World

15, September 2026

US military nearing ‘breakdown’ amid sustained Iranian attacks ⁰

The Islamic Republic of Iran is pushing the US military to the brink of a “breakdown” through sustained attacks on American bases and warships across West Asia, according to US officials familiar with military operations in the region.

Citing two US officials familiar with military operations, The Intercept reported on Tuesday that sustained Iranian retaliatory attacks on US bases and warships had severely strained American military readiness.

One of the officials cautioned that the mounting pressure could eventually lead to a “breakdown” in the military’s ability to effectively sustain the war on Iran.

The officials pointed to depleted stocks of defensive munitions, mounting casualties, maintenance problems, prolonged troop deployments and increasingly difficult logistics as signs of the growing pressure on US forces.

The report said the mounting pressures had further intensified concerns over the Pentagon’s already strained budget, casting doubt on repeated assurances by the Trump administration about the strength and readiness of the US military.

The report added that Iran’s ability to overwhelm US air defenses in the region with drones and advanced ballistic missiles had left the US military in a precarious position.

One official said the Trump administration had failed to properly assess Iran’s military capabilities, while the other pointed to Washington’s “complete lack of planning” for the war.

One of the officials said Iran’s recent attacks on US warships with ballistic missiles represented a “go for broke” strategy aimed at increasing economic pressure on Washington ahead of the US midterm elections.

The officials also pointed to damage inflicted on key US military facilities across the region.

14, September 2026

Norway joins 11 other states to criminalize trade with West Bank settlements ⁰

Norway and 10 other European countries, plus Canada, are pushing for landmark legislation that would impose prison sentences on individuals and organizations trading goods from illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Individuals or businesses discovered engaging in trade with Israeli settlements may be subject to a prison sentence of up to three years, according to the proposed Norwegian trade restrictions bill.

Norway’s Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, expressed optimism that the law would be passed by parliament this coming autumn.

Eide told the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that “Lawmakers are facing increasing pressure to respond to the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories.”

He added that numerous other nations are adopting measures similar to those which the Oslo government has already proposed with the bill.

Eide said he believed that Israel has grown excessively accustomed to intimidating Western nations by accusing them of anti-Semitism whenever they criticize Israel for its abuses and breaches of international law.

On September 8, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden announced plans to implement trade restrictions on products sourced from Israeli settlements.

About 750,000 Israeli settlers live in 156 illegal settlements and 360 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds. They routinely carry out attacks aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians, according to Palestinian figures.

The UN regards these settlements as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions because they are built on occupied land. The UN Security Council has banned Israel’s settlement activity in several resolutions.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of historical Palestine illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds. Those rulings, like so many before them, have remained mere words.

11, September 2026

President Putin says figures reflect ‘structural, deep, profound shifts’ in global economy ⁰

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said financial figures reflect “structural, deep, profound shifts” in the global economy as world continues to lose trust in US dollar hegemony.

Speaking on Friday at the BRICS Business Forum Leaders’ Session in New Delhi, India, Putin said the figures reflect “structural, deep, profound shifts” as the world is increasingly losing confidence in the American financial model.

Putin highlighted the BRICS’ mission to expand its sphere of influence and gain a bigger share of the global market.

He said BRICS mission is to grow and criticized abortive attempts by the United States and its allies to preserve US’ imminent decline, pointing out that the loss of trust in the US Dollar is accelerating its decline as a global hegemonic power, replaced by a multipolar world.

Putin said the “Old Leaders” of the global economy are being replaced by new engines of growth.

The Russian president said the BRICS countries are now driving global economic growth in the emerging multipolar world and they are rapidly expanding their economic activities through large domestic markets, rapid urbanization, and increased trade.

He said economic competition between BRICS and the West has turned into state level rivalry as countries compete for economic influence.

Putin emphasized the importance of energy and supply routes in this rivalry between BRICS and the West.

He said these two have become a key focus point amid the escalated geopolitical tensions.

Stronger economic partnerships are key to global growth, he pointed out, reminding that expanding business ties and long-term partnerships are essential to strengthening the existing bonds between BRICS members states and their global partners.

Putin is on a three-day visit to India to attend the 18th BRICS summit.

11, September 2026

Yemen’s Houthis seize key island in Bab al-Mandab strait ⁰

The Ansarallah-led Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) have advanced rapidly along Yemen’s western coast and taken control of key positions overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The YAF has stormed several Red Sea islands and advanced toward the entrance of the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, several reports said Thursday.

The forces earlier captured the city of Mokha from Saudi-backed forces. Reports said they also reached the Hanish Islands and seized Zuqar Island.

