General news

• Helmut Kohl, Germany’s reunification chancellor, dies aged 87

  16-06-2017 19:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Kohl led his country from 1982 to 1998, overseeing the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990Helmut Kohl, the chancellor who presided over both German reunification and the creation of the eurozone, has died aged 87.Kohl was a towering figure of European politics in the second half of the 20th century, serving as Germany’s chancellor for a record 16 years from from 1982 to 1998. Continue reading...
  
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• Christa Pike is unconscious and on a ventilator after failed execution, filing says

  02-10-2026 20:42 via tennessean.com
  A new emergency court filing seeks to preserve all evidence related to Tennessee's failed execution of Christa Pike, arguing the state botched the lethal injection procedure.
  Pike was set to be executed by the Tennessee Department of Correction on Sept. 30, but survived two doses of pentobarbital. The document, filed in Davidson County Chancery Court on Oct. 2, revealed more details about Pike's condition. It said she is intubated, on a ventilator and unconscious, and that both her arms were swo
  
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• Christa Pike was on a ventilator and unconscious after failed execution, lawyers say

  02-10-2026 20:38 via yahoo.com
  Christa Pike was placed on a ventilator and unconscious in a hospital in the hours after her failed execution in Tennessee, her attorneys said in a court filing Friday.Hospital staff, her lawyers said, were working to save Pike’s life and clear the two doses of the drug that the state uses to execute prisoners. The stunning failure in Tennessee’s execution chamber on Wednesday has left both sides on the death penalty debate demanding answers. The state's governor has ordered an indep
  
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• Former GOP Rep. David Rivera gets 10 years for secret Venezuela lobbying

  02-10-2026 20:20 via yahoo.com
  MIAMI (AP) — A former Miami congressman and longtime friend of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison in connection with a secret $50 million lobbying campaign on Venezuela’s behalf during the first Trump administration.Republican David Rivera has been jailed since jurors found him guilty in May on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of his work for former Venezuelan Pre
  
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• FBI releases classified ‘Patel Report’ examining where the bureau 'fell short'

  02-10-2026 19:14 via yahoo.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has released a classified report to its workforce examining what it says are chapters from the bureau's history “where this institution fell short,” according to an internal message obtained Friday by The Associated Press.It was unclear what episodes from the FBI's past are chronicled in the new “Patel Report.” But the document's existence is in keeping with Director Kash Patel's frequent criticism of the leaders who preceded him as well as
  
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• Kennedy Center Honors leaving longtime home as legal fight over Trump's name continues

  02-10-2026 18:02 via yahoo.com
  This year's Kennedy Center Honors will be held at Washington's Capital One Arena, not the riverfront building that's been at the center of a legal fight over adding President Donald Trump's name to the building. The 49th annual awards are set to take place at Washington's downtown arena, a Kennedy Center spokesperson said Friday. Few other details were immediately available, and an explanation for the change wasn't given. The center's board voted last month to close the iconic performing arts ve
  
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• Trump says Republicans are 'worried' about Texas and Michigan ahead of midterms

  02-10-2026 16:58 via abcnews.com
  
  President Donald Trump warned Republicans that Texas and Michigan are among the states the party is “worried about” ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, while speaking to voters in Oklahoma on Thursday.Fresh off an event in Texas, Trump told a crowd in the reliably Republican state that he was not concerned about Oklahoma but that Republicans needed to turn out voters in other states."I feel a little foolish, you know. I’m saying, 'go out and vote, go out and vote.' You’r
  
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• Trump gets G7 agreement for major oil release as diesel prices hit U.S. hard

  02-10-2026 16:10 via yahoo.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Group of Seven industrial nations said they agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil, starting with “substantial” amounts of diesel after the fuel recently hit record high prices in the United States, where President Donald Trump said the diesel release would happen “immediately."Trump and his Republican Party face pressure to address surging prices ahead of November’s midterm elections. Trump announced the action Friday on social media, sa
  
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• Dangerous heat grips Southern California as temperatures could top 105

  02-10-2026 16:07 via abcnews.com
  
  A dangerous, long-duration heatwave is sweeping through much of Southern California beginning Friday, creating increased fire risk in the region.Extreme to moderate heat warnings are in place for more than 34 million Californians, with temperatures forecast to reach between 92 and over 105 degrees, including along the coastal plains.ABC News - PHOTO: Dangerous Heat Wave MapThe National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned the conditions have created a high risk of "large and fast-moving fires"
  
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• U.S. job growth falls short of expectations as unemployment rises to 4.2%

  02-10-2026 14:48 via finance.yahoo.com
  
  The Labor Department reported that the US added 29,000 jobs in September, missing expectations. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2% from 4.1% in the previous month.Economists expected a gain of 90,000 jobs last month, following a revised print of 133,000 job gains in August. “Weak across the board when it comes to the demand for labor,” economist Mohamed El-Erian told Yahoo Finance. “The demand side is flashing yellow … [and is] going to put the Fed definitely on hol
  
