News in Easy English: Riken says fruit fly test proves old Japanese saying about eating

Meet the 17-year-old student engineering bacteria to slow Arctic ice melt

Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte dies aged 34

Mitte, who lived with cerebral palsy, starred as Walter White Jr in the Emmy-winning drama series.

One dead, several injured in roller coaster incident at Georgia theme park in US

2 Pakistan army pilots killed as training aircraft crashes near Balochistan's Quetta

Elton John-backed pilot expands opt-out HIV testing to 89 emergency departments

An antique teddy bear valued at $7,000-$8,000 in 1996 gets a $10,000 updated value in 2026

Buffy, a rare white Steiff teddy bear, was initially valued at $7,000 to $8,000 in 1996. An expert appraised her during the Antiques Roadshow in Denver, highlighting her distinctive features. After three decades, her updated auction value has increased to $10,000 for 2026. The bear’s excellent preservation and unique characteristics contributed to its higher valuation. Buffy remains a valuable collectible due to her historical significance and rarity.

Netanyahu seeks Saudi nod for Israel to join strikes on Houthis: Report

EU adds 3 individuals, 4 entities to N. Korea sanctions list

The European Union (EU) on Monday added three individuals and four entities to its sanctions list targeting North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs and ties with Russia. "The Council today adopted additional restrictive measures against three individuals and four entities under its autonomous sanctions list on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," the European Council said in a statement. The DPRK is the acronym of North Korea's official name. The council said the individuals and entities were responsible for supporting, promoting or facilitating activities contributing to North Korea's nuclear weapons, ballistic missile and other weapons of mass destruction programs, as well as for violating and evading United Nations sanctions. With the latest additions, the EU's sanctions list on North Korea now covers 80 individuals and 25 entities.

Saudi warning system stayed silent before deadly airport attacks

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia stopped issuing public warnings of imminent military attacks days before a series of deadly strikes on Riyadh airport that killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300. The government has not said why there were no alerts to the public before the four Riyadh attacks in the past week. The warnings had served to highlight the violence undermining the kingdom's efforts to project an image of calm to its people and the world during its war with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. Their absence during the airport strikes raised questions about Saudi Arabia's vulnerability to attack and about its ability to protect residents and visitors, four Western and Arab officials in the region and political analysts told Reuters. It also reflected efforts to maintain a sense of normalcy, they said. "They (the Saudi government) want to have it both ways: to launch a military operation and at the same time try to give confidence to the population and external stakeholders," said Sultan Alamer, a US-based Saudi academic and Senior Resident Fellow at the Middle East Policy Council th

US hopes diesel deal can 'soften' Moscow on peace talks, sources say

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON/KYIV — President Donald Trump's envoys told Ukrainian officials on Friday that a deal to allow Russian diesel exports is part of a bid to draw Russia back to negotiations after the failure of previous efforts to launch sustained talks to end the war, three people familiar with the meeting told Reuters. Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner told the Ukrainians in a meeting in Miami that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not prepared to negotiate an end to his 4 1/2-year-old war in Ukraine and that the deal announced last week could help restart trilateral talks, said two of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The third person said the US relayed to the Ukrainians that the diesel deal could help "soften" Moscow's position in part because it "sends a signal that Trump is open to do things" with Russia. That deal, under which Russia will supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to US and global markets, has triggered a backlash from some US lawmakers, who say it will give Moscow cash to pursue its war without forc

US immigration authorities raid home of Democratic Trump critic Ilhan Omar

WASHINGTON — US authorities conducted a predawn raid on Monday on the Washington, DC, home of Democratic US Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, an outspoken critic of Donald Trump who has been the target of political insults by the Republican president, as part of an ongoing investigation, the Justice Department said. A person familiar with the investigation said it is related to alleged immigration fraud, and part of the probe concerns the Somali-born lawmaker's immigration paperwork filled out by her late father when she was a child. Omar wrote on social media that the US government is being weaponized to target a political enemy of the president. "For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns," Omar said. "This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced." Other Democrats accused Trump and his administration of abuse of power. Omar, 44, is seeking a fifth two-year term in the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections on November 3. In announcing the raid, a Justice Department spokesperson

Musk spent $276 mil. to boost Republicans in midterms: US media

WASHINGTON — Tech billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has contributed $276 million to organizations boosting the campaigns of right-wing American candidates ahead of upcoming midterm elections, US media reported Monday. The sum, all contributed since July, positions Musk as the largest single donor for the November 3 elections, according to the New York Times. He has spent a total of $366 million this election cycle. The largest funding recipient was the Republican's Senate Leadership Fund, receiving $158 million, aimed at maintaining the party's control of the upper house of Congress despite a slim margin. The SpaceX and Tesla boss is no stranger to massive US election spending, having contributed $290 million in 2024 to help US President Donald Trump win reelection. Trump allowed Musk to work in the White House for several months overseeing his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) venture, but exited the role after a public falling out with the president. They've since reconciled, and Trump awarded Musk the National Medal of Science at an event in DC las