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Bill Gates ‘Took Responsibility for His Actions’ Over Epstein Links, Foundation Says 

This undated and unlocated handout image released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on December 18, 2025 shows US businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates (L) posing with a woman whose face has been redacted. Democratic lawmakers released a new cache of photos and documents on December 18 from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (House Oversight Democrats / AFP / Handout)
This undated and unlocated handout image released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on December 18, 2025 shows US businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates (L) posing with a woman whose face has been redacted. Democratic lawmakers released a new cache of photos and documents on December 18 from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (House Oversight Democrats / AFP / Handout)
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Bill Gates ‘Took Responsibility for His Actions’ Over Epstein Links, Foundation Says 

This undated and unlocated handout image released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on December 18, 2025 shows US businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates (L) posing with a woman whose face has been redacted. Democratic lawmakers released a new cache of photos and documents on December 18 from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (House Oversight Democrats / AFP / Handout)
This undated and unlocated handout image released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on December 18, 2025 shows US businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates (L) posing with a woman whose face has been redacted. Democratic lawmakers released a new cache of photos and documents on December 18 from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (House Oversight Democrats / AFP / Handout)

Bill Gates "took responsibility for his actions" over ties ‌to late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, a spokesperson for the philanthropic group told Reuters in a written statement on Tuesday.

The spokesperson's comments came in response to a Wall Street Journal report, which said that Gates had apologized to staff during the town hall over his ties with Epstein.

Documents released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) have indicated that Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein's prison term to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropic efforts.

According to the Journal report, Gates told staff that it was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein and ‌bring Gates Foundation ‌executives into meetings with the sex offender. The report cited ‌a ⁠recording of the ⁠comments Gates made in the town hall.

"I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made," he said, according to the newspaper.

The Journal added that Gates also acknowledged that he had two affairs with Russian women that Epstein later discovered, but that they did not involve Epstein's victims.

"I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit," Gates told the staff, according ⁠to the report.

Documents released by the DOJ also included ‌pictures of the Microsoft founder posing with women ‌whose faces are redacted. Gates has previously said the relationship with Epstein was confined to ‌philanthropy-related discussions and has said it was a mistake to meet with ‌him.

According to the Journal, Gates told the foundation's staff that the images were pictures that Epstein asked him to take with Epstein's assistants after their meetings.

"To be clear I never spent any time with victims, the women around him," Gates added, according to ‌the report.

A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation told Reuters that Gates held a scheduled town hall with the employees ⁠and answered questions on ⁠a range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files.

"In the town hall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions."

The spokesperson also said the Gates Foundation statement acknowledged what was shared by the billionaire during the town hall, and the statement is all that the foundation would say about the report.

Earlier this month, the Gates Foundation said it did not make any financial payments to Epstein or employ him at any time.

The billionaire also pulled out of India's AI Impact Summit hours before his scheduled keynote last week.

The Gates Foundation, chaired by Bill Gates and started by him and his then-wife in 2000, is one of the world's biggest funders of global health initiatives.

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World

Erdogan Takes Russia, Ukraine to Task Over Black Sea Attacks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands during a press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, October 31, 2026. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands during a press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, October 31, 2026. (Reuters)
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Erdogan Takes Russia, Ukraine to Task Over Black Sea Attacks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands during a press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, October 31, 2026. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands during a press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, October 31, 2026. (Reuters)

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday attacks aimed at civilian vessels in the Black Sea were unacceptable, urging Russia and Ukraine to "act responsibly".

Despite its ties with both Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye has been infuriated by the attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.

"It is clear that attacks against civilian vessels and actions that further escalate tensions in the Black Sea serve no one's interests," Erdogan told a news conference with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul.

"We cannot accept these attacks under any circumstances, regardless of who carries them out or what justification is offered. We call on all parties to act responsibly on this matter," he said.

Ankara has sent a proposal to Russia and Ukraine to end strikes on civilian ships, but says the two foes have failed to act on it.

"We will continue our talks with the parties concerned with a view to restoring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea," the Turkish leader said.

"I believe that reaching an agreement on this issue would also give fresh impetus to efforts to secure lasting peace in Ukraine."

Türkiye has also hosted several rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine aiming for a lasting ceasefire and peace deal.

In a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Erdogan said Türkiye was ready to support efforts to revive the diplomatic process between Ukraine and Russia and bring the war to an end through negotiations, according to the Turkish leader's office.

