North America

World Brief, Evening: September 10, 2026

Iran-backed Houthis seized Mocha with Revolutionary Guard guidance, Brent spiked toward $109 as Red Sea and Hormuz risks stacked, and NATO allies revealed they foiled a Russian subsea-cable sabotage exercise near Svalbard. Ten stories as of Thursday evening, September 10.

1. Mocha / Bab el-Mandeb. The Houthi seizure of Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Mocha came with direct guidance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seeking a new front in the U.S.–Iran war, Yemeni government, Iranian, and regional sources told Reuters. The advance tightens the chokehold on Bab el-Mandeb after Hormuz disruptions; Yemeni military sources said the coastal campaign was directed with IRGC input, while Iran publicly denies the Houthis are a proxy. Government forces also reported Houthi pressure toward the Hanish islands and Dhubab opposite Perim Island, Reuters and Al Jazeera reported.

2. London / New York. Brent crude surged as high as about $109.20 a barrel Thursday after the week’s tanker attacks and the Mocha advance, with U.S. crude topping $100 and AAA putting average U.S. regular gasoline near $4.28 a gallon, Al Jazeera reported citing AP and Reuters. Midday Brent had already jumped about 4% to $105.26. CME FedWatch odds of a rate hike at next week’s FOMC meeting rose toward about 70%, up from about 61% a day earlier.

3. Svalbard / Bear Gap. Britain, Norway, and the United States tracked and confronted Russian GUGI deep-sea vessels near Svalbard this spring as they simulated deploying a covert weapon meant to disable undersea cables without fingerprints, two Western officials told Reuters in an exclusive Thursday. No cables were damaged; Norways defence minister said Moscow was told any attempt on critical infrastructure would be detected and met with consequences. The cables feed SvalSat, a major NASA Near Space Network downlink.

4. Pavlohrad / Kyiv / Dnipro. Russian forces killed seven and injured 76 in a broad strike on the southeastern logistics hub of Pavlohrad, hit a Kyiv petrol station for the first time with a jet-powered drone (four injured), and struck a Bunge sunflower-oil plant in Dnipro (two dead), Reuters reported. President Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces hit eight Russian infrastructure sites in a day stretching from Arctic energy sites to the Caspian port of Makhachkala, the Guardian and Kyiv reporting said.

5. Berlin / Frankfurt. The ECB raised key rates 25 basis points Thursday, lifting the deposit facility to 2.50% from Sept. 16, citing Middle East energy inflation, the ECB / Banque de France said. Two sources later told Reuters policymakers see more tightening ahead and could move again as soon as the Oct. 29 meeting if energy prices keep feeding inflation.

6. Dallas. Republicans closed their first midterm convention with President Trump defending the Iran war, predicting it ends after Nov. 3, and pledging $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans keep Congress without detailing how it would be funded, the NBC News and Associated Press reported. Most other speakers largely avoided the unpopular war; Election Day is about 54 days away.

7. Nairobi. Kenya is expected to receive about $400 million in World Bank Rapid Response Option emergency financing within six weeks to help cover risks from high energy prices, a regional Ebola outbreak, and El Niño disruptions, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Nairobi first sought the facility after the Iran war drove oil higher; the Bank said it is helping finalise the crisis-access framework.

8. Lima. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped his Colombia–Ecuador–Peru swing in Lima, where President Keiko Fujimori said Peru joined the U.S.-led “Shield of the Americas” counternarcotics coalition, AFP / France 24 reported. Rubio said Washington would not take military action against traffickers inside partner countries without those governments’ approval, even as SOUTHCOM kept striking alleged drug boats in international waters.

9. Sydney. Nvidia said it plans to more than double Australia’s data-centre computing load through partnerships with Firmus, CDC, NEXTDC, and AirTrunk, targeting up to about 2 gigawatts of AI-related capacity by 2027, Reuters reported. Australia’s current computing capacity is about 1.6 GW; the buildout sharpens debates over energy and water use.

10. New Delhi. India hosts the BRICS Leaders’ Summit Saturday–Sunday with the Iran war splitting the bloc, and Russian President Vladimir Putin began a multi-day India visit for talks with Prime Minister Modi ahead of the meeting, The Hindu reported. Xi Jinping’s first India trip in seven years and Iranian President Pezeshkians attendance keep the Hormuz fight inside the room.

