Iran: Hormuz to be opened within seven days if the United States accepts its conditions
The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araqchi, said at the United Nations General Assembly that Tehran, through mediators, has submitted a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Summary
- DR Congo commanders accused of cowardice in Bukavu war
- Woman who accused Jay-Z of rape claims her allegations were false
- Internet cut off after fighting broke out in Tigray, Ethiopia
- 41 people died in a Lake Tanganyika boat accident
- Tanzania changes exam schedule due to El Nino caution
- Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan meet to discuss Houthi attacks
- China's President Xi Jinping warns Trump to be careful about Taiwan
- US White House allows CNN, MS NOW, and Politico back in
- Ethiopian Army warns: 'The fighting will not end at the borders'
- Netanyahu accuses Qatar of influencing Israeli opinions
- Ethiopia War: Tigray residents begin food hoarding fearing increased fighting
- Israeli UN Ambassador tries to give Iranian representative Starlink equipment
- UAE suspends all flights by Iranian airlines
- Friday Football Predictions: Chelsea sacked Scott
Iran: Hormuz to be opened within seven days if the United States accepts its conditions
Directly from Mariam Mjahid & Ambia Hirsi
DR Congo commanders accused of cowardice in Bukavu
The Supreme Military Court of the Democratic Republic of Congo has begun hearing a case against two senior army commanders suspected of cowardice and violation of military ethics, offenses alleged to have contributed to the fall of Bukavu into the hands of M23 rebels in February 2025.
The case began in Kinshasa, where Major General Yav Avul Robert, commander of the military operations in South Kivu, and Brigadier General Ehonza André Uketi, head of operations in the province, were brought to court to answer charges against them.
The prosecutors allege that the officers showed cowardice in war and caused a weakening of the morals of the soldiers, a situation that contributed to the loss of control of Bukavu. They are also accused of leading military operations without sufficient capacity to attack.
The hearing for the case was suspended shortly after the charges were read, following the defense lawyers' request for more time to prepare their responses. The penalty they face is death if found guilty.
The court has postponed the case for the next two weeks. Until now, both accused have neither accepted nor denied the charges against them.
Since the fall of the cities of Goma and Bukavu, which are among the major cities occupied by M23 rebels in eastern DRC, the military authorities have brought several army and police officials before the courts with charges of cowardice in war.
Other senior officers are also being held pending the hearing of their cases.
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Woman who accused Jay-Z of rape says her claims were false
The woman who once accused musician Jay-Z of rape stated that her claims against the artist were untrue.
The woman, who filed a case in 2024 using the alias Jane Doe, alleged that she was drugged and raped by Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, along with Sean "Diddy" Combs at an event held after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000.
However, Jay-Z and Combs strongly denied these allegations, and the woman subsequently dropped the case. Following this action, Carter filed a case against her along with her lawyers.
In the information presented to the court on Thursday, the woman stated that Jay-Z never raped or did anything improper to her.
"Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter never raped me. I have never met him or spoken to him. He never did anything improper to me," she said in the statement.
She also admitted that her claims that she and Combs were raped by someone else famous witnessing the incident were false and had no basis in truth.
The woman added that she recognizes that her false accusations caused Jay-Z great pain, suffering, and serious harm to his reputation.
Internet cut off after fighting broke out in Tigray, Ethiopia
Internet and telephone communication services have been cut off in the Tigray region, north of Ethiopia, following the fighting between Tigray forces and the government army this week.
The services of the government communications company, Ethio Telecom, have been completely suspended, while the services of the private company Safaricom remain available in some areas. The internet monitoring group NetBlocks said that network statistics show the shutdown of internet services in the northern parts of Tigray.
Speaking to the BBC Newsday program, an American aid worker working in Mekelle, Duke Burbridge, said communication services were interrupted the previous night, which added to the challenges for residents facing a state of panic due to the ongoing fighting.
The BBC said it has contacted Ethiopian authorities to request clarification about the situation, but it stated that currently it cannot report directly from Tigray and neighboring areas due to security reasons.
Burbridge said that Tigray has been facing a severe shortage of cash for approximately eight months, a situation that has made many citizens unable to access ATM services. He warned that the cut-off of internet services would have a major impact on the daily lives of the residents of the area.
Many residents of Tigray depend on online banking services and mobile money systems to conduct their daily transactions. Since these services depend on communication networks, the internet cut-off is feared to disrupt economic activities and increase human problems as the fighting spreads.
41 people die in Lake Tanganyika boat accident
Approximately 41 people have been reported dead after the boats they were traveling from Kigoma, Tanzania, to Kalemie in the Tanganyika Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, capsized on Lake Tanganyika on Thursday.
The Minister of Transport for the Tanganyika Province, Norris Mulongoyi, said the boat was carrying approximately 100 people when the accident occurred near Mapera village.
According to Mulongoyi, 49 people have been rescued, and efforts to find the missing and bodies of those who died in the water are ongoing.
The source of the accident is unknown, but incidents of watercraft being submerged have been frequently reported in the Congo.
Experts have linked some of these accidents to excessive loading of passengers or cargo and the lack of essential safety equipment, including life jackets.
Lake Tanganyika is one of the world's largest freshwater lakes and is an important route for transport and trade for thousands of its residents.
In many rural areas of the Congo, water transport remains the main means of transport due to road infrastructure challenges.
Tanzania changes exam schedule due to El Nino
The Tanzania Examinations Council (NECTA) has changed the examination and national assessments schedule for 2026 due to the caution about the possibility of heavy El Niño rains.
