World News

Afghanistan Says 28 Fighters Killed After Crossing From Pakistan: September 27, 2026

KABUL — Afghanistan’s defence ministry said Sunday its forces killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 in eastern Nuristan province after a group it said included Islamic State militants crossed from Pakistan; Islamabad rejected the allegations, Reuters reported.

Kabul alleged Pakistani militias supported the fighters and that most were former Afghan government security personnel. Pakistan’s information ministry called the claims “frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth,” denying that its forces or intelligence agencies were involved, trained former Afghan personnel, or facilitated Islamic State or other militants.

The ministry said the group crossed into Kamdesh district on Saturday intending to attack; surviving fighters fled back toward Pakistani militia positions, it claimed. Reuters could not independently verify the account. The clash follows Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan on September 21 that Islamabad said killed 28 militants; Afghan officials and the U.N. mission reported civilian deaths.

Sources: Reuters

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Returnees Find Sudan’s Capital Barely Livable Amid Power Cuts and Rubble: September 27, 2026

KHARTOUM — Millions who returned to Sudan’s capital after the army retook the city are finding it barely livable, with chronic power and water cuts, scarce medicine and vast war damage, AFP reported Sunday.

About four million people fled Khartoum after fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces erupted in 2023. An estimated 2.7 million have since returned, but electricity and water still fail for days at a time, markets reopen amid mass unemployment, and by June the U.N. had declared only about 1% of the city safe because of booby traps and unexploded ordnance. Fighting continues elsewhere in Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Authorities have pressed residents and university students to come back and reopened the airport for domestic flights, but many who can afford to stay abroad are doing so. “Bringing my family back was a mistake,” one businessman told AFP near a city centre still lined with blackened, bombed-out buildings.

Sources: AFP via France 24

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Two Mass Shootings in South Africa Leave 27 Dead: September 27, 2026

JOHANNESBURG — Twenty-seven people were killed in two mass shootings hours apart in South Africa, the latest surge of gun violence in a country already struggling with gang-related killings, BBC News reported.

Seventeen people died when eight gunmen stormed a bar near Johannesburg on Saturday evening, with 15 more injured; police said thirteen men and four women were among the dead. In a separate attack early Sunday near Cape Town, 10 people were killed outside an entertainment venue and 11 injured. No arrests had been made in either case by Sunday morning. Police have not publicly established motives, though a Johannesburg officer said the bar attack may have been retaliation for a shooting last month.

The killings came days after 11 people died when gunmen stormed a house in Durban’s KwaMakhutha township. South Africa records roughly 60 murders a day. President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year called organised crime “the most immediate threat to our democracy,” and the military has been deployed alongside police in high-murder areas.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters

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Athens Gas Leak Blast Kills Six, Including Four American Tourists: September 27, 2026

ATHENS — Six people, including four American tourists, were killed when a blast believed to be from a major gas leak collapsed a two-storey building in Athens’ historic Plaka district, Greek authorities and wire reports said.

Documents indicated four of the dead — two men and two women — were U.S. citizens; the other two were an elderly British man and a Greek woman who lived on the building’s second floor, state broadcaster ERT and local media reported. Two women were injured in an adjoining building. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas called the damage an “unimaginable catastrophe,” saying neighbouring structures might have to be demolished.

Residents had warned the municipality and utility managers about gas and electrical risks in the area, and a police spokeswoman confirmed a smell-of-gas report on the street. Plaka sits at the foot of the Acropolis, Greece’s most visited ancient site.

Sources: Al Jazeera / AFP / AP

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Swiss Voters Reject Bid to Enshrine Stricter Neutrality: September 27, 2026

BERN — Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a bid to write stricter neutrality into the constitution, preserving the government’s room to apply the doctrine flexibly — including maintaining sanctions against Russia, early results and projections showed.

The Neutrality Initiative drew only about 31% support, with roughly 69% voting against, according to early government tallies and GFS Bern projections for Swiss public broadcaster SRF. The proposal would have declared Switzerland’s neutrality “eternal and armed,” barred peacetime military-alliance cooperation and blocked sanctions not approved by the United Nations.

Supporters, led by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, argued that mirroring EU sanctions after Russia’s 2022 invasion breached neutrality — a view Moscow echoed. The government, parliament and all major parties except the SVP opposed the measure. In a separate ballot, voters also rejected a food self-sufficiency initiative.

