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A space mission is set to launch on Monday that will attempt to grab a piece of Mars’ moon Phobos and bring it back to Earth.

If it is successful, this will become the first time a sample has been returned from Mars or its moons to be analysed in laboratories here on Earth.

The spacecraft will blast off from Japan and arrive at Phobos in August 2027.

It is hoped that the Mars Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, which is led by the Japanese Space Agency, will solve the mystery of how Mars’s moons formed.

Prof Sara Russell, from the Natural History Museum, who is the MMX mission’s deputy for sample analysis, said: “There hasn’t yet been a successful mission to go to Phobos and bring a bit back to Earth.

“I think this is an incredibly ambitious and fun mission,” she said.

There are only three moons in the inner Solar System: our own Moon, and two around Mars, which are called Phobos and Deimos.

Both of these are tiny – Phobos is about 20km (12 miles) across and Deimos is about 10km (six miles) across. They are also irregularly shaped, looking a bit like space potatoes.

The MMX spacecraft will study Deimos as it arrives in the Mars neighbourhood, and then will focus on Phobos.

It plans to set down a small rover to explore the terrain, though this will be no easy feat.

Sara Russell says no one has ever landed a rover on such a small moon.

“The moon itself doesn’t have very much of its own gravity,” she explained.

“But it’s next to an enormous planet that’s got a much higher gravity, and that makes it much harder to get a rover onto the surface.”

The rover will scout out a landing site so that the MMX spacecraft itself can later touch down on Phobos.

Once on the surface, it will deploy a robotic arm and two samplers to grab some moon dust.

This material will be packed into a small capsule that will return to Earth in 2031, landing in the Woomera desert of South Australia.

The amount of material that will come back is tiny – just 10g.

“It’s a very small [amount] actually,” said Dr Chrysa Avdellidou, from Leicester University, who is working with the Japanese mission.

“However we can do several studies even on individual grains… You don’t need to have kilos back from a surface in order to do science. So it’s worth every gram,” she said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday condemned US President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russia, called Moscow’s stance a “parody” of peace negotiations and welcomed the prospect of a greater role in talks for European allies he called “real leaders”.
Zelenskiy told a European Union summit in Brussels that Russia did not want peace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, wearing a military uniform during ​a visit to a command post, said Moscow was establishing a “security zone” inside Ukraine along the border, a move he deemed non-negotiable in any future talks with ‌Kyiv.

Trump said he believed neither he nor Elon Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing access this week to Musk’s Starlink satellite service, an important element of defence against Russian strikes. Trump said he had a good relationship with Zelenskiy, despite the latest exchange of barbs with the Ukrainian leader.
In Brussels, EU leaders rallied around Zelenskiy after Trump again criticised Ukraine, calling its strikes on Russian refineries a “disgrace”.
The EU was hosting Zelenskiy at one of the most difficult moments ​for Ukraine, with Russian missiles and drones raining down on Ukrainian cities and fears that the US could pull back intelligence-sharing and weapons support from Kyiv.

Zelenskiy showed little sign of ​softening his stance toward Washington.
Trump blindsided Zelenskiy last weekend by announcing that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other’s energy facilities. ⁠Facing midterm elections next month, Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for pushing up energy prices that could cost his Republican party its thin majorities in the US Senate ​and House of Representatives.
Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery southeast of Moscow on Thursday, after Zelenskiy declared that Kyiv was abandoning the energy ceasefire that Trump had announced.
The US diesel deal ​with Russia angered Ukraine and its European allies.
“And now we can see how cash will start flowing back into Russia through the diesel deal,” Zelenskiy told reporters.
“This diesel deal will never be enough to offset the impact of the Strait of Hormuz on global markets. But it will put more money straight into Putin’s pocket to fund this war.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said the deal “is not good for anyone. It sends a negative ​signal. It is an element of division and doubt.”

STALLED PEACE TALKS

Zelenskiy accused Putin of not being interested in any sort of peace talks.
“Putin does not want peace talks at the moment, ​in any form,” he said. “He’s playing with words, claiming they respond… Quite simply, it looks like a parody of a genuine desire to end the war.”
Putin struck a hawkish and confident tone in addressing ‌senior commanders on ⁠the need for security zones in response to Ukraine’s 2024-25 incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region.
“Our goal is to ensure the absolute security of Russia’s border regions for the future, and we do not plan to make this a subject for potential peace negotiations with Ukraine,” he said in comments broadcast on Russian television.

The Kremlin said last week that Ukraine had undermined the possibility of an immediate resumption of peace talks after it had hit Moscow with drones during last month’s Russian parliamentary election.
Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said Russia and the US were discussing a ​range of joint projects, including nuclear-powered data centres ​following the agreement on diesel.
On Friday, the ⁠Kremlin said Putin had spoken with Pope Leo and agreed to cooperate after the pontiff asked him to help get vital supplies into the Russian-controlled Ukrainian town of Oleshky.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraines-zelenskiy-blasts-us-russian-diesel-deal-welcomes-bigger-european-role-2026-10-16/

Trump had signed the legislation ‘Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 ‘ last month – which was named after Senator Lindsey Graham – one of Ukraine’s staunch defenders in Washington.

In a major relief for India and China, US President Donald Trump has waived many sanctions and tariffs tied to Russian exports, a day before they were set to take effect under a bill he signed last month.

According to Trump, the pause has been imposed in the “national interest”.

“I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and duties provided for in the Graham Act. I have submitted to Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interest of the United States,” Trump said in an executive order released late Friday.

However, the directive only suspends implementation of the Russia-related tariffs, meaning Trump could apply them later if he chooses.

Trump had signed the legislation ‘Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 ‘ – which was named after Senator Lindsey Graham – one of Ukraine’s staunch defenders in Washington. He died in July this year shortly after returning from a trip to Kyiv. The measure had given Trump 30 days to impose 100 per cent tariffs on all goods from the top five buyers of Russian crude – China, India, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan – and also slap sanctions on numerous Russian entities and impose 500 per cent tariffs on all US imports of Russian energy products.

The one-month deadline was set to expire tomorrow, October 18.

What is the legislation?

The legislation sought to reduce the financial resources sustaining Russia’s war against Ukraine and targeted Russian officials, banks, energy interests, and foreign entities supporting Moscow’s military operations. The law also authorised Trump to impose tariffs on countries doing business with Russia to cut their dependence on Russian oil and gas. Additionally, it included sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior figures in the Russian government.

It would have paved the way for tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries buying Russian oil and gas, putting India and China among 10 countries under threat.

The impact on India

If Trump had levied the 100 per cent tariff on India, it would have been on top of the 10 per cent tariff the US currently imposes on imports from New Delhi as a penalty for not doing enough to stop the import of goods made using forced labour. However, the exact impact of new tariffs on Indian exports could have been assessed only after the announcement of tariff rates.

India and the US had strained ties last year when Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports of Russian crude, on top of a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff. The additional tariffs were, however, removed in February 2026, while the reciprocal tariff was reduced to 18 per cent as part of a US-India trade framework.

What India had said

As the US Congress had passed the Russia sanctions bill last month, India had made it clear that it was determined to take all necessary measures to protect its trade and economic interests.

“As stated on several earlier occasions, India remains firmly committed to ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people. It will continue to do so through diversified sourcing and based on evolving market dynamics,” the foreign ministry had said in a statement.

The ministry also added that the issue of India’s oil trade with Russia has been discussed at high levels in recent months with various US interlocutors. “Its potential implications for not just the bilateral relationship but also the international energy market have been very clearly articulated by the Indian side,” it said.

Trump’s growing closeness with Putin

The executive order came as Trump has been warming toward Russia and publicly criticising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, including suggesting that Ukraine needs a new leader.

Last week, Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring Russian diesel to the United States. As per the deal, Russia would supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately, followed by further shipments in the coming months.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-waives-many-russia-related-sanctions-tariffs-under-lindsey-graham-act-in-relief-for-india-china-amid-ukraine-war-12197563?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

A sickle to the back!

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s allies are publicly breaking with him over his handpicked police commissioner — and Hizzoner is livid that the socialist House candidate he went out on a limb to endorse is leading the charge.

City Hall staffers have been openly whining about alleged ally Darializa Avila Chevalier — whom Mamdani endorsed just a few months ago during the primaries — after she led a crusade to slam NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch after ICE agents shot an illegal migrant in the Bronx.

“They were pissed about what she did on social media and her public rhetoric on NYPD,” one source with knowledge said. “City Hall was like, ‘what the f–k are you doing!’”

The ICE shooting may mark the end of the socialist honeymoon for some Mamdani supporters, as some lefty pols and the national branch of his comrades in the Democratic Socialists of America push for Tisch’s ouster despite Hizzoner standing by his commissioner.

Another source said that folks in the admin griped that, “this was a direct undermining of Mamdani.”

The DSA dysfunction unfolded publicly last Friday when Chevalier rage-tweeted about immigration officials shooting a suspected gang memberas he fled arrest in a car. The supposed Mamdani ally accused Tisch and the NYPD of violating the Big Apple’s sanctuary city laws that bar cops from assisting ICE.

“Last night, the NYPD and Commissioner Tisch violated the spirit, if not the letter, of our sanctuary city policies and fueled the Trump Administration’s attempt to demonize our communities,” she wrote in her nearly 400-word tirade.

“The NYPD’s Strategic Response Group must be disbanded as quickly as possible, and Commissioner Tisch must step down,” she continued.

The NYPD did not assist ICE in the immigration arrest, nor did the SRG respond to the protest.

City Hall was also annoyed about Chevalier encouraging the anti-ICE protests, worried that any signs of disorder could give the Trump administration reason to flood the streets, sources said.

The congressional candidate had also ranted in her screed about being pushed during an aggressive protest in Marble Hill Thursday night after video captured her getting in a calm police supervisor’s face, accusing him of escalating the situation.

“She is throwing her own fireball rhetoric to rally the folks,” one source said, adding, “But instigating doesn’t help.”

But the calls from the far-left fellow democratic socialist set off a media firestorm for Mamdani, who appointed Tisch — a Zionist Jew, despite his and his party’s outspoken criticism of Israel — and vowed to disband the SRG during the campaign.

Hizzoner, who dodged the city’s press corps for days, was inundated with demands from his socialist comrades and the national DSA chapter to get rid of the police commissioner and honor his campaign pledge when it came to dissolving the specialized police unit.

DSA member and state Senate candidate Illapa Sairitupac, who was also endorsed by the mayor, joined the call after Chevalier.

“Abolish ICE, disband the SRG, fire Tisch,” he wrote.

The NYC DSA chapter, whose leaders are close friends of the mayor, took a softer tone, saying Tisch should be fired if she can’t confront ICE.

“Jessica Tisch must get ICE out of New York and end NYPD complicity with these terrorists,” the group wrote on social media. “If the Commissioner can’t put a stop to these injustices, she must be fired.”

Neither of the other two other House candidates that Mamdani endorsed, Brad Lander and Claire Valdez, issued similar calls.

But insiders told The Post that Chevalier doesn’t plan on letting up.

The bombastic soon-to-be member of the House of Representatives and her team are working on a speech — potentially on Election Night or sooner — to call on Tisch to be fired.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/14/us-news/mamdanis-team-pissed-over-darializa-avila-chevaliers-calls-for-tisch-to-be-canned/

Former Vice President Kamala Harris called for institutional changes to the Supreme Court and the Electoral College during an interview Tuesday, calling for more justices on the highest court in the nation.

“The work that we can do about winning back the House and the Senate is going to be on a number of things. For example, I believe that we need to expand the Supreme Court. We need more justices on the Supreme Court so that we can have a court that actually reinforces the spirit and principles behind the Constitution of the United States,” Harris told podcast host Keke Palmer on her “Baby, This is Keke Palmer” podcast.

“I believe that we should be pushing for what is possible around changing the Electoral College. Right?

“It’s about, the popular vote has to matter, right? You know, all the things that make people feel, like, overwhelmed, and does their vote matter? We have, you know, listen, if the folks there want it, we should be pushing for statehood for Puerto Rico and D.C., right? These are some of the things that are structural that we need to do, but we need to reestablish affordable child care,” Harris added.

Harris lost both the Electoral College and the popular vote to President Donald Trump in 2024. She told Palmer she still remains undecided about a 2028 presidential run.

Y. David Scharf, chairman of Morrison Cohen LLP and head of its government strategies & controversies practice, told Fox News Digital that Harris’ proposed changes could set a “dangerous precedent.”

“Kamala Harris says she wants to defend democracy, but her solution is to rewrite its rules when Democrats don’t like the results. That’s a dangerous precedent,” he said. “Nine justices have been the number since 1869. FDR tried to pack the Supreme Court, and even his own party pushed back. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself warned that expanding the court would make it look partisan.

“The Electoral College is written into the Constitution. Eliminating it requires a constitutional amendment, not a Democratic majority in Congress. You don’t get to change the referee because you don’t like the calls. Harris may think this is a winning message for the Democratic base, but it’s a much tougher sell to the independent and swing voters her party needs.”

The former VP also spoke about the midterm elections during the interview.

“On the first Tuesday in November, the midterms are going to happen,” Harris said. “And our ability to put people in Congress who will say no, when they do things like cut $1 trillion out of Medicaid will be powerful and affect people right away.

“Our ability to put people in Congress who will say enough of the corruption, enough of ending the funding for research on issues like fibroids, which they have done under the guise of attacking DEI, can be stopped. There are things that are not only about what will be helpful, but also stopping what is harmful, that we can do right away with these midterm elections.”

Her comments come days after her 2024 vice presidential running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, warned of a reckoning among Democrats if the party fails to deliver on promises should they take back Congress and potentially the presidency in 2028.

Harris was called out by Democratic advisors Tuesday for failing to reinvent herself politically as she weighs another White House run, Politico reported.

The report, based on interviews with nearly 20 California-based Democratic donors and strategists, highlighted growing skepticism among some party insiders about Harris’ political future and whether she has done enough to distinguish herself from her unsuccessful 2024 campaign.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/14/media/kamala-harris-calls-for-packing-supreme-court-changing-electoral-college-if-dems-take-back-congress/

Nicolas Cage is pulling out all the stops to keep his Malibu home in one piece.

The “Longlegs” actor rushed to file three permits after a massive sinkhole formed outside his $10.5 million California beachfront property on Sept. 8, Page Six can exclusively reveal.

Cage, 62, requested an emergency building permit with city officials, where he was granted permission to pack sandbags against the beach and the exterior of the home for both wave protection and to prevent further coastal erosion.

Records show additional permits were also approved for asphalt debris removal related to the sinkhole in preparation for shoring installation and excavation to collect soil samples.

All three were filed within days of the sinkhole forming.

The chasm was initially reported to be 30 feet by 30 feet, but has since grown in size to the point where it has now wrapped around the side of Cage’s home and right up to the front door.

Images from the scene showed the hole swallowed Cage’s driveway, a construction site portable toilet, ladders and parts of a privacy fence.

Fortunately for locals, no injuries were reported. Firefighters did respond to the area to address a gas leak.

Cage, who resides mostly in Nevada, was not believed to be inside the home at the time of the incident. Cage’s reps did not respond to requests for comment.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/10/14/celebrity-news/nicolas-cage-trying-to-save-10-5-million-malibu-home-from-sinkhole/

 

Schools closed. The internet partially shut. Roads blocked by shipping containers. And the army arriving in town.

Imran Khan’s party stronghold, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is under a state of emergency, his party’s provincial government suspended. It’s another dramatic escalation in the standoff between the former prime minister’s supporters and Pakistan’s state – and one that some fear could lead to more instability, not less.

According to the federal government this step, allowed by the constitution, was needed to provide protection for the province’s population from the threat of terror.

“The PTI KPK government was hand in glove with the terrorists,” Attah Tarrar, federal information minister, told journalists on Sunday. He did not elaborate or provide evidence, but promised to do so soon.

Two days later there had still been no update from him – but schools had reopened in Peshawar and most parts of the province, and internet services had been restored.

While police would not confirm any detentions, there is clearly a crackdown under way to prevent protests. Most PTI leaders in the province have gone into hiding.

On Tuesday dozens of PTI supporters took to the streets in Bara, Khyber district, hometown of provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. There were reports of tear gas shelling in the area.

To many observers, the timing of Sunday’s announcement of emergency rule is not coincidental.

For the last week, thousands of Imran Khan’s supporters have marched through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI have been in power for 13 years, demanding Khan’s release.

“The charitable response would be to say that it sounded disingenuous,” says Farzana Sheikh, associate fellow at Chatham House.

“I do not see the link with terrorism,” says Arifa Noor, journalist and commentator. “I’m not even sure if it was the long march itself [that led to this]. Perhaps it was the last straw or perhaps it’s just a case of saying, we don’t want to deal with the government being in the hands of an opposition party.”

The protests were led by Chief Minister Afridi, whose whereabouts are still a mystery. His party says he has been arrested; the government says that he is in protective custody.

Before the march had begun, there had been a crackdown. Three of Khan’s sisters were arrested in September, accused among other things of mobilising supporters, and have been detained ever since.

Khan has barely been seen by his family or lawyers in the last year; two of his sisters saw him in August, one in prison, another as he was checked over at a hospital visit after concerns were raised by the Supreme Court about his health, before he was returned behind bars again where he has been held for more than three years.

The PTI leader, who is widely believed to have lost power because of a rift with Pakistan’s powerful military, has been imprisoned since August 2023. He is convicted in several corruption cases which he says are politically motivated.

With the party already weakened, why this reaction from the authorities?

“The PTI rank and file has been becoming increasingly restless in recent months amid growing concerns about Imran Khan’s health,” says Michael Kugelman, senior South Asia fellow at the Atlantic Council.

“There is a sense that perhaps now is the time to send a very strong message to the party and make it more difficult for them to be able to put pressure on the government.”

The government has previously argued that Khan was going against jail rules by using his meetings to discuss politics.

Tarar has said of the state of emergency: “There was no political agenda. They could have gone on with their march,” and pointed to the talks the two sides had in the run-up to the decision as an indicator that they did try discussion.

But others see this as just another attempt to restrict Khan and his party.

“The government has less and less space for disagreements or dissent and they do not want to negotiate their way out of any kind of conflict,” Noor says.

Zahid Hussain, Islamabad-based author and defence analyst, is clear about who is behind the decision.

“The balance of power is completely shifted to the military establishment,” he says.

