Category: World

The Indian rupee is likely to be steady over a holiday-truncated week, with oil prices and foreign portfolio flows in focus, while bond yields could face headwinds from tightening banking system liquidity and growing bets on aggressive rate hikes.
Last ​week, the rupee posted its best week since March with a 2% gain as the central bank rolled out a ‌series of measures to shore up the local unit. It ended at 94.96 on Friday.

The Reserve Bank of India has made it costlier for importers to hedge future current-account payments, raised the cost for banks of buying foreign currency for certain transactions, and opened a dedicated window to supply state-run oil companies with dollars directly from ​its foreign-exchange reserves.
The combined impact of these measures, expectations of further steps and the central bank’s market interventions is expected to ​support the rupee. Traders see the currency in a 94-95.50 range in the near term.
Indian financial markets will be ⁠shut on Tuesday for a local holiday, while investor focus will broadly remain on developments in the Middle East and how they affect ​oil prices and foreign portfolio flows into Indian assets.

Brent crude prices touched $110 a barrel for the first time since May on Friday. Jitters about ​global investments in AI firms are also expected to ripple through the FX market, impacting equity or debt flows.
“Heavily overweight positioning leaves the USD vulnerable to a reversal when sentiment towards AI deteriorates,” MUFG said in a note.
BONDS Indian government bonds could continue facing mild selling pressure as fears of a larger rate hike weigh on investor sentiment.
Traders ​expect the benchmark 10-year yield to move in the 7.32% to 7.42% range, with an eye on oil prices and any more steps from ​the central bank.
India’s benchmark 10-year bond yield posted its ninth consecutive weekly rise, ending at 7.3789% on Friday, up 8 basis points for the week. It ‌had risen ⁠54 basis points over the previous eight weeks, extending its longest-ever run of weekly increases, according to LSEG-compiled data.

Sentiment has been negative since the central bank raised policy repo rate and changed stance, followed by hawkish commentary from Governor Sanjay Malhotra in a media interview.
“We would not characterise the RBI as significantly behind the curve, but inflation risks remain tilted to the upside. A cumulative 100 bps of tightening by June would help the ​RBI stay ahead of emerging price ​pressures while preserving its inflation-fighting ⁠credibility,” said Krishna Bhimavarapu, Asia-Pacific economist at State Street Investment Management.
After the central bank’s commentary, calls for a 50-bps move in December have risen, with the central bank expected to use the interest rate as a ​defence mechanism to protect the local currency.
Meanwhile, foreign investors will continue to remain cautious after being sellers ​for last few days.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/oil-foreign-flows-focus-rupee-bond-traders-eye-rate-hike-bets-2026-10-19/

The dollar edged up from near its lowest levels of the month in subdued Asian trading on Monday as violent protests in France put ​pressure on the euro.
The euro fell 0.1% to $1.1230. The common currency has the biggest weighting in ‌the dollar index and its drop helped steady the greenback, which recently traded level at 101.82.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned on Sunday “shocking” scenes of violence on the sidelines of protests over the cost of living in a televised address to the nation, a day after France ​suffered one of its worst days of unrest in years.

“The weekend unrest matters for the euro mainly through French ​bonds rather than directly,” said Kieran Williams, head of Asia FX at InTouch Capital Markets ⁠in London. “With the OAT-bund spread already close to 140 basis points, appetite for the euro is likely to stay ​thin this week and I’d expect rallies to be sold until there is a clearer outcome on the budget.”
Against the ​yen , the US dollar was flat at 158.09 yen as Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Monday underlying inflation is “quite close” to the central bank’s 2% target.
Against the Chinese yuan , the US dollar was down 0.1% at 6.6811 in offshore trading, the greenback’s weakest ​level since June 2022, after data released Monday showed Chinese gross domestic product for the third quarter grew slightly more than ​expected.

In Southeast Asia, the Indonesian rupiah extended declines into a fourth day following a threat from index compiler MSCI to downgrade the country’s ‌stock ⁠market from its flagship emerging markets index to “standalone” status last week, which triggered an 11.6% collapse in equities. The rupiah slipped 0.2% to around its weakest level in almost three months on Monday.
“Indonesia remains one of our key concerns,” MUFG analysts wrote in a note. “MSCI concerns add another layer of pressure on the rupiah,” alongside “a combination of higher US yields, ​weaker external balances from elevated ​oil prices and a ⁠tougher trade-off for Bank Indonesia.”
The Australian dollar appreciated 0.5% to $0.6975, while its kiwi counterpart was flat at $0.5655. The British pound was steady at $1.3329.
Oil prices fell in Asian trading on Monday, ​with Brent crude futures down 1.7% at $108.01, after US President Donald Trump waived sanctions and ​tariffs on Russia ⁠that may lead to more Russian fuel exports.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/dollar-firmer-euro-weakens-french-protests-turn-violent-2026-10-19/

The Chinese capital Beijing is expected to become “super-aged” by 2035, with around one-third ​of its population aged 60 and above, ‌the official Beijing Daily reported.
Chinese policymakers have made population planning a key part of the country’s economic strategy, and ​this year the government faces a ​total potential cost of around 180 billion yuan ($26.92 ⁠billion) to boost births, according to Reuters ​estimates.

• One in every three residents of the Chinese ​capital will be aged 60 or above by 2035, the Beijing Daily reported on Saturday.
• Beijing had 5.29 million ​permanent residents aged 60 and above at the ​end of last year, almost one-quarter of its population, the ‌newspaper ⁠said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/beijings-population-expected-become-super-aged-by-2035-2026-10-19/

President Emmanuel Macron appealed for calm on Sunday, a day after France suffered one of its worst days of unrest in ‌years, with thousands arrested and shops looted or damaged after protests over high prices and declining public services.
Fresh clashes broke out in Paris and Marseille, where riot police intervened to prevent attempts to ransack businesses.

Nationwide demonstrations had erupted into riots on Saturday, with a town hall torched, shops pillaged and buildings covered in graffiti as violent groups clashed with police in cities across the country.

“Looking at these images, we have all asked ourselves: What was going ​through their minds? How can French people do this to France?” Macron said in a televised address to the nation.
“Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it. Tonight, ​we all feel anger and shame.”
Saturday’s unrest laid bare the deep anger at Macron, who leaves office in 2027 after a decade in power ⁠that has increasingly become defined by social discontent, a weak economy and ballooning debt.
Macron said those protesting peacefully had legitimate grievances and their actions should not be confused with those seeking to wreak ​havoc.

He stopped short of declaring a state of emergency, as demanded by some right-wing politicians, but said the government would act to allow prefects to ban protests if necessary to protect public buildings ​and local businesses.

PARIS PROTESTS ‘LIKE A WAR ZONE’

The government has blamed the violence on what it said were ultra-left groups, as well as criminals it said had instigated the looting.
One protester died on Saturday after suffering a cardiac arrest during demonstrations in Paris. Police made 2,400 arrests across France, while nearly 1,000 officers were injured, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.
Police again clashed with protesters and fired tear gas at Place de la Republique on Sunday afternoon, ​and protesters had set fire to piles of bicycles. A Reuters witness said there appeared to be several hundred protesters in the area.

A massive clean-up operation took place in cities from Lille ​in the north to Marseille in the south and from Strasbourg in the east to Bordeaux in the southwest, where a masked mob invaded the residence of the local prefect.
“It’s like a war zone here!” exclaimed ‌Dutch entrepreneur Tije ⁠De Boer, who was visiting Paris with his children and said the unrest forced him to evacuate his hotel at Place de la Republique.
More than half a million people joined marches in scores of cities on Saturday, marking the convergence of a month-long student movement with broader social discontent against rising living costs and declining public services.

SEVERAL HUNDRED SHOPS DAMAGED

While hundreds of thousands protested peacefully across France on Saturday, violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, looted luxury boutiques and supermarkets, and attacked police vehicles and officers.
Far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, frontrunner going into next year’s presidential campaign, also ​called for calm, saying France must not become ​accustomed to images of the country being ⁠battered, abused and ransacked.
“Violence is not an opinion. Destruction is not a form of expression. And chaos cannot serve as a project for France,” she said in a video address.
Hard-left France Unbowed presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon said Macron needed to answer the demands of protesting high-school students.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-faces-aftermath-worst-unrest-years-2026-10-18/

A warning from MSCI that it may exclude Indonesia ​from its stock market indexes — benchmarks used by global financial investors — risks cutting the nation off from international capital and relegating it to an investment backwater.
MSCI stunned investors ‌by proposing that it remove Indonesia from its global stock indexes altogether, months after floating a less severe downgrade from emerging market to frontier over opaque ownership and securities trading practices.

A cut to standalone status would be unusually harsh and rare: Argentina was dropped in 2021 for imposing capital controls, and Russia in 2022 after Western sanctions cut it off from global finance over its invasion of Ukraine. Indonesia would find itself in a small group of ​standalone markets that includes Lebanon and Zimbabwe.
Indonesia has been an MSCI emerging market since 1989, and a downgrade of the proposed magnitude would be a huge reversal for a market ​that until recently was a foreign investor favourite.
Removing the country from major global benchmarks that steer billions of dollars in foreign investment could hurt far ⁠more than just its stock market.

“The proposal … goes well beyond what we had considered our worst-case scenario,” said Rully Arya Wisnubroto, head of research at Mirae Asset Sekuritas in Jakarta.
The MSCI announcement wiped ​about $65 billion off the value of Indonesian equities, with an 11.6% drop on the Jakarta Composite Index (.JKSE), — its biggest one-day fall since the Asian financial crisis in 1998.
The shock spread beyond equities, with the ​rupiah falling as much as 0.8% and some analysts raising the possibility of a central bank interest rate hike on Tuesday, when rates had been expected to stay on hold.
“The purpose (of a rate hike) would be pre-emptive, i.e. in order to prevent the expected equity foreign outflows from widening to the fixed income side as well as being exacerbated by resident capital outflows,” Citi wrote in a note to clients.

Unlike a downgrade to frontier status, a move ​to standalone would provide no offsetting demand from frontier-index funds, leaving passive emerging-market money heading for the exits.
Banks estimate the move could trigger $3 billion to $6 billion in passive outflows, with JPMorgan putting the ​figure at $4.8 billion and UBS warning active investors could pull another $15 billion.
More than $1.8 trillion in assets are benchmarked to MSCI’s emerging-market indexes, according to the index provider’s website.

INDONESIA INDEX WEIGHT AMPLIFIES IMPACT

Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, is ‌the world’s ⁠top exporter of thermal coal, palm oil and nickel and a major supplier of copper and coffee. While the country has benefited from rising prices of some of its top commodity exports this year, as a net oil importer, its import bills have also soared.

The fallout from the stock index exclusion could also spread to Indonesia’s public finances should state-linked companies find it harder or more expensive to raise money, potentially forcing the government to take spending back onto its own books or scale back investment, Citi analysts added.
“We expect the broader economic impact to be predominantly indirect, with external financing representing ​the most immediate transmission channel,” said Irman Faiz, ​economist at Bank Danamon Indonesia in Jakarta.
Indonesia’s ⁠removal would involve significantly more index-linked money than previous cases, despite its weight shrinking from 1.2% at the end of 2025 to 0.46% now, according to JPMorgan. When Argentina was removed, its weighting stood at 0.12%.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-faces-rare-msci-exclusion-that-could-cut-it-off-global-capital-2026-10-16/

China has proposed export controls on 12 technologies used to make solar equipment, citing national security concerns, as part ​of a broader revision that also covers AI and biotechnology.
The ministry ‌of commerce proposed adding the photovoltaic technologies to China’s export-control list, it said in a statement on Friday, adding that greater oversight is needed because solar technologies are ​increasingly being used in sensitive areas like aerospace and national ​defense.

Chinese officials held initial talks with manufacturers about potential curbs on ⁠advanced solar-panel manufacturing technologies, Reuters reported in April, a move that could ​threaten plans by US firms such as Tesla (TSLA.O), to expand production in the ​US.
Beijing has also curbed exports of solar-manufacturing technology to India, Reuters has reported. Analysts say China is seeking to preserve its dominance as India tries to build up domestic ​manufacturing and shake off reliance on China.
Export restrictions aim to “guard against ​the risks of technologies from running out of control or being improperly disseminated, while ‌safeguarding normal ⁠international exchanges and cooperation in science and technology,” the ministry said.

Exporters must now register certain overseas technology transfers until the export-control catalogue is formally updated. Public consultation on the proposal will close on November 15.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/china-proposes-export-controls-solar-manufacturing-technologies-2026-10-18/

Two Russian men secretly working for Ukraine’s intelligence services have given rare accounts of operations they claim to have been involved with, that have targeted military assets and personnel inside Russia.

One of the men, whom we are calling Ivan, claims to have played a role from Russia in Ukrainian drone attacks on strategic bombers and munitions factories on his home soil.

He features in a BBC World Service documentary about the shadowy world of Russian saboteurs.

The documentary, by independent Polish journalist Marcin Mamon, also features a man we are calling Foma, a Russian living in exile in Poland.

Foma runs a network of undercover volunteers in Russia, that surveils high-level officers that the GUR – Ukraine’s military intelligence service – is considering targeting, he says. He stresses they are never involved in the attacks themselves.

He was also tight-lipped about who they were surveilling, but after Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov was assassinated in December last year in Moscow, Foma admitted he had provided the Ukrainians with intelligence on him.

There have been previous media reports of Russian sabotage groups, but it is rare to get access to someone operating on the ground, like Ivan, explaining alleged activities.

The GUR has confirmed that Ivan and Foma are both working for the agency. But it also has acknowledged that it cannot know the full picture. When Ivan’s handler was pressed on whether he could be trusted, the handler replied: “I’m not sure of anyone, except myself.”

And both the GUR and the men are cautious about how much detail they share, making it impossible to verify the activities the men claim to have carried out.

The broad tactics Ivan and Foma describe, however, have been acknowledged by the Ukrainian authorities. Kyiv has spoken of its strategy of co-ordinated drone attacks on what it claims are legitimate targets inside Russia, and has acknowledged it uses secret agents for this.

There have also been several political assassinations in Russia since the start of the war. As a matter of policy, Ukraine never officially admits or claims responsibility for targeted attacks, though a Ukrainian intelligence officer has previously admitted to the BBC it was behind the killing of senior military figure Lt Gen Igor Kirillov in December 2024.

It is difficult to confirm how many Russians are doing this kind of work for Ukraine. According to Foma, they number about 300-500, though this is impossible to verify.

Ivan and Foma say they are both opposed not just to Russia’s war in Ukraine, but to President Vladimir Putin’s regime – and believe his political future depends on the war’s outcome.

“At the moment… I think the [Putin] regime might fall if they lose the war… Through our actions… we are trying to speed this up,” Ivan says.

His work, he told Mamon, involved surveilling military sites, and locating places to hide drone components, in preparation for potential attacks on Russian assets.

“When these [drone] components are combined… it turns out a formidable weapon, which with a single blow can destroy an object that costs many, many millions of dollars,” Ivan said.

He sent Mamon a video which showed him apparently hiding explosives near a Russian military airfield.

If he had been caught, he would have been charged with terrorism, and jailed for decades.

Foma’s work is different – he operates remotely, training his volunteers in Russia, online. Mamon watched him conducting one such tutorial – on how to trail a senior military official marked for surveillance.

“You will get a file… from me or a colleague… with the proposed target. The file will contain [the target’s] photo, his data, his details, date of birth, age, and a description of him. There’ll be information on his car, if he has one. When you go to the target, don’t take a phone,” he told his volunteers.

Foma was once part of the Russian elite, so he claims to have a unique set of contacts and constant flow of insider information.

He showed Mamon on his laptop how he mapped military targets.

“This shows a database… the location of storage warehouses, and military units. Where generals live… Where the pilots of strategic bombers who shell Ukraine live.

“In order to break the system, you need to understand how it works. Then you can aim for their weak points.”

He said there were about “three dozen” people in his network split between Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe, with the contingent outside Russia providing logistical support, such as tracking targets’ digital footprints.

Foma stressed that the GUR suggests the targets to be surveilled, but that he and his team check for themselves that these individuals should be considered military criminals.

“As a rule… we also check the data [on that person]… Only after that we say whether we work or not.”

But he argued that his team’s actions were justified.

“I want people who do terrible things on behalf of Putin and Russia in Ukraine… to understand that they’ll have to pay for it. I want them to get scared.”

Foma stressed that he only passed on intelligence to the Ukrainians, and his network did not carry out any assassinations themselves.

Of the assassination of Gen Sarvarov, killed in December 2025, he later texted Mamon to say: “Keeping track of him took quite an effort. He lived alternately with his mistress and his colleague. Covered his tracks and constantly changed his schedule.”

But Foma did not share any plans with Mamon and the BBC in advance.

Ivan, however, was tight-lipped about the work he had been involved with, even after the event.

Foma did his own digging on Ivan.

After checking with his military intelligence contacts in both Ukraine and Russia, he thought it likely that Ivan had been involved in a plan to strike Russia’s largest military drone factory at Yelabuga in June last year. One person was reported to have been killed in the incident.

Ivan stressed that the aim is always to try to avoid harming civilians.

Operations have clearly been risky for Ivan too.

“The most serious case was when my car was stopped for inspection and I had the handmade explosives on me. The risk was very high – however as you can see, I was not detected,” he said.

To mitigate the risk of being compromised, “there is no clear structure” to the work, he said, adding he had never met and did not know the identity of others he had been working alongside.

Foma has the same rule for his operatives.

“As soon as you start gathering people in groups, in general chats… leaving a mark on the internet, with a high probability this whole group will be quickly detained or destroyed,” he said.

Ivan stressed there were few people left in Russia suitable for this kind of work.

“Most of the ideological people have either left the country or are already behind bars,” he said.

Many Russians involved in sabotage work on their native soil are therefore either oblivious – for example lorry drivers unaware that their cargoes have been compromised – or are individuals who have been paid, the BBC understands.

Ivan, on the other hand, says he is doing this work for ideological reasons – he used to be a member of the political opposition. As such, his movements would be expected to be monitored closely by the Russian authorities.

So it was a surprise that he managed to frequently leave Russia and return.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6pwgzkj8zzgo

Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is once again pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a US election – this time with the aim of helping Republicans maintain their control of Congress.

Musk donated upwards of $200m (£150m) in the quarter that ended on 30 September, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reviewed by the BBC.

The fillings were released just over two weeks before the 2026 midterm election, in which many races are close and Republicans risk losing their majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate.

Musk also put significant money – $290m – and effort into helping elect US President Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2024.

Here is where the richest person in the world has been donating this time around and what it might mean for his businesses.

Most of the donations went to one group

The bulk of the money donated last quarter by the world’s only trillionaire, $158m, went to the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) Pac, the filings showed.

It is one of the largest publicly known single political donations in US history and some have suggested it is the biggest ever.

SLF is a super Pac – which stands for Political Action Committee – backing Republican Senate candidates in tough races. Super Pacs are independent committees that can raise unlimited amounts of money and play a major role in funding US political campaigns.

It quickly sent the money on to a group supporting Texas Republican Ken Paxton.

The state attorney general is at risk of losing to Democrat James Talarico in a race for a seat his party has held for decades. They have been polling neck and neck and the election’s outcome is considered a bellwether for the future of Republican power.

Musk also donated more than $80m to the America Pac that he founded during the 2024 election.

Texas is a key focus for Musk

America Pac spent millions on digital communications, postal campaigning and phone calls opposing Talarico last quarter, as well as thousands on political marketing to support Paxton.

At the same time, Musk donated another $10m to Lone Star Liberty Pac, a group primarily backing Paxton, records show.

The flow of money highlights a major theme for Musk: Texas.

In recent years, the tech CEO has been moving his business empire – including SpaceX, Tesla and X – to the southern US state after expressing frustration with operating in California.

Texas has offered Musk fewer government regulations and no state personal income tax and no corporate income tax.

Keeping politicians who favour looser government restrictions in charge, as Republicans typically have, could help maintain that environment for Musk.

And his big spending in Texas and in the Texas Senate race seems to point to Musk’s understanding of that, political analyst Cayce Myers told the BBC.

“Republicans have a fundraising advantage this time, but fundraising by itself does not actually guarantee success,” he said.

A broader trend for tech executives

For many voters this year, technology has become a top issue. People across the country are pushing for increased government oversight of artificial intelligence, data centres and social media.

That’s something that has tech leaders like Musk developing closer ties to the Republican party, which historically has promoted lighter government regulation, Myers said.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckx2dgq8jljjo

Horrified fans and performers fell completely silent after they witnessed an Air Force commando fatally plunge from 170-foot rafters at a University of Texas at San Antonio football game, according to reports.

The unidentified airman slipped while rappelling from the Alamodome roof during a fast-rope demonstration involving four military personnel before the school’s “Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans” game against Navy.

The terrifying fall shocked tens of thousands of fans across the football field and caused the performing band to suddenly go hush as UTSA staff rushed to his aid, witnesses told KSAT.

“Once the band started playing, there was a guy that fell down,” witness Adrian Corey told the outlet. “And started coming down fast.”

“Everyone was quiet, the band stopped performing. Everybody was dead silent,” Corey said.

The service member — who was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2 — received medical care on the field for 10 minutes before being pulled off on a stretcher, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/18/us-news/utsa-game-went-completely-silent-after-air-force-commandos-fatal-170-foot-plunge-from-rafters/

Turns out Victoria’s Secret was keeping a big secret about this year’s celebrity models.

Kylie Jenner shocked the audience at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2026 on Sunday, walking the iconic lingerie label’s runway for the first time ever.

She wore the brand’s first Fantasy Bra since 2018 — and with a valuation of $50 million, according to Vogue, it’s also the most expensive Fantasy Bra ever.

The center yellow diamond alone is worth $22 million, per the jeweler, Jacob Arabo of Jacob & Co. The look also features over 4,400 more diamonds in “every cut to exist,” including pear, heart, round, oval and marquise.

Jenner’s boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet, was there supporting her in the audience, sitting alongside her mother, Kris Jenner, and the momager’s longtime beau, Corey Gamble.

Previous models to wear the highly coveted Fantasy Bra include Gisele Bündchen, Heidi Klum and Adriana Lima, with the latter two tied for most turns in the dazzling duds with three wears a piece.

Claudia Schiffer debuted the “Million Dollar Miracle Bra” — featuring 100 carats of diamonds and worth $1 million — in a 1996 ad campaign, though it was Klum who was the very first to model a bejeweled bra on the runway. She took to the first-ever televised VS Fashion Show catwalk in 2001 wearing the “The Heavenly Star Bra,” which cost a whopping $12.5 million.

Bündchen has the honor of wearing the most expensive iteration until today, having looked dynamite in the “Red Hot Fantasy Bra,” which was valued at $15 million, in 2000.

The inspiration behind this year’s look came from Jacob & Co.’s Rare Touch Jewelry Collection, which “explores how precious metal can be shaped to move with the body like fabric,” using articulating structures that mold to the model’s curves.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/18/style/kylie-jenner-makes-victorias-secret-fashion-show-debut-in-fantasy-bra/?_gl=1*sg3ep3*_gcl_au*MTA2NDczMTkzNS4xNzg3MTA3MTIx*_ga*MTg2NjYyMzM1MC4xNzczODEwMTg2*_ga_0DZ7LHF5PZ*czE3OTIzNzUyODgkbzMxNCRnMSR0MTc5MjM3NjkyNSRqNjAkbDAkaDA

A 71-year-old man fishing on the shore of a Florida lake was killed Friday by a nearly 12-foot alligator, the second fatal attack reported this year.

