US Congress passes a Russia sanctions bill that lets Trump put 100% tariffs on India and China

The rest of the day

39 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Saudi Arabia says a drone was aimed at Mecca

   Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it shot down a drone fired by Yemen's Houthis towards Mecca, Islam's holiest city. [9] The Houthis, an armed group backed by Iran, denied it. [9] Two regional officials say Saudi Arabia is running low on interceptors, the missiles that shoot down attacks. It has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt for air defences. [10] US officials met the Houthis in Oman at the weekend, several sources say. [19][10]

   Why it matters — Turkey and Pakistan have a new defence pact with Saudi Arabia, but their officials say Saudi Arabia has not asked them for help. [10] The US, its main arms supplier, is short of interceptors after six months of war with Iran. [10]

2. 03

   Arms experts find new Houthi weapons

   Conflict Armament Research, a British group that traces weapons, says the Houthis are testing loitering torpedoes, which no other armed group is known to have. [20] Iran still ships them whole weapons and kits, but the group now does some research of its own. [20] The Houthis took Yemen's whole Red Sea coast last week, and more than 125,000 people fled their homes. [20] Only 21 ships passed the strait at the Red Sea's southern end on Monday, against about 47 a day in mid-July. [11]

   Why it matters — Fewer ships in the Red Sea means less money for Egypt. The Suez Canal, at the sea's northern end, is one of its biggest sources of income. [11]

3. 04

   A war-damaged Gaza building collapses, killing 21

   A damaged block of flats fell down in Gaza, killing at least 21 Palestinians. [21][22] One survivor, Hayat, lost nine relatives, including both parents. [21] Her family had moved into a badly damaged third-floor flat about two months ago to get out of a tent. [21] Rescue workers said they began digging with bare hands, because Israel limits what equipment can enter Gaza. They later borrowed heavy machines. [22]

   Why it matters — Many families in Gaza still live in tents, because Israel restricts rebuilding. That pushes people into buildings that were hit during the war. [21]

4. 05

   Israeli strike kills a boy helping a paramedic

   An Israeli drone hit a group of Palestinians in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City on Tuesday and wounded a paramedic. [13] When people ran to help him, a second strike hit the same place. [13] It killed Mohammad Abdul Zinati, 15, who was walking home from school. [13] Israel said it was targeting Hamas members. Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians across Gaza that day, including two children. [13][22]

   Why it matters — The strikes came almost a year into a ceasefire that the US helped agree in October 2025. [13] Deaths in Gaza have not stopped under it. [22]

5. 06

   Russian drones hit a bus and two trains in Ukraine

   A Russian drone hit a bus near Nikopol in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing five people and wounding seven. [12][23] Drones also struck a passenger train in the Mykolaiv region, where all 168 people on board got off safely, and a locomotive in Kovel near Poland. [23] Ukraine's state rail company says Russia has attacked 1,700 railway sites this year, up from 1,206 in 2025. [23]

   Why it matters — Ukraine's airspace has been closed since 2022, so buses and trains are how most people and goods get around. [23] Ukraine's foreign minister says more than 500 locomotives have been damaged or destroyed. [12]

6. 07

   Gold mine collapse kills dozens in Sudan

   Mine shafts caved in at the al-Zaraa gold mine near al-Nuhud in West Kordofan, Sudan, on Tuesday. [24] At least 67 people died, a medical group and survivors said, and Al Jazeera reported at least 70. [14][24] No trained rescue teams came, and miners dug through loose sand with hand tools. [24] The area is held by the Rapid Support Forces, the armed group fighting Sudan's army since April 2023. [14][24]

   Why it matters — Smuggled gold is one of the main ways the Rapid Support Forces pay for their war. [24] The miners who dig it work with almost no safety rules. [24]

7. 08

   UN chief wants Sudan's foreign backers held to account

   Antonio Guterres, the head of the UN, said countries that send weapons into Sudan's war should be held accountable. [25] He did not name them. [25] A UN fact-finding team said this month that foreign weapons, drones and fighters are keeping the war going. [25] At a UN meeting, Liberia's ambassador said an air attack on 30 August destroyed two marked food trucks near Dilling carrying 50 tonnes of food. [26]

   Why it matters — The war has driven more than 14 million people from their homes. [25] Liberia said the attack on the food trucks was the eighth on the UN's food agency in Sudan this year. [26]

