“The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday extended by six months the mandate of an international security force in Haiti intended to fight powerful armed groups that have taken control of much of the country. Twelve nations voted to renew the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and none voted against. Three nations, however, abstained: China, Russia and Pakistan, whose representatives cited concerns over insufficient funds, personnel and efficacy. The extension is intended to provide security ahead of Haiti’s first election in a decade in December. Armed groups continue to control large parts of the Caribbean nation despite successive international deployments, and the force has struggled to deploy enough troops to carry out its mandate.” (09/29/26)
“The US Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted restrictions on the deportations of immigrants to countries that are not their own, while agreeing to hear the issue on its merits in December. The conservative-dominated high court granted an emergency request by the Trump administration to suspend a lower court ruling that restricted, but did not outright ban, so-called ‘third-country removals.’ The lower court had said that people targeted with deportation must be given effective notice ahead of time about where they are being sent to allow them to raise concerns about potential persecution. The three liberal [sic] justices on the nine-member panel said they would not have granted the Trump administration’s request.” (09/29/26)
“Israeli troops got a Palestinian family back into their two West Bank homes Monday night—but the return lasted only about 10 minutes, reports Reuters. At that point, more than 100 Israeli [squatters] arrived and attacked soldiers and the Palestinians, even setting fire to the homes in a chaotic scene. ‘Due to the violence, the mission to return the family to their homes was not completed,’ the military said in a statement. Troops had the family go up to a roof when the [squatters] broke in but then evacuated them as the clashes intensified, reports the New York Times, citing witness accounts.” (09/29/26)
“Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two federal indictments against President Donald Trump, told lawmakers on Tuesday that he ‘will not be silenced by continued threats of prosecution’ from the Trump administration and that he believes the rule of law is being threatened like never before. Smith also told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he stands behind the criminal cases he brought against Trump, a Republican, and that he and his team acted without regard to politics. … Republicans sought to cast the prosecution as a political fishing expedition, accusing Smith of bending ordinary procedures in an overzealous pursuit of the president.” (09/29/26)
“New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday quickly appealed a judge’s decision to cancel previously mailed notices for his second-home tax, triggering an automatic stay of the ruling. ‘The auto stay allows the city to continue, as we have been, with the implementation of the pied-a-terre surcharge and puts the lower court’s order on pause,’ a city official said. Just hours earlier, Judge Wayne Ozzi found that the city failed to follow required procedures before mailing the notices, which he described as ‘arbitrary and capricious, affected by errors of law, and in violation of the recipients’ due process rights,’ according to the ruling. Despite the ruling, Ozzi noted that the policy itself could still survive. He said the city can still apply the tax by removing the current list of taxed properties from its website and posting a corrected list after following the proper procedures.” (09/29/26)
“The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed two measles-related deaths from the 3,659 confirmed cases this year, the highest number of cases in 35 years. The CDC did not specify on Tuesday in which states the deaths occurred. However, Pennsylvania has been hardest hit by the outbreak with more than 900 reported cases. The preventable disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 but has made an aggressive comeback in recent years, which some have linked to a rise in vaccine scepticism.” (09/29/26)
“India is likely to have a much older population later this century as its age structure begins to shift after fertility fell below the replacement level, Moody’s Ratings said in a report on Tuesday. Although India’s population remains relatively young, the country’s fertility rate has fallen below replacement, and its age structure is beginning to change, setting the stage for a much older population in the coming decades, Moody’s said. Countries experiencing the steepest fertility declines are likely to age most rapidly, it added.” (09/29/26)
“U.S. forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies, who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war. Iraqi security experts say the withdrawal — agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and carried out by Donald Trump’s administration even as it wages war against Iran — could give Tehran and its powerful allies free rein, while also allowing other U.S. enemies to stage a comeback, including Islamic State. … While the eventual departure of U.S. forces is broadly popular among Iraqis, those who worry about the strength of the Iran-backed groups fear the withdrawal is premature.” (09/29/26)
“Deposed Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo plans to return to the country on October 4 to run for the presidency in an election scheduled for December, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Embalo was toppled in a military coup last November, shortly before results from presidential and legislative elections were due to be announced. Senior army officers suspended the electoral process and installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as transitional president. … Embalo’s campaign organisation has not yet been finalised, one source close to Embalo said, adding that the military-led government had assured the former president that he is ‘welcome’ to return. A government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.” (09/29/26)
“A UK probe into a suspected bomb plot at an airbase used by the United States was mired in confusion on Tuesday, after media reported no explosives were detected in the vehicles seized nearby. … Police have said officers conducted an extensive examination of the vehicles with the help of ‘military assets’ and forensic experts. They did not disclose their findings. But The Times newspaper and several other UK media outlets have reported that police found no traces of explosives, easing fears that an attack had been foiled but leaving many questions unanswered. A resident in the neighbouring village of Kempsford, Patricia told the AFP news agency it was ‘very embarrassing that people around the world thought it was a terrorist attack but in the end no, it’s a lot of noise for nothing.'” (09/29/26)
