Author: By AFP

Audio By Vocalize The virus is spread by biting midges. [Stock image] French health authorities said Thursday that the Shamonda virus, which usually affects livestock, had been detected in a human for the first time, in a severely immunocompromised patient who died earlier this month. There was “no health risk to the general public identified at this time”, the health and agriculture ministries said in a joint statement. It added that the human infection appeared to be “an exceptional case involving a severely immunocompromised patient” hospitalised for a serious medical condition. “Despite circulating in Africa and Asia for several decades,…

Audio By Vocalize This general view shows the exterior and the logo of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on March 28, 2026.[AFP] The Sakharov Prize for the International Criminal Court comes as the institution endures the toughest period in its history, reeling from a damaging sex scandal, haemorrhaging members, and bracing for potentially crippling US sanctions. The ICC, housed in a shiny glass building on the outskirts of The Hague, was set up in 2002 to try people accused of the world’s worst crimes — war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Its founding treaty, the Rome…

Audio By Vocalize Facing US sanctions, the International Criminal Court was on Thursday awarded the European Union’s top rights prize, in a show of support that risks upsetting President Donald Trump. “The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this prize recognises the important work of the court in upholding international law and justice,” said European Parliament chief Roberta Metsola in announcing the award. The ICC thanked the European Parliament for giving it the Sakharov Prize “at a time when the Court and its officials face unprecedented challenges”. “Against this backdrop, the Sakharov Prize carries…

Audio By Vocalize Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman with French President Emmanuel Macron in Riyadh. [Benoit Tessier, AFP] French President Emmanuel Macron visited Riyadh on Wednesday for a surprise “solidarity” visit, making him the first Western leader to touch down in the kingdom since Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis intensified their attacks this month. The unannounced trip sent a strong signal to his oil-rich Saudi ally as Riyadh comes under near-daily attack. It was part of a Gulf tour to secure oil and diesel and bring down prices in France, following a weekend of violent protests over soaring living costs. Faced…

Audio By Vocalize Palestinians arrive at to collect a food ration box provided by the World Food Programme. [Bashar Taleb, AFP] The World Food Programme said Monday it would end monthly assistance to 500,000 people in Gaza due to a funding shortfall, despite acute needs in the war-battered Palestinian territory. With the cutbacks, 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza  still about half the population will be receiving either food or cash assistance each month from the UN agency, in reduced amounts. The World Food Programme said its efforts had mitigated the effects during a famine last year in Gaza a description…

Audio By Vocalize France’s Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said 1,200 people were arrested in protests across the country. [Matthieu Rondel, AFP] French police “lost control” during nationwide protests marred by violence over the weekend, the interior minister admitted Monday, with President Emmanuel Macron calling for a security review. Macron also refused Interior Minister Laurent Nunez’s resignation even as he acknowledged security and intelligence failures in the government response. Saturday’s demonstrations saw some half a million people turn out across France to protest the cost of living, but morphed into some of the worst violence to rock the country in years,…

Enzo Maresca is sweating on Erling Haaland’s fitness after the Manchester City striker limped off following his double in Saturday’s 3-2 win against Ipswich. Published Date: 2026-10-18 11:08:10 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Erling Haaland starred with a double as Premier League leaders Manchester City beat Ipswich 3-2, while Liverpool came from behind to seal a 2-1 win at Brentford on Saturday. Published Date: 2026-10-18 11:04:23 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick hailed Lamine Yamal as the best player in the world as his dominant side routed 10-man Real Betis 5-2 on Saturday to return five points clear at the top of La Liga. Published Date: 2026-10-18 10:59:41 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Ousmane Dembele missed a penalty but later scored as Paris Saint-Germain produced a fightback to win 3-1 away at Strasbourg on Saturday and go to the top of the French Ligue 1 Published Date: 2026-10-18 10:55:49 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Lionel Messi scored twice in the space of four minutes to lift Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory at Atlanta United on Saturday as the Herons’ MLS title defense continued to gain steam Published Date: 2026-10-18 10:52:51 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize The headquarters of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) in Dhahran in eastern Saudi Arabia. [AFP] The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis on Sunday said two pilots were killed when their helicopter crashed because of a “technical malfunction” near the border with Yemen, the first military fatalities since hostilities restarted in July. “An AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter belonging to the national guard crashed and was destroyed in Saudi territory in the Najran area as a result of a technical malfunction, resulting in the death of its crew of two officers,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said, according to…

