Houthi attacks set off the first air raid alerts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital

The stories

36 stories on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   Houthi attacks set off the first air raid alerts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital

   112,000

   people forced from their homes inside Yemen in the latest fighting

   Nearly 3,000 more crossed the sea to Djibouti in under a week. [7]

   45

   ships a day through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Sunday

   Traffic had dipped from 35 to 25 a day when the Houthis advanced. [6]

   350,000

   fighters the Houthis may have recruited, by a 2025 UN estimate

   A decade earlier they had about 30,000. [9]

   What happened

   • Saudi Arabia's civil defence issued air raid alerts for Riyadh, the capital, and for Al-Kharj east of it, early on Saturday. [1]
   • They were the first alerts for the capital since the Houthis stepped up their attacks on Saudi Arabia. [1]
   • A Reuters journalist heard two booms in Riyadh's Olaya district. [1]
   • Saudi officials later said the danger had passed and told people to avoid gathering in crowds. [2]
   • The Houthis are an armed movement backed by Iran.
   • They have ruled most of northern Yemen since they took the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. [2]
   • A Saudi-led group of Arab states joined the war against them in 2015.
   • The fighting has killed more than 150,000 people, the UN says. [2]
   • This month the Houthis seized Mocha, a Red Sea port, and Perim Island, beside the narrow strait Saudi tankers use to reach Asia and Europe. [2]
   • Saudi Arabia has relied on that Red Sea route since the US and Israel's war with Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, its usual way out. [2]
   • The Houthis say they are blockading Saudi ships because Saudi Arabia blockades the ports and airports in the part of Yemen they hold. [2]
   • The Houthis said Saudi jets hit their areas 26 times in 24 hours. [3]
   • Yemen's government said its forces killed 30 Houthi fighters in Taiz province on Friday. [3][4]
   • Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the movement's leader, called the Saudi claim that his forces aimed a drone at Mecca, Islam's holiest city, a major lie. [5]
   • Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has asked Trump to strike the Houthis, CBS reported.
   • Trump has offered intelligence and targeting help instead. [2]
   • US officials met Houthi representatives in Muscat, the capital of Oman, last weekend. [3]
   • The Houthis now appear to be eyeing Yemen's oil-rich east, with heavy fighting around the city of Marib. [6]
   • At least 112,000 people have fled their homes inside Yemen, the UN's migration agency said. [7]
   • Nearly 3,000 crossed the sea to Djibouti in under a week, and Djibouti is preparing for up to 10,000. [7]
   • Pakistan, which signed a defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey last month, restated its full commitment to Saudi Arabia's defence. [8]
   • Its foreign office said last week that no military response was being discussed. [8]
   • The EU's naval mission guarding Red Sea shipping, Operation Aspides, raised its alert level on Friday. [3]

   Who is involved

   • The Houthis an armed movement backed by Iran that rules most of northern Yemen; they are attacking Saudi ships, oil sites and cities
   • Saudi Arabia the world's biggest oil exporter, which has led the war on the Houthis since 2015; it blockades their ports and bombs their areas
   • Yemen's government the Saudi-backed government pushed out of Sanaa in 2014; its forces are fighting the Houthis in Taiz and around Marib
   • Donald Trump the US president; he has declined Saudi requests to strike the Houthis and offered intelligence help instead
   • Pakistan a nuclear-armed country that signed a defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey in August; it says no military step is planned yet

   How it unfolded

   1. 2014 The Houthis take Sanaa, Yemen's capital [2]
   2. 2015 A Saudi-led coalition joins the war [2]
   3. 2022 A ceasefire stops most of the fighting [6]
   4. July 2026 The Houthis declare a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia [1]
   5. This month The Houthis seize Mocha and Perim Island on the Red Sea [2]
   6. Saturday The first air raid alerts sound in Riyadh [1]

