Wednesday, September 2, 2026 – U.S. launches strikes on southern Iran, killing 18. Iran launches retaliatory attacks. IRGC says two oil tankers hit Hormuz mines and were disabled. CENTCOM claims 84 vessels redirected during naval blockade. President Donald Trump threatens to escalate attacks, says Gulf allies privy to latest wave of U.S. attacks. Head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council vows retaliation. Russia affirms solidarity with Iran. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf claims U.S. giving ships “false guarantees” about Hormuz passage. U.S. previews more sanctions on Iranian business partners. Saudi shipping firm says two sailors killed in Hormuz transit. Peru cuts diplomatic ties with Iran. USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Thailand after more than 6 months at sea. Israeli attacks kill Palestinian boy in Jabalia, woman dies of wounds in Deir al-Balah. “Why should a child filling up water die?” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Gaza, vows no withdrawal. Israeli demolitions, land razing, detentions and settler attacks continue across occupied West Bank. Palestinian ministry documents pattern of Israeli restrictions on Islamic holy sites in August. Hamas condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza in talks with mediators, Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov. WHO: Water contamination nearly triples in Gaza as rainy season threatens public health crisis. U.S. claims it seized more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency donations intended for Hamas. East Jerusalem teachers strike as Israel imposes curriculum, blocks teacher permits. Israeli attacks kill one, wound another in southern Lebanon as ceasefire violations continue. EU plans new mission to train Lebanese army as UNIFIL mandate nears end. Ed Markey wins Massachusetts Democratic Senate Primary. War Secretary Pete Hegseth continues military purge. Top Pentagon AI official sells AI company stake for millions. Two House Democrats break ranks to save GOP procedural vote. Chinese immigrant found dead hours after entering ICE custody. State Department proposes requiring parents to prove citizenship for children’s passports. ICE arrests hold near record high with roughly 50,000 in August. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says ICE could deploy to polling sites for “specific threats.” DOJ sues Kansas City schools over gender policy. Tyson lays off 2,500 workers overnight in abrupt Illinois plant closure. Global warming set to exceed 1.5°C within years. Chinese president calls for new Middle East security order during Egypt visit. Germany accuses Russia of drone attack on Leipzig airport, expels diplomats. Germany investigates second power-grid sabotage attempt in 24 hours. South Korean president calls for revival of U.S.-North Korea dialogue. Vanuatu files ICJ case seeking sovereignty over French-controlled Pacific islands. Mexican soldiers kill suspected cartel hitman.
Iran
U.S. launches strikes on southern Iran, killing 18: The U.S. expanded its strikes into southern Iran, killing 18 people, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.
Island regions: The U.S. struck several villages on Iran’s Qeshm Island, hitting a fish powder factory, and also hit Lavan Island, killing three members of the paramilitary Basij force.
Hormozgan: A U.S. attack hit a wedding in Sirik on Tuesday, killing at least four people, including a child, and injuring nearly 100 people, 51 of whom were hospitalized, according to Iran’s Health Ministry. Separate U.S. strikes hit a fishing pier and a port authority tower in the city. The U.S. also struck the major southern port city of Bandar Abbas, the city of Jask, and a residential area in the coastal city of Kuhestak. Several parts of the power grid in Hormozgan were also targeted.
Kermanshah: The U.S. killed four Iranian military personnel in an overnight attack on the western province of Kermanshah, according to a statement from Iran’s military.
Sistan and Baluchestan: The U.S. struck the port city of Chabahar several times on Tuesday, and hit the nearby city of Konarak as well.
Khuzestan: A U.S. missile struck the outskirts of the Iranian city of Ahvaz, in the country’s western Khuzestan province, Iran’s Fars news agency reported, and later strikes hit at least two other locations. Tuesday strikes killed at least seven and injured eight others in the province.
Kerman: The U.S. also targeted an airport in the city of Jirfot, in Iran’s southeast, Iranian broadcaster IRIB reported, though the attack entailed no casualties and minimal damage to the airport’s infrastructure.
