Malaysia king grants house arrest to ex-PM Najib

Inquirer.net - Sep 18, 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysia’s king on Friday granted jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak a rare royal clemency, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison term for graft under house arrest. The decision came at a suddenly convened Pardons Board meeting, a week after the board deferred Najib’s latest clemency application to

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Takaichi shuffles Japan Cabinet to revive sagging support
Sep 18, 2026
Takaichi shuffles Japan Cabinet to revive sagging support

TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reshuffled her Cabinet on Thursday in a bid to turn around her waning popularity, but retained key ministers as she pursues stronger ties with the US. Japan faces President Donald Trump’s tough demands for bigger defense spending, more investment in America and measures to combat a weak yen. The reshuffle is

King Charles warns AI leaders of 'existential dangers'
Sep 18, 2026
King Charles warns AI leaders of 'existential dangers'

CUMNOCK, Scotland — Britain's King Charles warned AI leaders on Thursday of the "existential dangers" posed by the technology falling into the wrong hands, saying safeguards were needed before it was too late. Charles was hosting the co-founders of chipmaker Nvidia and the Google DeepMind AI research laboratory, along with leaders from the AI providers OpenAI and Anthropic, in Scotland as concern grows that safety efforts are lagging behind the development of increasingly powerful systems. In recent weeks, the debate has centred on whether the industry can and should regulate itself, drawing interventions from figures including Pope Leo, Charles and U.S. President Donald Trump. Charles calls for controls 'before it is too late' Charles said artificial intelligence had the potential to improve and save lives, particularly in life sciences and medicine. But its creators were increasingly warning that it could develop darker capacities, "perhaps even to take life," he said. "There seems urgency in adequately considering the existential dangers of such technologies falling into the wrong han

US jobless claims fall to 196,000, lowest since mid-July
Sep 18, 2026
US jobless claims fall to 196,000, lowest since mid-July

WASHINGTON — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week, another sign that layoffs remain rare and most Americans enjoy job security. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims slid to 196,000, the fewest since mid-July and down from 206,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, dropped to 203,250. Economists had expected claims to come in at 207,500, according to a survey by the data firm FactSet. Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them because they can be a sign of where the job market is headed. For the past year, claims have mostly stayed within a historically low range of 200,000 to 230,000 a week. The American job market has remained sturdy despite higher gasoline prices that have squeezed businesses and consumers since the fighting with Iran began Feb. 28. Layoffs are low. Businesses, remembering the labor shortages that followed the end of pandemic lockdowns, are reluctant to let go of staff. They’re hiring — but modestly by the

China, US top diplomats discuss 'high-level interactions' in call, Beijing says
Sep 18, 2026
China, US top diplomats discuss 'high-level interactions' in call, Beijing says

BEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that the two countries "should prepare well for the next stage of high-level interactions in the spirit of equality, respect and reciprocity," Wang's ministry said. Head-of-state diplomacy serves as the anchor of China-U.S. ties, Wang said, adding that the two sides should strengthen communication, advance cooperation, manage differences and respect each other's core interests. The call came a week ahead of an expected visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the U.S., with a meeting with President Donald Trump set to take place on September 24, Trump had said. The official Chinese summary of the call fell short of explicitly confirming an upcoming meeting between Xi and Trump, but said Wang and Rubio "held in-depth discussions focused on high-level exchanges between the two countries." The two top diplomats also discussed the situation in the Middle East, the Chinese foreign ministry said, a day after Wang hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Beijing for talks. In

UN-backed experts cite possible US war crimes in Iran strikes
Sep 18, 2026
UN-backed experts cite possible US war crimes in Iran strikes

GENEVA — Human rights experts commissioned by the U.N.’s top human rights body say they have found “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran, including on a school in the southern city of Minab. They also accuse Iran’s theocratic government of carrying out crimes against humanity against its own people in a report published Thursday. The report, while not binding, adds to international evidence gathered about crimes in the war in Iran, and could eventually be used in efforts to reach justice in international courts. The fact-finding mission on Iran, chaired by jurist Sara Hossain of Bangladesh, is made up of independent experts and was created in 2022 by the Human Rights Council, the U.N.’s top human rights body, which is based in Geneva. The experts were expected to present their findings on Monday to the council, which is made up of 47 U.N. member countries. The team says the U.S. launched ‘indiscriminate’ attacks The international fact-finding mission says its findings on U.S. war crimes center on a pair of U.S. airstr

US stocks rise after oil prices fall and pressure from bond market eases
Sep 18, 2026
US stocks rise after oil prices fall and pressure from bond market eases

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are rising Thursday and recovering most of their losses for the week. Falling oil prices and easing pressure from the bond market helped Wall Street reverse many of its moves from the prior day, when the Federal Reserve hiked its main interest rate for the first time in years and suggested more may be ahead as it tries to get the nation’s high inflation under control. The S&P 500 climbed 0.9 percent and was on track for just its second rise in the last nine days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 213 points, or 0.4 percent, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.4 percent higher. Stocks got a boost after the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil slid 2.3 percent to $103.38. That’s down sharply from the nearly $110 it reached earlier in the week on worries that the war with Iran will keep oil bottled up in the Middle East instead of going to customers worldwide. Brent is of course still much more expensive than the $72 per barrel that it cost earlier this summer, but Thursday’s slide helped pull yields lower in the bond market and r

