Sweden’s centre-left governing bloc is neck-and-neck with the centre-right opposition alliance in the country’s general elections, according to an exit poll, which also projected large gains for an anti-immigration party that has its roots in the neo-Nazi movement.

Swedish broadcaster SVT’s poll on Sunday indicated that the ruling Social Democrats would remain the largest party, with 26.2 percent, but record its worst ever election showing since 1908.

The poll also tipped the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) to come second, with 19.2 percent, jumping more that six percentage points since the last elections four years ago.

The Moderates party was projected to come in third, winning 17.8 percent support.

The Social Democrats-led centre-left bloc and the centre-right bloc, headed by the Moderates, won about 40 percent of the vote each, according to SVT.

Around 7.5 million Swedes were eligible to cast a ballot in the vote, with final results expected to be announced before midnight (22:00 GMT).

Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull, reporting from the Swedish capital, Stockholm, said the projections did not “conclusively” indicate the make-up of the next government.

“There will be a tight-race between the centre-left and centre-right blocs which could be weeks away,” Hull said.

“What they [the polls] do conclusively show, though, is that the worst case scenario that many Swedes had feared, that the far-right Sweden Democrats party might edge into first place, has not come to pass,” he added.

The Sweden Democrats party has called the arrival of almost 400,000 asylum seekers into Sweden since 2012 a threat to national culture and a strain on Sweden’s welfare system and presented the vote on Sunday as a ballot on immigration and integration.

In the lead-up to the vote, Social Democratic Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, had repeatedly called the legislative elections a “referendum on the future of the welfare state”, while condemning “the hateful forces” in Sweden.

He urged voters to “think about how they wanted to use their time on Earth”, calling on them to “stand on the right side of history”.

Moderates leader Ulf Kristersson meanwhile said that after the election, Sweden would need “a strong cross-bloc cooperation to isolate the forces … pushing for Sweden to withdraw from international cooperation”.

In southern Sweden, an SD stronghold, party leader Jimmie Akesson campaigned among throngs of supporters as detractors booed him and shouted “no racists on our streets”.

“We’re now competing against the Social Democrats and Moderates to become the biggest party in the country,” he said, dismissing the protesters as “communists”.

Peter Wolodarski, chief editor of Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter newspaper, said all three parties would likely be “disappointed” with the exit poll projections.

“The situation is very unclear. We don’t know who will form the next government, we will probably not know tomorrow, next week or next month,” Wolodarski told Al Jazeera.

“This will take time because we have a parliamentary system with proportional representation and parties have to talk to each other, and there is no clear majority at this point,” he said.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Image: Irfan Khan/LA Times via Getty Images

President Barack Obama has been out campaigning the past few days, much to the delight of our mostly-destroyed brains. On Saturday, he appeared at a rally for California Democrats, where he told an entertaining story about getting kicked out of Disneyland.

Apparently, Obama once journeyed to Anaheim to see Kool and the Gang during his stint at Occidental College. During the trip, he and his friends found themselves smoking (cigarettes) in some gondolas in the Magic Kingdom, which sounds fun in a “we are currently enrolled in college” kind of way.

Unfortunately, a Disney security officer discovered the teens and escorted them off the premises. He did, however, note that they were welcome back at the Magic Kingdom anytime, which seems like a pleasant way to be involuntarily ejected from a theme park.

Watch the whole pleasant anecdote for yourself below.

Three people, including a toddler, died in two separate drowning incidents in Fort Worth as heavy rain caused flooding Saturday, officials said.

In both incidents, the victims were inside vehicles that were swept away by floodwaters.

The first incident happened about noon off of a Loop 820 service road near Wilbarger Street. A woman was driving on the service road when the flooding swept her car into 30-foot deep waters, Battalion Chief James McAmis said.

Dive crews found the woman and a toddler dead in the car. Family identified the victims as Jessica Romero, 18, and her 2-year-old daughter Llaylanii. A Gofundme account has been set up to help the family.

