Young French Catholics from the Anuncio movement took paper fortune-tellers and pop worship songs into crowds awaiting Pope Leo XIV in Paris on Friday. In one of Europe’s most secular countries, they hoped to draw strangers closer to God.

Pope Leo XIVParis visitFrench Catholics

Pope Leo XIV attended vespers at Notre-Dame de Paris on Friday, praising the restored cathedral’s “splendor” after the devastating 2019 fire and saying that “the heart of a people” beats within it. He is the first pope to visit since the cathedral reopened in 2024.

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Pope Leo XIV waved to enthusiastic believers from the popemobile as he traveled through Paris on Friday. Earlier speeches called for peace and warned against humanity losing its way in an AI-driven “paradise of machines.”

Pope Leo XIVParisFrance visitpeace

Pope Leo warned that humanity risks being lost in a “paradise of machines” as he began a three-day visit to France. Speaking at the Élysée and UNESCO, he said artificial intelligence and other new technologies must serve people rather than become tools of domination and injustice, and urged education in ethical discernment.

Pope LeoFrance visitartificial intelligenceethics

Pope Leo XIV has arrived in France for a four-day visit and addressed geopolitical issues and artificial intelligence at the Élysée Palace after being welcomed by President Emmanuel Macron. He also spoke ahead of a giant Paris Mass expected to draw more than half a million people. The Church attributes the enthusiastic reception to growing spirituality among the French.

Pope Leo XIVFranceParisCatholic Church

Speaking at the Élysée, Pope Leo XIV set the tone for his first visit to France by advocating dialogue with the Republic, warning about artificial intelligence and calling for peace, while acknowledging that disagreements remain.

Emmanuel MacronPope Leo XIVFrance visitartificial intelligencepeace

Two people leading an underground fraternity at the University of Wisconsin–Madison were taken into custody and face hazing charges. Thirty pledges were discovered in a grimy basement with injuries, no shirts and condiments on their bodies.

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The military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey met in Riyadh to discuss deeper intelligence sharing, military coordination and the integration of capabilities, Pakistan’s military said on Saturday.

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Manchester City were found guilty of all but one of 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, The Athletic and The Times reported on Friday.

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After years of investigations and hearings, Manchester City were reportedly found guilty of all but one of the 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules first brought in February 2023. The case covers accusations involving financial information, profitability and sustainability rules, contracts and cooperation with investigators.

Manchester CityPremier Leaguefinancial charges

Manchester City has been found guilty of nearly all 115 charges related to breaches of Premier League rules. The seismic ruling could deal a massive blow to one of the world’s top football clubs.

Manchester CityPremier Leaguerule breaches

Manchester City have reportedly been found guilty of all but one of 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules, according to The Athletic. Sanctions have yet to be determined and could include points deductions, fines, title stripping or relegation. City deny the charges and are expected to appeal.

Manchester CityPremier Leaguefinancial rulesdisciplinary case

The US Supreme Court reinstated President Donald Trump’s expansion of a federal database intended to verify voter eligibility for the midterms. The move pauses a judge’s finding that the government misused Social Security information and violated privacy rights.

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The US Supreme Court has temporarily allowed Donald Trump’s administration to use the federal SAVE database to verify voter eligibility before the November midterm election. Voting rights groups warn the system could wrongly identify citizens as non-citizens and lead to unlawful purges from voter rolls. Three liberal justices dissented.

US Supreme CourtDonald Trumpvoter verificationmidterm elections

The U.S. Supreme Court has removed restrictions on a controversial federal voter database, allowing states to use the revamped verification system before November’s elections. The ruling gives President Donald Trump a temporary victory in his aggressive campaign against non-citizen voting.

U.S. Supreme CourtDonald Trumpvoter verificationelections

The US Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Trump administration may use a new federal database to ostensibly verify voters’ citizenship in November’s elections. Critics say the administration is overstating the extremely rare risk of non-citizen voting to advance policies that could disenfranchise likely Democratic voters.

US Supreme CourtDonald Trumpvoter verificationelections

The US Supreme Court has removed restrictions on the Trump administration’s use of a federal voter database that applies citizenship and other sensitive information to identify alleged non-citizen voting. Critics warn valid voters could be purged from electoral rolls. The six conservative justices backed the decision, while three liberal justices dissented.

US Supreme Courtvoter rollscitizenship checksTrump administration

The Supreme Court says states may use a controversial citizenship data collection tool to review voter rolls, handing Trump a major win.

Supreme Courtvoter rollscitizenship dataTrump

An online discussion about job interview advice has grown into a generational debate over whether bringing an iced coffee when meeting a potential employer is considered taboo.

iced coffeejob interviewsgenerational debate

Yemen’s president is urging the country’s people to mobilise against the Houthis, who are backed by Iran.

