The Guardian

US citizens will receive $5,000 if Republicans win midterms, Trump claims in lengthy convention speech

In two-hour address, president asked voters to ‘pretend that I’m on the ballot’ despite being deeply unpopular among electorateDonald Trump said every adult citizen in the US will receive a dividend of $5,000 if Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterm elections, while delivering a historically long convention speech in Dallas in which the president assailed Democrats as radical communists and defended his unpopular war in Iran.“If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get

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NY Times World

At Least 5 Dead, More Than 80 Missing After Ferry Fire in the Philippines

The June Aster was sailing from Manila to Coron, a popular tourist destination, when a fire broke out aboard the vessel.

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NY Times World

Fighting Wildfire Haze With an Airplane and Lots of Salt and Water

The authorities in Malaysian Borneo have been trying to seed clouds to counteract the effects of smoke wafting in from neighboring Indonesia.

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The Guardian

Deadly Philippines ferry fire leaves scores of people missing

Forty-three people rescued and early death toll stands at five after blaze aboard MV ‌June Aster in waters off Coron, Palawan, says coast guardFive people were confirmed dead ⁠in early counting and ​more than 80 were missing after a ferry caught fire ⁠off Palawan island in the western Philippines on Wednesday night, the Philippine coast ⁠guard said.Forty-three people were ​rescued from the MV ‌June Aster in waters off Coron, Palawan, the coast guard said. Footage showed flames engulfing parts of

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The Guardian

Instagram boss says users will be ‘overwhelmed’ with brand content in algorithm-free world

Adam Mosseri says platform’s algorithm ‘feels like a black box’ but company trying to give users more control after Labor announces opt-out planInstagram’s chief executive has said users will have a worse experience in an algorithm-free world, seeing more brand-related content, and spend less time on the app.The comments come as the Australian government plans to give users the option to opt out of algorithms, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announcing plans on Tuesday to require soci

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The Guardian

SMH columnist Peter FitzSimons tells Alan Jones trial alleged victim was ‘revolted’ by abuse

FitzSimons tells court that complainant C told him Jones, who has pleaded not guilty, would touch his penis and he ‘kept pushing it away’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney Morning Herald columnist Peter FitzSimons has told the Alan Jones trial an alleged victim he spoke to in 2019 was “tearful” and sounded “emotionally traumatised” when detailing alleged assaults by the 2GB broadcaster.The commentator and author

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NY Times World

August Ties for Hottest Month on Record

Sweltering summer temperatures put last month on par with July 2023 for global warmth, scientists said. More records could be broken in the months ahead.

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NY Times World

How Fighting Fires Became an All-of-Europe Project

The European Union isn’t known for firefighting expertise. But with the continent ablaze, Brussels is playing a growing role.

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BBC World

Watch: Do Republicans blame Trump for high oil prices?

The BBC's Sarah Smith is at the Republican Party's first midterms convention in Texas, taking place as oil prices rise to $100 (£74) a barrel.

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The Guardian

Jacqui Lambie says Pauline Hanson a ‘bloody coward’ after One Nation cartoon calling Andrew Hastie a traitor

Lambie, a veteran and Tasmanian senator, says One Nation leader is showing her ‘true colours’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJacqui Lambie has accused Pauline Hanson of being a “coward” for a One Nation cartoon calling the Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie a traitor, amid a growing spat between the One Nation leader and the former SAS captain.Lambie, a veteran and Tasmanian senator, defended Hastie on Thursday, aft

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The Guardian

Rubio says US will work with allies to stop drug-trafficking as three killed in latest boat strike

Rubio visits Ecuador and welcomes cooperation after campaign of unilateral strikes on alleged ‘narco-terrorists’US secretary of state Marco Rubio gave new clarity on the approach toward combating drug trafficking in Latin American waters, saying the Trump administration was focused on working with allied countries and aligning with their laws but insisting the military will “still blow up ships if need be.”The public acknowledgment of a shift in US strategy comes a year after Washington began a

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WSJ World News

With Close Calls on U.S. Warships, Iran Shows New Appetite for Escalation

Tehran’s forces are taking aim at the U.S. Navy in a way they haven’t done since the start of the war.

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The Guardian

Rhode Island’s Democratic governor loses primary amid anger over bridge

Helena Foulkes beats incumbent Dan McKee after criticizing handling of Providence’s Washington bridge, now expected to be completed in 2028Rhode Island’s Dan McKee became the first sitting governor to lose a primary in nearly a decade, bested not by a more progressive challenger or a more youthful upset but by frustration over a bridge.McKee lost his Democratic primary to Helena Foulkes, a former longtime executive with Rhode Island-based retail pharmacy CVS, the Associated Press said on Wednesd

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The Guardian

Democrat John Fetterman makes surprise cameo at Republican convention

Senator lends support to ‘great friend’ Dave McCormick, Republican running for re-election in PennsylvaniaDemocratic senator John Fetterman made a surprise virtual appearance at the Republican midterm convention, delivering a video address supporting Dave McCormick, a Republican running for re-election in Pennsylvania.Fetterman, who has increasingly broken with his party since his election in 2022, said he would always reject “extremes and socialism” in the video, repeating an oft-used Republica

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The Guardian

Lawmakers blast AI companies after researcher warns of human extinction by 2030

Former Anthropic employee Jacob Coxon said AI will become ‘superhuman systems’ that can cause human extinction by the end of the decadeJust a day after three Anthropic researchers warned that artificial intelligence could kill off humanity within the decade, lawmakers have begun lashing out about the risks of the burgeoning technology.Ted Cruz, a republican senator from Texas, said in an interview on ABC’s The View, that AI poses a “catastrophic risk” and that he “read that whole tweet thread th

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BBC World

Why some experts increasingly fear AI will take over

AI agents went on an uncontrolled hacking spree, leaving some in the industry worried

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Washington Post World

Plane carrying Zelensky threatened by drone in Moldova, Norway’s premier says

The Ukrainian president was on his way to the funeral of Norway’s King Harald.

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The Guardian

Teachers say holidays in term can be worth more than time in school

School staff tell focus groups they believe school system in England and Wales cannot deal with attendance crisisTeachers have so little belief in the importance of pupils’ full school attendance that they would take their own children on term time holidays if they could, staff have told a three-year research programme.Frontline staff do not believe the school system is set up to deal with an ongoing attendance crisis in England and Wales, where nearly one in five children are now missing at lea

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The Guardian

UK chancellor urged to remove £100k childcare ‘cliff edge’ prompting parents to cut work hours

Critics say threshold pushes higher-paid staff to cut back on work and often mothers to stop working to avoid losing entitlementJohn Healey has been urged to fix the £100,000 childcare “cliff edge”, that means some higher-paid employees cut back on work to avoid losing their entitlement.Since the latest expansion of taxpayer-funded childcare in 2024, families with young children in which both parents earn less than £100,000 a year can be entitled to 30 hours a week of care - or none at all, if o

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WSJ World News

The Baltic Country Calling for Calm in the Face of Russian Threat

Estonia says the fight with Moscow has already begun but doesn’t see signs of an imminent invasion.

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