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Europe’s big election season is about to kick off. It could change everything | Nathalie Tocci

If far right nationalists gain power in four big countries simultaneously, we are in for a dramatic Trumpian tilt When it comes to Europe’s economy or its peace and security, it is obvious that decision-making has to be done largely at the European level to be meaningful. Yet electoral politics is still conducted mostly at the national level. The silver lining of this mismatch is that from country to country in Europe we have governments with different political priorities and leanings. Unlike in the US, where one presidential election can radically change the entire country’s course, as we have seen so vividly under Donald Trump’s leadership, the same drama has not so far unfolded in Europe. This may be about to change. Pedro Sánchez rolled the dice in Spain last week, calling a snap election for next month after an unholy alliance of the conservative People’s party (PP), the far-right Vox and Catalan pro-independence party Junts blocked his big housing reform package in parliament....
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IMF warns global economy ‘could soon test the limits of resilience’

World Economic Outlook says states’ oil stocks are low and budgets are overstretched, as it upgrades UK GDP growth forecast for 2026 Developing nations face triple shock, UN warns The global economy “could soon test the limits of resilience”, as emergency oil stocks run low and government budgets become overstretched, the International Monetary Fund has warned. In its twice-yearly World Economic Outlook, the IMF said global growth had withstood the Middle East conflict better than feared over the past six months. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/j0ZKSkT via IFTTT

One dead and more injured after incident on Six Flags rollercoaster in US

Six Flags Over Georgia ‘deeply saddened’ by tragedy, reportedly occurring on Goliath coaster with 175ft drop One person has died and several others were injured in an incident involving a Six Flags rollercoaster on Monday afternoon in Georgia , according to police. The incident took place a Six Flags Over Georgia, about 15 miles (25km) north-west of Atlanta, according to the Cobb county police department. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZEJI9FA via IFTTT

English councils warn of ‘catastrophic’ Send debts forecast to hit £10bn by 2028

Surge in EHCP applications poses risk to public finances and may lead to deteriorating levels of support Councils are warning of potentially “catastrophic” debts, which are forecast to reach a record £10bn over the next 18 months, as a result of rapid growth in demand for special educational needs and disability (Send) support in English schools. Although the government recently cleared more than £5bn in historic council Send debts, a surge in requests has led to authorities predicting they will have re-accrued that debt figure by April, and doubled it by 2028. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/osbMYnU via IFTTT

Taylor Knibb wins Ironman world title after leader collapses in dramatic Kona finish

Knibb overtakes Norwegian rival in final kilometer Defending champion Løvseth collapses while leading France’s Vincent Luis wins men’s title on Kona debut American triathlete Taylor Knibb has won her first Hawaiian Ironman world title after one of the most dramatic finishes in race history. With a mile left, Norwegian defending champion Solveig Løvseth led Knibb by more than a minute and looked rock-solid, having taken the lead from her inside the final 10km of the 42.2km marathon run. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/k6lOtpP via IFTTT

‘My body is still peaking’: Eliud Kipchoge wins first marathon in three years

Kenyan breaks Melbourne Marathon record by two seconds ‘I’m happy to run with the gen Zs,’ 41-year-old says Marathon’s greatest competitor, Eliud Kipchoge, has sent a message to the next generation declaring that he’s not done yet. The 41-year-old Kenyan revelled in his Melbourne Marathon debut on Sunday, breaking the race record and delighting thousands of fans at the MCG finish. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jNgcpY3 via IFTTT

US man shoots off-duty ICE agent who allegedly attacked him and daughter

ICE official, who was sleeping on man’s lawn and appeared ‘intoxicated’, faces felony charges, California police say A 72-year-old man shot an off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) official in California early on Friday morning after the “intoxicated and agitated” official assaulted him and his daughter on their property, local authorities allege. The Fresno police department said that the ICE official was receiving medical care after being shot in the midsection. The official, identified as David Gonzalez, is facing felony charges for assaulting the father-daughter duo, Fresno police said . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/SjPWr7g via IFTTT

Five people shot and killed in apparent murder-suicide, Georgia police say

Deceased were all members of the same family, officials say, and one of victims placed the initial emergency call Five people were shot and killed in an apparent murder-suicide at a residence in Georgia on Friday, authorities say. The deceased were family members who lived at the home in Douglas, a city in south Georgia. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Jap80nc via IFTTT

Nuclear war and malicious use of AI threaten end of humanity by 2100, says Lancet assessment

Newly established commission identifies 17 catastrophic threats to human health but says ‘realistic route to act’ on each exists Humans could become extinct by the year 2100 due to malicious use of AI or nuclear conflict, according to a new global risk assessment. They top a list of 17 major threats to human health over the next 75 years, which also includes cuts to aid spending by wealthy countries, the climate crisis and childhood malnutrition. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/L6Z2fWq via IFTTT

