Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Germany resists as France’s debt troubles threaten contagion Diego Faßnacht reports that France’s rising borrowing costs and political paralysis are colliding with Germany’s resistance to larger EU commitments, exposing a widening fault line in Europe’s […]

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“Questo governo, nel mondo della cultura, del cinema, del teatro e della musica, ha fatto un disastro. In quattro anni non ha combinato un cazzo, ma ci ha rovinato dei piani che erano praticamente fatti”. Manuel Agnelli non risparmia critiche all’esecutivo guidato da Giorgia Meloni durante il confronto con Andrea Scanzi, lo scorso 15 ottobre alla Casa del Cinema, nell’ambito della 21ª edizione della Festa del Cinema di Roma. L’incontro, intitolato I cattivi maestri e promosso dalla Siae, ha ripercorso la carriera del musicista, fondatore e frontman degli Afterhours, soffermandosi sul suo rapporto con la televisione e soprattutto sul ruolo degli artisti nel dibattito pubblico.

Agnelli contesta in particolare le scelte del governo nel settore musicale: “C‘era una legge sulla musica già approvata, che doveva diventare decreto attuativo e che è stata smantellata. Ma gliela metteremo nel culo”.
La critica si estende anche alla situazione generale del Paese: “La sicurezza nelle strade, l’inflazione, è tutto peggiorato. Milano è la città più pericolosa d’Italia in questo momento. Va bene, parlate male di chi volete, degli immigrati, dei maranza, ma fate qualcosa”.
Nonostante la disillusione verso la politica, il musicista continua a considerare il voto uno strumento indispensabile. “Non mi piacciono i proclami politici, quelli partitici ancora meno, quindi non ho mai detto votate Tizio o votate Caio, però ai concerti ho cominciato a dire: andate a votare”. Anche quando manca una piena convinzione, sostiene, partecipare alle elezioni serve a mantenere un equilibrio tra le diverse forze politiche, impedendo che la società si sposti eccessivamente in una sola direzione.

Il dialogo con il giornalista de Il Fatto Quotidiano affronta anche una questione che divide il mondo dello spettacolo: gli artisti devono esporsi politicamente? Scanzi cita Francesco De Gregori, il quale ha dichiarato di provare imbarazzo quando un uomo di spettacolo prende posizioni nette su questioni internazionali complesse.
“Siamo in democrazia, è giusto che sia così, lui ha tutto il diritto di pensarla diversamente – risponde il musicista –. Ma io sono convinto che sia più opportuno, in questo momento storico, dare un esempio di partecipazione e comunicare a tutti che si può partecipare, che è legittimo farlo”.
E aggiunge: “De Gregori secondo me avrebbe fatto meglio a dire: io non credo in questa cosa e non voglio partecipare, ma è legittimo se qualcuno invece lo fa”.

A preoccuparlo è soprattutto la crescente insofferenza verso chi sceglie di prendere posizione pubblicamente. “La gente si è abituata a non partecipare e a considerare una rottura di balle quando qualcuno partecipa”, osserva, riferendosi alle critiche rivolte agli studenti che manifestano o agli artisti che esprimono opinioni sui media. Un atteggiamento che considera tanto più contraddittorio nell’epoca dei social: “I social sono un monnezzaio mostruoso, pieno di gente che si collega e vomita di tutto. Perché quello non è un problema e poi uno pubblicamente non può dire qualcosa della quale si prende la responsabilità mettendoci la faccia?”.

L’ex giudice di X Factor rivendica quindi il diritto di intervenire anche nei programmi di approfondimento politico, come Otto e mezzo, al quale ha partecipato insieme a Scanzi: “Sono un cittadino che paga le tasse, va a votare e lavora, quindi ho tutto il diritto di avere un’opinione e di esprimerla. Il megafono che ho me lo sono costruito io e ho il diritto di utilizzarlo con responsabilità, ma come voglio”.
Una convinzione che non si traduce, tuttavia, nell’ambizione di intraprendere una carriera politica. Alla domanda se qualcuno gli abbia mai proposto di candidarsi, risponde con ironia: “Sono impresentabile. L’unica cosa buona che ho è che so coniugare i congiuntivi, che è una cosa molto rara in Parlamento”. Poi chiarisce: “Dobbiamo sapere dove siamo più efficaci e dove siamo più forti. Io penso che lì in mezzo mi maciullerebbero in 30 secondi. Ci sono delle dinamiche pazzesche, non è che vai lì con la visione del sole nascente. È proprio una corte di serpenti e quella roba non mi interessa”. Ricorda invece l’esperienza del padre, impegnato prima nella politica nazionale e successivamente in quella territoriale, dove aveva trovato la possibilità di misurare i risultati concreti del proprio lavoro.

