Monday, September 21, 2026
The US and China have agreed to open a formal channel on artificial intelligence governance, a rare cooperative signal between the two powers as their rivalry intensifies. The deal was brokered during a meeting between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The Trump administration is readying a broad sanctions package targeting the International Criminal Court, a move that could freeze payments, disrupt IT systems, and derail active investigations. The measures go beyond previous US pressure on the court and would mark the most aggressive assault on the ICC's operations in its history.
Tehran has issued an explicit warning that any new US military strikes will trigger retaliation "without limitations," as fighting continues to rage in Yemen and the region remains on a knife's edge. The warning comes as the US-Israel conflict with Iran enters a volatile new phase, with Qatar's prime minister describing the fallout as an "earthquake" reshaping the Middle East.
Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order creating a board with authority to approve or block National Institutes of Health research funding, giving the administration a direct veto over scientific grants it deems misaligned with its agenda. The move follows a series of interventions targeting federally funded research on topics from gender to climate, and was discussed in a White House meeting on Friday.
Eighteen men accused of orchestrating the killing of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse have been extradited to the United States to stand trial in a federal court in Florida. Moïse was shot dead at his private residence on 7 July 2021 by a group of roughly 20 Colombian mercenaries whose security detail did not intervene.
