Music group with learning difficulties fulfils late MP's Broadway dream

BBC - Oct 9, 2026

The Music Man Project is a charity in Essex that teaches music to people with learning disabilities.

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US jobless claims hover near 57-year low for fourth consecutive week

Oct 9, 2026

US jobless claims hover near 57-year low for fourth consecutive week

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to continued labor market stability despite a sharp slowdown in job growth in September. Weekly jobless claims have now remained near 57-year lows for four straight weeks, the report from the Labor Department showed on Thursday, amid historically low layoffs. Though employers are hoarding workers against the backdrop of strong profit growth and stock market performance, they have remained hesitant to add to headcount, making it harder for those who lose their jobs to find new opportunities. Economists have blamed that trend on uncertainty, first from tariffs and then the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has pushed up diesel prices to record highs and boosted prices for other commodities. "It's still a 'low-hire, low-fire' job market," said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. "That's great for anyone who has a job and wants to keep it, but it's tough for job seekers." Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 197,000

Kyiv says still open to dialogue after S.Korea recalls envoy

Oct 9, 2026

Kyiv says still open to dialogue after S.Korea recalls envoy

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine wants diplomacy to prevail over emotions in its relations with South Korea, its foreign ministry said Thursday after Seoul recalled its envoy from Kyiv in a deepening diplomatic row. "We are convinced that diplomacy must prevail over emotions," foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy told reporters. "Despite Seoul's decision to recall its ambassador, Ukraine remains open to restoring a constructive dialogue — even if it takes time."

Ukraine says it hit Russia's largest oil refinery

Oct 9, 2026

Ukraine says it hit Russia's largest oil refinery

The Ukrainian military said on Thursday it had struck Russia's largest oil refinery, some 2,500 km (1,550 miles) from Ukraine, deep in Siberia. The refinery, which is in Omsk and is operated by Gazpromneft, was last attacked in July. Ukraine's General Staff did not provide details about the impact of the attack in its statement on social media but said the refinery was supplying fuel to the Russian army. In the summer, the facility had to halt operations after the strike. The Omsk region governor Vitaly Khotsenko said that an industrial zone was hit by a drone, without providing details. Ukraine, under heavy missile and drone attack from Russia, is waging its own campaign of long-distance drone strikes against military, energy and commercial targets in a bid to raise the cost to Moscow of continuing the war.

Majority of Americans support S. Korea's nuclear-powered submarine project: poll

Oct 9, 2026

Majority of Americans support S. Korea's nuclear-powered submarine project: poll

WASHINGTON — Nearly six in 10 Americans support South Korea's project to develop nuclear-powered submarines, a survey showed Thursday, while a strong majority oppose Seoul acquiring nuclear weapons. The survey, conducted jointly by the Washington-based Korea Economic Institute of America and data analytics firm YouGov among 1,207 American adults from Aug. 21-Sept. 1, found that 58 percent supported South Korea's development of nuclear-powered submarines, with 42 percent opposing it. Support was broadly bipartisan, with 56 percent of self-identifying Democrats and 64 percent of Republicans backing the development of the submarines. Among independents, 62 percent expressed support. South Korea is pushing to build conventionally armed, nuclear-propelled submarines following security agreements reached during a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in October of last year. Public support for nuclear-powered submarines, however, did not extend into support for South Korea possessing nuclear weapons, with 71 percent of those polled opposing Seoul developing n

Trump says anyone who does not call AI 'super intelligence' is 'the enemy'

Oct 9, 2026

Trump says anyone who does not call AI 'super intelligence' is 'the enemy'

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he wants the term "super intelligence" to replace artificial intelligence, said Thursday that anyone who does not heed his wishes will be treated as "THE ENEMY," without saying what the consequences would be. "The White House considers anyone that uses the term, 'Artificial Intelligence,' as opposed to the highly accepted new and more accurate term, 'Super Intelligence,' THE ENEMY!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network. Trump mentioned his proposed name change in a speech before the UN General Assembly last month, saying his new term "sounds much better." Then in late September, Trump signed an executive order, imposing the use of "super intelligence" across the U.S. government. That same obligation does not affect the private sector, but some there are already adopting it, including Mark Zuckerberg's Meta group. Trump ally Elon Musk is using "super intelligence" in his posts on his X network. The semantic debate is primarily a political one: the U.S. president, who has stridently defended the use of AI, is trying to put

Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium, nuclear chief says

Oct 9, 2026

Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium, nuclear chief says

DUBAI — Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium, state media reported on Thursday, citing the head of the country's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami, after the U.S. said Iran must make "meaningful" reductions in its enrichment capacity. Dismissing renewed U.S. threats against Iran's nuclear facilities as "nothing new", Eslami said enrichment was "an inseparable part" of the nuclear process. Eslami's comments come as Iran and the United States exchanged proposals in recent weeks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping route. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday that Iran could reply within days to a U.S. response to Iran's proposal under which the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within seven days if necessary conditions were met. "Enrichment is an integral part of the nuclear process, and we will not abandon it in any way. How can you claim to have a nuclear industry if you don't have the starting point of the process? The nuclear industry is the driving force of science and techn

