Vatican’s new comms chief first woman to head office

PNP urges Markle’s victims to file raps

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police is investigating the extent of Thomas Markle’s alleged child sexual abuse activities in the Philippines, as it traces his local network and urges possible victims to file complaints. Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents early Friday at

Eurovision brings pop and politics to Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand — Boasting K-pop and Bangladeshi beatboxing, Eurovision stages its first Asia edition this Saturday, bringing the European song contest’s unique brand of kitsch and geopolitics to the world’s most populous region. From Laos to Mongolia and the Philippines, 11 countries are competing in the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia in Bangkok on Nov.

Trump says 'only kidding' about naming UFC CEO as White House press secretary

WEST PALM BEACH — President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was "only kidding" when he suggested UFC CEO Dana White could become his next White House press secretary, after a social media post a day earlier stirred speculation about recruiting his feisty ally and signaled a combative approach to dealing with Democrats as they prepare to take control of Congress. Trump said White, a prominent supporter, "loves the idea" of taking the job but insisted he had not been serious about the prospect, describing the suggestion as "just a little fun." "I will tell you, I was only kidding," Trump told reporters, explaining that he had posted photographs of prominent UFC fighters as potential assistants to White as part of the joke. In Saturday's post, Trump described White as a "violent Fighter and Warrior" and suggested he bring several current or former UFC champions to serve as assistants, saying they were needed to "defend us against the Lunatic Left." Trump said White would visit him at the White House on Monday, but added that the meeting was planned for other reasons. White, who has led the

Netanyahu rival Eisenkot seeks 'wide' government but path to power uncertain

JERUSALEM — Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot said on Sunday he will work to form a wide government as quickly as possible, but his path to power was uncertain following a deadlocked election that failed to dislodge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday gave Eisenkot the first opportunity to try to form a new government after the October 27 election left both Eisenkot and Netanyahu short of the majority needed to govern. Herzog officially handed Eisenkot the task on Sunday at a meeting at the president's residence, starting the clock on what Eisenkot said would be an "extraordinarily complex" process. "We are in a state of emergency, approaching a point of no return for the State of Israel," Eisenkot said. "We must form a national emergency government. This will require creative and unconventional political steps." Eisenkot said Israeli democracy was at a vulnerable moment at a time when it faced immense challenges, with Herzog citing a threat of attack from Iran, the need to progress towards peace in Gaza and negotiations with Lebanon

Rubio says progress made on 'security infrastructure' after Ukraine war

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that some progress has been made on what the "security infrastructure" of Ukraine and Europe could look like after the war with Russia, adding that talks this week could lead to further advances. Rubio's comments, ahead of his travel to Paris for talks with G7 foreign ministers, come as Russia-Ukraine negotiations under U.S. mediation have been set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. The need for security guarantees is an issue that has come up repeatedly in talks about ending the conflict, Rubio told reporters, referring to the war that broke out after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. A key issue is, he said, "What is the postwar security infrastructure of Ukraine and more broadly of the European continent going to look like?" "I think that's what the president's alluding to — is that there's been some advances made in what that architecture could look like post-conflict," he added. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday predicted a "very big" deal with Moscow involving not only Ukraine but "all of Europe," in remark

Nvidia probes whether CEO Huang was target of foreign spying as he admits affair

Nvidia said on Sunday it is probing whether CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort, after a media report alleged he had a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman who passed information to Beijing. Huang said in a message to employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife and took "full responsibility" for his actions, while Nvidia said the CEO was committed to continuing to lead the company without interruption. The developments are likely to pressure the chipmaker's stock, which has already seen sharp declines recently amid worries about AI sustainability, and may also raise questions about Huang's future at the helm of the company he co-founded. The New York Times reported last month that Huang had a relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive of Singapore-based company Megaspeed, whom U.S. authorities investigated and concluded was a Chinese intelligence asset. U.S. authorities have scrutinized Megaspeed, which buys AI chips from Nvidia, over suspicions it helped Beijing gain access to advanced AI chips that are barred from shipment to Ch

Trump says resumption of war with Iran 'highly unlikely'

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday cast doubt on renewed fighting with Iran, telling CNN that it was "highly unlikely" so long as talks progressed. In recent weeks, Trump has threatened to renew strikes with U.S. media reports suggesting that hostilities could resume after the U.S. midterm elections this week. "The answer is highly unlikely it's going to be necessary... I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don't know how hard I hit them," Trump said, while warning that any decision to resume hostilities "depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement." Trump previously acknowledged that the highly unpopular war with Iran was at least partially responsible for the stinging defeat that his Republican Party suffered in Tuesday's vote. In the CNN interview Sunday, Trump once again suggested that the economic pressure Iran is under will force its leaders into accepting a peace deal on the United States' terms. "They're a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301 percent inflation," Trump claimed. "They're withe

New Delhi wakes to toxic smog after Diwali as firecrackers add to seasonal pollution crisis

A thick blanket of smog has shrouded India’s capital after firecrackers lit up the skies over New Delhi during Diwali celebrations

COP31 to open in Türkiye, with climate goals under pressure from war and AI

Türkiye's COP31 presidency has centered this year's UN-sponsored summit on a goal to electrify more than a third of the global economy by 2035, up from around a fifth today.

Australia axe Labuschagne for New Zealand test series

South Korea fines Coupang $220 million for abusing dominance in food delivery market

Japanese man with ‘grudge against society’ stabs bookshop worker, police say

The 33-year-old male suspect in Osaka allegedly used a kitchen knife to stab a bookshop worker, who called police immediately afterwards.