Audio By Vocalize Pope Leo XIV attends the holy mass for the inauguration of the academic year of the pontifical universities at the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on October 8, 2026. [AFP] Pope Leo XIV will leave the Rome hospital Saturday where he has been recovering from lung cancer surgery, the Vatican said, after doctors deemed him “fit for discharge”. Leo, 71, has been at the Gemelli hospital north of the Vatican since Tuesday, where doctors removed part of his right lung to extract a cancerous tumour. “Considering the blood tests, the chest X-ray done this morning, and…

Audio By Vocalize Claude on App Store displayed on a phone screen. [AFP] Anthropic, the creator of the AI assistant Claude, confirmed on Friday it is circulating a draft bill among US lawmakers aimed at regulating artificial intelligence to address the lack of federal legislation on the risks posed by the new technology. According to the draft, first reported by Politico on Friday, Washington could block a model’s release or use if there is an imminent risk of killing or seriously injuring more than 50 people, or causing more than $1 billion in damages, but only with a judge’s approval.…

Audio By Vocalize Former White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia speaking during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on October 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. [AFP]  President Donald Trump fired the White House press secretary Katie Zacharia after just five days on the job. Trump said that Zacharia should “reconsider” staying in the job after a shaky start in the high-profile role. “I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?,'” he told reporters as Zacharia fended off criticism that she falsely claimed to be a lawyer and over her widely panned first…

Audio By Vocalize Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives to attend a bilateral meeting with Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk (unseen) on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels on October 15, 2026. [AFP] European leaders on Friday rallied around Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky as Kyiv’s ties with US President Donald Trump have nosedived and worries grow that US leader is increasingly siding with Russia. Relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured since last week, when Trump eased sanctions on Russia in exchange for Moscow releasing large amounts of diesel onto global markets. Zelensky infuriated Trump further by ordering Ukraine’s forces…

Audio By Vocalize Police tape cordons off the access to Silver Rail Elementary School following a shooting in Bend, Oregon, on October 15, 2026. [AFP] A teenager shot and killed three children and a teacher on Thursday at an elementary school in the US state of Oregon, police said, adding the assailant was later killed by an armed bystander who pursued him into the building. Officers rushed to Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, a city of about 100,000 in the nation’s northwest, after reports of a shooter on campus on Thursday afternoon. The three children who died on the scene…

Audio By Vocalize A rescuer carries a child during a search operation after a roof collapsed at a school in Peshawar on October 15, 2026. [AFP] The families of children killed in a roof collapse at a school in northwest Pakistan called for “justice” on Friday, the day after more than 30 pupils and a teacher were crushed to death. A woman teacher and 32 students, mostly younger than 14, died in the building collapse in the city of Peshawar on Thursday morning. “The parents of all these children must receive justice,” tailor Muhammad Wahab, who lost his 11-year-old nephew…

Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique said the European champions rode their luck to beat Manchester City 4-2 and maintain a perfect start to their defence of the Champions League. Published Date: 2026-10-15 10:53:58 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Lionel Messi set up a Rodrigo De Paul goal and German Berterame snapped his scoring drought as Inter Miami booked their place in the MLS playoffs with a 2-0 win over New York City Published Date: 2026-10-15 10:47:51 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Diego Maradona’s family has called for his medical team to be given stiff prison terms over what two of his daughters called his “murder.” Published Date: 2026-10-15 10:45:43 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Jose Mourinho hit out at the “shameless” decision by Spanish football authorities to announce that Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior had been slapped with a four-match ban Published Date: 2026-10-15 10:41:43 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Reigning champions PSG romped to a 4-2 victory away to embattled Man City in the UEFA Champions League, while Bradley Barcola hit his first Liverpool goals with a hat-trick VS LASK Published Date: 2026-10-15 10:38:10 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV. [AFP] US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he wants to see Pope Leo XIV “get well” after the pontiff underwent surgery in Rome this week to remove a cancerous tumor. “I want to see Pope Leo get well,” Trump told reporters after addressing a campaign rally in Arizona. “It’s big stuff. Anytime you have cancer, but the prognosis seems to be good.” “I just want to wish him well. Get better fast,” the president added. Pope Leo’s doctors said Wednesday that he was out of bed, walking and…

