Afghanistan’s emerald miners struggle with tools but attract global buyers

‘100 H-1B workers helped build AWS’: Ex-Amazon employee criticises US green-card curbs

Firing squad execution to be livestreamed, Pentagon says

Pete Hegseth says the execution will be public, but a legal expert says the "unprecedented" decision is on "uncertain legal terrain".

Russell Peters bought Hidden Hills estate for $6.45M, sold it for $7.8 million

Why Elon Musk is taking on India's richest man over Starlink

Musk has taken pot-shots at Reliance owner Mukesh Ambani as Starlink struggles to launch in India.

12-year-old girl gives father £500 to build mushroom-shaped house; it wins Shed of the Year 2017

A 12-year-old girl in Surrey gave her father £500 from her savings to build a mushroom-shaped house in their garden. Ben Swanborough created a two-storey hideaway featuring a trapdoor, stained-glass windows, a glass floor overlooking a stream and a glass roof for stargazing. The unusual structure went on to win the 2017 Shed of the Year competition.

Makeup, colourful scarves: Bizarre reasons Taliban uses to detain women

Shannen Doherty’s Malibu sanctuary sells for $7.65M after $9.5M posthumous listing

Shannen Doherty's stunning Malibu home, originally priced at $9.5 million, has now sold for $7.65 million after several price adjustments. This five-bedroom residence was a refuge for Doherty during her courageous fight against cancer. Following the severe damage from the Woolsey Fire in 2018, significant renovations restored its charm and elevated its desirability.

US jobless claims hover near 57-year low for fourth consecutive week

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to continued labor market stability despite a sharp slowdown in job growth in September. Weekly jobless claims have now remained near 57-year lows for four straight weeks, the report from the Labor Department showed on Thursday, amid historically low layoffs. Though employers are hoarding workers against the backdrop of strong profit growth and stock market performance, they have remained hesitant to add to headcount, making it harder for those who lose their jobs to find new opportunities. Economists have blamed that trend on uncertainty, first from tariffs and then the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has pushed up diesel prices to record highs and boosted prices for other commodities. "It's still a 'low-hire, low-fire' job market," said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. "That's great for anyone who has a job and wants to keep it, but it's tough for job seekers." Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 197,000

Kyiv says still open to dialogue after S.Korea recalls envoy

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine wants diplomacy to prevail over emotions in its relations with South Korea, its foreign ministry said Thursday after Seoul recalled its envoy from Kyiv in a deepening diplomatic row. "We are convinced that diplomacy must prevail over emotions," foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy told reporters. "Despite Seoul's decision to recall its ambassador, Ukraine remains open to restoring a constructive dialogue — even if it takes time."

Ukraine says it hit Russia's largest oil refinery

The Ukrainian military said on Thursday it had struck Russia's largest oil refinery, some 2,500 km (1,550 miles) from Ukraine, deep in Siberia. The refinery, which is in Omsk and is operated by Gazpromneft, was last attacked in July. Ukraine's General Staff did not provide details about the impact of the attack in its statement on social media but said the refinery was supplying fuel to the Russian army. In the summer, the facility had to halt operations after the strike. The Omsk region governor Vitaly Khotsenko said that an industrial zone was hit by a drone, without providing details. Ukraine, under heavy missile and drone attack from Russia, is waging its own campaign of long-distance drone strikes against military, energy and commercial targets in a bid to raise the cost to Moscow of continuing the war.

Majority of Americans support S. Korea's nuclear-powered submarine project: poll

WASHINGTON — Nearly six in 10 Americans support South Korea's project to develop nuclear-powered submarines, a survey showed Thursday, while a strong majority oppose Seoul acquiring nuclear weapons. The survey, conducted jointly by the Washington-based Korea Economic Institute of America and data analytics firm YouGov among 1,207 American adults from Aug. 21-Sept. 1, found that 58 percent supported South Korea's development of nuclear-powered submarines, with 42 percent opposing it. Support was broadly bipartisan, with 56 percent of self-identifying Democrats and 64 percent of Republicans backing the development of the submarines. Among independents, 62 percent expressed support. South Korea is pushing to build conventionally armed, nuclear-propelled submarines following security agreements reached during a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in October of last year. Public support for nuclear-powered submarines, however, did not extend into support for South Korea possessing nuclear weapons, with 71 percent of those polled opposing Seoul developing n

Trump says anyone who does not call AI 'super intelligence' is 'the enemy'

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he wants the term "super intelligence" to replace artificial intelligence, said Thursday that anyone who does not heed his wishes will be treated as "THE ENEMY," without saying what the consequences would be. "The White House considers anyone that uses the term, 'Artificial Intelligence,' as opposed to the highly accepted new and more accurate term, 'Super Intelligence,' THE ENEMY!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network. Trump mentioned his proposed name change in a speech before the UN General Assembly last month, saying his new term "sounds much better." Then in late September, Trump signed an executive order, imposing the use of "super intelligence" across the U.S. government. That same obligation does not affect the private sector, but some there are already adopting it, including Mark Zuckerberg's Meta group. Trump ally Elon Musk is using "super intelligence" in his posts on his X network. The semantic debate is primarily a political one: the U.S. president, who has stridently defended the use of AI, is trying to put