News

During a trip to Ecuador, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the U.S. will classify Los Lobos and Los Choneros — Ecuador’s two most powerful gangs — as foreign terrorist organizations, according to the BBC.

«This is what they really are,» Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa said earlier this year, urging Washington to make the move.

The new designation allows U.S. authorities to freeze assets, share intelligence freely and potentially launch lethal operations against affiliates.

Recent U.S. military strike

The comments come just days after a U.S. strike in the southern...

The deadly Ebola virus is back in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as the country’s authorities declared an outbreak on Sept. 4, reporting 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, according to Reuters.

According to the DRC’s health ministry, the first sign of the outbreak was a pregnant woman hospitalized in Kasai Province on Aug. 20 with symptoms of high fever and vomiting. The ministry confirmed that samples tested on Sept. 3 revealed the presence of the Ebola Zaire strain.

The DRC has recorded more than a dozen outbreaks, including a devastating one between 2018 and 2020 that...

Today, President Donald Trump plans to authorize an executive order that would let the Pentagon revive its original 1789 title, the «Department of War,» according to Associated Press.

Push to rebrand the Defense Department

The official title cannot be changed without congressional approval, but the order would authorize the use of «secondary titles» while the administration seeks legislation. A White House fact sheet outlining the plan was shared with reporters by a source familiar with the matter.

It is worth noting that the modern name, the Department of Defense, is relatively recent compared to the original one, as the...

The Philadelphia Eagles opened their 2025 campaign on Thursday night against long-time rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, but the game took a dramatic turn before the first snap. Star defensive tackle Jalen Carter was tossed from the contest immediately following the opening kickoff after appearing to spit on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, as reported by CBS Sports.

As both starting units lined up, Carter confronted Prescott, and a brief verbal exchange escalated when Carter spat on the quarterback’s jersey. Officials flagged the incident as unsportsmanlike conduct, assessing a 15-yard penalty against Philadelphia and ejecting Carter immediately.

Research from CBS...

The previously reported death toll of 17 on Sept. 4 in the Lisbon streetcar accident of Sept. 3 was corrected to 16 with 21 injuries, according to the Associated Press, citing Lisbon’s Civil Protection Agency.

According to updated information from Portugal’s attorney general’s office, eight victims have been identified, including five Portuguese, two South Koreans and a Swiss national. Based on recovered documents, two Canadians, one American, one German and one Ukrainian are likely among the victims, with three remaining to be identified. Citizens of Spain, Israel, Portugal, Brazil, Italy and France are among those injured.

Head of...

Volkswagen has unveiled a new strategy that will transfer its best-known model names to the company’s electric lineup. The first will be the ID. Polo, set to debut in 2026, along with a high-performance version, the ID. Polo GTI, the automaker announced on its website.

The new naming system will merge Volkswagen’s traditional gasoline-powered branding with its electric ID. series. Familiar names long associated with combustion models will now be carried over to EVs.

The concept of the first such car was introduced as the ID. 2all, but it will enter production under the Polo name in time for...

Giorgio Armani, the legendary Italian designer who built a global fashion empire with his relaxed yet elegant tailoring, has died at the age of 91.

Thursday, his company announced that Armani had passed away surrounded by family. The cause of death was not disclosed. According to a statement from the Armani Group, the designer devoted himself to collections and projects still underway, working tirelessly until his final days.

Born in Piacenza in 1934, Armani studied medicine before turning to fashion, beginning at Milan’s La Rinascente. In 1975, he and Sergio Galeotti founded the Giorgio Armani label. The...

On 4–5 September, with the support of the Astana International Forum, the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) is hosting the eighth edition of Astana Finance Days under the theme «Where Capital Empowers the Future».

This year’s participants include asset managers representing firms with approximately US$1.5 trillion in assets under management – a testament to the forum’s status as the region’s leading platform for meetings, deal-making and dialogue among financial institutions, the business community, government bodies, and experts from Kazakhstan and across Eurasia.

Renat Bekturov, Governor of the AIFC, commented: «The Astana Finance Days annual forum has established itself as...