Sources: SWI swissinfo / Bloomberg, SRF

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Venezuela Frees 39 Political Prisoners After Post-Maduro Talks: September 27, 2026

CARACAS — Venezuela released 39 political prisoners between Friday and Saturday after a second round of U.S.-backed talks between the interim government and the opposition, rights groups said, Al Jazeera reported with AFP.

Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón said those freed included eight women accused of “narco-terrorism” in 2021 and six people accused of working with the United States in a 2020 attempt to overthrow former President Nicolás Maduro. The releases followed Friday’s negotiations under interim President Delcy Rodríguez, held with Washington’s approval since Maduro’s military removal in January.

Foro Penal said 344 people remained classified as political prisoners as of September 18, down from 391 on August 10. Rodríguez enacted an amnesty law in February under U.S. pressure, but rights advocates say the pace of releases has been slow. Families have continued protests outside the U.S. embassy in Caracas and El Rodeo I prison.

Sources: Al Jazeera / AFP

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Trump Approves Sharply Lower Fuel Economy Standards, Ends Biden EV Push: September 27, 2026

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will finalize sharply lower vehicle fuel-economy standards through 2031 on Monday, reversing a Biden-era push that steered automakers toward building more electric vehicles, officials said Saturday, Reuters reported.

President Donald Trump said he had approved the new standards, which he cast as a win that will lower new-vehicle prices. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said “a major victory for America’s auto workers is coming Monday.” The department previously proposed a fleetwide average of about 34.5 miles per gallon by 2031, down from 50.4 under Biden rules, estimating average new-vehicle costs would fall by roughly $930.

The same analysis projected higher fuel use — on the order of 100 billion gallons through 2050 — and about 5% more carbon dioxide emissions. Former Biden transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg said lowering standards would hand clean-tech leadership to China and leave Americans paying more at the pump. The move lands as U.S. drivers face elevated fuel prices since the wider Middle East war began in February.

Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera

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Nor’easter Floods Northeast U.S., Kills Brooklyn Man: September 27, 2026

NEW YORK — A powerful early-season nor’easter battered the northeastern United States over the weekend, flooding coastal towns, knocking out power for tens of thousands and killing a 56-year-old man in Brooklyn when a tree toppled in high winds, authorities and wire reports said.

Police said the man suffered fatal trauma after gusts downed a tree on Euclid Avenue in East New York on Saturday afternoon. Around 100,000 customers across the mid-Atlantic and New England lost electricity as heavy rain, high tides and winds whipped the Jersey Shore, Long Island and parts of New England. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned that coastal flooding was the biggest threat and that more rain was still coming.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled at Boston Logan and other regional airports, and major outdoor events including Ed Sheeran concerts near Boston were scrubbed. National Weather Service forecasters said strong northeast winds coinciding with high tides would keep coastal hazards elevated into early next week.

Sources: Associated Press via CBC, Al Jazeera

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World Brief, Evening: September 26, 2026

President Trump said Saturday he has rejected Iran’s seven-day Hormuz plan; Russian and Ukrainian strikes left at least ten dead as Lavrov accused Europe of blocking talks; and Ethiopia’s Tigray front flared again. Ten stories as of Saturday evening, September 26.

1. Washington / Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday that he has rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting in the wider Middle East war within seven days, Reuters reported. “I reject their proposal,” he said, arguing Tehran wants the strait open because it is “losing so badly.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had floated the plan at the U.N. via Qatari mediators. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS Face the Nation Tehran is ready for talks on its nuclear programme but will not accept “bullying or coercion.” The Wall Street Journal earlier cited officials saying Trump sees a renewed bombing campaign as likely after the November midterms.

2. Kyiv / Zaporizhzhia / Krasnodar. Russian and Ukrainian attacks killed at least ten people on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported, citing AFP and AP. Russian strikes killed four in Ukraine — including two women under rubble in Zaporizhzhia and two in Sumy — while Ukrainian strikes killed six in Russia and Russian-occupied territory, officials said. A Ukrainian drone hit in Krasnodar killed three. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is “not preparing to end the war” and that partners must choose stronger responses. He also said Washington had proposed a Russia–Ukraine–U.S. meeting in the United Arab Emirates and that Kyiv was awaiting a date.

3. New York. Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and Germany’s Johann Wadephul held their first foreign-minister talks since before Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, meeting on the U.N. General Assembly sidelines Saturday, Reuters reported. Wadephul pressed for steps to restore Black Sea grain exports and called for an immediate cease-fire focused on grain and energy infrastructure. Lavrov told a news conference he learned nothing new. At the Assembly, Lavrov accused Europe of doing “everything it can to thwart peace talks” that interest the Trump administration.

