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Scattered: the making and unmaking of a refugee is out today - and I’m v much looking forward to reading it. Congratulations Aamna Mohdin ! An extract here: theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/a…

'I grew up in a country that was fundamentally irrational.' Neil Jordan on Ireland, England, film, books and the day some hippies sold him for sex. theguardian.com/film/article/2…

This is going to be BRILLIANT. Huge congrats Rob Burley! Mudlark

I’m back in Venezuela after three years, to cover the government’s biggest electoral challenge in a decade. Follow me and my colleague Frances Robles for live updates on the voting on Sunday.

Amid the Olympics, Kamala, Trump and Gaza there is a potentially hugely consequential election in Venezuela on Sunday. theguardian.com/global-develop…

Useful primer on what's at stake in Venezuela's election. bbc.com/news/articles/…

'Hard to believe.' Yep. theguardian.com/world/article/…

“This man did not win. He did not!” she said as the crowd swelled. I covered I don't know how many protests in Venezuela from 2006-12. All eventually fizzled. Viewed from afar, this eruption looks a potential game-changer. theguardian.com/world/article/…

“This is a powerful symbol to them,” said the protester, who shared with The Associated Press a video of the moment the 12-foot statue of Hugo Chavez was torn down. “Every time we tackle one of their symbols, we’re taking away some of their strength.” apnews.com/article/venezu…

Evading security by planting a bomb in a guesthouse weeks before the target is due - echoes of the IRA's near-hit on Thatcher at Brighton. nytimes.com/2024/08/01/wor…

Irish pols scrutinising Tommy Robinson. 'Concerning that someone who is inciting racist violence across Britain and Ireland appears to be travelling on an Irish passport.' theguardian.com/uk-news/articl…

“I really wish I’d taken it easier on myself.” Terrific, haunting piece from Sirin Kale on the reality TV producer who pushed himself too hard. theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/a…

'This amount of extreme heat events is beyond anything ever seen or even thought possible before.' A climate historian's warning. By jonathanwatts theguardian.com/environment/ar…

Cracking, timely essays in this book spanning millennia of tyrants, strongmen, military geniuses and the odd liberator. I contributed the chapter on Hugo Chavez -democratically elected but his personality cult and authoritarianism paved the tragedy of today's Venezuela.

📣 ¡Historia pura en clave de thriller! ✍🏻 'Habrá fuego', de Rory Carroll, es la impactante reconstrucción del atentado del IRA contra Margaret Thatcher en 1984 y la intensa persecución que siguió. 📖 ¡Ya en librerías! ow.ly/VcMF50TpMEF

Forgive trumpet-blowing but completely chuffed about this. Thank you Waterstones

If you're anywhere near Leitrim this weekend check out the Iron Mountain Literature Festival.

Kudos to Iron Mountain Literary Festival for a brilliant weekend. Great writers, engaged audiences, fascinating talks on and off stage. Leitrim Abú!

Big thanks to all at Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts for hosting talk on Killing Thatcher. Great audience, great questions and 80s music.