Coming up. Saturday–Sunday 12–13 September — BRICS summit, New Delhi. Sunday 13 September — Sweden general election. Tuesday–Wednesday 15–16 September Federal Open Market Committee with projections. Sept. 20 — Russia State Duma election. UNGA high-level week Sept. 22–26 and 28. The standing calendar is at The Watch.

Sources: Reuters; Al Jazeera; Associated Press; ECB / Banque de France; AFP / France 24; NBC News; The Guardian; The Hindu.

New York Fashion Week Opens Under CFDA’s First Full Fur Ban: September 10, 2026

NEW YORK — New York Fashion Week’s official Spring/Summer 2027 schedule opened Thursday under the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s first full ban on animal fur at official events, after prelude shows from Ralph Lauren and Coach on Wednesday, AFP reported via agency wires and the CFDA schedule.

Henry Zankov presents his first collection as artistic director at Diane von Furstenberg to open the official week, which runs through September 15 and closes with Thom Browne. Roughly 70 runway shows and presentations are listed, with returns including Tommy Hilfiger and Monse.

Ralph Lauren’s Wednesday presentation drew a front row that included Viola Davis, Ariana DeBose and Cynthia Erivo, agency coverage said, underscoring the house’s continuing pull as preppy Americana cycles back through European runways. Coach staged the other major eve-of-week show.

The fur ban, announced by the CFDA in December for this season, arrives as fashion faces sharper scrutiny over materials, waste and climate impact. Brands on the official calendar must comply; the policy does not by itself rewrite off-calendar presentations across the city.

Other Thursday names include Proenza Schouler, Christian Siriano, Tory Burch and Tommy Hilfiger. Michael Kors and Calvin Klein follow Friday, with the Friday start delayed out of respect for the September 11 anniversary.

For editors and buyers, the week’s test is whether New York can set a clear commercial story — debuts, returns and a materials rule — before the calendar moves on to London, Milan and Paris.

Sources: CFDA; AFP/The Star

US Existing Home Sales Fall to 14-Month Low as Mortgages Climb: September 10, 2026

WASHINGTON — U.S. existing home sales fell to a 14-month low in August as rising mortgage rates continued to suppress demand, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday, Reuters reported.

Resales declined 2.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million units, matching economists’ forecasts and marking the weakest pace since June 2025. Sales were down 1.2 percent from a year earlier. Closings typically reflect contracts signed in prior months, when the 30-year fixed rate was already climbing.

Freddie Mac data showed the popular 30-year rate averaging about 6.71 percent last week, the highest in more than a year. MBA figures put the rate at 6.85 percent for the week ended September 4. Mortgage costs have risen more than 70 basis points since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran in late February, as oil-driven inflation fears and heavy government borrowing lifted Treasury yields.

“It’s not surprising to see a mild dip in home buying activity due to high mortgage rates,” NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said. Inventory nonetheless rose 3.2 percent to 1.62 million units — the highest since November 2019 — equating to a 4.9-month supply. The median existing-home price increased 1.6 percent year over year to $429,100.

First-time buyers made up 30 percent of sales, still short of the roughly 40 percent share associated with a robust market. Distressed sales remained low at 2 percent. Regional sales fell in the Northeast, Midwest and South and held steady in the West.

For households, the message is familiar: more listings help shoppers on paper, but monthly payments remain the bottleneck while Middle East risk keeps long-term rates sticky.

Sources: Reuters; NAR; Reuters

World Brief: September 10, 2026

Houthis seized Mocha on the Red Sea; Trump said the Iran war ends after the midterms and threatened Pickaxe Mountain; and the ECB lifted rates another quarter-point. Ten stories as of Thursday morning, September 10.

1. Mocha / Bab el-Mandeb. Iran-aligned Houthi forces seized Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday, four Yemeni government military sources told Reuters, tightening leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as Brent rose about 3.5% above $100. Saudi Arabia has leaned more on Red Sea shipping since Hormuz largely closed.

