Politics

Colombia Extradites Top Rebel Commander to U.S. in First Under New President: September 26, 2026

BOGOTA — Colombia on Friday extradited an alleged drug-trafficking leader from a FARC dissident faction to the United States, the first such transfer of a senior illegal-armed-group commander under President Abelardo De La Espriella, Reuters reported.

Geovany Andrés Rojas, known as “Spider,” is accused of leading the Border Commands faction of the National Coordinator of the Bolivarian Army, one of several groups formed by ex-FARC fighters who rejected or abandoned the 2016 peace deal. U.S. prosecutors accuse him of drug trafficking and criminal conspiracy tied to alleged operations in Colombia and Ecuador dating to 2017. He was arrested in February 2025 in Bogotá during activities linked to peace talks under former President Gustavo Petro.

De La Espriella, who took office in August, said his administration has carried out 94 extraditions to date. “Colombia will not be a refuge for drug traffickers wanted by international justice,” he wrote on X, pledging to pursue trafficking chains from cultivation to leadership. He has scrapped Petro’s negotiations with illegal armed groups and launched a military offensive to retake remote territory.

Sources: Reuters

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Lula Bans Online Betting in Brazil as Reelection Race Tightens: September 26, 2026

SAO PAULO — President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday announced a ban on online betting operations in Latin America’s largest economy and unveiled a new household debt-relief program, the latest measures ahead of next month’s election, Reuters reported.

The executive order takes immediate effect but must be approved by Congress within 120 days to remain in force. It comes less than two years after Brazil opened a legal framework for the industry. Finance Minister Dario Durigan called online betting “a public health issue,” saying app stores and network providers must block betting websites on October 6. Polls show Lula locked in a tight race with Senator Flavio Bolsonaro ahead of the October 4 first-round vote; Bolsonaro called the ban “populist, hypocritical and politically motivated.”

The Finance Ministry estimates Brazilian households spend about 60 billion reais ($11.6 billion) a year on online betting. Lula also said the government will hold a November auction to buy and restructure household debt, spending 15 billion reais to acquire up to 150 billion reais of delinquent loans at deep discounts.

Sources: Reuters

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Trump Sees No Urgency for Canada Trade Deal as Dispute Deepens: September 26, 2026

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration is comfortable maintaining its trade standoff with Canada even as new U.S. import bans on Canadian products take effect next week and Washington threatens 50% tariffs on Canadian autos, parts and steel from January, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Friday, Reuters reported.

“We’re comfortable with where we are. … There’s no urgency on our side,” Greer told CNBC, noting the United States is still receiving Canadian oil, gas and potash. The looming bans cover a broad range of Canadian goods including alcoholic beverages, motorcycles and dairy. Canada’s own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods took effect earlier this month after the United States imposed 50% tariffs on some $20 billion of Canadian goods last month.

The breakdown has strained the longtime allies and cast doubt on the future of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Some experts say Washington may first seek a deal with Mexico to gain leverage with Ottawa. The Canadian Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.

Sources: Reuters

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Nearly 1.5 Million Displaced in Haiti as Violence Spreads: September 26, 2026

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Nearly 1.5 million people are now internally displaced across Haiti as gang violence pushes families far beyond the capital, the International Organization for Migration said in a report released Friday.

Nearly 80 percent of those uprooted now live outside Port-au-Prince, with the sharpest recent increase in the Artibonite department, once seen as a refuge. Displacement there rose about 16 percent between May and August as insecurity forced new waves of movement, IOM said. Armed attacks in Kenscoff near the capital displaced more than 4,000 people, with reports of homes burned, kidnappings and killings.

Hundreds of thousands are living in informal settlements, collective sites or other precarious conditions during Atlantic hurricane season. “For families already displaced by violence, a major storm could trigger another humanitarian emergency,” IOM Haiti Senior Emergency Coordinator Elise Verron said. IOM is appealing for $60 million under its crisis response plan.

Sources: International Organization for Migration, Reuters via ThePrint

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Australia’s Energy Minister to Visit Saudi Arabia Amid Supply Fears: September 15, 2026

SYDNEY — Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen said he would travel to Saudi Arabia next week to meet his counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, as escalation in the Middle East raises concerns over global energy supply disruptions, Reuters reported Tuesday.

Australia imported 84% of its petroleum product demand last year, official data show, leaving it exposed to shocks since the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran began in February. “What we are seeing in the Middle East is deeply concerning,” Bowen told ABC News late Monday, adding that Saudi Arabia’s approach would be key to fuel security in coming weeks and months.

Canberra currently holds 41 days’ worth of petrol reserves, Bowen said. He ruled out a new fuel tax cut after Labor halved the fuel excise for three months in March, saying the earlier relief was temporary and that the government would not respond to every daily oil-price move.

Oil settled about 1% higher Monday after Houthi attacks on a Saudi military facility and the postponement of Gulf talks with Iran. Last week’s strike on Saudi Arabia’s East–West pipeline, which bypasses the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, continues to threaten as much as 4% of global supply.

Sources: Reuters

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Coalition Likely After Philippines Bangsamoro Election Deadlock: September 15, 2026

MANILA — Coalition talks may be needed to choose the first elected chief minister of the Muslim-dominated autonomous region in the southern Philippines, with unofficial results suggesting no single bloc will dominate the new 80-member parliament, Reuters reported Tuesday.