Sheikh thinks that Pakistan’s military is feeling confident because it believes it has a good relationship with the White House, its international credentials burnished by their role in the US-Iran peace talks.

“The mode is very much, this is the moment, let’s seize it,” she says. “There is a sense that, we have all the cards in our hands. We can ride this out internationally.”

But Pakistan has plenty to contend with. Militancy is rising. The country was ranked number one in the Global Terrorism Index 2026 as the country which had been affected most.

The country is at loggerheads with two neighbours; it has repeatedly hit Afghanistan with air strikes accusing the Afghan Taliban government of harbouring militant groups, a claim it denies. It would take little to reignite its long-running simmering conflict with India.

Meanwhile, it has promised to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against attacks as the conflict against the Houthis has become increasingly dangerous.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crgqwv4vl24jo

 

The department flagged transactions linked to suspected Chinese money-laundering networks and illicit financial activity along US-Mexico border, citing national security concerns.

The US Treasury Department has imposed more than $1.2 billion in penalties on Bank of America over alleged violations of anti-money laundering and sanctions laws, accusing the second-largest US bank of failing to properly report more than $5 billion in suspicious transactions.

Announcing the action on Tuesday, the department said some transactions raised national security concerns, including those linked to suspected Chinese money-laundering networks and illicit financial activity along the US-Mexico border.

The penalties include a $750 million civil fine imposed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), a key US banking regulator. The Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also assessed penalties as part of the broader enforcement action.

‘Not Above The Law’

Separately, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced an $11.6 million settlement over apparent violations of sanctions programmes involving Iran, Russia, narcotics and global terrorism.

“Today’s actions send a clear message that even the biggest financial institutions are not above the law,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

He added that failures to meet anti-money laundering and sanctions obligations could expose the wider US financial system to significant risks from illicit finance.

Bank Faces Fresh Compliance Scrutiny

The action comes despite a December 2024 cease-and-desist order requiring Bank of America to address weaknesses in its anti-money laundering programme and comply with the Bank Secrecy Act.

The Treasury said the bank had “failed to prioritise” compliance despite agreeing to the earlier order.

Under the latest regulatory requirements, the bank must work with a third party to identify and report suspicious transactions that went undetected. It will also face an independent review of its transaction-monitoring and due-diligence programmes.

OCC Comptroller Jonathan Gould described the bank’s conduct as “egregious and continued” violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, saying the $750 million penalty was the largest civil money penalty the regulator had imposed on a bank.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/us-treasury-hits-bank-of-america-with-1-2b-in-penalties-over-suspicious-transactions-lapses-ws-l-10380751.html

US authorities conducted a predawn raid on Monday on the Washington, DC, home of Democratic US Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, an outspoken critic of Donald Trump who has been the ​target of political insults by the Republican president, as part of an ongoing investigation, the Justice Department said.
A person familiar with the investigation said it is related to alleged immigration fraud, and part of ‌the probe concerns the Somali-born lawmaker’s immigration paperwork filled out by her late father when she was a child.

Omar wrote on social media that the US government is being weaponized to target a political enemy of the president.
“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns,” Omar said. “This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.”
Other Democrats accused Trump and his administration of abuse of power. Omar, 44, is seeking a fifth two-year term in the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections on November ​3.
Campaigning in Youngstown, Ohio, Trump quickly turned to Omar, who was born in Somalia and became a US citizen in 2000, settling in Minnesota, home to a large community of Somalis.

“She comes from one of the worst ​countries anywhere on the planet,” Trump said. “What a mess they have done – Somalia.”
The crowd chanted: “Deport, deport.”
He urged supporters to vote Republican “if you want to stop Ohio from being plundered, ransacked and ⁠destroyed like Minnesota’s being destroyed.”
In announcing the raid, a Justice Department spokesperson said: “Today in the Washington, DC area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing ​federal investigation.”
Homeland Security Investigations is part of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, a Trump appointee, said last month that “something’s gonna happen” in the investigation into Omar’s family’s entry into the United States.

“If we can prove that you ​shouldn’t have been here in the first place, we’ll deport you,” Mullin told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson at the time.
Monday’s raid occurred a little more than three weeks before the midterms, with Trump’s party seeking to retain control of Congress. Omar, a prominent progressive, represents a safe Democratic district. She won reelection in 2024 by a margin of 50 percentage points.
Justice Department policy bars federal prosecutors and agents from timing any action to affect an election’s outcome or benefit a candidate or party. It historically has avoided taking investigative steps against political candidates within about 60 ​days of an election.

‘DEEPLY DISTURBING’

In a statement, US House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other members of the party’s leadership in the chamber said the raid was “deeply disturbing and raises serious questions” about the weaponization of the federal government against Trump’s enemies.
Republicans ​have “relentlessly targeted” Omar, said Jeffries, joined by Representatives Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar. Trump’s “mass deportation machine has descended upon the home of a duly elected Member of Congress and her family,” they added, and they vowed to “deliver full accountability” for a “rogue abuse of power.”
Minnesota Democrats ‌also condemned the ⁠raid.
“Americans see this for what it is,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wrote on social media. “President Trump is abusing his power to go after political opponents weeks before an election.”
Few Republican lawmakers publicly commented. One who did, Representative Nancy Mace, wrote online: “If the fraud is proven, she should be denaturalized and removed from this country. NO ONE is above the law.”
George Washington University law professor Randall Eliason, a former US public corruption prosecutor, said the raid appears to be a break with past Justice Department practice of avoiding investigative steps likely to become public close to Election Day. But Eliason noted there is no way of enforcing the policy.
“The idea is to avoid even the appearance of any kind of interference by the Department of Justice with the political process,” ​Eliason said. “It’s not surprising that they wouldn’t really care about ​violating this policy because they’ve shown they don’t really ⁠care about politicizing the Justice Department in many other ways.”
A person familiar with the investigation said the Justice Department consulted with its Public Integrity Section, a unit that has historically advised and approved investigations of members of Congress, and acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter prior to the search. The Trump administration has reduced the Public Integrity Section to about two lawyers and ​curtailed much of its authority.

INVESTIGATIONS OF TRUMP CRITICS

The Saudis and the Houthis began fighting in 2015, when the kingdom entered Yemen’s civil war on behalf of the government.

The last time Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince was seen in public, he was giving blood for a national donation drive. That was on Tuesday. Since then, reports say, Mohammed bin Salman has been moved from one heavily guarded palace to another as Houthi attacks on the kingdom grow more intense.

The Crown Prince, 41, has not appeared in public since his blood donation. According to the Wall Street Journal, which cited officials familiar with his movements, he is being shuttled between palaces that are heavily guarded and fitted with bunkers.

A handpicked security team is also guarding him as fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels has been heating up, and the security threats are escalating.

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia faced its worst attack in a decade. At least one Houthi missile hit the international airport in the capital. At least 13 people were killed, and at least 300 were injured, many of them seriously.

Officials briefed on the attack said it was the single deadliest strike on the US or its Gulf allies in the conflicts linked to the Iran war, the Wall Street Journal reported. They said a 28-year-old Egyptian flight attendant died of blood loss after her arm was blown off. She was one of several victims who lost limbs.

King Khalid International Airport has been closed since the missile attack at the weekend. It has been struck four times in the past five days.

Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman warned the kingdom’s response would be “equally serious”, given how grave the attacks were.

US President Donald Trump has said he is considering joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis. Riyadh’s allies in the Mecca Pact have also voiced their support.

The two sides have been locked in a bitter civil war, with a fragile ceasefire agreed in 2022. That agreement collapsed in July this year, against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The Houthis resumed their attacks after accusing the Saudis of firing on Sanaa airport while a plane from Iran was trying to land.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/saudi-crown-prince-moving-palace-to-palace-amid-houthi-attacks-report-12176019?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

The contributions, all made since July, bring Musk’s total political spending during the current election cycle to $366 million, the report said.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has contributed $276 million to organisations supporting right-wing candidates ahead of the US midterm elections, making him the biggest single donor for the November 3 polls, according to a report by The New York Times.

The contributions, all made since July, bring Musk’s total political spending during the current election cycle to $366 million, the report said.

The world’s richest man has directed much of the money towards groups supporting Republican candidates as the party seeks to retain control of Congress.

Republicans Get Bulk Of Musk’s Donations

The largest recipient was the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican-aligned political action committee (PAC), which received $158 million to support the party’s efforts to retain control of the Senate.

Musk also donated $76 million to his own America PAC, according to the report.

Other recipients included the Congressional Leadership Fund, which received $20 million, the Republican Governors Association and the Lone Star Liberty PAC, which received $10 million each, and the Republican Attorneys General Association, which received $2 million.

Although individual campaign donations in the US are capped at $3,300 per person, wealthy donors can contribute much larger sums to political action committees, which support candidates and election campaigns.

Musk’s History Of Political Spending

Musk has previously spent heavily on US elections. In 2024, he contributed around $290 million to help Trump win re-election.

His latest donations come after a public falling-out with Trump in 2025, following Musk’s departure from the White House, where he had led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/musk-becomes-top-us-midterm-donor-pours-276-million-into-campaigns-after-trump-reconciliation-ws-l-10379118.html

At least 139 migrants, including at least 15 children, have died and around 84 are missing after a boat carrying more than 300 people capsized while sailing from Djibouti to Yemen, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said on Sunday.
The boat, carrying 305 people, capsized near Guhere, north of Obock — a port town in Djibouti — during the night of October 8-9, ​the IOM said, citing survivor accounts.

Around 82 people survived the shipwreck, the statement said. A spokesperson for the Ethiopian government did not immediately respond ​to requests for comment.
Photographs shared by the UN agency showed worn-out sandals and sneakers washed up on the shore.
“Our teams ⁠are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance,” said IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti Alexandre Coissac.
“This tragedy is a stark reminder ​of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities,” Coissac said.
Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations, the IOM statement ​said, adding that local authorities are also providing medical care to survivors and arranging burials for the deceased.

The Djibouti government could not be immediately reached for comment.
The migrants were heading to Yemen, with the hope of eventually making it to wealthier Gulf nations, even as Yemeni nationals themselves flee their country, which is experiencing the most serious escalation in fighting between Saudi ​Arabia-backed government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis since a UN-brokered truce in 2022.
“Despite the violence in Yemen, migrants are still making the perilous journeys hoping ​to make it to the Gulf countries,” the IOM statement said.

FIGHTING IN ETHIOPIA

Fighting has also broken out in Ethiopia since last month in the biggest escalation of violence since the ‌2020-2022 Tigray ⁠war.
An IOM official told Reuters that the UN agency had documented heavy migrant traffic along the so-called Eastern Route through Djibouti for several years.

“People continue to use the route amid changing conditions in Ethiopia and Yemen, although the volume and direction of movement can shift over time,” the official said.
Ethiopian migrants interviewed as part of the agency’s most recent situation report on Djibouti from September 20 to September 30 said they had left their country due to difficult living conditions, ​including the impact of drought.
“Some migrants ​also reported that they were fleeing ⁠conflict and forced recruitment by armed forces,” the report said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/109-migrants-including-15-children-dead-after-boat-djibouti-yemen-capsizes-un-2026-10-11/

The development follows an attack on MV Royad Mammadov in the Black Sea on Monday, in which two foreign seafarers were killed and some crew members, including the three Indians, were injured.

Three Indian nationals, rescued from the commercial vessel MV Royad Mammadov that came under attack in the Black Sea on Monday, have departed for India, the Embassy of India in Bucharest said on Saturday (local time).

In a post shared on X, the Embassy, which is accredited to Romania and Moldova, said it had provided all necessary support and assistance to facilitate the return of Sahil Sandhu, Ashwini Kumar and Harman Singh.

“Three Indian nationals, Shri Sahil Sandhu, Shri Ashwini Kumar, and Shri Harman Singh, departed for India today. The Embassy provided all necessary support and assistance to facilitate their return,” the Embassy said.

It also expressed gratitude to the Romanian authorities, Constanța County Hospital and Romanian rescue teams for their assistance in the operation and subsequent arrangements.

“We express our sincere gratitude to the Romanian authorities, Constanța County Hospital, and the Romanian rescue teams for their invaluable assistance, cooperation, and support,” the Embassy added.

Three Indian nationals, Shri Sahil Sandhu, Shri Ashwini Kumar and Shri Harman Singh, departed for India today.

The Embassy provided all necessary support and assistance to facilitate their return.

We express our sincere gratitude to the Romanian authorities, Constanța County Hospital, and the Romanian rescue teams for their invaluable assistance, cooperation and support.
@MEAIndia @PIB_India @PMOIndia @DrSJaishankar @IndianDiplomacy

— India in Romania (@eoiromania) October 10, 2026

The development follows an attack on MV Royad Mammadov in the Black Sea on Monday, in which two foreign seafarers were killed and some crew members, including the three Indians, were injured.

The Embassy had earlier said that all three Indian nationals were in stable condition. Two were accommodated at a hotel, while the third was undergoing treatment at the County Hospital in Constanța.

An Embassy representative on Tuesday (local time) visited the three Indians and assured them of all necessary assistance for their safe and early departure from Romania. Essential items, including mobile phones, were facilitated through the shipping company’s local agent, while Indian food was arranged through a local Indian restaurant.

The Embassy representative also met local police authorities, the shipping company’s agent and treating medical doctors to coordinate further assistance.

India had condemned the attack on the commercial vessel and expressed concern over threats to commercial shipping and seafarers.

“We condemn the attack on MV ROYAD MAMMADOV in the Black Sea, in which two foreign seafarers were killed and some members of the crew, including Indian nationals, were injured. The injured have been rescued by Romanian authorities and are receiving medical attention. The three Indian nationals, who were part of the crew of the ship, are safe,” the MEA said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/3-indians-rescued-from-black-sea-vessel-attack-depart-romania-for-india-12168134

 

President Donald Trump said on Friday that Russia had agreed to supply ​diesel to global markets in an effort to lower fuel prices, and his administration temporarily lifted US sanctions on Russian fuel that were designed to deprive Moscow of revenues for its ‌war on Ukraine.
Prices for diesel, used for agriculture, heating homes and trucking, are near a record and risk for Trump’s fellow Republicans ahead of the November 3 congressional elections that will determine whether they maintain thin control of Congress. Diesel prices fell after the announcement, but analysts said the deal may not be enough to keep them down.

Trump said on social media he had a “highly successful” discussion with President Vladimir Putin in which they agreed that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to US and ​global markets, equal to about 2.25 million barrels of fuel. The US exports about 1.5 million barrels of diesel per day.
After the call, an envoy for Putin, Kirill Dmitriev, praised cooperation between Russia and ​the US in a post on X. Dmitriev asked US officials during his visit to Washington last month for licenses to export diesel to the US market to ⁠be granted to all Russian major oil firms, sources familiar with the situation said.

In October 2025, the US imposed sanctions on Russian oil companies over Moscow’s war that began in 2022. The diesel exports could provide Moscow with billions of dollars ​in revenues that could help Putin continue the war with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticized the deal, announced while a Ukrainian delegation was in the US to discuss how to seek a resolution of the war, as a “weak ​decision on the part of strong partners.”
“Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world. Russia will ‘repay’ the diesel with further terror and perfidy,” he said on X.
The deal was also criticized by US lawmakers including Trump’s fellow Republican, Representative Don Bacon, who said it is time to apply more sanctions that Congress passed recently, not lift the measures.

“Now is the time to use those sanctions to squeeze Putin’s war machine, not reward a dictator by putting more ​money in his hands while he continues targeting and killing Ukrainian civilians,” Bacon said on X.
The US Treasury Department issued a license allowing importation of Russian diesel until April 7.
Trump said Russia would supply another ​500,000 tons in November and a further 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” Even more would follow, Trump said, “based on the condition of their diesel refineries,” which have been damaged by Ukrainian attacks.

‘NOTHING BURGER’

Analysts said the agreement was unlikely to lead ‌to sustained lower ⁠fuel prices. “I cannot overstate how much of a nothing burger this is,” Rory Johnston, an oil market researcher and founder of CommodityContext.com, said on X, adding that Russia usually exports much more diesel than volumes in the deal when its refinery fleet is not under attack.
“It’s clearly not a fix, but another stream to aid a very tight diesel market,” said Jim Mitchell, an analyst at consultancy Wood Mackenzie.
Diesel prices, which are often a big driver of inflation, are up 70% since the US and Israel launched the war with Iran on February 28. The wars in Iran and Ukraine have triggered a severe global fuel supply crunch, pushing average US diesel prices ​to $6.28 a gallon on Thursday, according to the ​AAA motorist group.
Prices have stayed high despite two recent ⁠moves by Trump to boost supplies of the fuel: pressuring allies to release emergency reserves and expanding access to tax-exempt red-dyed diesel, which is normally used for farm equipment.
US diesel futures fell almost 5% following news of the deal and were trading at $4.64 a gallon.
“Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is ​my Greatest Priority,” Trump said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-big-announcement-coming-up-diesel-2026-10-09/

A small group of protesters clashed with police in Brussels on Friday as union members, joined by hundreds of students, marched as part of a ​national strike against planned government budget cuts.
A few dozen masked protesters dressed in black threw ‌rocks and other objects at police, as anti-police slogans echoed through the streets and anti-police graffiti covered nearby walls. Firefighters extinguished several fires, including on buses, while police responded with tear gas, according to Reuters witnesses.

The clashes occurred ​as thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Belgian capital, including students inspired ​in part by demonstrations in neighbouring France. The strike disrupted public transport and air travel, ⁠while many schools and childcare facilities were also affected.
Among the demonstrators, some carried placards reading “I skipped ​class to defend class” and “Education is a right, not a privilege.”
The Belgian walkout is part of a ​wave of protests sweeping Europe, with students in France and Italy, among other countries, taking to the streets over education funding, while tens of thousands have rallied in Spain over a housing crisis.

Police said while the march itself, joined ​by around 30,000 people, passed off peacefully, clashes erupted near Brussels Central Station and in central Brussels ​where groups threw bottles, bricks, stones and fireworks at police, set fires and damaged public property.