Bushehr: Explosions were also heard in the gas hub of Asaluyeh.
Markazi: Iranian forces shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone over Khomeyn, in central Iran on Tuesday, Tasnim reported.
Iran launches retaliatory attacks: Iranian officials announced that the country would launch “regretful” retaliatory attacks on Tuesday, with a spokesman for the IRGC saying the U.S. would face “severe punishment” for its latest attack on Iran.
Jordan: Iran launched several rockets towards Jordan, claiming a successful strike on the U.S. military barracks at Camp Titin, near the Gulf of Aqaba. Iran claimed it killed several U.S. forces and destroyed “several installations and enemy attack helicopters” at the base, while a U.S. source told Al Jazeera the attack had not caused any injuries or major damage. Iran also claimed a successful ballistic missile strike on a helicopter hangar at the Prince Hassan Base in Jordan, and launched attacks at the city of Mafraq. Jordanian officials claimed that they intercepted 10 of 13 Iranian missiles launched into the kingdom, that the remaining three landed in remote areas, and that no injuries or deaths were recorded.
Bahrain: Iran launched drone attacks on U.S. forces in Bahrain, at the country’s Sheikh Isa Airbase, according to a statement issued by Iran’s Tasnim news service. Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior later reported several missile interceptions over its airspace.
Kuwait: The Kuwaiti army reported that the country’s air defenses were responding to attacks by “hostile,” Iran-linked drones in its airspace. Kuwait’s fire service later said a fire at a residential complex in the capital was brought under control after an alleged Iranian drone strike with no injuries reported. Iran claimed its attack on Kuwait’s Ali Al-Salem airbase inflicted casualties.
Iraq: Iran’s IRGC said its forces carried out a combined missile and drone attack on U.S. facilities in Erbil province, northern Iraq, killing several U.S. personnel, destroying a repair center and warehouses containing technical equipment. Its claims of casualties and damage have not been independently verified.
Syria: Three missiles aimed at Jordan were intercepted over the eastern Deraa countryside in southern Syria, Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday evening.
United Arab Emirates: Iran said it struck radar stations at the Al-Dhafra and Al-Minhad bases in the UAE on Wednesday. The UAE did not confirm the attacks.
IRGC says two oil tankers hit Hormuz mines and were disabled: The IRGC said two oil tankers hit sea mines and were disabled while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to a statement shared on Iranian state media.
The IRGC claimed that the tankers had attempted a transit through the “illegal” southern route with the help of U.S. operatives, and that they were forced to disembark their crews.
CENTCOM claims 84 vessels redirected during naval blockade: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said as of Tuesday evening, U.S. forces had redirected 84 commercial vessels during its ongoing naval blockade against Iran, adding one vessel redirection to Sunday’s toll.
In a post on X, CENTCOM added that it had disabled three vessels and boarded two to “ensure compliance.”
Trump threatens to escalate attacks, says Gulf allies privy to latest wave of U.S. attacks: President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday evening to intensify U.S. attacks on Iran if Tehran retaliated, telling Fox News: “They’ll be hit much harder…if it goes a third time, they’re going to be totally wiped out as a country.”
He had earlier claimed in a Truth Social post that the “biggest attack of them all” was “waiting in the wings,” should Iran respond to the latest wave of attacks
Separately, Trump said that the U.S. had “almost total control” of Hormuz on Tuesday, and dismissed reports that the U.S. was seeking a new agreement with Iran.
Trump also claimed in his Fox News interview that the U.S.’s Gulf allies were notified before the latest round of U.S. strikes on Iran.
Head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council vows retaliation: In response to the U.S. attacks, Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said in a post: “You will soon see that Iran’s new strategy on the battlefield, in diplomacy, and in confronting the economic blockade will shatter your foundations.”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called the U.S. bombing of a wedding a “war crime” and said in a post on X: “The truth of America’s illegal war against Iran was revealed last night in #Sirik; where a wedding ceremony was bombed, within the framework of America’s desperate attempt to conceal its own defeat; the reality is the crimes that America commits, not the AI-generated videos that falsely depict American officials as morally upright and victorious heroes.”