Local sources told Al-Araby TV that Ansarallah-led forces took control of Mayun, a strategic island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The UAE has established military and intelligence sites on Mayun and other Yemeni islands in cooperation with Israel, according to the reports.

Tasnim news agency, citing its correspondent in Sana’a, reported that the Yemeni Armed Forces had taken control of the key al-Ardhi port area on Bab al-Mandab.

The move gives the YAF control of Yemen’s coastline overlooking the strategic waterway and could allow forces fighting Saudi mercenaries to exert greater influence over maritime traffic between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The reported capture of Bab al-Mandab, whose name means the “Gate of Tears,” would give the Sana’a government major leverage over maritime traffic entering and leaving the Red Sea.

“Maritime navigation is safe, and the security of navigation has nothing to do with the skirmishes that were extinguished in the western coast districts,” Deputy Foreign Minister of the Sana’a government Abdul Wahid Abu Ras was quoted as saying by SABA news agency on Thursday.

Top Yemeni negotiator and spokesman Mohammad Abdul Salam also said, “Red Sea navigation is safe” and that “operations will cease when the aggression ends.”

“What the YAF has carried out in certain coastal areas is a national operation within the framework of asserting Yemeni sovereignty and addressing the challenges and ambitions that threaten civil peace,” he added.

8, September 2026

Iran seizes cutting-edge US unmanned submersible in Strait of Hormuz ⁰

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy announced that it has successfully intercepted and captured a highly advanced, unmanned American underwater vehicle at the entrance of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the IRGC Navy stated that the seizure was carried out in the early hours of the day following a “complex intelligence and operational action.”

The unmanned submersible incorporates some of the world’s most advanced underwater technology and was delivered to the US terrorist military in 2025, the statement said.

The IRGC announced that photographic evidence and detailed footage of the captured US asset would be released in the coming hours.

Iranian news agency Tasnim identified the captured system as a Dive-LD, an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle developed by US defense technology company Anduril Industries and first delivered to the US Navy’s Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Group 1 in 2025.

The vehicle is approximately 5.8 meters long, has a diameter of about 1.2 meters and weighs roughly 2.7 tonnes.

Its published specifications include an endurance of up to 10 days underwater and a maximum operating depth of around 6,000 meters.

Designed as a modular autonomous platform, the Dive-LD can be configured for missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, seabed mapping, infrastructure inspection and mine-countermeasure operations.

The capture comes amid a sharp escalation between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints.

The waterway has increasingly become a key arena in the US war on Iran, prompting Tehran to assert greater control over maritime activity in and around the strait.

Recent military exchanges have included US strikes on Iranian oil tankers and Iranian missile attacks targeting US naval forces.

On September 6, Iran said it had struck a US unmanned vessel attempting to enter a restricted area near Hormuz.

The capture of the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) marks the latest in a long history of Iran intercepting and seizing advanced Western military technology.

Over the past decade, Iranian forces have successfully downed or captured numerous high-value US assets, including the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and various underwater gliders and surface vessels in the Persian Gulf.

Reverse-engineering these captured technologies have historically played a significant role in accelerating Iran’s domestic drone and unmanned naval programs.

6, September 2026

FIFA boss Infantino to seek re-election ⁰

Gianni Infantino will stand in next March’s FIFA presidential election football’s global governing body announced Sunday.

“The FIFA President announced in April that he will stand for re-election in 2027,” a FIFA spokesperson said. “Of course, nothing has changed. Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election.”

The 56-year-old Swiss has taken a pummelling since the announcement in late July of his short-lived FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan to bring private investment into FIFA events.

But now for the first time since the plan became public, FIFA has reiterated Infantino’s intention to run for a fourth and final term in next year’s elections.

Should he be re-elected, he will continue to serve as head of world football until 2031.

Infantino is in Poland for the Women’s Under-20 World Cup, but refused to answer queries about his future when questioned by journalists on Saturday.

Only candidate

European body UEFA has accused Infantino of “criminal mismanagement” over the scheme and was the ringleader of the initial fightback to the announcement, including threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, if it was not shelved.

If UEFA withdrew its threat to boycott FIFA tournaments on August 27 – ahead of the Women’s Under-20 World Cup in Poland – it remains absolute in its conviction that Infantino must depart his role.

The European body has filed requests in the USA for the disclosure of documents related to the plan from FIFA and partners.

If successful in gaining access to the documents, UEFA had said it intends to lodge a legal complaint in Switzerland, saying it has been assured the case would meet the requirements to be heard in a Swiss court.

It has also found solid support from North American body CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in its actions against Infantino.