Police said officers ‌used ⁠water cannon and tear gas to disperse the groups and that 21 people had been detained or arrested, including 13 minors.
The strike was called by Belgium’s two largest unions, the socialist FGTB/ABVV and Christian CSC/ACV, which oppose government budget measures they say would make workers, pensioners and low-income households bear the burden ​of efforts to reduce ​the country’s deficit.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/protesters-clash-with-police-brussels-unions-students-march-2026-10-09/

 

An Anthropic artificial intelligence model submitted a ​false homicide tip to a Philadelphia police website, among a string of incidents the AI company disclosed on Friday detailing ‌Claude models’ unsanctioned manipulation of some government websites.
It is the first known instance in which a rogue AI appears to have tried to communicate a bogus tip to authorities, despite instructions not to create accounts or submit anything destructive, while not explicitly barred from submitting forms.

The cases are the latest examples of rogue or undesired behavior by the AI ​models of tech companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI.
They add fuel to national concerns about the fast-advancing technology amid reports of corporate ​network hacks by AI agents, and researchers’ warnings of an eventual existential threat to humanity.
Many of the cases Anthropic ⁠revealed involved websites run by federal, state and local agencies. Anthropic said it briefed the White House and notified all the agencies involved, but ​did not disclose who those parties were.
“Super intelligence companies must immediately disclose incidents involving their models and follow with swift, decisive action to remedy any ​and all harm,” FTC Director of Public Affairs Joe Gabriel Simonson said on X.

TIP ATTRIBUTED TO AUTOMATED TEST PROCESS

The US suspended Microsoft (MSFT.O), major IT outsourcers and ​software maker Adobe (ADBE.O), from a key green-card program on Thursday while opening probes into nine top universities, widening a crackdown it says targets fraud and protects American ‌jobs.
Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has pursued a broad effort to reduce the number of foreign-born people in the US and curtail their pathway to residence and citizenship. Thursday’s twin actions mark the broadest strike yet against skilled-worker immigration programs — potentially cutting off a common path to permanent residency for foreign tech workers — while putting some of the country’s top research universities on notice.

“There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has ​abused the system more than Microsoft,” Vice President JD Vance said. He said the company laid off 6,000 American workers last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B temporary worker visas ​and nearly 3,000 green cards.
His comments came hours before Trump honored tech billionaires for their contributions to America, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella once ⁠held an H-1B visa, as did Elon Musk, who was also honored, while three of the other CEOs honored are immigrants.
Nadella thanked Trump for the medal, saying in a post on X ​he would continue to advance technology and drive American prosperity.

Microsoft is the largest filer of PERM applications, or the permanent labor certification process, according to data from the US labor department. Under PERM, which most employment-based ​green cards require, employers must show a foreign hire will not hurt US workers’ wages or jobs.
The company said in a statement that about 80% of the H-1B applications it filed in the last fiscal year were to extend or change the status of current employees, not to hire new workers. In July, the company said it would cut 4,800 jobs, or about 2.1% of its global workforce.

CRACKDOWN WIDENS

Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the suspension would also cover ​Cognizant (CTSH.O), Infosys (INFY.NS), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.NS), Wipro (WIPR.NS), HCL Technologies (HCLT.NS), and Capgemini (CAPP.PA). “We will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labor certification applications involving these companies,” Sonderling said.

He said these companies had ​since 2009 sought almost three million foreign workers, and had received over 230,000 H-1B visa approvals and over 100,000 permanent labor certifications.
Amazon.com was the largest employer of approved H-1B beneficiaries in fiscal 2026, followed by Tata Consultancy ‌Services, Infosys, ⁠Apple and Microsoft, according to US immigration data.

Vance said the suspensions would last “as long as it needs to,” and that the administration wanted the companies to change how they hire. He said some companies post ineffective job ads, then point to the lack of applicants to justify hiring lower-paid foreign workers.
Microsoft said in its statement that it pays its H-1B employees the same as any other employees doing comparable work.
Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Wipro and Capgemini did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Tata Consultancy Services declined to comment.
Nasscom, India’s IT industry body, said Indian tech companies in the US ​had significantly reduced their reliance on H-1B visas, ​and relatively few of their workers sought ⁠green cards through the PERM process.
In September last year, the Labor Department launched an enforcement drive called “Project Firewall” as a White House proclamation imposed a one-time $100,000 fee, on new H-1B petitions for workers hired from abroad.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/us-suspending-permanent-residency-program-for-microsoft-vance-says-2026-10-08/

Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has repeatedly said he deserves what is considered one of the world’s most prestigious awards.

US President Donald Trump has renewed his bid for the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he has helped “settle” eight wars and “done stuff that nobody else has ever done” ahead of Friday’s announcement by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has repeatedly said he deserves what is considered one of the world’s most prestigious awards. Notably, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado handed her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump in January while seeking US support for her efforts in Venezuela.

Trump’s fresh bid for the Nobel Peace Prize

He made the remarks at the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon, saying the Nobel Committee would discredit itself if it did not recognise him.

“I’ve done stuff that nobody else has ever done. I’m not bragging, I’m just telling you the facts. No president has probably ever settled any wars. I settled eight wars,” he told reporters.

“They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me. But, whether I get it or not, I have done far more. And I think it would be a great discredit to them. And I’m not saying that out of scorn, I’m saying that when you settle eight wars, and nobody’s never,” Trump said.

VIDEO | Washington DC: “No president has ever settled any wars, I settled eight wars and I’ve stopped maybe the total obliteration of the world,” says US President Donald Trump on why he deserves Nobel Peace Prize.

(Source: White House YT)

(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 7, 2026

The US President said his efforts to broker peace were ongoing and added he was working towards resolving another conflict. This appeared to refer to the US-Iran war, which has now entered its eighth month.

Trump said he was more deserving of the award than former President Barack Obama, claiming that Obama himself did not know why he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

He also recalled that Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, had given him her medal in the Oval Office.

“Last time they gave it to a young lady who’s a fabulous person, and she said she didn’t deserve it, that I deserved it, and she gave it to me,” the US President said.

“I was very honoured to receive it indirectly. Last time by the recipient, who said nobody in history deserves it more than President Trump,” he said.

 

 

Russia pounded Ukraine with waves of missiles and drones in one of its most “vile strikes” on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, killing at least 32 people, including children, and damaging industrial ​facilities and energy infrastructure.
The heaviest losses were in Pryluky in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region, where a Russian missile destroyed a five-storey residential building.

Ukraine’s emergency service said on Telegram that ‌the death toll in Pryluky has risen to 22 as of Thursday morning and two more bodies were discovered following a Russian air strike on an apartment building in the capital Kyiv, taking the toll there to four dead.

Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi has earlier put the country-wide death toll at 28, including 20 people who died in the Pryluky attack, including five children.
On Wednesday evening, prosecutors in Kyiv said falling debris from a drone killed two people in a suburb.
Zelenskiy said that 100 ​people had been injured throughout the country.
The president noted that the attacks coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s birthday.
“This is the kind of birthday present that Putin gave himself: the killing ​of children, the killing of people,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
In earlier online comments, Zelenskiy said civilians had also been killed in the capital ⁠Kyiv and in the central cities of Oleksandria and Kremenchuk during the massive attack.

In total, Russia fired 70 missiles at Ukraine overnight — many of them high-velocity ballistic munitions — and dozens of Shahed attack ​drones, he said.
“The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively. This was one of the most vile strikes.”
In Pryluky, an excavator and dozens of rescuers with shovels sifted through rubble at the site where several ​sections of the apartment block had collapsed.
Emergency workers used ladders to get to the upper floors of what remained of the building, and brought out 15 survivors as they worked their way down through the rubble. Around 55 people were wounded in the town, regional officials said.
“There’s a lot of destruction, especially in the town centre,” said Danylo Savenko, deputy mayor of Pryluky, who said he had run to an air raid shelter with his wife as soon as ​he heard the missiles flying.

BIG JUMP IN REPORTED DRONE INTERCEPTIONS

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had carried out a “massive strike” on military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions, using high-precision land-, sea- ​and air-launched weapons, as well as drones.
Ukraine’s air force said it had downed just over 80% of the 46 jet-powered drones launched by Russia — an increase from recent weeks when air defences took down 50% to 60%.
Since the ‌summer, Russia ⁠has used increasing numbers of the new high-velocity drones in round-the-clock attacks on Kyiv and other cities, with Ukraine’s air defences struggling to cope.
The air force did not explain the jump in the interception rate and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Zelenskiy said the Russian ballistic missiles remained the major challenge for Ukraine, adding that he and his team were “every day looking for Patriot (missile interception) systems that can and must protect people’s lives”.
Ukraine received a new €1.2 billion ($1.34 billion) tranche from the European Union on Wednesday and will channel the funds towards defence needs, Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said.
The US-made Patriot system is the ​only weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of stopping ​high-velocity ballistic missiles. Global supplies have been drained ⁠by the Iran warand the Ukraine conflict.
Russia’s defence ministry said its targets included sites where Ukrainian defence company Fire Point manufactures and stores its Flamingo cruise missiles and medium- and long-range drones in Kyiv as well as regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Kharkiv.
Last week Zelenskiy said Ukraine had fired ​its first domestically made ballistic missile in combat, produced by Fire Point. In an interview with Reuters, he said he expected the company to have ​a longer-range FP-9 missile ready ⁠by the autumn. Fire Point has said that weapon will be able to reach Moscow.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-strikes-ukraines-kyiv-fresh-wave-attacks-2026-10-07/

Zelenskyy particularly called for political backing from the United States and Europe, urging countries with the necessary defensive capabilities to provide support.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday warned that Russia was preparing a “massive attack” on Ukraine, citing fresh intelligence, and called on allies to provide more weapons and defence equipment.

“We’ve got updated intel on Russia’s preparations for a massive strike. I ask you, please, to take care of yourselves and respond to missile threat alerts,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on X.

We’ve got updated intel on Russia’s preparations for a massive strike. I ask you, please, to take care of yourselves and respond to missile threat alerts. Ukrainian services and our Air Force are ready to respond – as much as our defenses allow. And a lot depends on our partners – every country in the world that has the defensive capabilities we need and can provide them to us. It’s very important that there be the political will to do this – particularly in the United States and in Europe.

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 6, 2026

He said Ukrainian forces and the air force were ready to respond, but stressed that their ability to defend against the Russian assault would depend on the weapons available to them.

“A lot depends on our partners – every country in the world that has the defensive capabilities we need and can provide them to us,” Zelenskyy said, urging countries with the necessary defensive capabilities to provide support.

He particularly called for political backing from the United States and Europe.

“It’s very important that there be the political will to do this – particularly in the United States and in Europe,” he added.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/zelenskyy-says-russia-preparing-massive-attack-on-ukraine-calls-on-allies-for-support-ws-l-10370382.html

 

The anniversary follows a tragic history of violence, with significant casualties and ongoing military operations in Gaza. Upcoming elections are expected to focus heavily on security issues related to the conflict

Israel has warned of a heightened risk of terrorist attacks against Israelis and Jews as the country marks the third anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attack. The National Security Council (NSC) issued the warning on Wednesday, as Israeli security chiefs met to discuss threats ahead of the country’s 27 October Knesset election.

Large anti-Israel demonstrations were held in major cities around the world to mark the first two anniversaries of the attack, with further protests planned this week.

“Terrorist organizations, led by Iran and its proxies, Hamas, and global jihadist elements, view this date as a significant milestone,” the NSC said in a travel warning published by the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday.

It urged Israelis to avoid Jordan, Qatar, Somaliland and Egypt, including the Sinai Peninsula, on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan have agreed to activate collective defence measures under the Mecca Defence Alliance.

Pakistan and Turkey agreed on Monday to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Defence Alliance. This comes amid ongoing attacks by Houthi rebel groups from Yemen targeting the Kingdom.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the Mecca Defence Alliance held in Riyadh.

Saudi defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud said in a post on X, “The Emergency Meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee under the Makkah Alliance for Defense reaffirmed the solidarity and unity of our countries in confronting the heinous attacks against the Kingdom and the holy sites. The committee agreed to activate collective deterrence measures within the framework of the Alliance in response to the attacks and all those responsible for them.”

According to a joint statement, the member countries “strongly condemned” an alleged attempt by the rebel group to target the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and the ongoing attacks targeting cities, civilian facilities and economic installations in Saudi Arabia.

“The member states affirmed that the security of each member state is an indivisible part of the collective security of the three states,” it further said.

Turkey, Pakistan agree to “swiftly deploy” forces

The joint statement also said that Saudi’s allies under the pact, Turkey and Pakistan, would deploy forces to the Kingdom to confront and counter the ‘threats.’

It stated, “The Committee decided on the immediate transition to the practical implementation of collective defense commitments, and the taking of necessary measures to provide the agreed-upon forces and military capabilities and to swiftly deploy them in the Kingdom, in accordance with the approved arrangements and the national legislation of the member states, in a manner that enhances readiness, military integration, and the collective capacity to confront threats and counter them.”

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan-turkey-to-swiftly-deploy-forces-to-saudi-arabia-amid-houthi-attacks-in-key-move-under-mecca-pact-101791248028945.html

Four years ago, the United States warned that China was poised to unleash a trade superweapon: a state-backed digital dragnet that would rapidly expand across the globe and give Beijing unprecedented insight into the flow of international cargo.
The LOGINK platform promised to streamline global shipping by providing a digital system to exchange logistics data from customs authorities, ports and third-party transport services, replacing paper processes.

Instead, the venture suffered a stunning reversal, reported here ​for the first time. Its flagship global partnerships have stalled, it dropped out of an international maritime association, and it has become mired in domestic lawsuits over unpaid bills, according to interviews with more than 20 shipping industry insiders and officials, as well as a Reuters review of legal ‌filings.
When a reporter visited LOGINK’s operations hub in the coastal city of Wenzhou in September, the offices appeared abandoned: lights off, reception bare, computer cabling stripped out.
Calls and emails to LOGINK went unanswered. China’s transport ministry declined to answer questions. The ministry in June, however, issued a policy document calling for the system to be connected to more domestic data streams.

LOGINK’s international retreat is a setback for Beijing, which has been engaged in a battle with Washington to control the physical infrastructure and technologies underpinning global shipping, a sector that carries 80% of world trade. The platform’s decline will be welcomed by the US, which contributed to LOGINK’s reversal in fortunes by “naming and shaming” those who used the system, said Randall Schriver, chair of a US Congress commission that issued a report on LOGINK in 2022.
Reuters could not establish ​why the platform championed by China’s cabinet as a “key project” abruptly went dark and spiraled into financial and legal troubles. The timing of its retreat, however, coincided with US efforts to pressure allies and organizations that had made tentative steps to collaborate with LOGINK as it pushed for global expansion.

US officials and security experts worried ​that Beijing could use the system to gather non-public information on traded goods, volumes and pricing to help Chinese firms undercut Western rivals. Some also feared that LOGINK could be used to track sensitive military shipments, including US arms deliveries to Ukraine and ⁠Taiwan, many of which move through commercial freight networks.
LOGINK has not publicly disclosed the exact nature and scale of the data it collected. In a submission to the US Trade Representative’s Office in 2024, LOGINK official Li Zhao said that it lacked “the capacity to collect sensitive commercial information or to continuously monitor global cargo movements.”
A US State Department spokesperson ​did not provide specifics when asked about its diplomatic efforts to curb global use of LOGINK, but said that Washington would not allow a platform controlled by Beijing to “gain a chokehold over global maritime data.”

“We have prohibited its use across our own government and critical port infrastructure, and we urge allies and industry to take this threat with the same seriousness,” ​the spokesperson added.

FROM TRADE SOLUTION TO HAZARD?

LOGINK is formally known as the National Transportation and Logistics Public Information Platform. It started two decades ago as a local government project in China’s Zhejiang province to improve coordination of cargo movements by bringing data from ports, trucks and vendors into a single searchable platform.
The platform won the backing of policymakers in Beijing, who soon after transferred control of LOGINK to China’s transport ministry. International expansion quickly became a priority.
In 2010, China struck a cargo data-sharing deal with the Japanese and South Korean governments that linked LOGINK to their national logistics information platforms.
A few years later, LOGINK signed an agreement with a Hong Kong-based logistics platform that the Chinese entity said in a press release would give it access to “more than 90% of global ship tracking data.”
LOGINK will be a “one-stop ​portal connected with global logistics information systems,” according to a 2015 Chinese transport ministry presentation to a United Nations commission which was posted online.
By the late 2010s, LOGINK was also exploring ways to collaborate with European ports. But in 2022, US policymakers started publicly pushing back on the Chinese platform.
A turning point came that April, when LOGINK signed up ​to an international data-sharing project linking operators of digital platforms that facilitate the exchange of cargo and customs information at ports.
LOGINK’s participation in that project would double its cooperation with international ports, according to the US commission’s report.
A few months later, a group of Republican lawmakers urged then-US president Joe Biden in an open letter to act against LOGINK. Among them was Marco Rubio, ‌now Trump’s Secretary of ⁠State.
Unchecked expansion of LOGINK could allow the Chinese Communist Party “to gain a stranglehold on the arteries of global trade,” they said.
One of the lawmakers, then-Representative Michelle Steel, in late 2023 also asked the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA), which spearheaded the data-sharing project, to immediately cut its ties with LOGINK.
Congress at around that time additionally passed a law prohibiting the Pentagon from entering into contracts with LOGINK-connected entities. The law also directed officials to dissuade allies and partners from using the platform.
Officials in Seoul and Tokyo who collaborated with LOGINK, however, told Reuters that the scope of data-sharing was more limited than some in Washington feared.
South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Japan’s transport ministry said that only vessel arrival and departure times and information on cargo loading and unloading were made available, not details on cargo contents.

GOING DARK

Then, LOGINK beat a retreat.
The platform’s participation in IPCSA ended in 2024 after it stopped paying its membership dues, according to a person familiar with the matter.
LOGINK’s website went dark around that time. The latest available scrape on the Wayback Machine archive dates to ​June 2024.
IPCSA General Manager Inga Morton confirmed that LOGINK was no longer a member ​and said that the international data-sharing project was “on hold and inactive”.
Meanwhile, China’s service ⁠with South Korea and Japan that was LOGINK’s flagship international initiative has also faltered. Participants from the three countries have held regular meetings since the service’s launch, but China abruptly canceled an event scheduled for March 2024, citing “internal circumstances,” according to South Korea’s oceans ministry. No meetings have been held since.
Tokyo’s access to LOGINK data via that service later stopped without notice, a transport ministry official said. The official told Reuters in August that Japan had lost access more than a year earlier and that Tokyo had been unable to ​contact Chinese counterparts.
The Chinese venture also had little to show for its efforts to expand into Europe.
Ana Rita Rosa, a spokesperson for the authority governing Sines, Portugal’s largest port, told Reuters that a memorandum of understanding it had signed with LOGINK in ​2017 to explore data-sharing led to no significant ⁠outcomes.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-said-china-was-priming-trade-superweapon-then-it-vanished-2026-10-05/

Following a meeting with tech leaders, Trump announced a shift in terminology from “artificial intelligence” to “super intelligence”

US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a new White House task force focused on what his administration calls “super intelligence”, as he seeks to strengthen America’s position in the global artificial intelligence race. The Super Intelligence Force, announced by Trump on Sunday, will bring together senior officials from across his administration and report directly to the president and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton will lead the task force alongside Federal Trade Commission chairman Andrew Ferguson, Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael and Office of Personnel Management director Scott Kupor.