Audio By Vocalize A person watches a news feed running a Russia’s FSB security service footage of the operation to detain a Japanese journalist accused of espionage, on a smartphone in Moscow on October 13, 2026. [AFP] Japan denied on Thursday conducting spy activitiy in Russia, following Moscow’s arrest of a Japanese journalist on suspicion of espionage. “There is no such fact,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters when asked about the Russian allegations, adding that “the protection of Japanese nationals is extremely important right now, and we intend to focus our efforts on that”. Russia has arrested several citizens…

Audio By Vocalize Sander Diego uses a damaged refrigerator as a boat to carry groceries on a flooded street in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil on May 26, 2024. [AFP] A typhoon in the Philippines and flooding in Brazil. Twice in less than a year, British energy giant Shell has been the target of a new type of lawsuit seeking to make polluters pay part of the cost of specific extreme weather events. “We chose Shell because it’s an emblematic company. It meets all the criteria,” Thales Miola, a lawyer for the Brazilian NGO Instituto Preservar, told AFP.…

Audio By Vocalize Rescue workers and residents during a search operation after a roof collapsed at a school in Peshawar on October 15, 2026. [AFP] Twenty-one pupils and a teacher were killed on Thursday after a roof collapsed at a school in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar, a hospital official said. Asim Khan from Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital confirmed the toll to AFP, adding that over 30 people were injured, with six believed to be in a critical condition. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a statement expressed “deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives”. “The…

Kenya hosting the 2029 World Athletics Championships will help combat the endemic doping problem among its athletes, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said on a visit to Nairobi on Wednesday. Published Date: 2026-10-14 15:00:42 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla, Alaska, on October 13, 2026. [AFP] US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that oil, gas and mineral exploration was preparing to begin in Greenland, and hailed the Arctic island’s position for US and European security. Washington signed a security deal with the leaders of Greenland and Denmark after Trump threatened to take Copenhagen’s strategically important Arctic Circle territory by force. Greenland, which lies on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States, represents a highly strategic…

Audio By Vocalize Rescue personnel prepare to conduct a search operation for the missing after a boat capsized in Ganga river in Bihar’s Vaishali district on October 14, 2026. [AFP] Rescuers dragged out 13 dead children from India’s Ganges river after an overloaded boat capsized en route to a Hindu festival, officials said Wednesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing grief over the “deeply painful” tragedy. The boat overturned late Tuesday in Vaishali district in eastern Bihar state, with locals rushing to pull people out of the water in the dark using mobile phones to find the bodies. “It was…

Audio By Vocalize Pope Leo XIV. [AFP] Pope Leo XIV spent a calm night and was to begin post-surgery recovery Wednesday, a day after having a cancerous tumour removed from his lung. Part of the pope’s right lung was removed in the operation and the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics is awaiting the results of tests to determine if the cancer has spread. “The pope passed a calm night,” the Vatican said, without providing any more details. The sporty 71-year-old, who was only elected last year, made the surprise announcement that he would be undergoing surgery after Sunday…

Audio By Vocalize Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Gemelli University Hospital for an operation to remove a lump from his lung, in Rome on October 13, 2026. [AFP] Pope Leo XIV had a cancerous tumour removed from his right lung in a 90-minute operation on Tuesday and “woke up normally” after the procedure, the Vatican said. A Vatican source said further tests were being carried out to determine if the cancer had spread. “To ensure the procedure was radical, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed,” the Vatican said in a statement. The operation “confirmed the diagnosis…

Audio By Vocalize A screen grab from CCTV footage released by the Saudi Media Ministry on October 11, 2026, shows the moment King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was hit by a Houthi strike on October 10, 2026. [AFP] Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that an attack on an Aramco building in the kingdom’s east sparked a “limited fire” and that debris from intercepted Houthi missiles wounded four people in the capital Riyadh. It came hours after the Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthis said it had intercepted several missiles on Tuesday evening, including over Riyadh. A Saudi energy ministry official…

Arsenal blew away Lille with a three-goal blitz in seven second-half minutes for a 3-0 win to extend their perfect start to the Champions League. Published Date: 2026-10-14 10:14:59 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Barcelona and Lamine Yamal rediscovered their sparkle after a rocky first-half spell in the cauldron of Istanbul’s Ali Sami Yen stadium to win 4-1 away to Galatasaray in the Champions League Published Date: 2026-10-14 10:12:21 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize The OpenAI logo appears on a smartphone screen with the Torch Health logo in the background. [AFP] A Saudi employee of OpenAI was arrested after allegedly planting a recording device in one of the company’s San Francisco offices, the AI firm and federal prosecutors said Tuesday. “We discovered a sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices” and “referred the matter to the FBI,” OpenAI told AFP in a statement. OpenAI’s security team found the device late last month and the employee, Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested on October 9, the US Justice…