Steven Hamilton of Winter Garden was standing on the shore of Lake Apopka at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Orlando, when he was attacked around 5 p.m., the Winter Garden Police Department said.

The presence of other active alligators in the water complicated any chance of rescuing Hamilton, whose body was recovered about two hours later, Winter Garden Fire Chief Jose Gainza told FOX35.

Police Capt. Michael Mason said authorities were not alerted in advance that an alligator was near the lake’s shore, possibly because it “has tons of alligators in it.” He said police launched a joint investigation with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, whose trappers captured and killed the alligator.

Mason reminded people to be aware of their surroundings and respect wildlife.

“Keep your distance,” he said. “It looks like it’s docile, it looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous.”

After a 31-year-old Oviedo woman, Brittany Clark, was killed by a 13-foot alligator near her home in June, Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Steube introduced a resolution calling for the Comptroller General and U.S. Department of the Interior to study the impacts of the American alligator’s listing as “threatened due to similarity of appearance” on Florida’s ability to remove nuisance alligators from residential and commercial waterways.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/fatal-alligator-attack-florida-man-killed-e38a61d71dc39195080c8ba808927d5a

Bird flu caused the death of a bald eagle named Jackie who had become an internet sensation and a symbol of the species’ recovery in California, officials said.

A necropsy and additional testing found that the primary underlying cause of Jackie’s death in August was highly pathogenic avian influenza, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Wednesday in a news release.

In the weeks before she died, Jackie was being treated at the Ojai Raptor Center for various ailments, including anemia. Chris Eksteen, the center’s director, said in the news release that the necropsy results “have helped connect many of the findings” they saw during her hospitalization.

“In an uncommon presentation of the virus, the infection caused a severe ulcer in her stomach that led to persistent internal bleeding, anemia, and the development of bacterial sepsis,” Steve Kubiski, the disease investigations director at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, where the necropsy was conducted, said in the news release.

For more than a decade, nature lovers watched via an online video feed as Jackie and her partner, Shadow, tended to their nest each year atop trees near Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. There’s no evidence Shadow is ill, according to the news release.

The nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley installed the nest camera in 2015 and documented the successes and failures of each breeding season.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/jackie-california-bald-eagle-death-cause-bird-flu-4e6f977a935920054cf0f26119b0a3ee

An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Sofia after the crew reported a bomb threat signal.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was in close contact with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as emergency crews dealt with the situation

An explosion and fire at a Canadian military base in Alberta have raised fears of significant casualties, with emergency crews responding to the incident amid strong winds that are spreading a large fire in the surrounding area.

Dane Lloyd, a member of parliament representing a constituency west of Edmonton, said he was hearing reports of “significant casualties” following the incident at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright on Saturday evening.

In a social media post, Lloyd urged people to pray for the soldiers and their families. The number of casualties and the circumstances surrounding the explosion have not been confirmed.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was in close contact with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as emergency crews dealt with the situation. “A serious incident creating a major fire has occurred at CFB Wainwright, in Alberta,” Carney wrote on social media shortly after 18:00 local time. “Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced just after 8 pm ET that a “serious incident” sparked an “major fire” at Canadian Forces Base near Wainwright, Alberta.

There’s a lot of speculation online about what happened, but it hasn’t been officially confirmed. Monitoring closely. https://t.co/5d0zpFHAHL

— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) October 18, 2026

Smith described the fire as “significant and tragic”, adding that it was affecting many military personnel.

The Municipal District of Wainwright said high winds were causing the fire to spread rapidly through the area. Emergency responders were working to “protect people, property and critical infrastructure”, it said in a social media update.

As of 19:30 local time, no evacuation order had been issued for residents.

Officials said the fire had crossed the military base’s perimeter fence earlier on Saturday and was being managed south of Wainwright. A separate active fire remained burning south of Township Road 44-0.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/canada/canada-military-base-alberta-explosion-wildfire-death-toll-mark-carney-reaction-article-156359507

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi emphasized Egypt’s commitment to Saudi security and stability during a speech at the Military Academy

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has said his country is prepared to help defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, raising the prospect of a wider regional conflict. El-Sisi said Egypt would not allow Saudi Arabia’s security or stability to be threatened and was ready to join the fighting if Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman requested military assistance.

“It is inconceivable that we would allow Saudi Arabia, its security or stability to be harmed,” Sisi said at the Egyptian Military Academy on Saturday.

Egypt’s parliament has scheduled an emergency session for Sunday to consider authorising military action in support of Saudi Arabia, according to the report.

The offer comes amid an escalation in Houthi attacks on Saudi territory. A strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 10 October reportedly killed 13 people, including an American.

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that its forces had intercepted and destroyed four drones over the Riyadh region, the Eastern Province and the south of the country.

“We have intercepted and destroyed four drones over the past few hours in the regions of Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and the South,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki wrote on X.

The Houthis also struck the headquarters of Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco on Wednesday, damaging the building but causing no casualties, according to the report.

Saudi Arabia has been involved in a conflict with the Houthis since the group seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and ousted President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in 2014. Riyadh subsequently led a coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

Fighting eased after a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022, but the conflict reportedly intensified again in July following the US-Israeli war involving Iran.

The Houthis have also imposed a blockade on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route, disrupting Saudi oil exports and adding to concerns over regional trade and energy supplies.

Iran has provided the Houthis with training and intelligence, as well as assistance in targeting drone attacks, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The latest escalation has prompted concern among regional leaders that the conflict could expand. US President Donald Trump has said Washington may assist Saudi Arabia following the airport attack.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-houthi-war-egypt-abdel-fattah-el-sisi-military-help-yemen-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-article-156359112

Iran warned that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed as multiple vessels came under attack near Yemen and Saudi Arabia, while airstrikes reportedly killed three children in Yemen.

There is an “emergency” of violence against women and girls in the US, an activist charged on Saturday, pointing to a crop of alleged heinous sexual acts, including the fatal drugging and rape of a Fashion Institute of Technology student, as proof of a “crisis.”

Lawyer and activist Reshma Saujani, founder of nonprofits Moms First US and Girls Who Code, shared a tear-jerking Instagram statement Saturday in light of the indictment of Moises Freire, 19, the Bronx man prosecutors claim drugged Annabel Richter, 20, with fentanyl and raped her while she was unconscious and dying inside her FIT dorm in March.

“Along with the headlines about Cornell and UChicago, this feels like too much to carry,” Saujani, who was the first Indian American woman to run for congress in 2010, wrote.

“One part that haunts me: prosecutors say he sent photos of her unconscious to his friends before he called for help. It’s the same thing we saw in the Cornell group chat. Women and girls are facing a crisis of sexual violence in this country, and we cannot keep treating it as normal.

“How many more stories like Annabel’s before we treat this as the emergency it is?”

Richter and her roommate believed Freire was giving them cocaine from Mexico when they consumed the deadly drug in their room in the all girls’ Nagler Hall in Chelsea on March 18, according to prosecutors.

Both women immediately passed out, and Freire allegedly proceeded to rape Richter — snapping photos of her half naked body to send to his friends when he finished, according to recently unveiled court records.

He allegedly waited 45 minutes to call campus security to take the women to the hospital after they began overdosing and then lied to first responders — saying they just had too much to drink and he didn’t realize Richter was unconscious until after he had sex with her, prosecutors said.

Freire’s friend, Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, of Queens, was separately hit with narcotics conspiracy charges for alleging helping Freire get the lethal fentanyl.

Freire and Peralta Cabrera were first arrested in March. They pleaded not guilty to an initial set of charges that did not include the rape allegation and remain in custody.

Freire is due back in court Oct. 28 to be arraigned on upgraded charges of distributing a controlled substance with the intent to commit rape, along with other narcotics charges. He faces a minimum of 20 years in prison, and a maximum of life if convicted.

A third man, Harry Rosales Pino, has pleaded guilty to narcotics distribution resulting in death.

“Hearing about the situation as an alumni hit hard and was very heartbreaking especially since she was so young,” FIT alumni Amanda McCormack, 23, told The Post.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/17/us-news/fit-student-fatally-drugged-raped-part-of-sexual-violence-emergency-activist/

A Bronx man convicted in the vicious attack that killed a Los Angeles-based rapper is demanding $1 million from New York City after he allegedly fell in a Rikers Island shower.

River Jones, one of four men indicted for the broad-daylight shooting of Avanti Frowner, 27, inside a Bronx pharmacy in 2022, filed a petition in Bronx Supreme Court claiming the alleged slip-and-fall warrants the massive payout.

Jones, who was an 18-year-old Monroe College student at the time of the deadly attack, was initially charged with second-degree murder. Police said he and two other men beat and robbed Frowner – aka Money Gang Vontae – before Isaiah Garrett, now 28, shot him repeatedly.

Jones was ultimately convicted of first-degree gang assault. He’s been in custody at Gouverneur Correctional Facility in upstate New York since June 25 and is up for parole in 2029, according to online records.

Jones was at Rikers — in the George R. Vierno Detention Center — when he allegedly slipped while showering in December 2025, according to court papers.

He claims he sustained “serious” injuries to his entire body, including his head, neck and face.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/17/us-news/bronx-man-convicted-in-la-rappers-killing-sues-rikers-for-1m-for-shower-slip-and-fall/

Harry Styles paid tribute to his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne with a new song during his concert at Madison Square Garden — two years after Payne’s tragic death.

During Friday night’s concert, part of his 30-night residency in New York City, Styles told the crowd he had written the song, titled “What Is Enough,” following Payne’s death in 2024, according to a video shared on X.

“I feel incredibly lucky to get to play these shows here in New York, and this building means a lot to me, as I said. And I feel incredibly proud when I get to look up there and see my name up there,” Styles, 32, said, before introducing the never-before-heard track.

The “As It Was” singer went on to reflect on the loss of his former bandmate, telling the audience, “There are so many people in my life, friends and people [who] I’ve worked with, that I wouldn’t have been able to do this without.”

“And two years ago today, I lost one of those friends.”

Payne died at age 31 on Oct. 16, 2024, after falling from the third floor of his hotel room in Argentina, suffering “extremely serious injuries,” including internal and external bleeding.

“I’m sure a lot of you have been through similar things,” Styles continued. “I hope you haven’t, but really, it’s just about looking after each other.”

The Grammy winner then pointed to the banner hanging inside MSG commemorating his previous 15 consecutive nights at the venue.

“There’s so many more people behind it, so many people [who] have touched my life in such special ways. I wouldn’t be here without them,” he said, before performing the song he “wrote for [his] friend.”

Shortly after Payne’s death, Styles and his former bandmates, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan, paid tribute to their late friend in a rare joint statement before coming together for the first time in nearly nine years at his funeral in the UK.

“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” the statement read. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” it continued. “For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you, Liam.”

Styles also shared an individual statement on Instagram following Payne’s death, saying he was “truly devastated” by the loss of his former bandmate.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/17/entertainment/harry-styles-honors-liam-payne-with-new-song-on-death-anniversary/

A delegation of European diplomats has been attacked by masked Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Belgium condemned the assault on its consul general and the other envoys and called for Israel to bring those responsible to justice.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also condemned what they called “the severe act of violence” and said they were investigating.

But the office of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cast doubt on what happened and suggested it was part of a “coordinated campaign to smear Israel”.

The attack came only a day after a number of Palestinians and Heidi Levine, a Washington Post photographer, were injured in a separate assault by settlers in another village in the West Bank.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the attack on Levine was “disturbing” and “not a good look”.

It was also condemned by the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who called it a “despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards”. A staunch ally of Israel, Huckabee said the assailants must face “prosecution to the fullest extent of the law”.

In Saturday’s incident the European diplomats – from Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church – had come to the largely Christian village of Taybeh near Ramallah.

They were there to assess the situation on the ground after almost near daily attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians trying to bring in their olive harvest.

Video footage from the scene showed masked settlers confronting the convoy. Reports suggest stones were thrown.

The Belgian authorities said a car from its consulate had a window smashed and a French mayor was assaulted. Video showed a man wearing a French tricolor sash slumped beside a vehicle.

Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot condemned the attack and said Israel had a responsibility to bring those responsible to justice.

“Palestinians face this violence every day. Settlers also target journalists reporting on it and diplomats. Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack,” he said.

“As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice.

“Impunity for violent settlers must end. Belgium will continue to press for EU sanctions against those responsible for this violence and those who support them.”

Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, said he strongly condemned the violence by what he called “Israeli rioters”. He said the foreign ministry was in contact with the ambassadors of the countries involved.

But he added: “Without detracting from the severity of the incident, it is unfortunate that the visit was not coordinated with the IDF in advance. Such coordination could have helped safeguard the visitors’ security.”

The IDF said they “strongly condemn the severe act of violence that took place in the area of Taybeh, during which diplomatic representatives were attacked by Israeli rioters.”

“According to a preliminary inquiry, no IDF soldiers were present at the scene at the time of the attack,” they added.

But Netanyahu’s office urged “caution before drawing conclusions” from reports about the attack.

It said the images on social media “do not establish the complete sequence of events or individual responsibility”.

A statement continued: “Those circumstances remain under investigation. Israeli police and forensic investigators have launched an investigation to establish the facts and identify those responsible.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c962ydpmjm3zo

Demonstrators and riot police fought pitched battles in the centre of Tirana on Saturday for the fifth day in a row.

Masked protesters, many of them high school and university students, hurled rocks and petrol bombs at riot police trying to defend the education ministry, one of the focal points of the protests.

The police responded with water cannon and volleys of tear gas, sending the crowds scattering. There are also reports that rubber bullets were used for the first time.

Protests which began in the summer have grown into a wider anti-government movement, with calls for the prime minister to resign following corruption allegations linked to his administration.

Many of the protesters in central Tirana wore gas masks or face masks, while volunteers handed out syringes of saline eyewash to reduce the pain from the tear gas which billows down the street.

The constant boom of petrol bombs could be heard exploding on Saturday.

During the afternoon, the focus of the protests shifted to the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama on the city’s main boulevard.

Here the crowds swelled to far larger numbers than on previous days.

Riot police faced a steady hail of cobble stones and fireworks, and responded with barrage after barrage of tear gas, some of the canisters landing far back in the crowds, causing panic.

Incensed by the gas, the crowds waited for it to clear, then renewed their attacks.

Black smoke from a burning vehicle and the sirens of police cars and ambulances split the afternoon.

As dusk fell, police special forces arrived to reinforce the riot police.

Many people have been injured on both sides, 80 people have been charged with disorder so far, and hundreds more have been arrested, or are under investigation.

The centre of the Tirana looks increasingly like a war zone, scattered with broken glass and burnt debris.

George, a 19-year-old medical student who works as an electrician to fund his studies, stood near the burnt-out education ministry building, a scarf wrapped round his face and goggles covering his eyes.

He is one of the thousands who have taken part in the increasingly intense protests which began in early June.

In his gloved hands he clutched two rocks intended for the police.

Asked if he was concerned about injuring them, he said: “We have mothers too. We have family too.

“We were peaceful for 135 days. Now we are trying to do like in France… we are trying to make a revolution.

“Our government doesn’t want peace, so we are using violence.”

Many of the protesters were even younger. Klea, 17, is in her first year of university in Tirana.

She said: “All the students are boycotting their university classes and left school to fight for our rights.”

She alleged there were provocateurs among the protesters, smashing up stores and banks, to discredit the demonstrations.

Socialist Party Prime Minister Edi Rama has been in power for 13 years and has dominated Albanian politics, much like his main rival Sali Berisha, of the opposition Democratic Party, did for decades.

The students say they are against “the whole corrupt political class”. So what is the alternative?

Osman Stafa, a prominent journalist for the News24 channel, who also describes himself as an activist for change, called for a “neutral, caretaker government for one year, to organise new elections”.

The irony for the wider European community during this latest wave of unrest is that Rama has long been viewed favourably by the EU, which Albania aspires to join.

In a social media post on Saturday morning, he urged Albanian to “not forget that we have achieved extraordinary things”.

He blamed the protests on the opposition Democratic Party, and on what he called “the sinister agenda of foreign actors, intent on halting our progress” towards EU membership, which he has promised by 2030.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crwydey50xeno

An 80m (263ft) luxury vessel has been repeatedly spotted in satellite images off North Korea’s Wonsan coast from July to mid-October this year.

What stands out is the 50m swimming pool along the deck, with a cluster of waterslides at one end.

After sitting idle for months at a maintenance facility, it relocated in early July to waters off a strip of coastline known as the Kalma Peninsula.

This is close to Wonsan, a seaside resort with a sprawling villa used by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his family.

It was not the only large vessel on the move. A handful of others were also repeatedly seen near Kim’s villa, in satellite images analysed by the BBC.

The vessels are widely believed to be used by Kim and his family. Former North Korean officials, defectors and experts say it would be difficult for anyone unconnected to the regime’s leadership to own or freely use vessels of this size.

“In winter, they would keep them at the shipyard. When summer came, they would bring them out and move them to Kim Jong Un’s villa or towards Kalma, and use them for swimming and recreation,” says Ri Jong Ho.

Ri was once an official at the Workers’ Party’s Office 39, which is believed to be involved in raising and managing foreign currency for the leadership.

The wealth of those who sit at the top of the secretive North Korean dictatorship is just as hard to pin down as the country’s economic figures.

The United Nations and others rely on estimates to classify North Korea as one of the world’s poorest countries, with an especially large military budget that funds a sanctioned nuclear programme.

Most North Koreans, according to a 2025 UN report, live under “systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations” with total state control, widespread forced labour, and chronic food shortages that leave an estimated 40% of the population undernourished.

But the regime has long been known to live in luxury.

We don’t know the cost of the vessels seen in the satellite imagery, but comparable luxury yachts run from tens of millions to over $100m (£75m). Kim’s much smaller, 29-metre Princess yacht was previously estimated to be worth about $7m.

While vessel locations alone cannot definitively establish the family’s whereabouts, their movements – which overlap with gaps in Kim’s public appearances – point to activities that would otherwise remain out of public view.

Wonsan is where Kim Jong Un spent part of his childhood with his mother, according to biographers and intelligence reports, and one expert told the BBC the city has been associated with the family since his father Kim Jong Il’s rule.

A defector who served for 13 years guarding residences used by then leader Kim Jong Il – through the 1990s to the early 2000s – told the BBC the villas around Wonsan were used as a retreat by the elite. He recalls seeing dozens of children and teens waterskiing during summer.

North Korean state media rarely publishes reports about Kim being on holiday, instead framing such visits as official inspections or guidance. But defectors interviewed by the BBC appeared to be aware that the family spent holidays in Wonsan, suggesting that at least some North Koreans knew about it.

North Korean state media also claims Wonsan is home to high-rise hotels, restaurants, shops, sports facilities and water parks, and can accommodate nearly 20,000 visitors.

State media and Russian outlets have published images of small groups of Russian tourists visiting the Wonsan Kalma resort, which opened in July 2025. Although developed to attract foreign visitors, the resort is also open to local tourists.

President Donald Trump is blaming senior aides and political operatives for a faltering midterm strategy, questioning campaign spending, faulting redistricting and second-guessing candidate choices as Republicans fight to retain control of Congress, said three people familiar with internal discussions.
Trump is not on the November 3 ballot but repeatedly tells supporters ​to pretend that he is, hoping to mobilize voters who might otherwise skip the election. He has embarked on a frenetic campaign schedule while largely avoiding acknowledging his own role in shaping ‌the strategy and how his unpopularity is weighing on Republican candidates in competitive races.

Much of the friction has centered on James Blair, the longtime aide who runs Trump’s super PAC MAGA Inc., and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who until now had largely escaped criticism. Trump has faulted Blair’s handling of campaign funds, while some White House officials and allies have questioned Wiles’ oversight of the political operation.
As Trump questions why campaign spending has failed to improve Republican polling numbers, his advisers are also blaming one another. Wiles has pointed to Blair, ​while Blair has faulted the White House legislative affairs team, one of the people said.

“What’s really happening is a circular firing squad,” the person said.
Opinion polls suggest Democrats will win the House of Representatives, while the ​Senate remains too close to call. Losing the House would hamper Trump’s legislative agenda in the final two years of his term and give Democrats subpoena power to investigate ⁠his administration.
Trump defended Wiles on Friday, calling her “smart” and “tough” and saying she would remain in her job. “Susie is here, and she’s going to be here for a long time,” he said.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle rejected the sources’ characterization, ​saying they were “armchair experts peddling their baseless speculation.” Wiles did not respond to a request for comment.

TRUMP HAS LONG DISTANCED HIMSELF FROM POLITICAL SETBACKS

Trump has long sought to distance himself from political setbacks. He refused to accept his defeat in the ​2020 election and said ahead of the 2022 midterm results that he deserved “all the credit” if Republicans won but “should not be blamed at all” if they lost. More recently, he has reminded audiences that the president’s party typically struggles in midterm elections.

But Trump helped devise and drive some of the strategies he is now questioning, including the redistricting effort and candidate choices shaped by his personal loyalties or grievances. His approval rating is at the lowest point of his presidency, weighed down by voter concern over high prices and dissatisfaction with the ​Iran war.
Trump’s frustrations with his political team spilled into public view after Blair and Chris LaCivita, who co-managed Trump’s 2024 campaign, traveled in early October to Republika Srpska, a self-governing region of Bosnia. The New York Times reported the ​men received substantial payments to advise the regional government ahead of local elections.
Trump distanced himself from both men, describing them as “outside consultants” in an October 7 Truth Social post and warning that if he found a conflict of interest, he would “terminate them, immediately!”

Senior White ‌House officials questioned ⁠why Blair was taking on lucrative work overseas when he was supposed to be overseeing the final stretch of the Republican campaign, three people said.
One person said Wiles approved the trip without informing Trump, raising questions about how closely she was overseeing his political advisers.
For Trump, the larger concern is that Blair’s outside work has distracted him from his political responsibilities, two people said.
In a statement, Blair said: “All of this mudslinging is ridiculous, and counterproductive. President Trump and me are focused on helping Republicans win in November. Every other Republican should be doing the same.”
In a separate statement, LaCivita said: “President Trump and his team are and always have been focused on the midterms. That’s demonstrated through the money, message and motivation that ​the president is bringing on the road and all year. ​Sniping from unnamed cowards who’ve never been in a ⁠fight is not worth responding to.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-faults-aides-republican-midterm-prospects-dim-2026-10-17/

A truck drove into a youth soccer game in Wichita, Kansas, leaving a ​six-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man dead, and 10 others ‌hospitalized with traumatic injuries, police said on Saturday.
The injuries ranged from minor to severe, but none appear to be life threatening, Wichita police Captain Aaron Moses ​said at a news conference. The two people killed were ​pronounced dead at the scene, he said.