C’è spazio anche per un bilancio della lunga esperienza a X Factor, che Agnelli ha deciso di interrompere quando ha capito di non poter più utilizzare il programma per raccontare la musica come avrebbe voluto: “Quando la produzione è cambiata, paradossalmente proprio nell’anno in cui ho vinto, ho deciso di smettere perché non riuscivo più a raccontare. Il mio personaggio diventava macchiettistico, il giudice cattivo che deve sempre rompere il cazzo. E quando diventi una macchietta perdi totalmente l’efficacia”. Una scelta che ha comportato anche una rinuncia economica considerevole: “Mi hanno offerto 870mila euro per fare la stagione dopo e ho detto di no”.

Agnelli riconosce di potersi permettere una simile decisione, ma respinge le accuse di chi lo considera ‘un venduto’ per aver partecipato a un talent televisivo. “Molti di quelli che mi danno del venduto perché sono andato in televisione avvelenerebbero tutta la famiglia per 870mila euro”. E ricorda che compromessi e interessi economici non sono estranei neppure all’ambiente della musica alternativa, citando le riviste musicali che, a suo dire, subordinavano la concessione delle copertine all’acquisto di spazi pubblicitari. Una denuncia alla quale accompagna, però, il riconoscimento del ruolo fondamentale svolto da quelle stesse testate nella crescita della scena rock italiana degli anni Novanta.
Dalla televisione alla musica, fino alla politica, emerge una concezione dell’impegno pubblico che Agnelli rivendica come esercizio di libertà e responsabilità individuale, indipendentemente dal mestiere che si svolge o dalla notorietà di cui si gode. “Partecipare alla vita pubblica è un dovere ed è anche un diritto. E forse ce lo siamo dimenticati”.

L'articolo Manuel Agnelli a Scanzi: “Il governo Meloni in 4 anni non ha combinato un ca**o e ha fatto disastri nella cultura” proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

È partito ieri sera 22 ottobre il primo appuntamento dei Live Show di X Factor 2026, in onda su Sky e disponibile su Now. Ad aprire lo show un opening a sorpresa sul remix di “Berghain” di Rosalia, Björk & Yves Tumor, che ha dato il benvenuto sul palco alla conduttrice Giorgia e ai quattro giudici: Francesco Gabbani, Irama, Jake La Furia e Paola Iezzi.

Per Marco Mengoni, super ospite dell’X Factor Arena, è stato un ritorno a “casa”: a distanza di 17 anni dalla sua vittoria nel talent, il cantante è risalito su quel palco per due momenti, un medley d’apertura e la presentazione del nuovo singolo “Giornate perse”.

I 12 concorrenti in gara si sono sfidati in due manche che si sono chiuse con l’eliminazione di Alice Fregoso, della squadra di Gabbani. Il team del giudice, però, è tornato a quota tre componenti grazie al rientro di Teo Bok, uscito vincitore dal televoto flash che lo ha visto sfidare Timothée Bonnardel nell’ambito degli Škoda X Pass assegnati da Giorgia.

La serata si è aperta con la presentazione dei due Škoda X Pass di Giorgia, Timothée e Teo. Timothée ha cantato “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” di Otis Redding, Teo “Don’t Stop Me Now” dei Queen. Si è tenuto un televoto di 200 secondi, il cui esito è stato reso noto solo a fine puntata.

Il debutto dei Live dello show Sky Original prodotto da Fremantle ha registrato ascolti in salita, stabilendo un nuovo primato stagionale che include anche gli episodi delle selezioni. La Total Audience complessiva ha raggiunto 918mila spettatori, con uno share del 4,4% per il primo passaggio su Sky Uno, segnando un incremento dell’11% rispetto al kick off della stagione precedente.

L'articolo X Factor 2026, colpo di scena con l’eliminato Teo Bok che rientra in gara grazie a Giorgia. I giudici (tranne Gabbani) votano l’uscita di Alice Fregoso. Marco Mengoni torna a “casa” dopo 17 anni proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Doubt, idiocracy, baseball, meals, and fish. Find out why these five stories stood out.

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Il guardaroba è quello delle grandi spedizioni: cofano importante, passaruota marcati, protezioni nere e un contenitore sul portellone che richiama la classica ruota di scorta. Dentro, invece, c’è un vano portaoggetti da 21,3 litri. Un dettaglio che racconta la filosofia della GWM H7: interpretare lo spirito dell’avventura con soluzioni pensate anche per la vita quotidiana. Perché fra una gita fuori porta e il parcheggio sotto casa, un posto in più dove sistemare le cose torna sempre utile.