2. Washington / Dallas. President Trump said Wednesday he expects the U.S. war with Iran to end immediately after November’s midterms and warned the United States may strike Pickaxe Mountain near Natanz, Reuters reported. Iran said it attacked 10 ships near Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian tankers.

3. New York. AAA put U.S. regular gasoline at $4.22 a gallon — nearly 42% above the $2.98 prewar level — while diesel hit a record $5.94 as Brent settled near $101, with oil above $100 after the latest Middle East attacks, Reuters and established wire reporting showed. Trump said he does not expect oil to cool before the midterms.

4. Kyiv / Dnipro / Arctic Russia. Russian strikes killed civilians across Ukraine, including at a Bunge plant in Dnipro, while Ukrainian Special Operations Forces claimed their deepest strike of the war on Arctic gas plants more than 3,000 km inside Russia, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.

5. Berlin / Frankfurt. The European Central Bank raised key rates 25 basis points on Thursday, lifting the deposit facility to 2.50% — the second hike this year — as Middle East energy costs keep inflation elevated, Reuters and The Guardian reported. Lagarde said inflation is set to remain well above the 2% target for an extended period.

6. New Delhi. India hosts the BRICS Leaders’ Summit on Sept. 12–13 with the Iran war splitting the bloc — member Iran and the UAE on opposite sides — and Xi Jinping due for his first India visit in seven years, Channel News Asia reported.

7. Wellington. Nearly 10,000 New Zealand public servants walked off the job Wednesday over pay offers they say leave them worse off in real terms, weeks before a national election, Reuters reported.

8. Brasília. Supreme Court Chief Justice Edson Fachin suspended rival rulings over the federal police chief’s tenure and called a full-court session for Sept. 15, framing the clash as the court’s biggest crisis since the return to democracy, Reuters reported.

9. Bukavu. A school fire in Bukavu, the eastern Congo city held by Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 rebels, killed at least 17 people including children, local and medical sources told Reuters. The cause was not immediately clear.

10. Quito / Lima. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended lethal U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats in Ecuador and said cartels would “eat these countries alive” if left unchecked, then flew to Lima amid protests, France 24 and AFP reported.

Coming up. Through today — ECB decision, Berlin. Sat–Sun — BRICS, New Delhi. Sunday — Sweden election. Sept 15–16 — FOMC with projections. Sept 20 — Russia State Duma election. UNGA high-level week Sept 22–26 and 28. Standing calendar: The Watch.

Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; Al Jazeera; ECB; Channel News Asia; AFP.

US Gasoline Hits $4.22, Diesel Sets Records as Oil Tops $100: September 10, 2026

NEW YORK — U.S. drivers faced another jump at the pump Wednesday as Brent crude settled above $100 a barrel and AAA data showed the national average for regular gasoline at $4.22 a gallon—nearly 42 percent above the $2.98 prewar average—while diesel hit a record $5.94, up 58 percent since the conflict began, the Associated Press reported via OPB.

Brent settled at $101.21 and U.S. crude at $96.05 after U.S. strikes on Iranian tankers and Houthi attacks on Saudi facilities tightened already constrained supplies. Higher diesel costs feed into trucking, farm equipment and parcel hubs, often showing up as supermarket prices and shipping fees; airlines have cut flights while raising fares as jet fuel climbs.

Market research head Lukman Otunuga of FXTM called Brent above $100 “a major psychological milestone,” saying the larger worry is inflation if prices stay elevated. Bank of America analysts this week raised their second-half oil forecast and said a durable deal before the midterms looks “increasingly unlikely.”

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he does not expect oil prices to cool before November’s elections but that they would come down “right after”—linking pump pain directly to the midterm calendar for U.S. consumers.

Sources: AP via OPB

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Trump Says Iran War Will End After Midterms, Threatens Pickaxe Mountain: September 10, 2026

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he expects the U.S. war with Iran to end immediately after November’s midterm elections, arguing Tehran is “desperate to try and affect the election,” Reuters reported.

“I think war is going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” Trump told reporters. The conflict and higher fuel prices have weighed on his popularity ahead of the vote that will decide control of Congress.