   Why it matters

   Watch whether the Houthis start treating more ships as Saudi-linked, which an analyst at the conflict monitor ACLED says they might do to put more pressure on Saudi Arabia and the world economy. [6]

   The truth

   • What is really going on The Houthis are attacking Saudi ships, oil sites and now the sky over Riyadh to force Saudi Arabia to lift its blockade of the part of Yemen they rule. [6][2]The US government, already fighting Iran, has given Saudi Arabia only intelligence help, and its officials have met the Houthis in Oman. [2][3]
   • Why it works on people An alarm over a capital makes the war feel close to everyone in it, even though Reuters reported only two booms and then an all-clear. [1]
   • Who gains The Houthis — They told the US that only Saudi-linked ships will be targeted, which keeps the US out while they squeeze Saudi Arabia. [3][6]
   • Who pays Yemeni families — They are crossing to Djibouti on overcrowded boats with little food or water. [7]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What, if anything, was hit near Riyadh.

     A Reuters journalist heard two booms, and the Saudi authorities sent an all-clear without saying what caused them. [1]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How many times Saudi jets have struck Houthi areas.

     The Houthis told AFP of about 300 strikes in a week, while their military spokesman told the BBC more than 450. Neither figure can be checked. [3][2]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How many people have fled the fighting in Yemen.

     The UN's migration agency says 112,000 inside Yemen, while an AP report puts it at about 125,000. [7][6]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Pakistan would fight for Saudi Arabia.

     The defence pact signed in August has not been made to work in practice, and its terms have not been published. [8]

1. 02

   Europe's leaders warn of Russian attacks

   What happened

   • France's president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Friday that Russian attacks against Europe carried out by drones, cyberattacks and sabotage have grown in recent weeks. [11]
   • He ordered a plan to protect power sites and the most sensitive arms factories. [11][21]
   • In a rare crisis meeting, French spy chiefs briefed party leaders and candidates for next year's presidential election. [14]
   • Finland's president, Alexander Stubb, told Finns it was worth preparing for something to happen. [22]

   Why it matters

   Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk, said on Thursday that Russia plans drone or missile strikes on countries that help Ukraine, and the Dutch prime minister said to take that seriously. [22][23]

   Macron also said he will call a G7 meeting within weeks on energy prices and on releasing oil reserves. [14][11]

   How it works

   Why an air raid alarm costs a city even when nothing lands

   Every warning stops a whole city for a while, so an attacker can do damage with missiles that never hit anything.

   The twist

   A missile that is shot down has still shut the shops and stopped the trains for as long as the alarm lasted.

   The picture

   4 minWarning before a fast missile

   vsvs

   10 minDaria's walk to a shelter

   Step by step

   1. 1 An attacker fires drones or missiles towards a city
   2. 2 The city has to warn everyone who might be underneath
   3. 3 Shops shut, trains stop and people lose sleep, whether anything lands or not
   4. 4 The attacker pays for one weapon, and millions of people pay in lost hours
   5. 5 When the warning is shorter than the walk to a shelter, people move away instead

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • Life in Kyiv under fast missiles

     Russia's ballistic missiles give about four minutes' warning, so sirens now close shopping centres and stop metro stations day and night, and some people have left the city.

   • Europe's leaders warn of Russian attacks

     France ordered guards for power sites and arms factories and Finland's president told people to prepare, so the cost of defending starts before any drone arrives.

   • Israel adds troops for Yom Kippur

     Israel's army put extra soldiers on every front and more armed aircraft on standby for the holiday, a cost paid whether or not anyone attacks.

   Where you've seen this

   School fire alarms

   a false alarm still empties every classroom and ends the lesson

   Computer security

   a flood of fake alerts uses up the time of the people who must check each one

   Strike threats

   a company plans for a walkout it is warned about, even if nobody walks out

   The catch

   People who hear alarms every night stop going to shelters and stay behind two walls at home, so each new alarm protects a few fewer of them.