Great Wall Motor allarga la propria offerta italiana con un Suv a cinque posti lungo 4,68 metri, largo 1,95 e alto 1,84. La presenza scenica è assicurata dalle proporzioni squadrate, dai 21 centimetri di altezza da terra e dal portellone ad apertura laterale. Una soluzione caratteristica, per la quale occorre prevedere un po’ di spazio dietro la vettura quando si caricano i bagagli.

L’abitacolo punta sull’accoglienza. La posizione di guida rialzata offre una buona visuale e dietro lo spazio è generoso, anche per i passeggeri più alti. La plancia abbina una strumentazione digitale da 12,3 pollici a uno schermo centrale da 15,6, con Apple CarPlay e Android Auto senza fili. Per alcune funzioni del climatizzatore restano i tasti fisici: una scelta pratica, che permette di regolare la temperatura senza dover cercare ogni volta un menu.

La dotazione è uno degli argomenti più convincenti dell’H7: la full hybrid, proposta nell’allestimento Premium, comprende tetto panoramico apribile, climatizzatore bizona, head-up display, sedili anteriori riscaldati e ventilati e ricarica wireless per lo smartphone. I rivestimenti sono in pelle sintetica e come detto non mancano vani distribuiti nell’abitacolo, compreso uno scomparto nel bracciolo che può essere raffreddato o riscaldato attraverso il climatizzatore.

Il bagagliaio offre 341 litri nella configurazione standard, che diventano 586 sfruttando il vano fino al tetto e 1.404 abbattendo gli schienali posteriori. Una capacità da valutare secondo le proprie esigenze di viaggio, a fronte di uno spazio per gli occupanti particolarmente ampio.

La versione full hybrid Hi2 abbina un quattro cilindri 1.5 turbo a benzina da 150 cavalli a un motore elettrico da 177, per una potenza complessiva di 247 cavalli e trazione anteriore. La batteria è da 1,53 kWh, mentre la trasmissione dedicata dispone di due rapporti. Non serve collegarsi a una presa: il sistema gestisce automaticamente il funzionamento dei propulsori e recupera energia nelle decelerazioni. GWM dichiara 8,1 secondi nello scatto da zero a cento e un consumo medio WLTP di 6,5 litri ogni cento chilometri, equivalenti a circa 15,4 km/l.

Su strada, la componente elettrica sostiene con efficacia la massa di quasi due tonnellate. Partenze e riprese sono vivaci, con una risposta pronta all’acceleratore che rende agevoli gli inserimenti nel traffico e i sorpassi. Sul fondo scivoloso conviene dosare la richiesta di potenza, perché la spinta sulle ruote anteriori può chiamare in causa il controllo di trazione.

La seduta alta e il cofano ben visibile aiutano a percepire gli ingombri, mentre le telecamere facilitano le manovre. L’assetto, affinato per le strade europee con la collaborazione di Racing Syn, accompagna con una guida fluida. Sulle sconnessioni più marcate la risposta diventa più decisa, ma l’impostazione complessiva si presta ai viaggi e all’impiego familiare. Il pedale del freno richiede un breve adattamento nella prima parte della corsa.

La dotazione di sicurezza comprende sette airbag e oltre venti sistemi di assistenza, fra cui cruise control adattivo, frenata automatica d’emergenza e monitoraggio dell’angolo cieco. Il mantenimento di corsia interviene talvolta con una certa energia: una taratura che potrebbe guadagnare in progressività.

La scelta dei motori è ampia. Accanto alla full hybrid c’è un 2.0 turbobenzina da 215 cavalli con trazione integrale e cambio a doppia frizione a nove rapporti. Le due versioni plug-in si rivolgono invece a chi può ricaricare e vuole percorrere buona parte degli spostamenti quotidiani in elettrico.

La Plug-in Hi2 2WD offre 326 cavalli, mentre la Hi4 dispone di un motore elettrico per ciascun asse e raggiunge 435 cavalli. Per quest’ultima la casa cinese indica uno zero-cento in 4,9 secondi: una bella riserva di prestazioni per un Suv dall’impostazione familiare. Entrambe sono equipaggiate con una batteria da 33,7 kWh e supportano la ricarica in corrente continua fino a 85 kW, con un passaggio dal 30 all’80% – se le colonnine lo permettono – in circa 19 minuti. Le autonomie elettriche indicate sono rispettivamente di 150 e 129 chilometri; i dati delle plug-in restano tuttavia soggetti al completamento dell’omologazione.

