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Ten days that could shake the world: democratic norms at stake in four pivotal elections

Brazil, Israel, Serbia and the US are holding elections within the space of 10 days. Will the authoritarian right cement its global gains, or can pro-democracy forces make a comeback?

Four elections on four continents within 10 days could profoundly reshape global politics, propelling the world further along its current authoritarian trajectory or marking a limited comeback for democratic norms.

In all four contests, basic democratic norms are at stake at a time when autocracy is advancing worldwide at an alarming rate. According to the Sweden-based V-Dem Institute, which uses multivariable assessment tools, the democratic freedoms enjoyed by the average global citizen are down to levels last seen in 1978 – long before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in Europe.

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© Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty Images

© Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty Images

© Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty Images

Irã tem planos avançados para atacar americanos, dizem autoridades do governo de Donald Trump

24 October 2026 at 17:34
O governo dos Estados Unidos colocou funcionários em estado de alerta elevado em todo o Oriente Médio e começou a reduzir o efetivo de embaixadas e consulados devido a informações de inteligência que indicam que o Irã está em estágio avançado de planejamento de ataques contra americanos, segundo autoridades ouvidas pelo jornal The New York Times. Leia mais (10/24/2026 - 13h34)

The Church of England Must Stop Wasting Money

24 October 2026 at 15:00

A new report calling on the Church of England to stop wasting money on "extravagant" Net Zero and reparations projects and refocus on parishes echoes what front-line clergy have been saying for years, says Julian Mann.

The post The Church of England Must Stop Wasting Money appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

9 Unique Apps to Try on the iPhone Duo

24 October 2026 at 11:45
Apple’s first folding phone is inspiring indie developers to create fun, quirky apps that take advantage of the screen and the hinge. Here are a few to try as you explore the Duo.

The talk show trying to help solve the entry-level job crisis

24 October 2026 at 11:00
Man reads a resume
Job hunters can call in to 877UNMPLYD.

Maria Korneeva/Getty Images

  • The job market is rough right now; many would-be entry-level workers are still on the hunt.
  • A new Twitch show hopes to help answer labor market questions and offer job seekers advice.
  • So far, they've advised callers on everything from salaries to highlighting unique experience.

When Hans Romine finished his architecture degree in 2025, the 24-year-old began looking for work. After about 50 job applications yielded a single interview appointment, he started feeling despondent.

That's when a friend told him about a new show called 877UNMPLYD.

The show is on Twitch, a streaming platform favored by gamers and fans, but has an unlikely host: Jeremy Zimmer, the former CEO of United Talent Agency, along with digital-savvy producer Rachel Braun. The show offers career advice, discusses labor market news, and fields live call-ins from people looking for work.

When Romine called in, he mentioned he'd spent a few months as a recreation supervisor, building morale at an isolated research station in Antarctica. Zimmer and Braun found that the most interesting part of his whole story, and told him to play it up in applications and interviews.

Romine took their advice, and when he went in for that interview, he highlighted his experiences out on the tundra. After he landed the job, he called back in to let the hosts know.

That's the kind of win Zimmer and Braun hope to replicate. Over their first season, the duo hosted 12 episodes, with one episode filmed live on the streets of New York garnering over 54,000 views.

The show is a small experiment in career guidance at a moment when the entry-level job market is getting harder to navigate — especially in New York City. A new report from Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit business advocacy group, found that the number of entry-level jobs has shrunk disproportionately among professions highly exposed to AI; entry-level postings in design, media, and writing fell by 40.6%.

Nationally, employment in white-collar industries has fallen, even as output has gone up — indicating that AI might be effectively replacing entry-level white-collar work.

That dearth of entry-level opportunities is part of what spawned the show, a partnership between TikTok savant Adam Faze and the economic mobility nonprofit Schultz Family Foundation. Judith Dubin, the head of content at the foundation, said that they'd drilled down on investments in career navigation after recognizing how difficult it is to be graduating from high school or college into the current labor market.

"The current job marketplace is so disrupted with the advent of AI," Dubin said. "It's just an additional barrier for young people."

In August, Zimmer and Braun set up a desk on a plaza at Baruch College, with a sign that said "Ask a CEO," and fielded questions from students. One student asked for advice on how to negotiate salary expectations, especially in the interview process. Braun said that not all advice-seekers are new grads: One Gen X marketer called in after being laid off, feeling pushed out of the tech industry.

Going into the show, Zimmer focused on what it must feel like when getting a job is no longer as simple as putting your head down, working hard, and expecting things to work out.

"That age-old mantra doesn't feel as relevant today," Zimmer said. He's been struck by the contrast between callers who are hyper-focused on what they want, eschewing any concern about why that can't happen, and those who are baffled that they've applied for hundreds of jobs and haven't gotten any interviews. He's found both the naivety and the determination of the callers exciting.

Braun, the show's other host and a producer, said that AI emerged as a major theme throughout their first season — both the opportunities it presented and the way that it was shaking up the entry-level job hunt.