Moses said a 34-year-old ⁠woman was driving the truck, which ended up in a field ​at the west end of the Stryker Sports Complex. She has ​been cooperating with investigators, he said, but when asked whether she had been arrested, he said only that she was in custody.
“We know what happened, but now ​we’re working very hard to find out why it happened, and ​we’re not there yet,” Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan said.
The injured include two youths ‌aged ⁠5, two aged 8, a 9-year-old and five adults, police said. In addition to those 10 people, one adult was hospitalized for non-traumatic medical issues.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sports/vehicle-drives-through-kansas-soccer-game-killing-two-including-child-police-say-2026-10-17/

Rioting erupted in cities across France on Saturday as demonstrations against rising living costs and declining public services spiralled out of control in some of the worst violence the country has ​witnessed for decades.
While hundreds of thousands protested peacefully in street marches in scores of cities, violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, looted luxury boutiques and supermarkets and attacked police vehicles and officers.

In Limoges, the ‌city hall was set ablaze; in Marseille, black-clad protesters broke into city hall and defaced the building with anarchic graffiti, and in Lyon, protesters torched the city’s tourist office.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the government would not be “intimidated” by violence, and blamed the unrest on the “ultra-left” and criminals just months before a presidential election next year.
“To those who clearly want to use this violence as a ‘warm-up’ before the presidential election, I say clearly: We will not let ourselves be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence,” he wrote in a post on X.

Some 1,200 ​people had been arrested as part of the protests, Lecornu added while visiting the sites in the evening.
Around 550,000 people had participated in the demonstrations across the country, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. The CGT union told Reuters ​it estimated protesters at 800,000 people.
President Emmanuel Macron vowed to prosecute and punish people who had carried out the attacks.
“We will all stand united against the sowers of chaos, who ⁠only seek to undermine our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so,” he wrote in a post on X.
Belgium, Portugal and Italy also faced smaller-scale protests on Saturday as living costs rise in Europe, while protesters in Albania again rallied ​against perceived government corruption, a lack of jobs and poor education standards.

Protesters said most people had marched peacefully, and put much of the violence down to troublemakers who had set out to cause damage and clash with the police. Many held signs ​bearing slogans against the police, the president and the wealthy.
“We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh, because the price of fuel is too high, because high school pupils are being violently attacked and hurt all over the country just for trying to protest and ask for more teachers and decent learning conditions,” said Lola, a 19-year-old protester in Paris.

TEAR GAS, FIRE AND LOOTING

Most protests kicked off around midday, with some beginning before the official start of the demonstrations.
In some parts of Paris, police fired tear gas rounds as they retreated in the face ​of mostly young protesters, many of whom were dressed in black and wore hoodies, masks and goggles to protect against tear gas.

Rioters tried to break into the Galeries Lafayette department store, smashed up banks, ransacked a Lacoste store as well as ​other boutiques and looted an SFR mobile phone shop. Protesters had been setting objects ablaze all day, including numerous cars.
In protests partly inspired by those in France, several hundred mostly young people protested in Brussels, and some clashed with police. Belgian student groups have said they are ‌protesting against rising ⁠education costs and reforms they fear will make higher education less accessible.
In Albania, police fired what appeared to be rubber bullets at protesters during a fifth day of mass student demonstrations calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama to step down.
In Portugal, tens of thousands took to the streets of Lisbon following days of unrest to protest against housing and other living costs. Housing prices in Portugal have doubled since 2017, fuelling one of the worst affordability crises in Europe.
In Italy, a march against high costs of living in Milan degenerated into disorder, with police clearing the central cathedral square with tear gas. Police in Bologna used water cannons to try to disperse crowds and made seven arrests after another protest turned violent, the ANSA news agency reported.

FRENCH POLICE RESPONSE UNDER SCRUTINY

The ​protests in France began last month at high schools in Paris’ ​working-class northern suburbs, where anger over teacher shortages and ⁠shabby facilities evolved into a broader movement focused on inequality, public spending and living standards.
In Paris on Saturday, protesters in high-visibility vests blocked streets, recalling the Yellow Vest movement that marked Macron’s previous term in office.
Saturday’s protests eclipsed the size of the crowds at the peak of the Yellow Vest movement, though they were far lower than the levels seen at the protests ​in 2023 against Macron’s pension overhaul.
Macron is entering the final stretch of his presidency, facing a fragmented political landscape and growing pressure over the economy.
France’s efforts to reduce public debt have ​not reassured investors, pushing government borrowing costs ⁠to their highest levels in over two decades.
Police tactics have drawn criticism following injuries among demonstrators, including a teenager who lost a hand after picking up a stun grenade. The police watchdog is investigating at least two dozen allegations of police violence.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/students-trade-unions-yellow-vests-set-protest-across-france-2026-10-17/

From US threats to cut off intelligence support for Ukraine to a waiver of tariffs on Russian exports and a diesel deal that could help Russia fund its war, it has been a damaging week for ties between Kyiv and ​its most important ally, Washington.
US President Donald Trump, frustrated by high energy costs he blames partly on Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, has repeatedly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. A disruption of US-provided satellite internet services raised ‌fears that Ukraine could be vulnerable as it prepares for another winter of Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.

Zelenskiy responded to Trump’s barbs with an unusually sharp series of public criticisms of Trump, suggesting the US was now favoring Russia. He said Ukraine would defy Trump’s demand to stop striking Russian energy targets, citing Russia’s continued attacks.
Intensifying the discord, Trump waived key US Russia-related sanctions and tariffs on Friday, shortly before they were scheduled to take effect. That prompted Zelenskiy to say in social media posts that Trump’s action would encourage Russia to continue attacks on Ukraine.
The widening rift has sparked concerns that Trump and Zelenskiy’s tumultuous relationship could ​lead to even worse outcomes for Kyiv. Trump could yet restrict the supply of weapons to Ukraine, follow through on threats to stop sharing battlefield intelligence, or strike more economic deals with Moscow.

Despite Zelenskiy’s remarks, Kyiv wants to continue dialogue with ​Trump’s envoys, his friend Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, two Ukrainian officials familiar with the talks said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Denys Sienik, chargé d’affaires at Ukraine’s embassy in Washington, told ⁠Newsmax on Friday that Ukraine was grateful to Trump and his team for their efforts to end the war and said Ukraine was willing to engage in talks with Russia.
Trump told reporters on Friday he would continue to deal with both Zelenskiy and Russian President ​Vladimir Putin. “I want that war to end,” he said.

‘MISSED OPPORTUNITY’: FORMER US OFFICIAL

Daniel Fried, the senior State Department official on Europe from 2005 to 2009, said it was unclear whether Washington was making a lasting shift away from Ukraine, but the fallout was damaging prospects for ​an end to the war that began with Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion.

“It’s not only a missed opportunity, it causes genuine suffering in Ukraine and encourages Putin to continue the war, so it’s not cost-free,” said Fried, now at the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank.
Trump’s relationship with Zelenskiy has long been uneasy. Trump and US Vice President JD Vance publicly upbraided Zelenskiy during an Oval Office meeting in February 2025. Washington has paused or slowed military assistance to Ukraine under Trump, while allowing European allies to purchase US weapons for Kyiv.
The relationship had steadied until Ukraine’s strikes this year on energy sites in Russia began contributing ​to rising fuel prices. High gasoline and diesel prices are a political headache for Trump ahead of November’s midterm elections, in which his Republican Party could lose its majorities in the US Congress, according to analysts.

Experts say that surge in energy costs is mainly the ​result of the US-Israeli war with Iran, which brought Iranian attacks on energy facilities and has largely shut the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Frustrated by Zelenskiy, however, Trump turned to Russia to increase fuel supply and contain prices, according to a person familiar with the internal debate, who spoke on the ‌condition of anonymity.
Trump ⁠said on October 9 he had reached a deal with Putin to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian fuel and import Russian diesel.
In an executive order released by the White House on Friday, Trump also waived key Russia-related US sanctions and tariffs shortly before they were supposed to take effect under the Graham Act, which Trump signed last month.
Although the law, named for the late US Senator Lindsey Graham, called for new penalties on Russia starting next week, it also allows the president to waive them if it is in the US national interest to do so.
Zelenskiy said Trump’s latest action undercuts the Graham Act’s main goal and will fuel Russia’s “desire to keep killing people.”
The US diesel deal with Russia and the waiver are the latest steps in what Zelenskiy said he expects to be continued sanctions relief on Moscow.
The ​prospect of the US continuing to pressure Russia to end the ​war has dimmed since Graham’s death in July, Zelenskiy said. ⁠Graham, a South Carolina Republican and a confidant of Trump, strongly supported Ukraine.
“It’s difficult without him, I’ll be honest,” the Ukrainian president wrote.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-zelenskiy-rift-threatens-vital-support-kyiv-2026-10-17/

The US and Myanmar’s military-backed government held talks in Tokyo last week, people familiar with the matter said, their second meeting in a month as Washington steps up re-engagement with the generals it shunned after their 2021 coup.
Earlier ​talks in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw in mid-September focused on securing the release of an American businessman and shutting down scam centers that target Americans, but could pave the way for broader discussions, including on ‌Myanmar’s rare-earth mineral deposits, Reuters previously reported.

It was not immediately clear exactly what the two sides discussed at last week’s talks, disclosed to Reuters by three people with knowledge of the engagement. The people, including one US official, all spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the meeting.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Michael Vance again led the Tokyo talks, which involved more than a dozen US officials, one of the people said. Reuters could not establish who represented Myanmar.
The US State Department declined to comment on Vance’s presence in the ​delegation but said the bureau he heads was not playing a leading role on US policy toward Myanmar.

The department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs is “shaping, implementing and engaging on” US policy toward the country, a spokesperson ​said, while Vance’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research “informs policy makers but does not lead on policy.”
“The United States does not comment on the content and parameters of purported sensitive discussions,” ⁠the spokesperson said, adding that the engagement with Myanmar “is rooted in the desire to achieve practical wins for the American people — particularly those impacted by transnational crime.”
A spokesperson for Myanmar’s military-backed government did not respond to a request for comment.
Asked about ​its role in hosting the talks, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in an emailed statement it had been “communicating as necessary” with both sides but declined to comment on specific diplomatic exchanges.

Last month’s meeting in Naypyitaw between Vance and Myanmar’s coup leader-turned-president, Min Aung Hlaing, ​provided an opening for broader discussions, people familiar with those talks previously told Reuters. The quick return to the negotiating table in Tokyo suggests both sides are keen to keep the dialogue going.
A major focus of the US push is securing Myanmar’s help in shutting down scam hubs that run romance and other frauds and have swindled Americans out of billions of dollars, the people said.
Researchers say many scam operations are based in areas controlled by army-backed militia, with some proceeds flowing to the military, raising doubts about whether Myanmar’s leaders are serious about enforcement. ​Myanmar’s military-backed government has said it is participating in a multinational effort to curb scam centres.

JAPAN’S ROLE UNCLEAR

Speaking amid tensions over Washington’s policy towards Ukraine and Russia, Marco Rubio said no one at the White House had directed the slowdown.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that the White House ordered restrictions on the speed of Ukraine’s access to Starlink to prevent the satellite internet network from being used by drones travelling faster than 100 mph (160 kmph). His remarks come after Elon Musk suggested that restrictions on the military-grade Starshield service were controlled by the US government.

Speaking amid tensions over Washington’s policy towards Ukraine and Russia, Marco Rubio said no one at the White House had directed the slowdown. Starshield, a military-grade satellite communications service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is used for government and military purposes.

The controversy erupted after Ukraine reported unexpected speed restrictions on its satellite connectivity, disrupting some of its battlefield drone operations. The restrictions meant that weapons travelling faster than 100 mph lost connectivity to the network.

Elon Musk subsequently said that Starshield systems were owned and controlled by the US government, adding that any restrictions on their speed or usage were decided by the US military and ultimately the US President Donald Trump.

“Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Elon Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter), referring to the US President. He also argued that Starlink was intended for civilian or defensive activities and should not be used for offensive military action, saying such use would be inappropriate for a commercial company.

Starlink Speed Restrictions Disrupt Ukraine’s Drone Operations

Starlink, which uses satellites in low Earth orbit to provide internet connectivity, has become a critical communications tool for Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The network has helped Ukrainian forces maintain communications, coordinate operations and guide drones.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/did-trump-order-starlink-speed-limits-on-ukraines-drones-marco-rubio-says-no-ws-l-10387106.html

Trump said he had not requested any reduction in services provided by Starshield, the military-grade satellite system operated by Musk’s SpaceX.

US President Donald Trump on Friday denied responsibility for restrictions on Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s satellite communications services, saying neither he nor tech billionaire Elon Musk was behind the disruption that affected Kyiv’s military operations against Russia.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said he had not requested any reduction in services provided by Starshield, the military-grade satellite system operated by Musk’s SpaceX.

“It wasn’t me. And I don’t think it was Elon,” Trump said, adding that, as far as he understood, the service was operating as usual.

His remarks came after Ukraine reported restrictions to the system earlier this week, raising concerns over its ability to counter Russian attacks.

Musk had earlier said that any limits on Starshield’s speed or usage were decided by the US military and ultimately Trump.

The comments came amid growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv over the war, including Trump’s criticism of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.

Starshield was developed by SpaceX for government and national security customers, particularly the US Department of Defence. Ukraine relies on the service for battlefield communications, operations involving drones and strikes on Russian-occupied territory. It also uses SpaceX’s civilian Starlink network.

Zelenskyy Says Service Still Being Restored

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that the service was being restored but had not yet returned fully to its previous speed.

“Has the speed been fully restored to what it was before? No. Is the speed being restored now? Yes,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Brussels, where he met European leaders.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/trump-denies-role-in-ukraines-starlink-access-says-neither-he-nor-musk-responsible-ws-l-10385841.html

The denial came a day after a Saudi foreign ministryaccused Tehran of encouraging the latest escalation, as Houthi attacks continued to target Saudi territory and military assets.

Iran on Friday rejected Saudi Arabia’s accusation that it had encouraged Yemen’s Houthi rebels to escalate attacks against the kingdom, calling the allegation “not credible” and offering to mediate to end the hostilities.

The denial came a day after a Saudi foreign ministry official accused Tehran of encouraging the latest escalation, as Houthi attacks continued to target Saudi territory and military assets.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran rejects any claim that Iran has played a role in Yemeni (Houthi) operations,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement.

“Yemen’s armed forces act according to their own interests and assessments, and such claims are not credible to those familiar with relations between Iran and its friends,” he added.

Iran Offers To Mediate

Baqaei said Tehran did not believe an escalation would benefit any party and reiterated Iran’s willingness to help bring the fighting to an end.

“Iran does not consider an escalation of tensions to be in the interests of any party,” he said, adding that Tehran “has always been ready to use its good offices to help end the hostilities”.

Saudi deputy minister for public diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the Houthis had rejected an offer to meet in Oman at the beginning of the latest round of hostilities.

Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missiles, Drones

A spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition said on Friday that its forces had intercepted and destroyed three drones over southern Saudi Arabia and Riyadh, along with two cruise missiles over the Red Sea.

The coalition also intercepted a ballistic missile over Yanbu, a Red Sea city that serves as the terminus of a major oil pipeline.

The Houthis have intensified their attacks since launching an offensive in Yemen in September, seizing strategic territory along the Red Sea coast.

The escalation has added pressure on Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, as global energy markets face further disruption amid the wider Middle East conflict.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/iran-rejects-saudi-arabia-charge-of-encouraging-yemen-houthi-escalation-offers-to-mediate-ws-l-10385871.html

India urged immediate de-escalation and diplomatic dialogue in the Middle East during a UN Security Council debate. Permanent Representative P Harish highlighted the safety of approximately 10 million Indians living in Gulf countries, stressing that regional instability directly affects their livelihoods, India’s economic interests and its commitment to lasting peace.

India has a significant and direct interest in maintaining security and stability in the Middle East, P Harish, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said during an open debate at the UN Security Council (UNSC).

In a statement issued in Mumbai on October 16, the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in New York said Harish had highlighted that approximately 10 million Indian nationals reside in countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Any unrest or conflict in the region, therefore, directly affects their lives and livelihoods.

India calls for restraint and dialogue

Expressing deep concern over continuing tensions, India urged all parties to exercise utmost restraint, immediately de-escalate hostilities and return to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve long-standing disputes peacefully.

India also emphasised that “true peace does not simply mean the absence of war or shelling, but the creation of a secure environment where lasting stability prevails”.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/india-raises-alarm-over-safety-of-10-million-indians-amid-escalating-middle-east-tensions

The Oregon school shooter went to extreme lengths to carry out his evil carnage and make his way to his target: his former special-needs classroom, law-enforcement sources told The Post on Friday.

Griffin J. John, 16, first threw his Maverick 88, a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, over the fence at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend around 1 p.m. Thursday and hopped over himself, sources said.

The gun-toting young madman then tried to enter through the school’s front door but was blocked by two bystanders, including a dad of two little girls at the school who noticed the property breach while driving by on his way home for lunch, sources said.

The man opened fire on John with a concealed weapon he was carrying, thwarting the teen’s attempt to go in the front, sources said.

Refusing to give up, John ran around to the school’s back door and blew off its lock — which was designed to prevent such tragedies, sources said.

He entered the school and headed straight for his former special-needs classroom and opened fire, killing three students, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher, while also injuring a 7-year-old in a wheelchair and a 54-year-old teacher before being gunned down by the gun-toting dad who had spotted him out front.

John’s weapon had been legally purchased by his mother Shauntai Nickerson around the time of his August birthday, sources said.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/16/us-news/the-extreme-measures-oregon-shooter-took-to-enter-the-school-and-why-he-targeted-special-ed-room/

No more achy breaky heart for Billy Ray Cyrus!

The country singer popped the question to girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley, sources confirmed to Page Six.

Cyrus, 65, and Hurley, 61, have been dating for more than a year and are now making it official after the English actress and model was seen flaunting a massive diamond.

Another source told Page Six, “She’s filming ‘The ‘Burbs’; I hardly think this ring is a prop.”

The “Hannah Montana” alum, meanwhile, gave a massive clue about their future plans as he posted a cryptic ring emoji in an Instagram post shared Thursday — which was liked with a celebratory emoji by Hurley’s son, Damian.

“This is the most fertile solid ground I have stood on in a long time,” Cyrus wrote in the post.

While promoting his new single “Party’s in the Back” with Deltona, he added, “I like seeing peoples dreams come true. I’m so excited for the show this weekend teaming up with NASCAR in Phoenix !!! Kinda has a ring 💍 to it.”

This will be a fourth marriage for Cyrus, who has six children — including superstar daughter Miley Cyrus. He was married to Cindy Smith from 1986 to 1991 and Tish Cyrus from 1993 to 2023, the same year he married Firerose. Their union ended in 2024, with the Australian singer accusing him of abuse, which he denied.

Hurley, meanwhile, was in a long-term relationship with actor Hugh Grant from 1987 to 2000, before she had son Damian with late producer Steve Bing.

The “Bedazzled” star went on to marry Indian businessman Arun Nayar in 2007, but they divorced in 2011, and she was later engaged to the late Australian cricketer Shane Warne from 2011 until their split in 2013.

A rep for Billy Ray Cyrus could not be reached for comment.

Cyrus and Hurley went public with their relationship on Easter Sunday in 2025 after first meeting on the set of the 2022 holiday film “Christmas in Paradise” and reconnecting in February 2025.

Although their romance raised eyebrows, Hurley told the “SheerLuxe” podcast earlier this month, “There are a lot more similarities than you’d think.”

“We have the same hair. Identical hair. Apart from his beard, we’re actually like twins,” she joked.

Though Hurley agreed it’s an “unlikely pairing in some ways,” she admitted they have “quite similar lives” and align in many ways.

Speaking to Page Six in May, Hurley shared that she and Cyrus connect on their love of the country life rather than city life.

“Funnily enough, [Billy’s] farm in Tennessee is very similar to my farm here in Gloucestershire, so in a way it kind of feels normal,” she explained.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/16/celebrity-news/billy-ray-cyrus-and-elizabeth-hurley-are-engaged/

A judge in the US state of New Mexico has thrown out charges against Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield on Friday, saying there were issues with how prosecutors presented the case.

The West Wing and Field of Dreams actor was indicted in February on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child. Busfield has denied all allegations.

The charges stemmed from accusations brought by child actors he worked with on the Fox series The Cleaning Lady, which he directed and produced.

The judge said on Friday that the prosecutor “failed to act in a fair and impartial manner”. The district attorney’s office said it is evaluating options on how to move forward.

State District Judge Joseph Montano granted the defence’s motion to dismiss the indictment on Friday, citing mistakes that undermined the grand jury process.

“Our office has received the order and is evaluating our options to determine how we will proceed,” a spokesperson for the Office of the Second Judicial District Attorney in Bernalillo County told the BBC on Friday.

The BBC has contacted a legal representative for Busfield.

The actor surrendered to state authorities in January when a warrant was issued for his arrest. A judge later ordered his release pending trial.

Busfield had originally been taken into custody in Albuquerque on two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of child abuse.

The indictment against him, reviewed by the BBC, said that on or between 19 October 2022 and 10 September 2023, Busfield “touched or applied force to the intimate parts” of one of the unnamed boys when he was under the age of 13.

The Thirtysomething actor’s defence team submitted more than 70 letters from people vouching for his character and said that he underwent and passed a polygraph test pertaining to the allegations against him.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8vgxwq4q5r2o

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia was fired after ​less than a week on the job, two US officials said on Friday, after a rocky start as President Donald ‌Trump’s top spokesperson.
Zacharia was “let go” and is “transitioning out” of the press secretary position, according to two separate White House officials. She faced days of questions about her legal credentials and criticism of her performance in a news briefing and interviews.

The departure leaves Trump without a key public messenger just over ​two weeks before November’s midterm elections, a critical period when the president is seeking to tout his administration’s accomplishments and ​help his fellow Republicans retain control of Congress.
Trump told reporters earlier on Friday that he had ⁠asked Zacharia to reconsider whether to continue in her role after facing tough press coverage during her first days on the ​job.
“I told her: ‘I think you’re better off being happy, and I’m not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff.’ There’s ​nothing easy about this stuff,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a weekend trip.

He added: “I said to her honestly, ‘If I were you, I’d reconsider… think about it. But I would reconsider.'” Trump said he intended to revisit the conversation with Zacharia later.
Zacharia started on Monday and held her debut White ​House briefing on Tuesday. She said she received a call about the press secretary role on October 7 and was offered the job to ​succeed Karoline Leavitt a week ago.
She soon faced questions about her career, which she said included a tenure practicing law. Trump had also described her as ‌an attorney.
“I ⁠practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,” Zacharia said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.
Reuters could not find records showing the Pepperdine University law school graduate was registered as an attorney or member of the bar in any US state or the District of Columbia.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-says-zacharia-should-reconsider-white-house-spokeswoman-role-2026-10-16/

Iran has managed to export some liquefied petroleum gas and jet fuel since July, despite a US naval blockade, shipping intelligence showed and people involved in security said.
Tehran has in recent weeks been concealing such cargoes among ​a growing volume of ship-to-ship transfers by other Gulf producers off Oman, four people in maritime security who track Gulf oil movements told Reuters.

The Iranian exports and methodology are ‌reported for the first time here. While a fraction of its former energy exports, the cargoes are rare evidence of petroleum products getting through a blockade that has halted Iran’s crude exports.