Atletico Madrid beat Manchester United 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday as the Red Devils continued their poor run, while Bayern Munich were held 3-3 in Norway Published Date: 2026-10-14 09:47:48 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize A staff member showcased smart glasses at the Qwen AI Glasses booth at the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Terminal Industry Expo in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China on July 10, 2026. [AFP] The European Union’s central data regulator on Tuesday said smart glasses should give “clear warnings” when they are recording, after a public outcry in recent months over secretly filmed footage of girls and women. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) warned in its non-binding guidance to users and manufacturers that smart glasses raised “serious privacy concerns” as it seeks to increase awareness about the risks. Individuals wearing…

Audio By Vocalize A CCTV footage screen grab released by the Saudi Media Ministry on October 11, 2026, shows the moment King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was hit by a Houthi strike on October 10, 2026. [AFP] Yemen’s Houthis said Saudi Arabia struck an oil facility in Sanaa on Tuesday, after the Riyadh-led coalition told civilians to leave the surrounding area in its first evacuation order for the Yemeni capital since the war flared up again. After a series of strikes on the kingdom’s airports and energy sites, the coalition’s spokesman said people should leave an oil facility belonging…

Audio By Vocalize US President Donald Trump with the US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle. [File, AFP] US President Donald Trump’s administration has asked his ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign, the White House said Tuesday, amid allegations that she sought money from a Trump supporter and accepted lavish hospitality from wealthy Greek businessmen. “We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia told reporters at her first White House briefing. The announcement came a day after Trump acknowledged that he was considering dismissing Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and ex-fiancee of his eldest…

Man City face a hostile Anfield when the Premier League leaders play bitter rivals Liverpool in their first game since being found guilty of breaking more than 100 financial rules. Published Date: 2026-10-11 11:11:07 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Lionel Messi scored twice to help Inter Miami rout DC United 4-0 on Saturday, taking a victory in his first match since saying farewell to the Argentina national team. Published Date: 2026-10-11 11:08:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Cole Palmer has signed a contract extension to stay at Chelsea until 2034. Published Date: 2026-10-11 11:01:56 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Cristiano Ronaldo has been provisionally suspended after the Portuguese Football Federation announced it had opened disciplinary proceedings against the 41-year-old Published Date: 2026-10-11 10:57:49 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Xabi Alonso praised Jordan Henderson after the Chelsea midfielder rolled back the years with a double in the 5-1 demolition of Bournemouth on Saturday. Published Date: 2026-10-11 10:54:43 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Michael Carrick said Manchester United need to become more “streetwise” and “stubborn” after they blew a late lead against 10-man Tottenham to draw 1-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday. Published Date: 2026-10-11 10:51:47 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Ten-man Tottenham salvaged a 1-1 against fellow strugglers Man United thanks to Dominic Solanke’s last-gasp leveller, while Arsenal got back on track as the champions survived a scare to beat Leeds Published Date: 2026-10-11 10:47:14 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Convicted murderer Christa Pike, who survived a botched execution attempt in Tennesse, USA. [AFP] Convicted murderer Christa Pike, who survived a botched execution attempt in the US state of Tennessee last week, has been discharged from hospital and returned to prison, her lawyers said Saturday. Pike, 50, was given two doses of the drug pentobarbital on September 30 — a usually fatal dose that nevertheless failed to kill her. She was transported to hospital in critical condition but later regained consciousness, with her lawyers saying this week that she was walking around but in a “foggy” mental…

Audio By Vocalize US President Donald Trump with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. [File, AFP] US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky traded barbs Saturday after Washington moved to ease sanctions on Russian diesel and Moscow’s continued strikes on Ukraine killed at least 21 people, including four children. Trump, whose party faces dim prospects in next month’s midterm elections partly over soaring US fuel prices, announced Friday that he had called Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and agreed to allow Moscow to release large amounts of diesel onto global markets. Ukraine and its European allies expressed dismay at the move,…

