Noontime News Recap: Russia election opens under pressure as Middle East tensions and Ukraine strikes escalate
Russia has opened a three day parliamentary election for the State Duma, with voting starting in the far east and expected to deliver another victory for President Vladimir Putin, even as a report says the Kremlin has intensified a pre election crackdown. đź”— đź”—Ukraine said a morning Russian drone attack injured five people, including three children, in the Kyiv region near the capital, while separate strikes hit Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro. Poland also warned that Russia may try to carry out drone and rocket attacks against NATO states backing Ukraine, and said its airspace remains restricted. đź”— đź”—In the Middle East,... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews Recap | 18 Sep 2026 12:24 LONDON
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Boko Haram fighters and ISIL supporters accused of using AI chatbots for bombmaking and attack planning
Boko Haram fighters and supporters of the wider ISIL movement are being linked to the use of major artificial intelligence chatbots for bombmaking, attack planning and battlefield problem-solving, according to research and exclusive material described in the supplied reporting. The findings focus on northeastern Nigeria and on online spaces used by ISIL supporters, where users were said to be sharing ways to bypass AI safeguards. The material points to a developing pattern in which extremist groups are adapting consumer AI tools for operational use.Researchers from the University of Cambridge said they interviewed 27 former members of Boko Haram's two factions,... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 18 Sep 2026 10:03 LONDON
US approves $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 warplanes to Saudi Arabia amid congressional review
The United States has approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth warplanes to Saudi Arabia, according to the State Department. The decision marks a major arms transaction for the Gulf kingdom and comes as Washington deepens security cooperation with Riyadh. The proposed transfer still requires approval from US lawmakers before it can proceed.The State Department said the sale would improve Saudi Arabia's ability to deter current and future threats by strengthening homeland defence and interoperability with US forces. It also said the aircraft would expand the kingdom's operational fleet and improve air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defence capability. The Saudi... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 18 Sep 2026 09:59 LONDON
Syria issues first verdicts over coastal killings as more rulings expected next week
A military criminal court in Aleppo has issued the first verdicts in a case linked to last year's mass killings in Syria's coastal regions. The court sentenced two supporters of deposed president Bashar al-Assad to death and life imprisonment, and gave a former member of government forces a 20-year prison term. A fourth defendant was acquitted, and further rulings are expected next week.The verdicts were announced on Thursday in a judicial process that began last November, when 14 people were accused of involvement in the killings. According to the available material, the court has held several public hearings to examine... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 17 Sep 2026 13:59 LONDON
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Two Britons among three killed in Swiss Alps light aircraft crash
Two British nationals were among three people killed when a light aircraft crashed into a mountain slope near Leukerbad in the Swiss Alps, authorities said. The Cirrus SR22T came down in the southern canton of Valais shortly after taking off from Sion airport. Emergency crews were sent to the remote scene after the aircraft collided with the slope about 10 minutes after departure.Officials said the crash happened on Tuesday, but the cause has not yet been established. The Swiss Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the accident. Valais Police and the Office of the Attorney General have also... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 16 Sep 2026 23:30 LONDON
Kosovo tribunal convicts Hashim Thaci and three former KLA leaders, sentencing him to 25 years
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague has convicted former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders of war crimes and sentenced Thaci to 25 years in prison. The ruling was delivered on Wednesday after a three-year trial and concerns crimes linked to the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo. Thaci stood in silence as Presiding Judge Charles Smith read out the sentence, while supporters gathered in Pristina and outside the court reacted with shock and anger.The court found Thaci guilty of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention, and said he had used his position, leadership,... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 16 Sep 2026 15:59 LONDON
Republican lawmaker moves to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth
A Republican member of the US House of Representatives has moved to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of violating constitutional limits on the use of military force. Thomas Massie read articles of impeachment in the House on Tuesday, setting up a long-shot effort in a chamber controlled by Republicans. The move centres on criticism of US military actions, including the war on Iran, and on allegations that Hegseth has shown disregard for civilian harm.Massie said Hegseth had waged war without congressional approval, carried out extrajudicial killings and paid little attention to civilian casualties in military operations. He said... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 16 Sep 2026 00:30 LONDON
UN warns Gaza rubble clearing may destroy evidence and remains
The United Nations human rights chief has warned that rubble clearing in Gaza may be destroying evidence of war crimes and concealing human remains. Volker Turk said areas of the enclave continue to be levelled by bulldozers and heavy machinery, with what he described as no respect for the dead under the rubble. His comments were issued on Tuesday as more remains were uncovered from destroyed sites.Turk said the remains being recovered appeared to include entire families, with many of the victims believed to be women and children. He said the discovery of extensive remains in Gaza City had revived... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 15 Sep 2026 20:59 LONDON
