A recap of news, sports, lifestyle, entertainment, and human interest images from the Philippines and around the globe
Around 200 emergency personnel are deployed to fight the blaze at the Nazi dictator's Alpine residence in Germany.
In a historic move, the World Health Organization has launched its inaugural clinical trial for an Ebola vaccine in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This trial aims to assess the efficacy of the Ervebo vaccine against the Bundibugyo virus amid a severe outbreak that has resulted in over 9,700 cases and 4,600 fatalities since May.
JERUSALEM — The United States could strike Iran as soon as this weekend, a US envoy said Friday, after mounting threats by both Washington and Israel. “Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely,” Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and point man on Syria who does not have a direct role on Iran,
Selena Gomez proudly hosted the fourth annual Rare Impact Fund Benefit in Los Angeles, successfully raising significant funds for mental health initiatives. The evening took an exciting turn when her husband, Benny Blanco, bid an impressive $25,000 for a special modeling experience with Gomez’s glam team. During the event, she reaffirmed her dedication to youth mental health and introduced the Katherine Short Legacy Award, with a remarkable total of $2.
With the November midterm elections fast approaching, President Donald Trump is throwing an array of costly and politically fraught solutions at one stubborn problem: the price of diesel. His administration has offered billions of dollars to farmers, relaxed rules for truckers, eased sanctions on Russian fuel and pressured European allies to release emergency stocks. Yet diesel prices rose again last week, leaving Trump spending political and financial capital without delivering the relief his party wants as voters go to the polls. Republicans are defending narrow majorities in Congress, and high costs are a major concern for voters. Nearly 80% of Americans blame Trump for higher costs, according to an October Reuters/Ipsos poll. US diesel prices rose nearly 10 cents a gallon in the latest week to an average of $6.28, reversing two weeks of declines and remaining near record highs, according to the Energy Information Administration. Diesel in the last two months has become a central issue not only in the midterms but as a catalyst driving up already-elevated US inflation. The fuel is cri
The US Justice Department on Thursday sued to preemptively block Alaska from certifying the results of its US Senate race if the Republican incumbent candidate loses by a narrow margin, saying voters could be confused because two Republicans on the ballot have almost identical names. The lawsuit signals the willingness of President Donald Trump's administration to contest the results of the November 3 midterm elections that will decide control of the US Congress. Trump's administration has taken an increasingly aggressive approach to election oversight, pressing states for voter-registration data and arguing that stricter measures are needed to ensure public confidence in the vote. Critics, including both Democratic and some Republican election officials, view the moves as federal overreach. Control of the US Senate could come down to Alaska, where incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan is running a closely contested race against Democrat Mary Peltola. The Justice Department's lawsuit, filed in federal court in Anchorage, takes issue with the presence of a third contender in the ra
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday told a rally for candidates in South Florida that U.S. warships returning from the Middle East could stop over in Cuba on their way back from the Iran war, his latest suggestion of taking an interventionist approach to the nearby country. Trump first floated this idea earlier this year, but has not mentioned it in recent months. But he revived it in response to a shouted question from the crowd about the island nation. He was campaigning just days ahead of midterm elections in which voters have expressed concern about the impact the U.S. war on Iran has had on prices of goods from gas to groceries. “We’ll do a little stopover,” Trump said. “Actually, what we’re going to do with Cuba is, we’re going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands. And then we’re going to send (Secretary of State) Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal.” Both Rubio and Trump have been bullish on action in Cuba, with Trump previous
JERUSALEM — The United States could strike Iran as soon as this weekend, a U.S. envoy said Friday, after mounting threats by both Washington and Israel. "Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely," Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and point man on Syria who does not have a direct role on Iran, told podcast host Mario Nawfal. President Donald Trump "is very clear. He's open and available and accessible to a deal and we've been at the table for months and months and months," Barrack said in an interview as he visited the Gulf. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections Tuesday, has in recent days repeatedly vowed to topple the clerical state in Iran, following two major bombing campaigns against it since last year. Trump has also signalled an openness to resuming strikes after a long deadlock in diplomacy, although he earlier said it would not happen before U.S. congressional elections on November 3. Barrack, in remarks that contradict Netanyahu, said the U.S. was not looking to topple the Islamic republic, a sworn enemy of the United States and Israel