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Internet and phone services have been disrupted in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region after clashes between regional forces and the national army. Ethio Telecom services were completely cut, while Safaricom remained operational, threatening access to banking and mobile money services.

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Fighting has intensified in Ethiopia’s Tigray region between the military and a new rebel alliance after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front declared a “full-blown war” against the government.

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Tigray’s rebel authorities say they are in a “full-blown war” with Ethiopia’s government as fighting expands into neighbouring Amhara and Afar. The federal army reports 272 rebels killed and 260 wounded in the north, while analyst Jervin Naidoo assesses the escalation and its causes.

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The Tigray People’s Liberation Front says it is in a “full-blown war” with Ethiopia’s federal government after taking key airports and attacking the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. The escalation follows the TPLF’s alliance with six other armed groups, reviving fears of a return to the 2020-2022 conflict that killed at least 600,000 people.

EthiopiaTigrayarmed conflict

Fighting is intensifying in northern Ethiopia, prompting fears that the country could slide back into civil war. The army says it killed 272 TPLF fighters in Amhara, while the rebels call the conflict a “full-blown war”. The escalation follows the TPLF’s entry into a new alliance with six other armed groups.

EthiopiaTigrayarmed conflict

With nearly 130 world leaders gathered at the UN, international organizations and business leaders are watching the Xi-Trump meeting closely. They hope U.S.-China cooperation can help tackle global security concerns, supply chain disruptions, artificial intelligence and climate change.

U.S.-China relationsUnited Nationsglobal securityartificial intelligenceclimate change

The Blockchain Association is changing its leadership, with CEO Summer Mersinger scheduled to leave next month and Kristin Smith set to return as interim CEO.

Blockchain Associationleadership changecryptocurrency

Airlines are waiving change fees ahead of the nor’easter. Flight disruptions remained minimal for Saturday as of Friday morning, though delays were beginning to trickle in.

Nor’easterAir travelFlight delays

Flood alerts have doubled in 24 hours, putting 33 million people at risk as a rare September nor’easter approaches the East Coast with heavy rain, powerful winds and coastal flooding. In the Pacific, rapidly strengthening Hurricane Nolo is headed toward Hawaii.

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Millions of people across the East Coast are preparing for a nor’easter expected to bring torrential rain and high winds through the weekend.

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Coastal flood alerts are in effect along the East Coast as a rare, multi-day nor’easter moves north. The storm has already brought strong winds and early flooding to parts of the Eastern Seaboard.

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Two industry sources said Russia’s Perm oil refinery, the country’s seventh-largest by processing volume, halted operations after a Ukrainian drone attack on Friday. The strike caused a fire and damaged pipelines, storage facilities and processing units.

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The Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Russia’s Rostov region stopped operating after a Ukrainian drone attack damaged the facility, Governor Yuri Slyusar said. No one was injured there. Russian authorities said about 50 drones were downed over the region, while strikes elsewhere killed one person and injured 21, including two children, according to the report.

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Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar said Russian air defences destroyed about 50 drones over the region overnight. A drone attack damaged the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, prompting a temporary suspension of operations.

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Dozens of country delegations walked out of or stayed away from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s UNGA speech. Packed with bold claims about Israel’s policies, the address came as delegates left and Israeli elections drew near—raising the question of whether Netanyahu was speaking mainly to the UN or to audiences at home.

Benjamin NetanyahuUN General AssemblyIsraeldiplomacy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a fiery and defiant speech at the UN General Assembly. Demonstrators gathered in New York to protest the Israeli leader, with around 100 people reportedly detained by police.

Benjamin NetanyahuUN General AssemblyNew York protests

Dozens of delegates walked out during Benjamin Netanyahu’s address on the third day of the UN General Assembly. Yemen’s government appealed for help, while Kuwait protested threats to its sovereignty.

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Protesters gathered outside the United Nations while dozens of delegates walked out as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his speech.

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Moscow’s Perovsky District Court ordered political scientist Alexander Kynev’s arrest on September 25, Mediazona reported, citing court records and defense attorney Mikhail Biryukov. Kynev is accused of producing, selling, or shipping illegal drugs on a large scale, a charge punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison. Authorities have disclosed no further details.

RussiaAlexander Kynevarrestdrug case

Mississippi police believe Tasia Fortune was already dead before her body was placed in a tree. Jackson police say the Black woman’s death followed a drug dispute and that the hanging scene was staged.

Tasia FortuneMississippipolice investigation

Authorities believe Tasia Fortune’s hanging was staged and that she may have been killed elsewhere before her body was found behind an abandoned home in Mississippi, a detective testified in court Friday.

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