Russia affirms solidarity with Iran, Putin tells Pezeshkian: President Vladimir Putin told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting on Tuesday that Russia stood in solidarity with the Iranian people. Putin also told Pezeshkian that Russia and Iran would maintain their economic and trade relationship despite U.S. threats against countries that cooperate with Iran.
Ghalibaf claims U.S. giving ships “false guarantees” about Hormuz passage: In a video message shared by Iranian news agencies, parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf addressed the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that, despite a few “enemy” ships managing to get through the passageway, Iranian forces remained “in complete control” of the Strait and would “not allow it to be opened.
He claimed the U.S. was giving ships “false guarantees” about their ability to cross a southern route in Hormuz, adding that ships that try to do so are being targeted.
In his remarks, Ghalibaf also threatened that “no one” would be “able to export oil,” should the U.S.’s stranglehold on Iranian oil continue.
U.S. previews more sanctions on Iranian business partners: At the G20 finance meeting on Tuesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the U.S. planned to announce new sanctions on “anyone that does business with the IRGC.” He also claimed that the U.S. was presently tracking down the group’s assets.
Saudi shipping firm says two sailors killed in Hormuz transit: The Saudi shipping company Bahri reported on Wednesday that two Filipino crew members were killed on board the Sidr supertanker in a Monday incident in the Strait of Hormuz.
Peru cuts diplomatic ties with Iran: Peru announced on Tuesday that it had severed diplomatic relations with Iran, accusing Iran of “inciting violence” and “escalating” the conflict in the Middle East, and citing disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in a statement from its Foreign Ministry.
The two countries have had diplomatic relations since November 1973.
USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Thailand after more than 6 months at sea: After more than 200 consecutive days at sea, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln arrived in Thailand on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The vessel plans to dock in the Southeast Asian country for five days.
The vessel has been plagued by reports of deteriorating conditions on board and concerns over the mental health of some sailors and marines after its long deployment.
Palestine
Killed and wounded in Gaza: Over the past 24 hours, eight Palestinians were killed and 31 were injured in attacks across Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. One Palestinian was killed in a building collapse, bringing the number of people killed in building collapses to 34.
The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 73,470 killed, with 174,540 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,334 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 4,429, while 815 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble.
Israeli attacks kill Palestinian boy in Jabalia, woman dies of wounds in Deir al-Balah: A Palestinian boy was killed and another person wounded in an Israeli strike on the Al-Hawja area of Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Wednesday, according to WAFA. In central Gaza, a 51-year-old woman died from wounds sustained from Israeli forces a day earlier.
“Why should a child filling up water die?”: An Israeli attack in the Al-Katiba area of western Gaza City killed four, including two children and a woman, and wounded eight, on Tuesday. Families had gathered to collect water in the area.
“The water tanker came, and we started filling up water, us and our children,” Faiza Al-Bahtini, the aunt of one of the children killed, told Drop Site’s Mohamed Ahmed. “Then we heard gunfire coming from every direction. After that, the vehicles came, the Israelis started bombing, and the massacre happened.”
The Israeli military claimed it was targeting the head of Hamas’s internal security apparatus in Gaza and strikes were carried out to “remove threats.”
Abu al-Abd, an eyewitness who was filling water with his four children, said: “What is the crime of a child filling up water? … Because a child was filling up water, Netanyahu shot at him. What have these children done to you?” Watch Ahmed’s dispatch here.
Netanyahu visits Gaza, vows no withdrawal: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited an Israeli military post near the “yellow line” in Gaza on Wednesday. In a post on X alongside a Hebrew-language video, Netanyahu said, “Today we control the area and we are holding this line. We have more work to complete and we will complete it—until Hamas is disarmed and Gaza is demilitarized. Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel!”
Israeli demolitions, land razing, detentions and settler attacks continue across occupied West Bank:
Hebron: Israeli forces demolished around 10 structures in the village of Al-Tabban in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, on Wednesday, including tin homes, barracks, sheep pens, and water wells, WAFA reported. Residents were prevented from removing their belongings before the demolitions began.
