Inside Erik Prince’s Mercenary Deal in Congo

New York Times - Oct 9, 2026

The injury of a former Green Beret and death of an elite soldier from New Zealand have highlighted the Blackwater founder’s growing role in one of Africa’s most intractable conflicts.

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Commentator Katie Zacharia picked as new White House press secretary
Oct 9, 2026
Commentator Katie Zacharia picked as new White House press secretary

The conservative commentator currently works as a communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group.

Albany’s oldest building reopens after $3M restoration following 13 years of work
Oct 9, 2026
Albany’s oldest building reopens after $3M restoration following 13 years of work

The Van Ostrande-Radliff House, a historical gem built in 1728, has finally emerged from decades of obscurity thanks to a meticulous restoration. Now the proud headquarters of the Historic Albany Foundation, this iconic building is committed to preserving Albany's rich architectural heritage. Visitors can explore engaging classroom spaces, a well-stocked research library, and even a parts warehouse, all while immersing themselves in the colonial history of Albany.

In 1967, Georgia man Donnie Peek bought 150 acres and grew his property to 1,600 acres
Oct 9, 2026
In 1967, Georgia man Donnie Peek bought 150 acres and grew his property to 1,600 acres

Donnie Peek, a landowner in Georgia, is challenging a natural gas pipeline rerouting that impacts his property. The pipeline's path was changed to avoid a utility executive's residence, which raises questions about favoritism. Southern Natural Gas initially planned to use an existing easement on Peek's land, but later deviated from that route. Peek has filed a legal challenge with federal regulators to revert to the original route.

EU, China strike interim trade deal that could cut Chinese hybrid exports, EU envoy says
Oct 9, 2026
EU, China strike interim trade deal that could cut Chinese hybrid exports, EU envoy says

HONG KONG — The top trade envoys for China and the European Union agreed Friday on a broad initial deal following two days of talks aimed at calming escalating tensions over trade imbalances, the EU trade commissioner said. Neither side provided clear details on the preliminary deal, but European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic said it includes lower tariffs for some European goods to China as well as measures to stabilize rare earth supply chains. The EU trade envoy said the deal could cut up to 50 percent of Chinese electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle imports to the EU and could lower tariffs on products benefiting “almost every” EU nation. The deal would require approval from leaders across the 27-nation EU. He said that “by this step we are actually preventing several millions of car exports from China to the European Union.” The two sides were seeking to resolve key factors behind China’s growing trade surplus, which hit 360 billion euros ($410 billion) last year. China’s Commerce Ministry posted online that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao expressed concerns

Flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Tel Aviv airport: UAE prosecutor
Oct 9, 2026
Flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Tel Aviv airport: UAE prosecutor

DUBAI — The co-pilot who attacked the captain of a flydubai jet last week had planned to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's international airport, the United Arab Emirates' top prosecutor said on Friday. The Omani co-pilot had drawn inspiration from Al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001 suicide attacks on the United States, and carried out his attempt "with the aim of causing the greatest possible loss of life", according to the prosecutor's findings published by state media. "The findings showed that he had met the professional and security requirements for employment, including holding a pilot's licence, providing a certificate of good conduct and completing the required checks." Passengers described rushing the cockpit and a fight for control after the plane suddenly plunged by around 5,000 metres (17,000 feet). The plane's Indian captain was wounded when the co-pilot attacked him with an axe, but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker and force an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The passengers on board the aircraft were overwhelmingly Israel

UN calls US plans to livestream execution 'abhorrent'
Oct 9, 2026
UN calls US plans to livestream execution 'abhorrent'

The United Nations on Friday called U.S. plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the gunman who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, "abhorrent" and said it could be a violation of prohibitions against torture. "These kinds of public executions we've seen in other countries, whether it's Iran or Afghanistan ... can constitute a form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, or punishment," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily UN briefing in New York. "Showing it live is tantamount ... to it being public, and could be a violation of the prohibition against torture," he said. "A government executing someone in public, or in front of live cameras, frankly, is abhorrent." Hasan is set to become the first person to be executed by U.S. military firing squad since 1945. The execution is scheduled for December 3 at the same sprawling Texas base where Hasan opened fire with a handgun in a medical facility.

