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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Russia and Ukraine to halt attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea, while agreeing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to pursue a new grain transport route through the region. Erdogan delivered the appeal on Saturday during a joint press conference with Zelenskyy in Istanbul, stressing that strikes on non-military ships were unacceptable regardless of which side was responsible. Related coverage • Ukraine expands its military

Hungry and exhausted residents of the Russian-controlled Ukrainian town of Oleshky have arrived in Ukraine during a large-scale civilian evacuation, made possible by the first humanitarian ceasefire of its kind in more than four years of Russia’s war. The six-day truce for the town was secured through mediation involving US First Lady Melania Trump and support from Pope Leo XIV. It marks the longest local halt in hostilities since Russia launched its full invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The United States has said it approved the potential sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine, in a deal estimated at $2.1bn. The proposed package, which includes missiles, spare parts and support services, was announced by the US State Department on Friday. It would mark one of the largest moves to provide Kyiv with defensive weaponry since President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3Concerns grow in Europe over alleged

Jordan launched air strikes in Syria in what it described as retaliation for last week’s deadly attack on a church, while Syrian officials said at least seven people, including three children and a woman, were killed in the raids. The strikes on Monday led Syria to shut its main border crossing with Jordan. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3Suwayda remains tense as the United States shows differences with Israel over Syria • list 2 of 3Jordan detains three suspects in early raid linked to church

A 14-year-old boy has died after intense rainfall swept across Istanbul, flooding hundreds of properties, damaging roads and nearly paralysing traffic in Turkiye’s biggest city. Security camera footage showed the teenager being electrocuted in the Balat neighbourhood of Istanbul’s Fatih district after he stepped into a large puddle during the downpour. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3Pakistan and Turkiye support Saudi efforts to deter the Houthis • list 2 of 3Could new proposals from India and

Russian air raids have killed at least six people across Ukraine and cut electricity supplies to hundreds of thousands, only days after United States President Donald Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” in the war that has lasted more than four years. Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that its forces launched a “massive” attack on Ukrainian communications and energy sites, according to Russian media reports. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3What does Trump’s proposed “energy

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – Three years after Israel began its war on Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Palestinian territory has been altered almost beyond recognition. Israel’s prolonged air and ground campaign has wrecked large areas of the Gaza Strip, flattening homes and neighbourhoods while causing extensive damage to infrastructure, public services and essential facilities. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3Israel’s deadline to shut UK consulate draws

Swiss glaciers are shrinking at an alarming pace as winters bring less snow and Europe experiences exceptionally high summer temperatures, scientists have warned. The country, long associated with Alpine scenery and ski resorts, has lost almost one-fifth of its glacier ice in only five years. A report released on Thursday by the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS) and the Swiss Academy of Sciences’ Commission for Cryosphere Observation found that Swiss glaciers lost 5.5 percent of their

Poland has strengthened its air defence measures after a series of alleged violations of its airspace in recent weeks. On September 17, the Polish Air Force began precautionary patrols intended to protect the eastern section of the country’s airspace. Related developments • item 1 of 4Ukraine says two North Korean prisoners of war were transferred to South Korea • item 2 of 4Russian strikes kill eight across Ukraine as Washington increases diplomatic efforts • item 3 of 4Russia targets Ukraine

Dhading; Rasuwa; Nuwakot, Nepal – Nine-year-old Ram Thakur was walking uphill with his mother and dozens of other people escaping rising floodwater on August 26 when he turned around and saw muddy water rushing towards them. Everyone began to run. His mother, who had been gripping his hand, urged him to climb more quickly. As the roar of the water mixed with cries from the crowd, she shouted: “Chhito maathi hinda, pachhaadi na-hera,” meaning, “Climb faster, don’t look back.” Thakur followed her

US President Donald Trump has signed a broad new sanctions law aimed at Russia over its continued war in Ukraine, only days after Congress approved the measure with unusual bipartisan backing. The legislation, signed on Friday and titled the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, commemorates the late Republican senator who spent more than a year helping negotiate the proposal before his unexpected death in July. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal co-authored the bill.

New Delhi, India – On August 26, the high Himalayan terrain above Nepal’s Rasuwa district was transformed within a matter of minutes. A huge volume of ice and rock gave way in the mountains, unleashing a powerful mix of water, mud and debris into the Lhende Khola River. The flow raced through steep valleys, destroying homes and infrastructure before reaching the Nepal-China frontier. It was more than an ordinary flood. It was a cascading disaster. By the middle of September, more than 1,400

A residential building in Gaza City, previously damaged during the war, has collapsed, killing at least 20 Palestinians, including women and children, while leaving dozens feared trapped beneath the debris. Palestinian Civil Defence officials said on Wednesday that the overnight collapse of the six-storey building killed at least 20 people, including five children, and injured 14 others. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3Israeli quadcopter causes fear in Gaza City neighbourhoods • list 2 of

Sweden’s closely watched general election remains too tight to predict as ballots continue to be counted, with preliminary figures putting the centre-left opposition slightly ahead of the right-wing governing alliance. Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson told supporters on Sunday that the opposition bloc was ahead in the count and said that, if the numbers hold, “Sweden will have a new government”. Election Update Voting stations closed at 8pm local time. With 94.4 percent of ballots

Anthropic says it has disrupted several malicious efforts involving its Claude AI models, including alleged cyber-espionage, weapons development and large-scale surveillance activity. In the area of conventional weapons, the company said in a new report that it acted against an operation in northern Yemen that attempted to use Claude for missile-guidance software. The effort reportedly involved work on both a guided rocket and a long-range ballistic missile. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3US

The United States has recorded its hottest summer ever, as intense heat and drought affected broad areas of the country. Between June and August, the average temperature across the contiguous United States reached 23.6 degrees Celsius (74.4 degrees Fahrenheit), according to figures released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday. The seasonal average was 1.7C (3F) above the 20th-century norm and 0.2C (0.4F) warmer than the former record, which had been shared by

US special representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss possible ways to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, in their first trip to Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The discussions on Sunday followed a meeting the two envoys held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow a day earlier. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3How important are the Yemeni government’s recent military advances against the

Russian forces have struck the city of Kamianske in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, killing five people and wounding another five, regional Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said. The attack on Saturday took place as US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday carrying a proposal intended to help bring the war to an end. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 4Russian

Malaysia has announced a state of emergency in a district of Sarawak after haze from wildfires in nearby Indonesia pushed air pollution to levels considered hazardous. King Sultan Ibrahim “has given his consent for an emergency to be declared across Serian Division, Sarawak, following haze conditions that have reached levels dangerous to public health and safety,” the office of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3Malaysia’s former leader Ismail Sabri

A fire erupted at the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region after a drone attack, according to local officials. In a separate incident, two workers at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant were injured in another Ukrainian drone strike. At least two people were killed and two more wounded by falling drone wreckage near Afipsky railway station, regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Tuesday. Management at the nuclear facility said the drone struck close to