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Bangsamoro election ends in hung parliament as coalition talks loom
Unofficial results from the first parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao show that no party won a majority, leaving the region set for coalition negotiations. With more than 99% of votes counted, the two rival parties linked to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front each won more than 30% of the vote, according to the partial count cited in the supplied material. Neither side reached the 41 seats needed to control the 80-member parliament.The result marks a significant moment for the Muslim-majority region in the southern Philippines, where the vote was intended to complete a long political... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 15 Sep 2026 18:00 LONDON
Houthis advance near Bab al-Mandeb as Qatar warns of wider shipping disruption
Qatar has warned that losing access to Bab al-Mandeb while the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked would be catastrophic, as Houthi forces consolidate gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast. In remarks in Doha, Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi, director of media and communication at Qatar's foreign ministry, said the world could not afford to add Bab al-Mandeb to the disruption already caused by the Hormuz blockade. He said blocking international waterways could not become the new normal and urged countries to work together to prevent further escalation.The warning follows reports that the Houthis seized the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 15 Sep 2026 16:00 LONDON
Houthi projectile wounds two in Saudi Arabia's Jazan region
A projectile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck Saudi Arabia's southern Jazan region on Saturday, wounding two people and damaging civilian property, according to Saudi Civil Defence. The strike landed in al-Tuwal governorate and damaged a mosque, several buildings and vehicles. Saudi authorities said emergency procedures were put in place after the incident.The Houthis said their attack targeted a Saudi military base in Sharurah, in the southern Najran province. Saudi Civil Defence, however, said the projectile hit civilian objects in Jazan and described that as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. It also said the danger had passed in... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 13 Sep 2026 01:59 LONDON
Israel-Lebanon Rome talks delayed to October amid renewed strikes
The next round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations in Rome has been delayed until October, according to a US official. The talks had previously been expected in early September, but the planned meeting in the Italian capital will not now go ahead as scheduled. The delay comes as strikes have increased in recent days and follows Israel's destruction of Hezbollah tunnels in southern Lebanon the day before.The same official said Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors will still meet at the State Department in Washington next week to discuss ongoing developments and the continued implementation of a framework deal agreed in June. That arrangement,... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 12 Sep 2026 01:30 LONDON
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Houthis seize Perim Island and Mokha, tightening grip on Red Sea shipping lane
The Houthis have reportedly expanded their control along Yemen's western Red Sea coast, taking Perim Island at the mouth of the Bab al-Mandab Strait and capturing the port city of Mokha. The advance gives the Iran-backed group a stronger position on one of the world's most sensitive maritime chokepoints. It also deepens concern over the security of a shipping lane used by vessels moving between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.A source from Yemen's internationally recognised government said Perim, also known as Mayyun, was seized after pro-government forces withdrew on Friday. Military sources said Mokha fell a day... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 11 Sep 2026 18:29 LONDON
Myanmar airport closed after reported drone attack on Mandalay hub
Myanmar's military-backed authorities have said they thwarted a drone attack on Tada-U International Airport near Mandalay, prompting flight cancellations and a temporary halt to some operations. The airport is Myanmar's second-busiest and serves as a major transport link for the central city and surrounding region. The disruption was reported on September 11, with international flights cancelled for two days.Myanmar Airways International said all international flights from the airport on September 11 and 12 had been cancelled, while domestic services were being transferred to a nearby airport until further notice for operational reasons. State media said security forces had stopped an... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 11 Sep 2026 13:59 LONDON
Amnesty says Russia's foreign recruit drive amounts to human trafficking as report adds detail
Amnesty International has said Russia is coercing foreign nationals into military service through deception, blackmail, confiscation of documents and threats of deportation, in a report that says the practice amounts to human trafficking under international law. The rights group said the findings are based on interviews with prisoners of war from more than a dozen countries held in Ukrainian captivity. It said almost all of those interviewed described abuses during recruitment that led them into Russia's armed forces.The report says some recruits were offered fake civilian jobs in logistics, warehouses or construction, often at salaries of about $2,000 a month.... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 11 Sep 2026 12:32 LONDON
Fear the Shia, Arm the Sunnis: The Uncomfortable Numbers Behind America’s War Narrative
“When fear is managed carefully enough, a nation can be taught to look away from the blood on the floor and stare instead at the shadow on the wall.” A friend of mine, whose name I will not reveal because he asked me not to, sat across from me over dinner and placed a question on the table that would not leave me alone. He was born into a Muslim Shia background, and for the angle of this article, that detail matters, not because I wish to reduce a man to a sect, but because sect has become one of... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews-Opinion | 23 May 2026 08:00 LONDON
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