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Rubio in Ecuador and Peru Pushes Anti-Drug Fight: September 10, 2026

QUITO / LIMA — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended lethal U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats during a Wednesday visit to Ecuador, warning that cartels would “eat these countries alive” if left unchecked, AFP reported via RFI.

After talks with President Daniel Noboa in Quito, Rubio said operations would continue and that Washington was finding partners willing to be “very aggressive” against criminal groups. Pentagon figures cited by AFP put deaths from the Caribbean and eastern Pacific campaign above 200. Rubio designated the Ecuadoran gang Los Tiguerones a terrorist organization and announced sanctions on seven former Ecuadoran officials.

Asked whether vessels would keep being destroyed, Rubio said decisions depend on threat, location and local law: “Well again, it depends, and we still blow up ships.” Later Wednesday, U.S. Southern Command said American forces killed three “narco-terrorists” in a Caribbean go-fast strike.

Rubio then flew to Lima for meetings with President Keiko Fujimori on the final stop of his South America tour, expected to advance the Shield of the Americas security partnership. Dozens of left-wing protesters gathered at Plaza San Martín against the visit and Peru’s participation in that initiative, EFE and France 24 reported, with slogans including “Out, Marco Rubio” and “Yankees out of Latin America.”

Sources: RFI / AFP, France 24, EFE via Infobae

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Brazil Supreme Court Crisis: Fachin Suspends Rival Rulings: September 10, 2026

BRASILIA — Brazil’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Edson Fachin on Wednesday suspended rival rulings by fellow justices over the federal police chief’s tenure and called an extraordinary full-court session for next week, Reuters reported, framing the clash as the court’s biggest crisis since the return to democracy.

Justice Flávio Dino ordered Federal Police Director-General Andrei Rodrigues reinstated, reversing Justice André Mendonça’s Tuesday order removing Rodrigues and his intelligence chief over alleged intelligence reports monitoring Mendonça and other officials. A five-member panel had backed Mendonça; President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government challenged the removals.

Fachin kept Rodrigues in place pending further review, gave him 48 hours to answer the allegations, and set a Sept. 15 session for the full 10-member bench to discuss Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s alleged ties to Banco Master’s Daniel Vorcaro after Mendonça publicized investigation material.

The crisis adds uncertainty to October’s presidential race between Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Lula called Banco Master the “greatest financial crime in Brazil’s history” and said Brazilians “need explanations.” Bolsonaro blamed “chaos left behind by Lula.”

Sources: Reuters

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India Hosts BRICS as Iran War Tests Bloc Unity: September 10, 2026

NEW DELHI — India will host the BRICS Leaders’ Summit on Sept. 12–13 as the U.S.-led war on Iran splits the expanded bloc, with member Iran and the UAE on opposing sides, Channel News Asia reported.

The UAE suspended all trade and financial dealings with Iran in August after Iranian missile strikes. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said differences between Abu Dhabi and Tehran have a “negative impact” on drafting a joint declaration, though he hoped leaders could find acceptable language. Foreign ministers failed to issue a joint statement after a May meeting in New Delhi for the same reason.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will make his first visit to India in seven years. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres are also due. The UAE is expected to send Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Attention will focus on possible Modi–Xi talks—their third since ties began improving after a Himalayan border agreement—and scheduled Modi–Putin meetings on trade and energy. An SCO summit earlier this month produced language on the Iran conflict acceptable to members with differing positions, raising hopes BRICS can bridge its divide.

Sources: CNA

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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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GOP Opens First Midterm Convention in Dallas: September 9, 2026

DALLAS — Republicans opened a two-day midterm convention Wednesday at the American Airlines Center, with President Donald Trump set to deliver a Wednesday keynote and a Thursday closing address. Vice President JD Vance is also scheduled Thursday. Roughly 100 House members and candidates are expected.

RNC chair Joe Gruters cast the gathering as “putting the president on the ballot.” The event comes about 55 days before the midterms. Recent polling cited by Euronews put Trump’s approval near 33 percent. Some battleground candidates are skipping the convention.

Decision Desk HQ projects a Democratic House majority of 230–205, a projection that underscores Republican urgency heading into November.

Organizers say the Dallas meeting is an unprecedented midterm showcase centered on the sitting president.

Sources: ABC News, Euronews

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Rubio and Colombia Seal Barranquilla Agreements: September 9, 2026

BARRANQUILLA — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella at the president’s Barranquilla home on Tuesday and announced the Barranquilla Agreements covering security, investment, and earthquake recovery after the Aug. 10 quake.

The package includes a memorandum of understanding on rare earths, a civilian nuclear dialogue MoU, cooperation against drug trafficking under a 21st-Century Patriot Plan, and plans for a Shield of the Americas headquarters in Medellín. The two sides also discussed Venezuela and migration cooperation.

