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ROME – Gifts presented to President Donald Trump by Swiss executives were actually for the American people, according to Bern’s top trade diplomat. In an interview on Oct 14 at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, Secretary of State and head of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Helene Budliger Artieda told Francine Lacqua that handing over a Rolex table clock and engraved gold bar at the White House was not illegal. “It’s a gift to the American people – it’s duly registered at the White House, and if all things go well, it will end up in a presidential library,” she said. “It’s a private-sector initiative, but I feel confident that they have kept within the margins of the law.” The items delivered in the Oval Office last November by a business delegation seeking relief from Trump’s onerous tariffs became a matter of national controversy in Switzerland. Lawmakers filed criminal complaints seeking a probe for possible bribery, and a parliamentary report on the matter is expected in due course. “I’ve been assured by these business leaders that they had their compliance look into it,” Budliger said. “The Swiss government didn’t gift anything.

Russia has accused Dutch authorities of denying visas to three of Russia’s leading female gymnasts for the World Championships in Rotterdam, which kick off this weekend, and jeopardizing their qualification path for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Reigning world all-around champion Angelina Melnikova, Tokyo 2020 team Olympic champion Viktoria Listunova and 2026 European silver medalist Anna Kalmykova have all reportedly been refused visas, the Russian Gymnastics Federation said Tuesday, citing the Dutch Embassy in Moscow.

Over 300 delegates discuss the role of renewable-based electrification in powering energy security, competitiveness and economic resilience Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 14 October 2026 – The thirty-second Council meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) starts today.

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The Department of Justice has given California authorities 48 hours to review a list of alleged noncitizen voters or face legal action, according to a letter Reuters reviewed, marking an unprecedented attempt to find evidence of voter fraud ahead of next month's elections. The letter, authored by acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter and sent to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, says federal officials gave Los Angeles County administrators a "password-protected thumb drive" containing the names of individuals the government "believes are likely noncitizens" who were issued mail-in ballots. The directive requires the state to withhold ballots from those named on the list until it can verify their citizenship status. Flagged voters who have already received ballots must have their submissions "segregated" once returned, and ballots already submitted should not be counted "until citizenship has been determined," the letter dictates.

I'm convinced Blizzard wants me to hate WoW: Retail, as backlash grows to one of its weakest character deaths in recent memory. Maybe ... ever?

NewsItaly, Greece and Portugal have been crowned the world’s best food destinationsCN Traveller has revealed the world’s greatest countries for food, according to hundreds of readersSharePhotograph: Diana Rui / Shutterstock | Table with a view over the river in Porto, PortugalSome holidays are planned around museums and monuments. Others are a series of meals with a bit of sightseeing in between. If you fall into the latter camp, Condé Nast Traveller’s newly announced ranking of the world’s best countries for food is worth a look – and Europe has claimed the top three spots. The results come from the publication’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, which asked thousands of readers to rate their favourite destinations. Voting took place between April 1 and June 30, with Condé Nast calculating the final scores from respondents’ ratings. Readers rated destinations on a five-point scale from excellent to poor, and the average was converted into a percentage. So, no, there wasn’t a panel of chefs arguing over who makes the best pasta. This one is all down to the travellers.

Archaeologists have found the world's oldest-known shipwreck off the coast of Turkey, dating the Early Bronze Age vessel to between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago. The ship, built around the same time as the Great Pyramid, was likely a trade vessel carrying cargo across the Mediterranean Sea, researchers from the Mediterranean Archaeology Association said. While the wooden structure of the ship was gone, archaeologists dated the ceramic storage vessels and stone anchors found in the wreck off Kekova Island to 2600-2400 BC, making it the oldest shipwreck in the world. It takes the title from the Dokos shipwreck in the Aegean Sea which dates to around 2200 BC. Early Bronze Age shipwreck at Antalya (Hakan Oniz/Journal of Maritime Archaeology 2026)The shipwreck was discovered during excavations led by underwater archaeologist Hakan Öniz from Akdeniz University in Antalya. "Akdeniz University conducted a study of the Kekova region in the Demre district of Antalya, during which a shipwreck carrying Early Bronze Age amphorae was documented," archaeologists noted in a study detailing the discovery in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology.