Il listino, infine: dai 37.000 euro della full hybrid Premium. La benzina con trazione integrale costa 39.500 euro, la plug-in 2WD 41.490 euro nell’allestimento Business e 43.490 in Premium. Al vertice si colloca la plug-in integrale Hi4 Premium, a 46.000 euro. Al lancio, la full hybrid è proposta a 29.990 euro con permuta o rottamazione, escludendo anche la messa su strada. La garanzia di sette anni o 150.000 chilometri, estesa a otto anni o 160.000 chilometri per la batteria, rafforza una proposta che trova nel rapporto fra prezzo e dotazioni uno dei suoi punti di forza.

L'articolo Great Wall H7, la prova de Il Fatto.it – Spazio e tecnologia per sfidare i suv europei – FOTO proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Defence secretary says Britain must manufacture at scale as Germany’s Rheinmetall opens Midlands factory

For the last 20 years, Britain was unable to put a barrel on its tanks without buying from abroad. Relying on foreign allies seemed like a reasonable choice during years of relative security (for wealthy countries at least) after the end of the cold war.

But Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has changed the calculation – and prompted a scramble to rearm among European countries, including the UK.

Got an opinion on anything you've read in the Kyiv Independent? Send it to letters@kyivindependent.com — your letter may appear in our Letters section.

Mark Cary, United States member

I vividly remember when the Soviet Union collapsed. I was in my second year in college studying

Leave it to Arundhati Roy to deliver a scorching, dizzying essay on the perils of artificial intelligence that references Greek mythology, Francis Ford Coppola, the Bible, India’s industrial history, and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! Plus, Emily Dickinson features in the lede:

The auguries are raining down hard. Think or Sink. Comply or Die. Look Up or be Left Out. And so, with these not-so-gentle threats, it has come to pass that the Age of AI—Actual Idiocy, Actual Super Idiocy, Recursive Snowballing-Idiocy—is upon us. Heck, I’ve already used two dashes in this opening paragraph. That, as they say, is a tell. So, perhaps I haven’t written this essay at all. You’d have to use an AI app to check if it’s actually AI, and whether I’m really, or not really, or only partially me. You can no longer use your instincts. You have to use the App. Now that AI owns the em dash, what will future generations make of Emily Dickinson and her love of them? Has she been fed to the machine, too? Will they love her less? Are we being gradually locked out of language? Does it matter anymore?

Britain’s gold-plated public sector pensions bill is on course to hit a record £60bn next year, yet is almost entirely ignored in favour of calls to cut the state pension on which many low income retired people depend.

The post Public Sector Pensions Bill to Hit Record £60 Billion appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

O Município de Almodôvar recebeu um novo trator destinado a reforçar a capacidade de intervenção nos trabalhos de gestão de combustível e prevenção de incêndios rurais.

O equipamento, segundo a autarquia almodovarense, foi atribuído ao abrigo do Programa de Mecanização para a Gestão de Combustível, financiado pelo Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência (PRR), através de um protocolo de cedência celebrado com o Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas (ICNF).

Trata-se de um reforço de meios que se enquadra na estratégia do Executivo Municipal de procurar oportunidades de financiamento e investir em equipamentos que permitam aumentar a capacidade operacional e melhorar a eficácia dos trabalhos de prevenção no concelho.

Importa salientar, segundo a autarquia de Almodôvar, que a gestão de combustível assume um papel fundamental na prevenção de incêndios rurais, através da manutenção de faixas e áreas estratégicas, contribuindo para reduzir a carga de vegetação combustível e a sua continuidade.

Estas intervenções são essenciais para reforçar a proteção de pessoas, habitações, atividades económicas e espaços naturais, num concelho marcado pela extensa área rural e pela dispersão das povoações. Assim, a disponibilidade de meios mecânicos adequados constitui uma mais-valia para a execução regular dos trabalhos no terreno e para responder às necessidades de gestão de combustível.

Na comunicação dirigida à imprensa, o Município de Almodôvar sublinha que a prevenção exige planeamento, capacidade operacional e continuidade, assumindo o investimento em equipamentos como uma componente importante da segurança do território e das populações.

A autarquia garante que continuará a procurar soluções de financiamento e a reforçar os meios disponíveis, de modo a assegurar uma intervenção preventiva regular e contribuir para um concelho mais preparado e resiliente face ao risco de incêndio rural.

