Japan's jewelry capital turns artistry into 'hometown tax' donation boom

The Mainichi - Oct 13, 2026

KOFU -- This east Japan city has seen "hometown tax" donations surge about eightfold in five years, driven by efforts to promote its jewelry industry

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France accuses Musk of ‘online harassment’ of Europe leaders
Oct 13, 2026
France accuses Musk of ‘online harassment’ of Europe leaders

PARIS — France’s foreign minister on Tuesday accused billionaire tycoon Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, of engaging in “online harassment” of European leaders, as he warned of the risk of interference in France’s 2027 presidential election. Jean-Noel Barrot warned that ahead of the April-May election — in which far-right candidate Marine

AFP steps up efforts vs foreign malign influence after China funds claim
Oct 13, 2026
AFP steps up efforts vs foreign malign influence after China funds claim

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday it had taken steps to counter alleged foreign malign influence operations in the country following reports of Chinese funds flowing into a Philippine-based company linked to Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband. “If they (Chinese) could co-opt a political leader, have him

Cyberattack targeting refrigeration systems hits 700 supermarkets, French gov't says
Oct 13, 2026
Cyberattack targeting refrigeration systems hits 700 supermarkets, French gov't says

PARIS — Cyberattacks have disrupted European supermarket chains, causing refrigeration systems to overheat at hundreds of stores in France and forcing a major grocer to shut down websites serving customers in Europe and the United States. French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told Parliament on Tuesday that about 700 of the country’s 10,000 supermarkets were affected. He said there was no risk to France’s food supplies but acknowledged that the attack “touches the heart of our food security.” ″It was a wake-up call for everyone,” he said. The Paris prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that its cybercrime unit was investigating the large-scale attack, including the extent of damage caused by spoiled food and possible fires. Dominique Schelcher, CEO of French grocery chain Cooperative U, said 80 of the company’s 2,000 stores were affected. Most managed to prevent disruptions to refrigeration, but some had to discard food, he said in a post on X. “Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products is an attack on the French food supply chain. It is unprecede

Russia detains Japanese journalist on suspicion of spying
Oct 13, 2026
Russia detains Japanese journalist on suspicion of spying

MOSCOW — Russia's Federal Security Service said it detained a Japanese journalist accused of gathering information on Russia's defence capabilities, news agencies reported on Tuesday. FSB said the journalist for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper had been detained in the far eastern Sakhalin region before he planned to leave Russia, and was subsequently transferred to custody in Moscow, Interfax reported. Russian state TV showed a man lying on a floor and handcuffed by three masked men in black uniform. A voice behind the scene tells him he is suspected of spying. TV also showed him boarding a plane accompanied by two FSB servicemen, then in a cage on trial in a Moscow court, which authorised his custody for nearly two months. Russia regards Japan as an "unfriendly" country as it has joined Western sanctions against Moscow over the war in Ukraine. Japan's embassy in Moscow did not answer phone calls out of business hours. Russia and Japan never signed a formal World War Two peace treaty, with the main obstacle being an unresolved territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands, known in Japan as

AI models may soon self-replicate across smart-home devices, Anthropic warns
Oct 13, 2026
AI models may soon self-replicate across smart-home devices, Anthropic warns

Anthropic said on Monday that small AI models could be months away from self-replicating across internet-connected devices, raising the possibility of AI botnets spreading quickly, fighting takedown attempts and even breaking into data centers to turbocharge their growth. Last month, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei first floated the idea that within the next year or even sooner, AI might be able to hijack "the entire internet" with "a persistent botnet," a warning that raised eyebrows in the cybersecurity community. Botnets — vast networks of devices controlled by malicious operators — have been around since the early days of the internet, and are still around. The network typically includes poorly secured Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as Android TV boxes, smart appliances and security cameras, and is used by hackers to send spam, seed malware, or sabotage target companies using floods of bogus traffic. Anthropic's Monday blog post appeared to be the first attempt to articulate how that might happen. The company said that its experiments showed that a malicious AI agent could stit

New White House spokeswoman heavy on Trump praise, light on questions in debut
Oct 13, 2026
New White House spokeswoman heavy on Trump praise, light on questions in debut

WASHINGTON — New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia made her briefing room debut Tuesday by taking remarkably few questions from journalists while leaving no doubt who she believes has all the answers — Donald Trump. "I get to do what I was doing on the outside already, which was hoping to amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump's incredible agenda for the American people," she said, describing her vision for the job. Zacharia, a 41-year-old devotee of Trump's hard-right MAGA movement, is taking over the White House communications role just as Republicans face warnings of heavy defeat in upcoming midterm elections. She's also replacing the combative but skilled former press secretary Karoline Leavitt at a time when polls show the 80-year-old president becoming ever more unpopular. Little known to the general public, Zacharia opened her first session at the famous briefing room podium by reading — at a notably slow pace — a lengthy list of what she said were achievements under the "energetic" leader. These types of initial roundups, dubbed "toppers" in White House

Investigators hunt French supermarket fridge hackers, no claim of responsibility
Oct 13, 2026
Investigators hunt French supermarket fridge hackers, no claim of responsibility

