Ferry disaster revives legend around ‘Indonesia’s Bermuda Triangle’

The Independent - Sep 17, 2026

The Masalembu Islands in the Java Sea have long been associated with deadly maritime disasters

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NBI taps Meta to identify persons behind accounts ‘mocking’ Cendaña
Sep 18, 2026
NBI taps Meta to identify persons behind accounts ‘mocking’ Cendaña

MANILA, Philippines —  The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has tapped Meta to trace the identities of the individuals behind at least 30 accounts supposedly mocking the disability and sexual orientation of Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña on social media, Director Melvin Matibag said. This is in response to the complaint of Cendaña, a stroke survivor

Tokyo mulls ordinance banning littering as downtown trash worsens
Sep 18, 2026
Tokyo mulls ordinance banning littering as downtown trash worsens

TOKYO – The Tokyo metropolitan government is considering an ordinance banning littering, as trash left in downtown entertainment districts has increased with the rise in tourists following the Covid-19 pandemic, government sources said Thursday. While Shibuya and Shinjuku wards already have such ordinances in place, rules at the metropolitan level would prevent disparities in regulations

DFA verifying reports of Filipinos recruited into Russian military
Sep 18, 2026
DFA verifying reports of Filipinos recruited into Russian military

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday it was verifying reports that Filipinos may have been recruited into foreign armed forces following reports that at least 14 Filipinos had been enlisted in the Russian military. “Concerned Foreign Service Posts continue to verify information through appropriate channels and coordinate with relevant authorities,”

Indonesia welcomes its first aircraft carrier
Sep 18, 2026
Indonesia welcomes its first aircraft carrier

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia welcomed its first aircraft carrier on Friday, a former Italian warship that the government says will strengthen the archipelago nation’s maritime security and disaster response capabilities. The 41-year-old former ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, with capacity for short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft and helicopters, arrived Friday morning at a naval base in

King Charles warns AI leaders of 'existential dangers'
Sep 18, 2026
King Charles warns AI leaders of 'existential dangers'

CUMNOCK, Scotland — Britain's King Charles warned AI leaders on Thursday of the "existential dangers" posed by the technology falling into the wrong hands, saying safeguards were needed before it was too late. Charles was hosting the co-founders of chipmaker Nvidia and the Google DeepMind AI research laboratory, along with leaders from the AI providers OpenAI and Anthropic, in Scotland as concern grows that safety efforts are lagging behind the development of increasingly powerful systems. In recent weeks, the debate has centred on whether the industry can and should regulate itself, drawing interventions from figures including Pope Leo, Charles and U.S. President Donald Trump. Charles calls for controls 'before it is too late' Charles said artificial intelligence had the potential to improve and save lives, particularly in life sciences and medicine. But its creators were increasingly warning that it could develop darker capacities, "perhaps even to take life," he said. "There seems urgency in adequately considering the existential dangers of such technologies falling into the wrong han

US jobless claims fall to 196,000, lowest since mid-July
Sep 18, 2026
US jobless claims fall to 196,000, lowest since mid-July

WASHINGTON — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week, another sign that layoffs remain rare and most Americans enjoy job security. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims slid to 196,000, the fewest since mid-July and down from 206,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, dropped to 203,250. Economists had expected claims to come in at 207,500, according to a survey by the data firm FactSet. Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them because they can be a sign of where the job market is headed. For the past year, claims have mostly stayed within a historically low range of 200,000 to 230,000 a week. The American job market has remained sturdy despite higher gasoline prices that have squeezed businesses and consumers since the fighting with Iran began Feb. 28. Layoffs are low. Businesses, remembering the labor shortages that followed the end of pandemic lockdowns, are reluctant to let go of staff. They’re hiring — but modestly by the

China, US top diplomats discuss 'high-level interactions' in call, Beijing says
Sep 18, 2026
China, US top diplomats discuss 'high-level interactions' in call, Beijing says

BEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that the two countries "should prepare well for the next stage of high-level interactions in the spirit of equality, respect and reciprocity," Wang's ministry said. Head-of-state diplomacy serves as the anchor of China-U.S. ties, Wang said, adding that the two sides should strengthen communication, advance cooperation, manage differences and respect each other's core interests. The call came a week ahead of an expected visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the U.S., with a meeting with President Donald Trump set to take place on September 24, Trump had said. The official Chinese summary of the call fell short of explicitly confirming an upcoming meeting between Xi and Trump, but said Wang and Rubio "held in-depth discussions focused on high-level exchanges between the two countries." The two top diplomats also discussed the situation in the Middle East, the Chinese foreign ministry said, a day after Wang hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Beijing for talks. In

UN-backed experts cite possible US war crimes in Iran strikes
Sep 18, 2026
UN-backed experts cite possible US war crimes in Iran strikes

