The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will address the UN on Monday, after the General Assembly voted to allow him to join remotely. The U.S. has refused to issue him a visa to attend in person.

New York

Israel and Iran have agreed a ceasefire after a twelve day conflict. Meanwhile, Israel strikes in Gaza continue with the humanitarian crisis deepening.

Middle East Conflict

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was denied a US visa, preventing his usual in-person attendance at the United Nations General Assembly. In response, the General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to allow Abbas to participate remotely from Ramallah, with 145 countries in favor and only five against. This decision coincides with a shift in stance from several Western countries, including the UK, Canada, and Australia, which have recently expressed support for Palestinian statehood.

Despite this diplomatic milestone, actual Palestinian membership in the UN remains blocked by the US veto power in the Security Council. The symbolic support at the General Assembly comes amid ongoing violence and humanitarian concerns in Gaza and the West Bank.

UN approves video address by Palestine’s Abbas after US visa refusal

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is a regular fixture in New York when world leaders come to the UN every September, but this year he's been banned by the US authorities, his visa refused. It seems to be revenge for the fact that the high-level week this year will start with a crucial meeting on Palestine and that over recent months key Western nations have been significantly changing their positions. I can confirm the UK will recognise the state of Palestine. Canada intends to recognise the state of Palestine. Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own. We shall now begin the voting process. On Friday the General Assembly voted to give President Abbas exceptional permission to participate this coming week remotely from Ramallah. The vote was very telling, 145 in favour, just five against. Israel and the US could only rely on the support of Paraguay and the tiny Pacific islands of Palau and Nauru. But for Palestine to become a member state, the bloc is not the General Assembly, where the Palestinians clearly have the votes, but here in the Security Council. As a permanent member of the Council, the US has veto power. The event in the General Assembly Hall on Monday will be hugely symbolic, with some powerful nations backing Palestinian statehood for the first time. But there are questions about whether those same nations should be taking stronger action against Israel to stop the killing in Gaza. The Palestinians are reaching a diplomatic high-water mark here in New York. At the same time on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank, though, they face death, destruction and possible expulsion, their worst moment for almost eight decades. James Bayes, Al Jazeera, at the United Nations.

Sixty nations have agreed to a new treaty aimed at protecting marine biodiversity in international waters. But the strength of the deal governing the high seas is uncertain as some of the world’s biggest players - including China, the U.S., Russia and Japan - have yet to ratify.

Nations ratify world's first treaty to protect international waters

A cyberattack on a provider of check-in and boarding systems has disrupted operations at several major European airports including London's Heathrow, the continent's busiest, causing flight delays and cancellations on Saturday (September 20).

London

Travelers stranded as cyberattack disrupts major European airports

The high seas will soon have their own Conference of the Parties (COP). This new body will oversee the implementation of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, which is scheduled to enter into force in early 2026 after the legally required 120-day period.

Manhattan

Optus, Australia's second-largest telecom carrier, promised on Saturday "full cooperation" with official investigators, after an outage disrupted emergency call services for 13 hours. Four people died amid the technical failure, including an eight-week-old boy.

Melbourne

Telco vows to cooperate after deadly outage

Dozens more Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive. Amid mounting international criticism of Israel, there has been a renewed push for a two-state solution, with Portugal being the latest advocate.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Two-state solution gains support as IDF moves on Gaza City

Charlie Kirk will be mourned in a massive public memorial in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sunday. With U.S. President Donald Trump and other top U.S. officials attending, the event is expected to bring significant security concerns.

Phoenix

Thousands set to attend Charlie Kirk's public memorial

Russia has launched more than 600 attacks on multiple cities across Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is renewing calls for more support, and warning allies that defending Europe means defending Ukraine.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Russia launches mass strikes across Ukraine

A cyberattack has disrupted air traffic at several airports in Europe. Check-in and boarding systems went down in London, Brussels and Berlin. Europe’s aviation safety organisation says airlines were asked to cancel 50% of their flights to reduce pressure on the system.

Heathrow Airport

Flight chaos as UK, European airports hit by cyberattack

Three Russian military jets violated NATO member Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes on Friday in an "unprecedentedly brazen" incursion, its government said, the latest in a series of recent military actions by Russia that have rattled the alliance.

Tallinn

Russian jets enter Estonia's airspace in latest test for NATO

President Trump said Friday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping "made progress" on a deal over TikTok ownership, and that he would visit China early next year.