Audio By Vocalize Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali. [Courtesy, X] The leader of Britain’s left-wing Greens said on Friday he would stay on as party chief after he failed to grab a parliamentary seat in the wake of a row with Israel. Zack Polanski, who is Jewish but has made the Greens avidly pro-Palestinian, was barred from Israel this month after his party backed a motion to define Zionism as racism. The by-election to represent the Holborn and St Pancras constituency in London after former UK leader Keir Starmer stood down was also an early test of Labour Prime Minister Andy…

Audio By Vocalize US President Donald Trump speaks during an election rally at the Oncenter on October 09, 2026 in Syracuse, New York. [AFP] The United States announcement of new sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), hours after the Nobel Peace Prize went to one of its former judges Navi Pillay, has provoked widespread international criticism. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would ban transactions with what he called a “rogue court”. “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” he added. European nations and the United Nations have led the opposition, while…

Audio By Vocalize US imposes sanctions on the International Criminal Court. [AFP] The United States on Friday announced sanctions on the International Criminal Court, vowing to cripple the tribunal’s operations just hours after the Nobel Peace Prize went to a former ICC judge who warned of mounting political attacks on the court. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would ban transactions with what he called a “rogue court,” escalating a long-running campaign by President Donald Trump’s administration against the Hague-based tribunal. “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” Rubio said in a statement.…

Audio By Vocalize People hold Israel flags at an event to commemorate the victims of Hamas’s October 7 attack. [Odd Andersen, AFP] Israel carried out new strikes in Gaza on Wednesday as it marked the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks by Hamas, with Palestinian officials reporting three people dead. Loud bangs across the border in Gaza were audible from the site of the Nova music festival just as family members gathered at dawn to mourn the more than 300 revellers killed three years earlier. In Gaza City, Al-Shifa hospital reported two people killed in an Israeli strike overnight.…

Outrage erupted in Kenya on Wednesday after a referee was attacked and chased out of a Nairobi stadium by fans for awarding a penalty during a key match. Published Date: 2026-10-07 15:57:43 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Mikel Arteta has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal which will run until June 2030 Published Date: 2026-10-07 15:53:49 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Football fans in Benin declared that it was “an honour” that the West African nation provided the opposition for Lionel Messi’s final international appearance Published Date: 2026-10-07 12:31:33 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Cristiano Ronaldo has accused Portugal coach Jorge Jesus of breaking his word about giving him game time in Nations League matches, but said he remained available for his country. Published Date: 2026-10-07 12:26:37 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize This handout picture dated January 12, 2023 provided by the Tennessee Department of Correction shows convicted US murderer Christa Pike. [File, AFP] The female inmate who survived a failed execution in a US prison last week is now conscious and speaking, but her prognosis remains unclear, her lawyers said Tuesday. Christa Pike, 50, who was sentenced to death for a murder she committed when she was a teenager, received two supposedly lethal doses of the drug pentobarbital at a Tennessee prison a week ago. She survived the injections, however, and was rushed to hospital, where she had…

Messi, playing in his record-extending 208th international, also provided the assist for the opening goal scored by veteran Nicolas Otamendi, with Nico Paz also scoring. Published Date: 2026-10-07 10:56:06 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

“It was a huge source of pride for me to defend this jersey for more than 20 years,” Messi told the stadium. Published Date: 2026-10-07 10:49:54 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Civilians receive training on the use of long-barreled firearms, multiple rocket launchers and air defense systems during drills held in Tehran, Iran, on October 04, 2026. [AFP] Three Iranian men went on trial in the United Kingdom Tuesday charged with spying for Iran, allegedly laying the groundwork for a violent attack against at least one London-based journalist. The Iranian nationals visited addresses linked to people including two journalists working for the Farsi-language Iran International television news network, which Tehran has labelled a terror organisation. Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Noori, 57, who have all…

Audio By Vocalize August Hanning, former president of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) who was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of espionage. [File, AFP] A former German spy chief was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of passing sensitive information to foreign powers, an embarrassing case that comes as the country is seeking to bolster its intelligence agencies. August Hanning, who ran Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency from 1998 to 2005, is accused of espionage, treason and working for foreign intelligence services, federal prosecutors said. They did not say which foreign powers were involved. However, AFP understands that it was not…

Audio By Vocalize An investigation has been launched into the incident, with the hackers not yet identified. Hackers broke into Denmark’s national registry and gained access to personal information on millions of people, the digital affairs ministry said Monday. “The administration of the national registry (CPR) has found that unauthorised individuals obtained illegal access in particular to the names, addresses, and CPR numbers of around 8.8 million registered people,” including those who have died or emigrated, the ministry said in a press release, referring to Denmark’s social security numbers. “This is an extremely serious incident,” Christina Egelund, digital affairs minister,…

