Breakfast News Recap: UN tensions deepen as Russia strikes Kyiv and leaders clash over Gaza, Ukraine and Iran
Russia launched fresh ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv early on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring six, in another attack that damaged buildings across the capital and underlined the continuing pressure on Ukraine as leaders gathered at the United Nations in New York. đź”—Volodymyr Zelenskyy used his UN address to urge sustained economic pressure on Moscow, saying Russia is using fighters from 47 countries in the war, while Ukraine and Russia also intensified their long range drone war over occupied Luhansk far from the front line. đź”— đź”— đź”—The UN General Assembly has become a focal point for the wider... [Continue Reading]
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Pakistan-administered Kashmir lawmakers vote for president amid months of unrest
Lawmakers in Pakistan-administered Kashmir are voting on Thursday to elect a president, filling the region's last vacant constitutional office nearly eight months after it fell empty. The vote is taking place in Muzaffarabad at the assembly secretariat between 10am and 1pm local time. It comes despite seven assembly seats remaining vacant in districts at the centre of months of unrest.Najeeb Naqi Khan, the candidate backed by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, is expected to win. The party and its allies hold 32 of the 46 occupied seats in the 53-member Legislative Assembly, which is enough to secure the 27 votes... [Continue Reading]
Finland's Stubb urges UN reform and cooperation in General Assembly speech
Finnish President Alexander Stubb used his General Debate speech at the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly in New York on 22 September 2026 to argue that the world is facing a choice between cooperation and conflict. He opened by citing Kofi Annan's warning that "whatever our differences, we stand or fall together," and said disorder follows when that lesson is forgotten. Stubb said foreign policy rests on values, interests, and power, but said this year he wanted to focus on a simpler choice: cooperation or conflict. Stubb said co-operation is being undermined by a lack of trust, disregard... [Continue Reading]
Israeli minister and settlers enter Al-Aqsa compound amid holiday tensions
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem under heavy police protection, while hundreds of settlers also entered the site for religious rituals during the Jewish holiday period. The developments came as tensions remained high around one of the most sensitive religious locations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The reporting also says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured excavation tunnels beneath the Al-Aqsa compound and the Old City during the same holiday period.According to the supplied material, about 570 settlers entered the compound to perform rituals, with more than 450 entering the following morning,... [Continue Reading]
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Israeli raid in Biddu leaves at least 53 Palestinians detained as town is locked down
Israeli forces have carried out a raid in Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, detaining at least 53 Palestinians and placing the town under lockdown. Schools, shops and educational institutions were shut as troops searched homes and moved through the area. The operation began early on Monday and is the third incursion into Biddu since a Palestinian man from the town, suspected of killing an Israeli settler, was arrested.The Jerusalem Governorate said at least 53 young men were being held in an interrogation centre set up inside one of the houses seized during the raid. Biddu Mayor... [Continue Reading]
Far-right anti-immigration protest in The Hague turns violent as arrests rise
Dutch riot police dispersed several hundred far-right protesters in The Hague after violence broke out at a planned anti-immigration march in the city centre. Local authorities banned the march and ordered the crowd to disperse after fireworks and other projectiles were thrown at officers. Police also used pepper spray and a water cannon as they moved to restore order around the Malieveld park.The Dutch public broadcaster reported that 24 people were arrested, with detentions linked to offences including failing to comply with the dispersal order and illegally possessing weapons. Justice minister David van Weel called for an extremely firm response... [Continue Reading]
Bolivia ratifies $1.9bn IMF deal and ends diesel subsidies amid protest threats
Just hours after Bolivia's Congress ratified a $1.9 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund, President Rodrigo Paz announced an immediate end to diesel subsidies. The move affects fuel used by trucks, buses and tractors, and is part of the government's effort to stabilise an economy under strain. Gasoline subsidies for private cars will remain in place for now, although Paz has already reduced that support in recent months.The Senate's approval on Friday completed the final legislative step for the three-year financing programme, after the lower house backed it a day earlier. The IMF first announced a staff-level agreement... [Continue Reading]
Tehran rally draws hundreds of thousands as Iran unveils new volunteer force
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in a government-organised rally in Tehran, where Iran presented a newly formed volunteer force linked to defence and emergency response preparations. Authorities said the mobilisation was part of a broader show of readiness as the country braces for the possibility of conflict. The event took place in downtown Tehran and featured participants in combat uniforms, alongside flags, weapons, drones and anti-aircraft batteries.Iranian authorities said 313,000 people joined the rally in the capital. Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief, Hassan Hassanzadeh, said more than 600,000 people had registered for the voluntary Janfada-ye-Iran campaign,... [Continue Reading]
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Italy to deploy warships to protect shipping through Bab al-Mandeb
Italy says it will deploy warships to protect commercial vessels transiting the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a move its defence minister says is needed to avoid severe economic fallout if the route becomes impassable. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Rome will not wait for a joint European Union decision before acting. He said Italy has the capabilities to protect the passage and should not allow bureaucratic delays to worsen an already complex situation.Bab al-Mandeb links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world's busiest shipping corridors between Europe and Asia. The narrow waterway is a... [Continue Reading]
At least 26 killed in clashes in Sudan-South Sudan border region of Abyei
At least 26 people have been killed and 82 others injured in days of intercommunal fighting in the disputed Abyei region on the border between Sudan and South Sudan. The violence has prompted the United Nations to reinforce its security presence around Abyei town. The clashes are the latest in a long-running dispute over a territory whose status has remained unresolved since South Sudan became independent in 2011.The fighting erupted at Amiet Common Market after separate killings of a Ngok Dinka man on Monday and a Misseriya man on Tuesday, according to the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei. The... [Continue Reading]
UN mission says US may have committed war crimes in Iran strikes as findings widen scrutiny of Tehran
The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has said there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran in February. The mission said the attacks hit a primary school in Minab and a sports complex in Lamerd, killing civilians and damaging civilian infrastructure. It also said Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their crackdown on protests in late 2025 and early 2026.According to the report, the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab killed at least 156 people, including about 120 children, while the Lamerd strike killed 22... [Continue Reading]
Shadows of Fire: The Long Arc of Iran–United States Tensions
A Region on Edge: The Latest Escalation In recent months, tensions between Iran and the United States have intensified once again, fueled by disputes over regional security, nuclear development, maritime incidents in the Persian Gulf, and the broader strategic balance in the Middle East. Officials in Washington have expressed renewed concern over Iran’s uranium enrichment levels, while leaders in Tehran have accused the United States of economic warfare through sanctions and diplomatic isolation. The fragile equilibrium that followed earlier rounds of indirect negotiations appears increasingly strained, with both sides engaging in sharp rhetoric at the United Nations, reinforcing military postures... [Continue Reading]
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