   And the whole of it

   The people paying for these alarms are office workers, parents and children in Riyadh, Kyiv and Paris, most of whom are never hit. The same wars are pushing up the price of diesel and gas in places that hear no siren at all, and each of those people sees only their own part of it.

1. 03

   Trump signs his Russia sanctions law

   What happened

   • Donald Trump signed a bill on Friday that lets him put tariffs of up to 100% on the five biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas. [24][25]
   • China and India are the two biggest. [24]
   • The law also punishes Vladimir Putin, Russian banks and the 'shadow fleet' of tankers that carry Russian oil around earlier sanctions. [24]
   • Countries that buy less than 15% of their gas from Russia and are cutting that share are exempt. [25]
   • The House of Representatives passed it on Wednesday, with 58 Democrats voting for it. [24]
   • He signed it days before Xi Jinping's visit. [26]

   Why it matters

   Russian oil is now more than 40% of India's supply, and India warned the US the law could damage relations between them. [27]

   A jump in fuel prices would be risky for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before state elections early next year. [27]

   The truth

   • Who pays Indian drivers — If the US tariffs force India off cheap Russian oil, which is over 40% of its supply, pump prices could jump. [27]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Trump will actually use the 100% tariff power on China and India.

     The law gives him the power but does not make him use it, and he meets Xi next week. [24][27]

2. 04

   The Iran war's cost reaches $43.6 billion

   What happened

   • The US military told Congress the war with Iran had cost $43.6 billion by 3 September, the Associated Press reported. [28]
   • Central Command, which runs US forces in the Middle East, gave the figure. [28]
   • A Congressional Budget Office report put the cost at $38 billion by 1 August. [28]
   • Weapons alone rose from $21.7 billion to $28.1 billion in just over a month. [28]
   • The count leaves out damage Iranian missiles and drones did to US bases. [28]

   By 1 August$38bn

   By 3 September$43.60bn

   Why it matters

   The war began on 28 February and adds about $3 billion a month, the budget office says. [28]

   The war's political cost will be tested in November's elections for the US Congress, where the war is unpopular with voters. [28]

3. 05

   A dispute over how many US troops died

   What happened

   • The Washington Post reported that at least 22 US troops have died in the Iran war, citing six US officials. [18][29]
   • That is four more than the 18 in the US Defense Department's public casualty list. [18]
   • Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, called the report fake and a lie on social media. [30]
   • The department's public list also counts more than 830 wounded. [28]

   18Public list

   vsvs

   22Washington Post

   Why it matters

   If the Post is right, the public list leaves out deaths that officials already know about. [18]

   The report lands weeks before November's elections for the US Congress, where the war is unpopular. [28]

   The truth

   • Nobody knows yet

     How many US troops have died in the Iran war.

     Officials told the Washington Post at least 22, the US Defense Department's public list says 18, and the defence secretary calls the report a lie. [18][30]

4. 06

   Inside the US inquiry into the Minab school strike

   What happened

   • Two US Tomahawk missiles hit a primary school in Minab, a town in southern Iran, on the first day of the war, killing more than 150 people. [19]
   • US officials involved in the US Defense Department's inquiry told Bloomberg it found a chain of avoidable failures. [19]
   • The target had been listed years earlier as a military site, but satellite images from 2018 already show a school playground there. [19]
   • Some staff also leaned too hard on an AI targeting system called Maven. [19]

   Why it matters

   UN investigators said this week that the US failed to check whether the school was a military target. [31]

   The department's report is described as nearly finished but has not been published. [19]

   The truth

   • Nobody knows yet

     What the US Defense Department's own Minab inquiry found.