Audio By Vocalize Immigration officers process the documentation of Myanmar migrants repatriated from Malaysia in Thanlyin on October 4, 2026. [AFP] Nearly 1,500 Myanmar migrants from Malaysia returned to their war-ravaged home country on Sunday under an opaque repatriation scheme that rights monitors say cannot assure their safety. Dozens of migrants were transported on buses to a Buddhist monastery hall for immigration and health checks, AFP journalists saw, after the returnees arrived by Myanmar Navy ships that docked at the nearby base in Thanlyin. “I haven’t met my family yet,” said Kyaw Swar Thein, 53, who worked in a coffee…

Audio By Vocalize SNSD candidate for the Serb seat in Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic during the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) rally in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on October 2, 2026. [AFP] Bosnia was heading to the polls on Sunday after a general election campaign dominated by parties that identify closely with the ethnic divisions of its 1990s war. Voters will elect a dizzying number of officials across multiple tiers of government, in a complex system that has held the partitioned country together since the 1995 peace deal. Its key race will be for the tripartite presidency,…

Audio By Vocalize Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a railway station in Kyiv October 4, 2026. [AFP] German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Sunday on an unannounced visit in a show of support for the country in its war with Russia. Kyiv is under increasing attack from Russian missiles and drones, which are targeting key infrastructure including the energy sector vital for power and heating as winter approaches. “I travelled to Kyiv today because Ukraine needs all our support in the coming weeks,” Merz said in a statement issued…

Audio By Vocalize Medical plane carrying six people missing off US east coast. [Courtesy] The US Coast Guard launched a search operation Saturday for a medical evacuation plane that went missing while flying from Bermuda to Boston with six people on board, officials said. The Coast Guard said on X that surface vessels and aircraft are looking for the Gulfstream G100 plane off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The aircraft operated by Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance went missing around 1:30 am (1530 GMT), company spokesman Clarence Togeretz told AFP. “It was carrying two pilots, two medical staff, one patient and…

Audio By Vocalize New York Governor Kathy Hochul. New York Governor Kathy Hochul vowed Friday to close a legal loophole that makes it harder to prosecute rape cases if the victims were willingly intoxicated, amid an uproar over an alleged gang rape at Cornell University. The accuser in that case has filed a civil lawsuit over the alleged 2024 attack at the Ivy League school, casting a harsh spotlight on a decision by prosecutors not to file any criminal charges at the time. The investigation into the incident was reopened on Monday, and Hochul has appointed state Attorney General Letitia…

Audio By Vocalize New York Governor Kathy Hochul. New York Governor Kathy Hochul vowed Friday to close a legal loophole that makes it harder to prosecute rape cases if the victims were willingly intoxicated, amid an uproar over an alleged gang rape at Cornell University. The accuser in that case has filed a civil lawsuit over the alleged 2024 attack at the Ivy League school, casting a harsh spotlight on a decision by prosecutors not to file any criminal charges at the time. The investigation into the incident was reopened on Monday, and Hochul has appointed state Attorney General Letitia…

Audio By Vocalize Switzerland’s President Guy Parmelin at a past press conference. [AFP]  Swiss President Guy Parmelin announced Friday that he will quit the government at the end of the year, in a sudden move after more than a decade of ministerial service. Switzerland’s presidency rotates annually among the seven members of the government, called the Federal Council, of which Parmelin, 66, was the longest-serving minister. Parmelin told a press conference in Bern that he had informed ministerial colleagues of his decision to step down on December 31. “By then, it will have been 11 years since I was elected…

Audio By Vocalize    FlyDubai pilot Smit Machchhar, as he is recovering in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates. [AFP] An Indian pilot attacked by his co-pilot aboard a flight from the UAE to Israel said Friday that he “could not let all those people die”, in his first public remarks after he helped stop the plane from crashing. His actions on Wednesday helped avert disaster when he managed to open the cockpit door despite suffering injuries, allowing passengers and crew to take control of the plane and make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The co-pilot has been…