GENEVA — Human rights experts commissioned by the U.N.’s top human rights body say they have found “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran, including on a school in the southern city of Minab. They also accuse Iran’s theocratic government of carrying out crimes against humanity against its own people in a report published Thursday. The report, while not binding, adds to international evidence gathered about crimes in the war in Iran, and could eventually be used in efforts to reach justice in international courts. The fact-finding mission on Iran, chaired by jurist Sara Hossain of Bangladesh, is made up of independent experts and was created in 2022 by the Human Rights Council, the U.N.’s top human rights body, which is based in Geneva. The experts were expected to present their findings on Monday to the council, which is made up of 47 U.N. member countries. The team says the U.S. launched ‘indiscriminate’ attacks The international fact-finding mission says its findings on U.S. war crimes center on a pair of U.S. airstr

US stocks rise after oil prices fall and pressure from bond market eases
Sep 18, 2026
US stocks rise after oil prices fall and pressure from bond market eases

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are rising Thursday and recovering most of their losses for the week. Falling oil prices and easing pressure from the bond market helped Wall Street reverse many of its moves from the prior day, when the Federal Reserve hiked its main interest rate for the first time in years and suggested more may be ahead as it tries to get the nation’s high inflation under control. The S&P 500 climbed 0.9 percent and was on track for just its second rise in the last nine days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 213 points, or 0.4 percent, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.4 percent higher. Stocks got a boost after the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil slid 2.3 percent to $103.38. That’s down sharply from the nearly $110 it reached earlier in the week on worries that the war with Iran will keep oil bottled up in the Middle East instead of going to customers worldwide. Brent is of course still much more expensive than the $72 per barrel that it cost earlier this summer, but Thursday’s slide helped pull yields lower in the bond market and r

Pennsylvania seeks CDC help on measles outbreak, demands recognition of deaths
Sep 18, 2026
Pennsylvania seeks CDC help on measles outbreak, demands recognition of deaths

WASHINGTON — The Pennsylvania health department said it was requesting emergency support from the U.S. CDC as it grapples with one of the country's largest and most deadly measles outbreaks, according to a document reviewed by Reuters on Thursday. The request comes on condition that the federal agency recognize four measles-associated deaths reported by the state, raising the stakes in a dispute with the Trump administration. The state's measles outbreak has become the focus of a standoff between U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat. Kennedy has cast doubt on whether deaths reported in U.S. measles outbreaks since he took office were due to the virus or another cause, and instructed the CDC not to include the Pennsylvania fatalities in a national tally. Disease experts say the move represented highly unusual interference by a health secretary in the determination by state health officials and could minimize the risks of measles in the eyes of the public. Kennedy has accused Shapiro of politicizing the outbreak in his state and of failing to

Trump to host Xi amid pomp, low expectations
Sep 18, 2026
Trump to host Xi amid pomp, low expectations

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military honor guard has been rehearsing and the new White House helipad is ready. But will Xi Jinping and Donald Trump achieve lift-off at their summit next week? Warnings of an AI apocalypse hang heavy over the Chinese president's first White House meetings with Trump, as both countries race for technological supremacy. Trump's Iran war casts a long shadow too, as China seeks to avoid U.S. sanctions against countries dealing with Tehran, despite reports that Beijing supplied Tehran with intelligence for a strike on U.S. troops. A simmering trade war between the world's two largest economies is of even greater concern, while the threat of military confrontation over Taiwan looms large as well. Behind it all is a desire to manage tensions between a superpower keen to keep its place at the top and a rapidly rising rival determined to make the 21st century a Chinese one. The U.S. president, media-minded as ever, is also focused on the optics of the visit, having been hosted with high pomp during his own state visit to China in May. Trump, who was welcomed by China's v

Brazil's Lula announces 15% welfare boost ahead of election
Sep 18, 2026
Brazil's Lula announces 15% welfare boost ahead of election

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree on Thursday increasing benefits of his flagship welfare program by 15 percent, weeks before the first round of the presidential elections. The minimum monthly benefit per family of Bolsa Familia (Family Grant) will rise to 691 reais ($134) next month, from 600 reais. The decree says that it adjusts payments for accumulated inflation since March 2023. The measure will increase the purchasing power of voters, who will decide in October whether to grant Lula a fourth, nonconsecutive term, or elect Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a son of former President Jair Bolsonaro , in a likely run-off vote. Polls show the two are currently running neck-and-neck. “Bolsa Familia is central to our strategy to look after more vulnerable families, guarantee income so that people emerge from poverty and don’t suffer from food insecurity,” Finance Minister Dario Durigan said. The additional spending would be absorbed within existing budget allocations and would not represent a new expenditure, he added. Lula introduced the cash-tr

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