     Officials say the report has been nearly finished for months, but it has not been released. [19]

5. 07

   A tanker is hit in the Strait of Hormuz

   What happened

   • A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea lane out of the Gulf, starting a fire that the crew put out. [32]
   • The UK's maritime trade monitor said the crew was safe. [32]
   • Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy said a Togo-flagged tanker caught fire while trying to make an illegal passage through the strait. [32]
   • Iran has claimed control of the strait since the war began. [33]

   Why it matters

   Iran's hold on the strait has badly cut the Gulf's oil and gas shipments to the rest of the world. [33]

6. 08

   Iran's government holds its biggest rally of the war

   What happened

   • Hundreds of thousands of Iranians marched in Tehran on Friday in a rally organised by Iran's government. [33]
   • State television put the crowd above 300,000. [33]
   • Marchers pledged to take up arms, and the Revolutionary Guard's Tehran chief said over 600,000 had signed up for basic weapons training. [33]
   • Some trampled US and Israeli flags. [33]
   • In January, before the war, activists said a crackdown on protests killed over 7,000 people. [33]

   Why it matters

   The rally comes as a US naval blockade of Iran's ports squeezes its economy. [33]

   Hossein Taeb, the new head of the Basij, Iran's volunteer militia, said similar rallies will be held in other cities. [33]

7. 09

   Life in Kyiv under fast missiles

   What happened

   • Russia has switched to more ballistic missiles in its attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, the BBC reports. [10]
   • They fly so fast that residents can get four minutes' warning or less. [10]
   • One woman, Daria, said her walk to the nearest shelter takes about ten minutes, so she moved out of the city. [10]
   • When sirens sound, shopping centres close and above-ground metro stations stop. [10]
   • A ballistic attack on Thursday injured 20 people, said Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko. [10]

   Why it matters

   A taxi across the river when the metro stops can cost 1,000 hryvnias, about $22, which is almost an eighth of Ukraine's monthly minimum wage. [10]

   Kyiv now gets more air raid alerts a day than at any time since 2022. [10]

   How it works

   Russia's ballistic missiles give about four minutes' warning, so sirens now close shopping centres and stop metro stations day and night, and some people have left the city.

   The idea, in story 02: Why an air raid alarm costs a city even when nothing lands →

   The truth

   • Who pays People in Kyiv — Sirens stop the metro and shut shops, and a taxi across the river can cost an eighth of a monthly minimum wage. [10]
8. 10

   Russia starts a three-day vote

   What happened

   • Russians began voting on Friday in a three-day election for parliament, the first held during the war. [34][23]
   • Most anti-war candidates were not allowed to run. [35]
   • Putin said voting would help secure victory in Ukraine. [34]
   • He also accused Ukraine, without evidence, of interfering in the vote. [35]
   • Early results are due on Sunday evening and nearly complete ones on Monday. [34]

   Why it matters

   Russia's government is expected to use turnout to measure how tired Russians are of the war. [34]

   Ukrainian drone strikes have caused fuel shortages in parts of Russia. [34]

   The truth

   • Nobody knows yet

     How many Russians really voted, and freely.

     Results come on Sunday and Monday, and most anti-war candidates were kept off the ballot. [34][35]

9. 11

   Zelensky hosts eight neighbours' first summit

   What happened

   • Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, hosted the first summit of the Carpathian Eight in Bukovel, a ski resort in western Ukraine, on Friday. [23]
   • The group is Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary, with the EU also involved. [23]
   • Poland and Romania are close supporters of Ukraine. [23]
   • Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia have refused to send it direct military help. [23]

   Why it matters

   The eight say they will work together on security, energy and trade across their borders. [23]

   US-led peace talks have stalled over whether Ukraine gives up land in the east. [23]

10. 12

    Denmark speeds up air-defence aid

    What happened

    • Denmark said on Friday it will send Ukraine a package worth 1.8 billion Danish crowns, about $276 million, sooner than planned. [36]
    • The money is for air defences. [36]
    • Denmark said it was answering a Russian warship that fired flares towards a Danish military helicopter, narrowly missing it. [36]
    • The defence minister, Jeppe Bruus, said the response to being rattled was to help Ukraine faster. [36]

    Why it matters

    Denmark gives more aid to Ukraine for its size than almost any country. [36]