The three confederations have kept up the pressure and collaborated on a no-holds-barred joint letter issued last month.

Montagliani, a FIFA vice-president, had long been regarded as a close ally of Infantino, but there were signs, even before he distanced himself over the now-scrapped plan to allow private investment into World Cups, that he viewed FIFA’s purpose somewhat differently to the Swiss.

But Infantino is not without friends – 2034 World Cup hosts Saudi Arabia came out in support last month, with African football’s governing body CAF and South America’s CONMEBOL supportive, too.

Earlier in September, FIFA also accused UEFA of a “smear campaign” and a “fishing expedition” against Infantino.

As the only declared candidate so far for the election due to take place in Rabat, Infantino will need a simple majority of votes from the 211 federations affiliated to FIFA to extend his term of office, which began in 2016 and was renewed in 2023.

Candidate nominations for next year’s election must be submitted by November 18.

Source: AFP

4, September 2026

Qatar confirms Iran’s defensive strikes targeted only US military facilities ⁰

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has pointed to an official Qatari document submitted to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) confirming that the Islamic Republic’s lawful defensive operations against American forces stationed on Qatari soil were directed solely at US military facilities.

In a post on X on Thursday, Baghaei quoted the Qatari contribution to an ITU Council extraordinary session, which stated that Iran’s strikes “were directed towards US military facilities. […] No civilian areas have been targeted.”

The document, prepared as a safety and security risk assessment, noted that “almost all of the attacks were directed towards US military facilities, with the one exception of an attack against the gas facilities at Ras Laffan on 18th March.”

It added that no civilian areas had been targeted and assessed the current risk to Qatar’s security from ongoing operations as low.

Baghaei stated that the sole exception cited by Qatar involved facilities that were serving US military aggression against Iran. “It should be recalled, however, that the facilities struck that day were serving US military aggression against Iran,” he wrote.

1, September 2026

Iran begin series of combined retaliatory operations against US bases, interests ⁰

Iran’s Armed Forces begin staging a series of combined retaliatory operations featuring missile and drone strikes targeting regional American bases and interests following the United States’ latest acts of deadly unprovoked aggression against the Islamic Republic.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced the launch of the operations in a statement on Tuesday.

“Decisive operations by the Iranian Armed Forces in response to the American terrorist enemy began minutes ago,” the Corps said. “US bases and interests across the region are now coming under attack by Iranian missiles and drones,” it added.

The operations follow multiple instance of unwarranted aggression against targets inside the Islamic Republic, especially the country’s southern areas.

Reprisal follows civilian casualties

The latest instance of the aggression featured a missile attack targeting the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan’s Sirik County, where shrapnel hit a residential structure in the city of Kouhestak as the building was hosting a wedding ceremony.

So far, as many as four people have been martyred, including a child, and 50 others wounded.

Earlier attacks had also hit Chabahar and Konarak Counties in Sistan and Baluchestan, another southern Iranian province, and the Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Iranian servicemen to stage a reprisal against US forces stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

31, August 2026

US Department of War faces scrutiny ⁰

The US Department of War is facing mounting scrutiny over the growing presence of military influencers inside the department, a report says.

According to Monday reporting by The Washington Post, the department has “secretly” installed several conservative military veterans with large social-media followings in government roles without disclosing their assignments.

Among those identified are retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness and retired Army Col. Kurt Schlichter, who department records show had active official government email addresses during the past week and were assigned to the office of Anthony Tata, undersecretary for personnel and readiness. Their addresses carried a “.civ” suffix, indicating civilian employment.

A third retired Army colonel and online commentator, Thomas Anderson, was also previously listed with a “.civ” address in Tata’s office, according to people familiar with the matter and records reviewed by The Post. Anderson, who writes under the name Cynical Publius, has more than 323,000 followers on X.

Spokesman Joel Valdez declined to tell the paper whether the three were receiving taxpayer-funded salaries, what their roles were or how long their assignments would last.

The people familiar with the matter said the individuals were assigned either as “special government employees” or “highly qualified experts.” Schlichter appears in a government database with an “HQE” designation.

The appointments have drawn attention because of the men’s public political commentary.

Maness has more than 135,000 followers on X and has publicly supported Pete Hegseth’s agenda, including by arguing that the secretary of war’s team should remove “disloyal” career employees. This is while dismissal over the past months of several department of war officials by Hegseth following reported disagreement over the United States’ unsuccessful campaign of military aggression against Iran has attracted far-and-wide criticism.