The second flood drowning happened nearby, in the 4200 block of South Cravens Road, where a man in his 70s also had his vehicle washed away, officials said. The water was several feet above a bridge on Cravens Road, and the flooding carried the man’s car about 100 feet down a creek. The victim in the second drowning incident has not yet been identified.

© 2018 WFAA

Alastair Cook moved to 46 not out in his final innings as an international cricketer on day three of England’s fifth Test against India.

The opener, who is set to retire after his 161st Test, took the home side to 114-2 in their second innings, a lead of 154.

Cook received a standing ovation when he arrived at the crease and again when he left at the end of the day as he followed up his first-innings 71 with another knock typical of his 12-year Test career.

India had earlier been revived by 56 from debutant Hanuma Vihari and a swashbuckling 86 not out by Ravindra Jadeja.

Jadeja added 32 for the 10th wicket with last man Jasprit Bumrah as India, who found themselves 160-6 on Saturday, got up to 292 all out.

That left England 40 runs ahead and precariously placed, but Cook’s 125-ball stay ensured there would be no top-order panic to allow the tourists to continue their revival.

He was joined by his successor as captain, Joe Root, who moved fluently to 29 not out by the close.

England already have an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.

Cook’s last stand

Cook will end his career with more caps, runs, hundreds and catches than any other England player.

In this last hurrah, just as he did on Friday, the left-hander exhibited all of his trademarks in front of a crowd that held its breath for fear that each ball could be his last.

Cook left carefully and defended solidly. In one Mohammed Shami over, he prodded nervously as the ball went past the edge three times. By then, he had already been the subject of a wasted review for lbw from the spin of Jadeja.

When he scored, it was in time-honoured fashion; almost exclusively with nudges and clips off the pads, with one handsome straight drive thrown in.

Before this match, Cook averaged 18 in 2018. He described retiring as a weight off his shoulders and his first-innings effort was only his second half-century of the year. Now, the Essex man is just four runs away from passing 50 for the 90th time in his Test career.

And when he left on Sunday evening, waving his bat to a crowd on their feet for him for the fifth time in the match, the prospect of a send-off 33rd century was still in the offing.

Test bubbles in the background

While all eyes have been on Cook, this Test has ebbed and flowed like the rest of the series. England are chasing a 4-1 scoreline that would be harsh on the tourists, India are looking for the second win that their performances have deserved.

Just as Jos Buttler guided the England lower order on day two, Jadeja dragged India from a wretched position and left the hosts with only a moderate advantage.

Following up on the reversed momentum, the India bowlers made England work hard for every run. Each time that England looked like establishing a partnership, India struck.

Keaton Jennings was out shouldering arms for the second successive Test, misjudging a Shami inswinger that hit the off bail.

Moeen Ali again played as if intent on capitalising on the chance to bat at number three. He was dropped at second slip by KL Rahul before driving loosely to be bowled by Jadeja.

Cook and Root ultimately left the hosts in the stronger position, but a familiar clatter of England wickets would give India renewed hope.

England halted by swashbuckling Jadeja

Jadeja sat out the first four Tests of this series, but after being preferred to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, took four wickets with his left-arm spin in England’s first innings.

Resuming on eight with India 174-6, Jadeja and partner Vihari had to be both watchful and fortunate to get through the opening spells of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Vihari, who could have been lbw on nought on Saturday, played nicely through the off side but, after he edged behind off Moeen and Ishant Sharma fell in similar fashion, Shami holed out off Adil Rashid.

When the ninth wicket fell, Jadeja had cut and edged his way to 56 and would have had no chance to add to that had Jennings taken a relatively straightforward chance at silly point from Bumrah’s first ball.

Instead, as England dropped the field, Jadeja both farmed the strike and cut loose – Anderson was sent back over his head for a magnificent straight six.

