Panama coach hopes players' World Cup showing will lead to brighter future - Reuters

Don’t look up! The world is a mess. The sky could fall in any day. Unending wars, expanding humanitarian crises, rising authoritarianism, dysfunctional democracies, rampant racial and religious extremism, and unchecked lawlessness cast a dark cloud as the west’s new political year begins. Set all that against a backdrop of staggering global economic inequality, corporate and individual greed, irresponsible government indebtedness, dangerous AI gambles, climate breakdown and proliferating nuclear weapons, and a truly apocalyptic global outlook begins to take shape. It’s enough to make anyone shut their eyes, cover their ears and utter a Munch-like scream. And it’s only getting worse. Democratic leaders who promise a better, safer, more optimistic future – what Britain’s freshly arrived prime minister, Andy Burnham, calls a “new era of possibility” – cannot escape this wider international context. Last week’s global bond market upheaval, sparked by external factors, left Burnham’s cash-strapped government struggling with sharply increased borrowing costs before he barely got started.

1 hour agoAna FaguyReporting from East Potomac Golf LinksFor Jourdain Yardan, golfing at the East Potomac Golf Links on Washington DC's waterfront is a twice-weekly ritual. "Anyone from any walk of life, whether they're starting to play golf or whether they're a ... seasoned golfer, they can come out here and play golf at a pretty reasonable rate," the 35-year-old told the BBC while putting on the course on Monday. But President Donald Trump does not seem convinced of its charms, calling the 106-year-old course "Trash Island" Monday evening on Truth Social. Now, he intends to shut it down for renovations to create a space that "will be open to the Public while, at the same time, designed to the Highest Level of Golf and able to hold World Class Tournaments". The renovation is part of the president's sprawling and controversial efforts to shape the US capital, which include a new White House ballroom, a 250-foot-tall arch and other changes to longstanding landmarks. The golf course is a smaller project, but deeply personal to many who live in the city.

The US has resumed sharing intelligence with Kyiv about Russian missile strikes, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday after a meeting with the US envoy Steve Witkoff in Norway. He said Ukraine was again receiving advance warnings of ballistic missile attacks, which were seemingly suspended last week by the White House. “Now it works. It’s great,” he said, saying the US move would save lives. The Ukrainian president added: “It’s very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians, because we can hear when ballistic [missiles] is coming. So we are thankful to the American side.”The talks in Oslo took place amid the worst crisis in US-Ukraine relations since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion nearly five years ago. Donald Trump has bitterly accused Zelenskyy of failing to end the war and has said Ukraine needed a new leader. The US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, joined Witkoff and Zelenskyy by video. Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, and the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, also took part, alongside EU and British security officials. Zelenskyy said he had held a “positive” phone call earlier with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio.

From 2h agoTrump says he will have spent $400m to support Republican candidates in midtermsDonald Trump said that he will have spent $400m supporting Republican candidates in midterm races by the time election day rolls around on 3 November. The staggering amount will be spent through his political operation and aligned Super Pac, Maga Inc. “More than 300 Million Dollars has already been spent on Advertising, Direct and Indirect Voter Contact, Rallies, Rally Arenas, Telerallies, Get Out the Vote Programs, Election Integrity, and more. It is my Great Honor to do so on behalf of the Republican Party, which has done so much to bring our Country back from the Edge of Oblivion,” he wrote on Truth Social. He cited his belief in the Republican party, but also the riots that have swept through France, as his reasons behind the spend. A reminder, Trump has repeated baseless claims that the demonstrations, which have descended into chaos and seen thousands arrested, are the result of mass migration.