Category: World

LOS ANGELES: The Trump administration is offering unaccompanied migrant children $2,500 to leave the U.S. voluntarily, according to a letter seen by Reuters that was sent to migrant shelters. Officials at the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed a monetary offer was being made but did not specify an amount. The move… Continue reading Trump offers unaccompanied migrant children $2,500 to leave US

CAIRO: Israel is preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the first stage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan for immediate release of all hostages following a response from the Palestinian group Hamas, the Israeli prime minister’s office said early on Saturday. – Reuters

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly approved military operations on two vessels last month that were part of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian supporters, CBS News reported on Friday, citing two U.S. intelligence officials. Israeli forces on September 8 and 9 launched drones from a submarine and dropped incendiary devices onto… Continue reading Netanyahu ordered drone strikes on Gaza aid boats – CBS

BOSTON: President Donald Trump’s effort to curtail birthright citizenship was declared unconstitutional by a second U.S. appeals court on Friday, handing him another defeat on a core piece of his hardline immigration agenda whose ultimate fate may lie with the U.S. Supreme Court. A three-judge panel of the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals… Continue reading Second US court blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship ban

WASHINGTON: The United States Treasury is considering producing a one dollar coin featuring President Donald Trump to commemorate 250 years since the declaration of American independence in 2026. Images of the potential design showed Trump holding a raised clenched fist on one side of the coin alongside the words “fight, fight, fight”. This phrase references… Continue reading US considers Trump $1 coin for 250th independence celebrations

A coalition of unions, employers and religious groups filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to block President Donald Trump’s bid to impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for high-skilled foreign workers. The lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco is the first to challenge Trump’s proclamation issued last month announcing the fee.… Continue reading Lawsuit challenges Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee order

WASHINGTON: The United States Supreme Court has again cleared the way for the Trump administration to revoke temporary legal protection for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants. The justices granted the administration’s request to put on hold a judge’s ruling that had blocked the termination of Temporary Protected Status for the migrants. The Supreme Court… Continue reading US Supreme Court allows Trump to strip Venezuelan migrants of TPS

NEW YORK: Sean “Diddy“ Combs was sentenced on Friday to more than four years in prison over his conviction on prostitution-related charges, with the judge rebuking the hip-hop mogul for subjecting two former girlfriends to years of abuse. Combs, 55, was stoic as U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian announced the 50-month sentence at the end… Continue reading Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sentenced to over four years in prostitution case

BRASILIA: A group of suspected scammers in Brazil used Instagram advertisements featuring deepfakes of supermodel Gisele Bundchen and other celebrities to make millions of dollars through online fraud. Police investigators arrested four suspects tied to the scheme this week and froze assets across five states. The investigation identified over 20 million reais, equivalent to $3.9… Continue reading Brazilian scammers used Gisele Bundchen deepfakes to make millions

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to a Hawaii law that restricts the carrying of handguns on private property open to the public. The justices took up an appeal by three Hawaii residents with concealed carry licenses and a Honolulu-based gun rights advocacy group. A lower court had previously determined… Continue reading US Supreme Court to hear challenge to Hawaii handgun restrictions

CAIRO/WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump told Israel on Friday to immediately stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a U.S. plan to end the war, but vexing issues like disarmament appeared unresolved. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel was preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the… Continue reading Trump tells Israel to halt Gaza strikes after Hamas agrees

NEW YORK: A United States judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by dozens of Israelis accusing the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees of funnelling more than one billion dollars to aid Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. US District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan ruled that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency… Continue reading US judge dismisses lawsuit accusing UNRWA of aiding Hamas attack

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court will scrutinise presidential powers in major cases during its new term opening on Monday. Justices will examine the legality of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs and his authority to fire Federal Reserve officials. The court with its 6-3 conservative majority has moved American law dramatically rightward under Chief Justice John… Continue reading US Supreme Court to review Trump tariffs and Fed firing powers

COPENHAGEN: Russian warships have repeatedly sailed on collision courses with Danish naval vessels and disrupted navigation systems in Denmark’s strategic straits. The Danish Defence Intelligence Service stated these actions included aiming weapons at Danish ships and causing extensive GPS interference. Such incidents risk unintended escalation in a region already on high alert following various security… Continue reading Denmark reports repeated Russian naval provocations in its straits