One drone launched another drone, which then shot down a third. All three were unmanned, and all at sea off Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Navy has destroyed a Russian Shahed attack drone with a Sting interceptor launched from the Sargan 3000 unmanned surface vessel, the Navy said, showing sailors adapting to new aerial threats with sea-launched interceptors.

Russian Shaheds threaten Ukraine’s ports, coastline and the ships that approach them, so meeting those drones out at sea, before they reach land, matters for the whole southern defense.

The Sting is built to destroy Russian kamikaze drones such as the Shahed, Geran and Lancet, as well as reconnaissance drones, with quick deployment, a short training course and a top speed of 280 km/h, its producer, Wild Hornets, says.

The interceptor that has become Ukraine’s Shahed-killer

The Sting has earned its place at the front. The Ukrainian FPV interceptor has proven highly effective in combat, with a typical hit rate of 80 to 90% depending on the unit, and on some days reaching 100 percent, one launch for one kill.

It is currently Ukraine’s most productive Shahed interceptor, according to the Wild Hornets, having destroyed more than 3,000 drones in its first seven months of use. Mounting it on a sea platform extends that record from land into the Black Sea.

A drone boat that keeps finding new ways to kill

The Sargan 3000 has become a multi-purpose hunter. In July, Ukrainian naval personnel used a Sargan 3000 to sink a Russian second-rank border patrol ship.

In October, the same drone boat shot down a Russian Shahed with a turret-mounted machine gun over the Black Sea. Ukraine’s Navy took the Sargan 3000 into service in April 2026, and the drone boat has a combat radius of up to 1,600 kilometers, letting it clear the sky far from shore without putting a sailor in range.

O ator americano Michael Forest, conhecido por interpretar o deus grego Apolo na série “Jornada nas Estrelas”, morreu aos 97 anos, na última quarta-feira. A causa da morte não foi informada.

Ele nasceu Gerald Michael Charlebois em Dakota do Norte, nos Estados Unidos, em 1929, e vivia numa instituição de repouso para idosos em Nevada nos últimos anos. A morte foi confirmada por um amigo numa publicação no Facebook.

Forest era conhecido como um homem de porte atlético e tinha um currículo extenso como ator coadjuvante no cinema e televisão, que iniciou na década de 1950.

Carreira no cinema e na televisão

Além de participações em séries e novelas que inclui ainda “Além da Imaginação” e “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, atuou em diversos filmes do ator e diretor Roger Corman e emprestou a voz a projetos de animação, animes e videogames.

Como dublador, participou de títulos como “Power Rangers” e “World of Warcraft”. Ele era fluente em italiano e dublou centenas de filmes nos anos em que morou em Roma, além de atuar em produções de outros países da Europa.

Entre seus inúmeros papéis, estão particapações em “A Besta da Caverna Assombrada”, “Atlas” e “Náufrago”.

Vida pessoal

Forest foi casado com a atriz Diane Hale por 52 anos, até a morte dela, em 2022. Não há informações se eles tiveram filhos juntos.

The post Morre Michael Forest, ator de “Jornada nas Estrelas”, aos 97 anos appeared first on Diário da Manhã - O Jornal do leitor Inteligente.

For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible the Spectator, he has helped shape the right even as it has moved further rightwards. In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity, and the Spectator’s position on Islam

Watch the full episode with Michael Gove here.

Aditya’s suggested reading:

To read the fruits of Michael Gove’s dalliance with the Marxism Today gang, look up his essay in a 1998 collection called The Moderniser’s Dilemma: Radical Politics in the Age of Blair

For a slalom ride through Michael Gove’s years in power, read The Demented Dalek by the historian Richard J Evans in the London Review of Books

To learn more on what’s become of the British right, there’s a Guardian column by Aditya

Phil Burton-Cartledge analyses in depth why the most successful political party is now failing in his book The Party’s Over: The Rise and Fall of the Conservatives from Thatcher to Sunak

Phil also writes a very good blog on British politics, which keeps a close eye on how each party is trying to marshall a coalition of voters. Here he is on Kemi Badenoch

Geoffrey Wheatcroft does an entertaining short narrative in Bloody Panico!:

or, Whatever Happened to The Tory Party

For more on the economics of the Cameron years, this paper is acute on how the Tories failed to move the UK away from being a country of renters towards a country of makers. Two of its authors will join us for a podcast later in the series.

And if you want to read how Brexit may have cost the UK 8% of GDP, there’s this paper based on data from the Bank of England

Finally, on the Spectator, read Nesrine Malik’s recent Guardian column

Why has Britain’s oldest political magazine become such a rabid cheerleader for Islamophobia?