Analysis by US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic using ship and satellite tracking, shows at least eight gas tankers carrying Iranian LPG have left the Gulf of Oman since mid-July.
Another tanker carrying Iranian jet fuel reached Myanmar in September, additional satellite imagery and analysis by maritime intelligence ​group SynMax show.
The US imposed targeted sanctions in 2023 on Myanmar’s jet-fuel industry, citing military airstrikes on civilians that the United Nations says have killed thousands of people. Myanmar’s military government has ​repeatedly denied targeting civilians, saying its operations are directed against armed groups.

Six of the eight gas tankers and the jet fuel tanker are under US sanctions for ⁠transporting Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products, a Reuters analysis of the vessels and sanctions imposed on ships by the US Treasury showed.
“What we have seen passing is a handful of tankers carrying Iranian LPG, ​but the overwhelming majority of tankers laden with Iranian products have been redirected by US forces,” said Jemima Shelley, senior research analyst with UANI.
Shelley said some Iranian LPG tankers transferred cargoes near the Omani coastal towns ​of Shinas and Sohar, while others waited in the Gulf of Oman before heading past the US blockade, which US Central Command has said sits across the Gulf of Oman near the Iran-Pakistan border.
The total amount of these LPG cargoes was estimated at 4.1 million barrels, Shelley said.

Shelley said the shipments were driven “more by opportunism” than showing a new trend of Iran trying to export its oil and petrochemicals by using smaller ships.
Most of the cargoes sailed to Malaysia’s Eastern Outer Port ​Limits to conduct further STS transfers for likely destinations in China, Shelley said, based on UANI’s analysis.
The Iranian government did not respond to a request for comment. Myanmar’s military-backed government did not respond to a ​request for comment on whether the country had received Iranian jet fuel.

US MILITARY SAYS BLOCKADE ‘IRONCLAD’

The US military’s Centcom said its naval blockade, which was first imposed on Iran-related oil exports on April 13, is “ironclad”. The blockade was lifted in June ‌after the ⁠US reached a draft understanding with Iran, but it was reimposed on July 14 following the collapse of the agreement.

A US military official told Reuters that the passage of a vessel does not necessarily mean it had evaded the blockade. Every ship was assessed individually, including through a review of its papers, and some vessels could be allowed through for humanitarian reasons, the official added.
The official said the appearance of a vessel on US sanctions lists is not the only factor to make it subject to the blockade, adding that US forces are also closely monitoring some ships without taking action against them for operational reasons.
Centcom said in an ​update on October 13 that during the three ​months of the latest blockade, four commercial vessels ⁠had been disabled and 135 ships had been turned around by US forces.
The US military has turned around ships from Asia and also seized some tankers, previous Centcom statements said.
Washington has coupled its blockade with a sanctions campaign aimed at severing Iran’s remaining financial links and depriving it of revenue. Last week, it imposed ​fresh sanctions on 17 vessels involved in transporting Iranian crude, petrochemicals and petroleum products.
A US Treasury spokesperson questioned shipping data suggesting vessels had evaded the blockade, ​saying ships could spoof their ⁠locations or use false identities when loading.
Such data “should be taken with a grain of salt”, the spokesperson said.
The Treasury spokesperson said Operation Economic Outcast, together with the blockade, was “suffocating the Iranian regime”.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iran-ships-some-lpg-jet-fuel-despite-us-blockade-data-shows-2026-10-16/

The US government ​has struck a deal to continue supplying some of the world’s poorest nations with free life-saving medication and equipment for mothers, infants and young children, after months of ‌uncertainty and challenges with supply.
The UN children’s agency UNICEF will now procure these items, a State department spokesperson told Reuters by email, without giving details of the arrangement. UNICEF said the agreement is worth $25 million and will last for one year.

That sum represents only a small part of the aid affected by the Trump administration’s cuts and dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
But it means that some of the world’s most vulnerable ​nations will not face another abrupt disruption to supplies they relied on while they work on new health aid deals with the US. Nine former US aid officials, NGOs ​and government officials told Reuters that this had been a real concern because the deal the now-defunct USAID had with its contractor was due ⁠to run out last month.

SHORTAGES

The agreement covers the procurement and delivery of maternal and child health supplies, as well as some nutrition supplies, to at least 15 countries previously covered, including ​Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Mali, UNICEF said.

It follows almost 18 months of disruption after Washington’s move to freeze and then scale back many US aid programmes as part of its “America First Global ​Health Strategy”.
In countries such as Congo, shortages due to the disruption have already been showing up on the ground.
At the Nyangezi General Hospital in eastern Congo, health workers said they had run out of supplies of life-saving medications including oxytocin to prevent and treat post-partum haemorrhage and amoxicillin, an antibiotic for paediatric use and during childbirth.
“It was a donation we received (previously) from USAID, and at the moment, there is none,” midwife Alice Bulambo ​told Reuters.
The main government-run warehouse in the area has faced stockouts for over a year, said Olivier Kabarati Amani, chief medical officer for Nyangezi health zone.

As a result, facilities are forced to ​buy medicines at market prices. Over the last six months, “the cost of care has doubled, if not tripled,” Amani said, at a time when the healthcare system in eastern Congo is already struggling with Ebola.
The US ‌State Department ⁠said it “has prioritized ensuring all life-saving commodities have continued to be made reliably available.”

TRANSITION

Maternal and newborn health items amounted to less than 1% of the more than $5 billion spent by the USAID Global Health Supply Chain program between 2016 and 2023, according to the most recently available annual report. The spending was channelled through private contractor Chemonics.
Reuters first reported on plans to close this programme, which also managed the donation and delivery of supplies to tackle malaria and HIV, in April, with aid officials warning that the September 30 shutdown could cause shortages.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-agrees-one-year-deal-fund-maternal-newborn-health-donations-poorest-countries-2026-10-16/

Trump told reporters that he had asked Zacharia to “reconsider” the job. He said that he told Zacharia that she did not have to do this job and that if he were her, he would reconsider the position.

US President Donald Trump has fired White House press secretary Katie Zacharia just five days into the job, after publicly saying he had urged her to “reconsider” the role amid mounting scrutiny over her legal credentials and her debut briefing.

Trump told reporters that he had asked Zacharia to “reconsider” the job. He said that he told Zacharia that she did not have to do this job and that if he were her, he would reconsider the position.

“I told Katie in my opinion she was treated very unfairly,” Trump said, noting that Zacharia has been “brutalised by the media.”

“I just think the press has been very tough on Katie and I said, ‘there’s no reason you have to go through this,’ ” he said.

After a lackluster press briefing performance, there had been mounting questions about Zacharia’s background and resume during her first week on the job.

Zacharia has long described herself as a lawyer as she has worked to establish herself as a commentator for conservative outlets like Fox News and Newsmax. But so far, she and the White House have offered no evidence that she passed the bar exam in any state or in China, where she worked for a large law firm years ago.

The questions add to the confusion surrounding Trump’s decision to hire Zacharia, who had worked for his social media company for only a few months when he announced her appointment and whose debut at the podium last week has been widely criticised.

Afterward, the president was asked by reporters where Zacharia had passed the bar exam, following a report by the independent outlet Popular Information that she did not appear to be licensed in any state.

Trump stepped aside to allow Zacharia to answer.

“When I moved to China,” she responded over the sound of Marine One whirring in the background. It is not clear what she had intended to say or whether she had finished the sentence.

China’s notoriously difficult National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination can only be taken by Chinese citizens.

Asked what credentials she held, the White House passed along a statement from Zacharia, who received a bachelor of arts degree from Pepperdine University in 2007 and received her law degree from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011, according to the school and her LinkedIn bio.

“I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,” it read.

Following her exit as White House press secretary, Zacharia praised Trump, calling him “kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking” and saying it was an honour to work for him.

President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to.

It was an honor to work for him. https://t.co/Tp4NizrhE2

— Katie Zacharia (@KatieZacharia) October 17, 2026

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/trump-fires-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-after-5-days-on-the-job-report-12196998?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

A lawyer and former Trump donor unveiled a defamation lawsuit against former US Ambassador to Greece Kimberley Guilfoyle as part of an apparent ploy to win the extradition of an alleged fraudster.

Eric Deters, who exposed text messages Guilfoyle sent begging him to pay off some $100,000 in her personal debts last year, announced the suit after the former Fox News personality allegedly claimed the texts were generated by artificial intelligence.

Deters explained that he will drop the suit if President Trump gets alleged fraudster physician Abubakar Atiq Durrani extradited from his suspected whereabouts in Pakistan and probes the judiciary’s handling of that case.

“This is not extortion,” Deters declared in a video post on social media. “Nothing I am asking for or doing is unlawful. I am playing hardball because the doctor Durrani victims deserve hardball on their behalf.”

Guilfoyle made a vague public claim that the accusations against her are “false,” but privately told White House officials that the bombshell texts begging Deters for money were AI-generated, the Wall Street Journal reported. The texts — and the distraction Guilfoyle created for the White House — prompted Trump to ask for her resignation.

Deters, who has been on a crusade to get Durrani extradited on behalf of the doctor’s victims, teased that he has more dirt on other Trump world figures as well.

“Information is pouring into me. And I got off the phone today from someone in Greece,” he added. “By the end of tomorrow I am going to play for you a phone recording that is the most explosive, most devastating information about Kimberly Guilfoyle to date.”

“No one in the media has it,” he added. “And I am going to play for you a 16-minute phone conversation.”

Deters, who said he is representing himself in the defamation suit as it plays out in court, also teased plans to pursue depositions of Donald Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle. The two got engaged in 2020, but officially cut it off in 2024.

The White House revealed Tuesday that Guilfoyle was asked to step down, and she announced her resignation shortly thereafter.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/15/us-news/donor-slaps-suit-against-kimberley-guilfoyle-threatens-to-release-dirt-on-trump-if-fraudster-isnt-extradited-this-is-not-extortion/

A New York City teen is accused of drugging two Manhattan college students with fentanyl and then raping one in her dorm room while she was unconscious from the dangerous drug that ultimately killed her, according to a “sick and twisted” new indictment.

Bronx native Moises Freire, 19, brought fentanyl he claimed was cocaine to two Fashion Institute of Technology students at an undergraduate residence hall on March 18, a newly unsealed indictment from the US Attorney’s Office alleges.

Freire, who was not an FIT student, reassured the women that he was providing cocaine from Mexico and insisted it did not contain fentanyl, which he described as “poison,” the indictment alleges.

After convincing the students to take the illegal drug in their dorm, both students immediately lost consciousness and suffered from acute fentanyl poisoning, prosecutors said.

Freire, who did not consume any of the fentanyl, then raped one of the students while the other lay unconscious several feet away in the single-room dorm, according to the documents.

The teen allegedly waited about 45 minutes to contact campus security. During that time, he texted photos of the unconscious victims to friends — including the woman he allegedly raped, who was naked below the waist.

He initially told campus security that the women were unconscious because they simply had too much to drink, the documents said.

Campus security determined the women were suffering from acute fentanyl intoxication and administered emergency services and Narcan before they were rushed to the hospital, prosecutors said.

The woman who was raped never regained consciousness at the hospital and died several days later on March 21, the indictment said.

The other student eventually regained consciousness and was discharged from the hospital.

Before he met up with the women, Freire had told Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, that he needed drugs that “would last the entire night,” and that if they were strong enough to get the students addicted, it would be a “win-win situation,” the court documents say.

Freire and Cabrera, of Queens, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury — which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Freire was also slapped with distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury, as well as distribution of a controlled substance with the intent to commit rape.

“The allegations in this case are beyond disturbing and include a cruel deception and unimaginable assault,” Drug Enforcement Administration New York Task Force Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Roberts said in a press release.

“College should be a place where young people can learn, grow, and pursue their dreams, not a place where predators exploit their vulnerability. Every student deserves to feel safe, whether walking across campus, sitting in a classroom, or inside their own dorm room,” he added.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the actions of Freire and Cabrera “truly unconscionable” and “as sick and twisted as they come.”

“As alleged in the indictment, the two defendants supplied the fentanyl that killed one young woman and nearly killed another,” Tisch said.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/15/us-news/fit-student-dead-after-being-drugged-raped-in-her-nyc-dorm-prosecutor/

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have quietly downsized their Archewell Productions company as their Hollywood ventures continue to face challenges.

“They cut staff over the last 12 to 18 months,” a source exclusively told Page Six.

According to the insider, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s company is now down to just a handful of employees at its Raleigh Studios offices in Los Angeles.

The staffing reductions impacted production crews hired to work on projects like “With Love, Meghan,” and “Harry & Meghan” — not full-time employees of Archewell Productions, Page Six has learned.

Despite the downsizing and the couple’s move back to the UK, Archewell Productions continues to maintain its Hollywood office.

Employees still come and go from the building, according to the insider.

Reps for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.

The staffing reductions come amid mounting questions about the Sussexes’ Hollywood ambitions and their business relationship with Netflix.

The couple launched Archewell Productions in 2020 after stepping back from their roles as senior working members of the royal family.

The company went on to produce several projects for Netflix, including the couple’s 2022 docuseries, “Harry & Meghan,” and Markle’s lifestyle series, “With Love, Meghan.”

“Harry & Meghan” was released as a six-part limited series, while “With Love, Meghan” has not been renewed for a third season, although the possibility of future specials has not been ruled out.

However, their partnership with the streaming service has faced scrutiny amid reports of behind-the-scenes tensions and questions about the performance of their projects.

In March, Variety reported that Archewell Productions had struggled to deliver successful programming and that its relationship with Netflix had become increasingly strained.

Page Six previously reported that two of the couple’s highly anticipated Netflix movie projects were stuck in limbo, raising further questions about the future of their partnership with the streaming giant.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/15/celebrity-news/meghan-markle-and-prince-harrys-archewell-cuts-staff-as-business-faces-mounting-turbulence/

London society is uneasy about King Charles’ health after he missed a major event that he had long been expected to attend, Page Six hears.

The ailing monarch, 77, has attended several affairs this year, including the Zoological Society of London’s 200th anniversary on July 9, plus official trips to Washington, DC, and Bermuda in early May.

But last weekend he was noticeably absent from the glittering festivities surrounding the 100th anniversary of the Royal Ballet School, of which he is the official patron, we’re told.

We’re told the absence jangled nerves, leading royal insiders to whisper that the king’s official calendar is quietly being cut back.

The head royal’s public appearances are routinely planned years in advance, but we’re told that some he committed to months ago are now being rearranged to allow Queen Camila, Prince William, Princess Kate and other members of the royal family to step in.

The Crown was represented at the ballet bash by Princess Margaret’s daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto, who is also the president of both the Royal Ballet School and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/15/celebrity-news/london-society-frets-as-king-charles-skips-major-high-culture-event/

The French passion for protest is legendary in Europe.

Over the last few years, we have regularly witnessed farmers angry about costly regulations lobbing manure at local mayoral offices, while masked youths periodically hurl homemade grenades at riot police in disadvantaged city suburbs.

For over three weeks now, thousands of students have barricaded entry to high schools and taken their grievances to the streets.

This Saturday, hundreds of new demonstrations have been announced across France.

Students are expected to be joined by workers’ unions and key figures from the so-called “yellow vest” movement.

France’s prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, suggested this week that student anger was being manipulated as politics heats up ahead of next year’s presidential election.

The gilets jaunes (yellow vests) demonstrated against cost-of-living hikes for over a year from 2018 – becoming one of the longest-lived protest movements in French history.

Jérôme Rodrigues, a prominent gilets jaunes activist, has used Instagram to encourage people to join Saturday’s demonstrations.

The protests should give a voice to those who “want to be able to live decently, no longer have to count every cent, and no longer have to choose between eating and driving”, he said in a video.

“Anger has no political party. An empty fridge has no political party,” he added.

So what is going on in the EU’s second largest economy?

Social unrest, government borrowing costs at eye-watering highs, a deeply divided French parliament and an apparent revolving door of exasperated French prime ministers – six prime ministers over the last five years – all claiming to want to reduce their country’s public debt.

Is France at breaking-point – and what does this all mean for the eurozone currency the French are such a huge part of?

“You can’t compare France to the Greece debt crisis of 2012 or Argentina in 2001. And the financial markets know it,” economist Anne-Laure Delatte told me.

She is a CNRS Tenured Researcher at the Economics Department of Paris Dauphine University; a well-known face in debates on French media on the parlous state of the country’s public debt.

“The markets recognised already in 2024 that we would have a budgetary problem after [snap] elections left parliament deeply divided between three [opposing political] blocs but they also realise France is a big country with the ability to raise taxes if necessary.”

“Our situation is more like the UK in 2023 with Liz Truss,” suggests Delatte, referring to the then UK prime minister’s so-called mini budget, which triggered a sharp drop in the pound, a spike in government bond yields and soaring mortgage rates.

“The crisis was relatively short-lived because the markets recognised the UK had the financial tools to right itself.”

“Here in France it would be painful, but a 4% increase in VAT would raise the 120bn euros needed to plug government debt. Investors know that,” she concludes.

Maybe, in theory. And, as Delatte also points out, the European Central Bank would likely intervene if France’s finances nosedived to the point where other European economies would be affected.

But with so many French citizens already visibly unhappy with the status quo, imagine the reaction if taxes were to increase, or welfare and education budgets decrease, further.

France’s national motto is liberté, égalité, fraternité (freedom, equality and fraternity), but that is certainly not the sense you get on seething streets and in viral social media posts.

I met 17-year-olds Maxime, Madeleine and Elodie this week, perched on big green dustbins that have been used to block the entrance to their high school as part of the weeks’ long protest.

They told me things were bad enough here, in the 3rd district of Paris, with holes in classroom walls, swelling class sizes and a dearth of teaching staff, but the teenagers were more than aware, they said, that the situation was far worse in their capital city’s disadvantaged suburbs.

“France likes to speak of égalité,” they told me “but the reality is the poor here are prejudiced against, while the rich benefit.”

None of them will be old enough to vote in the presidential election in France next spring but they questioned whether the changing face of politicians in power made all that much difference anyway.

The three young women told me large-scale protests seemed the only way to get heard by French authorities.

Barack Obama has told an audience in Glasgow that hope is worth fighting for despite big challenges facing the modern world.

The 44th president of the United States said online platforms had shifted in recent years to focus on content that stoked anger and fear, but he believes a drift to extremism is “not inevitable”.

The comments came as he addressed an OVO Hydro crowd of 12,150 people while in conversation with British journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera, part of three speaking dates in the UK.

He reflected on his time in the White House and examined the political and social challenges facing the US and the wider world.

Obama said that during his presidential campaign in 2008, when social media and technology was gaining traction, he had seen them as a beacon for hope

But he said the same positive forces and tools that could mobilise people around democracy or human rights could also be used by hate groups.

He said they “connected people for good, but also for ill”.

“It turns out that the reptilian side of our brain really gets attracted to anger, fear, resentment and the sense that someone is out to get you,” he said.

“So a lot of social media and a lot of our information is informed around that.”

But the former president, who has already spoken in Belfast and will appear in Manchester on Thursday night, said that a drift towards extremism was “not inevitable”.

He added: “After World War Two, at least in the United States and certainly in Europe as well, the federal government said ‘we’re going to set up some rules because we’ve seen what propaganda can do in the hands of somebody like Hitler.

“We can see how big lies and misinformation can distort and enrage and incite violence. So we’re going to hold these folks responsible’.”

“We have not chosen to do that.”

Obama, who was president until 2016, said there was a “critical balance” that must be struck between free speech and regulation.

But the 65-year-old said that the world and its leaders are going to need to find mechanisms and new institutions to allow rigorous debate and disagreement while helping people sort out basic facts.

He said: “If I had a blame pie for why politics is so polarised and why we’re seeing a rise of populism in many places, it’s because of that information that is going into our brains every day.”

Obama said this resulted in young people feeling discouraged, and that “it’s not a healthy diet that our brains are on at the moment”.

He added that he feared this could become even worse with AI making it hard to distinguish between what is true and what is not, something he believes will make democracy hard to function.

Obama says people forget lessons from the past

Speaking about hope, Obama was asked if he still believed in a Martin Luther King Jr phrase he quoted years ago, about the arm of the moral universe being long, but ultimately bending towards justice.

The former president said that he still stands by the quote and argued that hope is an active “almost theological” choice people must make.

He said: “It is a decision about how do we face and embrace this finite amount of time we have on the planet.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crwyd7vq3xw1o

A woman who alleges Russell Brand raped her in a hotel room has said he turned from “camp, friendly and effeminate” to “monster-like” before the alleged assault.

The 51-year-old actor and comedian faces seven charges – three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one of indecent assault.

The allegations, made by six female complainants, span a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009. He denies the charges.

One of the women told the jury at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday: “He was just dark and arrogant and performing – he was scary, he was demanding.”

The woman told police she met Brand before he was famous while attending the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth in 1999. She alleges he later raped her.

The woman said she was left feeling “dirty” and afraid she may be pregnant in the aftermath of the alleged attack.

Before the alleged rape, the woman also said Brand made her take photos of him with his top off, which were shown to the jury.

The jury were played a police interview with the woman recorded in 2023, when reporting the alleged crime, before she was called to the witness box on Thursday.

The complainant said she and Brand had gone back to a hotel room. She told the police officer she thought Brand “was gay” when they met earlier and she didn’t feel like he was “trying it on with her”.

The woman said she had been in the bathroom, but when she came out “he had like briefs on – and I was like taken aback and shocked. He was prancing around”.

The complainant alleged Brand told her: “Don’t worry, that’s how I am.”

She recalled thinking “what on earth have I got into” when, she claims, a shirtless Brand made her take photos of him before the alleged attack.

She was heard telling the officer: “I’m reporting that Russell Brand did rape me.

“What I’m going to say now – then, I second guessed myself if it was rape because it was so normal.

“Sorry… he raped me basically – I know that happened. I remember him touching my breasts a lot – while kissing my neck.”

During the video evidence, Brand watched the TV screen attached to the dock – rarely taking his eyes away. He appeared to be listening attentively and hardly moved his position throughout.

Describing the alleged encounter, the woman later told the jury: “He was big, I felt threatened and he’s half-naked… I didn’t think at that point his intentions were good.”

“He was the centre of the show, it was like it was back on stage – he wasn’t the [same] person I was chatting to.”

She added: “He just changed suddenly from this… camp, friendly and effeminate to monster-like.”

The woman recounted to police how Brand acted “like Basil Fawlty when he does his goose steps” before the alleged rape.

She told the officer: “I remember him being like an ostrich – like a bird because he was very leggy.

“I wasn’t laughing, I just remember him jumping up and down being silly.”

The woman said after Brand left the room she was “just sitting there crying and I felt stupid,” adding: “In that moment in time I was just shocked.”

At one point in the police interview, she cried while saying “this was something dirty that had happened”.

She said she “thought it was my fault”, adding that she was “having nightmares” about the possibility of being pregnant.

The complainant said she had delayed coming forward because she was worried it would impact her professional life. “I was told if you come out with this, your career is done,” she said.

Under cross-examination Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter KC put it to the complainant that when she first met Brand she welcomed his attention.

“I welcomed his company, not what followed,” the woman replied.