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• 'I didn't get justice': Mother of Christa Pike's victim describes failed execution

  02-10-2026 14:36 via yahoo.com
  Christa Pike, pictured in 2012, is receiving life-saving treatment after surviving two lethal injections.Imagn Images via Reuters ConnectThe mother of the woman killed by Christa Pike said she was left without justice after Tennessee's failed attempt to carry out the execution, criticizing the state's handling of a procedure that left the death row prisoner hospitalized in critical condition."I didn't get justice for my daughter," May Martinez, whose daughter Colleen Slemmer was killed in 1995,
  
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• Newly unsealed footage shows Luigi Mangione's arrest

  02-10-2026 14:00 via cnn.com
  
  Manhattan District Attorney's Office
  CNN has obtained newly unsealed police body camera footage showing the arrest of Luigi Mangione inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, days after he fatally shot United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
  The hours of footage capture officers questioning Mangione at the fast-food restaurant on the morning of December 9, 2024, before he is handcuffed, searched and transported to the police station. The videos show police conducting more thorough search
  
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• El Niño's waters are the hottest ever measured. They're getting hotter.

  02-10-2026 12:02 via usatoday.com
  Sea surface temperatures just hit a record high in a 2.4-million square mile region of the deep Pacific Ocean known as Niño 3.4, the key area scientists are tracking to measure the rapidly strengthening El Niño.
  The daily average temperature – 85.73 degrees – on Sept. 29 was higher than at any other time on record in the region, according to preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It continued to climb the next day.
  The temperature is
  
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• Higher oil prices are just 1 way the Iran war is weighing on the U.S. economy

  02-10-2026 12:00 via finance.yahoo.com
  
  US bond yields have surged upward over the past month, as yields on both the 10-year Treasury (^TNX) and 30-year Treasury (^TYX) have reached levels not seen since 2002, surpassing 2007 high-water marks in the lead-up to the financial crisis.Investors have attributed the run-up in yields to a variety of concerns, from the artificial intelligence build-out and the competition for capital to changing foreign ownership of gold versus fixed income.Read more: How soaring Treasury yields could hi
  
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• Even high earners are living paycheck to paycheck this year, survey shows

  02-10-2026 12:00 via finance.yahoo.com
  
  Think a high salary is a ticket out of living paycheck to paycheck? Think again.Roughly 4 in 10 workers earning above $300,000 say they're doing just that, according to  Goldman Sachs Asset Management's 2026 retirement report."One of the more remarkable findings is whether or not financial security improves linearly with income," Chris Ceder, a senior retirement strategist at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, told Yahoo Finance.You'd think financial security would improve as someone makes mor
  
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• New York governor removes DA from Cornell rape case amid 'serious questions'

  02-10-2026 11:54 via yahoo.com
  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Thursday she had lost faith in the district attorney overseeing the Cornell University rape case and appointed a special prosecutor to replace him.Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has come under mounting pressure in recent days over his decision not to prosecute anyone when the initial allegations were made in 2024.“Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police D
  
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• Trump's diesel export threat puts new pressure on Europe as prices hit records

  02-10-2026 11:47 via bbc.com
  
  [AFP via Getty Images]
  Donald Trump has said he may ask European countries to release some of their diesel reserves as he considers banning US exports of the fuel.The president's comment comes after diesel prices hit record highs on UK forecourts this week, as the Iran war continues to put pressure on the supply of refined fuels.The UK is heavily reliant on imported diesel from the US. But with US voters also facing higher fuel costs ahead of the midterm elections in November, Trump has threaten
  
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• New ICE facility to hold families and unaccompanied minors could open in next week

  02-10-2026 11:06 via abcnews.com
  
  A new facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, may begin receiving undocumented families with children, local officials and immigrant rights advocates say. The 528-bed facility will house families with children, unaccompanied minors, and single adult females as they await removal inside renovated former Air Force barracks at England Airpark, a former military base that now houses the Alexandria International Airport and an immigration detention facility, according to a draft agreement between ICE
  
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• 'I was not going to let others die': Flydubai pilot speaks out from hospital

  02-10-2026 10:18 via yahoo.com
  The Indian captain of the Flydubai plane who was attacked by his co-pilot has said he fought for his life but was determined not to let others die.Speaking to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Smit Machchhar said he was on the ground in the cockpit and still being attacked when he realised the plane was sinking and he had to do something. "I was lying on the floor injured but I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside," he said."Others came in and also played a role [i
  
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• More than 50 years later, DOJ hears misconduct claims against Watergate prosecutors

  02-10-2026 08:57 via independent.co.uk
  
  President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is now looking to see if Nixon-era special prosecutors committed misconduct in investigating the Watergate scandal.An early morning burglary at the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters in the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., in June 1972 would become a two-year affair, uncovering corruption inside the White House that would ultimately lead to Republican President Richard Nixon’s resignation. More than 50 years
  