World

Rubio Says US Yet to Decide on New Iran Strikes

Iranian people walk past a mural depicting late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, in a street of Tehran, Iran, 31 October 2026. (EPA)
Iranian people walk past a mural depicting late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, in a street of Tehran, Iran, 31 October 2026. (EPA)
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Rubio Says US Yet to Decide on New Iran Strikes

Iranian people walk past a mural depicting late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, in a street of Tehran, Iran, 31 October 2026. (EPA)
Iranian people walk past a mural depicting late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, in a street of Tehran, Iran, 31 October 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump has not made a decision about fresh strikes on Iran amid stalled peace talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday.

"We can achieve military objectives if we seek to," Rubio told a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was hosting G20 foreign ministers for a two-day meeting.

But Rubio added that Trump "hasn't made a decision" on further military action, amid reports that the US leader could attack after key midterm elections on Tuesday.

"I have no announcement in that regard with you today, and nor do we take any of it lightly," Rubio said.

While he slammed Tehran for "actively and openly" targeting commercial vessels for attack, Rubio also expressed Trump's preference for a diplomatic solution to end war with Iran.

But he did not commit to a timeline for talks.

"I'm not going to characterize neither the progress on those talks nor any timeframe on it, other than to tell you that if there is a diplomatic solution, we would be open to it," Rubio said.

Iran's supreme leader on Saturday warned the United States and Israel against launching new attacks, following threats to resume strikes after crucial elections.

Trump earlier warned of the potential for fresh military action after US midterms, saying previously that he was weighing up whether to "finish them off."

But any further attack would spark concern among US allies.

On Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told AFP: "We are calling for a diplomatic solution, and really, escalation does not benefit anyone."

World

Iranian Envoys Meet Qatari Mediators as Threat Looms of US Strikes After Midterms

A man holds Iran's national flag in a street of Tehran, Iran, 31 October 2026. (EPA)
A man holds Iran's national flag in a street of Tehran, Iran, 31 October 2026. (EPA)
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Iranian Envoys Meet Qatari Mediators as Threat Looms of US Strikes After Midterms

A man holds Iran's national flag in a street of Tehran, Iran, 31 October 2026. (EPA)
A man holds Iran's national flag in a street of Tehran, Iran, 31 October 2026. (EPA)

Iranian negotiators held talks in Doha with Qatari mediators on Saturday to discuss paths out of war in the region, a source told Reuters, as diplomats try to avert a new outbreak of fighting after the US midterm elections this week.

Saturday's talks in the Qatari capital followed more than 12 hours of discussions on Friday between Iranian and Qatari envoys in Tehran, said the source, who was briefed on the negotiations and spoke on condition of anonymity. The source said the talks were being coordinated in regular contacts with Washington.

Countries in the region have been anticipating that US President Donald Trump, who has held off on strikes on Iran during the weeks leading ‌up to Tuesday's ‌midterm elections, could restart attacks once the voting is over. Iran has repeatedly ‌said ⁠it would respond ⁠to new attacks by striking at US and Israeli targets in neighboring countries.

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement on Saturday ordering the armed forces to be prepared to respond to any attacks. The Iranian military later announced it was taking steps to improve its readiness.

"Any level or type of threat must be met with an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response," Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since replacing his father slain at the war's outset, said on Saturday in the statement posted on his official Telegram account.

He said ⁠that senior commanders had reported high readiness along the Gulf coast, in ‌and around the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman, and ‌on Iran's northwestern and southeastern borders.

DIPLOMACY CONTINUES DESPITE GAPS

Trump, who launched the war alongside Israel in February, has repeatedly hinted ‌at plans to restart strikes on Iran. Last week he called on Israelis ahead of their ‌own election to keep his wartime ally Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in power so the two leaders can "finish the job".

But Washington has also lately taken steps to indicate it is open to diplomacy. Earlier this week, Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation at previous rounds of talks with Iran, wrote a letter to a hardline senior ‌Iranian security official, which the New York Times and Wall Street Journal described as an initiative to see if it was possible to restart talks.

Trump ⁠played the letter down, ⁠saying he approved it only to discuss the possibility of letting more medical supplies into Iran: "I said if you want to do that, that's ok. Basically, it's getting supplies in to help people that are not well."

In the latest Qatari-mediated discussions, the Qataris brought a proposal to Tehran a week ago for a seven-day plan, under which the US and Iran would take daily steps to build trust ahead of broader peace talks, the source briefed on the negotiations said. A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday that this proposal was not deemed satisfactory by Tehran.

Iran has been proposing its own seven-day plan since September, so far rejected by Trump. That calls for Washington to lift a blockade of Iranian ports, unfreeze assets and approve an Iranian-backed route through the Strait of Hormuz, after which the contested strait would be reopened.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in remarks reported by Al Jazeera on Saturday that Iran was studying Vance's letter. He said the Iranian plan was the only proposal on the table to reopen the strait.