He then suggested that she fell under his spell and that she wanted to spend more time with him.

The woman replied: “That’s incorrect. I did not fall under his spell and I did not find him attractive. ”

Asked by the defence why she agreed to go back to the hotel room with Brand, she responded: “I’m telling you… I thought he was a gay man, very softly spoken, very effeminate.

“I felt safe – I felt sexually safe with him. He was very intelligent and that appealed to me, not in a sexual sense. ”

The woman became tearful a number of times while giving her evidence from the witness box.

At one point the judge told the witness to “take a moment, catch your breath”, after she became emotional.

Brand’s barrister later challenged the complainant about why she did not run back into the bathroom or leave the room when she realised Brand had removed some of his clothes.

She replied: “What was I supposed to do? Hide in bathroom? Walk out the room? Walk past him? I had no phone, no reception, no idea where I was. Run into the night with him following me?”

Referring to photographs she had taken of Brand, she said: “I took those photographs, he told me to take them, he was showing off, he was prancing around… I was scared… I couldn’t fight him.

“I blame myself for allowing him back into my room,” the woman said.

She was also challenged by the defence barrister about why she didn’t report her allegation about Brand to the police in Bournemouth.

She said: “I didn’t report it as I didn’t want anyone to know. I didn’t think anyone would believe me.”

The woman told the jury that after she says she was raped by Brand she blamed herself “in that moment”.

“I hate that I blamed myself, I shouldn’t have to blame myself.”

She also told jurors: “I regret to this day the error in judgment thinking this man would not rape me.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy7ldzl7j4po

The ties between Kyiv and Washington have soured since last week after Trump finalised a diesel deal with Russia.

Ukraine will no longer heed US President Donald Trump’s demands to stop strikes Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly said on Thursday, as tensions between the two leaders have spiralled over the US-Russia diesel agreement.

The ties between Kyiv and Washington have strained since last week after Trump eased sanctions on Russia in exchange for Moscow releasing large amounts of diesel onto global markets.

Zelensky calls diesel deal a ‘weak decision’

Miffed with the development, Zelensky termed the deal as a “weak decision” and said it would encourage Russia to prolong its four-and-a-half-year war with Ukraine, while several of Ukraine’s European allies criticised the agreement, AFP reported.

On Saturday, Trump blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for rising diesel prices and said it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president”.

“The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We’re done,” Zelensky told the Financial Times in an interview published on Thursday.”

Zelensky’s remarks come after Trump last week announced a surprise “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky later said he knew nothing about the ceasefire.

“We need HONESTY from our partners about this war,” Zelensky wrote on social media on Thursday.

In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan on Wednesday, Zelensky agreed that he felt “betrayed” by Trump’s diesel-supply deal with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

He also questioned the advice that Trump was receiving, after senior Ukrainian officials in Kyiv openly accused the United States of helping Russia.

“It’s painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side,” he said.

Several lawmakers, including Jamie Raskin, Ro Khanna, Ami Bera and Haley Stevens, expressed outrage over the incident.

US lawmakers have condemned an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Illinois, warning that religious and racial hatred pose a threat to communities across the country.

Several lawmakers, including Jamie Raskin, Ro Khanna, Ami Bera and Haley Stevens, expressed outrage over the incident and stressed that every American should be able to practise their faith without fear.

A 19-year-old was arrested in Palatine, near Chicago, over an alleged plan to attack the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Aurora on Sunday. The shooting was averted after the firearm he allegedly carried jammed and failed to fire.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who represents Illinois, was at the temple with his family when the incident took place.

‘White Supremacist Hate’ Under Fire

Congressman Jamie Raskin called for a united stand against hate-fuelled violence targeting religious communities.

“Americans are outraged by this planned mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Illinois. We must stand together—and strong—against white supremacist hate and violence targeted at temples, synagogues, churches and mosques,” he said in a post on X.

Congressman Rich McCormick also condemned the alleged plot, saying: “The plot to massacre innocent Americans at a Hindu temple is unequivocally wrong. Violence toward anyone based on a religion, political orientation, or race is evil.”

Congressman Ro Khanna, who is Hindu American, expressed anger over the incident.

“The shooter’s evil is only surpassed by his ignorance. Hinduism teaches non-violence,” he said.

As a Hindu American, I am angered by the attempted mass shooting at a Temple by a white supremacist.

The shooter’s evil is only surpassed by his ignorance. Hinduism teaches non-violence. https://t.co/7E3znjY1dP

— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) October 15, 2026

‘No American Should Fear For Their Safety’

Congressman Ami Bera said he was horrified that Krishnamoorthi and his family were worshipping at the temple when the alleged plot unfolded.

“This incident is a stark reminder of the threats facing Hindu communities and other communities targeted by religious and racial hatred,” Bera said, adding that Congress must do more to combat hate-fuelled violence.

Congresswoman Haley Stevens said the rising trend of violence at places of worship must end.

“No American should have to fear for their safety when practising their faith,” she said, adding that Indian Americans deserved better.

Lawmakers Raise Alarm Over Anti-Hindu Hate

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he was “incredibly alarmed” by the alleged attempt to carry out mass violence at the temple and thanked law enforcement for its swift response.

“Anti-Indian and anti-Hindu rhetoric is at an alarming level in America, and now we are seeing that hatred turn into violence,” Schumer said.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/us-lawmakers-condemn-planned-mass-shooting-at-illinois-hindu-temple-ws-l-10384105.html

A 16-year-old shooter opened fire on Thursday at an elementary ‌school in Bend, Oregon, killing four people including three children, before being killed by an armed member of the community who had pursued the assailant into the school, police said.
The shooter entered Silver Rail Elementary School by firing through locked doors, police said, without offering any details beyond the suspect’s age.

The dead were children aged 5, 8 and 11 and one ​teacher. In addition, a 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to hospital with critical injuries, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz ​told a press conference.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, appearing at the same briefing, thanked the community member who “heroically intervened to ⁠stop further loss of life.”
“No parent should have to have this kind of day, and no community should have to live through this ​kind of day. And as we learn more about the children and the adults who have been killed or injured, and their families and their ​loved ones, we are going to do a lot of crying, and we are going to cry together, and we’re probably going to cry privately,” Kotek said.
Krantz said the community member, whom he did not identify, saw the suspect enter the school and pursued him.

School shootings have become a recurring feature of American life, including high-profile ​attacks such as those at Columbine High School in 1999, Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, and ​Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022.
Each shooting revives debates over gun laws in a country where gun rights are protected under the Constitution’s second amendment. ‌Gun rights ⁠advocates have argued for arming teachers as a means of defense.

POLICE TRAINED FOR MASS SHOOTING

Krantz said every Bend police officer went through a full day of active shooter training in August.
“Unfortunately, this is something we train for on a regular basis, and we must,” Krantz said. “This is going to be a long investigation.”
Thursday’s shooting took place in Bend, a city of about 100,000 people in rural central Oregon, 175 miles (280 km) southeast of Portland, in the ​Oregon high desert adjacent to the ​Deschutes National Forest.

Silver Rail Elementary School ⁠serves kindergarten through fifth grade, roughly ages 5 to 11, and has about 450 students and 40 staff members, officials said.
Gun control advocate Gabrielle Giffords, a former congresswoman who survived a mass shooting in 2011, said ​in a statement she was “heartbroken” by the shooting in Bend.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/shooter-is-killed-oregon-elementary-school-least-two-taken-away-ambulance-2026-10-15/

The United Nations has become too risk-averse and its next leader must be prepared to bear the ​cost of diplomatic failure and try again, Rebeca Grynspan, the frontrunner to be the next UN chief, told Reuters on Thursday.
She spoke ahead of ‌another Security Council poll on Friday to gauge support for a new secretary-general to succeed Antonio Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31.

SHE URGES A MORE PROACTIVE UN

The order to limit a satellite system used by Ukraine ​for battlefield communications and drone operations came from inside the White House, according to two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter.
The officials said ‌leaders at the Defense Department received a message that the SpaceX Starshield service for the Ukrainian military needed to be slowed.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not specify who in the White House made the decision or who was responsible for implementing the order. The Pentagon is the biggest customer of Starshield, which is the military-grade version of the Starlink service.

Ukrainian officials said this week that military-grade Starlink receptors stopped working in Ukraine ​when mounted on fast-moving objects, interfering with the performance of Ukrainian drones that rely on them for onboard guidance systems over Ukrainian territory.
A person in Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said on ​Thursday that the receptors were now working when in motion, but only at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour (160 kph).

US PRESSURES UKRAINE ⁠OVER REFINERY ATTACKS

The move to temporarily restrict the vital communications system came as President Donald Trump has pressured Kyiv to stop its attacks on Russian refineries, which he has blamed for the ​soaring energy prices that are denting his Republican Party’s prospects in the November midterm elections.

But experts say that surge in energy costs is mainly the result of the US-Israeli war with Iran, which brought Iranian ​attacks on energy facilities and has largely shut the vital Strait of Hormuz.
In response to a request for comment about the order to limit Starshield, a senior US official said: “No such request was ever made by the president.”
The White House did not respond to questions about whether other administration officials might have made the request.
Starshield was developed by SpaceX specifically for government and national-security customers, particularly the US Department of Defense. Starshield uses the Starlink ​constellation as its backbone.
Ukrainian officials said the restrictions complicated strike missions against Russian forces and logistics in occupied territory and slowed interceptor drones used to shoot down incoming Russian Shahed drones.

Elon Musk, ​the CEO of SpaceX, said on X on Wednesday that because Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government, any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military or the president.
SpaceX ‌did not respond ⁠to a request for comment.
The Department of Defense and the Ukrainian embassy in Washington also did not respond to requests for comment.

DECLINE IN RELATIONS

Relations between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated in recent days following a meeting in Miami on October 9 that convened representatives from both countries as well as Europe and the World Bank.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, struck a tough tone with Ukraine in the meeting, according to a separate person familiar with the matter. They told Ukrainian officials that the US was frustrated with Kyiv’s continued strikes on Russian ​refineries despite repeated requests from Washington to stop.
The ​US delegation also explained Washington’s decision to ⁠strike a diesel deal with Russia, saying the White House hoped it would soften Moscow’s stance on peace talks.
That deal, under which Russia will supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to US and global markets, has triggered a backlash from some US lawmakers, who say it will give Moscow ​cash to pursue its war without forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to make concessions to end the conflict.
In the days that followed, Ukrainian ​President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Trump ⁠criticized each other, with Zelenskiy calling the US decision on the Russian diesel deal “weak.” Trump called for elections in Ukraine and Zelenskiy’s ouster.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/order-limit-starshield-ukraine-came-inside-white-house-sources-say-2026-10-15/

The weapon has never been used against Iran. Its deployment would mark a significant escalation in the conflict, although questions remain over whether it could deliver the strategic gains Washington is seeking.

The United States is weighing the use of its biggest non-nuclear bomb against Iran as President Donald Trump considers whether to resume military action in a war that has reached a stalemate, CNN reported on Thursday.

The Pentagon has been exploring the possible deployment of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), widely known as the “Mother Of All Bombs”, against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities, according to officials familiar with the plans cited by CNN.

The weapon has never been used against Iran. Its deployment would mark a significant escalation in the conflict, although questions remain over whether it could deliver the strategic gains Washington is seeking.

Can The ‘Mother Of All Bombs’ Damage Iran’s Nuclear Sites?

Despite its enormous destructive power, the MOAB may not be suited to attacking Iran’s suspected underground nuclear facilities.

One source familiar with the plans told CNN that the weapon’s capabilities could fall short of what would be needed to destroy deeply buried targets.

“The MOAB is a massive information operation type weapon that is great for huge area clearance but not much else,” the source said.

“It is definitely not designed as a deep penetration warhead.”

The concerns raise questions over whether deploying the bomb would significantly change the course of the war, particularly if Washington’s primary objective remains preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

The US and Israel have defended their military campaign as necessary to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran has repeatedly denied seeking to develop them.

Pentagon Explores Strikes That Could Give Trump An Exit

Military officials have also discussed options that may deliver a dramatic show of force without necessarily achieving Trump’s original war objectives, CNN reported.

A source familiar with recent Pentagon planning discussions described some of the proposed options as a potential “fireworks show”.

The strikes could give Trump a way to step back from the conflict, even if they fail to accomplish the goals Washington had set out to achieve when the war began.

The deliberations come as diplomatic efforts to end the fighting remain stalled. The conflict erupted with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February, while negotiations have been at an impasse.

Washington has also shifted towards economic pressure in recent weeks, scaling back military operations.

Iran War Poses Political Challenge For Trump

The possibility of renewed strikes come as Trump faces pressure ahead of the November midterm elections, with his approval ratings remaining low. Polls have indicated that the unpopular war and the resulting rise in fuel and other prices are hurting Trump’s Republican Party.

Whether to launch another offensive could therefore carry consequences beyond the battlefield, particularly if a fresh round of attacks fails to produce a decisive outcome.

There are also concerns about civilian casualties if a weapon as powerful as the MOAB is used against Iranian targets.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-weighs-dropping-mother-of-all-bombs-on-iran-report-12192251?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Musk said any limits on usage of the Starshield system, which Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications, was decided by the US military.

SpaceX owner Elon Musk appeared to blame the Donald Trump administration for the disruptions in the Starshield satellite communications system in war-torn Ukraine, saying any limits on usage are decided by the US military

“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” he said on X, referring to US President Donald Trump.

Musk drew a distinction between the Starshield system, which Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications, and the parallel Starlink civilian satellite system, which Ukraine also deploys but is not allowed to use for offensive operations. Both were designed by Musk’s SpaceX.

“Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company,” he said.

Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 km/h is being restored.

Removing Starshield’s speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defense.

Thank you, @elonmusk. We hope for your continued support.

— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) October 14, 2026

Musk was responding to a post on X by Ukraine’s former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who said that “Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 km/h is being restored,” but that “removing Starshield’s speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defense.”

This came after Ukrainian defence officials suggested Washington is behind slower speeds reported on some internet terminals that help the country’s military hit Russian-occupied territory and operate interceptor drones.

Ukraine has also accused the US of helping Russia by failing to warn it of incoming missile strikes, with Kyiv hit by ballistic missiles for two nights in a row before air raid sirens could sound to warn people to take cover.

Donald Trump, who faces key midterm elections next month with fuel prices being a major issue, has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for the squeeze on supplies and increase in energy prices.

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the restrictions on Starshield were “a big mistake” that “will bring a lot of human losses”.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/controlled-by-us-govt-elon-musk-blames-trump-administration-for-starshield-disruptions-in-ukraine-10382450.html

The Pennsylvania mom accused of butchering her husband and their 3-year-old son at a Great Wolf Lodge on Monday had drained her husband’s 401(k) to pay for the dream vacation, according to her stepmother — who believes she planned the bloodbath in advance.

Metallica Rose Harrison, 27, tapped husband Charles’ retirement account to pay for the three-week trip to the resort in the Poconos — an early Christmas present for little Tristan — plus a kitchen remodel and other expenses, stepmom April Thetga told The Post.

The family found the sudden financial move “odd,” she said.

“It was definitely odd, but they’d taken their 401(k) out … There was nothing we could do about that,” Thetga said.

She didn’t know whether the couple had borrowed against the retirement account or withdrawn the money outright.

Yet the strange financial choice didn’t raise major red flags for relatives, who had no idea anything was amiss — and even shared a cheerful video call the day before the murders, Therga said.

“She had called and we’re video chatting, and then she says she loved us very much, just like she normally would,” Thetga recalled.

The next day, cops found Charles and Tristan dead from multiple stab wounds after Harrison called 911 and asked for help ending her life.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/14/us-news/mom-drained-husbands-401k-for-great-wolf-lodge-trip-before-grisly-murder-step-mom/

Todd and Julie Chrisley are facing more than $1.5 million in unpaid federal taxes, according to a new tax lien filed against the reality TV couple more than a year after President Donald Trump pardoned them for their tax evasion and bank fraud convictions.

The Internal Revenue Service filed the $1,571,452 federal tax lien in Davidson County, Tennessee, on Aug. 19, 2026, according to records exclusively obtained by Page Six.

The lien lists two separate unpaid tax assessments: $142,410.72 for the tax period ending Dec. 31, 2021, and $1,429,041.89 for the period ending Dec. 31, 2022.

The assessments were dated Dec. 5, 2022, and Dec. 11, 2023, respectively, according to the filing.

The latest financial trouble comes after the couple received the presidential pardon from Trump in May 2025, freeing them from the prison sentences they had been serving for bank fraud and tax evasion.

The former “Chrisley Knows Best” reality stars were convicted in June 2022 of conspiring to defraud banks and evade federal taxes.

They were accused of obtaining more than $36 million in fraudulent loans using falsified financial documents and spending the money on luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate and travel.

Todd, 57, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison in November 2022, while Julie, 53, received a seven-year sentence.

Both were also ordered to serve supervised release after prison, a requirement ultimately wiped out by their 2025 presidential pardon.

The couple reported to prison in January 2023, with Todd serving his sentence at a federal prison camp in Pensacola, Florida, and Julie at a federal correctional institution in Tallahassee, Florida.

During his time behind bars, Todd taught a financial class, according to daughter Savannah Chrisley, 29, who called the arrangement ironic during an October 2023 episode of her “Unlocked” podcast.

“Dad’s definitely taught some classes too,” Savannah said at the time, adding that one of the subjects was a financial class. “Which, how ironic?”

During the podcast, Savannah also disclosed her mother taught a real estate class while incarcerated.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/14/celebrity-news/todd-and-julie-chrisley-in-1-5m-tax-debt-after-pardon-for-tax-evasion/

Russell Brand was described as “ruthless” and a “sexual predator” by the prosecution at the start of his trial for rape and sexual assault on Wednesday.

The 51-year-old actor and comedian faces three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one of indecent assault.

The allegations, made by six female complainants, span a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009. He denies the charges.

Riel Karmy-Jones KC, for the prosecution, told Southwark Crown Court in London the women “did not know each other”, “have never met each other” and “came forward independently of each other”.

The barrister said: “The circumstances of the offending were as wide and as varied as the defendant’s career.”

She said that “regardless of who the women were and what they said or did, Brand was not deterred”.

“His desire, strong desire, for some form of sexual contact was indiscriminate and voracious,” she told the court.

The prosecutor told jurors that Brand would be “nice when he wanted to be, funny – undoubtedly – charming, likeable even, when he wanted something in return”.

But she said he would also be “demanding, entitled, a flirt with a huge sexual appetite – childlike in his expectation that his every desire should be met”.

The prosecutor said Brand would “appear indifferent, normal and untroubled by what had just occurred” after the encounters.

She added that “sometimes he would leave promptly after the incident, sometimes making an excuse to get away, or sometimes simply continuing as though nothing wrong had happened”.

On Wednesday, the jury heard details of the alleged offences.

The first complainant says she met Brand before he was famous in 1999, the jury was told.

She had attended the Labour Party conference and went to a fringe event where she spoke to Brand. He later allegedly raped her.

The prosecution said when Brand was questioned by police about this allegation of rape, “he said if it happened, he didn’t remember the incident”.

He added that he did not remember the first complainant’s name and that he “had never engaged in non-consensual activity”.

The second complainant worked for MTV at the time when she says Brand indecently assaulted her.

She said Brand asked her where the toilets were and the woman offered to show him.

When they reached the toilets, prosecutors say, Brand asked the woman to “come in” before grabbing her forearm.

She resisted by struggling and pulling back. He had what she described as a desperate, wild-eyed look on his face, as he said: “Please please come in – oh go on.”

The third complainant says Brand orally raped her in a toilet after meeting her at a party in 2004.

Within a minute of meeting, in the middle of a conversation, he lurched forward and grabbed her breasts and squeezed them with both hands, the jury was told.

The prosecution said the woman remembered he had a “big, weird grin” on his face as he did so, then grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the toilets.

The same woman said that as they were driving to another venue, Brand exposed himself, the court heard.

“He said, ‘Come on, come on, suck it’ – to which she just said, ‘No no’,” the prosecution added. “He simply laughed but appeared to accept her refusal.”

The fourth complainant says Brand pushed her up against a wall at Capital Radio in 2004 or 2005 and kissed her “sloppily and aggressively”, and “grabbed her body, at her breasts, sides and buttocks, aggressively”.

She was able to push him away and he “just sniggered, like it was a joke”, the prosecutor said.

The jury then heard how the fifth complainant says she met Brand when he was performing at the Hammersmith Apollo in London in 2009.

The prosecution said their encounter began with consensual activity, but that he raped her anally on a later occasion.

The jury heard how the woman “spent months and years blaming herself”, becoming anxious and unwell.

They were told Brand texted the woman after seeing her at an event the following summer, saying: “I wanna push you further.”

She is said to have replied: “I think you pushed me far enough – you treated me like an animal.” He allegedly replied: “I’m sorry.”

The sixth complainant – who has accused Brand of sexual assault – says he demanded a massage when she was on a work assignment in 2009.

He “fell to his knees and placed his head directly into her groin area”, the prosecution said.

After the accounts of the final two women were heard, the prosecutor said Brand told police in 2023 “he has never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity, and that any accounts had been reinvented or imagined after a defamatory documentary and subsequent press reporting”.

On Wednesday afternoon, Brand’s former flatmate Mark Pinheiro was the first witness to give evidence.

Pinheiro told jurors that Brand had told him he may have gone a “bit too far” with a woman when visiting the Labour Party conference in 1999.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3qjn45pepx1o

The weapons under development appear to be modelled on Iran’s Kheibar Shekan, a precision-guided ballistic missile capable of manoeuvring to evade air defence systems, according to an investigation by Conflict Armament Research (CAR).

Iran-backed Houthis are working towards building advanced ballistic missiles that could strike targets across Saudi Arabia and Israel, using components shipped from China, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The weapons under development appear to be modelled on Iran’s Kheibar Shekan, a precision-guided ballistic missile capable of manoeuvring to evade air defence systems, according to an investigation by Conflict Armament Research (CAR), a group that tracks weapons and their supply chains in conflict zones.

A missile based on the Iranian design could travel up to 1,200 miles, potentially bringing all of Saudi Arabia and Israel within striking distance.

The development comes as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have intensified in recent weeks, adding to tensions over a Riyadh-led blockade. The attacks, alongside Iran’s continued strikes on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, have contributed to rising oil prices and caused US President Donald Trump to accuse the Houthis of behaving “very badly” in a post on his Social Truth platform.

How Chinese Components Could Boost Houthi Missiles

The CAR report is based on information provided by Yemeni authorities in July after they intercepted two shipments the previous year. Missile-related equipment was concealed among other goods, the report said.

The seized material included custom-made metal components for the missile’s motor and airframe, as well as fins used to stabilise it during flight. Investigators also identified parts associated with a solid-propellant rocket motor from the Kheibar Shekan missile series.

Authorities seized testing equipment, tools and raw materials as well, including ablative material designed to protect parts of a missile from the extreme heat generated during flight.

Shipping documents shown to CAR identified a Chinese precision-metal manufacturer that advertises itself as a specialist in custom aerospace components. The report did not name the company.

Some of the imported components could have civilian applications. Others, however, were specifically designed for missile use, raising questions about how the equipment was sourced and supplied.