Salfit: Israeli forces detained Deir Ballut Mayor and three other Palestinians while they were on agricultural land west of the town on Wednesday. Israeli bulldozers have been razing land and uprooting hundreds of olive trees in the area for four consecutive days to build a settlement road.
Jenin: Israeli forces continued razing agricultural land and uprooting trees in Arraba, southwest of Jenin, for a second consecutive day on Wednesday. Arraba Mayor said around 223 dunams (55 acres) are currently being bulldozed.
Nablus: Israeli settlers attacked the eastern area of Beita, south of Nablus, early Wednesday and set fire to two Palestinian vehicles parked outside homes.
East Jerusalem: Israeli authorities demolished a three-story residential building in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan, on Wednesday. The approximately 500-square-meter building contained four homes.
Palestinian ministry documents pattern of Israeli restrictions on Islamic holy sites in August: Israel intensified restrictions on Islamic holy sites in August, with 26 incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque and the call to prayer blocked 155 times at Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf. The ministry also documented restrictions on worshippers, settler incursions at Al-Aqsa, and attacks on mosques and Islamic shrines elsewhere in the occupied West Bank.
Hamas condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza in talks with mediators, Mladenov: Hamas said on Wednesday it held talks with mediators and “Board of Peace” High Representative Nickolay Mladenov, condemning Israeli attacks on Gaza that killed and wounded Palestinians. The group urged ceasefire mediators and guarantors to “exert the utmost pressure” on the Israeli government to halt its attacks, saying Israel is taking “deliberate escalatory steps” aimed at undermining the ceasefire and efforts to complete its implementation.
WHO: Water contamination nearly triples in Gaza as rainy season threatens public health crisis: The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that the approaching rainy season could worsen Gaza’s public health crisis, with flooding threatening to spread sewage, waste and contaminated water through overcrowded displacement camps. Microbiological contamination in tested water samples nearly tripled this year, while cases of acute watery diarrhoea rose from about 27,000 in March to more than 48,000 in August.
The organization called for the “unimpeded and expedited entry of humanitarian supplies” to prevent a further deterioration, as Israel continues to restrict the entry of life essentials into Gaza.
U.S. claims it seized more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency donations intended for Hamas: The U.S. Justice Department announced on Wednesday that the FBI seized more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency donations it claimed was intended for Hamas. It also said authorities took control of web domains and communication platforms allegedly used for fundraising and recruitment, and obtained information on thousands of people it says had contacted Hamas seeking to donate money.
East Jerusalem teachers strike as Israel imposes curriculum, blocks teacher permits: Teachers at private and Christian schools in occupied East Jerusalem launched an open-ended strike Tuesday as the academic year began, protesting Israel’s requirement that all new first and seventh-grade classes at Palestinian-majority municipal schools use the Israeli curriculum exclusively, according to Al Jazeera.
The change will affect more than 45,000 students, or one in three Palestinian students in the city.
Israel has also blocked entry permits for more than 70 West Bank teachers and staff without warning, according to the General Secretariat for Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem, which called the abrupt reversal “unprecedented.”
A Knesset law passed earlier this year barring employment of teachers with Palestinian Authority degrees compounds the crisis, since about 60% of East Jerusalem’s Arab educators hold such degrees.
Lebanon
Israeli attacks kill one, wound another in southern Lebanon as ceasefire violations continue: Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon on Wednesday killed one person and wounded another in Nabatieh, where a drone struck the Al-Ruwais neighborhood, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. Israeli drones also struck the Al-Deir and Al-Maslah neighborhoods of Nabatieh, including an apartment hit by a guided missile.
Israeli forces also carried out a large explosion in Kfar Tebnit, as well as explosions near Mansouri and Majdal Zoun in the Tyre district and in Houla.
Israeli attacks continue to displace Lebanese residents of the south, with UNHCR spokesperson telling the Anadolu News Agency that “more than 350,000 people remain displaced across Lebanon while approximately 860,000 people have returned to their communities of origin or nearby areas although many continue to face significant challenges and these should not be considered durable returns.” Around 23,000 people remain in shelters.