The group will coordinate the government’s engagement with AI companies, consumers, religious organisations and other groups.

Trump has strongly backed the development of advanced AI, arguing that the US must maintain its lead over rivals such as China.

The move comes amid warnings from some technology insiders about the potential risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems.

Researchers at Anthropic have warned that sufficiently advanced AI could theoretically “kill all humans”, while the company’s chief executive, Dario Amodei, has cautioned that increasingly autonomous AI agents could become powerful enough to overwhelm large parts of the internet.

Despite such warnings, the Trump administration has stressed the importance of US companies continuing to develop the technology.

Earlier in the day, a US official told the media that the State Department had “kicked out” Iran’s UNGA delegation, several days after they were asked to leave the country.

All Iranian diplomats left the United Nations General Assembly held in New York as per schedule, Tehran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, refuting US claims that the country’s UN representatives had been “kicked out”.

“All Iranian diplomats who attended UNGA, except one who departed earlier, left as scheduled,” Araghchi said in a post on X on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, a US official told the media that the State Department had “kicked out” Iran’s UNGA delegation, several days after they were asked to leave the country.

Shutting down the claims, Araghchi said the statement “oozes of desperation and defeat, and is inconsistent with UN host nation obligations.” He posted the screenshot of a news article reporting on the supposed incident.

“Taking pride in fake diplomat “expulsion” is inappropriate for the head of any diplomatic corps,” Araghchi, who is also one of Iran’s top diplomats in its negotiations linked to the US war, said.

The US official, talking to news agency AFP, had said Secretary of State Marco Rubio “means business.”

“Two more members of the Iranian delegation were found still in (New York) long after the United Nations General Assembly had passed. They have now been kicked out of the US,” the official had said.

The US claims and Iran’s subsequent counter is the latest flashpoint between the two countries, whose diplomatic talks to end the February 28 war have faltered time and again. Recently, US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s seven conditions to open the Strait of Hormuz – the key waterway that has remained a chokepoint during the conflict.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/after-us-claims-of-iran-diplomats-kicked-out-tehrans-oozes-defeat-jab-12138277?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Titled ‘Between September 11 and September 30’, the editorial had images of a plane crashing into the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, as well as the Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight FZ 1073.

Al-Qaeda’s Yemen-based branch (AQAP) has published an editorial in its weekly publication ‘Al-Bayan’ regarding the failed hijacking of the flydubai aircraft, in which it praised the actions of the Omani co-pilot and called for similar attacks on US and Israeli airlines.

Titled ‘Between September 11 and September 30’, the editorial had images of a plane crashing into the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, as well as the Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight FZ 1073.

“The war is far from over; aircraft carrying Zionists, Americans, and forces from the various camps of disbelief warring against Islam still roam the skies. They remain vulnerable to attack-as demonstrated on September 11 and September 30,” the article, written in Arabic, read.

According to the article, had the hijacking succeeded, the balance of power in the region could have shifted.

Al-Bayan further stated that non-Muslims could also target the US and Israel, and that such an attack would serve the interests of Muslims.

“The enemies of America and the Zionists are far more numerous today than in the past. An attack might well be launched by someone who believes in neither God nor the Hereafter, yet whose actions would ultimately serve the interests of Islam,” the article read.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/al-qaeda-praises-flydubai-co-pilot-calls-for-similar-attacks-on-us-israel-12137276?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

The conflict has drawn in regional dynamics, with Iran backing the Houthis and Saudi Arabia responding with airstrikes

Yemen’s armed forces said on Saturday that they are carrying out strikes against Iran-aligned Houthi forces in the capital, Sanaa, and the group’s stronghold of Saada.

The two sides have traded strikes since last month, when the Houthis launched a lightning offensive, seizing all of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and taking control of the Bab al-Mandab strait. This comes after Houthis said they had attacked a major oil facility in Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and drones. The claim came after flames and a large plume of smoke were seen rising from the Aramco refinery on Saturday, and firefighters tackled the blaze.

A spokesperson for the forces, which are aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said they were targeting “vital targets” but gave no further details. The Houthi-run Al Masirah television channel earlier reported what it said was a Saudi air attack on Sanaa. Saudi Arabia has not immediately confirmed the report.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted an oil facility in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones, and that the attacks had set the targeted sites ablaze.

The AFP journalist saw firefighters trying to put out a fire at Aramco’s Riyadh refinery, south of the capital. Ambulances and police vehicles were stationed nearby.

Tens of thousands of people have protested across Spain calling for greater protections for tenants after the government failed to pass emergency housing legislation.

About 50 marches took place on Saturday in cities including Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.

“There is a lot of anger in the streets,” a spokesperson for the Valencia Tenants’ Union said. Clashes have taken place between some protesters and police in the city.

The measures put forward by Pedro Sánchez’s leftist coalition government on Friday followed public outcry over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home last month after she was unable to afford a sharp rent increase.

Her eviction triggered nationwide protests across Spain with protesters demanding lower rents, an end to evictions, and a ban on investment funds – or “vulture funds” as the government has termed them – buying property.

Sanchez’s defeat in Congress on Friday heightens speculation that he might call an early general election, which was not due until next summer.

His coalition government, made up of his ruling Socialist party and junior partner the Sumar alliance, does not command a majority in parliament.

Photographs showed protesters in the east coast city of Valencia clashing with police officers on Saturday near arts centre Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, which was hosting a real estate summit.

Several protesters removed barriers and threw objects at officers, who responded with rubber bullets, Spanish media reported. Public broadcaster RTVE said nine police officers were injured and five people were arrested.

One of the biggest demonstration happened in the capital, Madrid, where estimates of the number of participants varied widely. The city’s Tenants’ Union said there were 500,000, while officials put the figure at 70,000.

Demonstrators held banners reading “There won’t be peace for rentism” and “I study to have a future, not to have a tiny apartment”. They shook the keys they were holding and chanted: “We have the keys of all the city”.

Some had also camped in one of the city’s main squares, Puerta del Sol, for days.

One protester, David, told RTVE ahead of the protest: “We’re not here for pleasure or comfort. We’re here out of conviction.”

Another protester, 26-year-old librarian Marcos Sainz, told AFP news agency that he used to share a two-bedroom flat with friends, paying 900 euros (£766) a month in rent. Today, he said a one-bedroom flat often costs 1,000 euros.

Sainz said he would protest against rent rises “until someone dares to regulate it all”, or “we’ll all have to leave Madrid”.

Spanish police said they had arrested three members of a far-right group, some of whom had performed Nazi salutes, as they tried to reach demonstrators in the square.

On Friday night, Madrid’s Tenants’ Union said that although the government’s proposed measures were insufficient, the rejection of the proposed legislation “exacerbates the housing crisis which is costing the working class their lives”.

It is calling for a general strike over the housing crisis.

The legislation put forward in Congress on Friday was divided into two decrees.

The first included the suspension of evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, a two-year extension to rental leases due to expire before 2028, tax increases for tourist apartments, and a restriction on the purchase of residential properties by so-called “vulture funds”.

The second decree included the automatic renewal of rental contracts, a major demand of many on the left and the Tenants’ Union.

MPs rejected the first decree by 178 votes to 172 and voted against the second by 184 to 166.

Prior to the vote, the conservative People’s Party (PP) and far-right Vox had already said they would vote against both initiatives, leaving the minority government depending on the support of smaller nationalist parties in Catalonia and the Basque Country.

However, by the eve of the parliamentary session, the centre-right, pro-independence Together for Catalonia (JxCat) had signalled its opposition to both laws, condemning them to failure.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2kej47095no

 

Thirty-four missing kids across Queens and Long Island were rescued in just 72 hours during a massive law enforcement investigation this week, officials announced Friday.

The “Long Island Children Rescue Operation” brought a sudden end to disappearances that had lasted anywhere from a few days to 10 years, connecting the young victims aged 7 to 18 with support services.

While almost all of the youngsters were solely runaways, some were subjected to grotesque exploitation and human trafficking.

“A total of 10,629 children younger than 18 were reported missing to police across New York State in 2025, with 94% reported as runaways,” New York State police superintendent Steven James said in a statement Friday.

“During that year, police closed 10,672 cases involving children reported missing in 2025 or earlier years. At the end of 2025, there were 1,079 active missing children cases statewide.”

The massive multiagency investigation located the nearly three dozen children in a whirlwind operation from Tuesday through Thursday, working out of a command center in Garden City, Nassau County.

The rescued youth included 18 from Nassau County, 12 from Suffolk County and four from Queens, according to Newsday, while another 31 local cases remain open, according to the governor’s office.

The operation marks the fourth child rescue effort of its kind in New York.

Previous sweeps in Erie County, the Capital Region, and Westchester located 168 missing children and teens.

Nearly 100 professionals across 40 agencies and organizations teamed up to track down the vulnerable youths and connect them with vital care and support — including medical attention and daily essentials.

“Not every case ends with a dramatic rescue, a door being kicked in, and a child being carried to safety,” said National Child Protection Task Force chief executive officer Kevin Branzetti.

“The reality is that finding a child quickly — hopefully before something bad happens — often takes a coordinated effort. But finding them is only the first step,” he explained.

“We need to listen and understand why they left, what they experienced while they were gone, and most importantly, what we can do to help.”

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/02/us-news/34-missing-kids-from-long-island-nyc-rescued-in-three-day-operation/

 

The G7 has announced 100 million barrels of oil and diesel will be released to ease supply concerns that have caused prices to skyrocket.

It includes a “substantial release” of diesel within 20 days, with discussions around “additional diesel releases as necessary”, G7 leaders said in a statement.

The group of advanced economies, including the US, said the move would begin immediately and would last for four months.

Under the measures, which come after US President Donald Trump had threatened to ban diesel exports, there will not be any “export restrictions on energy and energy products” between G7 members.

The G7 includes the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy and France, with the EU also represented at its meetings.

Donald Trump had warned he would ban diesel exports from the US if European countries did not agree to put more of their own stocks onto the market. That would have eased pressure on prices for US consumers ahead of November’s midterm elections, but pushed up prices elsewhere.

On Friday, he said on social media: “Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked Diesel Oil. The process will begin immediately.”

His Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had argued US farmers, truckers, and businesses “should not be left carrying the burden” as prices soar.

Speaking later at the White House, Trump said an export ban on diesel was “never really on the table”.

Referring to the decision by the G7 to release fuel from reserves, he added that “what Europe did was a great thing.”

“Europe has a lot of diesel and they’re going to be making a major world contribution – and so are we,” he said.

“And we’re not going to be doing the export ban, we’re going to be doing what we’re supposed to do.”

Trump had first said he backed a diesel export ban early last week, and was still considering it on Thursday, as his administration put pressure on Europe to tap its supplies.

Diesel is used heavily by the haulage industry and in agriculture, meaning rises in the cost of the fuel feed through into essentials such as food.

Following a meeting of G7 leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron said the bloc had agreed to release reserves of “up to 100 million barrels” within four months under the co-ordination of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The UK was represented at the meeting by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who said the measures would “stabilise energy supplies, build resilience in supply chains and shield households and businesses from price shocks”.

Macron said the co-ordinated action would “bring down the prices of petroleum products, particularly diesel”. Highlighting the agreement not to pursue export bans, Macron said “President Trump, in particular, was very clear on this point”.

In the joint statement, G7 leaders said: “We will implement our commitments with a co-ordinated release through the IEA of 100 million barrels to begin immediately over four months, including a frontloaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days by G7 members and partners.”

It is not yet clear which partner countries will release stocks, nor how quickly.

The 100 million barrels will comprise a mix of diesel and crude oil. The price of global benchmark Brent crude oil briefly dropped below $100 a barrel, but rose back to around $102 by Friday evening. Before the US and Israel invaded Iran, it was trading at around $73.

Matt Smith, director of commodities research at Kpler, said oil had risen again due to renewed strikes between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen.

“Oil prices were selling off strongly due to the announcement of strategic stock releases in Europe, but they reversed course on rumours of Saudi Arabia planning an offensive into Yemen as it looks to re-establish a safe path via Bab-Al Mandeb,” he said.

European countries had pushed back against US threats to turn off American diesel, against a backdrop of the US-led war in the Middle East and reduced supplies from Russia and China.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck87zg8jnwngo

Two Louisiana brothers are facing terrorism charges for their alleged role in a twisted scheme to fund Hamas under the guise of Gaza humanitarian aid – and they were brought down with the help of the NYPD.

Abdel Adhami and his sibling Omar Adhami were busted in the Pelican State last month for allegedly raising money online and funneling it to Saleem Alzaq, a member of the terror group who regularly uses social media to post Hamas propaganda, according to newly unsealed federal indictments.

Abdel allegedly funneled more than $83,000 to Hamas from 2023 to 2026 while his brother is accused of sending $6,000.

According to Abdel’s complaint, he used several different Snapchat accounts to post Hamas propaganda and raise funds for the terrorist group, in addition to referring followers to a Telegram account.

The Telegram account “almost exclusively posted pro-HAMAS and pro-Palestinian Islamic Jihad messages, videos, and images, while soliciting donations,” the court docs said.

Adbel is accused of sending almost $35,000 to one PayPal account and $46,000 to another between November 2023 and June 2025 — all of which was funneled to Alzaq, the complaint said.

The brothers allegedly used code words to avoid detection including the term “bread” when referring to Hamas fighters and funding.

“This is the message I wanted to deliver to the person who donated the bread,” Alzaq said to Adbel via Snapchat in January 2024, the court documents say.

“Some of them received the bread, thanks be to god,” Alzaq allegedly continued.

The fundraising plot started to unravel after Alzaq inadvertently contacted an undercover NYPD detective who went by “Hussain” in November 2025 via SnapChat.

The next month, Alzaq directed the cop to reach out to Abdel.

“Call him and come to an understanding with him and see what’s the best method, how to transfer, how to send them [funds]. This young man transfers to me on a monthly basis,” the complaint states.

It’s unclear if the undercover detective actually transferred any money to Abdel.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/10/01/us-news/us-brothers-busted-in-1-7-million-hamas-fundraising-scheme-that-was-exposed-with-help-from-nypd/

Netanyahu said the co-pilot had called out to the aircrew after being pinned down. He said the man shouted, “Kill me, kill me.” “It’s clear he was suicidal, that’s not a question,” Netanyahu said, adding that it “looks very likely” the man had meant to bring the plane down.

A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv dropped thousands of feet in a matter of minutes on Wednesday. Inside the cabin, the captain was bleeding heavily, and passengers and crew were left to deal with a crisis no one had prepared for. A day later, investigators are still trying to understand what drove the co-pilot to attack the man he was flying with.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News the co-pilot had undergone Islamist radicalisation. “We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,” he said. He added that this came from the man’s “personal information”, but gave no further details. “That appears to be something we’re gathering from his personal information,” he said.

Netanyahu said the co-pilot had called out to the aircrew after being pinned down. He said the man shouted, “Kill me, kill me.” “It’s clear he was suicidal, that’s not a question,” Netanyahu said, adding that it “looks very likely” the man had meant to bring the plane down.

“If you couple that with what I just told you about the Islamist tendencies, that radicalisation that are found in his background, I think that’ll give us a pretty good clue,” he said. “But again, I don’t make conclusions yet. But that’s the indications we have now.”

According to witnesses and officials, the co-pilot stabbed the captain, Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian citizen who survived. The plane then plunged thousands of feet before being brought back under control. Passengers and crew members rushed to the cockpit to stop the attack.

Witnesses said Israeli passengers helped to overpower the attacker, while a dentist on board gave first aid to the captain. The dentist said Machchhar had been bleeding heavily. Two reserve pilots on the flight were credited with steadying the aircraft and landing it safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.

Where The Investigation Stands

The co-pilot has not been named. Israeli officials say he is an Omani citizen. He was moved to Abu Dhabi from Saudi Arabia, where he was detained. “And we’ll be following, and possibly also participating in this investigation,” he said.

The government of the United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that it would lead the investigation into whether the incident was linked to terrorism. Investigators have yet to establish whether the co-pilot acted alone, what his motives were, and whether he meant to crash the plane or take control of it and land in a third country.

Passengers and officials have said the captain was “stabbed”. No details of the weapon have been released, although Netanyahu said the captain was stabbed or hit with an axe.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/flydubai-netanyahu-israel-captain-machachhar-omani-co-pilot-was-suicidal-12126854?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

THE hero Israeli plumber who took control of the plunging Flydubai plane has revealed he learned to fly from a TV show.

Yaniv Hayoun was among the passengers who helped thwart “Israel’s 9/11” after they overpowered the knifeman who allegedly stabbed the pilot and planned to crash the flight.

Incredibly, Yaniv has revealed he knew what to do with the controls after watching Air Crash Investigation – a TV show on major aviation disasters.

He revealed what went on inside the plane to Israel’s PM after safely landing in the country on Wednesday.

Yaniv told Benjamin Netanyahu: “We pinned him down to keep him secure and then I jumped into it (the cockpit) and pulled the controls.”

Incredulously, Netanyahu asked how he knew to pull in a backwards motion, to which he stated: “I watch Air Crash Investigations Mr Prime Minister.”

Prior to their sit-down conversation, Yaniv received a hero’s greeting at Tel Aviv airport from the Israeli president who hugged him tightly as blood remained splattered on his clothing.

Yaniv told how he helped subdue the alleged knife-wielding co-pilot, after barging into the flight deck.

He said: “I pushed the door; the pilot who was stabbed was simply very close to the door so it was hard for us to open.

“We pulled him out – it was a matter of seconds.”

He then called his friends for help, putting the assailant in a chokehold before dragging him out from the cockpit and grabbing the controls in an incredible show of bravery.