Ukraine’s military has suddenly had its access to Starlink satellite internet terminals restricted as the Trump administration has increased pressure on Ukraine to halt long-range strikes on Russia’s oil industry immediately. The terminals, which are produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX but managed by the US government, are a key component of Ukraine’s military operations and the sudden restrictions on the terminals travelling at high speeds on Tuesday evening led to the failure of several combat missions, said an adviser on military technology to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The sudden outage came as Russia launched ballistic missiles at Ukraine without any advance warning from the US for a second night. For years, the US has provided Ukraine with intelligence when strikes were about to take place. Donald Trump has denied that his administration has cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Zelenskyy also indicated that the US was continuing to share intelligence with Ukraine in an interview with NPR aired on Wednesday, but confirmed that military advisers had received threats from the US that intelligence sharing could be limited.

WorldCanadians can still feel safe riding roller-coasters after Tuesday's death at a Six Flags amusement park in the U. S., experts tell CBC News, because such accidents are "stunningly rare. "Canadian parks close rides as a precaution after man ejected from coaster in GeorgiaKevin Maimann · CBC News · Posted: Oct 14, 2026 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: October 14Listen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Attractions are seen at Six Flags Over Georgia on Tuesday, when police say a man died after being thrown from his seat on one of the park's roller-coasters. (Mike Stewart/The Associated Press)Canadians can still feel safe riding roller-coasters after Tuesday's death at a Six Flags amusement park in the U. S., experts tell CBC News, because such accidents are "stunningly rare. " Police say a 42-year-old man killed while riding the Goliath roller-coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, in Mableton, Ga., was thrown from his seat and struck other patrons before landing below the ride. Several others were injured.

Certain places in cities often become part of one's life, often unexpectedly. For me, there's one such place here in Dublin: the Herbert Park Hotel in Ballsbridge, very close to the US Embassy. For many years, I was a frequent visitor: for business meetings, New Year's Eve celebrations, and especially for my mother's birthdays. Every year, until her 93rd birthday, her closest friends gathered there. There was always champagne on the table, usually more than one bottle. Over time, I came to associate this hotel with friendship, celebrations—and with my mother.

Congratulations to all the countries and communities on the inscription of new UNESCO World Heritage sites. These sites are part of the shared heritage of humanity and embody the spirit of cooperation and consensus at the heart of the 1972 World Heritage Convention. Inscribing a site marks the start of a lasting commitment: to protect it, manage it effectively, and ensure that it benefits its communities. As a force for cohesion and sustainable development, I am convinced that the World Heritage List must reflect the full diversity of our world – this is why the World Heritage Committee has adopted its landmark World Heritage Strategy for Small Island Developing States 2026–2034 and why, after Busan, UNESCO will further strengthen its support to the 23 State Parties still without an inscribed site. Khaled El-EnanyUNESCO Director-GeneralWith these new inscriptions, the UNESCO World Heritage List now comprises 1,273 sites across 173 countries. These newly inscribed properties now benefit from the highest level of international recognition and protection. The full list of inscribed sites is available here.

Press releaseOn World Environment Day, UNESCO designates 14 new biosphere reserves across 14 countries, bringing the World Network of Biosphere Reserves to 797 sites in 145 countries. Three countries welcome their first biosphere reserves: Montenegro, Timor-Leste, and Aruba which sees its entire territory designated as such. Marking the Day, UNESCO is also launching today a practical guide for journalists to report on the environment, drawing on case studies, and offering safeguards journalists can use in their daily work.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a long list of demands for the World Bank in line with Trump administration interests, including ending the bank’s prohibition on financing upstream oil and gas projects, putting resources into deep-sea critical minerals mining and reforming its procurement policies. Bessent, in a statement issued late on Wednesday to the steering committees of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, also said that the IMF should do more to push back on countries’ non-market policies that lead to global imbalances, a veiled reference to US criticism of China.

World of WarcraftHere you'll find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Midnight, Mists of Pandaria Classic, Season of Discovery, Burning Crusade Classic, WoW Classic Era, and Hardcore. Some of the hotfixes below take effect the moment they were implemented, while others may require scheduled realm restarts to go into effect. Please keep in mind that some issues cannot be addressed without a client-side patch update. This list will be updated as additional hotfixes are applied. Fixed an issue where faction-specific mounts were hidden from the Mount Journal on characters of the opposite faction.