Meghan Markle's father arrested and charged over child abuse images
Thomas Markle Sr., the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been arrested by US federal agents near Tampa, Florida, and charged with possession of child sexual abuse material. US prosecutors said he was taken into custody early on Friday and later appeared in court.
The case follows an investigation that began after his son, Thomas Markle Jr., reportedly found boxes containing hundreds or possibly thousands of images at Markle Sr.'s former home in the Philippines. US authorities also found sexually explicit photos that appeared to show Markle with prepubescent girls. Markle Sr., who recently moved to Florida after many years in the Philippines, has denied the accusations.
Meghan Markle said she was "deeply distressed" by the charges.
Trump names Stephen Miller as new White House chief of staff
President Donald Trump announced Friday that Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, with the change set to take effect on Monday. Wiles, the first woman to serve in the role, is stepping down. Miller has been a close Trump adviser since 2016 and a principal architect of the administration's hardline immigration agenda, including its mass deportation programme.
The appointment comes after Republicans lost control of Congress in this week's midterm elections and follows criticism of immigration enforcement, including the fatal shootings of two Minneapolis protesters by ICE agents in January.
Former Trump health adviser Calley Means alleged in a podcast interview that Wiles repeatedly bowed to lobbying pressure and blocked health policies to attract campaign donations.
Kenyan doomsday cult leader sentenced to 200 years
A Kenyan court has sentenced Paul Mackenzie, leader of an apocalyptic religious sect, to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children and one adult in the Shakahola Forest between January 2021 and September 2023.
Mackenzie ordered his followers to starve themselves and their children to death in order to "meet Jesus." The sentence includes 100 years for murder by starvation and 100 years for direct homicide. The case is regarded as one of the worst cult massacres in recent history, with around 500 suspected victims in total.
California governor commutes all death row sentences
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is commuting the sentences of all 548 inmates on the state's death row to life in prison without parole, the largest mass clemency in modern US history.
Newsom, a Democrat in his final term, called capital punishment morally objectionable and cited state values and flaws in the legal system. The move prevents any of the condemned from being executed under future governors. Public reaction in California is divided.
Pope Leo XIV begins Latin America tour after surgery
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday to begin a 12-day tour of South America that will also take him to Argentina and Peru, just three weeks after surgery for lung cancer.
The 71-year-old pontiff, who lived in Peru for nearly two decades and holds joint US and Peruvian citizenship, is said to be in "pretty good health." The journey is his first major foreign trip since part of a lung was removed last month.
Judge blocks construction of Trump's triumphal arch project
A federal judge has issued a 14-day temporary restraining order blocking construction of Donald Trump's planned triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, hours after a federal planning panel approved the project late Thursday and just after midnight on Friday.
Trump has said the 250-foot structure would become a "top grade military complex" housing drones, snipers and ammunition. The administration had hoped to begin work immediately after the panel's approval.
Harmeet Dhillon resigns as Justice Department civil rights chief
Harmeet Dhillon has resigned as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division after 18 months in the post, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced. Dhillon, a longtime Trump ally, dramatically reshaped the division created during the Civil Rights Movement and is the first high-level department official to leave after Republicans' midterm defeat.
People familiar with the matter said the departure followed conflicts with department leaders, including disagreements over legal strategy in the midterm elections. A new Democratic Congress is expected to scrutinise the division's handling of Epstein files and the killings of ICE agents.
Democratic socialist Nithya Raman upsets Los Angeles Mayor Bass
City Council member Nithya Raman has defeated incumbent Karen Bass to become the next mayor of Los Angeles in a narrow upset that marks a generational shift in city politics. Raman, an India-born urban planner and democratic socialist, has served on the council since 2020.
With her victory, America's two most populous cities, New York and Los Angeles, will both be led by democratic socialists, following Zohran Mamdani's election in New York last year.
Ousted Paraguay president placed under house arrest
Paraguay's Senate unanimously removed President Santiago Peña from office on Friday over a banking crisis tied to the collapse of Ueno bank, then placed him under house arrest minutes after the impeachment vote.
The crisis has frozen millions of customer accounts and left public pension and health‑care funds tied up; nearly half of Paraguay’s population has been unable to access their bank accounts. Peña had offered his resignation, but lawmakers proceeded with impeachment, stripping him of political immunity. Protesters have taken to the streets demanding answers, and an investigation is ongoing.
Cornell faculty declares no confidence in university leadership
Cornell University's Faculty Senate has approved a resolution declaring no confidence in the institution's leadership over its handling of sexual crimes on campus.
The move follows a lawsuit by a former student who alleged she was drugged and gang-raped at a fraternity house in October 2024. The faculty body has no formal power to remove leaders, but supporters hope the vote will pressure trustees to address what they describe as longstanding institutional failures.
Mississippi Senate race remains tight as ballot count continues
Democratic nominee Scott Colom holds a lead of just under 2,000 votes over Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi's Senate race, after additional provisional and mail ballots were reported.
The count is continuing and the margin is razor-thin; election officials have not said how many ballots remain outstanding. Lawyers for both parties have exchanged legal letters over counting procedures in a state whose election process is among the slowest and most decentralised in the country.
Giant pandas from China make debut at Atlanta zoo
Two giant pandas on loan from China, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, made their public debut at Zoo Atlanta on Friday, the first pandas housed there in two years.