EU plans new mission to train Lebanese army as UNIFIL mandate nears end: The European Union is planning a new mission to advise and train Lebanese soldiers, including on border and maritime security, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday. “We are investing in Lebanon’s capacity to provide security for itself,” Kallas said, stressing that the mission would not replace UNIFIL, whose mandate expires on December 31 after 48 years. The EU aims for a decision to launch the mission in October.
U.S. News
Ed Markey wins Massachusetts Democratic Senate Primary: Democratic Sen. Ed Markey easily defeated Rep. Seth Moulton in Massachusetts’ Senate primary, winning about two-thirds of the vote despite being outspent on ads by more than $3 million. Markey, 80, campaigned on his liberal record as an author of the Green New Deal and supporter of “Medicare for All,” touting endorsements from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while attacking Moulton’s past criticism of the party’s left flank and his previous comments about transgender athletes.
Hegseth’s military purge tops 80 generals and admirals: War Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or blocked the promotions of more than 80 generals and admirals, roughly 10% of the military’s top officers, according to The New York Times.
In the past week, Hegseth has removed seven Army officers selected for two-star general rank, two of whom are black and two of whom are female.
Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll recently resigned in protest, warning President Donald Trump directly that the firings have imperiled Army modernization and damaged morale by undermining faith in a promotion system meant to be apolitical.
Top Pentagon AI official sells AI company stake for millions: Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s top official overseeing military AI policy, sold his holdings in AI search engine Perplexity for between $5 million and $25 million in June, according to financial disclosures reviewed by the Guardian, following an earlier disclosed sale of his stake in Elon Musk’s xAI that netted gains of between 400% and 4,800%.
Michael also sold holdings in financial software firm Brex, backed by Peter Thiel and recently acquired by Capital One, for at least $5 million in April, a gain of at least 473% from the $750,000 maximum value he reported in March 2025.
Michael, who previously served as Uber’s chief business officer, received a personal loan from Perplexity in 2025 and sat on its advisory board before stepping down upon entering federal service.
Two House Democrats break ranks to save GOP procedural vote: Democratic Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington provided the necessary votes on Tuesday to advance a key GOP procedural vote, stalled by five Republican defections, which set up votes on several GOP-led bills, including a controversial resolution condemning socialism.
Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez said they supported the measure because it enabled passage of a bill pushed by Golden which would delay fishing regulations and potentially benefit Maine lobstermen. That bill later passed 219-196.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Minority Whip Katherine Clark both said they were not given advance notice of Golden and Gluenskamp Perez’s votes.
Chinese immigrant found dead hours after entering ICE custody: Lianyong Wei, a 51-year-old Chinese immigrant, was found unresponsive during morning checks and pronounced dead on August 23, less than a day after being taken into ICE custody at a facility in the Northern Mariana Islands. His cause of death remains under investigation.
Wei, whose legal status had ended in 2019, had been arrested by local police on August 21 after allegedly attacking a family in their home.
Wei’s death is the 57th of an immigrant in ICE custody since the start of Trump’s second term, 24 of which have occurred since January 1.
State Department proposes requiring parents to prove citizenship for children’s passports: The State Department has proposed requiring parents applying for their children’s passports to provide proof of their own citizenship or immigration status as part of President Donald Trump’s latest effort to limit birthright citizenship, according to draft guidance reviewed by Reuters.
Under the proposal, parents of applicants would need to submit documents such as a valid U.S. passport, birth certificate, or immigration papers like an I-94 form or green card.
The proposal follows an August 6 executive order targeting “birth tourism,” following an earlier executive order limiting U.S. citizenship to children of green card holders, which the Supreme Court found to be unlawful.
ICE arrests hold near record high with roughly 50,000 in August: ICE officers and agents arrested approximately 50,000 people in August, roughly matching July’s record total, NBC News reported, citing a senior Department of Homeland Security official familiar with preliminary data.