When the plane began to level as he gripped the controls, an off-duty pilot told Yaniv that he would take it from there.

Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the hero for his “tremendous resourcefulness”.

Speaking from the White House on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump praised Yaniv’s “amazing” actions, revealing him to be a plumber.

The incident caused the aircraft to plummet 17,400 feet in less than two minutes, flight tracking data shows, with passengers believing they were going to die.

Graphic video taken onboard the plane showed a gruesome scene as passengers and crew aided the wounded pilot.

The captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, suffered serious injuries in the incident which has now been dubbed by officials as “Israel’s 9/11”.

Machchhar has about 15 years of experience flying for commercial airlines and had logged almost 10,000 hours on Boeing 737s, according to his social media.

He bravely fought to defend the plane – and the 174 passengers on board – while being attacked with a blade.

Despite his wounds, the veteran pilot managed to unlock the door of the cockpit and alert the crew of the ruthless attack.

This bought just enough time for Yaniv and other passengers to burst through and subdue his co-pilot.

The two off-duty pilots were onboard the aircraft as a potential regional rerouting meant the flight may have required a longer path, The Jerusalem Post reports.

This would push the original crew past their legal duty hours, making extra staff necessary.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17081376/passenger-plunging-jet-learned-fly-tv/

 

Spain’s coalition government has approved new housing measures following protests over the country’s housing crisis, sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home in Madrid last week.

Ministers met on Tuesday to discuss the proposals, which include a ban on evictions until 2030.

Announcing the measures, Health Minister Mónica García said they would bring relief to more than five million people – but opposition politician Míriam Nogueras said the agreement left “small landlords out in the cold”.

The proposals – which have been presented in the form of two decrees – come into effect immediately, but must be approved by Congress within a month, although the government hopes to hold the vote as soon as this Friday.

Pedro Sánchez’s leftist coalition government lacks a majority in parliament and has struggled to get right-leaning parties to approve previous decrees.

In April, a decree seeking to roll over rental contracts was blocked by right-leaning parties.

García, of the Sumar alliance, said other measures agreed upon on Tuesday included the rolling over of contracts until 2028; stricter regulation of short-term and room rentals; and banning the purchase of housing by investment firms.

“It is time to intervene in the speculative housing market and start striking a balance between ordinary citizens and vulture funds,” García said.

Referencing the protests, she added: “Thanks to the mobilisations and the encampments. Without you, this would not have been possible.”

But Nogueras, spokeswoman for the centre-right Catalan nationalists of Junts party, said: “We all agreed that evictions – where the property is owned by a fund, a vulture fund, run by someone managing millions of euros – obviously need to be stopped.

“Lumping together in this category those who have invested their savings in a flat, a restaurant or a property – putting them all in the same basket – is a mistake,” she told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE.

The minority government, which is made up of the Sánchez’s ruling Socialists and junior partner the Sumar alliance, has 30 days from the decrees’ publication to reach an agreement in parliament.

Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez urged political parties to support the decrees after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal last week.

“Congress has the opportunity to tell Maricarmen that her suffering was worth it… and that many people will benefit from her battle”, she said.

But Valeria Racu, a spokeswoman for the Madrid Tenants’ Union, said the battle had “only just begun”, and called for more protests across Spain next weekend.

“We all have our eyes on the text, on the small print, to make sure this is the Maricarmen decree,” added Alicia del Río, another spokeswoman for the organisation.

The two decrees approved by the cabinet contain enough to at least suggest that the government has been listening carefully to the demands of the activists who have been protesting in Madrid, Barcelona and elsewhere in recent days.

The temporary ban on evictions, the rolling over of rental contracts and the ban on investment firms – or “vulture funds” as the government has termed them – buying property are all the kinds of policies that have been discussed by housing activists in recent days.

Pablo Bustinduy, minister of social rights, described the measures approved by the cabinet as “a first step towards the economic and social transformation of the country”.

Bustinduy and his Sumar alliance had entered the negotiations with Sánchez’s Socialists determined to take a stand on this issue, which is one they feel strongly about.

Sumar’s tough stance was a major reason why talks between the coalition partners on the decrees went down to the wire ahead of Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.

While the relatively bold new measures may please many on the left, they have raised the hackles of the Junts, whose support is again likely to be needed to approve them.

Junts and other parties on the right tend to be reluctant to intervene in the housing market, particularly if it means tipping the balance of the law in favour of tenants and against landlords, many of who are their natural electorate.

The question now is whether the social momentum generated by the Maricarmen Abascal case will override such reservations and manage to ensure this package of measures becomes law.

Ahead of the government’s announcement on Tuesday, the lawyer for Abascal, who has become a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis, said she would be allowed to return to her home after reaching a deal with the company that owns it on Monday.

Abascal, who was admitted to hospital after being forcibly removed from the apartment on a stretcher, was unable to attend the meeting and is yet to sign the deal.

Abascal’s father first rented the flat in 1956 and she had continued to live in it after her parents died, with a cap on the rent, until investment company Urbagestión bought the property in 2018.

It raised the monthly rent to more than her monthly pension, leaving her unable to pay it.

Abascal’s case is not unique.

In the north-eastern city of Zaragoza, another woman’s eviction was temporarily suspended on Tuesday, the European Pressphoto Agency reported.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwm2qmjgy93do

The scheme continued even after the FDA seized some of the counterfeit Ozempic in December 2023 and issued a public warning regarding the products.

At least two Indians have been charged in the United States for allegedly smuggling and selling counterfeit Ozempic, the diabetes and weight-loss drug. The indictment by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida has alleged that the accused, Swapandip Roy and Vicky Ramancha, and their co-conspirators obtained counterfeit Ozempic in China and sold it to US distributors at discounted prices, according to the US Department of Justice.

One of the defendants, Roy, has pleaded not guilty during his initial appearance in court in Tampa, Florida, after being extradited from Italy, while the other, Ramancha, remains at large, the department said.

Together, the duo faces a 71-year jail term if convicted.

The court documents showed that between July 2023 and April 2024, Roy and Ramancha obtained counterfeit Ozempic from unauthorised sources in China. The counterfeit medication included packaging, inserts, pen labels, and needles allegedly meant to convince purchasers that they were receiving authentic Ozempic, the popular weight-loss drug that can cost hundreds of dollars per month for patients.

“The scheme continued even after the FDA seized some of the counterfeit Ozempic in December 2023 and issued a public warning regarding the products,” the Justice Department said.

Roy and Ramancha were charged with smuggling and selling counterfeit drugs, as well as conspiracy to commit smuggling and defraud the United States.

“Counterfeit prescription drugs — especially common ones — threaten the health and safety of every American who depends on the integrity of our pharmaceutical supply,” said A Tysen Duva, the Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Duva said the two accused allegedly exploited people’s health to pay themselves. “We will keep pursuing anyone who seeks to deceive American consumers with counterfeit drugs.”

“This indictment reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting Americans from potential harm from counterfeit prescription drugs,” said Christopher Murray, Assistant US Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.

“Our office will not tolerate bad actors corrupting our pharmaceutical supply chain,” Murray said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/2-indians-charged-in-us-for-selling-fake-ozempic-they-smuggled-it-from-china-12117436?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

VLADIMIR Putin has ordered thousands more troops into his military machine just days after insisting Russia is not preparing for war with Europe.

Putin’s sprawling armed forces are now authorised to contain a staggering 2,441,630 personnel – including 1,550,500 active-duty military personnel.

It is the fourth time this year Putin has ordered an expansion of his enormous military establishment, following previous decrees in March, June and late July.

But the latest build-up comes just days after the Russian leader flatly denied he was preparing to plunge Moscow into a wider conflict with Europe.

Putin said: “I want to emphasize once again that we are not preparing for any military action against Europe.

“We have no such plans, and, most importantly, there are no grounds for them.

“There are no real incentives whatsoever to escalate the situation with Europe.”

He accused European countries of deliberately escalating tensions by warning their populations to prepare for a possible Russian attack.

Putin also claimed the rights of Russian speakers were being violated in the Baltic states but insisted Moscow would respond through humanitarian measures and international law.

The Kremlin’s latest military expansion comes barely a week after a parliamentary election Putin had himself portrayed as a test of support for his war.

Putin’s United Russia party tightened its iron grip on the State Duma with a record 355 of its 450 seats, according to near-complete official results.

The vote was the first parliamentary election since the tyrant unleashed his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

It was held inside Russia and in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, where the votes are not recognised as legitimate by Kyiv or Western governments.

Putin had urged Russians to use their ballots to demonstrate that “millions of people” stood behind the country’s fighters.

But critics accused the Kremlin of crushing meaningful opposition ahead of the ballot.

And the election was overshadowed by ominous warnings that Putin could use the result to demand even greater sacrifices for his bloody war machine.

The Institute for the Study of War said before the vote that the Kremlin was seeking to present the election as evidence of popular support for Putin’s war.

It warned that it could help Moscow justify “long-term societal sacrifices such as mobilization”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has since warned that Russia is already embarking on an additional mobilisation drive.

He said: “In effect, the Russians have already begun mobilisation. They are increasing the number of people they recruit through various means.

“They also plan to increase the recruitment of foreigners, and it is important that the governments of the countries from which Russia recruits people into its ranks counter this.

“We will inform every relevant government.”

Zelensky previously claimed Putin could seek another 300,000 troops following the parliamentary elections – despite repeated Kremlin denials that another mobilisation is being prepared.

And it is not just manpower Putin is pouring into his vast war machine.

Russia is preparing to splurge a record 17.1 trillion roubles – around £153billion – on defence in 2027, according to government documents seen by Reuters.

The eye-watering war chest is around 27 per cent higher than the 13.5 trillion roubles originally budgeted and would be Moscow’s biggest defence spend since Putin unleashed his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

A staggering 50 trillion roubles is now set to be pumped into defence over the next three years as the Kremlin bankrolls its mammoth military machine.

And Putin appears prepared to heap further pressure on Russia’s strained finances to pay for it.

Moscow has doubled its estimate for this year’s budget deficit from 1.6 per cent to 3.2 per cent of GDP and increased its net borrowing plan by 26 per cent to five trillion roubles.

Putin’s latest military expansion will now fuel fresh scrutiny of his denials as European countries simultaneously brace themselves against an increasingly menacing Russian threat.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Moscow could launch “hybrid” attacks against countries backing Ukraine – including Poland.

“These potential strikes would be quote-unquote ‘accidental’ in nature,” he told parliament, citing intelligence.

“[They will be] intended to paralyse or at least weaken the resolve of Nato states to invoke the relevant Nato provisions in the event of aggression against a member country.”

The chilling scenario would see Moscow pile pressure on NATO while sowing uncertainty over whether an incident amounted to a deliberate Russian attack.

And even some of Europe’s biggest holiday hotspots have now been dragged into the terrifying security fears surrounding Putin’s next move.

US intelligence services have reportedly warned European countries of a possible Russian operation involving drones launched from commercial vessels in the Mediterranean.

Spain, France and Italy were named as possible targets in intelligence described by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, according to subsequent reports.

The suspected plot could involve Gerbera-type drones hidden aboard ships before being unleashed from international waters towards southern Europe.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17070260/putin-calls-up-thousands-soldiers-despite-no-war-claim/

A British child chess prodigy has become the youngest player in history to earn the woman grandmaster (WGM) title.

Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, from north-west London, secured her third and final WGM norm – a certified title-level performance – while representing England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the International Chess Federation (Fide) confirmed.

Speaking to Fide, Sivanandan said she was happy about the achievement but wanted to “keep making history”.

It is the latest milestone in a remarkable rise for the schoolgirl, who has already become Britain’s youngest women’s chess champion and the youngest person to represent England internationally in any sport.

Sivanandan, from Harrow, played all 11 rounds on England’s top board – a position assigned to the team’s top player – and finished the tournament with eight points.

She had already passed the 2300 rating threshold required for the WGM title before securing her third and final norm.

She told Fide in an interview on Sunday about making history: “I’m happy to do it, but I want to keep going and keep making history as well, instead of just stopping here.”

Kateryna Lagno, who has represented both Russia and Ukraine, previously held the age record for the WGM title, having achieved it aged 12. Hou Yifan, from China, also achieved the title at 12 and remains the youngest woman to have earned the higher, open grandmaster (GM) title, which she achieved aged 14.

Woman grandmaster is the highest woman only title a female player can attain and the rank is held for life.

Sivanandan’s success in Samarkand also earned her a second International Master (IM) norm, taking her another step towards the higher title.

Players normally need three qualifying norms and a rating of at least 2400 to become an international master. Sivanandan now has two IM norms.

The international master title, open to both sexes, ranks higher than Sivanandan’s current accolades – the woman grandmaster and woman international master titles.

Speaking to Fide about her love of the game, she added: “I like travelling and also because I do full-time school as well, it links to loads of school subjects, so it’s really useful there as well.”

Her father Siva previously told the BBC he had no idea where his daughter got her talent from as neither he or his wife, both engineering graduates, are any good at chess.

Her rise through chess has been rapid. After teaching herself to play during the coronavirus lockdown, she entered her first tournament at Harrow Chess Club in July 2021.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqwyzrg7xm2zo

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he only learned through media reports that the UAE and Egypt allegedly warned Israeli officials before Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday that he only found out through recent media coverage about warnings that regional countries, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, reportedly gave to Israeli officials in the days leading up to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack.

Speaking on Army Radio, Gallant said that if these warnings had reached Israel’s political leadership without being shared with defense officials, that would represent a serious breakdown in how the overall threat was evaluated. He also revealed that back in September 2023, a message passed through a communication channel between Hamas and Israel’s Shin Bet security agency signaled that then Gaza Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was preparing to “shake” Israeli prisons, according to Haaretz.

The UAE Warning

Gallant pointed to an earlier Haaretz report indicating that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed had personally warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just days before the attack that Hamas was planning something major. Gallant said he, too, first learned of that warning through media coverage and has since seen additional reporting on it.
While he couldn’t confirm whether the account was accurate, he noted that more sources appeared to be backing it up over time. He argued that if true, a warning delivered to the prime minister from a foreign leader shouldn’t be treated as a political matter, but rather as intelligence that belongs to Israel’s defense establishment. Gallant added that had the IDF chief of staff been aware, during pre-attack discussions, that Netanyahu had received such a warning two weeks earlier, it likely would have factored into military planning.

 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is fully prepared for renewed war but remains open to diplomacy, as tensions with the US continue over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran is prepared for the possibility of renewed war while remaining open to diplomacy, as tensions with the United States continue to escalate over the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking in an interview on Sunday, Araghchi said Iran was not concerned about the upcoming US midterm elections and would instead focus on its national interests. He said Tehran was ready to negotiate but was equally prepared to face any new challenge.

“We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed,” Araghchi said, adding that Iran would stand firm against any new aggression, even if it escalated into what he described as a “doomsday war”. At the same time, he said Tehran remained ready for diplomacy and that the choice was now with US President Donald Trump.

Iran Says It Is Ready For Diplomacy

Araghchi’s remarks came as Tehran continued to push for a negotiated settlement even after Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal linked to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran said on Sunday that it was still waiting for Washington’s formal position through mediators. Araghchi said Tehran had heard Trump’s initial reaction but had not yet received the US position through the mediators.

Earlier this week, Iran presented a seven-day roadmap under which the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and negotiations with Washington resumed. The proposal was conveyed to the US through Qatari mediators.

On Sunday, Araghchi reiterated that Iran’s conditions for reopening the strategic waterway remained unchanged. He said any move towards reopening the Strait or advancing negotiations would depend on Tehran’s conditions being met.

Araghchi: Iran Not Concerned About US Midterms

Araghchi also dismissed the significance of the November US midterm elections for Iran’s decision-making.

“We don’t care about US midterm elections; we care about our national interest,” he said, stressing that Tehran was prepared to negotiate while also preparing for any possible escalation.

The comments come after Trump publicly rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the fighting. Tehran, however, has maintained that it is awaiting a formal response through diplomatic channels.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/we-dont-care-about-midterms-iran-tells-trump-its-ready-for-war-keeps-door-open-to-talks-ws-l-10355996.html

The banned terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

At least 13 people, including two women and two children, were killed and dozens of others sustained injuries when an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a police checkpost in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, an official said.

According to Pakistan’s national emergency response service Rescue 1122, the incident occurred in Darazinda tehsil of Dera Ismail Khan district, near the border between the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.

The banned terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

A suicide bomber rammed a tractor-trolley loaded with explosives into a joint police and customs checkpost in the Aman Mela area, Regional Police Officer Khan Mubashir Malik said.

The checkpost had been set up to curb smuggling and check the illegal movement of goods along the Dera Ismail Khan-Quetta road.

The blast destroyed a large portion of the checkpost and completely demolished a nearby house, killing four people, including two children.

Overall, 13 people were killed, including the suicide bomber, six excise and customs department officials, two policemen, two women and two children, a security officer said, adding that 30 sustained injuries.

The injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for treatment, while the bodies were also taken there.

Bomb disposal teams were dispatched to the site to determine the nature of the explosives used in the attack, police said.

Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation, while further investigation is underway.

In a related development, Rescue 1122 said two of its workers were killed while another was seriously injured when an ambulance transporting some bodies recovered from the blast site was targeted by unidentified assailants.

The incident occurred near the Aman Mela area.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, state-owned Radio Pakistan has attributed the attack to Fitna al Khwarij.

The federal government uses the term Fitna al Khwarij for the TTP.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/world/pakistan/13-killed-dozens-injured-in-suicide-attack-in-northwest-pakistan-4161010

Iran will show no ​flexibility over its nuclear program even if the United States accepts its proposal to reopen ‌the Strait of Hormuz, which calls for steps including the lifting of a US naval blockade on Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the waterway would remain closed until “all of Iran’s conditions ​are met” by the United States.

Under Iran’s proposal, Tehran has offered to reopen the strategically vital Strait of ​Hormuz. Within seven days, hostilities would end on all fronts, including Lebanon, the United ⁠States would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release Iran’s frozen funds and waive its oil sanctions, Iran’s ​Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday.
The proposal follows a sharp escalation in Middle East tensions after seven months ​of war between Iran and the United States, with Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen launching missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia.
The strait has become the central bargaining chip in efforts to end the US-Iran conflict, with Iran seeking relief from the US blockade ​that is choking its economy and Washington seeking free passage for ships on the global oil supply route ​now blocked by Tehran.