When required, Bumrah defended bravely. With Jadeja flaying the ball to all parts, England became ragged and their frustration was only ended when Bumrah was run out attempting a very short and probably needless single.

England’s opening conundrum – analysis

by former England captain Michael Vaughan on Test Match Special

Keaton Jennings is a concern. I know national selector Ed Smith said he didn’t want two new openers for the winter tour to Sri Lanka but sometimes you have to be ruthless.

Is Keaton Jennings good enough? Is he getting picked by default because Cook is retiring? He will be under so much pressure in Sri Lanka.

Is it worth the risk of playing somebody with baggage? Or should they pick two fresh minds?

Look at Jadeja and Vihari in this match – they were fresh and just went out there and hit the ball.

Only those inside the dressing room know if Keaton Jennings has got something. I look at his game and he’s struggling.

I’m erring on the side of picking two fresh players.

Our batsmen showed fight – Farbrace

England assistant coach Paul Farbrace: “Alastair Cook has shown why he’s scored more runs than any other Englishman in this game, it’s been really tough.

“Even Keaton, he hasn’t got a score but the fact that the two of them batted together in that short period before the tea interval – if we’d lost two wickets there, India would’ve felt they were right back in the game.

“Moeen has shown a lot of skill but also that he can adapt his game and cope under pressure. We’re very pleased that the top four have played as well as they have.

“Cook is still there with a score to his name and Root looks like he was getting into his stride, playing quite fluently, he looked very balanced and organised.

“There is still something happening – the ball is swinging and the odd one is keeping low. But when you lead by 150 you don’t mind seeing the odd one keep low.”

Seventy-five people have been sentenced to death in Egypt for protesting the 2013 coup by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

There’s been strong condemnation from human rights groups at the latest wave of death sentences imposed in Egypt.

Most of the 75 convicted were taking part in a sit-in at a public square in Cairo five years ago. More than 800 people died within hours when security forces moved in and opened fire.

The death sentences are the latest in an unrelenting crackdown on dissent in Egypt since now President Sisi toppled Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president.

Is reconciliation even possible now?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Mohamed Elmasry – associate professor of media and cultural studies and chair of the journalism programme at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

Sahar Aziz – professor of Law at Rutgers University; director of the Center on Security, Race, and Rights

Maged Mandour – political analyst

Source: Al Jazeera News

Image: Neal Preston / Warner Bros.

“It’s the same story told over and over. All the artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes.”

The character who utters this line in A Star is Born is talking about music, but he may as well be talking about the movie he’s in. This is the third remake of an 81-year-old movie, one whose beats are so familiar that you’ll recognize them even if you’ve never laid eyes on any of the other versions.

There’s the sad celebrity self-medicating with booze and drugs, the talented ingenue who becomes an overnight sensation, the whirlwind romance threatened by the cold, hard light of day. You can see where all of it is headed from two miles away. 

But that doesn’t matter, not when Bradley Cooper is executing the formula so well. From the view at TIFF, A Star is Born looks to be a commercial and critical success that’ll have people buzzing all fall, and maybe even into this winter’s awards season. Here’s what you need to know. 

1. Lady Gaga is a movie star, baby

That Gaga had pipes worthy of a movie musical was never in doubt. But A Star is Born proves she’s a hell of an actor, too. Her Ally has the more dramatic arc of the movie, evolving from bright-eyed nobody to glamorous pop star, and Gaga’s performance rings true every step of the way. For large swaths of the movie, I forgot that I was watching at one of the most famous musicians in the world – she was just Ally.

2. Bradley Cooper has a bright future as a director

A Star is Born is Bradley Cooper’s debut as a director, but you’d never know it by watching. This film has the surefootedness of someone who’s done this a dozen times before, and made me curious to see what he might get up to next. 

Oh, and another of Cooper’s gifts as a director? He’s very good at directing one Bradley Cooper. Jackson Maine is one of Cooper’s most riveting performances – Cooper knows exactly how to bring out the nuances playing across Jack’s face in the many scenes he spends gazing at Ally. 

