World
Venezuela Frees 39 Political Prisoners, Rights Group Says, After Second Round of Government-Opposition Talks
The releases, counted by a Venezuelan rights group, came after the interim government and one opposition bloc agreed to start reforming the Supreme Court. Three days earlier, interim President Delcy Rodríguez met President Trump in New York during the UN General Assembly.
Ukraine Says Russia Hit More Than 15 Energy Sites With 332 Drones and Missiles; Zelensky Criticizes U.S. Sanctions Waiver
Ukraine's air force says it downed 289 of the drones, and regional officials report at least seven dead; the strikes came days after President Trump announced an 'energy ceasefire' that Moscow says was never defined, and as he waived a new U.S. sanctions law on Russia.
Container Ship GFS Pride Sinks Near Hormuz and Cape Dao Sinks Weeks After Being Hit; Brent Touches $110 Before Closing at $109.86
Iran says it is stepping up attacks because of the U.S. blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions, while U.S. Central Command says Washington and its partners still control the strait.
Thousands of Imran Khan Supporters March Toward Islamabad After Talks Collapse; Capital Under Section 144 as PTI Says About 2,000 Detained
Pakistan's government and Khan's party blame each other for the breakdown. The government points to a counterterrorism draft in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that it says the province backed out of. The PTI cites access to the jailed ex-premier and what it calls unilateral anti-terror measures.
Saudi-Led Coalition Says It Intercepted Six Houthi Ballistic Missiles Aimed at Taif and Yanbu; Houthis Separately Claim 'Dozens' of Missiles and Drones Hit Saudi Bases in Jazan
Both claims came on Thursday, Sept. 24. France has since pledged troops and air defenses for the Yanbu oil port, after Riyadh asked four countries for air-defense help. Washington has ruled out a direct combat role.
Russian Drones Hit Pavlohrad Shopping Center; Canada Pledges C$350 Million for Ukrainian Air Defense
Ukrainian officials say a daytime drone attack on a shopping center in Pavlohrad killed at least four people on Sept. 10, hours after Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a partnership declaration in Calgary.
Rome Talks End Without Agreement on Who Verifies Hezbollah Disarmament; Israel Strikes South Lebanon After Two Reservists Killed
Israeli and Lebanese delegates finished a seventh round of U.S.-mediated talks on August 6 without naming the countries that would inspect cleared zones, and Israel resumed strikes after a bomb blast killed two reservists in Majdal Zoun.
France Sets Partial Night Curfews in Parts of Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice and Other Cities After Weekend Looting; 2,513 Detained
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police "lost control" in some cities and offered to resign, which President Macron refused. French stocks and bonds fell Monday as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's minority government tries to pass a deficit-cutting budget.
Israel Marks Three Years Since Oct. 7 Attack as Gaza Truce Stalls Over Hamas Disarmament and Israeli Withdrawal
Israel says its troops will stay in Gaza until Hamas's disarmament is verified. Hamas says it is committed to the Trump-brokered ceasefire and accuses Israel of breaking it. Israel votes on Oct. 27.
U.S. Flies All 12 B-1 Bombers Out of Britain's RAF Fairford After Reported Iranian Drone Threat; Iran Denies Role
Trump cited "some threats" and Vance cited "an abundance of caution" while saying the U.S. feels "with some confidence" Iran is behind it. Rubio said he would not "directly tie" the move to the arrests of suspects near the base, none of whom has been charged.
Pakistani Airstrikes in Kunar and Helmand Kill 9, Afghan Taliban Say; Pakistan Says It Killed 22 Militants
Kabul says women and children were among the dead in strikes late Wednesday, while Islamabad says it hit hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban and a Baloch separatist group and harmed no civilians; neither count has been independently verified.
UN Security Council Votes 12-0-3 to Extend Haiti Gang Suppression Force Through March 31, 2027
Resolution 2829, sponsored by the U.S. and Panama, passed with China, Russia and Pakistan abstaining. The force is at less than 30% of its authorized size, and Haiti plans its first election in a decade for December 13.