Category: World

The United States has lifted a tsunami threat alert issued after a powerful earthquake struck Panama, as authorities assess widespread damage and injuries from two major tremors that shook the Central American country on Friday. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially identified a potential threat to coastal areas across Central and South America following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake on October 9. Subsequent assessments found no continuing tsunami threat, and the alert was withdrawn. Panama declared a state of emergency as damage assessments

Hurricane Isaias struck Florida’s Gulf Coast with destructive winds and heavy rainfall, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without electricity as emergency crews confronted flooding, fallen trees and damaged power lines across the southeastern United States. The hurricane made landfall near Destin in Florida’s Panhandle on Friday as a Category 2 storm, carrying maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. Its arrival followed rapid intensification over the Gulf of Mexico, where offshore

A viral video showing a sinister-looking Rumpelstiltskin dancing around a frightened woman has been identified as an artificial intelligence creation, ending speculation that the footage originated from a forgotten fantasy film. The clip, widely circulated on TikTok, Instagram and X, depicts a diminutive, curly-haired figure tiptoeing through a barn filled with straw. Its combination of vintage cinematography, unsettling facial expressions and comic movements has generated widespread attention, while prompting questions about the character's origins. The footage was originally published on Instagram on

USA Today Co. and publishers representing 19 newspapers have filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI, seeking more than $250 million in damages over allegations that the artificial intelligence developer unlawfully used their journalism to train ChatGPT. The complaint, filed on Thursday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses OpenAI of copying hundreds of thousands of copyrighted articles without permission or payment. The publishers are also seeking a permanent injunction against the alleged infringement and other

China's DEEP Robotics has tested waterproof humanoid robots at busy intersections in Hangzhou, deploying machines to direct traffic, identify road violations and assist tourists during persistent rainfall. The trials, conducted during the National Day holiday in early October, involved several DR02 humanoid robots operating across Xihu District in eastern China's Zhejiang province. The company said the exercise examined whether autonomous machines could undertake routine roadside duties while helping traffic personnel manage crowded streets and difficult weather conditions. Testing locations included intersections along

Gold prices climbed to a one-week high on Friday as declining oil prices eased inflation concerns and pressure on US Treasury yields, encouraging investors to return to bullion despite uncertainty over further Federal Reserve interest rate increases. Spot gold advanced 1.4% to $4,190.49 an ounce during US trading, extending gains for a second consecutive session. The metal was heading towards a weekly increase of approximately 1.2%, recovering from a two-month low reached on Wednesday. US gold futures for December delivery rose 1.4%

France has suspended the use of stun grenades against demonstrators as nationwide student protests over deteriorating school conditions intensify, placing the government under mounting pressure to address education shortages and allegations of excessive police force. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez ordered the suspension following serious injuries to teenage protesters, including a 15-year-old who lost a hand during clashes with riot police in Lens. Authorities are investigating allegations of police misconduct as demonstrations enter their third week. The decision follows Tuesday's nationwide mobilisation, when

The Netherlands’ Tax and Customs Administration has abandoned its planned migration to Microsoft 365 cloud services, opting instead for government-controlled servers and European open-source software following concerns over data security, digital sovereignty and dependence on foreign technology providers. State Secretary for Finance Eelco Eerenberg confirmed the policy reversal in a letter to parliament, outlining a phased replacement programme covering the tax authority, Dutch Customs and the Benefits Agency. The decision follows an independent assessment that questioned the risks associated with transferring

Nepal has formally ended its search and rescue operation for victims of the August 26 flash floods, leaving 5,285 people officially unaccounted for as authorities shift resources towards rehabilitation and reconstruction. The decision, taken this week after about 40 days of searching, has divided families still waiting for news of relatives swept away when floodwaters tore through the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river system. At least 1,455 people have been confirmed dead and 13,795 rescued, according to authorities. Officials said active searches for bodies would

A UPS employee failed to act on a security email barring sensitive F-35 components from transiting Hong Kong, leading the shipment to be diverted there and taken into Chinese custody, according to a person briefed on the incident. The disclosure provides the clearest explanation yet for how a cockpit canopy and weapons-bay door from an Australian F-35 ended up in Hong Kong while being shipped to the United States for inspection, repair or possible disposal. The Pentagon and other US authorities

Ghana’s annual inflation could slow to between 4.1 per cent and 4.4 per cent in September, Databank Research has projected, as improved supplies of key food staples are expected to reverse part of August’s price pressure. The forecast would mark a renewed decline from the 5.0 per cent recorded in August, when headline inflation increased from 4.6 per cent in July. Databank said a late-season improvement in food availability should help soften prices, particularly for staples whose supply constraints had contributed

Chinese fitness influencer Abeeeer has apologised for riding on a bicycle during the Berlin Marathon and concealing the episode after initially celebrating her finish as a personal best. The creator, identified from her race bib as Sun Yuanyuan with more than 520,000 followers on Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, acknowledged that taking the ride during the September 27 race violated race rules. She said physical discomfort on the course did not justify her decision. Her admission followed the circulation of photographs showing her riding

U. S. forces have imposed a curfew, alcohol ban and temporary operational pause in Okinawa after a Marine was arrested on suspicion of robbing and killing a local woman, intensifying anger over the American military presence on the Japanese island. The measures followed the arrest of Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who is suspected of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa’s capital, early on Saturday and stealing her wallet and backpack. Okinawa prefectural police said Ballard

Israel’s election campaign has been jolted by the attempted seizure of a Flydubai flight, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presenting the episode as validation of his pre-election security warnings while opponents accuse him of turning a still-unfolding investigation into political ammunition. The dispute has intensified as investigators in the United Arab Emirates examine the September 30 attack aboard Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit

Luxury homes in central London are approaching a 50% fall in inflation-adjusted value from their market peak, underlining the scale of a decade-long downturn that has reshaped one of the world’s best-known high-end property markets. Prime central London values are now about 26% below their 2014 peak in nominal terms, according to Savills, after falling another 2.5% during 2026 through its September assessment. Once the rise in consumer prices over the same period is taken into account, the loss in purchasing-power

Investigators examining the cockpit attack aboard a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv believe the co-pilot intended to kill the captain and crash the aircraft into a target in Israel in an attack modelled on September 11, 2001. A preliminary Israeli investigation has concluded that Hamam al-Hammami, a 29-year-old Omani national, planned to take control of Flight FZ1073 after incapacitating Captain Smit Machchhar and then deliberately strike a building in Tel Aviv or an aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport. Investigators currently