PARIS — French investigators on Tuesday were hunting the hackers who seized control of cooling units at hundreds of supermarkets in a cyberattack that underlined the vulnerabilities of connected systems, with no group publicly claiming responsibility. The investigation comes as Dutch supermarket company Ahold Delhaize grapples with a separate cybersecurity incident that disrupted online services, although Dutch authorities said they saw no connection between the two events. The absence of a claim of responsibility by hacktivists or a ransom demand by cybercriminals has puzzled French investigators, according to a source with knowledge of the probe. Typically, such groups tend to quickly seek to monetise their hacks or claim credit for them for political ends. The cyberattack, which manually overrode the temperatures at fridges in supermarket groups including Carrefour, Monoprix, Intermarche and Cooperative U, appears to have been easy to pull off, three cyber experts told Reuters. Staff at some Paris supermarkets threw boxes full of perished meat and frozen goods into giant trash conta

Man killed after being thrown from Six Flags roller coaster, striking patrons: police
Oct 13, 2026
Man killed after being thrown from Six Flags roller coaster, striking patrons: police

AUSTELL, Ga. — A man killed on a roller coaster at Six Flags over Georgia was thrown from the ride and struck other patrons, police say. Visitors at Six Flags near Atlanta described watching a man being tossed from a roller coaster and falling to his death, causing the theme park operator to temporarily close nine similar roller coasters nationwide. Several others were injured in the incident Monday at Six Flags Over Georgia. Officials have not released any information about the man who died or the conditions of the others. Authorities and Six Flags did not identify the ride associated with the man's death, but local TV stations showed video of passengers being evacuated from the Goliath roller coaster. The park already was scheduled to be closed Tuesday. One of Goliath's trains remained on its track Tuesday, seemingly where it stopped as it was climbing the ride's first hill. Witnesses describe seeing a man fly out of the roller coaster Logan Conner said he was on Goliath with his fiancée when he saw the man come out of his seat. “The man started levitating in the air sideways,” he

S. Korea, US finance chiefs reaffirm bilateral economic cooperation
Oct 13, 2026
S. Korea, US finance chiefs reaffirm bilateral economic cooperation

The finance ministers of South Korea and the United States have reaffirmed the importance of economic and financial cooperation between the two countries, according to Seoul's finance ministry. Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il held a video conference with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for the first time since Lee took office last month, according to the ministry. Bessent congratulated Lee on his appointment and stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation in economic and financial affairs. Lee thanked Bessent for his congratulations and expressed hope for close communication and cooperation, the ministry said. The two ministers also discussed shared economic policy priorities and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation. The Treasury also issued a release on the finance chiefs' virtual exchange. "Secretary Bessent congratulated Deputy Prime Minister Lee on his new role and underscored the importance of the U.S.–Republic of Korea economic and financial relationship," the release said, adding, "The two officials discussed shared economic priorities and opportunities to strengthen

Cornell suspends fraternity social events after alleged gang rape
Oct 13, 2026
Cornell suspends fraternity social events after alleged gang rape

NEW YORK — Cornell University has suspended fraternity social events for the academic year, its president said Tuesday, following outcry over an alleged gang rape at one of the all-male clubs. "All parties and social events in Interfraternity Council (IFC) houses at Cornell will be suspended for the remainder of the 2026-2027 academic year," Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said in a statement. "These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue." The 2024 incident, as alleged in a graphic lawsuit filed last month, has drawn accusations that the Ivy League institution in New York state failed to properly punish the men involved. The accuser claimed in a civil lawsuit that she was pressured to take ketamine, assaulted and raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity -- one of several "Greek life" organizations common across U.S. colleges. Following her initial allegations in 2024, Cornell shut down the fraternity and temporarily suspended the accused male students, two of whom were later expelled

Why Saudi Arabia has struggled to defend itself against Houthis' recent attacks
Oct 13, 2026
Why Saudi Arabia has struggled to defend itself against Houthis' recent attacks

Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s most expensive and sophisticated arsenals, filled with American warplanes, missile defenses and other cutting-edge technology. But in recent days it has appeared helpless in the face of barrages of missiles and drones fired by the Houthi rebel group from neighboring Yemen. The attacks have struck Saudi airports, killed at least 14 people and forced schoolchildren and businesspeople to stay indoors and work from home. The Iran-backed Houthis, once seen as little more than a ragtag militia, have grown into a formidable fighting force. They have inflicted damage on the region’s top oil producer, threatened critical supply routes in the Red Sea and now risk reigniting a full-scale war on the Arabian Peninsula that displaced millions and killed tens of thousands. The Houthis are attacking Saudi Arabia because it supports government forces in Yemen the rebels seek to overthrow. As Saudi Arabia investigates how its air defenses failed to stop the Houthis' attacks, it must also consider how to respond and what the rebels might do next. Here’s what we kno

White House links $54 bil. in S. Korean investment to Alaska gas project
Oct 13, 2026
White House links $54 bil. in S. Korean investment to Alaska gas project

WASHINGTON — New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia said Tuesday that $54 billion was tied to an Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project as part of a South Korean energy investment package, despite uncertainty over Seoul's participation in the project. Zacharia made the remarks during her first official press briefing at the White House while highlighting the South Korean energy investment package worth up to $200 billion that U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier this month. "President Trump also unveiled a South Korea energy investment package of up to $200 billion in the United States. This is an amazing deal. This includes as much as $120 billion to build eight large-scale nuclear power plants," Zacharia said. "In addition to that, there is $54 billion tied to the Alaska LNG pipeline and terminal to service the Pacific Rim and sell fuel to our allies as well as $22.3 billion for a 6-gigawatt natural gas power facility in Texas." Following Trump's announcement, South Korea's industry ministry, however, said the Alaska project had not yet been finalized, stressing

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