4. Tigray / Ethiopia. Intensified fighting between Ethiopia’s federal army and Tigrayan forces raised fears the 2022 Pretoria peace deal could collapse, Al Jazeera reported Saturday. Escalation followed a new seven-group alliance — including the TPLF, Amhara Fano, and Oromo Liberation Army — that seeks to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Fighting spread into Afar and Amhara; Tigrayan forces seized airports at Mekelle, Axum and Shire. The African Union called for an immediate halt and asked former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to re-engage the parties.

5. Bangkok. Authorities declared a flood disaster across all 50 districts of Thailand’s capital on Saturday after nearly 300 millimetres of rain since Thursday, Al Jazeera reported with AFP and AP. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt urged residents near filled canals to move belongings higher; about 980 people were in temporary shelters. Officials later said the situation had “stabilised” but that draining could take two or three days if rain holds off. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cut short a London trip to return.

6. Riyadh / Yemen. Yemen’s Saudi-led coalition said early Saturday it had intercepted two ballistic missiles and two drones launched by Iran-backed Houthis toward the kingdom, Reuters reported. Missiles were headed toward Khamis Mushait and drones toward Riyadh. The Houthis have attacked Saudi targets since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, adding pressure on Red Sea routes while Hormuz traffic remains largely blocked. Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish military chiefs met in Riyadh under their new Mecca joint defense pact.

7. Ecuador / Eastern Pacific. The Guardian reported Saturday that U.S. forces, with open support from Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, have destroyed multiple Ecuadorian fishing boats in joint counter-narcotics operations — removing crews before sinking vessels they say were used as floating refuelling stations. Fishers deny the allegations; a local human-rights group says more than 220 fishers have faced violent boardings and vessel destruction this year. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will “still blow up ships if need be.” Noboa has granted U.S. personnel immunity in the operations.

8. Kenge / Democratic Republic of Congo. Congo’s transport ministry said Saturday the death toll from Friday’s plane crash near Kenge, Kwango province, is 17 — all aboard — and immediately suspended TRACEP Congo Aviation’s air operator certificate, Xinhua reported. The Let L-410 had been flying toward Kinshasa when it developed a fault, circled looking for a landing site, then crashed into a residential compound and caught fire; no ground casualties were reported. Senior military justice officials were among the dead. President Félix Tshisekedi had ordered an investigation. Earlier reporting: Al Jazeera.

9. Hobart / Southern Ocean / Antarctica. A seven-metre uncrewed Saildrone vessel has begun a roughly 22,000-kilometre circumnavigation of Antarctica to measure ocean and atmospheric carbon dioxide, The Guardian reported, citing CSIRO scientists. Powered by wind and sun after leaving Hobart, it is expected to take seven to nine months via the Drake Passage and past South Africa. Dr Elizabeth Shadwick said the Southern Ocean absorbs a large share of human emissions and needs better year-round observation, including polar winter.

10. Washington. President Trump said Saturday he wants Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to “settle with Putin,” and hoped a deal might come “before the heavy winter,” as Saturday’s aerial war continued and Russia’s foreign minister insisted Moscow’s war aims would be achieved “no matter the circumstances,” wire reports and Al Jazeera said. Zelenskyy has urged Trump to implement new U.S. sanctions authority against Russia and those financing its war.

Coming up. Monday 28 September — UN General Assembly high-level week continues in New York. Tuesday–Wednesday 30 September–1 October — G20 trade ministers, Milwaukee. Sunday 4 October — Brazil general election (first round; runoff 25 October if needed). The standing calendar is at The Watch.

Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; Al Jazeera; AFP; The Guardian; Xinhua; CSIRO.

World Brief: September 26, 2026

President Trump said Saturday he has rejected Iran’s seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz; Russian and Ukrainian strikes killed seven people as the aerial war intensified; and the U.N. said nearly 1.5 million Haitians are now displaced by gang violence. Ten stories as of Saturday morning, September 26.

1. Washington / Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday that he has rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting in the wider Middle East war within seven days, Reuters reported. “I reject their proposal,” he said, arguing Tehran wants the strait open because it is “losing so badly.” Iran had floated the plan at the U.N. via Qatari mediators, conditioning a pause on lifting the U.S. naval blockade, releasing frozen funds and waiving oil sanctions. The Wall Street Journal earlier cited officials saying Trump sees a renewed bombing campaign as likely after the November midterms.

