Independent senator’s goals ‘much bigger’ than prime ministership, he reveals in first speech to National Press Club Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast He’s six foot tall and full of muscle, but David Pocock’s real strength is often sounding like the most sensible, commonsense voice in the room. At his first speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, he said he wasn’t launching a bid for prime minister – no matter how much some people might like the softly spoken senator to have more say in federal politics. A 25% tax on gas exports, which he said could fund anything from boosting welfare to health reforms and aged care. A 5% levy on datacentres to capture more benefits from the AI boom. Transparency reforms to shine a light on lobbyists, secret meetings with politicians and vested interests. Continue reading...
Soft-spoken David Pocock has big ambitions – but first he wants politicians to ‘double down’ on kindness
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Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine on Trump's turn toward Russia
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Reader Q&A: What’s next for France after a weekend of riots? Ask our Europe columnists
At 3pm BST / 4pm CEST Friday 23 Oct , Guardian Europe columnists Rokhaya Diallo and Alexander Hurst will be live taking questions from our readers about the riots and protests in France. Send your questions by email now to conversations@theguardian.com , or join the discussion on Friday After weeks of protests and a weekend of riots in which a town hall was set ablaze, 2,000-plus shops were looted, 2,300 people were arrested and 1,000 police injured, the repercussions for France – for its society and its economy – continue. Allegations of police brutality surfaced, and the violent protests unnerved investors, resulting in a debt sell-off , with borrowing costs rising higher than for Greece. All of this ahead of a hotly contested presidential election that’s now just six months away. The French government’s escalating financial problems were covered by the Guardian’s Europe correspondent
Macron blasts ‘unacceptable’ and ‘stupid’ commentary on protests from other leaders – Europe live
Macron says he is frustrated by the ‘visible manipulation of information’ about the events in France Meanwhile, French president Emmanuel Macron blasted “unacceptable” and “stupid” comments on the protests and riots in France from foreign leaders, accusing them of “campaigning at our expense.” Speaking to reporters from Doha, visibly annoyed Macron said he was frustrated by “visible manipulation of information” about the events in France, “that were unacceptable and stupid from many quarters, including from foreign leaders.” “For instance, we saw images generated by artificial intelligence depicting scenes that never actually occurred in France. Some people even claimed that we had been overrun by hordes of migrants and Islamists – which is completely false.” Continue reading...
US citizen Stephen Hubbard freed by Russia and 'on his way home', Trump says
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has freed an American, Stephen Hubbard, from a Russian prison following a request from President Trump.
Cost of living protests aren’t just happening in Europe
Cost of living protests aren’t just happening in Europe
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