Author: Rachel Maddow

Iraq opened early voting on Sunday as security personnel and displaced citizens cast their ballots ahead of Tuesday’s parliamentary election. About 1.3 million soldiers, police officers, and 26,000 displaced people are eligible to vote early. The election features 7,744 candidates, most linked to sectarian political groups. Their campaigns will decide whether Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani secures a second term in office. The vote unfolds amid rising regional tension, with Iraq balancing delicate relations between Tehran and Washington while watching fears of new clashes between Israel and Iran. The results will shape Baghdad’s approach to both allies and adversaries. Displaced…

Gamers will wait longer for Grand Theft Auto VI after Rockstar Games confirmed another release delay. The company postponed the launch to November 2026. Players had expected the game this month, but Rockstar pushed back the release for a second time. The studio originally planned a May 2026 debut, then moved it again to 19 November 2026. GTA 6 was first scheduled for release in autumn this year. Rockstar asked fans for patience, saying it needs extra time to perfect gameplay and meet expected quality standards. A World of Chaos and Speed Players can drive, steal, and explore the streets…

A new Cisco report found that artificial intelligence systems lose their safety awareness the longer users interact with them. Researchers discovered that with enough dialogue, most AI chatbots eventually shared harmful or restricted information. Cisco tested large language models from OpenAI, Mistral, Meta, Google, Alibaba, Deepseek, and Microsoft. The team conducted 499 conversations using a method called “multi-turn attacks,” where users ask a series of questions to bypass built-in safeguards. Each exchange involved between five and ten prompts. The company found that after repeated questioning, 64% of AI tools revealed unsafe or inappropriate information, compared to 13% when asked a…

Australia will enforce new online safety laws on December 10, banning children under 16 from using major social platforms. Communications Minister Anika Wells confirmed that Reddit and Kick have joined Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, and YouTube on the restricted list. The government now requires all nine platforms to remove or block underage users. Companies that fail to take “reasonable steps” could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (€28.3 million). “We have met with the platforms, and there are no excuses for noncompliance,” Wells said in Canberra. “These companies use advanced tools to target children; we…

Authorities shut down Brussels Zaventem Airport on Tuesday night after reports of a drone flying above the airfield. Belgium’s public broadcaster VRT confirmed that officials temporarily halted all departures and arrivals following the first sighting. The airport briefly reopened before a second drone report forced another closure. Flights redirected to Liège Airport also faced disruption when officials there reported a separate drone sighting. A spokesperson for skeyes, Belgium’s civil airspace authority, said the first incident occurred around 8 p.m. local time, leading planes to divert to Ostend-Bruges and Charleroi Brussels South. NATO and EU Heighten Security After Airspace Violations The…

Tension gripped Nigeria after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to plan potential military action against the country. Trump accused Nigeria’s government of allowing the killing of Christians and threatened to cut all U.S. aid if it failed to act. In a Saturday social media post, he said, “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.” By Sunday, Nigerians awoke to news of his directive. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu quickly responded, saying he was willing to meet Trump to discuss counterterrorism and security cooperation, but only under terms…

A massive landslide struck Kenya’s western Rift Valley on Saturday, killing at least 21 people and leaving more than 30 missing. Days of relentless rainfall triggered the disaster in the hilly region of Chesongoch, Elgeyo Marakwet County. Authorities reported that more than 1,000 homes collapsed as torrents of mud swept through villages. The government confirmed that search and rescue operations remain active. “We continue to locate survivors despite the ongoing heavy rains,” officials said. Survivors Describe Panic and Destruction Residents said they heard a thunderous roar before mud engulfed their homes. Many fled in panic, running in different directions to…

Researchers discovered that artificial intelligence understands Polish better than any other language, while English ranked only sixth. A study by the University of Maryland and Microsoft compared 26 languages to identify which ones AI models process most effectively. “Our experiment produced unexpected results,” the report’s authors explained. “English did not dominate across models. When analyzing longer texts, it placed sixth, while Polish performed best.” The team tested leading AI systems from OpenAI, Google Gemini, Qwen, Llama, and DeepSeek. Each model received identical prompts in 26 languages, allowing researchers to measure accuracy and consistency. Polish achieved an average accuracy of 88%…

Strong demand for iPhones pushed Apple’s revenue higher in the three months ending in September. The company closed its fiscal year with record profits. Despite global trade tensions and pressure to catch up in artificial intelligence, Apple beat most financial expectations. The iPhone 17 launch last month powered much of the growth. “Apple proudly reports a September quarter revenue record of $102.5 billion,” said CEO Tim Cook. “We also achieved record iPhone and Services revenue.” The company earned $27.5 billion (€23.8bn), nearly double last year’s profit. Apple’s stock climbed 2% in after-hours trading. Apple enhanced its iPhone 17 line with…

Human Rights Watch urged Friedrich Merz to denounce Turkey’s repression of the opposition and the detention of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. Strengthening Strategic Ties German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a stronger strategic alliance with Turkey to address new global challenges. He made the remarks in Ankara during his first official visit, highlighting Turkey’s mediation in the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts. Standing beside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Merz spoke soon after Turkey and the United Kingdom completed a multi-billion-euro deal for 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets. Germany, part of the manufacturing consortium, recently dropped its ban on exporting the jets to…