The world is being driven to the brink by thugs and dictators, but there is a route to a brighter future | Simon Tisdall - The Guardian

Humankind has fearfully and sometimes joyfully anticipated the end of the world ever since it began. The Bible’s Book of Revelation speaks of “end times”, a period of tribulation, war, famine, plague, floods and environmental catastrophe that may seem a less absurd prospect today than perhaps it once did. Islam, too, posits a fateful day of judgment or day of reckoning. Christian evangelicals believe that, in the final rapture, a chosen few – the righteous or the “elect” – will be saved while sinners burn. It’s a minority view. Matthew’s gospel predicts most people will defy, ignore or ridicule warnings of imminent Armageddon. Peter, another of Jesus’s disciples, agreed: “In the last days, scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.” Yet such worldly scepticism does not mean a universal cataclysm is less likely. It may make it more probable. Donald Trump’s blanket denials of the dangers ostensibly posed by artificial intelligence, whose uncontrolled development is seen by some as the latest harbinger of apocalypse, could be interpreted as fulfilling Peter’s prophecy.

AtlanticNova ScotiaNew BrunswickPrince Edward Island Newfoundland and LabradorCalgaryLethbridgeKitchenerGuelphNorthern OntarioSudburyNorth BaySault Ste. MarieTimminsOttawaKingstonBrockvillePembrokeReginaYorktonSaskatoonPrince AlbertTorontoWatchWeatherPeelHamiltonDurhamYorkHaltonNiagaraQueen's ParkToronto City HallIn PicturesVancouverVancouver IslandCanadaLocal SpotlightRoyal FamilyPoliticsNanosPower PlayQuestion PeriodFederal Election 2025WorldMideast ConflictRussia-Ukraine WarWatchLatestCaptured on CameraPoliticsLifestyleConsumerHealthExplainedEntertainmentTechnologyDeception DecodedAutosEnvironmentBusinessInflationReal EstateAutos

Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is once again pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a US election - this time with the aim of helping Republicans maintain their control of Congress. Musk donated upwards of $200m (£150m) in the quarter that ended on 30 September, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reviewed by the BBC. The fillings were released with just over two weeks until the 2026 midterm election, where many races for the House of Representatives and Senate are close and Republicans risk losing their majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate. Musk also put significant money, $290m, and effort into helping elect President Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2024. Here is where the richest person in the world has been donating this time around, and what it might mean for his businesses. Most of the donations went to one groupThe bulk of the money donated last quarter by the world's only trillionaire, $158m, went to the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) Pac, the filings showed. It is one of the largest publicly known single political donations in US history, and some have suggested it is the biggest ever.

Trump-appointed Ambassador Mike Huckabee calls attack in occupied West Bank a ‘despicable act of terror’. United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has demanded Israel prosecute and jail those responsible for the attack on Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine in the occupied West Bank. “Attacking a female photographer is a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards,” Huckabee wrote on X on Saturday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Settlers set fire to mosque in West Bank as Israeli forces raid villageslist 2 of 3Israeli plan to reopen settler ‘Route 463’ threatens to isolate Ramallahlist 3 of 3Palestine weekly: Gaza marks year of ‘ceasefire’ with more Israeli killingend of list“Those who attacked unarmed reporter should spend YRS in prison,” he added. “We have called for a full investigation, arrest, and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law to whoever participated in this.”Levine was covering Palestinians’ annual harvest of olives on Friday in the occupied West Bank when Israeli settlers brutally attacked her and several Palestinians.