The toll has continued rising since May after a sharp drop in February and March, with June and July both setting arrest records.
The buildup is fueled by a roughly $70 billion funding package Republicans narrowly passed through the House in June, making ICE the wealthiest law enforcement agency in American history. With that funding, the agency has announced that it will purchase “turnkey” detention facilities and controversial new tools, including electric gloves and robot dogs.
Mullin says ICE could deploy to polling sites for “specific threats”: Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Tuesday that ICE could enter polling places to serve warrants on tracked individuals or respond to “specific threats.” He maintained that ICE would not “patrol polling places.”
A DHS statement echoed Mullin, saying “ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations” but that agents conducting “intelligence-driven targeted enforcement” could make arrests at a location if “an active public safety threat” were present there.
Tuesday’s comments follow Mullin’s comments in July, in which he claimed that immigration agents were reviewing state voter rolls “looking for illegal aliens and those who are ineligible to vote.”
DOJ sues Kansas City schools over gender policy, first such federal action: The Justice Department sued Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools Tuesday, accusing the district of facilitating “secret transition” of students’ gender without parental knowledge, marking the first federal lawsuit against a public school district over gender identity policy.
The suit alleges that the district violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment by not requiring parental consent before discussing gender identity or changing students’ names and pronouns.
The lawsuit comes nearly six months after the Supreme Court ruled to temporarily suspend policies in California that allowed public school teachers to avoid outing transgender students to their parents.
Federal judge strikes down New York’s climate “superfund” law: Judge Brenda K. Sannes of the Northern District of New York ruled Monday that New York’s 2024 climate superfund law, which required large fossil fuel companies to pay $75 billion over 25 years for climate resilience projects, is unenforceable, finding it conflicts with federal law.
Sannes, an Obama appointee, relied heavily on a 2021 Second Circuit ruling dismissing a similar New York City lawsuit against oil companies.
Several Republican-led states, including West Virginia, had argued that the law was illegal, and that only the federal government has the authority to regulate greenhouse gases.
Tyson lays off 2,500 workers overnight in abrupt Illinois plant closure: Tyson Foods abruptly shuttered its beef plant in Joslin, Illinois on August 14, laying off 2,500 workers, mostly immigrants from Africa, Latin America.
Tyson claimed that it closed the facility in response to a nationwide cattle shortage, driven partly by drought and the Iran war’s effect on fertilizer and diesel costs. Tyson’s operating income, however, rose 8%, or $547 million, over the past year and its CEO, Donnie King, earned nearly $35 million last year, 781 times the median worker’s pay.
UFCW Local 1546, which represents the workers, said it was not given advance notice. Its leadership later signed a severance agreement providing one to four weeks of pay on top of two months of wage continuation, an agreement criticized by several workers.
More on the Joslin plant closure, and the union response to it, is available from Labor Notes here.
📥 Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email DC Correspondent Julian Andreone at [email protected]
Other International News
Global warming set to exceed 1.5°C within years, UN warns: The world is likely to cross the Paris Agreement’s key 1.5°C warming threshold within the next few years, intensifying extreme weather and threats to ecosystems, glaciers and low-lying coastal cities, according to the UN Environment Programme.
With an “overshoot” now extremely likely, governments must focus on limiting how far and how long temperatures remain above 1.5°C. UNEP said returning temperatures below the threshold remains possible but “highly uncertain.”
Even if every existing national climate pledge is implemented, warming is projected to peak at approximately 1.8°C above preindustrial levels. Under current government policies, median warming is projected to reach roughly 2.6°C by 2100.
U.S. won’t negotiate on commerce, diplomacy with Cuba: The Trump administration won’t discuss commerce, diplomacy, or any other issue that could ease the suffering caused by U.S. sanctions, Cuban officials told Bloomberg on Tuesday.
“The channel for dialogue is at a complete standstill,” said Lianys Torres Rivera, Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington. The two sides cannot even agree on an agenda. “There are no negotiations.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are tightening economic pressure to force Cuba’s leaders from power, including through a de facto fuel blockade, as the island faces rising infant mortality and preventable deaths.