8. 09

   US allies worry Trump will bargain over Taiwan

   Trump hosts China's leader Xi Jinping on 24 September. [8] Officials in Japan and Taiwan fear he may soften US support for Taiwan to win a trade deal. [8] China claims Taiwan, which governs itself, and has never ruled out force to take it. [8] A $14bn US arms package for Taiwan has waited for Trump's approval for months. [8] China's foreign minister also backed Iran on Wednesday, and warned the fighting must not spread further into Yemen. [27]

   Why it matters — Japan's biggest fear, two of its ruling-party lawmakers say, is Trump trading softer words on Taiwan for Chinese promises to buy US goods before the US midterm elections. [8]

9. 10

   Belarus frees 25 prisoners as US lifts sanctions

   Belarus agreed to free 25 prisoners, John Coale, the US envoy for Belarus, said on Wednesday. [6] In return, the US lifts sanctions on two Belarusian companies, Lakokraska and Bellesbumprom. [6] Belarus's leader Alexander Lukashenko has ruled for more than 30 years. Western countries sanctioned Belarus for jailing critics and for letting Russia invade Ukraine from its land. [6] Coale says more releases will follow. [6]

   Why it matters — Lukashenko has freed hundreds of political prisoners in US-brokered deals since Trump returned to office. [6] Each deal has also removed some US sanctions. [6]

10. 11

    EU offers Canada a new kind of membership

    Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, offered Canada a new status of associate member of the European Union on Wednesday. [28][29] Canada's prime minister Mark Carney came to hear the speech, though he had said Canada wants an alliance, not membership. [28] She did not say what the status would mean. [29] A similar idea for Ukraine faded in May after EU governments pushed back. [29][28]

    Why it matters — A poll found 49% of Canadians would back EU membership, after US tariffs and Trump's talk of taking over Canada. [29]

11. 12

    EU chief wants a plan for drone incursions

    In the same speech, von der Leyen asked for an EU system to respond to drone incursions, sabotage and cyberattacks. [30] Any member country could call all the others together, like Article 4 of NATO's treaty, which lets threatened allies call emergency talks. [30] Germany, Denmark and Poland have accused Russia of drone flights, arson and sabotage. [30] This week NATO jets shot down a drone over Lithuania for the first time. [30]

    Why it matters — European governments have no agreed answer to attacks that fall short of war. This plan is an attempt to give them one. [30]

12. 13

    Sweden's left wins by one seat

    Sweden's centre-left opposition won the election that took place on Sunday, the public broadcaster SVT said on Wednesday. [15] With 99% counted, it was set for 175 of 349 seats, against 174 for the right-wing government, which includes the far-right Sweden Democrats. [15] Only 26,169 votes separated the two sides. [15] Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats is likely to be prime minister, but must win a vote in parliament, not before 29 September. [31]

    Why it matters — Andersson's party and the Greens together have 121 seats. She still needs two partners that disagree with each other. [31]

13. 14

    Merz's party faces two tough state votes

    Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz has led the country for 16 months and is deeply unpopular. [18] On 6 September the far-right AfD won 43.8% in Saxony-Anhalt, against 17.2% for his Christian Democrats. [32] On Sunday two more states vote, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin. [18] Eight state premiers from his party wrote in his support, and Merz dropped a trip to the UN next week. [32][18]

    Why it matters — His party could fall below 5% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. That would leave it with no seats in a state parliament for the first time. [18]

14. 15

    Top Democrat blocks a bomb sale to Israel

    Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the US House foreign affairs committee, said he will block a $2.8bn sale of heavy bombs to Israel. [33] The package includes 40,000 bombs weighing 2,000 pounds each. [33] He says the Trump government has not shown they will be used within US law in Gaza and Lebanon. [33] Secretary of State Marco Rubio can skip the review by declaring an emergency, as he did last year. [33]

    Why it matters — Most of the $2.8bn would be paid from US military aid to Israel. [34] That means US taxpayers would pay for most of the bombs. [34]

15. 16

    Netanyahu wants to strip citizenship over a film

    Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Wednesday two bills aimed at people who defame Israeli soldiers. [17] One would take away their citizenship, and the other would raise defamation damages twentyfold. [17] He named NAZA, a documentary about the Gaza war by two Israeli filmmakers. [17] Israel's Supreme Court allowed citizenship to be removed for breach of trust in 2022, and a new law would likely be challenged in court. [17]