Schlichter, who has nearly 620,000 X followers, has likewise dismissed the abortive nature of the aggression, describing President Donald Trump on August 6 as a “hero for finally fighting back against Iran.” On August 14, he wrote of Hegseth, “We are lucky to have @PeteHegseth.”

The three also appeared on behalf of the department’s Senior Service College Task Force at the Army War College in May. The task force was established to examine ideology considered “toxic” or “woke” at senior service colleges.

Separately, The Post reported that senior commanders have warned Hegseth that prolonging aggression against Iran could weaken US capabilities elsewhere.

A classified assessment in the August 14 Secretary of War Orders Book reportedly found that forces diverted to the aggression were limiting other missions and training. Several commanders issued a “non-concur” over extended deployments.

Navy Chief Adm. Daryl Caudle told Hegseth that the Navy could not sustain its present level of support because there was no anticipated end date. Barely one-fourth of the Navy’s destroyer fleet was ready to deploy, according to people familiar with the assessment.

European and Southern commands also warned that diverted ships and surveillance aircraft had degraded their homeland-defense capabilities, while Pacific Command objected to the level of support it was ordered to provide.

The aggression, which has prompted uncompromising Iranian retaliation, has also consumed Patriot and THAAD interceptors, Tomahawk missiles, and Reaper drones. Many Air Force units are also expected to remain in the West Asia region into 2027 amid continued lack of an exit strategy on the part of Washington.

Hegseth’s spokesman Sean Parnell, meanwhile, appeared dismissive by saying the department does not discuss specific internal risk assessments or “non-concurrences.”

25, August 2026

Music legend Dolly Parton dies at 80 ⁰

Dolly Parton, the country music star who rose from grinding poverty in Tennessee to become a rhinestone-studded cultural icon with hits like “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” has died at 80, her family said Tuesday.

Parton was more than a singer — she wrote 3,000 songs, acted in major Hollywood films and donated millions of dollars to charities in her home state and beyond.

She was also an accomplished businesswoman, with her interests spanning from her popular Dollywood theme park to cosmetics, pet apparel, baking mixes and even a truck stop.

“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,” her nephew Bryan Seaver said in a video announcing her death on social media.

He said the multiple award-winning artist — known for her glittering style, curvy figure and larger-than-life blonde wigs — had “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life.”

The family did not give a cause of death, but Parton had spoken about her recent ill health. Her husband Carl Dean died last year.

A small private funeral service will be held, her representative told People magazine, encouraging fans to leave messages on her website.

Tributes quickly poured in for Parton, who won 10 Grammys and 13 Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards during her long career.

“May her legacy live on through her songs, the lives she touched, and the countless artists she inspired. There will never, ever be another one like her,” the Grand Ole Opry, America’s temple of country music, said on social media.

Her co-stars from the hit 1980 movie “9 to 5,” which sparked her soundtrack smash, expressed their shock.

Oscar winner Jane Fonda said she was “devastated” while Lily Tomlin said only: “No words.”

The news even sparked a rare moment of unity in a country often bitterly at odds over Donald Trump’s presidency, the war against Iran and cultural issues.

Trump ordered the lowering of American flags to half-staff across the United States for a week, calling Parton’s passing a “true loss for millions of people.”

“There has never been anyone like her, and never will,” Trump posted on his Truth Social network.

Democratic former president Bill Clinton called her “one of a kind.”

New York’s Empire State Building was to be lit later Tuesday in pink in the singer’s honor.

Born in 1946 as one of 12 children in rural Tennessee, Parton headed for the country music capital Nashville right after graduating from high school.

By 1967, at age 21, she was among the most recognized figures in American music, having joined Porter Wagoner’s syndicated country music television show that broadcast her voice and face into millions of US homes.

During a prolific career that spanned six decades, Parton penned some 3,000 tunes.

They included “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and the iconic ballad “I Will Always Love You,” which became an international success for Whitney Houston.

Releasing 49 studio albums and more than 100 compilation and collaboration albums, she earned the title of “queen of country music.”

Never one to downplay her striking looks, Parton essentially wrote the book on how a woman can rule the airwaves in a male-dominated industry, ultimately becoming an American treasure with songs covered by everyone from Shania Twain to Sinead O’Connor.

“Instant Sainthood,” Jack White, who covered “Jolene” with the White Stripes, wrote on Instagram.

Last year, Parton postponed a series of Las Vegas concerts, citing ongoing health concerns. In May, she canceled them altogether, sparking new fears.

In videos posted to her social media accounts, she said that while treatment for an unspecified illness was going well, she was not ready to perform.

Just last week, she said in a statement to People magazine: “I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.”

“She brought so many people together, we will all miss her so much,” said Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

Source: AFP