US stocks rise toward finish of record-breaking week
Oct 9, 2026
US stocks rise toward finish of record-breaking week

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are rising toward the finish of their record-setting week on Friday, even as other financial markets remain indecisive. The S&P 500 rose 0.6 percent and clawed back most of its two straight days of losses since setting its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 388 points, or 0.8 percent, as of 12:47 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.6 percent higher. The moves were tentative as oil prices continue to yo-yo because of uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the global energy industry to return to normal. The price for a barrel of Brent crude bounced between $102.50 and $105 in the morning, and it was most recently at $104.15, down 0.1 percent. Treasury yields flipped up and down in the bond market following their own sharp moves earlier in the week. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was most recently at 5.24 percent, up from 5.22 percent late Thursday. It recently touched its highest level since 2002 because of worries about high inflation, the U.S. government’s massive debt load, signals that the U.S. economy is cont

US imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court, hours after former judge wins Nobel
Oct 9, 2026
US imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court, hours after former judge wins Nobel

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Friday, hours after one of its former judges won the Nobel Peace Prize, putting Washington on a diplomatic collision course with European allies. The court denounced the move as an "assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order," and called on its 125 member states to take action to defend it. "The Court cannot stand alone. Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it," it said in a statement. "This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law. History will judge this moment." The Trump administration has long been hostile to the court, founded in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and has previously imposed sanctions on its prosecutors and judges. Friday's move would go much farther, by potentially punishing companies that provide services to the court itself. "President Trump will never allow the International

How the US plan to livestream an execution compares with global practice
Oct 9, 2026
How the US plan to livestream an execution compares with global practice

The U.S. military plans to livestream the Dec. 3 execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. If carried out as planned, death penalty experts said it would mark the first known broadcast or livestream of a lawful execution. Executions are generally conducted behind prison walls, and internet platforms and governments have spent years trying to limit the circulation of violent execution footage. Has a lawful execution ever been livestreamed or broadcast to the public before? Death penalty experts consulted by Reuters said they were unaware of any previous lawful execution that had been livestreamed or broadcast to a public audience. Execution footage has occasionally emerged after the event. The hanging of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2006, for example, was seen around the world after official and unofficial recordings circulated online and through broadcasters, though it was not shown live. Broadcasts and livestreams today are common for court proceedings, parliamentary debates and other stat

Outrage over US military plan to livestream firing squad execution
Oct 9, 2026
Outrage over US military plan to livestream firing squad execution

WASHINGTON — Condemnation of the Pentagon's plan to livestream the firing squad execution of a convicted military base mass shooter escalated Friday, with the UN saying it would amount to torture and U.S. lawmakers from both parties slamming the move. Nidal Hasan's execution — which is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, where he gunned down 13 people in 2009 — is set to be the first by U.S. military firing squad since 1945. Senator Thom Tillis, a member of U.S. President Donald Trump's Republican Party, said Hasan should be put to death, but that streaming it would be "beyond disgusting." "Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do," Tillis said. Representative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the plan is "disturbing and makes a mockery of our legal system." A Pentagon official told AFP the execution would be streamed live, after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said "we'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public." Later, Hegseth wrote "Correct" when retweeting a media report abo

Trump says US to get diesel from Russia, relaxing pressure on Moscow to ease prices before midterms
Oct 9, 2026
Trump says US to get diesel from Russia, relaxing pressure on Moscow to ease prices before midterms

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said that he has struck a deal to obtain diesel from Russia, a stunning reversal of years of U.S. pressure on Moscow over its war with Ukraine and an attempt to address high fuel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. Trump said on social media on Friday that he struck the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call in which he was expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia. Instead, Trump announced that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” Russia will deliver another 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that, he wrote. Trump’s shocking announcement comes after he signed a sweeping Russia sanctions law last month that aimed at clamping down on Russia’s energy economy, among other areas, that fuel its war against Ukraine. Trump, in his announcement, did not address the sanctions or Russia’s war but said, “Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, R

7.7 magnitude earthquake shakes Panama, prompting evacuations
Oct 9, 2026
7.7 magnitude earthquake shakes Panama, prompting evacuations

PANAMA CITY — A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Panama on Friday morning, shaking buildings in the capital, prompting evacuations and sending tremors as far as neighboring Colombia. The quake was centered about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, in the central province of Herrera, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). Visibly shaken residents of Panama City gathered outside as they waited for news of the quake’s impact on Friday. “We felt it very strongly. It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we’re okay, though we’re very scared," Rosendo Domínguez, 60, who is from Herrera province, where the earthquake struck, told The Associated Press by phone. “Everyone is outside, scared.” Aftershocks continued to shake the streets on Friday shortly after the quake. The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning Friday for the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino called for calm on Friday, writing on X: “What happ

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