A recent breakthrough in airborne drone control has offered a tangible glimpse into the future of US air combat, signaling the US Air Force’s accelerating push to integrate autonomous wingmen alongside frontline fighters. This month, The War Zone (TWZ) reported that a US Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot successfully controlled an uncrewed YFQ-44A Fury fighter […]

The post US racing to field drone wingmen to close fighter gap with China appeared first on Asia Times.

A Russian drone tore a hole in the shield over Chornobyl’s dead reactor. Now the G7 is paying to patch it.

The Group of Seven nations plans to allocate 260 million euros ($292 million) to repair the New Safe Confinement at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, First Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal says.

The confinement, a 35-story steel arch sealing the reactor that exploded in the 1986 disaster, was damaged by a Russian drone strike in February 2025. Full restoration will cost at least 500 million euros, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) estimates, so the G7 pledge covers just over half, leaving about 240 million euros still to raise.

Shmyhal calls the decision an important step toward restoring nuclear safety at the plant, which the Russian strike had compromised. The money will go to priority work, including resealing the structure and restoring its ventilation system.

“Thank you to France and personally to Minister Roland Lescure for leadership in mobilizing international support,” Shmyhal says, crediting France and the EBRD with co-chairing the effort.

The night a drone pierced the sarcophagus

The damage dates to 14 February 2025. A Russian drone carrying a high-explosive warhead punched a hole through the arch’s roof and ignited a fire in the cladding, breaching the structure’s seal and ventilation.

The attack caused a 15 m² breach in the inner and outer cladding and damaged around 200 m² of panels.

"It was a targeted Russian attack on the Chornobyl station with a drone that is an analog of the Iranian Shahed," Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said at that time.

A bill only half-covered, and a 2030 deadline

The G7 money closes only part of the gap. Partners must still raise roughly 240 million euros more, and Ukraine hopes to secure it at a donor conference in Paris co-chaired by Ukraine, France and the EBRD, Shmyhal says.

The clock matters as much as the cost. The work must be finished by 2030 to limit corrosion and protect the arch’s 100-year design life, the EBRD says, turning a repair bill into a race against the rust the strike set loose.

For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible, the Spectator, he has helped shape the right even as it has moved further rightwards. In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity, and the Spectator’s position on Islam

Watch the full episode with Michael Gove here.

Aditya’s suggested reading:

To read the fruits of Michael Gove’s dalliance with the Marxism Today gang, look up his essay in a 1998 collection called The Moderniser’s Dilemma: Radical Politics in the Age of Blair

For slalom ride through Michael Gove’s years in power, read The Demented Dalek by the historian Richard J Evans in the London Review of Books

To learn more on what’s become of the British right, there’s a column by me for the Guardian

Just why the most successful political party is now failing is analysed in-depth by Phil Burton-Cartledge in his book The Party’s Over: The Rise and Fall of the Conservatives from Thatcher to Sunak

Phil also writes a very good blog on British politics, which keeps a close eye on how each party is trying to marshall a coalition of voters. Here he is on Kemi Badenoch

Geoffrey Wheatcroft does an entertaining short narrative in Bloody Panico!:

or, Whatever Happened to The Tory Party

For more on the economics of the Cameron years, this paper is acute on how the Tories failed to move the UK away from being a country of renters towards a country of makers. Two of its authors will join us for a podcast later in the series.

And if you want to read how Brexit may have cost the UK 8% of GDP, there’s this paper based on data from the Bank of England

Finally, on the Spectator read Nesrine Malik’s recent column in The Guardian

Why has Britain’s oldest political magazine become such a rabid cheerleader for Islamophobia?

As the Trump administration's short-lived Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project implemented its plan to downsize the federal workforce, there was much wailing from the liberal institutions in Washington, D.C.

Federal employee unions filed lawsuits to block the effort. NPR ran profiles of federal workers who, for the first time, faced the prospect of potentially not having absolute job security forever. The Brookings Institution wondered how many jobs the federal government could shed before it crashes.

The answer: plenty. The Trump administration has cut more than 10 percent of the federal workforce, and the government hasn't crashed. Indeed, it hasn't even shrunk—if you're counting by dollars spent instead of people employed.

In a new article for City Journal, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Judge Glock highlights the tremendous gap between the dire predictions about DOGE's cuts and the reality that has emerged, more than a year after DOGE was shut down. Despite having only a modest impact on spending, Glock writes, DOGE "had a massive impact on the federal civil service."

