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“There won’t be ⁠⁠any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power,” he said during a speech on Sunday at an event commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution.  

“The days when parties backed by the Yankees and the Somocistas would return to power are over – never again,” he added, according to the Reuters news agency.

He has been accused of crushing dissent in a bid to remain in power. The last election in 2021 was disputed after his government cracked down on dissent and detained opponents.

Last year, the presidential term was extended to six years and Ortega’s wife, Rosario Murillo, was named as co-president.

The UN’s Human Rights Council has said the couple have built a repressive regime, accusing government officials of having key roles in “arbitrary detentions, torture, extrajudicial executions [and the] persecution of civil society and the media”.

Ortega was widely criticised when more than 300 people were killed in a crackdown on anti-government protests in 2018.

Since then, the government has stripped hundreds of Nicaraguans of their citizenship and forced others to flee the country in fear of being imprisoned.

Ortega previously served as president from 1985 to 1990, when he implemented leftist reforms in the wake of the overthrow of the United States-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979.

He has since detained many of the Sandinista National Liberation Front revolutionaries who were formerly his comrades. %!s()

Disaster officials and the governor’s office reported that the floods hit on Monday, destroying houses and shops in the province’s main city, Parun. The monsoon has wreaked havoc across the region in recent weeks, killing dozens of people in India and Nepal.

At least 20 bodies have been recovered and more than 80 people were injured, according to the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA).

The casualties were reported in Parun and other areas of Nuristan, which borders Pakistan. The mayor of the provincial capital as well as several regional employees were among the missing, the governor’s office said.

Officials from the provincial disaster management department have launched search-and-rescue operations, including efforts to recover bodies and locate the missing.

Ashiqullah Safi, head of local NGO Shpoul, told the AFP news agency the flood had “completely destroyed the municipality”.

Hotels and dozens of shops were reportedly destroyed, and residents were searching the debris-strewn area without proper equipment, he said, after the floodwaters left large boulders scattered through the town.

Afghanistan, like neighbouring Pakistan and India, is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, particularly flash floods following seasonal rains.

This year’s monsoon season has sparked chaos across South Asia since June, with heavy rains triggering floods and landslides in country after country.

Floods and landslides were reported on Monday to have killed at least 25 people across northern and northeastern India. Parun is located 465km (290 miles) from Jammu, where a flash flood caused extensive damage.

In neighbouring Nepal, monsoon-related floods, landslides and lightning strikes have killed 27 people, left one missing and injured 69 others since mid-June, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.

The head of Afghanistan’s environmental protection agency, Mawlawi Matiul Haq Khalis, said this month that flooding in the country had increased, warning that environmental problems have “contributed to a humanitarian crisis”. %!s()

Benchmark oil prices have trended upwards in recent days, with Brent crude hitting $91.42 on Sunday, before falling 0.1 percent on Monday to $88.04. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) reached its highest level since June 12 at $85.39 before retreating 2 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $82.29.

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The breakdown of the US-Iran ceasefire drove up prices amid concerns over tanker traffic transiting the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, which, before the war, carried roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply.

Those concerns were compounded by pressure from Iran on their Houthi allies in Yemen to close the Red Sea shipping route, if US attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure continue.

US consumers are also feeling the pressure at the pump. The average price for a gallon (3.78 litres) of petrol topped $4.00, up from $3.87 just a week ago, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which tracks daily petrol prices. It marks the second successive week of increases.

The rise comes despite claims that petrol prices are beginning to fall after a report last week showed consumer inflation declined by 0.4 percent on a monthly basis. That was driven by a 9.5 percent drop in petrol prices, according to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI), released last week.

The inflation data reflects a short-lived reprieve in tensions between the US and Iran before fighting intensified again.

Between July 17 and 19, only 30 vessels travelled through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Kpler data. LSEG data shows traffic was even more limited over the weekend, with only eight ships transiting the waterway on Saturday and four on Sunday.

The tensions are continuing to affect shipping companies. Greece’s Dynacom Tankers said two projectiles struck two of its ships while sailing through the waterway near the Omani coast. The company did not identify who fired the projectiles.

“Higher energy prices remain in focus as a re-escalation in the Middle East tensions adds to concerns that last week’s cooler-than-expected inflationary data may not be enough to deter the Fed from raising interest rates later this year,” David Meger, director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures, told the Reuters news agency.

US markets were mixed amid the escalating geopolitical tensions, but also as the US chip sector rallied after China’s Alibaba previewed its latest artificial intelligence model, following Apple unveiling new AI developments for its Siri assistant.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq was up 0.6 percent, while the S&P 500 gained 0.2 percent in midday trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.25 percent since opening on Monday.