    The flares happened in international waters, and Russia says Denmark's helicopter flew dangerously close. [36]

11. 13

    UN counts sexual violence in the Ukraine war

    What happened

    • The UN's human rights office documented 1,004 verified cases of sexual violence linked to the war between February 2022 and July 2026. [20]
    • It tied 89% of them to the Russian side, including soldiers, prison staff and security agencies. [20]
    • It tied 11% to Ukraine's side. [20]
    • The abuse included gang rape and electric shocks, including against prisoners of war. [20]

    Russian side89%

    Ukraine's side11%

    Why it matters

    Ukraine welcomed the report, and Russia's mission in Geneva declined to comment. [20]

    The UN says the true number is higher, because Russia would not let its staff into occupied areas or prisons. [20]

12. 14

    Germany's far right plans gas talks with Moscow

    What happened

    • Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Putin, and the leaders of the AfD, Germany's far-right party, are preparing to meet next year about restarting Russian gas, two people told Reuters. [37]
    • The meeting could come as early as March, but only if a peace framework for Ukraine is agreed first. [37]
    • Before the invasion, Russia supplied more than half of Germany's gas. [37]

    Why it matters

    The AfD does not govern, because other parties refuse to work with it, but it leads national polls. [37]

    It faces another state election on Sunday in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the Nord Stream pipelines from Russia come ashore. [37]

    The truth

    • Who gains Germany's AfD — Planning gas talks with Putin's envoy lets it promise cheaper energy just before Sunday's vote in the state where the Russian pipelines come ashore. [37]
13. 15

    Plans for Xi's state visit to the US

    What happened

    • Trump will greet China's leader, Xi Jinping, at an air base outside Washington on Wednesday, which is unusual for him. [38]
    • A state dinner on Thursday will include Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Nvidia's Jensen Huang. [38]
    • Xi may bring executives from BYD and CATL, China's biggest makers of electric cars and batteries, Reuters reported. [39]
    • Some of them face US sanctions or blacklists. [39]

    Why it matters

    Trump took US bosses to Beijing in May, including some from firms China was scrutinising, and a Chinese delegation would mirror that. [39]

    A US rule already bars China-linked carmakers from selling connected cars in the US from 2027. [39]

14. 16

    US and China to talk about AI

    What happened

    • US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent plans to discuss artificial intelligence and rare earths with China's vice premier, He Lifeng, a source told Reuters. [40]
    • Rare earths are metals used to make much of today's technology. [40]
    • The two meet before the Trump-Xi summit on 24 September. [40]
    • Bessent said the talks will cover open-weight AI models, whose core parts anyone can download. [40]

    Why it matters

    The US and China are the two biggest forces building advanced AI. [40]

    Bessent wants 'guardrails' to keep powerful models away from armed groups. [40]

15. 17

    China may cut its tariff on US gas

    What happened

    • US and Chinese officials are discussing lowering China's tariffs on US liquefied natural gas, which is gas cooled into a liquid and shipped by sea, people familiar with it told Reuters. [15]
    • China put a 15% tariff on it in February 2025, in answer to Trump's tariffs. [15]
    • That stopped the trade almost completely. [15]
    • The talks are part of efforts to steady trade before Xi's visit. [15]

    Why it matters

    US gas export capacity is set to grow sharply by 2027 as new plants open on the Gulf Coast, so producers need buyers. [15]

    China is one of the world's biggest gas markets. [15]

    The truth

    • Who gains US gas exporters — A cut to China's 15% tariff would reopen one of the world's biggest gas markets as their new plants come online. [15]
16. 18

    US weighs drug deals with Chinese firms

    What happened

    • The US Treasury is drafting rules that would let US drug companies invest in most new medicines being developed by Chinese firms, Reuters reported. [16]
    • Deals involving germs or biotechnology that could be made into weapons would still be banned. [16]
    • Outside companies licensed Chinese drugs worth $115 billion last year, according to the research firm GlobalData. [16]
    • The rules are unlikely to come before Xi's visit. [16]

