Moldova’s president wins western praise for election triumph

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Maia Sandu’s victory amid claims of Russian interference boosts EU hopes and deals setback to Kremlin

Europe’s most powerful leaders have congratulated Moldova’s pro-western president, Maia Sandu, after she won a second term, cementing the country’s EU aspirations and dealing a setback to the Kremlin.

With nearly 98% of the vote counted in the second round of the presidential elections on Sunday, Sandu had 54% of the vote, ahead of Alexandr Stoianoglo, a Kremlin-friendly political newcomer, backed by the pro-Russia party of Socialists.

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Is Trump actually a fascist – and why does the answer matter?

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Given the comparisons to Hitler and Mussolini, experts say it’s important to remember that fascism is a process

While Democratic strategists debate whether or not their attack ads labeling Donald Trump a fascist have been effective, experts and academics told the Guardian his campaign and the Republican party he now heads have clear autocratic sympathies and political qualities that are firmly in line with fascism movements historically.

Put together, that makes any Trump victory this week and his return to the White House for a second presidential term a clear threat to US democracy, they added.

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Secretaries of state ask social media companies for moderation plans on election day

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Democratic top elections officials are concerned about inflammatory and AI-generated content

A group of Democratic secretaries of state are calling on social media companies to detail their plans to moderate inflammatory content and artificial intelligence on their platforms during and after election day.

Seven secretaries of state – representing Maine, Rhode Island, Illinois, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and New Mexico – sent the letters to Google, X and Meta on Friday. Secretaries of state typically play some role in overseeing elections in their states.

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Trump donor fined for pollution leads a fight to end methane emission penalties

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Detailed plans from 30 oil and gas producers come amid historic levels of potent planet-heating emissions

A powerful US oil and gas industry lobby group has drawn up detailed plans to kill off penalties for emitting methane, a potent planet-heating gas that’s increasing at the fastest rate in decades, with this effort led by a major donor to Donald Trump whose company has just been fined for methane pollution.

Leaked internal documents from the American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC), a group of 30 oil and gas producers, outline a push to repeal a fee levied on methane emissions should the former US president win this week’s election and Republicans gain control of Congress.

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Bus plunges into Himalayan gorge in north India, killing at least 36 people – Al Jazeera English

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  1. Bus plunges into Himalayan gorge in north India, killing at least 36 people  Al Jazeera English
  2. Uttarakhand: At least 36 dead after bus falls into a gorge  BBC.com
  3. Dozens killed as bus loses control, skids off Himalayan road in India and plunges into deep gorge  CBS News
  4. Dozens Dead as Overcrowded Bus Plunges into Gorge  Newsweek
  5. 36 dead after bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand's Almora  The Times of India
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Ryanair profits plunge amid lower fares and Boeing delays

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Problems with delivery of 737 aircraft left airline ‘over-crewed and over-costed’, says CEO Michael O’Leary

Ryanair’s profits have dropped by nearly a fifth, as lower peak-season fares met higher costs that the airline blamed partly on problems at Boeing.

Summer fares were down by an average 7% as Ryanair cut prices to keep its planes full, carrying 9% more passengers from April to September this year than last.

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Spain floods: searchers scour car parks and malls amid fears death toll will rise

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Day after king and PM pelted by angry residents, search focuses on areas where people could have been trapped

Hundreds of civil and military emergency workers are searching shopping centres, garages and underground car parks for more victims of floods in the Valencia region that have killed at least 214 people, as public anger mounts over Spanish authorities’ handling of the disaster.

Yellow and amber weather warnings were in place for parts of Valencia and neighbouring Catalonia on Monday, with people in the affected areas advised to stay off the roads and keep away from the coast and rivers.

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Former Olympian Nathan Baggaley eligible for parole after drug plot sentencing

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The double silver medallist and his brother given 13- and 15-year sentences but could be freed because of time served for 2018 cocaine operation

An Olympic silver medallist and his brother are eligible for parole after being sentenced over a failed attempt to import cocaine worth about $200m.

Nathan Baggaley, 48, a former champion kayaker, and Dru Baggaley, 42, faced Brisbane supreme court on Monday after pleading guilty in October to attempting to import a commercial quantity of drugs – just days before they were due to face a retrial.

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Four wounded after axe used in fight on Paris suburban train

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Source says one person’s hand was severed in altercation involving several people at Ozoir-la-Ferrière station

Four teenagers were wounded, two of them seriously, after an axe was used during a fight on a suburban train outside Paris, French police sources have said.

One of the victims, all aged 16 or 17, had a hand cut off and another had their skull split open. The main suspect in the incident was later arrested.

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Search for boy, 11, swept out to sea on NSW Central Coast to resume on Tuesday

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Strong current took child trying to cross The Entrance channel with father and three younger brothers

A search for an 11-year-old boy swept out to sea by a strong current on the New South Wales Central Coast will resume on Tuesday.

A 43-year-old man had been crossing the channel between an estuary and the ocean from the northern side of a location known as The Entrance, with his four boys, aged 11, nine, seven and three. The eldest child was swept into the ocean.

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China space station crew returns to Earth after 6 months in space – The Associated Press

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  1. China space station crew returns to Earth after 6 months in space  The Associated Press
  2. China's Shenzhou 18 astronauts return to Earth after 6 months in space (video)  Space.com
  3. Watch Chinese space crew return to Earth  BBC.com
  4. China: Astronauts from Tiangong space station return to Earth  VOA Asia
  5. Watch Chinese Shenzhou-18 space crew return to Earth  BBC
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