With the new schedule, the National Fourth Grade Assessment will take place on October 5 and 6, instead of October 21 and 22.
The National Second Grade Assessment will now take place on October 7 and 8, instead of November 17 and 18, while the National Secondary School Assessment will be from October 12 to 23, instead of November 2 to 13.
For the National Secondary School Examination, which was previously scheduled to take place from November 9 to 27, it will now take place from October 19 to November 6, 2026.
These changes were announced on Friday, September 25, 2026, by the Deputy Minister of Education, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, who said they aim to ensure the safety of students, teachers, administrators, and other officials involved in the administration of the exams, as well as protecting the examination materials and documents if heavy rains occur in November 2026.
He said the ministry made this decision after receiving information from various regions about the preparations to cope with the effects that may be caused by the rains.
"The aim of the schedule revision is to ensure the safety of students, teachers, administrators, and other officials involved in the administration of the exams, as well as protecting the examinations, materials, and documents if heavy rains occur in November 2026," he said.
According to the NECTA Executive Secretary, Professor Said Mohamed, the changes have been made to the examination and national assessment schedule that was planned to take place in October and November this year.
The Ministry said that the safety of students, teachers, administrators, and other officials, as well as the protection of the examinations and their materials, are among the things considered in making these revisions.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan meet to discuss Houthi attacks
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have held an emergency high-level meeting to discuss how to help Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks from Yemen are increasing.
The Foreign Ministers of these three countries discussed the situation and condemned the attacks targeting Mecca and other areas of citizens. They also confirmed that Saudi Arabia has the right to self-defense.
The countries are also planning to meet their military commanders to discuss how to help Saudi Arabia, using their mutual defense agreements. These agreements state that an attack against one country is considered an attack against all countries.
The Houthis have said they conducted rocket and drone attacks against Saudi Arabian areas on Thursday. In response, Saudi Arabia stated that it successfully repelled six ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia has also issued emergency warnings in several areas, including Mecca, Jeddah, and Yanbu, which are important ports for oil transportation.
Meanwhile, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has called the army to be ready to give their lives in the fight against the Houthis until the group is removed from power.
The meeting took place while the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, said that the Houthis should be held responsible for their actions, a statement interpreted as an effort to isolate the Iranian government and those attacks.
Meanwhile, Iran and the United States continue diplomatic talks to reduce tensions. The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, said Tehran has proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz if the United States reduces military pressure and sanctions against Iran.
The war and tension in the region have affected the transport of oil and goods, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, an important route used for transporting oil worldwide.
China's President Xi Jinping warns Trump to be careful about Taiwan
The President of China, Xi Jinping, has asked the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to be careful in handling the Taiwan issue.
According to the Chinese news agency, Xinhua, Xi has said China expects the United States to maintain a position opposing Taiwan's separation from China.
Xi has asked Washington to "carefully handle the Taiwan issue," saying that this action is important for strengthening the cooperation between China and the United States.
China views Taiwan as part of its territory, but Taiwan has been governing itself for decades.
In recent years, Xi's government has increased pressure and threats against Taiwan, seeking to prevent any move towards separation from China.
On the other hand, the United States has no official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but it has a legal obligation to help Taiwan defend itself.
However, Washington has been trying to balance its relations with Taiwan while maintaining diplomatic relations with Beijing.
The US White House has allowed CNN, MS NOW, and Politico to return to the White House after a judge ordered the permission to be restored.
The US judge, Tim Kelly, said President Donald Trump's decision to restrict journalists from entering the White House may have been contrary to the Constitution of the United States.
The judge ordered that the restriction not be extended for 14 days while the case was ongoing.
Even after this order was issued, the journalists were prevented from entering the White House for a while on Thursday. This caused the three outlets to ask the judge to listen to the matter quickly.
Later, the White House began restoring the journalists' identities and permissions.
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after being prevented from entering the White House. These outlets said that the action violated freedom of the press.
Judge Kelly also questioned the government's argument that the restriction was for national security reasons.
He said Trump himself had stated that the action was taken based on information that the president claimed were false or critical.
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Ethiopian Army warns: 'The fighting will not end at the borders'
The Chief of the Ethiopian Army, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, said the new alliance called "Friendship for Survival," which aims to remove the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, will not succeed.
Speaking to the state television station, ETV, Berhanu said Eritrea is using the TPLF group from Tigray as a proxy army, providing resources and motivating force to support it.
He also alleged that Egypt, Sudan, and other groups support the TPLF and Eritrea in these efforts.
The Chief of the army warned that the Ethiopian Air Force will not stop its operations in border areas only.
However, Berhanu did not speak about the fighting that started yesterday. Government media has also been providing little information about the new developments taking place in the areas of Tigray, Afar, and Amhara.
Netanyahu accuses Qatar of influencing Israeli opinions
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has accused Qatar of trying to change the opinions and views of the people of Israel.
Netanyahu made these allegations in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UN).
However, Qatar has rejected these allegations, stating that it has never conducted a campaign to persuade people to dislike Israel.
The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, Majed al-Ansari, said on his X account that Qatar "completely rejects" Netanyahu's allegations.
He said these statements by Netanyahu against Qatar aim to divert the world's attention from what is happening in the Palestinian areas occupied by Israel, as well as the terrible human condition facing the people there.
Al-Ansari said that Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders should change their policies, stop violating international law and respecting it, instead of seeking someone to blame.
He also said that these leaders should be responsible to the people they chose, instead of seeking someone to blame for the decline in Israel's international respect.