    Why it matters — Israel votes on 27 October, and polls show Netanyahu's coalition could lose. [17] He has accused rivals of being too soft on the film. [17]

16. 17

    Poll puts Netanyahu's side just ahead

    A Channel 13 poll published on Wednesday gives the parties backing Netanyahu 54 of the 120 seats in Israel's parliament. [16] The bloc led by the former army chief Gadi Eisenkot gets 52. [16] Eisenkot's Yashar party is the largest single party on 22 seats. Netanyahu's Likud drops to 18, its lowest in months. [16] The poll asked 886 people and has a margin of error of 3.3%. [16]

    Why it matters — Neither side reaches 61, the number needed to govern. Arab parties, on 14 seats, sit outside both blocs. [16]

17. 18

    US keeps Abbas out of the UN meeting

    The US State Department extended its ban on visas for Palestinian Authority officials. [35] That stops the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas from going to the UN General Assembly in New York next week, for the second year running. [35] The US accuses the Palestinian Authority of seeking statehood outside talks with Israel and of going to international courts. [35] Its regular UN staff can keep working. [35]

    Why it matters — Abbas had planned to push for recognition of a Palestinian state, after Britain, France and Canada recognised one this month. [35] No Israeli officials face a similar ban. [35]

18. 19

    Lebanese town fears losing its UN escort

    About 6,000 people still live in Rmeich, a mostly Christian town inside the zone Israel has held in southern Lebanon since its war with Hezbollah began in March. [36] UN peacekeepers from UNIFIL escort food convoys to it, but their mission ends at the end of this year. [36] Convoys were cancelled last week, and fresh food and fuel are running low. [36] An Israeli official said UNIFIL's role is not vital. [36]

    Why it matters — This year's war has killed more than 4,300 people in Lebanon and left 300,000 still displaced. [36] Without the peacekeepers, the town's only link to the rest of Lebanon runs through Israeli checkpoints. [36]

19. 20

    Indian and Pakistani warships collide

    A Pakistani navy ship collided with an Indian warship in the north Arabian Sea on Tuesday, India says. [37] There was no major damage. [37] India called in Pakistan's top diplomat and said the ship broke a 1991 agreement to keep warships three nautical miles apart. [37][38] Pakistan's government did not comment. [38]

    Why it matters — It is the first open military incident between the two nuclear-armed neighbours since their four-day conflict last year. [37] Both countries claim all of Kashmir, and they have fought three wars since 1947. [38]

20. 21

    Duterte appears at the ICC for the first time

    Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, appeared in person at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Wednesday. [39] He is accused over killings in his war on drugs, when police say 6,200 suspects died and rights groups say up to 30,000. [40] His lawyers say memory loss makes him unfit for trial. [39] Judges have ordered a medical check, and the trial is set for 30 November. [39]

    Why it matters — Families of people killed in the drug war watched in Manila. Llore Pasco, who lost two sons, said the families were happy he had finally appeared. [39]

21. 22

    Ukraine says it killed a Russian general

    Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine's drone forces, says his troops killed the Russian general Grunis on 12 September. [41] A Russian commander, Apti Alaudinov, said Grunis had died but gave no details. [41] In July, Grunis told President Vladimir Putin on television that his brigade had helped capture Kostiantynivka, a city Ukraine says it still holds. [41] Brovdi says Grunis is the seventh Russian commander his forces have killed. [41]

    Why it matters — Russia wants all of Ukraine's Donbas region, and that is its main demand in stalled peace talks. Kostiantynivka is one of the cities in that fight. [41]

22. 23

    Russia votes for a parliament that backs the war

    Russia is electing the 450 members of its lower house of parliament, the Duma, for the first time since the full invasion of Ukraine. [42] Nearly 200 war veterans are standing, officials say. [42] Yabloko, the only registered anti-war party, was removed from the ballot by Russia's Supreme Court in July. [42] Some of its candidates who still run as individuals have been detained. [42]

    Why it matters — Every party in the last Duma voted for 170 laws supporting the war, the Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov said. [42] So the vote is unlikely to change Russia's war policy. [42]

23. 24

    France asks to lift sanctions on a Russian billionaire

    France has joined Slovakia in asking the European Union to lift sanctions on Alisher Usmanov, a Russian metals billionaire, EU diplomats say. [7] He was sanctioned after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. [7] Diplomats say France told them privately that Azerbaijan is using Usmanov to pressure it over two French citizens held there. [7] Azerbaijan has jailed one of them for spying. [7]