In a meeting with journalists on Thursday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Masoud ‌Pezeshkian said ⁠he hoped a deal with Washington to end the hostilities could be reached before the US midterm elections on November 3.
Tehran said it would be prepared to engage in detailed negotiations over its nuclear program only after its conditions are met by the US.
But the official said Iran would give no concessions over its rights, including ​enriching uranium or shipping its ​highly enriched uranium out ⁠of the country, one of the main US demands.
Israel, the United States and other Western states have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, including pointing to its ​move to enrich uranium to 60%, far higher than needed for civilian uses and ​closer to ⁠the 90% needed for a weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that Iran had 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60% when Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. How much ⁠of ​that has survived is unclear.
Iranian authorities have said that Iran could agree ​to dilute its most highly enriched uranium.
In May, Reuters reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a directive that the country’s ​HEU should not be sent abroad, according to two senior Iranian sources.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-will-make-no-nuclear-concessions-iranian-official-says-2026-09-25/

A POWERFUL nor’easter has brought the entire coast to a standstill, triggering hundreds of flight changes, sporting event and music festival cancellations, and fears of dangerous flooding.

The storm is starting to make its way up the East Coast, forcing millions of Americans to prepare for potential flooding, fierce wind conditions, and power outages.

The nor’easter is expected to intensify on Friday and will bring rainfall across multiple states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, over the next 72 hours.

North Carolina’s Outer Banks and the Mid-Atlantic coast have already seen intense winds, high tide flooding, and beach erosion.

Forecasters have warned that New England will see the worst of the storm.

Boston is expected to see some of the highest rainfall totals, with forecasters predicting three to five inches of rain.

Hartford, Connecticut should see between two and 3.5 inches of rain inland, while Providence, Rhode Island, will also see around three to five inches of persistent heavy rain.

Portland, Maine, will see rain ramping up as the nor’easter makes its way north in New England, with residents expected to see two to four inches of rain.

Travel advisories are already in effect for New York, which could see between two and three inches of rain while Philadelphia should see one to two inches of steady rain.

Governor Kathy Hochul of New York declared a state of emergency for the Big Apple, Westchester County, and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island.

Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC will see moderate conditions, with half an inch to just over an inch of rain expected in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Sixty-one million Americans are at risk of potential power outages.

Ballgames moved up

The storm has thrown the remaining MLB schedule into disarray ahead of the postseason.

The league was forced to reschedule a slew of games involving the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles.

The Bronx Bombers were scheduled to play the Orioles on Friday and Sunday, but will now play a double-header on Friday due to the impending storm.

The Cubs and Red Sox matchup was also moved from its Sunday timeslot to Friday.

Cords pulled

Multiple music festivals across the East Coast were forced to cancel their shows one day before a throng of fans was set to arrive.

The annual Global Citizen Music Festival was scheduled to take place over the Great Lawn in New York’s Central Park on Saturday, but the organizers announced on Friday that the event will no longer go ahead.

The cancellation marks the first time in the festival’s 14-year history that the event has been called off.

The event was supposed to be headlined by Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, who were set to reunite for a special performance celebrating the 30th anniversary of the iconic Fugees‘ album, The Score.

Other big names that were tapped to perform this year included John Legend, Lenny Kravitz, Victoria Monét, country star Lainey Wilson, the South Korean boy band TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and singer Alicia Keys.

For fans who had secured tickets, Global Citizen said refunds will be processed automatically.

The All Things Go NYC Festival was also canceled because of the severe weather conditions expected to pummel the Big Apple this weekend.

Adding to the music industry turmoil on the East Coast this weekend was the abrupt cancellation of Ed Sheeran’s Massachusetts concerts.

Sheeran, 35, was supposed to play two shows on Friday and Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, but was unexpectedly axed.

A representative for the stadium told TMZ that the difficult decision to cancel Sheeran’s shows was due to the severe weather forecast.

Moreover, the organizers for the Oceans Calling Festival were forced to cancel its weekend performances.

Ticketholders will be fully and automatically refunded to their original form of payment.

The festival was scheduled to take place in Ocean City, Maryland, from Friday to Sunday.

The rock band AC/DC’s show at MetLife Stadium on Friday also fell victim to the powerful storm.

MetLife Stadium informed concertgoers hours before the show’s start that the event will be rescheduled to a new date.

Flights grounded

The impending weather phenomenon has already caused a travel meltdown for major airlines across the East Coast.

American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines have all issued a travel alert for passengers flying late Friday and over the weekend.

JetBlue Airways issued the warning for 11 airports in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions.

United Airlines said customers flying out of 10 major airports in the Northeast can rebook for free if they are scheduled to fly Friday to Sunday.

American Airlines also said passengers can rebook at no extra cost if they are due to fly in or out of 16 airports from Virginia to Maine Friday through Sunday.

Here is the weekend forecast along the East Coast:

Friday Forecast

Rain is expected to begin in several areas late in the afternoon on Friday and will continue into the evening.

The storm is expected to bring heavy and continuous beach battering as the wind field approaches the coast, according to Fox Weather.

In the Outer Banks and Mid-Atlantic region, wind gusts will hit 40 to 50mph, with areas just off the coast expected to see winds reach 60mph.

Offshore waves could reach as high as 15 to 18 feet, and escalating coastal flooding is expected as trapped water prevents drainage during high tides.

Along the New Jersey Shore, onshore gusts are expected to reach up to 35 to 45mph, with widespread moderate high-tide flooding.

Light showers are expected Friday afternoon into the evening for Long Island, Southern New England, and Boston.

Rain should start up in New York City by the middle of the afternoon on Friday, with gusts likely to be up to 40mph.

There is a chance for coastal flooding in eastern and northern Queens, in addition to parts of southern Brooklyn and Staten Island, late on Friday.

Saturday Forecast

Peak nor’easter conditions are expected on Saturday, with the worst impacts beginning in the morning.

Heavy rain will drench most of the Northeast throughout the day until the storm starts to stall in the evening.

In the Boston metro area and parts of coastal Massachusetts, pounding rain will bring flooding to streets, and winds will reach upwards of 50 to 60mph late in the day.

Long Island, New York, will see stronger winds on Saturday and heavy waves along the south-facing beaches.

Waves are expected to remain high at around 15 to 18 feet in the Outer Banks and New Jersey.

Ongoing beach erosion is also expected in those areas, with persistent flooding expected amid high tide cycles.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17057283/noreaster-state-forecast-rain-level-boston-new-york/

Pezeshkian said Iran was willing to resolve its differences with Washington through dialogue rather than further military action.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran does not want to continue fighting and that the decision on whether to end the war now rests with the United States.

Speaking to Fox News in an interview aired on Thursday, Pezeshkian said Iran was willing to resolve its differences with Washington through dialogue rather than further military action.

“When we can resolve issues through dialog, we shouldn’t resort to killing one another. But with the instigations conducted by Israel, they have imposed this war on us,” he said, according to the broadcaster’s translation.

“But we do not wish to continue. It’s America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not.”

Iran Open To An Agreement

Pezeshkian’s comments came a day after he told the UN General Assembly that Iran would not “bend at the knee” to Washington.

Despite his defiant message, the Iranian president said Tehran remained willing to reach an agreement with US President Donald Trump.

He questioned why an earlier ceasefire arrangement had collapsed shortly after being signed. “Why is it that within two weeks after the signing of an agreement, they chose to blow it up?” he said.

Pezeshkian also said Tehran would accept negotiations if the US government was prepared to work “within international legal frameworks”.

“If not, before the (US midterm) elections or after the elections, what difference does it make for us?” he said, referring to the US midterm elections.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/we-do-not-wish-to-continue-iran-president-says-us-must-choose-whether-to-end-war-ws-l-10351657.html

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has considered the remote possibility of US military action against Canada, according to an interview with The New York Times.

Carney told the Times that his administration has carefully examined the “extreme tail risk” scenario where the US takes military action against his country, and had prepared accordingly, without providing further detail.

“I think you have a responsibility in these roles to look at extreme tail risk,” Carney told the Times. “That’s just risk management. That’s not a base case, but it would be irresponsible not to” prepare.

Tensions between the neighbouring countries have flared under US President Donald Trump.

Any conflict would likely be highly imbalanced. The US military has more than 2 million active-duty and reserve troops, while Canada has fewer than 200,000, according to their governments. Similarly, as of 2024, the US possessed 65 military submarines, compared to Canada’s four.

Canada, though, has the longest coastline in the world and is close to the Arctic, two circumstances that have prompted Carney to boost defence spending since he took office.

Meanwhile, Trump has frequently talked about Canada as the “51st state”. He also started a trade war with it that deepened last month as the two countries began exchanging tit-for-tat tariffs on a number of products.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6d79l2jd2pyo

Donald Trump, welcoming Xi to the White House for a state visit, said the two leaders had developed a close relationship since his first election in 2016.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called on the United States and China to explore new ways for major powers to work together, urging to write “new chapter” of Sino-US friendship.

“Like a river that never stops flowing, history never stands still. The friendship between the two peoples is a worthy cause that holds great promise. Let us join hands and move forward side by side. Together, let us nurture the beautiful flowers of Sino-US friendship. Together, let us write a new chapter in our friendly relations,” Xi said.

The comments came as the Chinese President held high-stakes talks with US’ Donald Trump amid global divisions over the war in Iran, trade and the rapid development of artificial intelligence.

Trump, welcoming Xi to the White House for a state visit, said the two leaders had developed a close relationship since his first election in 2016.

On unchecked US-China rivalry

Xi struck a more pointed tone, saying the interests of the world’s two biggest powers are “deeply intertwined” and that competition between them should remain within limits.

In early September, US officials in Jerusalem and Washington prepared a draft statement attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning plans by the UK, France and Canada to block imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The September 8 dated document, ​previously unreported and which two sources said was driven by David Milstein, an influential aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, proposed that Rubio ‌describe the countries’ actions as a series of hostile measures against Israel that contribute to antisemitism.

“These tactics unacceptably draw from the playbook of the antisemitic boycotts, divestments and sanctions movement,” the draft document, reviewed by Reuters, said.
The statement was never released.
According to three people familiar with the matter, the statement was not supported by the White House and the State Department’s senior leadership.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity.
Instead, speaking ​to reporters on September 8 in Florida before traveling to Latin America, Rubio refrained from outright criticism of the decision or any particular country.
“Obviously, we’re not ​going to do what the UK did. We saw their announcement today, but I don’t have any comment on it right now,” Rubio ⁠said.

The episode illustrates a widening divide between the White House and Trump’s senior diplomats in Israel about how best to respond to the expansion of Israeli settlements under Prime ​Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
It also highlights a growing ideological split within the American right over support for Israel, with polling showing younger Republicans holding an increasingly unfavorable opinion of ​Washington’s closest Middle East ally.
President Donald Trump earlier this year expressed his opposition to settlement expansion, a growing source of friction with Israel’s Arab neighbors, but his administration has put little pressure on Israel to change its policy.
That has at times put him at odds with Huckabee, a Baptist minister who is a staunch supporter of settlements and who refers to the West Bank by its biblical name, Judea ​and Samaria, a term used by the Israeli government but not formally adopted by the US.

Huckabee’s aide Milstein last year advocated that the US impose sanctions on the entire ​International Criminal Court to convince it to drop war crimes charges against Israeli leaders over the Gaza war – a measure the Trump administration has yet to deploy.
In response to questions from Reuters, a ‌senior US ⁠official said the draft statement was not prepared in consultation with the State Department or White House.
The US embassy referred questions, including requests for comment from Huckabee and Milstein, to the State Department.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
US PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL QUESTIONED
US public backing for Israel has fallen since the Gaza war began in 2023, particularly among Democrats. A June Quinnipiac University poll found 48% of voters and 66% of Democrats believe the United States is too supportive of Israel, up from 16% and 20% ​when the question was first asked in ​2017.

While large majorities of Republicans aged 50 ⁠and older view Israel positively, younger conservative Americans have grown more critical, a Pew Research Center poll from late March showed. Some 57% of Republicans aged 18-49 have an unfavorable opinion of Israel, up from 50% a year previously.
In December last year, Trump said that ​he and Netanyahu, whose government has overseen a rapid expansion of settlements, did not fully agree on the West Bank following a ​meeting with the Israeli ⁠leader. That September, Trump said he would not allow, opens new tab Israel to annex the territory.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. The United Nations and most countries consider settlements to be illegal under international law governing military occupation. Israel rejects this, viewing the territory as disputed rather than occupied.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released-2026-09-23/

Mohsen Rezaei urged regional governments to remain neutral and warned them against allowing their airports to become part of the US campaign against Iran.

Iran has warned neighbouring countries against cooperating with the United States to restrict Iranian airlines, saying such moves could trigger retaliation against their own airports.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued the warning in an interview with Iranian state broadcaster IRIB on Wednesday, after new US sanctions disrupted international flights from Iran.

“We say to all countries in the region, and we ask them, not to join America’s adventurism,” Rezaei said.

“If they don’t allow Iranian planes to travel, their own airports won’t be able to have flights either. You are our friends, but you must not fall in line with America. You must stop the war from spreading,” he added.

US Sanctions Hit Iranian Flights

The warning came after the US tightened sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said on Monday that Iranian airlines would face restrictions from Wednesday as Washington stepped up economic pressure on Tehran.

“All the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” Bessent told CNBC.

Iran has 27 airlines, most of which operate domestic routes. Iran Air and Mahan Air are the country’s main international carriers, serving destinations including neighbouring states, Russia and China.

Several international routes were disrupted after the measures took effect. Georgia and Azerbaijan confirmed suspensions, while flights to destinations including Baghdad, Muscat and Qatar were also reported to have been cancelled.

Tehran Warns Against Regional Escalation

Rezaei urged regional governments to remain neutral and warned them against allowing their airports to become part of the US campaign against Iran.

The Iranian official also accused Washington of seeking to create a propaganda spectacle.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/your-airports-wont-have-flights-either-iran-warns-neighbours-against-backing-us-airline-ban-ws-l-10349691.html

A suspicious suitcase found near 42nd Street and Third Avenue, close to the UN, prompted an NYPD bomb squad response and road closures.

A suspicious suitcase found on a Manhattan sidewalk Tuesday afternoon prompted a bomb squad response and the temporary evacuation of the Chrysler Building as New York City remained under heightened security for the United Nations General Assembly.

The suitcase was discovered shortly before 3 p.m. near East 43rd Street and Third Avenue, close to the Chrysler Building and about two avenues from the United Nations headquarters.

An NYPD canine unit detected something inside the suitcase, prompting officers from the department’s Bomb Squad and Emergency Services Unit to respond. Other federal agencies were also reportedly in the area as security was heightened for UN General Assembly events.

The NYPD shut down roads around the scene as officers investigated the package. “Due to a suspicious package, 42nd Street through 44th Street is closed between 2nd Avenue and Lexington Avenue. Please avoid the area,” the department said in an alert posted on X.

Nearby employees and residents were reportedly told to stay away from building windows while authorities examined the suitcase.

Chrysler Building Evacuated As Trump Was In UN Area
The Chrysler Building was temporarily evacuated as a precaution while authorities examined the suitcase, according to Reuters.

The incident occurred while President Donald Trump was in the area for the UN General Assembly. Police said Trump was in a motorcade at the time, and he was later safely escorted out of the United Nations by motorcade.

About 90 minutes after the suitcase was discovered, authorities determined that the package did not pose a threat and cleared the suitcase. Some road closures remained temporarily as crews reopened the area.

No injuries were reported, and officials did not identify an actual threat.

The incident came as New York hosted the high-level week of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, with nearly 130 heads of state and government in the city, according to Reuters.

 

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/nyc-bomb-threat-bomb-squad-rushes-near-united-nations-hq-trump-leaves-area-article-156206546

The Trump administration has criticised ​Australia’s proposed social media algorithm reforms, which would give users the option to choose the ‌content on their feeds, warning that Washington would likely view them as “facilitating censorship”.
Under draft laws proposed this month by Australia’s centre-left Labor government, social media platforms would be required to notify users and offer a default algorithm-recommended content feed, with the ​option to opt out and instead see posts only from accounts they choose to follow.

In a ​formal submission to Australia’s public consultation process, the US Embassy in Canberra said late ⁠on Tuesday it had “serious concerns” about the proposed law’s goal of mandating how platforms manage content and ​user feeds.
“We are particularly concerned by potential mandates that would allow regulators to impose rigid, one-size-fits-all platform design ​requirements – such as forced chronological feeds or opt-in recommendation systems,” the statement said.
The US warned the proposed legislation could have implications beyond Australia’s borders, saying the mandated algorithm design requirements “may affect what users see, say and hear not just in or ​from Australia, but globally.”

Washington urged Canberra to clearly define how “harm” and “risk” would be determined, by whom, and ​against what standard, cautioning that vague definitions risk enabling viewpoint-based censorship by incentivising platforms to over-moderate protected speech to avoid ‌regulatory penalties.
Should ⁠Australia compel platforms to aggressively filter algorithmic content in ways that capture protected speech, the US warned, the suppression of a disfavoured speaker or media source’s reach would be no different from outright removal.
“The US government would likely consider such a measure as facilitating censorship,” the statement said.
The comments come as Prime Minister ​Anthony Albanese attends the United Nations ​General Assembly in New ⁠York, where he has been promoting his government’s technology reform agenda and raising concerns about the risks posed by artificial intelligence.

When asked by a reporter about the ​US criticism of the draft legislation, Albanese said the proposed measure was not ​intended to ⁠grant governments greater authority, but rather to restore individuals’ control over their content choices, which was reflected in the way the policy has been framed.
“I will always stand up for Australia’s national interests, and the (reform) is something ⁠we have ​foreshadowed for some time,” Albanese said.
The Australian government is seeking feedback ​from digital platforms, industry bodies, civil society organisations and advocates on the draft “Digital Duty of Care” legislation, with the bill expected to ​be introduced to parliament this year.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-warns-australias-social-media-algorithm-reforms-risk-facilitating-censorship-2026-09-22/

Major TV networks have halted White House pool coverage in support of CNN after Trump restricted access to specific outlets.

Principal television networks have discontinued their White House pool coverage operations and will refrain from deploying camera crews to document President Donald Trump’s pool activities, demonstrating solidarity with CNN following Trump’s decision to restrict White House access to journalists representing three specific outlets.