Rubio’s South America swing continues Wednesday in Ecuador with President Daniel Noboa and Thursday in Peru with President Keiko Fujimori, according to the itinerary reported by El País.

Officials framed the Barranquilla agenda as a relaunch of Colombia–U.S. ties after years of strained cooperation.

Sources: El País English

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Merz Accuses AfD of Calling for Ethnic Cleansing: September 9, 2026

BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Bundestag on Wednesday that the Alternative for Germany party supports Russia against German interests and that its anti-migration “remigration” agenda is “nothing other than ethnic cleansing based on skin color and origin,” Deutsche Welle reported.

The remarks follow the AfD’s 43.8 percent win in Saxony-Anhalt over the weekend, a result that shook Merz’s Christian Democrats. Merz has ruled out working with the far-right party.

Defending migration’s role in the economy during a parliamentary face-off with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel, Merz said: “If things were to happen the way the AfD wants, the skilled trades in Germany could no longer function, not a single care home would be able to operate, not a single hospital would be able to operate, and not a single restaurant could be run.”

Political fallout from Saxony-Anhalt continues to dominate German politics as mainstream parties debate how to contain the AfD without cooperating with it.

Sources: Reuters, DW, The Guardian

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US Strikes Five Iranian Oil Tankers as Iran Hits Jordan Base: September 9, 2026

WASHINGTON / TEHRAN — U.S. Central Command said American forces struck five Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps–linked oil tankers after Iran twice targeted a U.S. warship with ballistic missiles. Four of the tankers were hit in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island. CENTCOM said the M/T Riesco was sunk and that no U.S. troops were harmed, with the missiles successfully evaded.

Iran said it fired missiles at the Al Azraq base in Jordan and claimed strikes on two U.S. vessels and eight tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Jordan said it engaged 20 ballistic missiles, intercepted or destroyed 18, and that two fell in unpopulated areas.

The exchanges mark another round in a week of tit-for-tat attacks in a war that began after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. Shipping through Hormuz has been largely disrupted.

Speaking in Colombia, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships and warned that Tehran would “lose tankers,” according to wire reports.

Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera

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Australia Proposes Social Media Algorithm Opt-Out Rules: September 8, 2026

SYDNEY — Australia on Tuesday proposed giving social media users a choice over algorithmically recommended feeds, the next step in Canberra’s online-safety push after its world-first social media age ban for children. Under draft Digital Duty of Care laws, platforms would have to notify users and offer an opt-in or opt-out for personalized recommendations.

Users could keep a default feed shaped by algorithms, or switch to posts only from friends and creators they follow. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it “sensible, pragmatic, practical reform” that “gives users choice” and holds big tech responsible for inaction. The “My Feed, My Way” package also requires platforms to document measures against identified harms and keep them effective over time.

Failure to comply could bring penalties of up to A$109.2 million ($79 million), with the eSafety Commissioner enforcing the rules. eSafety would also gain power to issue notices requiring swift removal of certain harmful, nudity-related, and illegal content. Free-speech advocates warned the draft could enable censorship; Albanese said the aim is people control, not government control.

The draft extends child-protection duties beyond social media to games, apps, and AI chatbots, including limits on addictive design features. Meta and Google did not immediately comment. The government opened consultation with platforms and civil society, with legislation expected in Parliament this year. The European Union’s Digital Services Act has required a similar profiling opt-out since 2024.

Sources: Reuters, Prime Minister of Australia.

UK, France and Canada Ban Goods From Israeli West Bank Settlements: September 8, 2026

LONDON — Britain on Tuesday announced a trade ban on goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, coordinated with France and Canada, Foreign Minister Ed Miliband told the House of Commons. Miliband said London could no longer only “call out” injustice and must “act” against settlement expansion that he said threatens a two-state solution.

Miliband said Britain views the West Bank occupation as unlawful and that London believes ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is occurring in parts of the territory. Settlement goods are mainly agricultural and a tiny share of Israel’s trade; Britain’s annual bilateral trade with Israel is about £6 billion ($8.1 billion). The UK joins the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain, and Norway in banning or planning to ban such goods.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for expulsion of the British ambassador; National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to close the British Consulate in East Jerusalem. President Isaac Herzog accused Britain of interfering in Israel’s October election. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told the BBC the sanctions amounted to “discrimination against the Jewish people.”

Concerns center on Israel’s E1 settlement project near Jerusalem. Smotrich on Tuesday also advanced plans for 1,000 new homes in two other West Bank settlements. The United Nations and most countries regard settlements as illegal under international law; Israel disputes that.

Sources: Reuters, BBC

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