At the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Trump also said the United States may strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified site with deeply buried tunnel complexes near the damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility. The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February over nuclear concerns; Tehran says its programme is peaceful.

Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers. Just seven vessels transited the strait Wednesday, half the 10-day average, preliminary ship-tracking data showed.

Sources: Reuters

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World Brief, Evening: September 9, 2026

Iran and the United States traded the biggest declared wave of shipping attacks since the war began, Brent crude held above $100 a barrel, and Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s Arctic gas hinterland for the first time. Ten stories as of Wednesday evening, September 9.

1. Gulf of Oman / Strait of Hormuz / Al Azraq, Jordan. Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz — two U.S. vessels and eight tankers after U.S. forces destroyed five Iranian oil carriers overnight, in the biggest tit-for-tat shipping exchange of the six-month war, Reuters and the BBC reported. CENTCOM named Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1, and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman plus Derya near Kharg Island; crews were told to abandon ship. Iran also fired on the Muwaffaq Salti base near Al Azraq; Jordan said it intercepted 18 of 20 missiles. CBS later reported multiple U.S. aircraft were damaged there, including an A-10 missing a wing and about eight F-15s with light damage returned to service, Reuters said. A seafarer was killed aboard Hercules Star off Dubai; IRGC officials said a new enlarged maritime “prohibited zone” maps are coming.

2. London. Brent crude traded around $100.70 a barrel, up nearly 3 percent and the highest since late July, after the Gulf tanker strikes and Houthi attacks on Saudi energy sites that wounded 73 on Tuesday, the BBC reported. Hormuz flows have fallen as low as about 2 million barrels a day from 8–9 million before the latest flare-up, Rystad Energy told Reuters. Average U.S. retail diesel hit a record above $5.94 a gallon on Wednesday.

3. Washington / Ottawa. President Trump ordered import bans on specified Canadian alcoholic beverages, dairy products, and motorcycles and mopeds effective Sept. 29, a day after Canada’s counter-tariffs on about C$27.6 billion of U.S. goods took effect, the White House and ABC News reported. Extra 50 percent tariffs expand to more goods from Sept. 15. No new talks are scheduled.

4. Novy Urengoy / Kyiv. A drone attack set an industrial facility on fire in Novy Urengoy in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets gas region — about 3,000 km from Ukraine — the first such hit on the country’s Arctic gas hinterland, Governor Dmitry Artyukhov and Reuters reported; Ukraine’s Special Forces claimed strikes on condensate plants in Novy Urengoy and Purovsky district, with no casualties reported by the governor. In Kyiv, daytime Russian drone strikes killed one person and injured at least 16–17 people, including two children, Mayor Vitali Klitschko and local authorities said, the Kyiv Independent reported.

5. Berlin. Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Bundestag that the Alternative for Germany’s “remigration agenda is “nothing other than ethnic cleansing based on skin color and origin,” and accused the party of backing Russia against German interests, Reuters and the Guardian reported. The clash follows AfD’s near-44 percent win in Saxony-Anhalt; Merz again ruled out coalition with the far right.

6. Barranquilla. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella and moved to reboot security cooperation against drug trafficking, with Colombia seeking aircraft, drones, and related tools, Reuters reported. Rubio said Washington hopes to wrap trade deals with Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador soon and continues to Ecuador and Peru this week.

7. Ohakea / Wellington. Two Australian F-35A fighters are exercising in New Zealand with the NZ Army and Air Force, including Australia establishing an overseas Forward Arming and Refuelling Point for the first time outside Australia, Reuters reported. Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb said the partners are moving toward integration and interchangeability.

8. Kalimantan / Sumatra. Indonesian wildfires released 19.7 million metric tons of CO₂ from Sept. 1–7 more than one-third of the global total that week and ahead of Russia — in the most intense fire season in 11 years amid a super El Niño drought, Copernicus data cited by Reuters showed. Pontianak’s air quality index hit 394 on Wednesday; fires are expected through October.

9. Banjul. After protesters burned tires and chanted “Barrow must go” over blackouts lasting as long as 48 hours, President Adama Barrow pledged a 24-megawatt generator by end of October plus a planned 50-megawatt solar plant, calling the outages a national-security emergency, Al Jazeera and the BBC reported. The unrest comes ahead of December’s presidential election.