This action by the five networks comprising the television pool—ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, and CNN—will result in the absence of a broadcast television feed that is ordinarily distributed extensively across media outlets for the majority of Trump’s scheduled events.

Bryan Boughton issues statement
Bryan Boughton, Fox News’s D.C. bureau chief and chair of the television pool, communicated this determination through a September 21 email addressed to pool members.

“This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties,” Boughton stated in the email, as per USA TODAY. “There will be no replacement pool put in place.”

MS NOW, CNN, and Politico banned by Trump
The networks’ withdrawal from the pool follows an incident in which journalists representing MS NOW, CNN, and Politico were barred from entering the White House during the weekend, coinciding with the implementation of Trump’s White House restrictions against these three media organizations.

The White House pool, which operates on a rotating daily basis, comprises a select group of journalists granted intimate, in-person proximity to the president during official events. The pool incorporates one network camera crew responsible for producing a television feed distributed among all participating networks.

The White House maintains and distributes its proprietary feed of Trump’s events and intends to maintain this practice. However, television networks depend upon the pool feed to obtain their video materials.

As television networks have withdrawn from pool coverage responsibilities, no television production crews are currently scheduled to accompany Trump during his travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.

The White House refrained from providing commentary beyond Trump’s public declarations regarding his media restrictions.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/major-tv-networks-back-cnn-amid-trump-ban-suspend-white-house-pool-coverage-there-will-be-no-replacement-101790005832572.html

 

Iran’s Rezaei challenges the US over airstrikes, asking why American ground forces have not entered Iran as Tehran keeps talks open.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei has challenged the United States to send its soldiers into Iran if Washington is serious about its military campaign, questioning why American forces have continued to rely on air strikes instead of launching a ground operation.

“If the Americans are serious, let their soldiers come and enter Iran. Why do they not come in?” Rezaei said, arguing that ground forces ultimately have the final say in wars.

“Why do the airborne divisions not come? Why do the US ground forces not enter Iran? Why do they only bomb from the sky and then leave?” he asked.

Rezaei’s remarks come as the US-Iran conflict continues, with Washington and Tehran trading threats while diplomatic efforts remain underway to end the war.

Rezaei, a close ally of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed his military adviser in March before taking charge of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council in August, according to Reuters.

Iran-US War: Tehran Challenges Washington

The comments underline the gap between the two sides’ military strategies. The United States has continued to use air power and other stand-off capabilities against Iranian targets, while Iran has sought to retaliate against US military positions and regional interests rather than face a conventional US ground invasion.

In his latest comments, Rezaei claimed that Iran had revised its military strategy towards Washington and was better prepared to respond to American air strikes. He also warned that Iranian attacks on US bases and American interests in the region would become more intense if Washington launched another attack.

Why A US Ground Operation Would Be A Major Escalation

Rezaei’s challenge comes against the backdrop of a conflict in which the US has so far relied heavily on air power rather than attempting to occupy Iranian territory. A large-scale ground offensive would represent a fundamentally different phase of the war, requiring troops to enter and hold territory in a country with extensive mountainous terrain and a large population.

Earlier analysis of the possibility of a US ground operation has pointed to Iran’s geography, including its mountainous terrain, as a major military challenge. Experts cited by Al Jazeera said a large invasion would be difficult, although smaller and more limited ground missions could theoretically be possible.

Rezaei’s latest remarks therefore appear aimed at questioning the limits of Washington’s current military strategy: whether sustained air strikes can deliver the kind of decisive outcome that Tehran says would require troops on the ground.

Rezaei Issues War Warning While Keeping Talks Open

At the same time, Rezaei’s comments come alongside a renewed diplomatic push.

On September 19, Rezaei told Al Jazeera that Iran had conveyed conditions to Washington through Qatar for ending the war and that Tehran was waiting for US President Donald Trump’s response. The conditions include an end to the war on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian funds and an end to the US naval blockade.

Iran has also indicated that Qatar and Pakistan are continuing contacts aimed at reviving negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Rezaei has warned that Iran is prepared for a “decisive war” if its demands are rejected, while simultaneously keeping the possibility of negotiations open.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/let-american-soldiers-enter-irans-top-security-chief-dares-us-to-launch-ground-invasion-ws-l-10342682.html

The meeting follows a phone call where US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy they discussed potential steps towards peace

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that he will meet US President Donald Trump in New York this week as Washington pushes for renewed efforts to de-escalate the war with Russia. The meeting is expected to take place on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, following a phone call between the two leaders on Sunday.

Zelenskyy said the conversation had been significant and suggested the meeting could help advance diplomatic efforts. “An important conversation, and we got through a lot. We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum,” he wrote on X.

He added that Ukraine was prepared “to take really serious steps” towards a de-escalation agreement with Russia.

US Pushes for Renewed Talks

The meeting comes as the White House works to broker an agreement under which Russia and Ukraine would take reciprocal steps to reduce tensions and return to negotiations.

Trump’s comments come ahead of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s expected visit to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he was in “deciding mode” over the Iran war, warning that “big things are going to happen”. His remarks came after Tehran said it had shared its conditions with Washington, through mediators, for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s comments come ahead of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s expected visit to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. A senior delegation is likely to accompany him, Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.

Trump in ‘deciding mode’ about Iran war
In a reported conversation with Fox News, Trump said he was in “deciding mode” and warned that “very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future” if the Iranian regime does not “behave”.

“My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They had better behave,” he said.

Huang said such predictions are unfounded and likely motivated by political interests or attention-seeking behaviour rather than sound technological evidence

Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang has forcefully dismissed warnings of an impending artificial intelligence apocalypse, declaring that there is a zero per cent chance the technology will trigger an extinction-level event or end the world by 2030.

In an interview with CBS News, the head of the world’s leading AI semiconductor manufacturer firmly pushed back against doomsday narratives circulating across Silicon Valley and Washington. Huang suggested that catastrophic predictions driving fear across the public sphere are unfounded and likely motivated by political interests or attention-seeking behaviour rather than sound technological evidence.

‘Full Speed Ahead Without Safety Sacrifices’

The Nvidia chief advocated for maintaining rapid acceleration in AI advancement rather than imposing regulatory slowdowns or development pauses. He insisted that tech companies should proceed as quickly as possible to drive economic growth and maintain global competitiveness, provided rigorous internal quality standards are met.

Huang clarified that moving quickly does not mean releasing flawed systems. He emphasised that no responsible technology firm would or should deploy products before they are fully vetted for safety and readiness. According to Huang, managing safety and accelerating innovation are complementary goals rather than opposing forces.

Escalating Debate Over AI Acceleration

Huang’s uncompromising stance comes amid a deepening ideological divide within the technology sector over the pace of frontier AI development. Recent high-profile resignations from major AI research labs, alongside public warnings from industry executives regarding recursive self-improvement in advanced models, have intensified calls for strict oversight and safety tripwires.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/zero-per-cent-chance-nvidias-jensen-huang-dismisses-fears-that-ai-will-end-world-by-2030-ws-lrt-10341339.html

Yemen’s Houthis said they attacked “sensitive” sites in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday with missiles and drones, hours after flames and a large ​plume of smoke were seen near the city’s main airport.
Saudi Arabia had sent alerts overnight warning of potential danger around Riyadh, amid an escalation in attacks ‌by the Houthis in the kingdom.

Reuters video and photographs showed a huge pillar of black smoke rising in the area, with the airport highway, main terminal building and other facilities in the foreground. At one point in the video, flames were visible rising from behind what appeared to be fuel tanks.

While the Iranian-backed Houthis have launched repeated attacks against Saudi Arabia since July, Saturday’s claim appeared to be their first reported strike on Riyadh since ​the current escalation began.
The Houthis did not specify what they had targeted in Riyadh, but said they had also attacked an Aramco facility in the Red Sea city of ​Yanbu, a key Saudi oil export hub.
They said the operation came as a response to an attack in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led military ⁠coalition fighting the Houthis said its air defences had destroyed a missile fired by the Yemeni group toward Riyadh early on Saturday.

In a statement, the coalition also said it had foiled ​attacks targeting civilians in the Saudi cities of Bish and Farasan in the southwest and Taif in the west, as well as Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. It did not say whether ​there was any damage.
Saudi civil defence sent the alerts by phone overnight for potential danger of aerial attacks in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, before issuing an all-clear on Saturday morning. A Reuters journalist in Riyadh’s Olaya area heard booms before the all-clear was sent.
Although some alerts had been issued in Riyadh this year after the start of the US-Iran war, these were the first since the escalation with the ​Houthis began in July.
The fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has developed as a new theatre of conflict in the wider war that began with US and Israeli strikes against Iran ​at the end of February. US President Donald Trump has rebuffed Saudi requests for direct US military intervention against the Houthis.

A US State Department security alert issued on Saturday for Americans in the Middle East ‌cited Houthi attacks. ⁠The State Department urged US citizens in the region to “exercise heightened vigilance” and that Americans outside the Middle East “should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region.”
HOUTHI WARNING
The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have been launching attacks against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes targeting Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.
The attacks have targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping, creating new threats to global oil supplies and putting at risk the main alternative Red Sea route for Gulf exports while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ​remains blockaded.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saudi ​Arabia may have military needs due to ⁠the ongoing Houthi attacks and Turkey was ready to help under a trilateral defence pact that also includes Pakistan.
It was unclear what kind of support Turkey might provide but Fidan, in an interview with broadcaster NTV, said Saudi needs could include “some technical issues.”
The trilateral agreement signed last month stipulates ​that an armed attack on any of the three countries would be regarded as an attack on all of them.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary ​of Iran’s Supreme National Security ⁠Council, told Al Jazeera in an interview aired on Saturday that Tehran wanted the war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis to end, adding that he believed Yemenis also wanted a settlement with Saudi Arabia.
Rezaei also said Iran had conveyed its conditions to mediators for re-engaging in stalled negotiations with the United States, including “ending the war on all fronts”.
Consultations were continuing with Qatari and Pakistani mediators and Tehran was awaiting ⁠a response ​from Trump, Rezaei said.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-civil-defence-sends-all-clear-after-danger-warning-capital-riyadh-2026-09-19/

 

Russia has coupled the drones’ technological superiority over Ukraine’s defence with its capacity to launch them in massive numbers. The impact has been devastating.

Top Speed: 600 kilometres per hour. Operational ceiling: 6,000 metres. Weapon class: Drone. Specialty: Blurring the line between drones and cruise missiles. Objective: Overwhelm Ukrainian air defence, sap its arsenal of interceptor missiles, and dent its resolve. But no technical specifications provide a better testimonial to the effectiveness of Russia’s Geran-5 drones than the candid admission made by Maksym Zhorin, Deputy Commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps: “We don’t know what to do about them.”

Over the past five years, Russia has devised new weapons and strategies. Ukraine, supported financially and with weapons by its Western allies, has played catch-up, innovating on the fly and finding elegant solutions to Moscow’s inventiveness.

So, when Russia started swarm attacks using Iranian-designed Shahed-class drones in 2022, Kyiv swiftly responded with mobile anti-drone groups armed with machine guns and short-range interceptor rockets. They proved highly effective, achieving over a 90 per cent kill rate and frustrating the Russians. Moscow was then forced to change its tactics — and it did so with such effectiveness that Ukrainian leaders now shy away from flaunting interception rates.

Several factors make the Geran-5 deadly effective. They are jet-powered, making them fast. They are impervious to machine gun fire because they fly too high. They terrorise civilians as they often strike before people can scamper to safety. Ukraine’s only defence currently is shooting them down with missiles, which are far too expensive and far too few, partly because its main weapon supplier United States itself is tied up in a protracted war in the Middle East.

“The Geran family is Russia’s domestic production line of the Iranian Shahed-136, manufactured at scale at the Alabuga special economic zone. The jet-powered variants – Geran-3, and now Geran-4 and Geran-5 – replace the original piston engine and propeller with compact turbojets, largely Chinese-sourced commercial engines. The result is a step change in performance: cruise speeds of 300-400 km/hour with dashes to 500 km/hour for the Geran-4, and up to roughly 600 km/hour for the Geran-5, at altitudes up to 5,000–6,000 metres, with ranges from 450 km to over 950 km depending on the variant,” says Kateryna Bondar, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic & International Studies.

She said Ukraine’s counter-drone infrastructure was optimised against propeller-driven drones, not the jet-powered machines.

“Mobile fire groups with heavy machine guns, gun trucks, and FPV interceptor drones costing $1,400-3,000 closed the cost-exchange gap against that target, at one point accounting for the majority of Shahed kills. The jet-powered Gerans defeat this layer through speed and altitude,” she added.

The analyst said Ukrainian interceptors max out at 250–300 km/hour, and they cannot shoot down a target moving at 600 km/hour.

“Newer variants add onboard electronic warfare that disrupts interceptor video links in the terminal phase. The compressed timeline is equally important: detection, identification, decision, and launch must all occur in a fraction of the time available against the older drones, forcing Ukraine back onto scarce and expensive surface-to-air missiles,” she said.

Yuriy Cherevashenko, a deputy commander of Ukraine’s air force, elaborated on another insidious aspect of the drones that makes them deadly.

“The main danger of these drones is that they’re guided: meaning they can change their flight route and altitude, through an operator’s command,” he told Reuters.

Russia’s Broad Strategy Behind Geran-5 Swarm Attacks
Russia has coupled the drones’ technological superiority over Ukraine’s defence with its capacity to launch them in massive numbers. Moscow launched around 450 jet-powered drones in June. The number rose to 2,850 in August. In many of these attacks, around 70 per cent of the drones used were jet-powered.

“Without volume, none of these tactics work,” said Bondar.

“It is the foundation of the entire campaign. Russia’s reported production has reached roughly 3,000 jet-powered airframes per month, with jet variants now comprising half to two-thirds of some nightly strike packages. Scale converts an individually mediocre weapon into a strategically effective one, because what matters to the defender is not the interception rate but the absolute number of leakers: a 90 per cent interception rate against 800 drones still means 80 impacts. Mass also enables tactical flexibility: decoys, multi-axis routing, altitude variation, and deliberate sequencing designed to map and exhaust Ukrainian defences,” she added.

With the sustained campaign, Russia has made its intentions perfectly clear. It wants to hurt the morale of the Ukrainian military and the beleaguered nation’s people. The security expert describes this strategy as “attrition of the defence itself”.

“Each wave forces Ukraine to expend interceptors, missiles, crew endurance, and repair capacity. Round-the-clock raids deny recovery windows for the energy grid and keep air defence crews and the population under continuous alert. The targeting logic – power generation, gas infrastructure, defence production, logistics – aims at Ukraine’s capacity to sustain the war and at civilian morale simultaneously,” she said.

The strategy is not solely aimed at terrorising the masses. It is a deliberate cost-imposition strategy that treats Ukrainian air defence stockpiles, Western replenishment budgets, and societal resilience as the true targets, she added.

James Patton Rogers, drone expert and lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London, says the Geran-5 is an important step in the evolution of one-way attack drones.

“By replacing the original Iranian-designed Shahed piston engine with a small jet engine, Russia has produced a drone that is faster, harder to shoot down and still much cheaper than a cruise missile. That combination of speed and relatively low cost is what makes them powerful. They allow Russia to carry out sustained long-range attacks without relying exclusively on expensive missiles, keeping those for the most heavily defended or strategically important targets,” he added.

Ukraine’s Options

The Ukrainian response to the Russian onslaught is slow. Ukrainian forces found wreckage of jet-powered drones, which resemble ballistic missiles with wings, as early as January this year. The nation’s Directorate of Intelligence and Defence (GUR) published details of the drones’ use by Russia.

Nearly nine months have passed, and Kyiv still has not been able to develop a cost-effective solution to the problem.

Ukraine’s military had invited a large group of producers to test a new generation of interceptors in July. Things, however, did not go according to plan.

Many of the interceptor drones proved difficult to control at speeds sometimes exceeding 400 kilometres per hour, and many crashed into nearby fields and forests, Reuters reported, quoting sources.

Ukrainian defenders believe they will soon develop interceptors fast enough to shoot down the drones. However, Russian engineers are attempting to preempt Kyiv’s strategy by deploying and refining onboard systems that detect approaching objects and automatically accelerate, the news agency reported.

“For Ukraine, the biggest challenge now is speed. Ukrainian air defences became highly effective against the earlier Gerans using electronic warfare, drone interceptors, gunnery teams, and short-range missile systems as part of a layered defence. The jet-powered versions give defenders much less time to detect, track and engage, especially when they are launched in large numbers,” said Rogers.

Kyiv is exploring several options, including cheap guided missiles and feeding the attacking drones false GPS data. Another strategy they are considering is making the slower interceptors collide head-on with the Gerans instead of chasing them.

“No single system will restore the previous equilibrium. The answer is a layered, cost-conscious architecture rebuilt against the new target. The most urgent layer is a jet-powered interceptor class. Ukraine has begun fielding systems reportedly capable of 600 km/h – paired with denser sensing and automated cueing so that engagement decisions happen at machine speed,” said Bondar.

She said Ukraine should also attempt to disrupt Geran drone production to counteract Russia.

“The second layer is left-of-launch: deep strikes against Alabuga, engine and component supply chains, and launch sites, an area where Ukraine’s own long-range drone campaign mirrors Russia’s. Third, electronic warfare and hardening buy time and reduce leakage damage. Finally, the interceptor problem must be industrialised with Western partners – the requirement is thousands of affordable high-speed effectors per month, not a handful of exquisite ones. The race is iterative, and the side that adapts faster wins each cycle,” she said.

Lessons For The World

The Ukraine-Russia war and Moscow’s drone strategy will force other militaries globally to find affordable ways to shoot down drone swarms.

“The lesson for future air defence is that counter efforts won’t just be about building better interceptors; it will also be about finding affordable ways to defeat large numbers of incoming drones, and focusing on supply chain denial and long-range strikes on military-industrial targets, but even then, the drone will always get through—a fact and threat that needs to be recognised by all nations,” said Rogers.

Bondar concurs. She described Geran-5 as effectively a “low-cost” cruise missile that can perpetually alter military outlooks on air defence.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/600-km-h-geran-5-drones-launched-in-waves-how-russia-is-rewriting-rules-of-war-12062294?pfrom=home-ndtvworld_world_top_scroll

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he is banning three major news outlets – CNN, MS NOW and Politico – from the White House in his latest threat to the independent press.
The move is almost ​certain to face legal challenges as free speech experts said it conflicts with the US Constitution’s First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press.