Washington

Trump says he and Xi Jinping 'made progress' on TikTok deal

The apparent remains of Travis Decker, the man suspected of killing his three daughters in Washington state, have been located and are undergoing DNA testing. A manhunt has been underway for Decker since his daughter's bodies were found in June.

Remains of father suspected of killing 3 daughters found

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets lingered in NATO-member Estonia's airspace for several minutes on Friday, according to Estonian authorities. Italian F-35s responded.

Moscow

NATO defences triggered amid Russian airspace violation

Fellow comedians Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon mocked U.S. President Donald Trump Thursday after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled off the air on Wednesday by ABC following Federal Communications Commission pressure.

Late-night hosts mock Trump as outrage over Kimmel grows

International sanctions imposed on Iran before the 2015 nuclear deal, could be reinstated within days. The United Nations Security Council has voted against lifting sanctions permanently, because of the country's nuclear programme.

Tehran

Sanctions to hit Iran again after UN vote

Washington has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of being involved in drug trafficking - a claim he denies. In recent weeks, the US military has been building up its presence in the Caribbean. Venezuela has responded by holding military drills.

Caracas

Venezuela orders three-day drills amid U.S tensions

A Republican measure to keep the government funded until Nov. 21 stumbled in the Senate after clearing the House, leaving lawmakers without a clear path forward to avoid a funding lapse at the end of the month.

Government shutdown looms after GOP funding bill fails in Senate

In suburban Chicago, tensions boiled over as authorities unleashed tear gas and pepper balls to break up a crowd that was trying to block vehicles outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.

Chicago

Tensions boil over as protesters clash with authorities outside Chicago ICE facility

Gunfire struck the building that houses the ABC 10 TV station in Sacramento on Friday afternoon. No one was injured.

Sacramento

Gunfire strikes Sacramento ABC TV station building

President Trump signed two executive orders at the White House on Friday night. The first established the Trump Gold Card as a path to U.S. citizenship for $1 million. The second adds a $100,000 fee for skilled worker visas called H-1B worker visas.

Trump signs $1M gold card visas, adds fee for skilled workers

With Jimmy Kimmel off the air for a third straight day, the fallout is growing. Film and TV writers protested outside ABC headquarters in New York, even as President Trump warned he may go after other networks next. Nancy Cordes reports.

Fallout grows after Jimmy Kimmel taken off air

President Trump on Thursday suggested that networks should have their licenses pulled for negative coverage of him. His comments come amid ABC's suspension of Jimmy Kimmel over remarks about the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect.

Trump floats revoking TV licenses over negative coverage

State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, can hold more than 63,000 people, but on Sunday, police are anticipating more than 100,000 people will try to attend Charlie Kirk's memorial service.

Orem

Security preparations underway for Charlie Kirk memorial

Three Russian fighter planes flew into Estonian airspace, and NATO scrambled Italian, Swedish and Finnish aircraft to repel them. Russia last week sent drones into Romania and Poland, two other NATO members.

NATO scrambles jets to repel Russia incursions

Protesters are clashing with federal agents outside an ICE detention facility near Chicago. Video shows what appears to be tear gas being deployed and some physical altercations.

Video shows ICE protesters being dragged by agents near Chicago

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed agriculture, tech and trade during a call about potential deals on Friday (Sept. 19). Trump says he and Xi made progress on a TikTok deal.

Trump, Xi Jinping discuss trade, tech on latest call with China

An AI-generated government “minister” made its debut with an address in the Albanian parliament on Thursday (September 18), with Prime Minister Edi Rama presenting the bot as a symbol of his government’s push for transparency and innovation.

Tiranë

Rise of AI

Albania unveils AI-generated 'minister'

A spokesperson for the Taliban Foreign Ministry said the couple "violated Afghan law" and were released from prison on Friday after a court hearing but didn't say what law they were alleged to have broken.

Kabul

Taliban releases British couple held for months in Afghanistan

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets lingered in NATO-member Estonia's airspace for several minutes on Friday, according to Estonian authorities.

Russian fighter jets violated Estonia's airspace, authorities say

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown that would fund the government until Nov. 21. CBS News' Nikole Killion reports.

House passes short-term spending bill to avert shutdown

ABC preempted Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely after U.S President Donald Trump's appointed Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr threatened action following Kimmel's comments surrounding the killing of Charlie Kirk. Now Trump is suggesting that networks that 'only give him bad press' should have their licenses suspended.

UN approves video address by Palestine’s Abbas after US visa refusal

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