Peter Thiel buys troubled Bel-Air mega-mansion for $130 million

Los Angeles Times - Sep 30, 2026

Billionaire Peter Thiel has been revealed as the buyer of Casa Encantada, a storied Bel-Air mega-mansion that was auctioned off for $130 million over the summer.

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House to livestream BARSc proceedings starting Oct. 1

Sep 30, 2026

House to livestream BARSc proceedings starting Oct. 1

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will begin livestreaming the Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee (BARSc) proceedings starting Thursday afternoon, Oct. 1. This was confirmed by House Secretary General Atty. Cheloy E. Velicaria-Garafil, MNSA, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday at 1 p.m. “As in the previous year, all official BARSc proceedings will be

Pimentel: SC’s dismissal of voting threshold case understandable

Sep 30, 2026

Pimentel: SC’s dismissal of voting threshold case understandable

MANILA, Philippines — Former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III expressed that the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to dismiss the three petitions challenging the Impeachment court’s ruling on the voting threshold to convict Vice President Sara Duterte was understandable given the timing. “I completely understand if the Supreme Court refused to take cognizance of petitions questioning

Puno: Key lawmakers already met prior to formal budget meeting

Sep 30, 2026

Puno: Key lawmakers already met prior to formal budget meeting

MANILA, Philippines — A sub-committee of ranking lawmakers tasked with reviewing proposed tweaks to the 2027 spending bill has held preparatory meetings to set the agenda and finalize the subject that will be discussed when it formally convenes, though it did not take up substantial amendments yet. Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno said the Budget Amendments

UNHCR official to discuss global forced displacement for RAS Korea lecture

Sep 30, 2026

UNHCR official to discuss global forced displacement for RAS Korea lecture

Stefan Maier hopes to see millions of refugees in long-term displacement move beyond dependence on humanitarian assistance over the next nine years, under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) "50 by 35" vision. "By 2035, we want to halve the number of refugees who have been displaced for prolonged periods and remain unable to meet their basic needs without humanitarian assistance," Maier, deputy representative for the UNHCR in Korea, told The Korea Times in a recent written interview. "We live in an intensely interconnected world," the Austrian national said. "Forced displacement may begin locally, but its consequences rarely remain local. Conflicts and persecution can uproot millions of people and have repercussions far beyond the countries and regions in which they originate." He cited the arrival of around 550 Yemenis on Jeju in 2018. "I relate to that episode quite personally because I worked in Yemen from 2015 to 2017, at the height of a devastating war and humanitarian crisis," he said. "It illustrates how a conflict that may initially seem geographically dist

Sungshin Women's University pushes flexible education to meet changing social needs

Sep 30, 2026

Sungshin Women's University pushes flexible education to meet changing social needs

Sungshin Women's University is rethinking how it responds to the demands of the era of artificial intelligence (AI) — not by endlessly adding new departments, but by tearing down the walls between existing ones. President Yi Seong-keun said universities face constant pressure to keep pace with rapidly changing social and industrial needs, but warned that the reflexive response of creating new departments for every emerging field can simply replace old academic boundaries with new ones. “Society is constantly asking universities to respond to changing needs, but we cannot do that with rigid ways of thinking,” Yi told The Korea Times in a recent interview. “Just as students must adapt to a changing world, universities must evolve with them.” That approach is already reshaping Sungshin’s academic structure. The university has expanded into AI and other advanced fields through its AI Convergence Department and College of IT Convergence, while a new Department of AI Convergence and Semiconductor Engineering will begin admitting students in 2027. Enrollment in advanced fields unde