Pennsylvania seeks CDC help on measles outbreak, demands recognition of deaths
Sep 18, 2026
Pennsylvania seeks CDC help on measles outbreak, demands recognition of deaths

WASHINGTON — The Pennsylvania health department said it was requesting emergency support from the U.S. CDC as it grapples with one of the country's largest and most deadly measles outbreaks, according to a document reviewed by Reuters on Thursday. The request comes on condition that the federal agency recognize four measles-associated deaths reported by the state, raising the stakes in a dispute with the Trump administration. The state's measles outbreak has become the focus of a standoff between U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat. Kennedy has cast doubt on whether deaths reported in U.S. measles outbreaks since he took office were due to the virus or another cause, and instructed the CDC not to include the Pennsylvania fatalities in a national tally. Disease experts say the move represented highly unusual interference by a health secretary in the determination by state health officials and could minimize the risks of measles in the eyes of the public. Kennedy has accused Shapiro of politicizing the outbreak in his state and of failing to

Trump to host Xi amid pomp, low expectations
Sep 18, 2026
Trump to host Xi amid pomp, low expectations

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military honor guard has been rehearsing and the new White House helipad is ready. But will Xi Jinping and Donald Trump achieve lift-off at their summit next week? Warnings of an AI apocalypse hang heavy over the Chinese president's first White House meetings with Trump, as both countries race for technological supremacy. Trump's Iran war casts a long shadow too, as China seeks to avoid U.S. sanctions against countries dealing with Tehran, despite reports that Beijing supplied Tehran with intelligence for a strike on U.S. troops. A simmering trade war between the world's two largest economies is of even greater concern, while the threat of military confrontation over Taiwan looms large as well. Behind it all is a desire to manage tensions between a superpower keen to keep its place at the top and a rapidly rising rival determined to make the 21st century a Chinese one. The U.S. president, media-minded as ever, is also focused on the optics of the visit, having been hosted with high pomp during his own state visit to China in May. Trump, who was welcomed by China's v

Brazil's Lula announces 15% welfare boost ahead of election
Sep 18, 2026
Brazil's Lula announces 15% welfare boost ahead of election

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree on Thursday increasing benefits of his flagship welfare program by 15 percent, weeks before the first round of the presidential elections. The minimum monthly benefit per family of Bolsa Familia (Family Grant) will rise to 691 reais ($134) next month, from 600 reais. The decree says that it adjusts payments for accumulated inflation since March 2023. The measure will increase the purchasing power of voters, who will decide in October whether to grant Lula a fourth, nonconsecutive term, or elect Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a son of former President Jair Bolsonaro , in a likely run-off vote. Polls show the two are currently running neck-and-neck. “Bolsa Familia is central to our strategy to look after more vulnerable families, guarantee income so that people emerge from poverty and don’t suffer from food insecurity,” Finance Minister Dario Durigan said. The additional spending would be absorbed within existing budget allocations and would not represent a new expenditure, he added. Lula introduced the cash-tr

King Charles sounded like 'lottery winner' after Diana's death, her brother writes
Sep 18, 2026
King Charles sounded like 'lottery winner' after Diana's death, her brother writes

LONDON — Britain's King Charles sounded "like a lottery winner" after the death of his late first wife Diana, her brother writes in his forthcoming book, new extracts of which were published on Thursday. Diana's brother Charles Spencer said the then-Prince Charles was "giddily elated" in the immediate aftermath of Diana's death in 1997, possibly because he felt it meant he was freer to marry again, according to passages in the Daily Mail. Charles on Wednesday took the unusual step of responding to criticism after the first extracts of Spencer's book were published in the Daily Mail, saying via a spokesperson that grief could impact reason, judgment and memory. There was no new comment from the king on the latest excerpts, which also stated that Diana went to a site of many suicides on Britain's south coast, but that her love for her sons, William and Harry, "stopped her from going further." "It is a sad fact that, in her later years, Diana drove herself more than once to Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in England, while contemplating ending it all," Spencer wrote. Diana was kil

Trump says progress made toward establishing US Army base in Poland
Sep 18, 2026
Trump says progress made toward establishing US Army base in Poland

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Thursday that progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland, crediting "the bold leadership" of Polish President Karol Nawrocki. "If this happens, the location will be announced very soon. This will be a historic step for our Great U.S./Polish Alliance," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Poland has been pushing for a bigger allied presence on NATO's eastern flank after Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.

Harry makes first public appearance since return to UK
Sep 18, 2026
Harry makes first public appearance since return to UK

LONDON — Prince Harry on Thursday made his first public appearance since his shock return to Britain from the United States with his family three weeks ago. Harry, who quit Britain for California six years ago with his wife Meghan amid tensions with his family, attended a fundraising evening for his Invictus Games for wounded veterans in London. Dressed in a smoking jacket adorned with his military decorations, the 42-year-old prince took selfies with injured former soldiers at the event. Meghan did not accompany him. Along with their two children, Harry and Meghan landed back in the UK on August 26 and have kept a relatively low profile since. Speculation abounds over the reasons for their return, given that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left in the middle of a falling-out with his family, which only worsened after Harry published his tell-all memoir "Spare." His appearance at the event comes after the brother of Princess Diana, Harry's mother, unleashed a barrage of stinging criticism against King Charles III's behaviour towards his ex-wife. In a memoir being serialised in the Daily Ma

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