    Why it matters

    Big drugmakers such as Pfizer have met Trump officials to argue against broad limits. [16]

    Some lawmakers and smaller drugmakers call the deals a national security risk. [16]

    The truth

    • Who gains US drugmakers such as Pfizer — Draft Treasury rules would let them license most new Chinese medicines, a market worth $115 billion last year. [16]
17. 19

    Taiwan's arms package is still on hold

    What happened

    • Palmer Luckey, founder of the US drone maker Anduril, said Trump's delay on a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan is hurting his company's business with Taiwan. [17]
    • Trump has held the package since his May summit with Xi and called it a very good negotiating chip. [17]
    • China claims Taiwan, a self-governed island, as its own. [17]
    • Luckey said Trump is weighing what China could do in return, such as limiting rare earths. [17]

    Why it matters

    US law requires the US to give Taiwan the means to defend itself, though Trump has questioned that. [17]

    Taiwan is expected to be high on Xi's list next week. [17]

18. 20

    China's oil stockpile softened the price shock

    What happened

    • China built up the world's largest oil stockpile, about 1.4 billion barrels by the end of last year, US government estimates show. [41]
    • When the war closed the Strait of Hormuz, China drew on it and bought much less crude from abroad. [41]
    • China is Iran's biggest oil buyer. [41]
    • Buying less eased world demand, which kept prices lower for the US, Europe and everyone else. [41]

    Why it matters

    Six months into the war, the worst price forecasts have not come true, the AP reports, and China's buying is one reason. [41]

    Xi could make that case when he visits Washington next week. [41]

    The truth

    • Who gains Xi Jinping — China's huge oil stockpile helped keep world prices down, which gives him a case to make in Washington next week. [41]
19. 21

    Trump's week at the UN

    What happened

    • Trump will meet Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's acting president, in New York next week during the UN General Assembly, the US ambassador to the UN said. [42]
    • She took over after a US raid in January captured Nicolas Maduro. [42]
    • Trump will also meet UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Gulf leaders. [42]
    • Japan wants its meeting before Trump sees Xi. [43]

    Why it matters

    A meeting with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu looks unlikely, US officials said, because of Israel's election campaign. [42]

    Japan hopes to keep the US focused on holding China back. [43]

20. 22

    Trump claims a Greenland security deal

    What happened

    • Trump said on his social media site that the US has an agreement with Denmark and Greenland giving it permanent control over Greenland's security. [44]
    • Greenland is a huge Arctic island that governs itself but belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark. [44]
    • He said no US adversary can have a base, troops or sensitive investments there without US written approval. [44]

    Why it matters

    The claim came from Trump alone, and the report carried no reply from Denmark or Greenland. [44]

    If the terms hold, the US would decide who else may put troops or money there. [44]

21. 23

    Race for the next UN chief

    What happened

    • Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica narrowly led the third secret poll of the 15-member UN Security Council on who should be the next UN secretary-general, diplomats said. [45]
    • She got nine votes to encourage, five to discourage and one no opinion. [45]
    • Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett got eight to encourage. [45]
    • Eight candidates want to replace Antonio Guterres, who leaves at the end of the year. [45]

    Why it matters

    The five permanent members, the US, China, Russia, France and Britain, must all agree on a name. [45]

    In more than 80 years the UN has never had a woman as secretary-general. [45]

    Good news

    • The two candidates leading the race to run the United Nations are both women, Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica and Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana. In more than 80 years the UN has never had a woman in that job.
22. 24

    North Korea rejects the UN nuclear agency

    What happened

    • North Korea said its status as a nuclear-armed country is irreversible, after the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, passed a resolution criticising its weapons programme. [46]
    • Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, accused the agency of double standards. [46]
    • State media said Kim Jong Un spent three days touring weapons factories this week. [46]