French teens march for decent schools despite government's pledge to act

Oct 9, 2026

French teens march for decent schools despite government's pledge to act

MARSEILLE/PARIS — French teenagers blockaded some high schools and marched through cities on Thursday as the government promised to address their grievances about teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings but gave few specific details. The protest movement, now into its third week, has exposed deep tensions in France between popular demands for investments in deteriorating public services and a cash-strapped government under pressure from bond markets to reduce its debt and deficit. Large crowds demonstrated in Paris and across the country from Lille in the north to Rennes and Nantes in the west, and Toulon and Marseille in the south. The marches were peaceful, though scuffles between police and protesters took place at some locations in Paris and Nantes and police charged at a crowd and used water cannon in Rennes. In Paris' iconic Bastille square, where a large crowd had gathered, police charged protesters and used water cannon as dusk fell. High-school teacher Diane Di Sciullo joined students at a large march in Marseille, saying all they were asking for was a decent educati

Trump says he will not attack Iran before US elections in November

Oct 9, 2026

Trump says he will not attack Iran before US elections in November

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States is having productive discussions with Iran and will not launch an attack on the country before US midterm congressional elections in November. "We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. He said the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect and that oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. "We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd," Trump said.

The skilled foreign tech workers' green card program under attack from Trump

Oct 9, 2026

The skilled foreign tech workers' green card program under attack from Trump

The U.S. government said on Thursday it is suspending some of the world's biggest tech and IT firms including Microsoft, Cognizant and Capgemini from a key green card program that allows skilled foreign workers to gain permanent residency through their employment. Senior U.S. officials cited alleged fraud as the reason behind the move, saying companies have been using the program to replace American workers with cheaper foreign workers, and comes as the latest step in the Trump administration's crackdown on skilled foreign labor. What is under suspension? The suspension is targeting a key employer-sponsorship mechanism, called the Permanent Labor Certification or PERM, which is used by major technology companies and outsourcing firms. The U.S. government said that for certain companies, it would not accept any new PERM applications or process any pending ones. PERM came into effect in 2005, aiming to speed up the long processing times experienced under the previous paper-based "Alien Employment Certification" program. Under the program, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) allows an employe

The long-deployed USS Lincoln is returning home to San Diego

Oct 9, 2026

The long-deployed USS Lincoln is returning home to San Diego

CORONADO, Calif. — The USS Abraham Lincoln is returning home to San Diego Bay Thursday after supporting the Iran war during a record long deployment of 265 uninterrupted days at sea that included reports of deteriorating conditions among its crew. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew out to the carrier on Wednesday to give the crew the Presidential Unit Citation , the highest honor a unit can receive that is typically reserved for significant achievement in combat. Hegseth pushed back against what he said were efforts to turn the “Lincoln into some sort of a symbol, a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed mission.” The carrier drew national attention following reports of stress among the crew and poor mental health, as well as supply shortages, including food and hygiene products, during its Iran war mission. Families and loved ones of the crew arrived hours ahead of the carrier’s arrival Thursday, waiting in line to get on the naval base in Coronado near San Diego. Among the first to depart once the ship docks will be 64 fathers meeting theirs ba

White House official accuses S. Korea of flooding US with subsidized steel

Oct 9, 2026

White House official accuses S. Korea of flooding US with subsidized steel

WASHINGTON — A White House official on Thursday accused South Korea of flooding the U.S. market with heavily subsidized steel products and Chinese steel shipped through the country, warning that Washington is taking action to crack down on such purported measures. "South Korea is inundating the U.S. with highly subsidized steel and steel transshipped from China," Peter Navarro, White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, wrote on social media platform X. "We are cracking down," he added, while sharing a video clip of him speaking with reporters earlier this week on U.S. trade. In the news video clip from Tuesday, Navarro said he wants to "call out" in particular South Korea for "inundating" the American market with highly subsidized Korean steel and transshipped steel from China. "Even though we have very high tariffs, 50 percent on steel, they are blowing past that because they cheat, and we're gonna be doing something about that." Foreign steelmakers in the U.S. face tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the U.S. president to adjust i

US freezes green card applications from Microsoft, major IT firms over alleged fraud

Oct 9, 2026

US freezes green card applications from Microsoft, major IT firms over alleged fraud

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration froze on Thursday some green-card filings by Microsoft, Adobe and major IT outsourcers and opened probes into nine top universities, widening a visa crackdown it says targets fraud and protects American jobs. The twin actions mark the broadest strike yet against skilled-worker immigration programs — potentially cutting off a common path to permanent residency for foreign tech workers — while putting some of the country's top research universities on notice. "There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused the system more than Microsoft," Vice President JD Vance said. He said the company laid off 6,000 American workers last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B temporary worker visas and nearly 3,000 green cards. The announcement about the permanent labor certification process — PERM — came hours before Trump was due to give Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Under PERM, required for most employment-based green cards, employers must show that hiring a foreign worker wi

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