10. Dallas. Republicans opened their first midterm convention at the American Airlines Center, with President Trump delivering the opening-night keynote and set to close Thursday after Vice President JD Vance speaks, Associated Press and NBC News reported. RNC chair Joe Gruters cast it as putting the president at the center of the midterms, about 55 days before Nov. 3.

Coming up. Through Thursday 10 September — ECB Governing Council rate decision, Berlin. Saturday 12–Sunday 13 September — BRICS summit, New Delhi. Sunday 13 September — Sweden general election. Tuesday 15–Wednesday 16 September Federal Open Market Committee, with projections. UNGA high-level week runs Sept. 22–26 and 28. The standing calendar is at The Watch.

Sources: Reuters; BBC; Al Jazeera; The Guardian; White House; ABC News; Kyiv Independent; Associated Press; NBC News; Copernicus / Reuters fire data.

World Brief: September 9, 2026

U.S. forces struck five Iranian oil tankers and Iran fired on a base in Jordan; Brent crude climbed above $100; and Washington banned key Canadian imports after Ottawa’s counter-tariffs. Ten stories as of Wednesday morning, September 9.

1. Gulf of Oman / Jordan. U.S. Central Command said American forces destroyed five IRGC-linked crude carriers after Iran twice targeted a U.S. warship; the M/T Riesco sank, and Iran fired on Al Azraq in Jordan, the BBC and Al Jazeera reported.

2. London. Brent crude rose about 2% to trade above $100 a barrel for the first time since July as Hormuz risks mounted, the BBC and Guardian reported.

3. Washington / Ottawa. Trump ordered bans on certain Canadian alcohol, dairy, and motorcycles effective Sept. 29 after Canada’s counter-tariffs took effect, Reuters and the BBC reported.

4. Starokozache / Odesa. Russian drones killed two civilians and wounded three at the Ukraine–Moldova border crossing; Kyiv saw fires but no casualties, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.

5. Berlin. Chancellor Merz told the Bundestag AfD’s remigration agenda is “nothing other than ethnic cleansing,” after the party’s Saxony-Anhalt win, the Guardian reported.

6. Barranquilla. Secretary Rubio and Colombia sealed memoranda on critical minerals and civil nuclear cooperation (the Barranquilla Accords), El País reported.

7. Wellington. Australian F-35As are exercising in New Zealand as partners push toward force integration, Reuters reported.

8. Kalimantan / Sumatra. Indonesian wildfires released 19.7 million tons of CO₂ Sept. 1–7 — over a third of the global total that week — Reuters reported, citing Copernicus.

9. Banjul. Blackout protests hit Gambia as President Barrow faces “Barrow must go” chants ahead of December’s vote, Al Jazeera and the BBC reported.

10. Dallas. Republicans opened a midterm convention with Trump set to keynote, about 55 days before the vote, ABC News reported.

Coming up. ECB rate decision through Thursday (Berlin). Sat–Sun — BRICS, New Delhi. Sunday — Sweden election. Sept 15–16 — FOMC with projections. UNGA high-level week Sept 22–26 and 28. Standing calendar: The Watch.

Sources: BBC; Al Jazeera; Reuters; The Guardian; El País.

Trump Bans Canadian Alcohol, Dairy and Motorcycles: September 9, 2026

WASHINGTON — After Canadian counter-tariffs of up to 50 percent on hundreds of U.S. goods took effect, President Donald Trump issued proclamations Tuesday night banning certain Canadian alcohol, dairy products, and motorcycles and mopeds from entering the United States effective Sept. 29 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern.

The orders also expand 50 percent tariffs to additional goods, including golf carts, cotton mattresses, bamboo and rattan furniture, and more aluminum and cheese. Some items were removed from the 50 percent list, among them non-white cement, tissues, bed sheets, fishing rods, sugars, and road salt.

Trump further directed that Canada be barred from U.S. government procurement through the General Services Administration and the U.S. Trade Representative.

The measures escalate a bilateral trade conflict that has already raised prices and disrupted cross-border supply chains.

Sources: ABC News

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