With 98.56% of party-list votes counted, a camp aligned with Abdulraof Macacua — a former Moro Islamic Liberation Front commander appointed interim chief by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2025 — led with 35.2%, ahead of the bloc associated with longtime MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim at 32.4%, according to the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting. The BARMM Grand Coalition held 20.5% and could tip negotiations.

Neither camp appeared likely to reach the 41 seats needed for a majority, said Benedicto Bacani of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance, who argued MILF faction cooperation would best serve peace and stability. Turnout was about 80%, with roughly 1.8 million of 2.39 million registered voters casting ballots.

The vote is widely viewed as the most significant milestone since a 2014 peace deal with the MILF paved the way for greater autonomy after a conflict that killed more than 120,000 people and displaced about 2 million.

Sources: Reuters

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Houthis Launch Fresh Missile and Drone Strikes on Saudi Arabia: September 15, 2026

RIYADH — Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched a new wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia, firing dozens of missiles and drones at a military airbase in Khamis Mushait while digging into Red Sea coastal positions, Reuters reported Tuesday.

The group said it targeted aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways, and ammunition depots in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition said 13 civilians were wounded and vowed to respond “firmly” to protect the kingdom’s sovereignty, according to AFP. Saudi authorities issued emergency alerts in Khamis Mushait and three other southern cities.

Houthi advances in recent days, including the seizure of Perim Island at the mouth of the Red Sea, add pressure after last week’s attack knocked Saudi Arabia’s East–West pipeline offline — a route built to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Traders say a prolonged shutdown could remove as much as 4% of global oil supply while Hormuz remains largely blocked.

Three sources told Reuters Washington has so far resisted Saudi requests for direct military intervention beyond intelligence support. Oman postponed Monday’s Gulf–Iran meeting on reopening Hormuz; oil prices rose before settling about 1% higher Monday.

Sources: Reuters, AFP via The Hindu

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Ramaphosa Orders Priority Probe as Sixth Woman Found Dead in Ekurhuleni: September 15, 2026

JOHANNESBURG — President Cyril Ramaphosa directed South African law enforcement to prioritize investigations into recent killings of women in and around Kempton Park after a sixth body was found dumped beside a road in KwaThema, Springs, on Tuesday, TimesLive and SAnews reported.

“I have directed that these cases be prioritised and that no stone will be left unturned in bringing those responsible to justice,” Ramaphosa said after a briefing from senior police officials. He expressed condolences to victims’ families, including that of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, identified Monday — a mother who vanished after her usual neighborhood run.

Police have formed a multidisciplinary team of detectives, intelligence officers, trackers, and forensic experts. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said all six women appeared to be in their 30s and that investigators have not yet confirmed links or motives. One suspect remains in custody over the first killing in July.

Deputy National Commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili warned perpetrators their “freedom is temporary” and called on men nationwide to help protect women. Additional officers have been deployed to increase patrols across Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg.

Sources: TimesLive, SAnews

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Zelenskiy Ties Energy Ceasefire to Guarantees Russia Will End War: September 15, 2026

KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Monday that Ukraine was ready to support a U.S. proposal for a Russia–Ukraine ceasefire on energy sites only if Washington could ensure Moscow was genuinely ready to end its war, Reuters reported.

Zelenskiy’s comments in his nightly address followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that both sides had already agreed not to hit each other’s energy targets. Earlier social-media remarks by Zelenskiy amounted to a denial that Kyiv had formally endorsed that statement.

“If this can become the first de-escalatory step … Ukraine is ready to support de-escalation,” Zelenskiy said. “So far, no one has seen any genuine willingness on Russia’s part to bring the war to an end.” Any accord, he added, must be “reliable, long-term, and actually have a real impact on people’s lives.”

Russian strikes have heavily damaged Ukrainian power and heating networks over more than four years of war. Ukraine’s long-range attacks on Russian refineries have in turn contributed to gasoline shortages across Russia, a campaign Trump has urged Kyiv to halt.

Sources: Reuters

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Ukraine Launches Offensive Push in Northern Donetsk: September 15, 2026

KYIV — Ukrainian forces have launched an offensive operation in the north of the eastern Donetsk region, a senior military commander said Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Brigadier-General Andrii Biletskyi, who has commanded Ukraine’s defense in the vicinity since last month, said the Third Army Corps had cleared 75 square kilometers (29 square miles) of Russian infiltration groups and recaptured a further 10 square kilometers. The area lies north of the so-called fortress belt of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, cities Russia seeks to seize as part of its goal of controlling all of Donetsk.

“The third army corps has started offensive operation at this direction. The operation is called ‘Vivaldi,’” Biletskyi said in a video on Telegram. He said troops disrupted Russian logistics, cleared three villages and an area around a fourth, and fully controlled the village of Serednie.

Reuters could not independently verify the claims. Determining territorial control remains difficult amid drone warfare that has created a wide no-man’s land along the front. Russia’s advances have slowed this year but forces continue pressing from the south and infiltrating Kostiantynivka. U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have visited Moscow and Kyiv this month seeking to restart stalled talks.

Sources: Reuters

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