Trump announces Alaska LNG project as part of Korea's investment plans

Sep 30, 2026

Trump announces Alaska LNG project as part of Korea's investment plans

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled South Korea's U.S. investment projects, including the construction of a gas-fired power plant in Texas, eight large-scale nuclear power plants and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska. The announcement followed protracted negotiations over several energy investment projects under last year's bilateral trade agreement that committed Korea to investing US$350 billion in the United States -- $150 billion for the shipbuilding sector and the remainder for strategic investments -- in return for lower U.S. tariffs on Korean goods. Trump made the announcement alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), calling the investment plans "one of the largest energy infrastructure investments in American history." "(South Korea) will invest up to $200 billion ... to build a 6-gigawatt power generation facility in Texas. That's a major plant. That's about as big as you will see, (and) eight new large-scale nuclear power plants," Trump said at the White

Beyond sponsorship, companies provide technology to sports

Sep 30, 2026

Beyond sponsorship, companies provide technology to sports

Behind Korea’s medal-winning athletes are companies that have been in the sports realm for decades, turning sponsorship into technology, training and long-term support. The approach reflects a major shift in how conglomerates are shaping their support for athletics: Sponsorship is increasingly being used to build a long-term relationship with a sport, rather than simply gaining exposure around major competitions. At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Korean fencing once again showed the value of that commitment. The national team won 10 medals across men’s and women’s sabre, epee and foil, including four golds. SK Telecom has been backing Korean fencing for 24 years, but its role has evolved far beyond financial support. As the Korean Fencing Federation’s lead sponsor since 2003, the telecom operator has invested 36 billion won ($26.5 million) in the sport, supporting training equipment, overseas competitions and international events. This year, it added artificial intelligence (AI) to that partnership. The Fencing AI Nexus system, developed by the company, uses computer vision an

Korea, US unveil 3 investments in energy projects

Sep 30, 2026

Korea, US unveil 3 investments in energy projects

Seoul and Washington unveiled plans for three investment projects in the United States — a $22.3 billion Texas gas-fired power plant for data centers, a framework to build eight large nuclear reactors and a review of an Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. The projects are part of a $200 billion investment commitment under a Korea-U.S. agreement signed in November 2025, with the two governments seeking to expand cooperation in energy and other strategic industries while creating new openings for Korean suppliers in the U.S. market. "The colossal package of investments we are announcing today is a major step toward securing our critical energy supply chain, ensuring American energy dominance, and making our partnership with South Korea and the entire Pacific region stronger than ever before," U.S. President Donald Trump said during a press conference in Washington, Wednesday (local time). The Texas power plant project, dubbed Project Star, calls for a 6,472-megawatt combined-cycle gas power plant in Encinal to supply electricity directly to artificial intelligence (AI) data cent

Manila Water urges preventive desludging to protect local waterways

Sep 30, 2026

Manila Water urges preventive desludging to protect local waterways

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Water is encouraging customers to participate in its October desludging schedule as part of its continuing efforts to protect local waterways, support community health, and promote responsible wastewater management. Through regular septic tank maintenance, households can help prevent untreated wastewater from entering drainage systems, creeks, rivers, and other bodies of water, contributing

Sept. 30 lotto draws: No jackpot winners

Sep 30, 2026

Sept. 30 lotto draws: No jackpot winners

MANILA, Philippines—No ticket won the jackpots in the Grand Lotto 6/55 and MegaLotto 6/45 draws Wednesday, Sept. 30, according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. The Grand Lotto 6/55 winning combination was 44-28-48-38-23-42 for a jackpot of ₱236.62 million. PCSO said there was no jackpot winner. Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office The MegaLotto 6/45 winning combination

DepEd launches nationwide PISA school visits to sustain gains

Sep 30, 2026

DepEd launches nationwide PISA school visits to sustain gains

MANILA, Philippines —The Department of Education (DepEd) has launched nationwide field visits to participating public and private schools to strengthen local support networks and sustain long-term academic gains, according to a statement it issued on Wednesday. DepEd wants to build on the Philippines’ historic performance in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Last

Paul blocks push to unanimously pass Kids Online Safety Act

Sep 30, 2026

Paul blocks push to unanimously pass Kids Online Safety Act

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blocked an effort from Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday to pass by unanimous consent the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a long-sought bill that intends to protect kids in the digital space.  KOSA, which aims to hold accountable social media companies for the alleged harms their...

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