4 d. ago Poland’s presidential election result is a morale boost for Maga forces in Europe | Catherine De Vries

Karol Nawrocki’s win is a blow for prime minister Donald Tusk – and it symbolises a larger battle over the political narrativePolish voters returned to the polls on Sunday for the decisive round of a presidential election whose outcome reverberates far beyond Poland’s borders. The race was a showdown between two candidates who represent the country’s stark political and ideological divide: Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian backed by the far-right opposition party, Law and Justice (PiS), and Rafał Trzaskowski, the liberal and strongly pro-European mayor of Warsaw representing the Civic Platform (PO) party of the prime minister, Donald Tusk. The razor-thin victory for Nawrocki, who secured just over 50% of the vote, is a domestic setback for Tusk, but it also threatens wide and gloomy repercussions within the EU and beyond.Tusk’s return to power as prime minister in 2023, after previously serving from 2007 to 2014, was widely seen as a bid to re-anchor Poland within the Europea...

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7 d. ago ‘Feels bigger than herself’: the importance of Taylor Swift’s latest victory

World’s most famous pop star has finally bought back rights to her master recordings, a win for her but also a potentially major win for the industryIt goes without saying, but Taylor Swift has scored a lot of victories in the past few years. There was, first and foremost, the blockbuster Eras Tour, which became the bestselling concert tour of all time and a certifiable cultural era in itself. She released the bestselling concert film of all time, with a distribution model that upended the theatrical market. There was yet another album of the year Grammy. She turned the Super Bowl into the ultimate rom-com. Even with mediocre critical reviews, her most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department, set more streaming records than I can count.All of these were beyond impressive, if at times threatening overexposure and annoyingly at odds with her self-styled narrative as an underdog – the emotionally astute lyricist battling against a sliding scale of villains, from careless boys, bitc...

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2 w. ago Ange Postecoglou changes his trophy tune but Spurs glory may not save him

Coach no longer says consistency is barometer of progress as he aims to deliver Europa League high in season of lowsIt was never meant to be a “panacea”, as Ange Postecoglou would say; possibly because the ills at Tottenham are so numerous. Winning a cup would be fabulous, hugely welcome but, according to the manager, it would not – in isolation, at least – offer the prospect of sustained success. Which was the target when he came to the club in the summer of 2023.Remember Postecoglou’s attitude after he exited the Carabao Cup with a weakened team at Fulham in the early weeks of his tenure? “I’m here because I want to create a club that has the opportunity to win things on a yearly basis,” he said. “There’s a difference. Us winning a Carabao Cup and finishing 10th is not what I think this club is about.” Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Indian trader and YouTuber arrested on suspicion of spying for Pakistan

Arrests come amid heightened tensions between South Asian neighbours following military skirmish earlier this month

Events

3 w. ago Pakistan PM offers peace talks with India as ceasefire extended

South Asian rivals agree to extend ceasefire until Sunday

Events

3 w. ago Kashmiris ‘feel unheard’ again as Trump offers to mediate dispute between India and Pakistan

People in the conflict-torn Himalayan region tell Maroosha Muzaffar they welcome a ceasefire, but feel frustrated at being sidelined from discussions that directly impact their lives

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3 w. ago Pakistan warns ceasefire with India could collapse over Indus Water Treaty

India’s unilateral suspension of river sharing deal remains in place despite ceasefire

Events

3 w. ago India and Pakistan exchange captured soldiers after ceasefire deal

Soldiers detained for inadvertently crossing over to other side before outbreak of military conflict last week

Events

3 w. ago Why Trump’s offer to mediate on Kashmir is so awkward for India

Both India and Pakistan have welcomed a US-brokered ceasefire in their simmering conflict, but the Narendra Modi government would rather end any external inputs there. Namita Singh in Delhi explains why

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3 w. ago How India and Pakistan conflict turned from brink of war to ceasefire in days

As nuclear threat became very real possibility, Trump tasked Marco Rubio and JD Vance to contact the feuding countriesIndian surface-to-air missiles were already soaring towards Pakistan’s most significant military bases when the first call came from the US.It was 4am in Islamabad and Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state and recently appointed US national security advisor, was on the line to the man everyone knew was calling the shots in Pakistan: army chief Gen Asim Munir. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago India’s opposition puts pressure on Modi after Trump’s India

It also strongly objected to any move to ‘internationalise’ the Kashmir issue

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3 w. ago India denies targeting Pakistan’s alleged nuclear sites as ceasefire holds along tense borders

India says it killed 100 militants in its pre-dawn strikes on ‘terror infrastructure’ in Pakistan

Events

3 w. ago Indian diplomat’s family targeted by online trolls after India

Vikram Misri led press conferences about India and Pakistan’s military escalation last week

Politics

3 w. ago India and Pakistan militaries set to resume talks after ceasefire holds for ‘first calm night in days’ in tense borders

India says it killed 100 militants in its pre-dawn strikes on ‘terror infrastructure’ in Pakistan

Events

3 w. ago India and Pakistan both claim victory after ceasefire declared

Celebrations held in both countries while Kashmir residents beg for long-term solutions over disputed territory India and Pakistan have both claimed victory after a ceasefire was declared over the weekend, which brought the two nuclear-nations back from the brink of war.After days of escalating clashes that culminated in both sides launching missile and drone strikes on each other’s major military bases – the closest they had come to full-scale war in decades – the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was declared by Donald Trump on Saturday evening. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago The Guardian view on a Himalayan truce: it follows a familiar pattern of conflicts past | Editorial

After drone strikes, nuclear jitters and a ceasefire, the latest fighting between India and Pakistan reveals how peace dies by routine “The arms race between India and Pakistan poses perhaps the most probable prospect for future use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons,” James Woolsey, the CIA director, told Congress in 1993. That assessment is relevant now, after days of escalating conflict that included missile and drone strikes on military bases. It is a uniquely modern arms race: high on nationalist fervour and habitual mistrust, choreographed so that each clash is always just one provocation away from becoming the last.On Saturday, Donald Trump announced a “full and immediate” ceasefire between India and Pakistan. The truce, brokered by US officials, came amid speculation by military analysts that Pakistan was edging closer to using nuclear weapons. It was met with cautious optimism – not least as both sides accused each other of violating the agreement wit...

Events

3 w. ago IPL will resume ‘soon’ confirms BCCI after India and Pakistan ceasefire

Tournament was suspended due to escalating hostilitiesReported plan is for IPL to restart this FridayThe Indian Premier League will resume “soon” but no decision has been taken yet as to exactly when, the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India has said.Escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan led to their respective T20 tournaments being suspended on Friday, with the BCCI saying that applied to the IPL “with immediate effect for one week”. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Unease lingers in Kashmir despite ceasefire between India and Pakistan

People in Kashmir say they are relieved but uneasy after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire

Events

3 w. ago India and Pakistan ceasefire shaken by overnight border fighting in disputed Kashmir region

Residents and officials in the disputed Kashmir region say there was overnight border fighting between Pakistani and Indian troops, despite a ceasefire to stop a conflict between the two countries

Events

3 w. ago Amid fragile ceasefire, Trump promises to boost trade with India and Pakistan

Truce agreement was reached after diplomacy and pressure from US but within hours there was cross-border shellingA fragile ceasefire was holding between India and Pakistan on Sunday, after hours of overnight fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours, as US president Donald Trump said he would work to provide a solution regarding Kashmir.The arch-rivals were involved in intense firing for four days, the worst in nearly three decades, with missiles and drones being fired at each other’s military installations and dozens of people killed. Continue reading...

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