Climate crisis is coming to crush many of world’s best surf breaks, study warns

Changing tide levels, shifting sands and hardened shorelines put waves at risk, affecting more than just surfers The climate crisis is coming for some of the world’s greatest surf breaks, submerging some as sea level rises and wiping out others as classic breaks get crushed against coastal developments. Analysis of dozens of famous waves in world surfing reserves (WSR) found more than three-quarters were at high risk because of changing tide levels, hardened shorelines and shifting sands. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Z6lWYn9 via IFTTT

Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Florida with severe effects expected across several states

Governors of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida declared states of emergency as a downsized Fema faces first major test Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Friday evening, sweeping ashore from the northern Gulf of Mexico as the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said the center of the cyclone made landfall at 9.30pm ET as a category 2 hurricane with winds reaching 105 mph (165km/h). Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/n4VeDh5 via IFTTT

14th review – Ava DuVernay’s galvanizing documentary is a remarkable achievement

New York film festival: the director has made a fascinating and troubling companion piece to her Netflix documentary 13th, which takes a fiery look at American injustice It feels at once like the blink of an eye and an eternity since Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th arrived on Netflix, a month before the election of Donald Trump to his first term as president. The intervening decade has more or less borne out the film’s thesis on the enduring specter of white supremacy in American life: that a clause within the 13th amendment abolishing chattel slavery – that involuntary servitude could be used as punishment for a crime – was immediately and continually exploited to criminalize black people, mass incarceration thus being the modern incarnation of America’s original sin. The Oscar-nominated film, which saw a surge in viewership during the protests of 2020, has remained both a time capsule of late Obama-era moral clarity and, arguably, the acclaimed director’s best picture. At least, un...

Zelenskyy furious as Trump announces deal to buy Russian diesel

President says deal essential to lower US fuel prices but move set to create fresh crisis with Ukraine and Nato allies US politics – live updates Donald Trump was on a fresh collision course with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European allies on Friday after a stunning agreement to buy Russian diesel, upending years of US and western pressure on the Kremlin to end its four-and-a-half year war against Ukraine. Zelenskyy reacted furiously to Trump’s announcement of the deal with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, calling it “absolutely terrible” and “not fair and not honest”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5Bc6E1z via IFTTT

Pat Cummins unfazed by prospect of Khawaja book raising sandpaper scandal: ‘Tell your story’

Former Test opener is writing a new book released next month Australia captain Cummins confirms conversation with Khawaja Pat Cummins has suggested he is unfazed by the prospect of the sandpaper scandal being raised in Usman Khawaja’s autobiography, which will be the first from any Australian player who played in that 2018 Cape Town Test. Cummins confirmed that Khawaja had called to inform him he would be writing the book, which will be released days after the end of Australia’s first Test tour of South Africa since the infamous match. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/iWOKhJw via IFTTT

Democrats sue to stop Trump from using taxpayer funds for self-promoting ads

Ads promoting the president have cost more than $12m and his Super Pac has refused to reimburse taxpayers Sign up to The Stakes 2026: your weekly guide to the US midterms The Democratic National Committee sued the Trump administration in federal court on Wednesday, asking a judge in Washington to stop the president from using taxpayer funds to air a series of ads promoting himself, arguing that the ads are illegal government-sponsored propaganda. The ads promoting Donald Trump, including one recycled from his 2024 presidential campaign , have cost taxpayers more than $12m so far, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/huBAsSg via IFTTT

‘Rip it open’: Big Girls Don’t Cry director explores wounds of early love in film festival hit

Director Paloma Schneideman explores issues of consent and queerness in coming-of-age film set in New Zealand In Big Girls Don’t Cry, the New Zealand coming-of-age film quietly devastating film festivals, there is a scene on a moonlit beach. It features the main character, Sid, played by Ani Palmer, and one of the cool older city boys who has come to the small, golden-sand town of Ōmaha for the summer. It is a deeply relatable, deeply uncomfortable watch; reliving the teenage negotiation – or not – of consent feels unsettling and validating. “Yeah, an 18-year-old at the screening last night said, ‘I feel so seen and exposed,” director and writer Paloma Schneideman, 34, says. “I was like, whoa, that’s quite an astute way to think about it. One is cathartic and healing, and the other is quite confronting.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jXEyKTC via IFTTT

Conservative plans to slash aid budget would ‘irreparably damage’ UK’s global credibility, charities say

Party’s pledge to reduce aid budget from £9bn a year to £1bn to fund new prison places branded as ‘posturing’ Conservative plans to slash the aid budget by 90% would leave the UK unable to cover existing contributions to the UN and World Bank and “irreparably damage” Britain’s global credibility, several organisations and charities have told the Guardian. In a series of announcements at the Tory party conference in Birmingham, Kemi Badenoch said that as prime minister she would reduce the aid budget from £9bn a year to £1bn, to part-fund 50,000 new prison places in England and Wales. The culture budget would also be slashed by £1bn a year to fund the plans. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/AxUvHaX via IFTTT

OpenAI to reiterate apology to Australia over Medicare hack as inquiry told artists risk becoming ‘roadkill’