    Why it matters — Ties between France and Azerbaijan have been poor since Azerbaijan took back the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2023. [7] Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also asked for Usmanov's sanctions to go. [7]

24. 25

    South Korea's US investment plan is delayed

    South Korea delayed announcing how it will invest $350bn in US industry, its foreign minister Cho Hyun said on Thursday. [43] The pledge was its side of a deal last year that cut US tariffs on Korean goods to 15%. [43] $150bn is set aside for shipbuilding. [43] Cho meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, and a signing could come on 23 September. [43]

    Why it matters — Delays in carrying out the deal led Trump to threaten South Korea with higher tariffs earlier this year. [43]

25. 26

    Malaysia offers Myanmar's ruler a visit for refugees

    Malaysia's prime minister Anwar Ibrahim will invite Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar's leader, on an official visit if Myanmar takes back Rohingya refugees. [44] Min Aung Hlaing seized power in a 2021 coup and became president in April after an army-run election. [44] Anwar says 5,000 Rohingya will return first. [44] ASEAN, the group of Southeast Asian countries, has barred Myanmar's leaders from its summits since 2021. [44]

    Why it matters — Myanmar's civil war has killed an estimated 100,000 people, and the army is accused of atrocities. [44] Anwar says Malaysia still does not recognise the new government. [44]

26. 27

    Indonesia's finance minister was pushed out

    Indonesia's president Prabowo Subianto removed his finance minister Purbaya after a fight with the head of customs, three sources say. [45] The row was over moving hundreds of officials in the tax and customs offices. [45] The customs chief served with Prabowo in the special forces and can see him directly. [45] He denies there was a conflict. [45]

    Why it matters — Investors welcomed the change for Indonesia's $1.5 trillion economy. [45] Analysts say it shows how Prabowo's trusted former soldiers can overrule experts. [45]

27. 28

    Japan's prime minister reshuffles her cabinet

    Japan's prime minister Sanae Takaichi is reshuffling her cabinet on Thursday, her first change since taking office last October. [46] She is expected to keep Satsuki Katayama as finance minister. [46] Japan's 10-year borrowing costs hit their highest in three decades this week. [46] Japan's public debt is twice the size of its economy, the largest among rich countries. [46]

    Why it matters — Analysts say lenders will welcome keeping Katayama, because they worry about Takaichi's big spending plans. She is also expected to keep a minister who wants more spending. [46]

28. 29

    UN experts say Venezuela still represses critics

    A UN fact-finding team said Venezuela's system of repression is largely intact, eight months after the US seized President Nicolas Maduro. [47] It said political detentions have fallen, and interim President Delcy Rodriguez closed El Helicoide, a notorious jail. [47] But hundreds are still held for political reasons, the team says. It recorded claims of beatings and electric shocks in two prisons. [47] It also called the US operation a breach of international law. [47]

    Why it matters — Officials linked to past abuses still hold key posts. [47] The report asks Venezuela's government to free political prisoners and break up its armed civilian groups. [47]

29. 30

    Machado weighs going home to Venezuela

    Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, plans to return home but has set no date, four opposition sources say. [48] US officials privately asked her to delay after Venezuela's earthquakes in June. [48] US-backed talks on Venezuela's political future do not include her movement. [48] Her approval rating fell to 53% in August from 72% in July. [48]

    Why it matters — An analyst says the US worries she could upset its plans by rallying people to push out Maduro-era officials. [48] Trump has praised the interim president instead. [48]

30. 31

    US oil firms move back into Venezuela

    Continental Resources, an Oklahoma oil company, signed a first agreement with Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA on Wednesday. [49][50] ExxonMobil is in talks to return to the Orinoco Belt, a huge heavy-oil region, sources say. [49] Exxon left nearly 20 years ago after Hugo Chavez's government took over its projects. [49] A US-backed $100bn plan is meant to rebuild Venezuela's oil industry. [50]

    Why it matters — Continental is one of several companies that talked to the Trump government about investing after US forces removed Maduro in January. [50] ConocoPhillips is holding back until it gets money it is owed, sources say. [49]