This is true—to a point, more on that in a moment—and notable. Aside from a modest downsizing in the 1990s, the number of people employed by the federal government has been steadily growing for decades. Reversing that trend is one of the few genuinely libertarian accomplishments by the Trump administration.

The cuts to the federal workforce prove that "DOGE worked," argues Glock.

Well, hold on.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy (who departed the DOGE project before Trump's inauguration and is now running for governor of Ohio) set some very ambitious goals after being appointed DOGE co-chairs in late 2024. In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal in November 2024 where they promised "we won't just write reports or cut ribbons. We'll cut costs."

Musk repeatedly attached some rather absurd numbers to that promise. He said DOGE would cut $1 trillion or even $2 trillion in federal spending. In the end, it didn't come close. By DOGE's own (questionable) accounting, it cut $170 billion. Meanwhile, overall federal spending has increased in each of Trump's first two years in office, and the budget deficit has widened as well.

Yes, Musk and Ramaswamy also said they would reduce the federal workforce. But that was presented as a natural consequence of cutting spending, not as the primary goal.

Think about it like this. If I spent months promising my friends and family that I would lose 50 pounds on a new diet, and then didn't lose any weight, would it be fair to say the diet worked?

What if I reduced the number of donuts I eat every day, but still didn't lose any weight? Sure, that might be good for my health in some way—just like reducing unnecessary workers in the federal government is good for America's fiscal health—but it certainly wouldn't mean I had achieved the goal of losing weight.

Finally, even the claim that DOGE cut the federal workforce requires an asterisk. As Glock also notes in his report, the decline in federal workers has been offset by an increase in federal contractors.

It's not a one-for-one trade, of course. The new contractors are overwhelmingly concentrated in places like the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon, while the cuts mostly targeted other areas, like the Department of Health and Human Services.

"Most of that increase came from the buildup in homeland-security and defense contracting, including purchases such as surveillance aircraft and tanks, rather than substitutes for government workers," Glock writes. "DOGE achieved real contract savings, but these were more than offset by higher spending elsewhere, reflecting a shift in priorities rather than an overall reduction in contracting."

So, the government is eating fewer donuts but more pizza.

There might be libertarian reasons to prefer contractors over government employees. They are less likely to hold those jobs for life, for one. But there's nothing inherently good about a government policy that cuts jobs in some areas just to create more room in the budget for poorly trained immigration enforcement agents and defense contractors. That may even be a negative outcome for liberty.

In the end, the DOGE project looks less like a meaningful attempt at cutting government spending or employment levels and more like a way to purge parts of the federal workforce likely to get in Trump's way during his second term. "As long as [Trump's] larger commitment is to extending his power rather than rolling back power itself, you shouldn't expect the government to stop growing," as Reason's Jesse Walker wrote last year in comparing DOGE to President Richard Nixon's attempted purge of the civil service.

Did DOGE work? Only if you grade it on a pretty dramatic curve.

Yes, it proved that a president can slash bureaucratic jobs—particularly the bloated managerial and administrative types—without doing much damage to the government's core responsibilities. That's a lesson future administrations should remember.

Maybe, someday, a president will try applying the same logic to government spending too.

The post DOGE Worked? Only If You Grade on a Curve. appeared first on Reason Magazine.

French authorities are preparing for hundreds of demonstrations on Saturday, 17 October, as student unrest converges with protests over living costs, public spending and government policy. Up to 40,000 demonstrators are expected in Paris, where police and organisers remain divided over march routes.

France is preparing for a nationwide wave of demonstrations on Saturday, 17 October, with approximately 500 protest actions under consideration and more than 90 marches being organised, according to the Interior Ministry. The mobilisation brings together high-school students, trade unions, farmers and supporters of the Yellow Vest movement, raising the prospect of further confrontation after nearly a month of unrest.

Police estimates suggest that around 40,000 demonstrators could gather in Paris, with approximately 150,000 more expected elsewhere in France. The figures remain preliminary, while authorities warn that some protests could involve road blockades, disruption to essential infrastructure and violent clashes.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez initially outlined preparations for 250 gatherings and 80 marches on Friday morning. Subsequent assessments from his office indicated that as many as 500 actions were being considered, although not all had been formally organised.

Paris Faces Dispute Over Demonstration Routes

The authorities are particularly concerned about developments in the capital, where negotiations between police and protest organisers have failed to produce agreement over the proposed routes.

Paris police prefect Patrice Faure has rejected proposals for marches terminating near the Opéra district or Place de la Concorde, citing security concerns surrounding central government institutions.

