Author: Rachel Maddow

Iraq started early voting Sunday as security forces and displaced citizens cast ballots before Tuesday’s parliamentary election. About 1.3 million army and security personnel and 26,000 displaced people can participate. The outcome will decide whether Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani secures a second term amid rising tensions with Israel and Iran. A total of 7,744 candidates compete, mostly from sectarian-aligned parties, shaping Iraq’s delicate political balance between Tehran and Washington. Exiled Community Seeks Representation Displaced Yazidis cast votes at a camp near Dohuk in northern Iraq. Many fled Islamic State attacks over a decade ago and remain unable to return…

Gamers must wait longer for Grand Theft Auto VI after Rockstar Games confirmed another delay. The company moved the release date to November 19, 2026. Rockstar had already postponed the launch once before, shifting it from May 2026. The game was originally expected to arrive in autumn this year. In a statement, Rockstar asked fans for patience, explaining that it needs extra time to polish the game and meet the quality players “expect and deserve.” Players Await Chaos and Crime in Vice City The game lets players roam the streets freely, stealing cars and hoarding expensive vehicles, bikes, and boats.…

AI systems drop safety filters as conversations continue, increasing the risk of harmful or offensive replies. A new report revealed that users can easily make AI tools disclose restricted or dangerous information with simple tactics. Simple Prompts Defeat Safety Barriers Cisco studied large language models (LLMs) used by OpenAI, Mistral, Meta, Google, Alibaba, Deepseek, and Microsoft. Researchers wanted to learn how quickly each system would reveal unsafe or illegal data. They conducted 499 “multi-turn attacks,” asking multiple questions in each session to wear down the AI’s restrictions. Each chat contained between five and ten exchanges. The team compared responses from…

Australia will enforce a new law on December 10 banning children under 16 from holding accounts on major social platforms. The government has now added Reddit and livestreaming site Kick to the restricted list. They join Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, and YouTube under this rule. Communications Minister Anika Wells announced the update on Wednesday, calling the measure a “world-first legal obligation.” She warned that platforms failing to block underage users could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (€28.3 million). “We have met with several companies this month to ensure full compliance,” Wells told reporters in…

Authorities closed Brussels Zaventem Airport on Tuesday night after multiple drone sightings above the airfield. Belgium’s public broadcaster VRT reported that officials suspended all departures and arrivals following the initial sighting. The airport briefly reopened before closing again after a second drone appeared. Liège Airport, which had accepted diverted flights from Brussels, also suspended operations after a separate drone incident. A spokesperson for Skeyes, Belgium’s civil airspace authority, confirmed the first sighting occurred around 8 p.m. local time, forcing flights to divert to Ostend-Bruges and Charleroi Brussels South. The drone intrusions occurred as both NATO and the European Union maintained…

Nigeria faces renewed tension after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to prepare for possible military intervention. His comments linked the move to alleged Christian persecution in the country, drawing both support and outrage. Trump warned on social media that the U.S. might halt all aid and launch attacks to “wipe out Islamic terrorists” if Nigeria failed to protect Christians. He said any U.S. action would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.” President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected the idea of foreign intervention but offered to meet Trump for talks on counterterrorism and security cooperation. He stressed that any partnership must…

A powerful landslide killed at least 21 people and left more than 30 missing in Kenya’s Rift Valley on Saturday. Continuous heavy rainfall triggered the disaster in the hilly region of Chesongoch, Elgeyo Marakwet County. Authorities confirmed that the mudslides destroyed over 1,000 homes and forced hundreds to flee. The area has faced relentless downpours during Kenya’s short rain season. Rescue teams said blocked roads have slowed access to remote villages, and the government used helicopters to airlift 30 seriously injured survivors to a hospital in Eldoret City. Survivors Describe Panic and Chaos Residents reported hearing a thunderous roar before…

A new study from the University of Maryland and Microsoft found that artificial intelligence interprets Polish commands better than any other language. English, surprisingly, finished only in sixth place. Researchers tested 26 languages across major AI models, including those from OpenAI, Google Gemini, Qwen, Llama, and DeepSeek. “Our results were unexpected,” the researchers wrote. “English did not dominate performance as assumed. When handling longer texts, it placed sixth, while Polish ranked first overall.” AI Excels in a Language Humans Find Complex Polish achieved an impressive 88% accuracy rate in task completion, marking it as the most effective language for AI…

Surging demand for iPhones lifted Apple’s revenue during the three months ending in September, helping the company close its fiscal year with record profits. Apple beat Wall Street expectations despite challenges from a global trade war and fierce competition in artificial intelligence. Strong early sales of the iPhone 17 line fueled the performance. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, announced that the company achieved record September-quarter revenue of $102.5 billion, including all-time highs for iPhone and Services. Boosted by this success, Apple earned $27.5 billion (€23.8bn), nearly twice last year’s profit. Shares rose 2% in after-hours trading following the announcement. Apple enhanced…

Human Rights Watch urged Friedrich Merz to condemn Turkey’s repression of opposition figures, including the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu.During his first official visit to Ankara, Merz called for a stronger European strategic partnership with Turkey to confront global challenges.Standing beside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he spoke days after Turkey and the United Kingdom finalized a multibillion-euro deal for 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets.Germany, a member of the jet’s manufacturing consortium, recently ended its long opposition to exporting the aircraft to Turkey. Germany Backs Turkey’s Role in European Defense Reports indicate that Germany supports Turkey’s participation in the €150 billion…