Kazakhstan’s authorities plan to launch direct air routes to New York, Tokyo, Rome, Vienna and Singapore, according to Saltanat Tompiyeva, chair of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who spoke at the Astana Finance Days forum.

Direct flights to Tokyo, Rome, Vienna and Singapore may start as early as 2026. Flights to New York are now scheduled for 2027, although the agency had previously reported that the route to the Big Apple would begin in 2026.

Tompiyeva also said that 58 new international air routes have been launched in Kazakhstan over the past 18 months, including 22 in 2024 and...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied reports of Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu’s arrest.

«The news about the detention of the minister of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan is not true. We consider this a violation of journalistic ethics and the existing legislation of our country,» ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said in a statement.

Earlier, media outlets reported the alleged detention of Nurtleu. One outlet claimed that, according to its information, Nurtleu and businessman Gadzhi Gadzhiyev had been taken into custody.

Kursiv.media, citing its own sources, reported that Nurtleu had not been detained...

The death toll in the Lisbon streetcar accident of Sept. 3 rose to 17 after two people died from injuries in hospital during Portugal’s national day of mourning, the Associated Press reported.

Head of Lisbon’s Civil Protection Agency Margarida Castro Martins told AP that all of the deceased were adults. She declined to disclose their nationalities or names, saying their families must be informed first.

She also added that another 21 people were injured in the accident, including Portuguese, two Germans, two Spaniards, one Canadian, one Italian, one French, one Swiss, one Moroccan, one Cape Verdean and one...

Samsung introduced the Galaxy Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra at IFA 2025 in Berlin, positioning them as the Android equivalent of Apple’s iPad Pro. The Ultra model is just 5.1 millimeters thick, the same as Apple’s latest iPad Pro. The standard Tab S11 is slightly thicker at 5.6 millimeters. Prices start at $800 for the Tab S11 and $1,200 for the Ultra, both of which are available now, according to Wired.

Key features and performance

The 11-inch Tab S11 and 14.6-inch Tab S11 Ultra feature AMOLED displays with 120-Hz refresh rates and 1,600-nit brightness, run on Android...

On Sept. 4, the Senate, the upper house of parliament, approved a law on combating the legalization (laundering) of income. The document has been passed on to the president for signature. One of its provisions requires the verification of suspicious money transfers.

Definition of «suspicious activity» introduced

The law, for example, introduces the concept of «suspicious activity.» Authorities will assess whether an activity is suspicious based on the frequency, amounts and recipients of transfers. If the same amount is received daily into the same account, such transactions will be subject to verification. Further work with them will be...

BTS, the K-pop boy band, has surpassed the 2 billion-view milestone on YouTube with the music video for «Dynamite,» their first fully English-language track released worldwide in 2020, according to The Korea Economic Daily (KED). It is the group’s first video to reach this achievement.

The video, uploaded on HYBE LABELS’ YouTube channel on Aug. 21, 2020, hit the mark on Sept. 4.

According to the KED, this is not the only achievement «Dynamite» has earned. For instance, the Apple Music streaming service placed the song in 34th position on its worldwide most-streamed list.

The single also made...

The duo of rising Thai actors and models, popularly known by fans as Thomas & Kong, made a notable appearance at the Greedilous runway show during Seoul Fashion Week 2025.

The pairing was announced and promoted on Instagram, with the caption highlighting their stylish presence at the event.

Thomas Kong graced the runway with exceptional grace and confidence.

THOMASKONG IN SEOUL FSW#TMKxGREEDILOUS pic.twitter.com/vzqne2j7Om

— ThomasKong Official TH (@ForThomaskongTH) September 4, 2025

The instance underscores their rising profile in both fashion and entertainment, as fans and the media alike have taken note of their...

A long-lost masterpiece stolen during the Nazi occupation of Europe has turned up in an unexpected place: an Argentine real estate listing, according to the BBC.

The painting, “Portrait of a Lady” by Italian master Giuseppe Ghislandi, vanished during World War II. It resurfaced decades later when sharp-eyed viewers noticed it hanging on a wall in online photos. The house was owned by Patricia Kadgien, whose father worked as an aide to Hermann Göring, one of the most powerful figures in Nazi Germany.