31. 32

    Argentine judge orders a halt to Falklands oil

    A federal judge in Tierra del Fuego ordered work stopped on Sea Lion, an oil project off the Falkland Islands. [51] Argentina claims the islands, which Britain holds, and the two fought a war over them in 1982. [51] The companies, Israel's Navitas Petroleum and Britain's Rockhopper, say they will carry on. [51] The judge admitted enforcement depends on them. [51]

    Why it matters — Britain says Argentine law does not apply on the islands. [51] Trump has hinted the US could drop its neutral stance, because Britain did not back his war on Iran. [51]

32. 33

    US bars South African officials over race claims

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa bans on people he says take part in discrimination against white South Africans. [52][53] He named no one. [52] South Africa's government calls the claims baseless. [52] The dispute centres on a 2025 law that lets the state take land without paying in rare cases. In most cases the state must first try to reach a deal with the owner. [53]

    Why it matters — The US has already cut aid, expelled South Africa's ambassador and offered refuge to Afrikaners, white descendants of Dutch and French settlers. [53]

33. 34

    Bangladesh steps up its measles campaign

    More than 1,000 children have died in a measles outbreak in Bangladesh, and about 1,000 new suspected cases still arrive every day. [54] There have been more than 194,000 cases since March. [54] 19.8 million children have been vaccinated. [54] UNICEF, the UN children's agency, says a stronger phase begins on 26 September to reach children still missed. [54]

    Why it matters — About 83% of confirmed cases are in unvaccinated children, the World Health Organization says. [54] UNICEF says delayed vaccine orders last year left gaps. [54]

34. 35

    Latin America stays deadliest for land defenders

    Global Witness, a campaign group, counted 128 killings of people defending land and the environment in 2025, down from 146 in 2024. [55] Colombia had the most, and 85% of the killings were in Latin America. [55] Killings in Brazil doubled. [55] The Philippines led Asia with 12. [55]

    Why it matters — Most killings were over land disputes, often by hired killers or crime gangs. [55] Global Witness says the real number is probably higher, because many cases go unreported. [55]

35. 36

    Colombia rescues eight people held by the ELN

    Colombia's army freed eight people held hostage by the ELN, a left-wing guerrilla group, President Abelardo de la Espriella said on Tuesday. [56] The rescue took place in Catatumbo, a violent region on the border with Venezuela. [56]

    Why it matters — Illegal armed groups in Colombia fight over land to grow coca, the plant used to make cocaine, and to mine illegally, Global Witness says. [55]

36. 37

    Swiss look set to keep NATO ties

    About 68% of Swiss voters plan to reject a plan to tighten the country's neutrality, a poll for 20 Minuten and Tamedia found. [57] A second poll put opposition at 63%. [57] The right-wing Swiss People's Party wants to ban cooperation with NATO and ban sanctions on other countries. [57] The vote is on 27 September. [57]

    Why it matters — Neutrality has been in Switzerland's constitution since 1848. Backers of the change say it was put at risk when Switzerland put sanctions on Russia in 2022. [57]

37. 38

    Boko Haram denies a truce with Nigeria

    A Boko Haram official called a reported ceasefire with Nigeria's government a lie. [58] The newspaper Premium Times had reported that a truce began in June, tied to the release of more than 300 people kidnapped in Borno State in March. [58] Its sources said a ransom of 5 billion naira was paid, which Nigeria's government denies. [58] Nigeria's security officials did not comment. [58]

    Why it matters — The group accused Nigeria's government of misleading the public now that election season has begun. [58]

38. 39

    Britain's unions back a boycott of Israel

    The Trades Union Congress, which represents more than 5.3 million workers in Britain, voted on Wednesday to back the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. [59] It is the first time it has done so. [59] The motion calls for an end to arms deals with Israel. [59] Britain's foreign secretary Ed Miliband banned goods from Israeli settlements last week but opposes a boycott. [59]

    Why it matters — The vote puts more pressure on Britain's government, which banned settlement goods but says normal trade with Israel will go on. [59]

39. 40

    English village votes to leave the UK

    In Piddington, a village near Oxford, 285 of 312 voters backed seeking self-rule in a vote with no legal force. [60] It was a protest against a plan to house more than 1,200 asylum seekers at a disused military site nearby for at least ten years. [60] Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would consider their concerns. Britain's government says the site will go ahead. [60]

    Why it matters — Britain's government wants to use old military bases so it relies less on hotels for asylum seekers. [60]