Romine, who landed a job, hopes that employers can once again understand the value of having fresh talent on their teams. But as the labor market continues its entry-level contraction, getting a leg up — even if it's through advice on a Twitch show — is ever more important.

"In the meantime, students and graduates need to really figure out how to work the current system and make themselves stand out in such an intense market," Romine said.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Comprar casa em Portugal está cada vez mais caro: o que revelam os novos números?

24 October 2026 at 08:20

Durante dez anos, Máximo dos Santos acompanhou alguns dos assuntos mais polémicos da banca portuguesa, dos apoios ao Novo Banco à recuperação do dinheiro emprestado ao Fundo de Resolução. Agora que deixa o Banco de Portugal, que balanço fica e o que falta resolver? A análise deste tema foi feita pela jornalista da secção de Economia do Expresso Isabel Vicente. Saiba mais, neste episódio do Economia dia a dia, podcast diário do Expresso

Former Florida congressional candidate faces felony charges over online threats

23 October 2026 at 23:58

A former Florida congressional candidate is facing two felony counts for allegedly making death threats on social media against two women if they did not support Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon.

Two days after Elijah Manley came in third place in the hotly contested August Democratic primary in Florida’s 20th Congressional District, he allegedly told two women on Facebook he would “make your life a living hell” and “cut your fucking head off” if they did not vote for Nixon, according to an arrest affidavit reviewed by MS NOW.

The person who filed the police report did so a day after the alleged posts, on Aug. 21. In one of the posts, Manley, 27, allegedly wrote: “I’m talking to y’all. I saw y’all comments earlier. I’m already pissed off, do not piss me off more. I swear to god, take me to war over this black woman and I promise y’all I will burn y’all mf castle to the ground and everyone else in my way.”

Nixon, who is Black, is facing off against incumbent Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who is white, in the critical Senate race.

In another post, Manley allegedly wrote: “This the kind of shii that will make me snap. Any of you that don’t support [redacted] I promise I will make your life a living hell to the very end. You better lineup behind the Democratic nominee like we always do.”

He also allegedly wrote: “Every democrat needs to get behind the democratic nominee for Senate. Anybody not doing that, I promise you I’m going to cut your fucking head off.”

It is unclear what comments or messages Manley was responding to. Both Facebook representatives and Manley confirmed to authorities that he wrote the comments, according to the affidavit.

Manley earned the support of progressives, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., in his campaign for the Democratic nomination in the South Florida district, which was represented by a Black lawmaker for more than 30 years. Manley, who is Black, and much of the local Black Democratic establishment criticized Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is white, for opting to run in the district after her neighboring district was redrawn to lean more Republican. But Wasserman Schultz ultimately triumphed in the primary, earning about 46% of the vote, ahead of second-place finisher Dale Holness, who received about 23%, and Manley, who received 14% of the vote.

Two days later, Manley allegedly made the Facebook threats.

Manley told police he and one of the recipients “were having a political disagreement over a party candidate and the comments made did not have any actual intention of harm, but a challenge to their political views,” adding that he did not intend to perpetrate any harm. He also told authorities he had previously had “casual and polite” encounters with the women “despite having differing political opinions.”

The women who received the messages told authorities they were “concerned for their safety” and interpreted the term “castle” to refer to their homes, according to the affidavit. They also reported the posts to Meta, the company that operates Facebook, but according to the affidavit, the company’s response was that the posts “failed to meet their safety guidelines” for removal.

After other commenters told Manley to tone down his rhetoric, he allegedly replied: “I’m not toning anything down. I’m tired of being told tone my voice while white people get away with destroying everything. I want all white people to vote for the Democratic nominee.”

Manley turned himself in to police in Fort Lauderdale last Friday, three days after a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to court records reviewed by MS NOW. He was released on $40,000 bond and ordered not to possess weapons, contact the victims or use social media.

Manley directed a request for comment to his attorney, Khurrum Wahid, who said in a statement that his client denies the allegations and characterized the comments in question as part of a “political discussion.”

“We are confident that a trier of fact will see there is no intent to carry out any act of violence,” Wahid said. “It is unfortunate that our political differences have led some to weaponizing the police instead of using dialogue.”

Spokespeople for Nixon’s and Wasserman Schultz’s campaigns did not respond to requests for comment from MS NOW.

A spokesperson for the Broward State Attorney’s Office said the office will not prosecute Manley’s case because of a conflict of interest: The people who reported the alleged threats have participated in charity drives organized by the office over the years. Officials requested Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office assign the case to another office, the spokesperson said. The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If convicted, Manley could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 on each count.

The post Former Florida congressional candidate faces felony charges over online threats appeared first on MS NOW.

Police officer resigns months after he fatally shot 1-year-old in Mississippi

23 October 2026 at 22:29

The police officer who fatally shot a 1-year-old boy in Mississippi as his mother was holding him resigned this week, the mayor of the city where it happened confirmed on Friday.

