and closing the gates. Nearby Metro stations were also reportedly closed.

Both Sgt Metz and Deputy Patrick Byrne failed to disclose their inappropriate liaison to the CCSO administration