3. The chemistry between Cooper and Gaga is

When Jack and Ally meet for the first time, it’s not immediately apparent just how hot this connection is going to run. Cooper gives his characters time to warm up to each other, letting them goof around and reveal their personalities before they fall for each other – so that when they do finally connect, it feels like watching a house catch fire.

4. The music might give you chills

The best moment in A Star is Born is also the best moment from the A Star is Born trailer: The absolute wail that comes from Gaga’s throat during the song “Shallow,” the first time Jack and Ally perform together onstage. It’s such a transcendent moment that I swelled up before realizing I was about to cry, and started crying before I really figured out why. 

The rest of the soundtrack is pretty solid, too. Gaga does a fun cover of “La Vie en Rose,” and Cooper reveals himself as a surprisingly affecting singer with numbers like “Maybe It’s Time.” Get used to these songs. You’re going to hear them a lot for the next few months. 

5. This is going to win so many awards and make so much money

Let me reiterate what I said before: A Star is Born is going to be huge. It looks like the kind of broadly appealing crowdpleaser that’ll have long legs at the box office, like Crazy Rich Asians or The Greatest Showman. Your parents will love it. So will your roommate, and your significant other, and your co-workers, and just about anyone else you might go to the movies with.

Including that one friend of yours who’s always going on about awards season, because A Star is Born also looks poised to get a bunch of nominations – for the soundtrack, for Gaga and Cooper’s performances, for Cooper’s work behind the camera as co-writer and director, and maybe even for the Best Picture categories. 

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of the NFL on Sunday, using the league’s opening weekend to raise a recurrent fight over kneeling during the national anthem.

“Wow, NFL first game ratings are way down over an already really bad last year comparison,” Trump tweeted on Sunday. “If the players stood proudly for our Flag and Anthem, and it is all shown on broadcast, maybe ratings could come back?”

Trump has tweeted nearly three dozen times about the NFL since taking office last year. The league proposed a policy requiring players on the field to stand during the anthem, but the idea has essentially been tabled while officials continue to negotiate.

Players who have taken part in the protests have described them as a means of calling attention to racial inequality and police brutality.

There was little sign of protest during the season opening game Thursday between the the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. Two Eagles players took seats near the end of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

 Here’s a look some of Trump’s most controversial tweets on the subject:

First NFL tweet 

Trump first raised the issue during a rally last year in Alabama. A day, later he tweeted that NFL players should be fired if they protest during the anthem.  

“If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem,” Trump wrote over two tweets in late September. “If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!”

All about the ratings

A former television star, Trump is often obsessed with ratings as a measure of success. A day after his first tweet on the issue, the president suggested NFL ratings had fallen because of the anthem protests.  

“NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S.,” he wrote. 

Eagles, Trump call off event 

The controversy spread beyond Twitter this summer when several Eagles said they would not show up at the White House for an event to honor their Super Bowl win. Trump abruptly called off the event, and spoke briefly at an event honoring the anthem, instead. 

“We will proudly be playing the National Anthem and other wonderful music celebrating our Country today at 3 P.M.,” Trump wrote. “The White House, with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus. Honoring America! NFL, no escaping to Locker Rooms!”

Change the law? 

Trump appeared to take the fight to a new level last fall, suggesting the government change tax laws to punish the league. But little came of the idea, in part because the league had ended its tax-exempt, nonprofit status in 2015. Individual teams often secure big tax breaks from local and state governments to build new stadiums.  

“Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!” Trump wrote. 

Pence walks out

Vice President Mike Pence drew national headlines for walking out on a game in October when about a dozen San Francisco 49ers took a knee during the anthem in Indianapolis. Trump later tweeted that he asked Pence to leave if any of the players took part in the protest while he was there.  

“I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country,” Trump wrote in October. “I am proud of him and @SecondLady Karen.”

Contributing: Jarrett Bell

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