Kadgien’s lawyer gave the 1710 artwork to prosecutors. Art expert Ariel Bassano examined it, saying it...

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is at risk of facing a fine of up to S$1 million (approximately $775,698) in Singapore, after the country’s police ordered the company to introduce measures to address scams linked to advertisements, accounts, profiles and business pages that impersonate government officials on the social platform, according to Reuters.

The media outlet noted that this is the first order issued under the country’s new Online Criminal Harms Act, which took effect in February 2024.

According to Singapore’s Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming, Facebook is the platform reporting the highest number of impersonation...

Social media remains flooded with images of world leaders in Beijing for the 80th anniversary of World War II victory over Japan.

One image in particular drew attention: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seated next to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The seating arrangement for honored guests, dictated by the host country’s protocol, created an unusual pairing rarely seen at other high-level events, since Kim seldom travels abroad. For Tokayev, a veteran diplomat, this was reportedly his first face-to-face encounter with the young North Korean leader.

Coverage of the Beijing events highlighted that this was Kim’s first appearance

One of Lisbon’s signature tourist attractions — the yellow-and-white Elevador da Glória funicular — derailed and crashed on Sept. 3, claiming the lives of 15 people and injuring 18, according to the Associated Press, citing emergency services.

Portugal’s National Institute for Medical Emergencies reported that a child was among the injured, with five victims in serious condition. The agency also noted that an undisclosed number of foreign nationals were among those affected.

According to AP, the vehicle appeared to have collided with a building at a bend in the tracks, causing significant crushing damage to parts of the funicular...

A new form of accountability has taken root in the digital age, as more people turn to social media to seek justice. For many, TikTok has become a kind of modern courtroom, especially for younger generations who feel overlooked or alienated by traditional legal systems. What begins as a personal tragedy can quickly spread online, turning into a public call for action.

In Kazakhstan, an increasing number of citizens post videos on TikTok to draw attention before filing complaints with the police or the courts. In October 2024, for example, the death of a minor, Sherzat Bolat...

Netflix didn’t keep «Wednesday» fans waiting long, releasing the final four episodes of the show’s second season on Sept. 3.

Early reviews and audience reactions suggest the creators have upheld the standard set by the first season. As of publication, the series held a score of 66 out of 100 on Metacritic. Rotten Tomatoes rated the second season more favorably, giving it 84% compared with 73% for the first.

The new “Wednesday” episodes expand the storyline by bringing more members of the Addams family into focus.

Lady Gaga joins the cast this season as teacher Rosalyn...

Gold surged to another record high on Wednesday, breaking through $3,500 an ounce as traders increasingly bet on the Fed cutting rates and worried about growing political and trade tensions, according to Reuters.

The precious metal reached $3,546.99 before settling at $3,534.88. Furthermore, U.S. gold futures for December delivery climbed 0.3% to $3,602.80.

Wall Street is now nearly certain the Fed will slash rates next month, with markets putting the odds of a quarter-point cut at 92% when officials meet Sept. 17. The dollar’s steep decline this year — now down more than 9% — has only fueled gold’s...

Major Japanese automaker Toyota announced on Sept. 3 its plans to produce an all-electric vehicle at its facility in Kolín, Czech Republic, the company’s first such model to be manufactured in Europe. The Japanese auto giant also said that it’s set to invest a substantial €680 million to expand the plant with a new battery assembly facility, Reuters reported.

The outlet noted that the carmaker has not specified either the production timeline or details of the upcoming model. Furthermore, according to Toyota, the Czech government is also set to invest up to €64 million in the battery unit.

Notably...

Mawlid al-Nabi, also called Milad un Nabi, marks the birth of the Prophet Muhammad and in 2025 is expected to fall around Thursday, Sept. 4, and Friday, Sept. 5. The date corresponds with the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal — the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar — observed by most Sunni Muslims.

Some Shia traditions, however, commemorate it on the 17th of the month. Because the Islamic calendar follows lunar cycles, the exact date depends on when the new moon is sighted locally.

For many Muslims, Mawlid serves as an opportunity to honor the Prophet’s legacy...