    Why it matters

    Analysts say North Korea has been rebuilding its military with Russian help since a 2024 defence treaty. [46]

    Its troops have also gained combat experience fighting for Russia in Ukraine. [46]

23. 25

    Second cabinet pick quits in South Korea

    What happened

    • South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's choice for justice minister, Kim Seung-won, withdrew on Saturday. [47]
    • He was the second of Lee's cabinet picks to step aside this month. [47]
    • A Gallup Korea poll put Lee's approval at 37%, the lowest since he took office in June 2025. [47]
    • Pollsters partly link the fall to criticism of his appointments. [47]

    Why it matters

    Lee admitted his team's checks on nominees had fallen short, and said it is re-examining how it picks people. [47]

24. 26

    Suicide bomb hits police in Pakistan

    What happened

    • A car bomb hit a police compound in Kohat, a city of about 220,000 near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, on Friday. [48]
    • At least 16 people died, including five police officers, the provincial police chief said. [48]
    • The blast damaged a mosque where officers, relatives and other people were praying. [48]
    • Police said other attackers then fought a gun battle. [48]

    Why it matters

    Pakistan's president blamed the Pakistani Taliban, known as the TTP, and Pakistan says the group trains in Afghanistan. [48]

    Afghanistan's Taliban rulers deny it, and the two countries have clashed, with Pakistani air strikes on Afghan soil as recently as June. [48]

    The truth

    • Nobody knows yet

      How many people died in Kohat.

      Police said at least 16, and figures for the wounded ranged from above 30 to above 50. [48]

25. 27

    37 miners die in Nigerian custody

    What happened

    • Thirty-seven people arrested in raids on illegal gold mining died in a detention centre in Niger State, Nigeria. [49]
    • Officials said a disease outbreak killed them and sent the bodies for tests. [49]
    • A survivor, Dauda Shehu, said 65 people were packed into a cell with no airflow. [49]
    • An intelligence report cited by AFP also pointed to overcrowding. [49]

    Why it matters

    Police are investigating the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the agency that ran the cell. [49]

    The region is known for small-scale gold mining. [49]

26. 28

    Armed groups use AI chatbots for bombs

    What happened

    • Researchers from Cambridge interviewed 27 former fighters from Boko Haram's two factions in Nigeria, Al Jazeera reported. [50]
    • Several said they used ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Meta AI and DeepSeek for military advice. [50]
    • They described trainers from the wider ISIL movement teaching them to get round the chatbots' safety rules. [50]
    • One faction ran a special AI unit of 23 people. [50]

    Why it matters

    UN officials warned the Security Council in February about ISIL using advanced AI. [50]

    Researchers say AI is advancing faster than the safeguards meant to stop this. [50]

27. 29

    AI risk comes to the Security Council

    What happened

    • Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI, will brief the UN Security Council on Wednesday on AI and international security, his company said. [51]
    • France called the meeting and holds the council's presidency this month. [51]
    • In California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an order to speed up a state law requiring outside checks on AI companies and a way to switch systems off. [52]

    Why it matters

    Several AI industry leaders called weeks ago for a joint slowdown, warning the technology could soon improve itself beyond human control. [51]

    Trump has called such warnings a hoax. [52]

28. 30

    Bolivia ends its diesel subsidy

    What happened

    • Bolivia's Senate approved a $1.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, a lender of last resort to governments. [53][54]
    • Hours later, President Rodrigo Paz ended state subsidies for diesel. [53]
    • Bolivia imports about 90% of its diesel and was spending about $55 million a week keeping it cheap, Paz said. [12]
    • Diesel will now cost what it costs to buy abroad. [12]

    9 of 10

    About 9 in 10 bought abroad

    Why it matters

    Ending fuel subsidies was an IMF condition, and weeks of road blockades against Paz paralysed the country in June and July. [53]

    Bolivia's government promised direct cash payments to soften the blow. [12]