2. Kyiv / Zaporizhzhia / Krasnodar. Russian attacks killed four people across Ukraine on Saturday and a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia’s Krasnodar region killed three more, the Associated Press reported. Two women died under rubble in Zaporizhzhia; two people were killed in Sumy. Drones hit several Kyiv districts, injuring four, and Russia’s Defense Ministry said a data center supporting cellphone and Starlink services was damaged. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote that Russia is “escalating every single day” and urged partners to choose stronger responses.

3. Port-au-Prince / Artibonite. Nearly 1.5 million people are internally displaced across Haiti as gang violence pushes families far beyond the capital, the International Organization for Migration said Friday; Reuters carried the figures. Nearly 80 percent of those uprooted now live outside Port-au-Prince, with the sharpest recent rise in Artibonite. Armed attacks in Kenscoff displaced more than 4,000 people. IOM warned hundreds of thousands in informal settlements face hurricane-season risk: “For families already displaced by violence, a major storm could trigger another humanitarian emergency.”

4. Brussels. EU member countries agreed to release €6.6 billion ($7.5 billion) in European Peace Facility funds linked to military aid for Ukraine, foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Friday, Reuters reported. Of that, €900 million goes to the EU training mission, €1 billion to joint procurement, and €4.7 billion to reimburse member states. “That’s good news for Ukraine and bad news for Russia,” Kallas said. The package had been stalled since 2023 under a Hungarian veto that lifted after a change of government in Budapest.

5. Kenge / Democratic Republic of Congo. At least 17 people, including two army generals, were killed when a military plane crashed into a residential area in Kenge, Kwango province, on Friday, Al Jazeera and local officials reported. The aircraft was flying from Kikwit toward Kinshasa when it developed a technical fault; with no landing strip in Kenge it crashed and caught fire. The army said the dead included Lt. Gen. Joseph Mutombo, first president of the High Military Court, and Lt. Gen. Lucien-René Likulia, the military’s auditor general. President Félix Tshisekedi ordered an investigation.

6. São Paulo / Brasília. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday announced a ban on online betting operations less than two years after Brazil legalized the industry, Reuters reported. The executive order takes immediate effect but needs congressional approval within 120 days; Finance Minister Dario Durigan’s team said app stores and providers must block betting sites from October 6. The move comes days before the October 4 first-round election, where Lula faces Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a tight race; Bolsonaro called the ban “populist” and “politically motivated.”

7. Washington / Ottawa. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Friday the Trump administration sees “no urgency” to strike a Canada trade deal even as new U.S. import bans on Canadian goods take effect next week and Washington threatens 50% tariffs on Canadian autos, parts and steel from January, Reuters reported. “We’re comfortable with where we are,” Greer told CNBC, noting the U.S. is still receiving Canadian oil, gas and potash. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs took effect earlier this month after U.S. duties on roughly $20–28 billion of Canadian goods.

8. Bogotá. Colombia on Friday extradited Geovany Andrés Rojas — known as “Spider,” an alleged Border Commands FARC-dissident leader — to the United States, the first transfer of a senior illegal-armed-group commander under President Abelardo De La Espriella, Reuters reported. U.S. prosecutors accuse him of drug trafficking and conspiracy tied to operations in Colombia and Ecuador since 2017. De La Espriella, who took office in August, said his government has carried out 94 extraditions and that “Colombia will not be a refuge for drug traffickers.”

9. Taipei. After Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping ended a three-day Washington summit with no major public breakthrough on Taiwan, Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu said Saturday that arming the island so it can defend itself and keep supplying semiconductors remains in the U.S. national interest, Reuters reported. Xi pressed Trump to oppose Taiwan independence; Trump has yet to approve a pending roughly $14 billion arms package he said in May he was holding in abeyance. U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said Friday there has been no change in Taiwan policy under the Taiwan Relations Act.

10. Suva / Fiji. Pacific defence ministers wrapping up the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Fiji signalled a phased approach to any expansion of the Pacific Response Group into civil-unrest “stabilisation” missions and voiced “grave concern” over China’s ballistic missile test into the Blue Pacific “without appropriate notice,” RNZ reported. Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga took part. Australian Defence Force chief Adm. Mark Hammond said there must be “absolute consensus” and respect for sovereign constitutional processes.

Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; Al Jazeera; International Organization for Migration; RNZ.

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