Gold, which is typically considered a safe investment during periods of economic uncertainty, slipped slightly on Monday, despite the heightened tensions. Spot gold was down 0.1 percent to $4,011.96 per ounce in midday trading.

Treasury yields rose 0.5 percent, while the US dollar gained 0.1 percent. %!s()

“I know a lot of people were like, ‘Oh my God, Lupita Nyong’o is supposed to look like Diane Kruger.’ I don’t know. Diane Kruger doesn’t look very Greek. She’s German,” Shapiro pushes back. Rapper Travis Scott as Bard is a bit jarring, but he has a small part. And Zendaya not looking especially Greek doesn’t bother Shapiro in the least.

“Casting Zendaya in that role doesn’t change anything … Zendaya does a fine job, doesn’t bother me at all,” he adds.

But Shapiro takes issue with Elliot Page as Sinon.

“I know there are a lot of conservatives who are getting pre-whipped up about the film. Because it’s stupid to cast Elliot Page as a dude. It’s just stupid,” Shapiro declares. His moviegoing sensibility that any casting that takes him far away from the film’s narrative is a negative goes into the red zone with Page, who reunites with Nolan after Inception.

“Elliot Page was a woman with mental issues who believes that she is a man and has had surgeries to make her appear more man-like, but still she is about five foot two inches and 105 pounds, soaking wet, and has the voice of a woman. It doesn’t work,” Shapiro argues, personally criticizing Page, who came out as trans in 2020. In fact, he can’t get over casting Page at all.

“It’s an unforced error. Now I’m not going to speculate as to why Nolan did this,” Shapiro says, before doing just that as he begins spinning conspiracy theories popular among podcasters. “Maybe he’s personally friendly with Elliot Page, feels bad for Elliot Page, because Elliot Page is a certain person, was friends of that person from the time they did they did Inception together. Maybe it’s in fact some sort of Oscar bait attempt.”

But conservatives should still go out to the multiplex to see The Odyssey, and not wish it a death at the box office with Page in the cast. “No, the movie’s not going to bomb because of that. It turns out that when people are willing to be entertained, they’re willing to entertain even bad flaws in the teeth, if it turns out the smile is nice,” Shapiro concluded.

So conservatives, whatever their outrage, should not dismiss The Odyssey, without first seeing it. “The broader theme of the movie is actually very much in line with many things that conservatives think. If you let Elliot Page kill that for you, I think you’re missing out on an incredible moviegoing experience,” Shapiro added. %!s()

Paramount had reportedly expected to close the deal by Wednesday, July 22. The temporary restraining order will keep the deal from being finalized for another 14 days, but could be extended for as much as 28 days.

A total of 12 states seek to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. Paramount attorney Jeffrey Kessler has argued the states have failed to provide enough evidence to suggest the merger is anticompetitive.

"Plaintiff States' showing at least demonstrates that serious questions going to the merits remain, weighing in favor of preliminary injunctive relief," Martinez-Olguin said. "Paramount and Warner Bros. will continue to operate as separate, viable companies competing in the marketplace while they wait for the Court to adjudicate this case. The balance of equities, combined with the public’s vital interest in antitrust enforcement, therefore tips sharply in favor of the requested injunctive relief."

A Paramount takeover of Warner Bros. was almost certainly always going to have its critics, but the lead-up to today's events has been especially controversial. Movie fans will remember when Netflix announced an $82.7 billion deal to acquire the company back in December 2025. The months ahead saw that slowly fall apart after Paramount revealed it had launched its own hostile bid, which it called a "superior all-cash offer" at the time.

In a February 2026 plot twist, it was reported that Warner Bros. was interested in reopening negotiations with Paramount despite agreeing to sell to Netflix. Then, later that same month, Netflix walked away from the deal, all but securing Paramount as the victor with its $110 billion offer. Actually finalizing the deal, however, is a completely different story.

As noted by NBC News, the suit to block the merger was launched July 13, with the court hearing arguments from both the 12-state coalition and Paramount Friday, July 17. California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the judge's ruling a "critical first win in our case to ensure this megamerger never sees the light of day."

"History tells the tale of what happens when a few people have great power over markets that are central to Americans' lives: fewer opportunities for more people, worse products and services for all people," Bonta said (via Variety). "With our lawsuit, we’re fighting for a free and fair market and a thriving film and television industry that serves creatives and audiences alike. We have a full tank of gas, the law on our side, and look forward to continuing to make our case."

He added (via NBC): "The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S."

Paramount, meanwhile, has fought back against the claims. In a statement, it called the restraining order "one of the weakest merger challenges in modern antitrust history."

"We will vigorously defend the transaction and demonstrate that this challenge is inconsistent with sound competition policy and the competitive realities of the media marketplace," Paramount added.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe). %!s()