Chinese president calls for new Middle East security order during Egypt visit: Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Middle Eastern countries to oppose external interference and become “masters of their own destiny” during talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday that also saw the signing of numerous bilateral economic deals.
Xi said China was prepared to work with regional countries to safeguard shipping routes following disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb. China and Egypt agreed to deepen security cooperation and counterterrorism coordination.
The two countries also agreed to expand cooperation on data centers, semiconductors and critical-minerals supply chains and increase the use of their currencies in bilateral trade. Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone has already attracted around $4 billion in Chinese investment.
Germany accuses Russia of drone attack on Leipzig airport, expels diplomats: German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Tuesday that investigators found proof Russian agents controlled the explosive-laden drone found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle Airport on August 4, calling it part of “a broader pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe.”
In response, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the country would summon its Russian ambassador, close Russia’s consulate general in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center in Berlin, and push for additional EU sanctions and travel restrictions on Russian nationals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the accusations at the SCO summit in Bishkek, calling Germany’s response a “serious mistake” and suggesting Berlin had “fabricated” the evidence.
European and NATO leaders quickly backed Germany, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte saying the evidence was “clear”, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announcing that EU foreign ministers would prepare additional sanctions at an upcoming meeting.
Germany investigates second power-grid sabotage attempt in 24 hours: German police are investigating apparent deliberate damage to a power substation near Bergheim in western Germany, the second suspected attack on the country’s electricity grid within a day.
The incident followed an attack on a critical high-voltage node in Brandenburg, where devices carrying conductive material damaged power lines.
The attacks came after Berlin accused Russia of attempting to use drones to strike a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle airport last month. Moscow denied involvement, while EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas said the incident bore “all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism.”
German officials described the timing as “extremely suspicious” ahead of this weekend’s Saxony-Anhalt election.
South Korean president calls for revival of U.S.-North Korea dialogue: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said conditions should be created for Washington and Pyongyang to resume talks and called for replacing the Korean Peninsula’s armistice system with a permanent peace framework.
Lee also pledged to complete the transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean forces from the United States before his term ends in 2030.
South Korea’s intelligence agency said this week that North Korea and the United States were showing signs of preparing to resume dialogue, although no direct contacts have been confirmed.
Vanuatu files ICJ case seeking sovereignty over French-controlled Pacific islands: Vanuatu filed an application with the International Court of Justice on Tuesday, seeking sovereignty over Matthew Island and Hunter Island, two uninhabited volcanic islands currently controlled by France.
The case, which will not proceed unless France consents to the court’s jurisdiction, seeks to resolve a decades-old dispute rooted in the area’s colonial past.
Vanuatu argues its decolonization from joint French-British rule, which ended in 1980, remains incomplete without the islands’ return. Vanuatu and France have had two previous rounds of bilateral negotiations over the islands, and agreed to a third round in 2026.
The islands are located about 300 kilometers from French-controlled New Caledonia, and include significant fishing rights and access to seabed resources.
Mexican soldiers kill suspected cartel hitman: Mexican soldiers killed Luis Enrique Barragan Chavez, a suspected top hitman for the Los Reyes cartel faction of the Carteles Unidos criminal group during an operation in Michoacan on Tuesday, according to Mexico’s defense ministry.
The U.S. had offered a $3 million reward for information leading to Barragan’s arrest and had indicted him on drug conspiracy and firearms charges.
Mexican authorities said soldiers came under fire during the clash, in which another suspected cartel associate was reportedly killed.
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Why is it that when we attack Iran, we are indiscriminate and bomb weddings and residential areas (as does Israel), and when Iran responds "regretfully," as it says, it only targets U.S. military bases and barracks and so on?
Of course, the answer is that we're godless and merciless and don't give a damn about the Geneva Convention or any laws for that matter.
It's heartbreaking that our Congress, our media, and our civic leaders have nothing to say about such war crimes. May God deliver justice to the warmongers in our country and elsewhere.
What I REALLY want to put on here is a BROKEN heart.