GENEVA: United Nations experts have urged Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s government to clarify the fate and whereabouts of more than 120 people forcibly disappeared since 2018. The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances stated these disappearances followed the violent suppression of anti-government protests. A wide range of people have gone missing, including those… Continue reading UN urges Nicaragua to account for over 120 people forcibly disappeared

BROADVIEW (Illinois): Police arrested several people on Friday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in suburban Chicago that has been the focus of protests since a federal immigration enforcement surge began last month. Tensions have been high in recent weeks in Chicago as the administration of U.S. President… Continue reading Scuffles and arrests at Chicago ICE facility protest escalate tensions

VIENNA: The International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said on Friday he is discussing detailed proposals with Russia and Ukraine on how to restore off-site power to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been cut off from external power for more than a week. The facility is currently… Continue reading IAEA discusses restoring power to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant with Russia, Ukraine

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced he reversed his administration’s plan to cut 187 million dollars from New York’s security funding. Trump declared the reversal in a social media post on his Truth Social platform. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul had earlier described the proposed cuts as devastating to the state’s law enforcement and counterterrorism operations. Hochul… Continue reading Trump reverses $187 million New York security funding cut after criticism

KYIV: A massive Russian air assault struck several of Ukraine’s main gas production facilities on Friday, causing critical damage as the country prepares for a new heating season. Russia fired 35 missiles and 60 drones at state gas and oil company Naftogaz sites in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions overnight, according to CEO Sergii Koretskyi.… Continue reading Russia’s largest attack on Ukraine gas production damages Naftogaz sites

KYIV: A Russian drone attack killed a French photojournalist on Friday in eastern Ukraine on the frontline of the three-and-a-half-year-old war with Russia. The Ukrainian military’s Fourth Separate Mechanised Brigade announced on Facebook that photojournalist Antoni Lallican died in the drone strike. A Ukrainian photographer named Hryhory Ivanchenko who was accompanying Lallican sustained injuries in… Continue reading French photojournalist killed by Russian drone in eastern Ukraine

GENEVA: Switzerland will file a diplomatic protest to Israel after Israeli security forces cut short a visit by Swiss diplomats to imprisoned detainees from the Gaza aid flotilla. The Swiss foreign ministry announced this action on Friday following the interrupted prison visit. Swiss embassy representatives were prevented from talking at length with the group of… Continue reading Switzerland to protest Israel over curtailed Gaza flotilla visit

WASHINGTON: The White House said on Friday it took reports of Russian naval provocations very seriously, after Denmark’s intelligence service earlier said Russian warships were taking repeated action in its straits connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. “It’s something the administration takes very seriously, and we are constantly monitoring it. The National Security… Continue reading White House takes Russian naval provocations in Danish straits seriously

SAARBRUECKEN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron marked Germany’s 35th reunification anniversary by urging stronger European resistance against authoritarianism’s “dark enlightenment”. Merz warned that “new alliances of autocracies are forming against us and attacking liberal democracy as a way of life”. Macron advocated for “a new enlightenment” celebrating culture, literature, and respectful… Continue reading Macron and Merz warn against authoritarian ‘dark enlightenment’ threat

NEW YORK: Sean “Diddy” Combs’ children emotionally pleaded for leniency for their father during his sentencing hearing on prostitution charges. Jessie Combs, the 18-year-old daughter of the hip-hop mogul, told the judge through tears that her father remains an essential presence in their lives despite his mistakes. A jury convicted Combs on July 2 of… Continue reading Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ children plead for leniency at sentencing

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump has directed his team to review federal aid to Portland, Oregon, that can be cut as his anger with the city’s anti-government and anti-fascism protesters mounts, the White House said on Friday. “We will not fund states that allow anarchy,“ White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters. She gave no… Continue reading Trump orders review of federal aid to Portland over unrest

BRUSSELS/MADRID: The massive power outage that hit the Iberian Peninsula in April is the first known blackout caused by excessive voltage, according to a report from the European network of electricity transmission system operators released on Friday. The report, released ahead of an October 28 legal deadline, focused on the power systems’ condition on the… Continue reading Iberian blackout first known caused by excessive voltage, report says

