NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Donald Trump is the "only person" who could break the deadlock in ending the Ukraine war, as Western leaders discuss possible solutions, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in a meeting that failed to reach a breakthrough on a Ukraine peace deal,and Putin vowed to seize the Donbas "by force," reiterating Moscow's territorial demands.This comes as the EU proposed using frozen Russian assets to cover 90 billion in Ukraine reparations, a move that would involve redirecting funds currently held under sanctions,and Germany's parliament approved a new military law that enables needs-based conscription.Meanwhile, the White House confirmed that the U.S. launched a second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 2,with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth distancing himself from the operation, noting that he observed the first strike but left before the second took place,and Congress moved to review recent U.S. military strikes amid allegations of possible war crimes.In other news, Iran hosted regional counter-terrorism drills attended by members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, fighting erupted in Yemen after United Arab Emirates-backed forces seized the city of Seiyun,and a Gaza militia leader was killed while intervening in a family dispute in Rafah.Elsewhere, Russia and Sudan confirmed a Red Sea naval base deal, formalizing an agreement that had been under discussion for several years,and global arms sales hit a record $679 billion last year — a 5.9% increase from the previous year.

Haiti adopted a decree to hold elections next August, which will mark the first general election since 2016, Honduras' presidential election saw Nasry Asfura and Salvador Nasralla locked in a "technical tie," with officials beginning a manual ballot count after the digital tally stalled at 57% of the vote,and the U.K. considered postponing mayoral elections in four regions, citing devolution reforms to establish new “unitary councils.”Meanwhile, Israeli and Lebanese officials met in their first direct talks in decades, Russia's Vladimir Putin visited India's Narendra Modi in an engagement that added to ongoing international discussions, Trump barred South Africa from the 2026 Group of 20 summit, while extending an invitation to Poland,and the Economic Community of West African States visited Guinea-Bissau following a recent military takeover.In other news, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to five years in prison for corruption involving a government land project, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was released from a U.S. prison after being pardoned by Trump,and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung delivered a special address to mark the first anniversary of former President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law declaration.This comes as King Charles III stripped Andrew of his Order of the Garter and Royal Victorian Order honours, a step that further adjusts his standing within the institution, former chief of the EU's Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini was detained amid an ongoing fraud investigation,and masked gunmen made threats against several Northern Ireland politicians in a video that circulated on social media.In other developments, dozens of British MPs tabled a motion in opposition to U.K. Justice Secretary David Lammy's plans to restrict the right to a jury trial,and the U.S. halted immigration applications from 19 countries, while placing a hold on all pending asylum applications.

The Justice Department sued six more states for allegedly failing to produce statewide voter registration lists, bringing the total to at least 14 states, a three-judge panel ruled that Alina Habba's appointment as New Jersey U.S. Attorney was unlawful, upholding a lower court decision,and Republican candidate Matt Van Epps won Tennessee's 7th Congressional District, beating Democratic Rep. Aftyn Behn.This comes as The New York Times alleged that the White House's AI czar has conflicts of interest, adding scrutiny to the administration’s approach to AI governance, an FBI report claimed that Director Kash Patel is "in over his head," with accounts included from 24 bureau sources,and former Special Counsel Jack Smith was subpoenaed for a closed-door deposition over his investigations into Trump.In other news, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Trump's birthright citizenship challenge, which would deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to parents in the country illegally or temporarily, the Department of Homeland Security launched an immigration operation in New Orleans targeting alleged criminal migrants released from jail,and California launched a portal to report alleged federal agent misconduct, providing residents with a formal channel for submitting concerns.Meanwhile, SCOTUS allowed Texas' Republican-drawn redistricting map to be used in next year's midterm elections, overturning a lower court ruling,and the Agriculture Department threatened to withhold food stamps from states that refuse to provide SNAP recipient data.

A University of Oklahoma instructor was placed on leave following a complaint of alleged religious bias, India revoked an order to install an undeletable government app on all smartphones following widespread privacy concerns,and a 13-year-old reportedly carried out a Taliban-sanctioned execution in Afghanistan, with tens of thousands of people witnessing the event.

The suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House pleaded not guilty, setting the stage for further hearings, U.S. House Democrats released new images of Jeffrey Epstein's island home, with the photos reportedly taken in 2020 — a year after his death,and a Florida judge ordered the unsealing of Epstein's grand jury transcripts related to the 2005 and 2007 investigations.Elsewhere, 12 prisoners were mistakenly released in England and Wales, bringing the total accidental releases to 103 since April 1,and South Korea arrested four individuals for allegedly hacking 120,000 cameras to produce and sell sexually exploitative content.

Netflix made a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billion following a weeks-long bidding process that saw it pitted against Paramount Skydance, Prada acquired Versace in a $1.375 billion deal,and OpenAI internally tested advertising features in ChatGPT in a trial run that could see potential platform changes.Meanwhile, Memory chipmaker Micron exited its consumer business, as it pivoted to refocus on the expanding AI data-center market,and Credit Suisse and its parent company were charged with failing to prevent money laundering related to loans provided to Mozambique for a fishing fleet.

Trump announced a new savings initiative for children, with billionaire Michael Dell donating $6.25 billion to seed the initiative,and the White House proposed reducing fuel economy standards for light-duty vehicles over concerns that previous rules were unattainable.Elsewhere, Australia recorded 2.1% year-on-year growth in the last quarter — its fastest annual economic expansion since 2023, Cuba faced a temporary power outage that left Havana and the western half of the island without power,and the U.K. and the Netherlands pulled out of a $2.2 billion Mozambique gas project over human rights concerns.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel voted to scale back hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants, suggesting that parents of infants born to mothers who test negative consult with health care providers,and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's chief resigned just three weeks after his appointment.Meanwhile, the World Health Organization issued its first guidelines for GLP-1 therapies for obesity, which affects over 1 billion people across the world,and the U.K. unveiled its £170 million ($227 million) HIV Action Plan, with the goal of ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030.

Six New Delhi hospitals reported 200,000 cases of acute respiratory illness between 2022 and 2024, a figure that reflects trends observed over the past several years,and the death toll from the ongoing extreme weather in Southeast Asia surpassed 1,000, with military personnel deployed to assist in disaster relief.Meanwhile, Nature retracted a study that predicted a 62% drop in global economic output by 2100 under high-emissions scenarios, citing data errors,and the Antarctic ozone hole reached its smallest size since 2019, with NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ranking it the fifth smallest since 1992.

OpenAI declared a "code red" situation to prioritize improvements to ChatGPT amid a growing AI rivalry with Google,and a Waymo driverless car drove into an active police standoff in the latest operational challenge since the vehicles began operating in Los Angeles.Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed an AI Bill of Rights that includes consumer protections, data privacy measures and parental controls,and Australia released its National AI Plan, which dropped previously proposed "mandatory guardrails..

Neuralink patients demonstrated the ability to control robotic arms using their thoughts, extending brain-computer interface functionality beyond digital interactions to tangible assistive devices,and researchers discovered a "fire amoeba" that can survive at temperatures up to 145°F, setting a new record for the upper temperature limit across all eukaryotic lifeforms.

SpaceX was cleared to build two Starship launchers at NASA's Cape Canaveral, with construction already underway,and Jared Isaacman faced a second NASA confirmation hearing amid calls for the U.S. to overtake China in space exploration.

Trump was awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during the 2026 World Cup draw,and India's Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha became the youngest-ever rated chess player at the age of three years, seven months and 20 days.

Malaysia agreed to resume the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 over a decade after the aircraft disappeared.

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry died.