Why The Kheibar Shekan Is A More Dangerous Weapon

First unveiled in Tehran in 2022, the Kheibar Shekan is a relatively inexpensive, mobile precision-guided weapon. Its ability to change course and complicate interception makes it more difficult for air defence systems to stop than conventional ballistic missiles.

Henry Thompson, a former expert on the UN’s Yemen sanctions panel, said evidence suggests the Houthis have been importing components for solid-fuel ballistic missiles from China for at least two years.

With medium-range ballistic missiles, “the Houthis can reach deep into Saudi Arabia with a bigger payload than cruise missiles and drones,” he said. “They are going to be a more potent threat.”

China’s Growing Role In Houthi Supply Chains

The latest findings point to the expanding network of overseas suppliers supporting the Houthis’ weapons programme.

Chinese companies have become the largest source of seized goods destined for the group, according to UN reports and data collected by arms experts. The data also indicate that most suppliers of drone components sanctioned by the US for their links to the Houthis are based in China.

The Houthis, who are under a UN arms embargo and designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, have strengthened their commercial links with China and other suppliers in recent years.

The US last year accused a Chinese company of helping the group carry out attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/houthis-building-missiles-with-chinese-parts-israel-saudi-in-range-report-12186848?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

The stricter enforcement follows a cockpit attack by an Omani co-pilot aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026. The co-pilot allegedly attacked the Indian captain in an attempt to seize control of the aircraft.

Air France has barred Pakistani pilots and cabin crew from operating flights to and from Israel, as the country steps up enforcement of restrictions on airline staff holding citizenship of nations with which it has no diplomatic relations.

US carrier United Airlines and Czech airline Smartwings have also moved to comply with the rules, raising questions about how nationality-based restrictions could affect international airline operations.

The stricter enforcement follows a cockpit attack by an Omani co-pilot aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026. The co-pilot allegedly attacked the Indian captain in an attempt to seize control of the aircraft.

Oman is among the countries that do not have diplomatic ties with Israel.

Reports published on October 13 by French investigative outlet Mediapart and aviation intelligence company ch-aviation said Air France and United Airlines had informed their flight and cabin crew about the restrictions.

While Air France has confirmed it is complying with the Israeli requirements, United has incorporated them into its crew-planning procedures.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight Turned Back Over Pilot’s Nationality

The impact of the stricter enforcement became apparent on Tuesday, when Israeli authorities ordered an Ethiopian Airlines flight to turn back after identifying an Indonesian pilot on board.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the aircraft was about an hour into its journey and still in Ethiopian airspace when the order was issued.

The flight returned to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, where the pilot was replaced. The aircraft subsequently departed again and landed in Tel Aviv.

Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country, does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Its nationals are among those covered by the restrictions.

Ethiopian Airlines described the incident as a mistake, saying it had been unaware that the pilot was prohibited from operating flights to Israel.

Pakistan Among 31 Countries Covered By Restrictions

According to reports by Mediapart and Israeli media, the restrictions cover 31 Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Niger.

The rules apply to pilots and cabin crew who hold the nationality of the countries concerned, including those who possess dual citizenship.

Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety notified foreign airlines about the requirements on October 1, according to Israeli broadcaster N12.

Although the restrictions existed before the September 30 flydubai incident, they were reportedly not enforced as strictly. Israeli authorities largely relied on foreign airlines to ensure that crew members from restricted countries were not assigned to flights serving Israel.

The recent incidents appear to have prompted a tougher approach, with airlines now having to account for the rules when assigning staff to affected routes.

Air France Asks Crew To Disclose Second Nationality

Air France has informed employees about the new requirements and confirmed its compliance to Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera.

“Like all airlines, Air France is required to comply with the entry regulations established by the authorities of the countries it serves, both for its customers and employees,” the airline told Al Jazeera.

It also said employees concerned by the restrictions had been informed of the new regulations introduced by Israeli authorities for flights to Tel Aviv.

Mediapart reported that Air France had instructed employees to disclose any second nationality, warning that failing to do so could lead to disciplinary action.

The airline had initially considered asking crew members to voluntarily declare whether they fell under the restrictions. However, Alter, the union representing flight deck crew, opposed the proposal.

In a leaflet to its members, the union argued that the approach would amount to “discrimination based on nationality”.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pakistani-pilots-banned-from-air-france-flights-to-israel-after-flydubai-case-12186370?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Former ESPN producer Nicole Noren reveals why the network’s growing involvement in sports betting pushed her to leave after 24 years. Her family’s painful history with gambling addiction played a major role in her decision.

Nicole Noren has been working at ESPN for 24 years, developing her career in the realm of investigative journalism and documentary film making. However, as ESPN was expanding its scope of activities to include sports betting, Noren found herself facing not only a difficult dilemma in relation to her career but also a personal one. Having experienced the tragic consequences of her family members’ gambling problems for many years, Nicole finally made a decision to leave ESPN in July 2024. On October 14, 2026, she made her motives public.

Nicole Noren’s Family History Made ESPN’s Sports Betting Move Difficult To Accept

“I was out,” Noren told Columbia Journalism Review. “I’m not going to work for a gambling company and have blood on my hands.”

Her concerns were based on her personal experience. Noren explained that her grandfather, father, and one of her brothers became victims of sports gambling addiction. They were having financial difficulties and they had even to relocate due to financial issues.

Her brother passed away in Las Vegas at the age of 36 being homeless. Noren explained that she was taken by her family to sportsbooks as a child while her father gambled.

Her personal experience impacted her perception of ESPN’s increased engagement in betting. Also, she believed that the barrier between business interests and journalism weakened during the time.

When they tell you sports gambling is harmless: no it isn’t. Nicole Noren on why she left ESPN. https://t.co/NTb5nLGAa2

— Charles Arthur (@charlesarthur) October 14, 2026

According to Noren, she had submitted stories about gambling firms and addiction but these projects did not get approval as she had expected. Also, one program on the topic was not as critical as some individuals involved expected.

ESPN’s Sports Betting Approach Changed After It Partnered With Penn Entertainment

The transition of ESPN into sports betting grew more pronounced in August 2023 when ESPN signed a 10-year, $1.5 billion contract with Penn Entertainment, with ESPN BET debuting in November of that year, putting the ESPN’s name on its sportsbook.

The agreement would eventually fall through, with the dissolution going into effect on December 1, 2025, as ESPN began its multi-year deal with DraftKings, which went into effect on the same date.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/us/nfl/blood-on-my-hands-nicole-noren-reveals-why-she-walked-away-from-espn-after-24-years-12187262

The US Supreme Court again sided with Republicans on Wednesday in the latest clash over a new Federal Communications Commission policy that gives party committees access ​to discounted TV and radio advertising rates long available to political candidates.
The court agreed to let the FCC, which is chaired by Trump ‌ally Brendan Carr, avoid a judicially imposed deadline that would have forced the agency to rule on a Democratic challenge to the policy before the November 3 midterm elections. The FCC joined two Republican committees in filing a request to the Supreme Court to lift the lower court’s deadline.

The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson indicated ​they would have denied the request.
The FCC, which currently has a 2-1 Republican majority, modified its so-called “lowest unit charge” rule in March in a move ​seen as a boost to President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans. The president’s party is seeking to retain control of Congress in the ⁠November 3 midterms.
“We are pleased the Supreme Court has granted the FCC’s stay request. The court’s decision is right on the law and avoids the specter of upending ​the rules for political ads right in the middle of an ongoing election,” an FCC spokesperson said.

Chief Justice John Roberts had previously lifted the October 9 deadline that ​was given to the FCC by the Richmond-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The 4th Circuit has accused the FCC of repeated “delay tactics” in the case, and emphasized the need for an urgent ruling in the Democratic challenge given the looming election.
The Supreme Court’s latest action marks the second time in recent weeks that it has addressed the FCC’s policy, as major Republican ​committees head toward the midterms with a cash advantage over their Democratic counterparts.
In September, the court granted a request by the national Republican committees that support the party’s candidates ​in Senate and House of Representatives races to revive the policy after the 4th Circuit blocked it. The justices in an 8-1 ruling said that the Democratic candidates must wait for ‌the FCC ⁠to rule before filing a challenge in court.

The FCC policy at issue requires broadcasters to charge discounted rates for airing certain political advertisements within 60 days of a general election, a window that opened this year on September 4.
A group of Democratic candidates including Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia in April challenged the policy through in-house proceedings at the FCC. When the agency took no action, the Democrats successfully challenged the policy in the 4th Circuit, a ruling that was later halted by the Supreme ​Court.
The 4th Circuit on October 7 ordered ​the FCC to issue a prompt ⁠ruling on the Democratic in-house challenge, more than five months after it was filed. In its 2-1 ruling, the 4th Circuit said its “willingness to tolerate the FCC’s delay tactics is at an end.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us-supreme-court-again-backs-republicans-clash-over-political-ad-rates-2026-10-14/

A ​container ship and a dry bulk carrier have both sunk near the Strait of Hormuz in the past ‌24 hours after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents, maritime officials said on Wednesday.
Attacks around the waterway have surged over the past 10 days, with Iran saying it is stepping up strikes in response to the US blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions introduced last month.

The Singapore-flagged GFS Pride, ​a small container vessel with a capacity of 2,824 20-foot equivalent units (TEU), sank while sailing through the strait, according to ​maritime security sources.

“GFS PRIDE sustained damage and a fire on board, and has since sunk. All ⁠21 crew members were safely evacuated. No injuries have been reported,” the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a ​statement on Wednesday, adding that the vessel had been sailing through the strait on Tuesday.
In a separate incident, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged ​Cape Dao sank close to the strait, weeks after being struck by a projectile on September 23, data from UN shipping agency the International Maritime Organization showed on Wednesday.
One crew member was killed, the rest of the crew evacuated straight after the strike, maritime sources said.

Its UAE-based manager Peonies Shipmanagement ​FZE could not be immediately reached for comment.
The GFS Pride and Cape Dao are the second and third vessels to have ​sunk since the US-Iran war began on February 28, according to an analysis of IMO casualty data.
“MPA is deeply concerned about the continued attacks on ‌commercial shipping ⁠in the Strait of Hormuz,” the Singapore authority said.
“Such attacks are unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law.”
GFS Pride’s United Arab Emirates-based manager, GFS Ship Management FZE, could not be immediately reached for comment.
“The latest incidents reinforce the continuing threat to commercial shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” maritime risk management company MARISKS said on Wednesday.
“The threat is not confined to tankers, with container vessels ​and bulk carriers also sustaining ​serious damage.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/container-ship-sinks-near-hormuz-after-being-hit-by-projectile-sources-say-2026-10-14/

As Ukraine reported problems with Starlink satellite internet terminals ​and US data that warns of Russian ballistic missile attacks, Kyiv also faced the harsh reality that its European allies cannot offer ‌any ready-made alternatives.
Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday the functioning of Starlink’s military-grade service Starshield had been interrupted when terminals were moving at high speed, hampering Ukrainian drones for attack missions and air defence.

Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that, for the second night running, Ukraine had received no warning from its partners of a Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv.
The reasons for the difficulties were not ​immediately clear but followed another souring of relations between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine, after Trump announced a deal to waive sanctions on Russian diesel ​and called for Zelenskiy to be replaced.
Trump said on Tuesday that the US was still sharing intelligence with Ukraine. Elon Musk and ⁠his SpaceX company had no immediate comment on Ukraine’s assertions.
European countries have voiced strong support for Ukraine and Zelenskiy. But the problems with vital data highlighted that ​Ukraine and Europe depend heavily on US systems for both low-orbit satellite communications — provided by SpaceX via Starlink — and space-based infrared sensing that feeds into early-warning systems.

A US satellite ​constellation called the Space-Based Infrared System provides early missile warnings.
“That is fairly unique and … what basically that can detect is the heat generated by missiles as they’re launched,” said Marc DeVore, an associate fellow at think tank Chatham House. “There is nothing equivalent in Europe.”

NO SIMPLE STARLINK SWAP FOR UKRAINE, EUROPE

As for Starlink, Europe does not have a ready-made alternative that Ukrainian soldiers could ​attach to their drones, although European governments and companies are working on long-term options.
Shares in European satellite operator Eutelsat soared on Wednesday following news of Ukraine’s difficulties with ​Starshield, fuelled by investor bets that European providers could benefit from growing strains between Washington and Kyiv.

But Christian Freiherr von der Ropp, an independent satellite consultant, said Eutelsat’s OneWeb network was not ‌well suited ⁠to wartime use.

“Its current constellation remains rooted in an outdated architecture and technology conceived a decade ago, without any evolution of its underlying design,” he said.
“Capacity and performance constraints, combined with the cost, weight, bulk and power consumption of its user terminals, limit its suitability for frontline applications.”
A spokesperson for Eutelsat told Reuters that the company continued to provide connectivity services in Ukraine through its low Earth orbit and geostationary orbit networks with its partners. It declined to comment further “given the sensitive nature of ​the situation.”
Von der Ropp also said switching ​networks would require replacing thousands of ⁠terminals, as Starlink and Starshield terminals use proprietary technology and could not simply connect to OneWeb.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/ukraine-struggles-with-starlink-us-satellite-data-europe-has-no-quick-fix-2026-10-14/

Donald Trump said the Houthis are possibly trying to drive up oil prices ahead of US midterm elections, and threatened a response.

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that the Iran-backed Houthis are “behaving very badly,” adding that he “might” ask Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to intervene and support Saudi interests amid the raging conflict. Trump further alleged that the Houthis were deliberately attempting to drive up oil prices, possibly ahead of the US midterm elections.

“The Houthis are behaving very badly. I thought they learned their lesson a year ago when we bombed the HELL out of them and, at their request, stopped,” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“They’ve been silent for a long time, but now they’ve emerged again, probably at the behest of Iran, which is a Failing Nation, with No Navy, No Airforce, the World’s Worst Economy, and 301% Inflation, in a very nasty way, hitting Saudi Arabia, and purposefully trying to drive up Oil Prices, probably prior to the U.S. Elections — NOT NICE,” he wrote.

“Somebody should explain to them that I’m not running in the Elections, I’ve already won, IN A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE, but I’ll be there after the Elections, and I will never forget!” he added.

Trump told reporters that he “might” ask Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to intervene and support Saudi interests. “President Erdogan, I think, would do as I ask,” Trump said.

Trump’s remarks come amid a series of attacks between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Earlier today, the Saudi-led coalition targeted the Yemen Petroleum Company’s Sabah central station, a fuel depot on the outskirts of Sanaa, according to Houthi-run Al-Masirah television.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/trump-says-houthis-trying-to-drive-up-oil-prices-ahead-of-us-midterms-may-ask-erdogan-to-join-response-article-156333419

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s staff helped get her birthdate changed in public records once the Minnesota Democrat was elected to Congress in 2018, a switch that has since spurred frenzied accusations that she misrepresented her age to secure US citizenship.

The alteration could offer a big clue as to what federal immigration agents were searching for when they raided her DC home Monday: If the congresswoman is actually one year older than she’s claimed to be, that would mean she couldn’t have legally become a US citizen in 2000, critics contend.

Omar’s birthdate had been listed in the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library as Oct. 4, 1981, as well as on reference sites such as Wikipedia and in media outlets like the BBC, for the entire time she served in the state House and for several months into her congressional term.

But the congresswoman’s staff moved to shift the date forward by one year in May 2019 after a video from a political opponent went viral that claimed Omar was fibbing about her age, according to emails reviewed by The Post.

“On May 17, 2019, Library staff were informed by Rep. Omar’s congressional staff that her birth year was incorrect and requested that we change it to 1982,” wrote the director of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library in an email just days after the change was made.

“Rep. Omar’s congressional staff are working with Wikipedia and with the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress and other sources to correct her birth year on those sites. As of today, the birth year has not been corrected on the two sites I mentioned,” the director added in the May 24, 2019 email.

The legislative reference library director, who did not respond to a request for comment, said in another email that the initial 1981 birth year had been put down because it was “widely available—in Wikipedia and the Biographical Directory–and so we added that birthdate without documentation.”

Reps for the congresswoman’s office and Omar herself have repeatedly denied allegations of immigration fraud.

“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” Omar said in a Monday statement on X.

The Minnesota pol has long claimed that she received what’s known as derivative citizenship through her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, who she said became a naturalized citizen in 2000, five years after coming into the country from war-torn Somalia.

“I became a citizen actually before I turned 18,” she told The Intercept in a September 2018 interview. “My father became a citizen and so I got my citizenship through that process.”

AJ Kern, who came in a distant fourth against Omar in the 2022 House Democratic primary for Minnesota’s Fifth District, said in a phone call Tuesday that “she claims her citizenship narrative is that she derived citizenship through her father when she was a 17-year-old minor.”

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/13/us-news/rep-ilhan-omars-staff-got-her-birthdate-changed-officially-after-being-elected-to-congress-records/

The former child actor fatally mauled by a Siberian tiger at an English zoo struggled with serious mental-health issues, his “utterly devastated” family said Tuesday.

William Chapman’s family broke their silence in a statement issued three days after his gruesome death at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, asking authorities to help figure out why their 23-year-old loved one jumped into the tiger’s enclosure.

“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened,” the family told The Independent.

“William suffered from significant mental illness over a number of years and was consequently prescribed strong medication,” they added.

“The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their utmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did,” the statement continued.

Chapman was remembered by loved ones as “a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back.”

The disturbed man shared his own video to Instagram on Saturday minutes before his death as he walked up to Altai, a 420-pound Siberian tiger, after climbing into its enclosure.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/13/world-news/former-child-actor-mauled-to-death-by-tiger-had-significant-mental-illness-family-says/

Six Flags closed nine other roller coasters across six parks after a teacher plunged to his death on its Goliath ride in Georgia on Monday — and the company is saying only that the move comes “out of an abundance of caution.”

But the other roller coasters have a lot in common with the deadly Six Flags Over Georgia ride — they’re all high-speed “hypercoasters” built for extreme thrills. And nearly all were constructed by Swiss ridemaker Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M).

The shuttered rides are:

Sean “Diddy” Combs was rushed out of prison and sent to a New Jersey hospital after hitting his head on a bunk bed.

A source told Page Six that Combs smacked his head on the bunk above him, but added that he’s doing much better now.

The news comes after TMZ reported that the disgraced rapper was taken of federal prison Fort Dix on Sunday and taken to a nearby medical facility due to a medical emergency.

A source previously told TMZ the music mogul was taken from prison via ambulance Saturday at around 1 a.m. and treated for the non-life-threatening injury.

Combs, 56, was said to have been conscious and speaking following the alleged incident.

A rep for the Grammy winner told us, “We are aware of the reports concerning Sean Combs and are working to confirm the circumstances.”

“Sean’s health and well-being are our immediate concern,” the continued, “and we appreciate everyone who has reached out.”

Combs was convicted on two counts of transportation for prostitution and subsequently sentenced to 50 months in prison in July 2025 following highly publicized court proceedings.

He has repeatedly and vehemently denied accusations of wrongdoing.

In September, NBC News reported Combs was enjoying a “pampered” life in prison with four anonymous prisoners alleging the “I’ll Be Missing You” hitmaker had people cleaning and cooking for him.

The news outlet also reported Combs had access to “some rich s–t,” including premium liquor, antidepressants and a cellphone.

“This is not some normal s–t you see in jail,” the source divulged. “It looks crazy, but again, it’s Diddy.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/13/celebrity-news/sean-diddy-combs-head-injury-cause-revealed/

Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes have finally tied the knot — nearly four years after their romance scandal rocked “GMA3.”

According to a registered marriage license obtained by People on Tuesday, the couple exchanged vows in Arkansas in a private ceremony on Sept. 19 in Washington County.

The wedding took place a day after they applied for the license and was officially registered with the county clerk’s office on Tuesday.

Details about the couple’s nuptials were kept under wraps — so much so that even some of their closest confidantes didn’t know, Page Six can confirm.

A rep for the couple was not immediately available for comment.

Holmes and Robach enter the marriage as a blended family, each share two children with former partners.

Page Six confirmed Friday that the journalists had applied for a marriage license on Sept. 18 in Washington County, Arkansas.

Robach, 53, and Holmes, 49, announced their engagement in October 2025, taking to their “Amy & TJ” podcast to gush over the news.

“We are sharing with all of you that we are engaged and we’ve been engaged for just about a month now,” Robach said at the time, with Holmes adding, “We wanted to let you all know before anybody else was able to; we’ve learned that lesson, I guess, in the past about our relationship.”

He also noted that despite Robach publicly flaunting an engagement ring, “nobody said a word” about the not-so-subtle hint regarding their relationship status.

“I was in three massive football stadiums three weekends in a row, wearing my engagement ring very proudly, very excitedly, and kept waiting for somebody to point it out or ask me, ‘Hey, what’s that?’ And it never happened,” Robach shared, noting that perhaps they were being “polite” and “don’t want to pry.”

Holmes, meanwhile, insisted, “We haven’t been keeping it a secret, but nobody asked!”

The couple was subsequently spotted stepping out in New York City, with Robach displaying a large, sparkling gold jewel on her left hand.

In November 2022, the journalists’ months-long workplace romance was exposed, while Robach was still married to Andrew Shue and Holmes to Marilee Fiebig — who have since launched their own romance and moved in together after divorcing their former spouses.

Following the bombshell news, Holmes and Robach were ousted from ABC in January 2023. A network spokesperson told Page Six at the time it was “best for everyone” that they “move on” after the scandal.

They continued their romance and even launched their self-titled podcast in December 2023 as they looked ahead.

In May, Robach and Holmes teased a potential wedding date in May during an episode of “Bill and Giuliana: The Podcast.”

“We do,” Holmes told Giuliana Rancic when asked if they knew when the big moment would take place.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/13/celebrity-news/amy-robach-and-t-j-holmes-marry-in-private-arkansas-ceremony/

The family of a man who was killed by a tiger after he entered its enclosure at a wildlife park has paid tribute, describing him as “bright, warm and engaging”.

William Chapman, 23, visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on Saturday and was attacked after going into the animal’s pen. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement, his family said that he had suffered from “significant mental illness” over a number of years and had been prescribed “strong medication”.

His family added: “It will be for the coroner to decide what part this played in his death. We would ask everybody to respect that process.”

City of Doncaster Council has launched a health and safety investigation into Chapman’s death and the park remains closed.

“William was a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back,” a statement released on Tuesday evening said.

The family also asked for privacy, saying “the publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time”.

“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened,” the statement continued.

“The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their upmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did.”

A spokesperson for the South Yorkshire Police said Chapman’s family are being supported by specialist officers.

The incident, which took place shortly after 13:30 BST on Saturday, led to the evacuation and ongoing closure of the park.

An eyewitness described seeing Chapman wearing headphones and “pacing around” near the enclosure before he went in.

Mobile phone footage, believed to be from Chapman, appears to show the inside of the enclosure as he approaches the tiger across a patch of grass.

Chapman was a former pupil of the Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe.

“We loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer, during his time with us,” the school said in a tribute on Tuesday.

“It was a privilege to be part of his journey, and he will be remembered with great fondness by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck054nvzr676o

President Donald Trump’s administration has asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign from her position as US ambassador to Greece, according to White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia.

Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host, was facing mounting scrutiny over reports she allegedly asked a Trump donor to pay her hefty credit card bill in exchange for access to the administration and behaved inappropriately while in Athens.

Trump said on Tuesday that she had done a good job, but will “not be there” in Greece any longer. “I didn’t like what I read,” he said.

Guilfoyle vowed to defend herself, calling the claims false, and said the ambassadorship had been the “honour of a lifetime”.

Zacharia announced during her first – and unusually short – media briefing that Guilfoyle “had been asked to resign” without providing more details.

“She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well,” she said.

Guilfoyle, the 57-year-old ex-wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, was first nominated as envoy to Athens in December 2024, a month before Trump returned to the White House as president.

Around the same time, news broke that she had broken up with Donald Trump Jr, to whom she was engaged.

In a lengthy post on X on Tuesday, Guilfoyle thanked President Trump, said she would always be a loyal supporter and denied any wrongdoing.

“I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity,” she wrote, adding she will “not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service”.

Her position had become increasingly tenuous as allegations of improper behaviour mounted over the past week.

A series of text messages seen by the BBC – and first reported by The Wall Street Journal – appear to show Guilfoyle asking for the money from Eric Deters, a long-time Trump ally.

“It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” she wrote in one Signal message.

In another message – dated just days before her US Senate confirmation hearing last July – Guilfoyle wrote: “Honey please I need you to get this done for me today.”

Guilfoyle’s lawyers disputed the authenticity of the messages and said she was asking for money owed to her for speeches and consulting work conducted on behalf of Deters before she became ambassador.

Audio recordings obtained by the Wall Street Journal reportedly include Guilfoyle bragging about her connections to prominent Greek business tycoons who she said bankrolled luxury travel and flights on private jets.

According to the newspaper, she also boasted to an official in Athens that the US could topple the Greek government.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was pictured alongside Guilfoyle during a trip to Athens last week, also had reportedly become unhappy with the allegations.

Following the news that Guilfoyle was being asked to leave, Deters told the BBC that “it’s a great day for American diplomacy”.

Deters, who said he did not ultimately pay Guilfoyle, also said it was a “complete lie” that he owed her money for speaking and consulting fees and said he is planning to take legal action against her.

Guilfoyle was a longtime political ally of Trump’s and was for years in a relationship with Trump Jr. They became engaged in 2018 and broke up in late 2024.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5ynplvpg7lo

Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi OpenAI employee, was arrested over a hidden recording device in the company’s executive conference room.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi OpenAI employee, was arrested over installing a hidden recording device in the executive conference room. The Department of Justice announced the news of Alfozan’s arrest as FBI director Kash Patel reacted to the news.

“An employee of OpenAI, a super intelligence (SI), also known as artificial intelligence, company headquartered in San Francisco, has been arrested for and charged with using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications,” the DOJ statement read.

Patel reacted on X saying “FBI and partners arrested this individual after he allegedly concealed a recording device inside his employer’s executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company’s super intelligence tech – Thank you to @ODNIgov Jay Clayton @AGToddBlanche and our law enforcement partners for their support in this case. Investigation ongoing. Protecting American SI innovation is critically important and FBI views it as one of our highest counterintelligence priorities.”

A company source told Reuters that the missile struck the complex in the eastern Saudi city, damaging its top three floors.

Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco’s headquarters complex in Dhahran was hit by a ballistic missile, damaging an office tower and sparking a fire, as the conflict between the kingdom and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels escalated.

A company source told Reuters that the missile struck the complex in the eastern Saudi city, damaging its top three floors. The source and two other people familiar with the matter said the building caught fire.

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said on Wednesday that an administrative building belonging to Aramco had been attacked late on Tuesday, causing a “limited fire”. Authorities responded to the incident and took the necessary measures, it said, adding that there were no casualties.

Aramco employees were instructed to work from home on Wednesday, a direct source told Reuters.

Four Injured In Riyadh

Meanwhile, debris from two intercepted Houthi cruise missiles wounded four people in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Tuesday evening, the kingdom’s civil defence agency said. The injured included two women, a man and a child. Fifteen homes were also damaged.

The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted several missiles, including those over Riyadh. Residents received a mobile phone alert warning of a “hostile aerial threat”.

A witness told AFP he saw a projectile cross the sky above a shopping centre, leaving “a yellowish trail of light followed by a trail of smoke”. An explosion followed, he said.

Saudi Strikes Yemen Oil Sites

The attacks came after the Saudi-led coalition launched strikes on oil facilities in Yemen’s Sanaa, Dhamar and Saada provinces on Tuesday.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the targets were used to support Houthi operations threatening Saudi Arabia and key waterways.

The escalation follows a deadly strike on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday that killed 13 people and forced operations to be suspended.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/aramco-hq-complex-hit-in-dhahran-4-hurt-in-riyadh-as-saudi-houthi-fight-escalates-ws-l-10380756.html

OpenAI’s security team found the device late last month, and the employee, a Saudi national, was arrested on October 9, the US Justice Department said.

A Saudi employee of OpenAI was arrested after allegedly planting a recording device in one of the company’s San Francisco offices, the AI firm and federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

“We discovered a sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices” and “referred the matter to the FBI,” OpenAI told AFP in a statement.

OpenAI’s security team found the device late last month and the employee, Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested on October 9, the US Justice Department said.

Alfozan, a 35-year-old engineer who had worked for OpenAI since July 2025, allegedly wrapped a USB device in toilet paper and inserted it into a television located in an “executive conference room,” according to a Justice Department statement.

He was allegedly caught on camera “near” the conference room multiple times but was not authorized to participate in meetings located there.

He used a “productivity tool” to search for more information about OpenAI’s office buildings, meeting rooms, calendars, schedules and people’s locations, according to the statement.

A chatbot account connected to Alfozan’s spouse also allegedly contained queries related to remote audio recording and encrypting memory cards.

“This serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative,” Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said in the statement.

“The intelligence community remains committed to safeguarding America’s cutting-edge intellectual property from foreign threats,” Clayton added.

The arrest and allegations come amid a fierce global race to dominate in artificial intelligence, which the Trump administration has pushed to be rebranded as “superintelligence.”

Saudi Arabia’s state-backed AI firm Humain invested $3 billion in Elon Musk’s xAI shortly before the American billionaire’s space company, SpaceX, acquired the AI division in February.

Now known as SpaceXAI, the division announced last year that it was teaming up with Humain to build a 500-megawatt data center in Saudi Arabia.

 Multiple devices 

It was not immediately clear what, if any information the recording device was able to collect.

“At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data,” OpenAI told AFP in a statement.

A second device was found by OpenAI’s security team when they searched an unattended bag that belonged to Alfozan, according to the Justice Department.

Alfozan was caught on security footage from inside the restricted conference room where he appeared to look behind the television where the recording device had been placed, the Department said.

A LinkedIn account matching Alfozan’s name and resume show that he previously worked at Facebook-owner Meta, as well as an AI startup and a venture capital firm.

He was also a student at University of California at Berkeley and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/saudi-openai-engineer-abdulrahman-alfozan-arrested-for-allegedly-planting-recording-device-in-office-12181631?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Pope Leo XIV had a cancerous growth removed from his right lung in a 90-minute operation on Tuesday and “woke up normally” after the procedure, the Vatican said.

Pope Leo XIV had a cancerous growth removed from his right lung in a 90-minute operation on Tuesday and “woke up normally” after the procedure, the Vatican said.

A Vatican source said further tests were being carried out to determine if the cancer had spread.

“To ensure the procedure was radical, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed,” the Vatican said in a statement.

The operation “confirmed the diagnosis of a pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the pre-operative tests”, it said.

The pope was in the operating room for a total of three hours and the operation lasted half that time.

“The surgery was successful and there were no complications,” the Vatican said.

A Vatican source said he requested dinner after the procedure.

Leo had entered the hospital smiling and waving earlier on Tuesday hours before the surgery.

The Vatican has said it expects the pope to stay in his room on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli hospital to recover for several days.

His audiences have been cancelled until October 20 and the operation raises questions about whether the pope will go on a lengthy visit to Latin America next month.

“I will pray a lot”

The surgery marks the 71-year-old Leo’s first hospitalisation since he became head of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025.

In a surprise announcement following Angelus prayers on Sunday, Leo told crowds in St Peter’s Square that doctors had discovered a nodule “at a very early stage” during medical checks.

“The doctors believe it would be right to intervene,” he said.

The Vatican has historically been very secretive about the health of popes, but began to be more transparent during the illness of Leo’s predecessor Francis, an Argentine who freely discussed his ailments.

Ahead of the operation, people outside the hospital expressed concern over the pope’s condition.

Giorgia Fei, a 57-year-old Italian, said she had been worried.

“However, the Holy Father is in very good hands here at the hospital because we have some outstanding doctors,” she said.

“I will pray a lot for him.”

Giuseppe Purpura, 72, said he too was concerned.

“He’s still quite young and I really wasn’t expecting this. I thought he was in better health,” he said, noting that “thankfully it was caught in time.”

The Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, led a rosary prayer for the pope inside the hospital chapel which was broadcast by the Vatican. Dozens of people attended and Reina asked all the city’s parishes to join in.

The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, told ANSA news agency that Leo had been “very calm” about his condition when they met on Monday.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pope-leo-has-cancerous-growth-removed-in-lung-operation-12181560?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz as it seeks ​to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.
Tehran has tried to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz since the US ‌and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. It has restricted passage through the waterway, which carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war, in an effort to gain leverage over Washington.

Its threats and attacks have severely curtailed traffic through the strait, driving up oil prices, though some oil has continued to transit.
The two officials declined to provide details of the new strategy, but one said that Iran had started using different offensive tactics against vessels it considered in violation of its ​restrictions about 10 days ago, adding that this had led to an increase in attacks on such ships.
The strategy included a change in the type as well as the pace of attacks, with ​one goal being to influence the outcome of the US vote, they said.
“The aim is to frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring ⁠down global oil prices,” one of the two officials said.

The decision to adopt the new strategy had been taken at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership and was fully coordinated across the country’s ruling system, the officials ​said.

IRAN USING SPOTTERS

A US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Iran had changed tactics in one significant way: after the US destroyed much of Iran’s radar capabilities, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had started ​using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify potential targets, including US naval vessels, the official said.
Last week, in a previously unreported incident, the US military determined that Iranian spotters were operating from a dhow, calling in targets to the IRGC, the official said. US forces confronted the vessel, told its occupants to abandon ship and then destroyed it. There were no casualties, the US official said.

Unwilling to risk its remaining fast boats, Iran had been unable to prevent a ramp-up in oil exports through ​the strait, the official said, particularly after US strikes devastated its navy.
The war — and its $3 billion monthly price tag — has become a key issue on the US campaign trail for November’s midterm elections, which will decide control of ​Congress.
US President Donald Trump has been weighing next steps against Iran, but has said he will not attack again before the vote.
The US has meanwhile been pressing its own naval blockade of Iranian ports and extending sanctions as it tries to pile economic pressure ‌on Tehran to ⁠reach a deal to end the conflict.
The standoff over Hormuz has left global energy markets exposed to further disruption, with the threat of attacks and high shipping and insurance costs complicating efforts to restore normal traffic.

In recent days, attacks on commercial ships still sailing through the strait have surged to their highest level since the war began, according to independent data.
There have been at least five incidents in the past 48 hours involving tankers and other commercial ships around the Hormuz area, including drone strikes, according to data analysis from maritime security sources and incidents reported to British navy-affiliated agency United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
That approximately mirrored the rate of attacks on October 3-5, ​pointing to a new escalation, according to data from ​the UN shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization.
“There ⁠is a tempo increase in strikes, which looks deliberate,” one maritime security source said.

ATTACKS OVER AN EXPANDED AREA

As part of the new strategy, Tehran will also expand the geographical scope of its operations beyond the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman and waters further afield, the officials said.
Analysis by maritime security sources based on ​attacks reported to UKMTO and maritime security companies in the region suggest this may already be happening. They show Iran targeting ships in areas beyond the ​Strait of Hormuz, including waters off ⁠the coast of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, in recent days.
The second Iranian official added that Tehran would not allow Trump to bring down oil prices before the November elections.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-shifting-tactics-step-up-attacks-shipping-before-us-vote-officials-say-2026-10-14/

Taiwan has agreed to buy 30% of ‌the liquefied natural gas from a pipeline project in Alaska, US President Donald Trump told a rally in the state on Tuesday, but the deal terms were not immediately clear.
Taiwan has committed to investing $4.4 billion in the development of the pipeline, said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, ​who also appeared at the rally organized by the Republican National Committee.

Taiwan’s economy ministry, which is in charge ​of energy policy, had no immediate comment.
Asked about Trump’s comments, Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai told ⁠reporters that the government’s job is to “stabilize the entire energy supply and build its resilience, like governments everywhere.”
Trump’s remarks ​come after Taiwan officials said in February they would ramp up purchases of US natural gas to constitute about a ​third of the island’s imported supply this year, and reduce purchases from other countries.
Taiwan state energy firm CPC Corp signed an agreement with Alaska Gasline Development Corp last year to buy LNG and invest in the pipeline project. Alaska’s governor said last year that Taiwan signed a ​letter of intent to buy 6 million metric tons of LNG per annum from the project.

The investment would ensure Taiwan’s ​energy security, President Lai Ching-te said at the time. Trump’s comments did not make it clear whether a final deal had been ‌signed.

UP TO ⁠20 MILLION TONS OF LNG EXPORTS A YEAR

Last year, Taiwan Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an visited the site of the proposed LNG project in Alaska that the Trump administration has been pushing hard to allies in Asia as a supply option.
If built, the Alaska LNG project will export up to 20 million tons of the superchilled gas a year.
So far ​it has lined up agreements ​covering 13 million tons ⁠a year from buyers in Asia and French major TotalEnergies. It needs agreements for another 3 million tons and must turn them into binding deals in order to line ​up financing for the project.
It would open direct access for US-made LNG to Asian ​markets including Taiwan ⁠without having to go through the Panama Canal or around the Horn of Africa, reducing transit time and costs.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-says-taiwan-agrees-buy-30-gas-alaska-pipeline-2026-10-14/

A new warning about artificial intelligence from Anthropic caused a stir in cybersecurity circles on Tuesday, a ​day after the company warned that AI models could be months away from self-replicating across the internet.
In a post late Monday, Anthropic ‌raised the possibility that rogue AI could spin up a botnet, spread quickly, fight takedown attempts and even break into data centers to turbocharge its growth. Some experts said Tuesday that they shared the company’s concern, although at least one said the company appeared to be engaging in “vendor exaggeration.”

Monday’s post, fleshed out a warning last month from Anthropic CEO Dario ​Amodei, who floated, the idea that within the next year or even sooner, AI might be able to hijack “the entire internet” with “a persistent botnet.”
Cybersecurity experts ​who pushed back on the doomsday scenario argued that models would be too big to move around efficiently and ⁠could not draw on enough computer power to operate independently.
The post made an early attempt to articulate how those challenges could be overcome. The company said ​its experiments showed medium-sized AI models with 30 billion parameters or less could already perform many of the individual tasks required for self-replication, even if they struggled ​to complete the entire process reliably.

Anthropic said the models could then stitch together the required compute by hijacking inexpensive internet-connected devices. It added that the models were able to replicate across a simplified test network.
“A replicator like this would be challenging to shut down, since there’s no centralized point to shut off,” the company said.
The report adds to broader concerns ​about the security risks tied to increasingly capable AI systems, including their potential to automate cyberattacks, operate with limited human oversight and circumvent safeguards.
The advances ​in models have prompted a series of often dire warnings from industry heads and AI company employees about the possibility of severe, even existential, risks of runaway AI development.
Some cybersecurity ‌experts were ⁠skeptical.
“‘We managed to run a small model on cheap TVs,’ does not a security crisis make,” said Ciaran Martin, a former head of Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre. He said the post came across as an “interesting technical paper with a more than hint of vendor exaggeration.”

Others expressed more concern.
Zhengxiong Li, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Colorado Denver, said that while the testing had been done in controlled conditions, he still found it ​worrying that an AI could effectively become ​a “worm,” a self-replicating program that could ⁠improvise ways to hijack devices on the fly.
“If it runs across many devices without depending on a central service, there may be no single place to shut it down,” he said.
Anthropic said that if smaller models continue improving at ​their historical rate, they could reach the capability required for autonomous replication by the end of 2026. It also ​floated the idea ⁠that the models might find ways to target more powerful computing resources, including data-center processors, that could potentially enable them to draw on much bigger pools of computer power.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/ai-models-may-soon-self-replicate-without-access-data-centers-anthropic-warns-2026-10-13/

A dozen US senators, including six Republicans, called on President Donald Trump on Tuesday to rescind his diesel ‌deal with Russia, days before his administration must decide whether to formally impose new sanctions on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
The lawmakers’ letter to Trump said the agreement provides Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government with more fuel to finance its war, and will not benefit Americans, adding to a torrent of congressional criticism since Trump announced the deal on Friday.

The ​resistance marks a shift from what had been Republicans’ near-unanimous support for Trump’s foreign policy decisions, weeks before November 3 midterm elections that ​will determine whether the party retains control of Congress.
In his post, Trump said he was lifting sanctions on ⁠Russian diesel exports, and that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons (2.25 million barrels) of diesel to US and global markets.
​Although Trump said he wanted to reduce prices, the amount he referenced is less than a day’s supply for the US transport sector alone, according to ​US Energy Information Administration data, which shows daily use of around 2.94 million barrels per day.

“Granting Moscow the ability to sell Russian diesel freely in global markets damages American security interests and is a betrayal of the people of Ukraine, who continue to defend themselves from Putin’s murderous, illegal war,” the lawmakers said in their letter.
“This deal ​is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies; it should be rescinded,” they said.
The senators’ letter, dated Tuesday, was signed ​by Republicans Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and John Cornyn ‌of Texas, ⁠as well as six Democrats.

GRAHAM SANCTIONS BILL DEADLINE LOOMS

Under a law Trump signed last month, he faces an October 18 deadline to impose sweeping new sanctions and tariffs on Russian energy over the Ukraine war, or waive them because he has determined that doing so is in the national interest.

The letter urged Trump to execute the sanctions authorities included in the new law, called the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026”, in ​honor of the late senator, a ​Russia hawk and close Trump ⁠ally who died in July.
The administration has not yet told lawmakers whether it would impose the sanctions or issue a waiver.
Collins, Murkowski and Tillis had joined Democrats in a joint statement on Sunday calling on Trump to “reverse ​course” on the deal, saying it runs counter to US law barring imports of energy until Russia ends ​its aggression against Ukraine.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/gift-our-adversary-more-republicans-balk-trumps-russia-diesel-deal-2026-10-13/

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington was still sharing intelligence with Ukraine, even as Kyiv reported new Russian missile attacks that came without usual warnings and accused Russia ​of violating an energy truce the US president announced at the weekend.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian forces attacked Kyiv on Tuesday with ballistic missiles, targeting a thermal power plant, ‌and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a strike on a high-rise apartment building killed two people.

“Once again, no advance warning from our partners,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram without explaining why no warning was given.
“According to our intelligence, the Russians are preparing further ballistic missile launches,” he said, adding that the attacks showed Russia did not feel bound by Trump’s energy ceasefire.
Trump on Sunday announced a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, but the warring sides have not confirmed the truce.
Zelenskiy has come under pressure ​from Trump to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries after the US president eased sanctions on Russian diesel exports, arguing the move would help lower fuel prices ahead of next month’s midterm ​elections.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said Washington continued to share intelligence with Ukraine and was working with both Kyiv and Moscow to end the war. “We are ⁠helping them, and we are sharing intel,” he said.
Kyiv relies heavily on US intelligence for early warnings of missile strikes and for its own targeting of Russian military sites, experts and officials say.
Trump was asked ​whether Russia had violated the ceasefire and answered: “I’ll let you know about that later.”
Asked if Russia could use proceeds from the diesel deal to purchase more bombs, Trump sidestepped the question. “That’s a diesel deal, not for ​us. That’s being released into the world. That’s not being released to us.”

ZELENSKIY SAYS SANCTIONS RELIEF WON’T LOWER US PRICES

Zelenskiy told NPR in an interview that US intelligence sharing had not stopped, but his generals had been warned that it might be.

“My generals told me that on the level of military people, they’ve got this information,” he said.
NPR said Zelenskiy was careful to avoid direct criticism of Trump, but he did say the decision on diesel sanctions would not affect prices in ​the United States.
“I’m sure … because the volume is not enough,” Zelenskiy said, according to excerpts broadcast by NPR. “But it’s quite enough for Russia to spend more … more money, much money, on the war,” he added.
Zelenskiy ​said Ukraine had not targeted Russian refineries since Trump’s announcement on Sunday.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine was still receiving US military intelligence and attributed the delay to the type of weapon Russia had used.
As Ukraine fights a larger, richer and ‌better-equipped enemy, Kyiv has ⁠seen strikes on Russian oil refineries as one of its few instruments to reduce Moscow’s ability to fight.

Yet Trump has repeatedly blamed Ukrainian attacks – which prompted Moscow to suspend diesel exports – for a sharp rise in US fuel prices this year, a headache for his Republican Party ahead of the congressional midterm elections in three weeks.
Most analysts say the US war in Iran has had a far greater impact on the price rise, a view echoed by Zelenskiy to NPR.
“Everybody understands that,” he said.
Russia struck six Ukrainian energy sites on Monday.
A Kremlin spokesman, asked about the energy ceasefire, would only say that contacts were ongoing, but declined to provide any further details.
In his nightly video address posted ​on X, Zelenskiy said he had sent proposals to ​US officials with a view to new ⁠meetings in coming days with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on ways to resolve the conflict.
He said Ukraine supported Trump’s announcement of an energy truce provided that Russia observed it.
“We need to work for peace, we need to look for ways to do the proper actions. Ukraine is ready for meetings,” he ​said.
Earlier, Zelenskiy reiterated Ukraine’s position, saying that Kyiv was ready for reciprocal steps to de-escalate, calling on partners to pressure Russia.
A Ukrainian delegation held talks ​in the United States last week ⁠and people familiar with the meeting said Witkoff and Kushner told them that a deal to allow Russian diesel exports was part of a bid to draw Russia back to negotiations.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-hits-no-energy-targets-ukraine-first-time-since-trumps-truce-2026-10-13/

Legendary singer Dionne Warwick made the difficult decision to cancel a weekend performance at Carnegie Hall due to mobility issues with her leg and foot.

The five-time Grammy winner was slated to appear Sunday at the Deborah Silver & Fabulous Friends: Voices for ALS charity benefit at Zankel Hall in New York City.

“I’m sorry to have had to cancel the chance to see you all at Carnegie,” Warwick, 85, said in a statement to Page Six. “My leg and foot would not allow me to stand nor walk at the moment.”

“Due to the pain, I just couldn’t do anything other than cancel my appearance this time, as I focus on rest and recovering from it.”

Warwick asked for understanding and grace, as “only the pain and inability to stand or walk is the reason for my absence.”

Warwick has graced the stage at Carnegie Hall several times over the course of her historic career.

The “That’s What Friends Are For” artist revealed in September 2025 that she underwent surgery on her leg due to “unbearable” pain, but assured her fans she was doing well in recovery at the time.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/12/celebrity-news/dionne-warwick-85-cancels-carnegie-hall-performance-due-to-severe-pain/?_gl=1*sw6aft*_gcl_au*MTA2NDczMTkzNS4xNzg3MTA3MTIx*_ga*MTg2NjYyMzM1MC4xNzczODEwMTg2*_ga_0DZ7LHF5PZ*czE3OTE4NTg2NzEkbzMwNSRnMSR0MTc5MTg2MDEzMCRqNTAkbDAkaDA

Selma Blair was released on bail following her alleged violent outburst aboard a Delta flight, an incident her attorneys claim was sparked in part by missing her medication.

The “Legally Blonde” star, 54, entered a not guilty plea Monday night after being charged with two counts of second-degree assault following a series of alleged attacks on a flight attendant, a Port Authority police officer and a hospital nurse.

She is facing two to seven years behind bars if convicted.

Blair appeared before Judge Indira Khan, who set bail at $20,000 cash, $60,000 bond or a $60,000 partially secured bond, Page Six has learned.

Blair is represented by defense attorneys Shawn Barnes and Joshua Reitzas.

Her case was adjourned until Jan. 19, 2027, and the judge granted an order of protection to the hospital nurse Blair allegedly assaulted.

Blair appeared emotional during her arraignment, with Reitzas wiping tears from her face.

Barnes said Blair had missed her medication prescribed to treat her multiple sclerosis and had also fallen and hit her head.

Barnes added she boarded the flight after being on set and working “extensive hours and exhaustive hours” in the days leading up to the trip.

“These factors coupled with the altitude, resulted in a state of severe confusion and disorientation,” Barnes said.

“This was not an intentional assault,” he continued.

Reitzas also asked the judge to consider Blair’s body of work, claiming she is “the gold standard.”

The judge replied, “Ms. Blair should not get special treatment because she is a celebrity.”

The actress was arrested Sunday after allegedly punching one flight attendant and biting another while traveling from Los Angeles to New York City, Page Six previously reported.

The incident unfolded aboard a Delta flight arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport, where law enforcement officers were waiting when the plane landed.

Blair was restrained aboard the aircraft and taken into custody after landing. She was subsequently transported by ambulance to a hospital for evaluation.

While en route, Blair allegedly repeatedly kicked a Port Authority police officer in the head. Once at the hospital, she allegedly assaulted a nurse, who later pressed charges.

Blair faces federal assault allegations related to the alleged in-flight incident, in addition to the two state assault charges stemming from the alleged attacks on the officer and nurse.

A representative for the actress told Page Six that Blair experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct.

“Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition,” the representative said.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/12/celebrity-news/selma-blair-released-from-jail-faces-7-years-in-prison-for-airplane-incident/

DEATH row inmate Christa Pike is back in prison and reportedly using her tablet 10 days after her botched execution.

Pike, 50, was left on a ventilator for several days before she woke up after surviving two rounds of the lethal injection.

She was set to be the first woman in Tennessee to be executed in over 200 years on September 30, but she was rushed to the hospital after she survived two full doses of pentobarbital.

She was unconscious for nearly a week before she woke up disoriented, asking first “Where am I?” and “Who are you?”

The convicted killer was discharged from the hospital on Saturday and returned to the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, where she has been held for the last 30 years.

At 12:14am on Saturday, Pike reportedly sent a text message on the tablet she uses in prison.

“I’m at the prison. I love you so much!” she wrote, according to a photo obtained by NewsNation’s Brian Entin.

Who Pike sent the message to was not immediately clear.

Pike’s legal team said she is receiving medical care at the prison.

“She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances,” her attorneys said in a statement on Saturday.

Pike sat on death row for three decades for the murder of her 19-year-old classmate Colleen Slemmer.

In 1995, she lured Slemmer to a wooded area on the University of Tennessee’s Agricultural campus before she and her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, tortured and beat her.

Shipp then carved a satanic pentagram into Slemmer’s forehead and chest, and Pike bludgeoned her to death with a chunk of asphalt before taking part of her skull as a souvenir.

Shipp remains in prison on a life sentence, where he will be up for parole again in 2031, and their friend Shadolla Peterson, who reportedly acted as a lookout, pleaded guilty to being an accessory and has since built a career in the beauty industry, The U.S. Sun previously revealed.

What happens to Pike next remains uncertain, as there is a chance she could face a second execution.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has pressed pause on all remaining executions in the state for 2026 and has called for a full review of Pike’s failed attempt.

The inmate’s health could play a major role in whether the state tries to execute Pike again, Dr Joe Zivot, a medical advisor on Pike’s case, told The Sun.

Zivot explained if she “returns to her normal neurologic self,” such as knowing who and where she is and what she’s done, then she “certainly faces the prospect of another attempt at executing her.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17134110/christa-pike-text-returned-prison-failed-execution/

A TRAUMATIC 911 call revealed the horrific scene where a 19-year-old college student was bludgeoned to death with a Bacardi rum bottle in her off-campus apartment in 2012.

On the morning of September 7, 2012, Karena Rosario returned home to find her roommate Faith Hedgepeth, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina, hanging from her bed, bloody and unconscious.

“I just walked into my apartment, and my friend is like, unconscious. There’s blood everywhere. I don’t know what happened,”a distraught Rosario is heard telling a police operator.

“When you touch her, how does she feel? Does she feel warm?” the operator asked Rosario as she tries to calm her down.

“No, she feels cold,” Rosario responded.

The scene was as gruesome as the crime, blood splattered everywhere, a blood-covered Bacardi bottle found near Hedgepeth’s body, and a fast-food paper bag where the suspected killer wrote, “I’m not stupid b***h jealous.”

Hedgepeth was partially nude, her shirt covering her face and suffering from severe blunt force trauma.

Investigators recovered extensive DNA throughout the bedroom, including on the Bacardi rum bottle and a second bottle found at the scene, inside the victim’s body and on her boxer shorts.

But for nearly a decade, Chapel Hill police were unable to match the single male DNA until a breakthrough came in late 2020, when investigators turned to genetic genealogy.

Using the forensic technology, authorities built a family tree that linked them to Miguel Salguero-Olivares, a complete stranger with no ties to Hedgepeth but who lived in the area at the time of the murder, prosecutors said.

Authorities recovered DNA from Salguero-Olivares, now 33, when he was pulled over for suspicion of driving while impaired in August 2021.

Salguero-Olivares’ DNA matched the DNA recovered from Hedgepeth’s boxer shorts, on the fast-food paper bag, and the left palm print recovered from the Bacardi bottle used to beat the victim, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Salguero-Olivares killed and sexually assaulted Hedgepeth in “a fit of rage.”

“He didn’t do this to her because of who she was, he did it because of who he is,” Durham Assistant District Attorney Angela Garcia-Lamarca said in her opening statements of Salguero-Olivares trial.

“He crept into her apartment, under the cover of darkness, he walked past the kitchen, took two bottles off the counter: the Bacardi bottle and the blue Riesling bottle.

“He dropped the blue Riesling bottle on the floor and used the Bacardi rum bottle to come down on her head.

“She didn’t even have a chance to get up and he did it again and again.”

James Rainsford, Salguero-Olivares’ defense attorney, refuted the prosecution’s claim that the defendant and Hedgepeth were complete strangers.

Rainsford argued that the DNA evidence found on Hedgepeth was from a previous consensual encounter.

“The state has repeatedly said, ‘Well, they didn’t know each other at all. They were complete strangers.’ Prove it. That’s just a throwaway statement,” Rainsford said in his opening statements.

Rainsford also suggested to the jury that the actual killer was Hedgepeth’s roommate, Rosario.

Rosario recounted to the jury the moment she discovered her roommate’s body in an emotional testimony.

“I walked in. The comforter was off the bed. It looked like it was pushed over to the left side, like on the floor” Rosario said of the harrowing morning.

“And I just saw a couple slick spots of blood. I walked around the bed and I saw her hair and I pulled the comforter down, and I saw that she had a black eye and she wasn’t wearing anything from the waist down.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17135096/faith-hedgepeth-911-call-murder-unc/

FORT HOOD mass shooter Nidal Hasan could be strapped to a chair with a target pinned over his heart before a military firing squad takes aim in his historic execution.

The paralyzed gunman, who killed 13 people in the 2009 massacre, is due to die on December 3 in what could be the first ever livestreamed execution and the first US military execution in more than 65 years.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is pushing for the execution to be made public, while President Donald Trump has said he alone will make the final decision.

The announcement has sparked fears it will create a sick spectacle that could inflame tensions with potential terrorists, with even JD Vance telling reporters, “If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not ​going to be watching it.”

Hasan’s looming death also comes amid fresh scrutiny over execution methods after Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike survived two rounds of lethal injection, leaving her critically ill in the hospital before she was eventually returned to prison.

Death penalty expert Professor Corinna Barrett Lain has warned “there will be blood splattering” when the triggers are pulled for Hasan, as she revealed the gruesome mechanics of the procedure and what could happen if it goes wrong.

She also described a chilling 15-second gray zone after the bullets strike, when Hasan’s heart may still be beating and it could be impossible to know whether he remains conscious.

Lain exclusively told The U.S. Sun the shooters will likely aim for 39-year-old Hasan’s heart.

She said, “Oftentimes, based on what we know and current experience, they’ll be wearing a dark shirt and they’ll have a target actually pinned to their heart.

“And the idea is that the shooters will aim for the heart for the quickest death possible.”

She added, “The thing about the firing squad is that whether you’re firing a blank or whether you’re firing a bullet, you are part of a line of people that as soon as you pull a trigger, there will be blood splattering and a person will die.”

The heart is targeted because catastrophic damage can cause blood pressure to collapse and cut blood flow to the brain.

But death may not be instantaneous, with Lain pointing to the case of John Deering, who faced a firing squad in Utah.

Deering volunteered to have his heart monitored, with readings showing it continued beating after he was shot.

Lain said, “I think the heart had stopped in maybe 13 or 15 seconds, something like that. So one would expect it to be very quick.

“What happens in those seconds, who’s to say? They might immediately fall unconscious, they might not.”

Deering was executed almost 90 years ago and firearms have advanced since then, although the Army has yet to reveal what weapons or ammunition will be used to shoot Hasan.

Lain, a former training sergeant in the US Army and author of Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection, said Hasan’s paralysis could also affect how he is positioned.

Hasan has used a wheelchair since he was shot during the Fort Hood attack, and Lain said, “They could place him in a chair. It’ll take a little more finagling than if he were walking in and sitting down and being strapped down.”

The Army is still developing the procedure it will use for Hasan, with current military execution rules providing for lethal injection rather than a firing squad.

Lain said, “I looked up the Army regulation on military executions and firing squad’s not there at all. It actually provides for lethal injection. So I think we’re completely off grid.”

One question is whether any of the shooters will be given blank cartridges, historically used so those carrying out a firing squad may not know who fired the fatal shots.

But Lain, who trained with the M16A1 rifle, said, “I knew the difference when I was shooting a blank and when I wasn’t.

“And most military people I have talked to have said the exact same thing.

“So I’m not entirely sure that it serves the purpose that it is designed to.”

Even with a target over the heart, firing squads do not always hit their intended mark.

Lain pointed to the April 2025 execution of Mikal Mahdi in South Carolina, which his lawyers claimed was botched after the shots failed to directly strike his heart.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17134657/nidal-hasan-firing-squad-execution-livestream/

It was a journey at high speed through the desert – in a pick-up truck with armed fighters in the back. We were travelling with Yemen’s pro-government forces, catching glimpses of the Arabian Sea, and forbidding mountain peaks in the distance. Houthi rebels were dislodged from here just days ago, we were told.

When you are battling over expanses of empty desert, progress can be hard to see. But these soldiers, in Shaab-al-Jinn in Lahj governorate, showed us new sandbagged defences – new lines in the sand.

“There was heavy fighting,” said Tawfiq Al Haboun, a bearded commander in camouflage uniform.

“They have snipers, artillery and ballistic missile launchers.”

Here in the far corners of the Middle East, a war is being waged with global implications.

Yemen’s entrenched civil war is now impossible to ignore. It’s part of a wider conflict, stretching from Tehran to Riyadh, where missiles slammed into the international airport this weekend. Yemen’s Houthi fighters – already a threat to global shipping – are an increasing threat to Saudi Arabia. And they provide leverage for their backers in Iran, Saudi’s regional rival.

Tawfiq Al Haboun pointed to shards of fibre glass and bits of metal at his feet – part of a downed Houthi drone that he said was carrying C4 explosives.

Commander Al Haboun is from the Southern Forces, part of the loose – very loose – alliance of groups fighting for Yemen’s government, which is internationally recognised, and backed by Saudi Arabia and its air strikes.

The Houthis swept into the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, ousting the government. A year later a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states intervened, trying to dislodge the Houthis. Despite years of devastating air strikes, that hasn’t worked.

The commander tells us about 500 Houthi fighters remain on high ground overlooking a strategic maritime corridor – Bab al-Mandab – connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

The narrow waterway, which is crucial for oil exports, was just out of sight on our trip.

The Houthis seized the area after a lightning advance in September. The commander claims pro-government forces have wrested back about 85% (the Houthis have denied losing territory in other areas but not here, as far as our local sources know).

Until they regain complete control, there will be pressure on global oil supplies and on prices.

We heard later that there were heavy clashes the day of our visit. Five military vehicles apparently hit improvised explosive devices planted by the Houthis. It’s unclear how many fighters were killed or injured.

As jitters run through international energy markets, hunger menaces weary Yemenis forced to flee this latest spasm of violence.

Around 200,000 have been driven from their homes since the start of this escalation at the beginning of September, according to the International Organization for Migration – all this in the Arab world’s poorest country.

As we left the area, we saw a tableau of suffering with families dotted around seeking shelter under scrawny trees. Among one group of women and children we met Aisha, gaunt and elderly and sitting on the ground.

She fled in fear from her home in the Kahboob mountains – an area which has been hit by Houthi drone strikes.

“We have been here for 30 days,” she told me.

“I have no animals, no money, no water, no food, not even a blanket… we had to run, with just the clothes on our backs.”

At the weekend it was Saudi civilians at the international airport in Riyadh who were doing the running. The Houthi attack – the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade – sent shockwaves around the region and punctured the kingdom’s sense of security.

But in operating rooms in Yemen’s port city of Aden, geopolitics feels remote. Hospitals are overstretched and doctors are working night and day to treat wounded government fighters coming from the front lines.

We visited one military hospital where 51 casualties arrived in a single day – many with gunshot wounds, and several needing amputations.

In a crowded ward, a Houthi fighter lay alongside fighters from the other side. Doctors tell us they make no distinctions.

“I don’t care where he comes from, his background or his religion. He is a human being so I should treat him as a human being, “said Dr Bassam Hazar.

Even if the war ends, some will never leave it behind. One man was sitting silently on his bed, a white bandage wrapped around the stump of his left arm, and staples running along his crown.

Others have not lost their fighting spirit, like Ahmed Ali Mahmoud who is smiling and animated, despite multiple fractures.

“I am not waiting to be fully recovered,” he tells us.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5m2dn7zz4nyo

One person has died and several others were injured after an incident on a rollercoaster at an amusement park in the state of Georgia.

The Cobb County Police Department said it was investigating the fatality at Six Flags Over Georgia, about 15 miles (24km) from Atlanta, according to the BBC’s news partner CBS.

Police did not specify what ride was involved, but aerial footage from news helicopters showed the Goliath rollercoaster stopped midway, with riders being helped off by workers.

Six Flags Over Georgia said it was “deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest’s family, friends, and loved ones.”

Officials have not said how the person was killed. The BBC has contacted local police and fire authorities, as well as park officials.

Witnesses told local media they saw a man ejected from the ride, accounts that the BBC has not verified.

Local outlet 11Alive quoted a witness saying the man fell from the rollercoaster on to the roof of a haunted house attraction.

A park spokesperson said in a statement that its team and local authorities had responded immediately, and they were co-operating on an investigation into the incident.

Mableton Mayor Michael Owens said the city’s public safety director was co-ordinating with local police and park security on the situation.

The Goliath ride opened in 2006, and it has an elevation of 200ft (60m), a 170ft plunge, a 540-degree spiral, and a speed of up to 70mph (112km/h), according to the park website. On its “thrill scale”, Six Flags ranks Goliath at level four out of five.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6n4ejx8x1z7o

“Water! Water!” the crowd shouted as it stormed a compound with data centres, armed with empty plastic bottles and jerry cans.

There were about 300 of them, all residents on the Indonesian island of Batam, and they were furious that the taps at home had run dry, while the data centres in the new Nongsa Digital Park seemed to have enough water to protect their machines from overheating.

“Not a single drop has come through our taps for the last three months… Our water supply had been reliable until the data centres came,” Dewi Susanti, one of the protesters, told the BBC.

People in her village, Bakau Serip, were now depending on tanker trucks that dispensed “dirty, cloudy and smelly” water, she said.

Batam’s water utility told the BBC it was working to improve supply, but did not comment on whether the disruption was linked to demand from the data centres.

But BP Batam, the agency overseeing trade and industry, blamed it on a prolonged dry spell and denied allegations from locals that water meant for homes was being channelled to data centres.

This is not the first such protest in Batam, whose shrinking reservoirs find themselves under more pressure as the island tries to transform itself into a digital hub.

Following protests in August and September, authorities told the firms opening data centres in Batam that they must build their own desalination plants instead of relying on reservoirs for freshwater.

But locals say they are increasingly concerned that they must now compete with servers for water.

“Reliable data on data centre water use in Indonesia remains scarce, partly because companies treat it as proprietary information,” says Agus Hasan, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

“We should build [data centres] rationally, transparently, and responsibly, and insist on seeing the numbers… [Otherwise] those kept in the dark while their taps run dry will push back, and rightly so,” he adds.

A backlash has been building against data centres across the world, from the US to the UK to parts of Asia, as tech companies pour billions into AI infrastructure.

People are worried about how the huge, windowless buildings might change their neighbourhoods, the constant hum of machines, the security lights that could stay on all night, and the pressure this puts on water and energy resources.

While electricity powers the centres, the water keeps the servers from frying – engineers deploy elaborate cooling systems, which consume a lot of water.

Research in the US suggests a typical data centre consumes around 300,000 gallons of water a day, or about as much as 1,000 US households. A larger, 50MW facility could take as much water as 2,200 households per day, and enough electricity to power 22,000 homes, according to Malaysia’s central bank.

It’s unclear how much water or electricity the data centres in Batam are consuming.

But the island routinely faces water shortages, and the levels are worse this year, possibly because of a historic “super” El Niño.

Devoid of natural freshwater sources, Batam’s 1.3 million people rely on rainwater collected in six artificial reservoirs.

Nongsa reservoir, which supplies water to Bakau Serip, where Dewi lives, would dry up over the next month with no rainfall, simulations by local environmental non-profit group Akar Bhumi Indonesia suggest.

“The water shortage is affecting our livelihoods… Money that should be used to buy rice is now spent on water drums,” Dewi says. “My husband has to wait up overnight to get water, and then go straight to work the next morning.”

Batam’s water utility had earlier said that it would consider measures like cloud seeding should the water shortage continue. When asked about the recent protests, they pointed us to earlier statements.

Authorities in Batam have approved 10 data centres, six of which will be located in Nongsa Digital Park. Two are up and running, while a third is under construction. At least six more are currently under review for approval, BP Batam told the BBC.

Official figures put investment in data centres on the island at more than $6.7bn (£5.1bn) as of mid-2026, spurred in part by demand from Singapore, which is just an hour away by ferry.

Singapore paused construction of data centres in 2019, citing land and energy constraints. It lifted the ban in 2022 after introducing new efficiency standards, which prompted investors to look elsewhere.

Singapore has long been promoting the Riau Islands, which includes Batam, and the Malaysian state of Johor as “complementary” regions.

Quick to absorb the spillover, Johor approved data centre projects worth tens of billions. But this soon drew the ire of residents frustrated with noise, dust and water shortages. The state has since tried to regulate how much water and electricity data centres consume.

Across the strait, Batam is just as attractive to investors – from the US, China, Australia, Singapore – because of relatively low operating costs, proximity to Singapore and connections to major subsea cable routes.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqj6j7wlxd5eo

Iran is still reviewing a US response to its proposal regarding the reopening ​of the Strait of Hormuz and will reply to ‌Washington via intermediaries when the review is over, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
Baghaei also told a press conference that Iran continues ​to exchange messages via intermediaries, without elaborating. Qatar and ​Pakistan, among others, have acted as mediators in efforts ⁠to end the war that began with US and Israeli strikes ​on Iran on February 28.

After a June interim ceasefire crumbled and on-off ​strikes resumed, Iran presented its proposal in mid-September and later confirmed receipt of a US response. But the process has since stalled, with Iran’s security ​chief saying on Sunday that Washington’s response did not sufficiently ​address Tehran’s seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and returning to negotiations.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-says-it-will-reply-us-response-hormuz-proposal-once-review-over-2026-10-12/

Russia hit at least six energy targets during deadly airstrikes across Ukraine, showing it had no interest in an energy ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday.
Under pressure ​over high energy prices ahead of US midterm elections next month, Trump blindsided Kyiv and its European allies over the weekend by declaring that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not ‌to hit each other’s energy systems.

“It is increasingly evident that Russia is unwilling to accept an energy ceasefire proposed by the United States and intends to continue its terrorist air attacks against our people and communities,” Zelenskiy said on X.
“This is what happens when Russia sees the prospect of higher revenues for its war machine.”
In earlier comments by video link to a conference in Poland, Zelenskiy identified two of the targets as a gas facility and a petrol station, both hit by Russian drones.
Trump announced ​the purported energy ceasefire days after unveiling a deal to buy diesel from Russia, which Zelenskiy has criticised as a reversal of years of Western policy aimed at isolating Russia’s economy.

Trump, for his part, ​has called on Ukrainians to unseat Zelenskiy in an election, an unusually severe exchange in a relationship between the two leaders that has been strained since Trump ⁠returned to power in 2025.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s point man for oil, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, said Moscow would be able to return diesel exports to levels above those Trump outlined under the diesel deal.
Trump defended the deal ​as US lawmakers from both major parties complained that it appeared to violate US law. The president’s envoys told Ukrainian officials last week that the deal sought to draw Russia back to talks on ending the war, three ​people familiar with the meeting told Reuters.
Trump’s weekend announcement on an energy ceasefire was the second time within a few weeks that Trump had issued such a declaration without confirmation from the two warring sides.

Ukraine’s European allies on Monday voiced scepticism of any such agreement, spoke in support of Kyiv and approved the largest set of EU sanctions since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
“Russia will only negotiate seriously under pressure, which is why we are sticking to our sanctions against Russia,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.

‘WE ​DO NOT WANT A CEASEFIRE,’ KREMLIN SAYS

Kyiv has increasingly targeted Russian oil refineries and logistics with long-range strikes, its answer to more than four-and-a-half years of relentless Russian attacks on its cities, including persistent campaigns to knock ​out Ukraine’s power and heat in successive winters.

BODY AMONG WRECKAGE