    The truth

    • Who pays Truck and bus drivers in Bolivia — Diesel now costs its full import price, because the IMF loan required the subsidy to end. [12][53]
29. 31

    Cuba's power grid collapses again

    What happened

    • Cuba's national power grid collapsed on Friday, leaving millions without electricity. [13]
    • It was at least the sixth island-wide blackout since the US cut off fuel shipments to Cuba in January. [13]
    • The blockade stops Cuba importing fuel for its power plants and spare parts. [13]
    • Only one fuel tanker has arrived since, from Russia in March. [13]
    • By dusk, 5% of Havana's customers had power back. [13]

    Why it matters

    Even when the grid works, Cubans often go more than 30 hours without power. [13]

    The blackouts cut water, cooking, phones and transport. [13]

    The truth

    • Who pays People in Cuba — The island lost power for at least the sixth time since the US cut off its fuel in January, and the blockade also stops spare parts for the power plants. [13]
30. 32

    Spain clears migrants off Ceuta's beaches

    What happened

    • Spanish police fired rubber bullets into the air and used batons as they began moving thousands of migrants off beaches in Ceuta, Spain's small city on Morocco's coast. [55]
    • More than 72,000 people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco in late July, though most later left. [55]
    • Spain's estimates of how many remain range from 10,000 to 12,000. [55][56]
    • One aid group said about 4,000 are still sleeping outdoors. [55]

    Why it matters

    The EU's migration commissioner, Magnus Brunner, said pictures from Ceuta are helping far-right parties even though arrivals in Europe have fallen. [56]

    The new housing is only for adult men, so children are being separated. [55]

31. 33

    Netanyahu's court overhaul returns

    What happened

    • Parties in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition have revived a plan to cut the power of Israel's Supreme Court, before the election on 27 October. [57]
    • The new version would limit the court's power to strike down laws and restrict who can bring cases to it. [57]
    • Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called it a change in the rules of the game. [57]

    Why it matters

    The first version, in 2023, set off months of mass protests before the 7 October attack shelved it. [57]

    Critics say it removes a check on government, and supporters say it restores majority rule. [57]

32. 34

    Israel adds troops for Yom Kippur

    What happened

    • Israel's army said it is adding troops on every front for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. [58]
    • Extra companies are going to the northern, southern and central commands. [58]
    • The air force will have more armed aircraft ready, and the navy more missile boats at sea. [58]
    • A senior officer will be on duty in each sector over the holiday. [58]

    Why it matters

    Israel's army chief, Eyal Zamir, had already ordered full readiness on all fronts for the whole holiday season, with no cut in forces. [58]

    Extra standby companies are also being assigned in case they are needed. [58]

    How it works

    Israel's army put extra soldiers on every front and more armed aircraft on standby for the holiday, a cost paid whether or not anyone attacks.

    The idea, in story 02: Why an air raid alarm costs a city even when nothing lands →
33. 35

    Indonesia's new finance minister

    What happened

    • Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto sacked his finance minister this week and appointed the deputy, Suahasil Nazara. [59]
    • Suahasil is the third finance minister in less than two years. [59]
    • At his first press conference he kept the 2026 deficit forecast at 2.85% of the economy. [59]
    • He promised to respect the legal limit of 3%. [59]

    Why it matters

    Money has been leaving Indonesia this year after ratings agencies warned about unpredictable policy. [59]

    Investors worry about Prabowo's costly spending plans. [59]

34. 36

    Turkey steadies markets after a fund crisis

    What happened

    • Turkey's finance minister, Mehmet Simsek, said the closing of investment funds worth $18.3 billion poses no wide risk to the financial system. [60]
    • A scandal around the funds set off a stock sell-off earlier this week. [60]
    • He said new rules should stop the trouble spreading to the Istanbul stock exchange. [60]

    Why it matters

    Turkey's government is trying to stop trouble at a few funds from spreading to the wider stock market. [60]

    Turkish officials say they will watch the market closely. [60]