SEATTLE — President Lee Jae Myung has come under fire for publicly sharing how he used Google's Gemini to support his position in a political dispute. Across the Pacific, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a different approach: He acknowledges using artificial intelligence (AI) but won't say exactly how. Trump is hardly shy about AI-generated content. His social media accounts have featured a string of fabricated images and videos, including portrayals of himself as a pope and a king, as well as AI-generated content mocking political opponents. But when reporters asked Trump about his personal use of AI aboard Air Force One last month, he offered little insight. "I use AI. Yes, I do," Trump said. Pressed on how he uses the technology, Trump replied, "Well, I don't want to tell you that." The exchange illustrates a contrast with Lee, who publicly shared a Gemini-generated response to support his position on whether the heads of investigative agencies should attend Cabinet meetings. Lee's disclosure sparked criticism from opposition politicians, who questioned his reliance on a chatbot
WASHINGTON — A senior United Nations official expressed gratitude to South Korea on Friday for donating eight military helicopters to Kenya to support U.N. peacekeeping operations. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, U.N. under-secretary-general for peace operations, made the remarks in a post on X following a ceremony marking the handover of eight refurbished MD 500 Defender helicopters to Kenya. "Grateful to the Republic of Korea for donating eight helicopters to enhance U.N. Peacekeeping's air mobility," Lacroix wrote. "Refurbished with U.S. support, they were handed over to Kenya," he added, describing the donation as a "concrete example" of how U.N. member states invest in peace. South Korea pledged to provide choppers to U.N. peacekeeping operations across Africa during the U.N. peacekeeping ministerial meeting held in Seoul in 2021. The United States vowed to conduct maintenance work on the helicopters and help transport them to the East African country. The decommissioned helicopters underwent repairs and refurbishment in the U.S. for approximately two years before arriving in Kenya last mont
WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump has brokered a coming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the ravaged, Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday. The localized ceasefire is set to begin Thursday, with the American first lady saying in a written statement that the situation there is “on the brink of disaster.” The White House said Melania Trump had initiated discussions after learning about the situation during an event she held during the U.N. General Assembly session last month. It said she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire. Ukraine’s lead negotiator for the agreement thanked Melania Trump for her involvement and said the deal would be tough to accomplish. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, said the agreement calls for a ceasefire, followed by the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid. Lastly, civilians will be allowed to leave Oleshky, he said in a video message posted onl
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department has proposed expanding restrictions on American investments in sensitive technologies to include North Korea and several other countries, as Washington seeks to prevent adversaries from using U.S. capital to develop advanced military capabilities. The proposed regulations, detailed in a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, would expand the existing Outbound Investment Security Program, which currently covers China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to include North Korea, Russia, Iran and Cuba, according to the Treasury Department. The proposal seeks to implement the Comprehensive Outbound Investment National Security Act, enacted in December last year as part of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. Under the proposal, certain investments by U.S. persons involving covered foreign entities engaged in specified sensitive technologies would be prohibited, while other transactions would be subject to notification requirements. The regulations would cover specified activities in key technology sectors, in
Israel raids towns, detains dozens of Palestinians in occupied West Bank
Iran in ‘Advanced Stages’ of Planning Attacks Against Americans, Officials Say
Pentagon designates Confucius Institutes a national security threat
Century-old mosque near Indian PM’s residence under gov’t threat
Japan's revised law to maintain imperial family size takes effect
Thailand welcomes US-Myanmar engagement, expects Asean talks on country’s future
News in Easy English: Fewer parents in Japan want a second child
Turmoil hits AI buildout as neoclouds face pressure, credit risks mount and Solidigm pulls IPO
Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski sets World Series velocity record on his first pitch
Taiwan shuts schools and grounds flights as Typhoon Champi brushes by