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• Trump says Iran is 'ready to fold up' as he raises possibility of post-midterms attack

  02-10-2026 08:19 via cbsnews.com
  
  Follow updates on the war in the Middle East for Friday, Oct. 2, here. See earlier developments below.What to know about the Iran war:President Trump said Thursday night that Iran "is ready to fold up," adding he believes the U.S. will win the war "right after the election," though he also said "maybe before the election."Mr. Trump told TIME magazine that U.S. military action against Iran could resume after the midterm elections if Tehran and Washington fail to reach a satisfactory agreemen
  
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• NY governor says Cornell rape accuser was 'failed' by people obligated to protect her

  02-10-2026 06:51 via yahoo.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday that the woman who accused members of a Cornell University fraternity of gang rape was “failed” by people obligated to protect her, including police and the county prosecutor.Hochul’s claim came during a news conference in which she gave details on her decision to turn the case over to a special prosecutor, the state Attorney General Letitia James.The governor said she made the decision after learning “troubling
  
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• U.S. job growth is expected to slow in September, with unemployment steady

  02-10-2026 06:05 via finance.yahoo.com
  
  By Lucia MutikaniWASHINGTON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - US job growth likely slowed in September and the unemployment rate is forecast to have been 4.1% for a third straight month, suggesting the labor market remained stable heading into the fourth quarter.The anticipated moderation would follow a surprise jump in nonfarm payrolls in August, which economists partly attributed to volatility ‌linked to the model the government uses to strip out seasonal fluctuations from the data. The Labor Depar
  
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• OpenAI fires workers for mishandling 'sensitive information'

  02-10-2026 04:19 via bbc.com
  
  OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman [Getty Images]
  OpenAI has fired three researchers for allegedly mishandling information, including work that involved an external organisation that analyses artificial intelligence (AI) models."Our investigation confirmed that these individuals mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures, violating our policies and breaking the trust essential to our work," a spokesperson told the BBC.The ChatGPT-maker did not name the sacked workers,
  
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• Combat pay rises for the first time in 24 years as troops face new risks

  02-10-2026 03:51 via newsmax.com
  (AFP via Getty)The Pentagon doubled hostile fire pay to $450 a month and raised imminent danger pay to $275 as of Thursday, the first boost to the two combat stipends since 2002.
  A mid-July memo from Timothy Dill, assistant secretary of war for manpower and reserve affairs, took effect at the start of the new fiscal year, Navy Times reported.
  Imminent danger pay will be prorated at $9.16 per day, up from $7.50, with a $275 monthly cap tied to days in a designated zone. Service members cannot col
  
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• New details emerge in Cornell rape case as Letitia James takes over investigation

  02-10-2026 03:43 via cnn.com
  
  Governor Kathy Hochul/X
  New York State Attorney General Letitia James will be taking over as special prosecutor in the case alleging sexual assault at Cornell University, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday, saying she “lost faith” in the district attorney’s ability to oversee it.
  The announcement comes as new details have emerged this week about the alleged gang rape of then-student Jane Doe in a room at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024, including what she told campus pol
  
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• 'Deeply unwelcome': MLB backs off its plan for a game at Grand Teton

  02-10-2026 03:36 via yahoo.com
  The Grand Teton national park in Wyoming.Photograph: Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
  Major League Baseball (MLB) leadership is no longer considering holding a game inside a national park, according to a letter commissioner Robert Manfred sent to officials in Teton county, Wyoming, on Thursday in what could be the league’s biggest swing-and-a-miss off the diamond.
  On 26 September, the Washington Post reported that MLB had reached out to the White House about staging a one-day game at Gr
  
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• Attorney General Letitia James appointed as special prosecutor in Cornell rape case

  02-10-2026 03:08 via abcnews.com
  
  New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday said she issued an executive order to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor for the alleged “gang rape” that took place at a Cornell fraternity in 2024. “Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University's
  
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• JD Vance sees an 'uphill climb' for Republicans as his own 2028 decision looms

  02-10-2026 03:03 via nbcnews.com
  "Politically, there’s just a recognition that it’s always going to be hard to win a midterm when you have the White House, the Senate and the House," Vance said in an interview with NBC News. (Brandon Bell / Getty)JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. — Vice President JD Vance acknowledged Thursday that Republicans face an “uphill climb” in next month’s midterm elections — and that the results may be a data point he reviews as he decides whether to run for president i
  
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• DOE employee charged with trying to aid Iran-backed Houthis, feds say

  02-10-2026 02:33 via foxnews.com
  
  A U.S. Department of Energy worker from Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday and charged with attempting to provide "material support" to the Iran-backed Houthis, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, is accused of attempting to use his electrical engineering knowledge and background to support the terrorist group in improving its mobile communications infrastructure, secure components for drones as well as chemicals for homemade explosives."As alleged,
  
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