Audio By Vocalize    FlyDubai pilot Smit Machchhar, as he is recovering in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates. [AFP] An Indian pilot attacked by his co-pilot aboard a flight from the UAE to Israel said Friday that he “could not let all those people die”, in his first public remarks after he helped stop the plane from crashing. His actions on Wednesday helped avert disaster when he managed to open the cockpit door despite suffering injuries, allowing passengers and crew to take control of the plane and make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The co-pilot has been…

Manchester City FC can confirm that at 7:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Thursday 1st October 2026 the club lodged its comprehensive appeal against the opinion of the Premier League commission. Published Date: 2026-10-02 14:51:08 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize U.S. President Donald Trump takes a tour with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) (2R) and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick (R) during a visit to the Peterbilt Motors truck plant on October 01, 2026. [AFP]. A condemned female murderer who survived two lethal injections during a botched execution by the US state of Tennessee was in critical condition and receiving “life-saving care,” her lawyer said Thursday. In an extraordinary chain of events, Christa Pike, 50, was whisked from a prison execution chamber to a hospital Wednesday night, still alive despite two deadly doses of pentobarbital. “What…

Audio By Vocalize Police officers and forensic investigators stand at the entrance of a school following an attack that left one person dead and three others injured in Torreon, Coahuila state, Mexico, on October 1, 2026. [AFP]. Two teenage brothers armed with knives and fireworks killed a female assistant principal and injured three other people in an attack Thursday at a school in northern Mexico, local authorities said. While several parts of Mexico live in terror of brutal drug cartels, school shootings or stabbings are rare. Authorities said the two 18-year-old alleged attackers previously attended the school in the town…

Audio By Vocalize Security forces of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government man a checkpoint on a street in Taiz amid concerns over Houthi infiltration, late on September 27, 2026. [AFP] The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that its forces intercepted two ballistic missiles and four drones fired by the Iran-backed group at the kingdom. The coalition said on X it “intercepted and destroyed” the missiles and drones over the southern Saudi city of Jazan, near energy and oil facilities already targeted in recent weeks, and Khamis Mushait, a city in the country’s southwest that is home to an…

Audio By Vocalize People offer prayers for the recovery of India’s pilot Smit Machchhar, the captain of flydubai flight FZ 1073, at a temple in Ahmedabad on October 1, 2026. [AFP] US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Tehran was likely involved in an attack by a pilot on a flydubai flight to Israel and that Iran would be “hit very hard” if it was. The co-pilot allegedly assaulted the captain before passengers managed to save the plane from crashing. Israel’s prime minister said the man had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination.” “I would say the answer, based on what I’m…

Audio By Vocalize Students clash with police during a student-led blockade protest at the Kleber Secondary School, in Strasbourg, eastern France, on October 1, 2026. [AFP] A high school entrance hall caught fire in one French city and teenage protesters blocked trams in another on Thursday, as secondary pupils upped their strike over what they denounce as poor learning conditions. The movement in the lycees, which students aged 15 to 18 attend for their final three years of secondary education in France, has seen hundreds detained in recent days. Since last week, pupils have staged protests outside schools over grievances…

Audio By Vocalize European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen during a joint press conference with Albania’s Prime Minister at the Government Headquarters in Tirana, on September 30, 2026. [AFP] British Prime Minister Andy Burnham may have shifted the dial by floating a return for his country to the European Union. But after a rollercoaster decade since the Brexit vote, the UK rejoining is only a distant prospect and Brussels is waiting first to see what London wants next. “It’s positive. It improves the tone,” one EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP. “But we’re not going to…

Audio By Vocalize US murder convict Christa Pike. [AFP] A Tennessee woman convicted of murder survived two lethal injection doses and was hospitalized on Thursday, her lawyers said, marking the state’s second failed execution in months and prompting it to halt capital punishment this year. Hours earlier on Wednesday, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Christa Pike, 50, to become the first woman to be executed in the southern US state of Tennessee in 200 years — but the attempt failed. “This event is the worst we’ve seen and unlike any other botched execution in the modern era,” Robin…

Audio By Vocalize France’s President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a ceremony in honour of the King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain (not seen) at the French Embassy’s residence in Madrid on September 30, 2026. [AFP]. French security forces on Wednesday detained over 600 people while dozens of police and gendarmes were wounded as protests that have seen blockades of high schools and violent clashes escalated, the interior minister said. The movement in the lycees, attended by students aged 15 to 18 for their final three years of secondary education in France, has angered the government. Since…