Trump accused the outlets of “reporting FAKE ‌NEWS” in a social media post, and said they “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States.” Trump added, “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”

Representatives of all three outlets could be seen working in the White House on Friday afternoon following Trump’s post. The White House was informing all three they would be banned from the White House grounds as of Saturday, Fox News reported, citing an unnamed senior White House official.
Trump said there was ​no specific incident that prompted the ban, telling reporters in the Oval Office, “It’s really just cumulative stories over the past few years.”
Trump added, “I don’t have to let them into my, into the people’s house.”
When ​asked what he meant by others “to follow,” Trump mentioned the New York Times and Washington Post as what he called “fake news.”

The extent of the ban announced by ⁠Trump was not immediately clear, and the legality of any move could depend on its scope.
Courts have given presidents broad discretion over selective access to events such as Oval Office meetings and small press pools, while broader ​exclusions from generally available White House press facilities or credentials could face stronger challenges under the First Amendment and constitutional protections for due process.
Trump’s move came weeks ahead of the November 3 midterm elections in which Trump’s ​fellow Republicans are defending narrow majorities in Congress. Reuters/Ipsos polls show the public souring on Republicans, as Trump’s own approval ratings stand near historic lows amid the deeply unpopular Iran war he kicked off that has sent energy prices soaring.

DECADES OF TRADITION
The Trump administration has upended decades of tradition in dealings between the White House and press, cutting back the access many major news organizations have had to the president while elevating the presence of new media outlets seen as more sympathetic to the administration.
CNN in a statement ​said it stands behind its journalists who cover the White House.

“We have a right under the US Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government,” CNN said in a statement. “Should the ban ​which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally protected right.”
Politico said on X that it would “continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones.”
“We will vigorously defend our First Amendment ‌rights against any ⁠attempt to restrict them,” Politico said.
MS NOW declined to comment.
“It’s difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment than Trump banning news outlets from the People’s House for criticizing the government,” Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement.
Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the First Amendment prohibits the president from punishing journalists because he does not like their coverage.
“If President Trump means to expel these news organizations from the White House press pool, his action is doubly unconstitutional because the press pool is a ‘public forum’ under the First Amendment, which means the president can’t ​exclude journalists from it on the basis of their ​viewpoints,” Jaffer said in a statement.
TABLOID HISTORY
Trump rose ⁠to fame as a New York developer skilled in getting the city’s tabloid newspapers to cover his social life, and went on to build his profile as a reality television personality before making a serious push into politics.
Since his successful 2016 campaign, Trump has regularly criticized the press, stepping up his complaints during his second term ​in office. He has repeatedly urged broadcasters to drop comedy or news programs he dislikes or which have joked about or criticized him or his administration, calling ​on the Federal Communications Commission ⁠to strip disfavored broadcast stations of their licenses.
Trump has filed several lawsuits against the press, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the BBC and the Des Moines Register. The suits can have a chilling effect. His defamation suits against ABC and CBS were settled for $15 million and $16 million, respectively.
In his first term, Trump’s White House sought to revoke or suspend the credentials of Playboy correspondent Brian Karem and CNN’s Jim Acosta, but federal judges ordered their ⁠White House press ​passes restored.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-bans-media-outlets-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house-2026-09-18/

The United States, Denmark and Greenland have entered into an agreement for the US to ‌develop a significant military presence on Greenland, while prohibiting US adversaries from building their own bases on the island, Donald Trump said on Friday.
In a Truth Social post, the US president wrote that no US enemies would be able to make sensitive investments on the island without the approval of the United States and that the agreement had no expiry date.

“At my ​direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do ​what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of ⁠America,” Trump wrote.
Earlier on Friday, Reuters exclusively reported that the US and Denmark were closing in on a deal that would result in an increased ​US military presence in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, but would stop well short of Trump’s long-held dream of acquiring the island for the United ​States.
The US already has nearly total overflight and basing rights in Greenland due to a 1951 treaty.

Trump’s announcement suggests he was nonetheless pleased with the outcome of the negotiations and that he might not revive his territorial claims, at least in the near future. He said, without elaborating, that the US would soon be rolling out a large military presence ​on the island, which already hosts one Space Force base in its remote northwest.
“This is a dream come true for the United States of America,” Trump ​wrote.
EXTENT OF AGREEMENT REMAINS UNCLEAR
The Danish prime minister’s office said on Friday that the agreement would strengthen North Atlantic and Arctic security.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a ‌statement that ⁠the agreement recognized Greenland’s interests and the Arctic island’s place in international cooperation. “This benefits us all,” he said.
Much was unclear as of Friday night, including whether any new US bases would be constructed as a result of the agreement. Trump’s Truth Social posts about negotiations or agreements often lack context or specifics.

Imran Bayoumi, a former Pentagon official now with the Atlantic Council think tank, said it would be new if the US can build bases without the approval of ​Greenland or Denmark but that largely “it seems ​that Washington could have achieved ⁠a lot of these objectives through diplomacy and dialogue without straining the broader US-NATO relationship.”
It was also unclear how the agreement would be received in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. The island’s residents aspire to independence and have bristled at ​US attempts to assert control.
In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the deal “permanently ​and completely” addressed Washington’s ⁠national security concerns with respect to the island.
“Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area,” he wrote.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-denmark-close-greenland-deal-sources-say-2026-09-18/

The unprecedented alert was triggered after the kingdom was repeatedly targeted by the Iran-backed Houthis in recent days.

Several areas on Saudi Arabia’s western coast, including the holy city of Mecca and the Jeddah and Taif governorates, were briefly put on alert after Yemen’s Houthis allegedly targeted the holy city, deepening the conflict roiling the region. It was the first time in history when an aerial threat alert was issued in Mecca.

The unprecedented alert was triggered after the kingdom’s air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the prohibited airspace. Fresh fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has dragged in Riyadh, with the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade on the kingdom and targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

According to a report by Israeli newspaper Hayom, the air traffic bound for Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport (MED) in Medina was also halted.

A warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Mecca City to alert of a potential danger. Please follow the instructions below: https://t.co/IwvWhhKMan

— الدفاع المدني السعودي (@SaudiDCD) September 15, 2026

The attacks came a day after the Houthis wounded 13 people in the kingdom in an assault using ballistic missiles and drones from Yemen.

The Saudi-led coalition battling Houthis — a bloc of 57 Muslim countries — condemned the “heinous” attack.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation spokesman Turki Al Maliki said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims is a “red line,” adding that the coalition would not hesitate to take necessary measures to deter further Houthi attacks.

What Houthis Said

The Houthis swiftly rejected as a “lie” Riyadh’s report that it shot down a drone from the rebels heading towards the Saudi city of Mecca, which attracts millions of pilgrims each year.

“The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone,” Hazem al-Assad from the Houthis’ politburo wrote on X.

Houthis later said they shot down a Saudi fighter jet, claiming a locally made munition was used to target the warplane.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah’s aid and grace, succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F15 fighter jet while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military mobilisations in the airspace of Marib province,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on social media, while accusing Saudi Arabia of launching 450 strikes.

He said the jet had been targeted “using a locally made air-to-air missile”.

The Saudi-Houthi Conflict

The Houthis carried out their heaviest missile and drone attack in years this week against Saudi Arabia, setting oil sites ablaze and wounding 73.

On Monday, a Houthi strike in Western Yemen killed eight government soldiers according to two military sources. The group also claimed a new large-scale attack using “dozens of ballistic missiles and drones” against King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait, in southern Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis have been engaged in fighting with Saudi-backed government forces since Yemen’s civil war reignited in July, when the group declared a maritime blockade on Riyadh and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/mecca-put-on-air-raid-alert-for-first-time-in-history-as-houthis-target-saudi-12051229?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to sell to Israel a munitions package worth $2.8 billion, which will ​include tens of thousands of highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs, ‌according to a U.S. official familiar with the sale.
The planned sale, which has been informally communicated to relevant congressional committees who weigh in on large ​arms sales, includes 20,000 MK 84s and 20,000 BLU-117s, the ​official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

News of ⁠the package was first reported by the Washington Post.
The State ​Department and the Israeli embassy did not immediately respond to a ​request for comment.
U.S. public support for Israel has fallen since the Gaza war began in 2023, particularly among Democrats. A June Quinnipiac University poll found 48% ​of voters and 66% of Democrats believe the United States ​is too supportive of Israel, up from 16% and 20% when the question ‌was ⁠first asked in 2017.
The 2,000-pound bombs have been regularly used by Israel in Gaza as well as in Lebanon, drawing scrutiny from rights experts. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ​military campaign, according ​to Gaza health ⁠authorities. A U.N. inquiry determined that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a charge Isarel rejects.

Israel ​calls its actions self-defense, after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 ​people ⁠and took more than 250 hostages in an October 2023 attack.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-plans-28-billion-munitions-sale-israel-sources-say-2026-09-15/

The European Union will propose ​a ban restricting under 15s from social media, video sharing platforms, AI chatbots and online games, ‌in the most sweeping plan yet to protect children from online dangers, a European Commission document seen by Reuters shows.
Concerns have mounted globally about the impact on children’s health and safety of major outlets, including Meta’s (META.O), opens new tab Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, Google’s (GOOGL.O), opens new tab YouTube and ChatGPT.

The ​EU proposal is part of an EU Kids Act that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ​and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen will present on Thursday. The former may announce some ⁠details in her State of the Union address on upcoming EU policy on Wednesday.
“The Union’s approach should allow ​minors to benefit from the huge potential of digital services, while protecting them from abuse and exploitation. It needs ​to limit the access of tech companies to our children, and not the other way around,” the document said.
The Commission’s proposal, which will also cover video gaming platforms, allows for gradual access to the various services according to age, while the obligations imposed ​on the companies will depend on the type of service and the age of the children.

COMPANIES WOULD HAVE TO PAY A SUPERVISORY FEE
According to the document, companies will have to pay a supervisory fee to fund ‌regulators’ ⁠enforcement and supervision.
Children from 15 onwards can set up their own accounts under the proposal, while children between 13 and 14 can ask parents to open introductory accounts for social media and video-sharing platforms under parental control and with limited contacts and strict time limits.
Accounts for children between 3 and 12 will be fully controlled by parents and ​will only be for ​child-friendly services with strict safety ⁠standards, the document said. Under-3s would have no access to the services.
Details may still change ahead of the announcement.
The Commission will need to work out the draft with ​EU countries and the European Parliament in the coming months before it can become ​law.

The draft ⁠seen by Reuters sets out requirements for companies, including avoiding addictive designs and harmful feeds.
They would also have to provide tools to enable children to easily report harmful content and effective parental control tools.
Social media and video-sharing platforms will be ⁠required to ​verify children’s age when a user opens a new account while ​online games platforms will have to verify children’s age before they can download games.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/eu-is-set-propose-ban-social-media-ai-chatbots-under-15s-2026-09-14/

The alert calls on citizens to remain calm and follow official instructions and proceed to the nearest safe place.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia issued fresh warning system alerts for several cities amid the conflict with the Yemeni militant group, the Houthis. As per the latest update, this alert has now been lifted and citizens are safe to exit their homes.

The meeting was scheduled for Monday in Oman. It was to discuss an agreement between Iran and Oman on managing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

A meeting involving Iran and other Gulf littoral states was postponed on Sunday following attacks on an Iranian cargo ship near Qeshm Island.

The meeting was scheduled in Muscat to discuss regional issues, including safe shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz under an Iran-Oman arrangement.

Omani foreign minister Badr Albusaidi said the meeting was postponed “in the interests of consensus”. “We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region,” he wrote on X.

An Iranian foreign ministry official said the decision was taken jointly by Tehran and Muscat. Tehran later said Saudi Arabia requested the postponement and said Yemen was a “false pretext” for the move, AFP reported.

Iran will coordinate with Oman to set a new date, the official said, as per AFP.

Iran and Oman recently agreed on new shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. The entry route would run entirely through Iranian waters, while part of the exit route would also be in Iranian waters.

The details were to be presented to other Gulf countries at the now-postponed meeting in Oman. The new arrangement would not mean the strait is reopening, as Iran said it had seven conditions for reopening the waterway.

Attack on Iranian cargo ship kills 1

An Iranian commercial vessel was hit early Sunday near Hormuz, Iranian state media said. One person was killed and four crew were wounded.

Iranian state-run IRNA quoted the Qeshm governor as blaming a “terrorist enemy” for the attack.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency, or UKMTO, said a vessel was struck by a projectile while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. A fire broke out and the crew was evacuated, it said. It was not immediately clear whether the incident was the same attack reported by Iran.

Iran insists on conditions for reopening Hormuz

Iran has said shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would be managed under an agreement with Oman.

Iranian officials said ships entering the Persian Gulf would pass through Iranian waters. Outbound traffic would use both Iranian and Omani waters. Tehran has also expressed interest in charging ships fees for transit.

But Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would not reopen the strait until the US met its demands, despite any agreement with Oman.

Commercial traffic through the strait remains low. The waterway is one of the world’s most important oil transit routes.

Before the talks were postponed, Iraq was the only country to publicly confirm that it planned to attend, as per Iraqi media. Bahrain said it would not participate because it did not have diplomatic relations with Tehran.

Saudi Arabia has also sought changes to the Iran-Oman agreement. A Gulf official familiar with the matter said Riyadh was concerned that the deal could have long-term implications for the Strait of Hormuz and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Trump says Iran wants a deal

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, ahead of the planned talks, said Iran could not be bullied. “Our people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender,” he said on social media.

US President Donald Trump said Iran wanted to reach a deal. “Iran wants to make a deal so bad,” Trump said Sunday. He claimed Iranian officials were “calling constantly”.

He said he still expected the war on Iran to end this year. Asked whether the US struck the Iranian cargo vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, “I don’t want to say.”

Iran and UAE discuss tensions

Pezeshkian earlier said he had a “good talk” with a senior UAE official on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India. He met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed.

“We talked about the issues of concern so that it’s possible to put the past behind us, to look toward the future and how we can build the future together,” Pezeshkian said on Iranian state television.

President Pezeshkian, at the conclusion of his visit to India:

“We had a good conversation with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and agreed to put the past behind us and look to the future.

We also had discussions with the Presidents of Russia and China, which were mostly brief exchanges.

A promising outlook for the expansion of economic cooperation is taking shape.”

— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) September 13, 2026

Iran has fired thousands of missiles and drones at the US bases in UAE after Trump ordered attacks on the West Asian country. Tehran claimed its attacks were aimed at US military assets in the region.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/in-interests-of-consensus-iran-oman-talks-with-gulf-states-on-strait-of-hormuz-postponed-attack-101789350704943.html

 

“The world is always changing, and this is attested to by the objective facts of the last five years,” Valdimir Putin said at the BRICS Business Forum.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday drew a comparison between the BRICS grouping of emerging economies and G7 of developed countries, underlining that BRICS contributes more to the global economy. He was speaking at the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi later cited the same statistics to stress the importance of the group that has grown to 21 members.

Putin said, “Over the last five years, more than 40 per cent of the world GDP (gross domestic product) has been produced by the BRICS countries, whereas the contribution of the so-called G7, the Group of Seven — I don’t know why they call that the Group of Seven — stands at only 29 per cent.”

“The world is always changing, and this is attested to by the objective facts of the last five years,” he noted, speaking in Russian accompanied by an official translation. “Right now the world is undergoing structural, deep, profound shifts… The so-called old leaders, which used to be the vanguard of economic growth, are being replaced by new engines of growth,” he added.

‘Competition Taking Ugly Forms’: Putin Jabs West

He also accused the West in general of sabotaging the development of other economic powers. “We have been told for quite some time that competition is sacrosanct… But our Western competitors are doing everything to get back their erstwhile competitive edge, and sometimes this competition is taking some ugly forms. This is something our colleague from Iran has spoken about,” he said, not naming but apparently referring to the Strait of Hormuz crisis amid the US war on Iran.

“Sometimes, there are measures resorted to of a physical nature, when pipelines are being destroyed, when attempts are undertaken to block international transport corridors, to seize maritime vessels,” he said, and then referred to sanctions imposed on Russia, in the wake of the Ukraine war and otherwise.

“Illegal restrictions are being applied, and there’s also the threat of so-called secondary sanctions against those who do not want to follow someone else’s interests and rather look after their own,” Putin said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/putin-takes-40-per-cent-dig-at-g7-compares-it-with-brics-contribution-to-world-gdp-12033570?pfrom=home-ndtvworld_world_top_scroll

Ukraine is bracing for a brutal ​winter as intensified Russian attacks on the country’s infrastructure and key export industries compound a deepening budget crisis, ‌Ukrainian officials said on Saturday.

Economy Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko said that damage to infrastructure and fixed assets from Russian air strikes was estimated at close to $10 billion this year, while the broader economic costs of the attacks and the de facto blockage of its ports were seen at about 1.5 ​percentage points of gross domestic product.

“We anticipate a very difficult winter in terms of both critical infrastructure, which is ​being destroyed every day by Russian attacks, but also in terms of overall economic conditions in ⁠the country,” Kravchenko said.

“This all comes when the budget and the fiscal space are very constrained,” he told investors, officials and ​diplomats at a YES conference in Kyiv.

With fighting on the front line largely stalled more than 4-1/2 years into the war ​in Ukraine, Russia and Ukraine have increasingly targeted logistics networks and other economic assets in an effort to undermine each other’s war effort.

For more than two weeks, Russia has carried out near constant attacks on Kyiv using faster jet-powered drones, disrupting life, business and government operations.

Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately ​targeting civilians in air attacks.

Moscow has also effectively blocked Ukraine’s Black Sea ports by intensifying its air attacks on the country’s ​southern regions.

About $40 billion in export revenue is at risk as a result of the blockade, Kravchenko said. Ukraine’s main exports – agricultural products and iron ‌and ⁠steel – are shipped via its Black Sea ports.

BUDGET REVENUE FALLS BEHIND

As Russian attacks damage infrastructure and industry, domestic budget revenue has begun to come under pressure.

Domestic revenue underperformed by $1.35 billion in the first eight months of the year, with a quarter of those losses recorded in August alone, said Roksolana Pidlasa, head of the parliamentary budget committee.

She said the war was becoming increasingly expensive ​and Ukraine could no longer fully ​finance its defence needs ⁠from domestic resources, as it had in previous years.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-braces-harsh-winter-russian-attacks-hit-economy-2026-09-12