According to details of the security preparations, police have proposed an alternative route between Place de la Bastille and Place de Clichy. The CGT trade union and climate campaigners have accepted the proposal, but student organisations and Yellow Vest representatives continue to oppose it.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has convened an interministerial crisis unit to coordinate the government’s response. Security officials have warned that attempts to obstruct major transport routes or critical infrastructure will not be tolerated.

The Interior Ministry has also indicated that stun grenades, whose use was suspended during the student protests, could again be deployed in cases of particularly serious urban violence.

Yellow Vests Return Amid Rising Living Costs

Saturday’s demonstrations are being promoted as a revival of the Yellow Vest movement, which emerged in 2018 following opposition to fuel taxation before developing into a broader protest against living costs, economic inequality and government policy.

The latest mobilisation has gathered support from organisations demanding measures to address rising fuel, energy and food prices. Campaigners are also challenging the government’s proposed 2027 budget and its implications for public services.

The agricultural union Confédération paysanne has called on farmers to join the demonstrations, arguing that rising agricultural fuel costs and deteriorating conditions in rural communities have increased pressure on producers.

The union has also linked its demands to environmental policy, public-service provision and access to affordable food.

The CGT, student unions and climate organisations have similarly expressed support for the protests, while political backing has come from La France Insoumise and the French Communist Party.

Student Protests Enter Their Fourth Week

The mobilisation follows weeks of demonstrations involving secondary-school pupils, teachers and public-sector workers. What began as protests over shortages of teachers, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating school buildings has developed into a nationwide confrontation over education policy and policing.

As EU Today previously reported, between 400 and 500 secondary schools faced partial or complete disruption earlier this month as students organised blockades and demonstrations.

The movement has subsequently expanded beyond its original educational demands, with student organisations raising concerns about university admissions procedures, police tactics and government spending priorities.

The scale of the unrest has placed considerable pressure on French authorities. According to figures from the Justice Ministry, 6,877 people were placed in police custody during the protests between late September and 8 October, approximately 86 per cent of them minors.

Violence during the demonstrations has resulted in injuries among police officers, students and educational staff. Clashes on 8 October led to 504 arrests and injuries to 48 police officers, according to Interior Ministry figures.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray has announced emergency measures to address teacher shortages, including the deployment of replacement teachers. The ministry says 2,000 of the 3,000 promised replacements have already been assigned, but student organisations maintain that the measures are insufficient.

Growing Pressure on the French Government

The planned demonstrations come as France faces a difficult debate over public spending, taxation and the 2027 budget. Lecornu’s government must balance demands for higher salaries and increased investment in education against mounting pressure to reduce the deficit.

France’s deteriorating public finances have already attracted scrutiny from eurozone partners, while domestic opposition to spending restraint has become a central issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The convergence of student organisations, trade unions and Yellow Vest campaigners could broaden the protests beyond the education sector, particularly if demonstrations over living costs attract participants who have not joined the recent school protests.

However, the extent of that mobilisation remains uncertain. Online protest maps contain substantially more proposed actions than the authorities’ estimates, and participation figures will not be established until Saturday.

For the government, the immediate test will be whether the demonstrations remain peaceful and whether the authorities can prevent disruption to transport networks and public services without provoking further confrontations with protesters.

VTM

O comandante dos Bombeiros Voluntários de Mondim de Basto, Carlos Magalhães, explicou à VTM que o acidente “ocorreu quando o trator agrícola capotou e despencou por uma vereda com cerca de 60 metros de extensão”.

Acrescentou que os Bombeiros Voluntários de Mondim de Basto mobilizaram para o local uma ambulância de socorro com dois operacionais. “Dada a gravidade do cenário e a complexidade do socorro, as equipas contaram com o apoio diferenciado do Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica (INEM), através da ambulância de Suporte Imediato de Vida (SIV) de Amarante e da Viatura Médica de Emergência e Reanimação (VMER) de Vila Real”.

A vítima recebeu assistência médica no local pelas equipas especializadas do INEM e foi estabilizada antes do transporte para o Hospital de Vila Real, acompanhada pela equipa da VMER.

O alerta foi dado às 07h14 e o acidente ocorreu na área florestal do Toumilo.

A Guarda Nacional Republicana de Mondim de Basto esteve também no local e tomou conta da ocorrência.

The post Um ferido grave em acidente com trator appeared first on A Voz de Trás-os-Montes.

Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. China’s industrial rise fuels Japan’s machine tool boom Scott Foster reports that surging Chinese industrial demand is helping drive a record boom in Japanese machine tool orders, particularly at the high end where China still […]

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