Company executive to acknowledge ‘more work to do to rebuild trust with the Australian people’ as ABC says copyright laws do not need changing Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast OpenAI will use an appearance before a parliamentary committee to apologise again to Australia about the hack on Medicare last month, on the same day media and entertainment organisations argue weakening Australian copyright law for AI model training would leave artists as “roadkill”. Ahead of an appearance before the joint parliamentary committee hearing on artificial intelligence in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon, OpenAI released its opening statement in which the company apologises for its AI agents attacking a number of Australian government websites in June . The multibillion-dollar company notified the government via an email to a public-facing address three months after the breach. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/64OjW8k via IFTTT

Oil from South Korea being shipped to Russia as Ukraine war grinds on

Exclusive: Guardian analysis finds more than 150,000 tonnes of fuel was shipped to Russian ports in July and August, some using sanctioned tankers Oil is being shipped from South Korea to Russia via sanctioned tankers as Moscow scrambles for supplies amid the war in Ukraine, a move one expert said “undermines” Seoul’s public backing for Kyiv. Guardian analysis of port records and ship-tracking data found that in July and August over 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, was loaded at several South Korean ports on to seven tankers that made 14 voyages to Russia’s far east. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/58wISHx via IFTTT

Egyptian journalist faces terrorism charges after entire newsroom detained

Calls for release of six Matsadaash staff after one is charged, while whereabouts of other five remain unknown An Egyptian journalist has been charged with joining a terrorist group, days after an entire newsroom was detained in what rights groups have said is a crackdown on press freedoms. Last week, authorities arrested six journalists from the independent fact-checking and investigative platform Matsadaash – literally meaning “don’t believe” – accusing them in a statement of being unlicensed and publishing false news on behalf of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lvw5Y8s via IFTTT

Ministers drop plans to cut jury trials in England and Wales after outcry

Critics say scrapping of plans, which aimed to increase judge-alone trials to deliver swifter justice, leaves court system and victims vulnerable Ministers have scrapped plans that would have slashed the number of jury trials in England and Wales and replaced them with a judge sitting alone. The proposals had sparked a fierce backlash from lawyers , who have welcomed the U-turn. But the victims’ commissioner expressed concern about the abandonment of measures drawn up by the then justice secretary, David Lammy, under Keir Starmer’s government, to tackle the record backlog in the courts. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ajrMJT4 via IFTTT

Can anything politicians say at Sunday’s election stop young people from leaving Bosnia?

They are the support base for non-nationalist parties but are voting with their feet and not on ballot papers On a perfect October morning in Sarajevo, the motivation for young people to be leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina in droves is not immediately apparent. The country’s capital is basking in the autumn sunshine and the pavement cafes in the shadow of the Sacred Heart Cathedral are packed. People lingering over coffee and cigarettes mix peacefully with the Swedish football fans in town for their team’s Nations League match. But Sarajevo’s many charms have not been enough to keep young people in Bosnia. One local organisation that tracks emigration estimated that more than 600,000 people had left the country in the decade after the 2013 census, when the official population was 3.5 million. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/LHcZ4bo via IFTTT

Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic emblems leaked by official YouTube account

Sneak preview shown in video after pieces revealed over past week Cockatoo-inspired emblem to be officially unveiled on Monday The Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics emblems have been accidentally leaked by the Games’ official YouTube channel, three days before its own big reveal. Pieces of the puzzle had been revealed across Queensland over the past week with the full logos to come together during an official unveiling on Monday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gwn51DF via IFTTT

Peter Thiel revealed as secret buyer of Bel Air mansion that sold for $130m

The 1938 mansion, Casa Encantada, once belonged to Conrad Hilton and was sold at foreclosure auction The tech billionaire Peter Thiel has been revealed as the new owner of a storied Bel-Air estate that quietly sold in July for a staggering $130m. The 1938 mansion, Casa Encantada, was sold at an open-air foreclosure auction in Pomona, with the name of the buyer kept under wraps for months. The winning bid is now revealed to have come from a limited liability company linked to the venture capitalist and PayPal and Palantir co-founder, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the buyer’s identity . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/qBWxoUS via IFTTT

Hay Fever review – Richard E Grant and Christine Baranski host Coward’s country house shenanigans

Wyndham’s theatre, London Grant brings shock-haired vigour as a vain novelist forced to welcome his boho children’s surprise guests in comedy of clipped social embarrassment Hay Fever, now one of Noël Coward’s best-known and most-performed works, hasn’t always been a smash hit. British critics who found its West End debut in 1925 amusing enough nevertheless noted its lack of plot, and the first Broadway production was a flop. A critic for Vogue called it “funny in places”, which sounds like the kind of stinging putdown you’d expect from the playwright’s own hand. A century of performances have proved the play’s lasting power, but its comic effect has always lain less in the words as written than their delivery – it is, after all, about a family that is “artificial to the point of lunacy”. At their centre is diva Judith Bliss, who has retired from the stage to take up the role of country hostess. When she, her husband and their self-consciously bohemian childre...
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