The 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia is set to be the biggest edition yet, expanding to 24 teams and 52 matches across seven cities, with record ticket demand already building. Published Date: 2026-10-01 00:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Published Date: 2026-10-01 00:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Kenyan marathoner Sabastian Sawe, who ran the first sub-two-hour marathon in London, believes the world record can fall further and is targeting more history at future major races. Published Date: 2026-10-01 00:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Novak Djokovic overcame Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) at the China Open to extend his unbeaten Beijing record, while Karen Khachanov upset second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. Published Date: 2026-10-01 00:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Members of the Druze community pick apples at an orchard near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on September 25, 2026. [AFP] A shooting attack on a bus in central Syria on Wednesday killed seven people and left four others wounded, state media reported. The perpetrators of the shooting in Homs province have not yet been identified, the official news agency Sana added. A security source who requested anonymity had initially given AFP a preliminary toll of five dead. Among the bus passengers were “engineers and workers from a private company” and…

Audio By Vocalize Hong Kong police arrested two people on Wednesday for allegedly acting “with seditious intent”, authorities said, with local media identifying the pair as an independent journalist and an activist. While authorities only said the suspects were a 37-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman, local media identified the pair as independent journalist reporter Tang Ho-wing and activist Lee Ying-chi. Officers wearing vests labelled “NSD” — for the National Security Department — led Tang in handcuffs to a van from a residential building, images published by local media showed. Tang’s detention marks the first publicly known time a journalist has…

Spain extended their winning start to the UEFA Nations League with a 4-1 victory over Croatia, while England secured their first group win by beating the 10-man Czech Republic 2-0 in Prague. Published Date: 2026-09-30 21:30:15 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Poland’s Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski and Australia’s Trade Minister Don Farrell during G20 Trade Ministerial Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 30, 2026. [AFP] The United States is pushing for action against excess industrial capacity that drives prices down unfairly, Washington’s top trade envoy said Wednesday on the sidelines of a G20 meeting, with some countries — excluding China — agreeing to a plan that includes lowering subsidies. The developments came as officials from the Group of 20 major economies convene in the Midwestern city of Milwaukee over two days, with a group of countries agreeing on…

Audio By Vocalize An aerial view shows Manchester City’s City Football Academy, in Manchester, north-west England on September 30, 2026. [AFP] Manchester City fans told AFP Wednesday they were “devastated” by the verdict on the football club’s financial breaches, while supporters of rival clubs called for City’s relegation from the Premier League. An independent commission found the Abu Dhabi-backed club arranged “sham” contracts with a number of commercial partners to artificially inflate its revenues and reduce costs by more than £900 million ($1.2 billion) between 2009 and 2018. In that time, City won the Premier League title three times and…

An independent commission found the club guilty on all charges related to breaches of financial rules over the nine-year period. Published Date: 2026-09-30 16:16:13 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish a fire at the site of an air attack in the Odesa region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine on September 29, 2026. [AFP] Russia hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure in a wave of deadly drone and missile strikes on Wednesday, prompting an urgent call for contingencies as freezing winter approaches. Kyiv said it was the opening attack in Russia’s inevitable campaign to try to knock out heating and electricity supplies in the capital ahead of winter — a tactic Moscow has deployed throughout the four-and-a-half-year war. At least four people were killed…

Audio By Vocalize Commuters ride scooters past Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles on display beside a large portrait of Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei at Baharestan Square in Tehran on September 28, 2026. [AFP] Iranian authorities said on Wednesday they received the official US response to their proposal to end the Middle East war, state media reported, days after US President Donald Trump rejected the plan. “At today’s cabinet meeting, the American side’s proposal was presented to President Masoud Pezeshkian by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi,” government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told the official IRNA news agency, without specifying the content of the reply.…

Audio By Vocalize Passengers are pictured at the arrivals of the Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026. [AFP]Caption A flydubai plane bound for Tel Aviv was forced to land in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an “incident”, the airline said, with Israeli media reporting an altercation between the pilots. Flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv “experienced an incident while en route. The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport (TUU) and all passengers are safe and accounted for,” the spokesperson for the low-cost carrier said in a statement. Several Israeli media reported that a…

LeBron James says the 76ers must embrace hard work, sacrifice and discomfort if they are to turn their talent into a championship-winning team. Published Date: 2026-09-30 00:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Aryna Sabalenka says she feels refreshed and healthier as she returns to competition at the China Open after losing her world No. 1 ranking and the US Open final. Published Date: 2026-09-30 00:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard