Judge orders Trump administration to cancel taxpayer-funded promotional TV ads

The Independent - Oct 12, 2026

A Manhattan judge has ordered the Trump administration to cancel taxpayer-funded TV ads that promote his political message

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Oct 12, 2026

How Taiwan's military manpower shortage is undermining its ability to fight

Taiwan’s military is grappling with a worsening manpower shortage, with its volunteer staffing rate remaining below the 80 percent target for a third consecutive year and concerns mounting over the impact on combat readiness, according to the island’s legislature. The shortages extend deep into frontline formations — including infantry, artillery, missile and air defence units — raising questions over whether Taiwan will have enough trained personnel to operate and maintain the vast quantities of new weapons entering service, observers said. A Legislative Yuan Budget Centre assessment of the government’s proposed 2027 budget warned this week that persistent personnel shortages could increase workloads and training demands on serving troops while affecting readiness. Defence ministry figures cited by the centre showed that the number of staff positions successfully filled by volunteers peaked at 88.52 percent in 2020 before falling below 80 percent in 2023. It dropped to 75.93 percent in 2024 and stood at 77.31 percent at the end of last year. A separate Budget Centre assessment

Oct 12, 2026

Urn with Anita Mui's ashes missing from Lantau monastery as family appeals for help

The urn containing the ashes of late Hong Kong Cantopop star Anita Mui Yim-fong was discovered missing from a monastery three months ago, the singer’s family has revealed, saying police have made “no progress” in their investigation and that the incident has caused “immense distress.” A police spokesman said on Sunday that the force had received a report on July 18 that an item stored in a Lantau monastery was suspected to have gone missing. The case has been classified as a “request for police assistance” and is being investigated by Lantau district crime squad. No arrest has been made so far, the spokesman said. Mui’s family made a public appeal for information on the whereabouts of the ashes in a statement issued on Saturday, Mui’s birthday. The singer, who died in 2003 aged 40, would have been 63. The statement, reposted by one of the singer’s biggest fan groups — the Anita Mui International Fan Club — on its Instagram account, said police had made no progress after a three-month investigation. “This incident has brought immense distress and mental torment to

Oct 12, 2026

Saudi airport passenger terminal is struck again, a day after 12 were killed

CAIRO — A projectile struck a passenger terminal at the international airport in Riyadh on Sunday, a day after a missile hit the same terminal and killed 12 people , the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said. The Houthis claimed responsibility for those attacks and others. Saudi authorities said one person, described as a Pakistani national, was killed, and 11 were injured in the latest attack on the domestic terminal complex at King Khalid International Airport. The airport — struck four times in the past five days — has been closed since Saturday’s missile attack, which was the deadliest in a Gulf Arab nation since the Iran war began. Over 300 other people were wounded, some critically. The sharp escalation in the war's new front threatens to draw in greater U.S. military involvement. President Donald Trump has said he is weighing joining the fight against the Houthis. There was no White House comment Sunday. India’s embassy in Saudi Arabia said one of its citizens died Sunday of injuries sustained in Saturday’s attack, which would bring the t

Oct 12, 2026

Global poverty index rises for first time since its 2010 creation

WASHINGTON — A UN global poverty index has risen for the first time since its creation in 2010, bringing the number of people affected to 1.2 billion, the United Nations Development Programme reported Monday. In the 2026 edition of their annual report, the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative research center counted 51.5 million more people living in "acute" poverty compared to the previous year. UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo said the increase in poverty should be a "wake-up call for the world." "Behind these figures are 1.2 billion people facing hardships that reinforce one another: hunger, missed schooling and a lack of clean water or electricity. This is unacceptable," he said in a press release. More than half of those in acute poverty were children. However, UNDP said a major factor in the recorded increase was population growth, and new data was only available for 13 of the 108 developing countries covered by the report. While the total number of people in poverty has increased, the report provides a mixed picture. Some 33 nations have halved the perc

Oct 12, 2026

American Hall, Woodford win Nobel memorial prize in economics

STOCKHOLM — American-born economists Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford won the Nobel memorial prize in economics on Monday for their work on models that have helped governments and central banks manage economic shocks, such as energy crises and inflation. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the winners in Stockholm, saying the two were being honored for work that has helped policymakers deal with economic fluctuations. “The laureates have helped us smooth out the economy’s peaks and troughs,” the academy said in a statement. Hall is affiliated with Stanford University in California, and Woodford with Columbia University in New York. Woodford spoke to the committee by phone Monday from New York, saying: “It’s a tremendous honor, it’s a surprise." “The laureates’ work has provided us with a stable theoretical foundation for the models that are now used by central banks and governments around the world,” John Hassler, chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences, said in a news release. “With them, we are better equipped to deal with shocks in

Oct 12, 2026

Tom Cruise faces major setback as 'Digger' tanks in box office

Tom Cruise faces major setback as ‘Digger’ tanks in box officeTom Cruise’s latest film, Digger is on track to lose $245 million during its run-in cinemas.As such, the actor as well as director Alejandro González Iñárritu's environmental satire might just end...

Oct 12, 2026

From Sumit Antil to armless archer Sheetal Devi - 5 Indian medal hopefuls at Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya

In the 2023 edition of the Para Asian Games, India finished fifth with 111 medals - 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze. With the abled-bodied Indian athletes failing to breach the 100-medal mark in Aichi-Nagoya few weeks before, the onus will be on para athletes.

Oct 12, 2026

OLIVER HOLT: The preening triumphalism of Man City stars at Anfield shows they do not have a scintilla of self-awareness between them. These players stand on the shoulders of cheats - and they know it

OLIVER HOLT: It's a shame Enzo Maresca and his players do not possess any self-awareness. If they did, they would not have celebrated their hollow win over Liverpool with such unabashed glee.

Oct 12, 2026

Judge orders Trump administration to cancel taxpayer-funded promotional TV ads

How Taiwan's military manpower shortage is undermining its ability to fight

Urn with Anita Mui's ashes missing from Lantau monastery as family appeals for help

Saudi airport passenger terminal is struck again, a day after 12 were killed

Global poverty index rises for first time since its 2010 creation

American Hall, Woodford win Nobel memorial prize in economics

Tom Cruise faces major setback as 'Digger' tanks in box office

From Sumit Antil to armless archer Sheetal Devi - 5 Indian medal hopefuls at Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya

OLIVER HOLT: The preening triumphalism of Man City stars at Anfield shows they do not have a scintilla of self-awareness between them. These players stand on the shoulders of cheats - and they know it

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Trump, Rubio consider firing Kimberly Guilfoyle as ambassador to Greece: AP source

‘Shows How Strong Mr Modi Is’: Trump Left Gasping After PM Modi’s Handshake, Ex-US NSA Recalls

Trump's 'energy ceasefire' sparks confusion as Russia strikes Ukraine

Policymakers take on energy shock, rising debt at IMF-World Bank meetings

Iran calls latest US response to proposal insufficient, other Mideast developments

139 migrants, including children, die after boat capsizes off Djibouti

France's high school students plan fresh protests