International

Mysterious note found in ancient dress deciphered

A woman who bought a Victorian dress at an antique store in Maine found an unexpected surprise when she discovered a secret pocket with a mysterious note. The dress, from the 1880s, attracted the attention of Sara Rivers Cofield, an archaeologist and collector of antique costumes.

Inside a secret pocket under the bustle of the dress, Rivers Cofield discovered two sheets of paper with lists of seemingly random words and places. Words, such as “Bismark,” “Calgary,” and others, seemed cryptic and were accompanied by marginal notations suggesting the representation of time. Additionally, a tag sewn to the dress bore the handwritten name: Bennett.

The archaeologist shared her find on a blog in 2014, but online speculation and theories failed to unravel the mystery. It was only a decade later, in 2023, when a Canadian researcher, Wayne Chan, managed to solve the enigma.

It turned out that the coded words were part of a coded weather message used in the telegraph era of the 19th century. This code allowed meteorologists to compress detailed reports into a few words to save costs on telegraph shipments, as it was charged per word. The words represented specific meteorological variables in specific places and times.

Chan discovered that the code used belonged to the Army Signal Corps, the United States’ national weather service in the late 19th century. Although the dress and its contents seemed to have a hidden mystery, they turned out to be an efficient and economical way to communicate weather information in the past.

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International

Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced

The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in central Vietnam has risen to 28, with six people reported missing and 43 injured, local newspaper VnExpress reported Friday night.

More than 22,100 homes remain flooded, primarily in the cities of Hue and Da Nang. Floods and landslides have destroyed or swept away 91 houses and damaged another 181, the report added.

Around 245,000 households are still without electricity, particularly in Da Nang, where over 225,000 homes are affected.

Additionally, 80 stretches of national highways are blocked or disrupted due to landslides. Authorities expect the flooding to continue for another day or two in the region.

International

FBI foils ISIS-Inspired attack in Michigan, arrests five teens

Kash Patel did not provide further details, but police sources told CBS News that the potential attack was “inspired” by the Islamic State (ISIS).

“This morning, the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested several individuals in Michigan who were allegedly planning a violent attack during the Halloween weekend,” Patel wrote on X.

“Thanks to swift action and close coordination with our local partners, a possible terrorist act was prevented before it could be carried out,” he added.

CBS reported that five people between the ages of 16 and 20 were arrested on Friday. At least one of them was reportedly acquainted with a former member of the Michigan National Guard, who was arrested in May for plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on a U.S. military facility in the Detroit suburbs.

International

U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed concerns over China’s growing military activity near Taiwan during a meeting on Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur.

“It was a constructive and positive meeting,” Hegseth wrote on X. “I emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and raised U.S. concerns about China’s actions around Taiwan,” the self-governed island that Beijing claims and does not rule out invading.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea. According to Trump, Taiwan was not discussed during their talks.

“The United States does not seek conflict and will continue to firmly defend its interests, ensuring it maintains the capability to do so in the region,” Hegseth added in his message.

Friday’s encounter followed a September 9 video call between Hegseth and Dong. Their previously planned meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was canceled due to Dong’s absence from the event.

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Trump’s sit-down with Xi — their first since 2019 — resulted in some trade agreements but avoided addressing the issue of Taiwan, a long-standing source of tension between the world’s two largest powers.

Trump has taken a more ambiguous stance on Taiwan’s future compared with former President Joe Biden, who repeatedly stated that Washington would support Taipei if China launched an invasion. The Republican president has also criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the U.S. semiconductor industry.