Monday, October 12, 2026Jumada I 1, 1448 AH

العربية
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News of October 2, 2026

Sports

Netherlands Coach Xavi Says he Was at Fault for Poor 1st Half in Greece

Netherlands coach Xavi Hernandez said he was to blame for his side’s poor first-half performance in Thursday’s Nations League game against Greece after they trailed 2-0 before fighting back to draw. The result maintained the former World Cup winner’s unbeaten start to his tenure in charge of the Dutch national team, but it proved a close-run contest with Tijjani Reijnders equalizing a minute from the end at Stadio Toumbas.

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News

Taiwan Receives Its First US-made F-16V Fighter Jets

Taiwan received on Friday its first F-16V fighter jets made by the United States, as the island democracy upgrades its military capabilities to deter a potential Chinese attack. The warplanes are part of an $8 billion deal for 66 F-16Vs approved during US President Donald Trump's first term and scheduled for delivery this year, said AFP. The arrival of the aircraft comes as Taiwan awaits Washington's approval of a separate $14 billion arms package that Trump paused after Chinese objections.

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Sports

Verstappen Sets Pace in Opening Practice in Sepang

Red Bull's Max Verstappen topped Friday's opening Formula One practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, clocking the fastest time as the four-times world champion eyes his first victory of the season. The Dutchman lapped the 5.543-km circuit in 1 minute, 37.520 seconds, with Mercedes driver George Russell trailing by 0.383 seconds at the Sepang International Circuit, which is hosting the Bahrain race due to the conflict in the Middle East.

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News

South Korea's Lee Threatens Action against Ukraine over transfer of North Koreans

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday threatened unspecified measures against Ukraine unless Kyiv acknowledged a confidentiality agreement that Seoul says covered the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers and issued an apology. "If the refusal to acknowledge the facts and issue a public apology continues, we will take additional measures," Lee said in a post on X.

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Sports

Not-so-brave New World: Virtual Taekwondo Makes Asian Games Debut

Taekwondo dates back more than 2,000 years, but on Friday at the Asian Games the Korean martial art stepped into a not-so-brave future where nobody gets hurt: virtual taekwondo. At a gymnasium about a 90-minute drive from the main Games host city of Nagoya, a modest number of spectators watched with a mix of fascination and bewilderment. Taekwondo officials have billed it as "real-world martial arts meets cutting-edge virtual technology". Competitors wear a VR headset and motion tracking technology allows their movements to control their in-game avatars.

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Politics

Lula, Bolsonaro Both Snub Final Debate before Brazil Election

Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro on Thursday bowed out of the final debate ahead of elections pitting him against leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who also declined to attend. The leftist incumbent opted to appear on a popular podcast with millions of YouTube subscribers instead, while his right-wing rival accused the electoral court of "censorship" to justify his withdrawal, AFP said.

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News

Anglo-Iranian Man Held over UK Airbase Incident

A man with dual UK-Iranian citizenship was arrested Thursday over a mysterious "major incident" at an airbase in southwest England as Israel said it had warned London about an attack. The sixth arrest came after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC there were "strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford", a base used by the US military in its war against Iran.

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Technology

Effective Altruism: The Philosophy Behind Silicon Valley's AI Fears

Dario Amodei says he is not part of it. But the Anthropic chief's personal and professional circle is entwined with Effective Altruism (EA), a philanthropic movement that has become one of the most contested ideas in Washington and Silicon Valley. To its proponents, EA is a rational, evidence-based way to do good. To many in the Trump administration, it fuels unfounded and exaggerated fears about artificial intelligence -- the kind of warnings Amodei has become known for. Here are some facts about EA: - Philosophical roots -

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Culture

When the World Saw van Gogh as ‘a Madman,’ she Saw his Genius

By Nina Siegal It was April 1912, and Helene Kröller-Müller was on a shopping spree. She wasn’t interested in the latest shoes or fashions. She was on the hunt for Vincent van Gogh’s portrait of Madame Augustine Roulin. She managed to find “La Berceuse,” as the painting is known, at a Paris gallery, and bought it on the spot. The next day, she went from gallery to gallery, looking for more van Gogh paintings, and took home a great haul: 15 in a single trip.

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Business

EU Nations to Hold Emergency Meeting on Soaring Diesel Prices amid US Pressure

EU nations will meet Friday, aiming to develop a unified response to soaring diesel prices, a day after the US called on its European allies to release strategic reserves "immediately" to stem the crisis. The emergency meeting between EU member states and the European Commission is scheduled for early in the day, a Commission spokesperson said late Thursday. Washington is piling on pressure to get European help with fuel costs, with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday floating the possibility of banning diesel exports, said AFP.

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Business

Not Your Everyday Coffee in a Serbia Cafe. Enjoy it in the Company of Alpacas

A cafe in northern Serbia has unusual hosts: six alpacas. The South American animals, of various sizes and colors, roam among the tables at the Tiganjica Ethno-Village resort near Stajicevo, north of Belgrade, happy to interact with the guests. The Alpaca Cafe here opened only a week ago and is a rare sight in Europe. Tiganjica resort owner Zoran Ostojin said he got the idea in Slovakia.

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