STOCKHOLM: A Swedish court has ruled that online fast-fashion retailer Shein infringed the copyright of smaller Swedish rival Nelly by using its photographs without permission. The Patent and Market Court found that Shein’s Ireland-based subsidiary Infinite Styles Ecommerce made unauthorised copies of pictures owned by Nelly. The court determined that Infinite Styles Ecommerce used these… Continue reading Shein found guilty of copyright infringement by Swedish court

DAKAR: Mali’s military has prevented approximately 70 fuel trucks from travelling to Allied Gold’s Sadiola mine following an al Qaeda-linked militant blockade on fuel imports to the landlocked country. Two people familiar with the matter confirmed that fuel supplies are dwindling at the remote gold mine located some 650 kilometres from the capital Bamako. Mali’s… Continue reading Mali army holds 70 Allied Gold fuel trucks amid militant blockade

BELGRADE: Three people have died in floods caused by torrential rain at Bulgaria’s Black Sea resort of Elenite. Bulgaria’s news agency BTA reported the fatalities on Friday, with Interior Minister Daniel Mitov confirming the circumstances. One man died when floodwater swept through a building basement where he was located. The other two victims were rescuers… Continue reading Three killed in Bulgaria floods as heavy rain hits Black Sea resort

WASHINGTON/DAKAR/PARIS: Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda will not sign an economic framework this week as expected, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday, in another stumbling block for the Trump administration’s efforts to implement a peace deal and spur Western investment in the region. President Donald Trump is pursuing an ambitious… Continue reading Congo and Rwanda delay economic deal in setback for US peace efforts

WASHINGTON: The United States killed four people in a strike against a vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs just off the coast of Venezuela, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday, at least the fourth such attack in recent weeks. The strike is the latest example of President Donald Trump’s efforts to use U.S. military… Continue reading US conducts new strike on alleged drug vessel near Venezuela coast

TORONTO: Canada has updated its travel advisory for the United States this week with a specific warning for travellers holding passports marked with an “X” gender identifier. The new advisory explicitly states that while Canada issues such passports, it cannot guarantee entry or transit through other countries. Travellers with X gender markers may still be… Continue reading Canada warns X gender passport holders may face US entry issues

BRUSSELS: The European Commission has announced restrictions on the use of PFAS substances, commonly called forever chemicals, in firefighting foams. This move represents a significant step towards the European Union’s broader objective of minimising PFAS usage in consumer products. PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, are persistent environmental contaminants that do not break down naturally.… Continue reading EU restricts ‘forever chemicals’ in firefighting foams to curb pollution

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has launched a new pilot program to speed up the review process for generic drugs that are tested and manufactured entirely in the United States. The program is designed to encourage companies to invest in domestic drug production and research by offering faster approvals… Continue reading US FDA launches pilot program to fast-track domestic generic drug reviews

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump gave Hamas until Sunday night to agree to his proposal to end Israel’s war in Gaza, warning “all HELL” would break out in the Palestinian enclave if it fails to get on board. After Trump’s latest threat to the militant group, Al Jazeera reported on Friday that Hamas had handed… Continue reading Trump gives Hamas deadline for Gaza deal or warns of consequences

TURIN: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos predicted on Friday that gigawatt-scale data centres will be built in space within the next 10 to 20 years. He stated that continuously available solar energy means these orbital facilities will eventually outperform their terrestrial counterparts. Speaking at the Italian Tech Week in Turin, Bezos also compared the surge in… Continue reading Jeff Bezos predicts gigawatt data centres in space within 20 years

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration froze $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding on Friday, starving another Democratic city of funds as a bid to end the government shutdown failed again in the Senate. On the shutdown’s third day, Trump ramped up pressure on Democrats to end the standoff and agree to a Republican plan… Continue reading US Senate fails to end shutdown as Trump freezes Chicago transit funds

BERLIN: Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said he would raise the matter of anti-drone defences at a Saturday meeting of European interior ministers that had originally been billed as a migration summit. Speaking in Saarbruecken, western Germany the morning after drone sightings forced the closure of Munich airport for several hours, Dobrindt added that more… Continue reading Germany to raise drone defence issue at Munich migration meeting

MANCHESTER: Britain was on heightened alert Friday following an attack outside a Manchester synagogue that killed two people, as police said they may have shot victims as the terrifying assault unfolded. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who visited the scene of the car ramming and stabbing spree in the northwest English city, said security would be… Continue reading UK on ‘high alert’ following synagogue attack

JERUSALEM: Israel on Friday deported four Italian activists, the first of hundreds detained from an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, shortly after the interception of a final boat brought an end to its mission. The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail last month, ferrying politicians and activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg towards Gaza, where the… Continue reading Israel deports first activists from Gaza aid flotilla

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Attorney General has confiscated 42,000 tons of tin sands from miners linked to a corruption case at state tin mining firm PT Timah, state media Antara reported. The tin sands, which may also contain zircon and monazite, were found in four warehouses on the Bangka Island tin hub linked to a convicted tin… Continue reading Indonesia confiscates 42,000 tons of tin sands linked to corruption case

NEW YORK: Taylor Swift is in a sparkling new era. She dropped her 12th studio album on Friday, “The Life of a Showgirl,“ a collection of bouncy pop songs about love, marriage, success — and score-settling. The 35-year-old artist reunited with Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback for the hotly anticipated album, and their influence… Continue reading Taylor Swift strides into ‘Showgirl’ era with sparkling new album

GENEVA: Nearly 42,000 people in the Gaza Strip are living with life-changing injuries as a result of the ongoing conflict, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated in its latest update released on Thursday. One in four of these victims are children. According to the report Estimating Trauma Rehabilitation Needs in Gaza, September 2025 Update, life-changing… Continue reading Nearly 42,000 in Gaza suffer life-changing injuries: WHO

ANKARA: The international organisation Global Sumud Flotilla said Friday that nine new ships have now reached the northern coast of Marsa Matruh, Egypt, and are continuing their journey toward the Gaza Strip to challenge Israel’s blockade, Anadolu Ajansi reported. In a statement on X, the flotilla said: “The cumulative global movement must continue… every port,… Continue reading Nine new ships of Global Sumud Flotilla sail toward Gaza to break Israeli blockade

JAKARTA: Indonesia has suspended TikTok’s registration to provide electronic systems after it failed to hand over all data relating to the use of its live stream feature, a government official said on Friday. The suspension could in theory prevent access to TikTok, which has more than 100 million accounts based in Indonesia. Reuters, however, could… Continue reading Indonesia suspends TikTok registration over data sharing failures, ministry says

LONDON: Prince William has said protecting his family was the most important thing for him when his wife Kate and father King Charles became ill, and revealed that he will seek to modernise the monarchy when he becomes sovereign. Speaking to Eugene Levy for the Canadian actor’s TV travel show, the normally guarded British heir… Continue reading UK’s Prince William opens up about family fears and plans to change monarchy

MANCHESTER: British police said on Friday they may have accidentally shot two victims, including one who died, in their attempts to bring under control an attack on a Manchester synagogue during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. In Thursday’s attack two men, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed after… Continue reading UK police may have accidentally shot dead victim in synagogue attack

NEW DELHI: Hundreds of AI-generated Bollywood videos with 16 million views have been deleted from Google’s YouTube after Reuters reported they were similar to those at the centre of a legal challenge filed by a celebrity couple to protect their rights. Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have asked a New… Continue reading Scores of Bollywood AI videos vanish from YouTube after Reuters story

TEL AVIV: The Israeli military intercepted the last boat in an aid flotilla attempting to reach blockaded Gaza on Friday, a day after stopping most of the vessels and detaining some 450 activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg. The organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said the Marinette was intercepted some 42.5 nautical miles (79… Continue reading Israel intercepts last Gaza flotilla boat, begins deportations

LUXEMBOURG: Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri officially stepped down in a solemn ceremony Friday, leaving the throne to his son Guillaume who is to be sworn-in later in the day. Wearing a green military uniform topped by a yellow sash, Henri, 70, ended a 25-year reign signing his abdication at the Grand Ducal Palace in the… Continue reading Luxembourg gets new Grand Duke with royal abdication