The officer — identified in public records as Hunter Foster by local media outlet Action News 5 — offered his resignation to the Senatobia Board of Aldermen on Wednesday, Mayor Greg Graves said. Foster’s departure came two days after the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office announced that investigators had determined his use of force in the June shooting of the infant, Kohen Wiley, was “justified,” and a day before the city’s public safety department released officers’ body camera footage of the shooting.

The members of the Senatobia Board of Aldermen did not immediately respond to requests for comment from MS NOW on Friday.

The body camera footage, obtained by MS NOW, sheds more light on what happened on the afternoon of June 14, when officers were summoned to the Walmart to review security footage of a man who was allegedly sexually harassing customers, according to an investigation report that also released Thursday. While officers were reviewing the footage, a store employee interrupted them to report that two people — later identified as Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and a friend — were fleeing, according to the report and the footage.

The video from Foster’s body camera shows him running outside with other officers and approaching the car as the driver — Wiley’s friend — backs up and collides with another vehicle. The driver then moves forward, and Foster runs toward the front of the car and puts out his hand, which hits the hood. He appears to fire his gun multiple times, causing some of the glass in the passenger-side window to shatter. The driver then collided with another car, briefly slowed, and then sped off.

A statement released by the state Department of Public Safety the day of the shooting said the women had been accused of shoplifting, and the officer shot his gun after police tried to stop the car “but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one.”

But the family’s legal team has disputed the conclusion that the driver was endangering the officers. An independent autopsy conducted by forensic psychologist Roger Mitchell and released by the family’s legal team to MS NOW in July found that the baby was shot through the side of his body, which the lawyers argued was an indicator that the car was not driving toward the officers. Wiley, Kohen’s mother, has said she held the baby up to show officers he was in the car before they shot him.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Kohen’s family, said in a statement that Foster’s resignation is “hardly a step toward accountability, and it is certainly not justice.” He said the legal team will continue seeking Foster’s decertification — which would prevent him from working as a law enforcement officer in the state — as well as a federal investigation.

“Turning in a badge does not erase responsibility for taking a life, and it will not end our fight for justice for Kohen and his family,” Crump added.

At a news conference on Thursday, Crump said the officers were “excessive from the very start,” noting that several of them had surrounded the car with their guns drawn before the shooting took place, despite the fact that Wiley’s friend had only been accused of stealing diapers.

“Shoplifting diapers is a misdemeanor,” he said. “It does not warrant the death penalty.”

Crump has alleged racism was at play in the incident: Foster is white, the redacted case files release Thursday confirm, and Kohen and his mother are Black. Mississippi Today and The New York Times previously reported that Foster allegedly made racist remarks toward two co-workers, one of whom is Black and the other of whom is white and has a child with a Black partner.

It is unclear why Foster resigned. His lawyer, Martin Zummach, declined to comment to MS NOW on Foster’s resignation. In a statement provided to NBC News, Zummach said Foster “resigned for the good of the city and the police department and to permit the process of healing.”

“He is still shocked and sickened that a baby died and emphatically denies knowing a child was in the car or in the front seat and had no idea that those fleeing were suspected of shoplifting,” Zummach said, according to NBC News.

The post Police officer resigns months after he fatally shot 1-year-old in Mississippi appeared first on MS NOW.

Comprar casa em Portugal está cada vez mais caro: o que revelam os novos números?

23 October 2026 at 18:20

A habitação continua a ser uma das grandes preocupações dos portugueses, sobretudo para quem procura comprar casa. Mas como está a evoluir o mercado imobiliário em Portugal? Saiba mais, neste episódio do Economia dia a dia, podcast diário do Expresso

What’s the Best iPhone to Buy or Avoid Right Now? (2026)

23 October 2026 at 18:00
The first folding iPhone Duo is here, alongside the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, but they’re not your only options. We have all the details on Apple’s smartphone lineup to help you find the right model.

EUA e Israel elaboram planos para retomar ataques ao Irã após eleições de meio de mandato

As Forças Armadas dos Estados Unidos e de Israel elaboraram planos para retomar os ataques contra o Irã após as eleições de meio de mandato americanas, segundo autoridades de Washington e outras pessoas a par das discussões. Leia mais (10/23/2026 - 06h00)

Orçamento para 2027: há razões para desconfiar das previsões do Governo?

22 October 2026 at 18:20

Mais emprego, inflação a abrandar e contas públicas equilibradas. É este o cenário traçado pelo Governo para 2027. Mas a Unidade Técnica de Apoio Orçamental já levantou dúvidas sobre algumas das previsões. O que pode falhar nas contas do Estado para o próximo ano? Saiba mais, neste episódio do Economia dia a dia, podcast diário do Expresso

Assistente de IA da Google insultou estudante e incentivou-o ao suicídio após pedido de ajuda para um exame

22 October 2026 at 17:48

A empresa que divulgou o caso vai denunciar às autoridades a resposta do Gemini que incentivou um estudante ao suicídio: "Com a tua capacidade mental, no máximo, podes matar-te!” Ao Expresso, a Google diz estar a melhorar os mecanismos de proteção do assistente

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