ESC

Air strikes have killed eight people in Ukraine and one in Russia, coming after Moscow rejected German calls to reduce hostilities. The exchange of attacks underscores the continued escalation of the war despite diplomatic efforts by Berlin to persuade the Kremlin to de-escalate. Officials in both countries reported civilian casualties, while European leaders face mounting pressure to find a path toward ending the fighting, now in its third year with no clear resolution.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian strike hit the building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv, with rescue crews searching for people who may be trapped inside. Emergency services are deployed, firefighters are battling a blaze, and the attack also damaged a pharmaceutical company facility in the city.

US average gasoline prices have climbed above $4 a gallon as the conflict involving Iran escalates, pushing up oil costs.Drivers across the country are feeling the increase at the pump, and economists warn prices could rise further if the fighting continues and supply routes through the region remain at risk.

Thousands of people are fleeing Yemen as fighting intensifies between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed troops, according to BBC News reporting. The renewed escalation is driving fresh displacement in a country already devastated by years of civil war, with civilians escaping front-line areas as both sides step up military activity.

Ethiopia has publicly accused Sudan and Eritrea of supporting Tigrayan forces as fighting escalates in the country's north. The allegations sharpen tensions in the Tigray conflict and strain relations with two key neighbours, raising concerns about the war drawing in regional powers and further destabilising the Horn of Africa.

People have been seen escaping from a historic building in Kyiv after it was hit by a Russian drone. The strike damaged the landmark structure in the Ukrainian capital, with residents fleeing the scene as emergency responses got under way. It is the latest in a series of Russian drone attacks on Kyiv amid the ongoing war.

Barbara Slavin of the Stimson Center describes current US-Iran relations as 'kabuki diplomacy,' pointing to fragile indirect contacts mediated by Qatar. She warns that a combination of military escalation and stalled diplomacy could push the two countries toward a dangerous confrontation, with talks producing little real progress while tensions on the ground continue to rise.

A Russian strike hit a Ukrainian location in broad daylight, with images showing people desperately trying to escape through windows as the attack unfolded. Reports highlight how strikes continue to target populated areas during daytime hours, putting civilians at direct risk. The daylight timing and graphic scenes of escape have drawn attention to the ongoing toll of the war on ordinary residents.

A Russian drone hit a building in Kyiv, forcing people inside to make a desperate escape as the structure was struck. The attack is part of Russia's ongoing drone campaign against the Ukrainian capital, which has repeatedly targeted residential and urban infrastructure. Details on casualties and the extent of the damage were not immediately available.

The US Department of Education has moved to rescind protections for LGBTQ+ students under Title IX, the federal law barring sex discrimination in schools receiving federal funding. The rollback reverses guidance extended under the Biden administration. Civil rights groups are criticizing the decision as a threat to transgender and queer students, while supporters frame it as returning to the original intent of the statute.

Rescue teams are searching a mountain in Nepal for 12 people swept away by an avalanche. The missing were caught when the avalanche struck, and teams are combing the area in difficult conditions. The fate of those swept away has not been confirmed as the search continues.

An avalanche in Nepal has killed four people, and rescue teams are searching for twelve others who remain missing. Emergency crews are working in difficult conditions to locate the missing, and the death toll could rise. It is not yet clear how many climbers or trekkers were caught in the avalanche or exactly where in Nepal it struck.

Protest movements spread through French high schools on Monday 28 September, with blockades reported in 180 establishments. Police made 164 arrests, some accompanied by confrontations described as unprecedented. The unrest comes on the eve of a further day of action, and the wave of arrests is fuelling debate over the policing of student protests and the grievances driving pupils to mobilise.

Doctors Without Borders reports that escalating violence in Somalia is preventing people from reaching health care. Armed conflict and insecurity are disrupting medical services, leaving civilians with limited access to treatment at a time when needs are growing. The organisation is calling attention to the worsening humanitarian situation.

The 10-year US Treasury yield has climbed to levels last seen in 2007, as rising budget deficits and escalating tensions tied to the conflict with Iran unsettle bond markets. The surge undermines the White House's efforts to bring interest rates down, and investors are weighing whether fiscal and geopolitical pressures will keep borrowing costs elevated.

Commentary argues that climate disasters are intensifying and that authoritarian governments make the problem more dangerous by withholding information from neighbouring countries. When regimes suppress data on floods, droughts or dam management, downstream and cross-border communities cannot prepare, so the same hazard produces greater loss of life and damage. The piece calls attention to transparency between states as an underappreciated factor in disaster risk.

US customs authorities are moving to block Americans from importing prescription drugs from Canada, a workaround many have relied on to avoid high domestic medication prices. The Wall Street Journal reports the change could cut off access to cheaper medicines for patients who regularly order refills across the border, drawing concern from patients and advocacy groups.

A strike on Kyiv set a building on fire, with footage showing people escaping the blaze as smoke filled the structure. The incident comes amid ongoing Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital, which have repeatedly hit residential and urban areas, forcing residents to evacuate buildings during air raids.

Uganda's army chief has triggered a diplomatic controversy after declaring that supporting Turkey is a crime, in comments described as an escalation of a diplomatic dispute. The remarks, reported by Firstpost Africa, have drawn wide attention as tensions between Kampala and Ankara simmer, with observers warning the fallout could strain bilateral relations.

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, has apologized after claiming that Jews detained in Nazi camps were referred to as "Muslims". The remark drew swift criticism from Israeli media and Jewish organizations, who called it a distortion of Holocaust history. Albanese, already a controversial figure over her comments on Israel and Gaza, issued a retraction acknowledging the statement was inaccurate.

A British scuba diver who helped rescue the Thai football team trapped in a flooded cave in 2018 has died at the age of 44. The rescue, in which all 12 boys and their coach were brought out alive, made the diver one of the most celebrated figures of the operation. News of the death has prompted tributes.