Monday, 28 September 2026
Bibi Netanyahu makes secret move to Arabia and the UAE for talks with President bin Zayed
Iranian minister says only negotiation can end conflict after Trump rejects Hormuz deal
Only a "negotiated solution" can end the conflict between the US and Iran, Tehran's foreign minister has said, after President Donald Trump publicly rejected a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump told reporters at the White House that Iran's proposal was not "acceptable" and that Tehran wanted to make a deal to open the strait to commercial shipping within seven days because "they're losing so badly".
In a post on Telegram, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged Trump's rejection, but said Iran would wait for a "definitive" official US response. He said the president had made contradictory statements in the past.
Araghchi said the conditions to open the strait were the same that had been included in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran that was signed in June.
Iran said it had raised reopening the strait and ending hostilities during negotiations on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this past week. The vital waterway through which around a fifth of the world's gas and oil supply usually flows has been effectively closed since the outbreak of war in February.
"I'm rejecting their deal," Trump said on Saturday, adding that the US already had "total control" of the strait, with "massive amounts of oil" passing through it, causing massive rises in global oil prices and steep fuel cost increases for consumers.
Araghchi wrote on Telegram that Trump "has made many good statements, as well as many contradictory ones, which unfortunately we hear frequently". He continued: "We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them."
Separately, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, who travelled to New York for the UN general assembly, told the BBC's US news partner CBS that "distrust created by this war needs to be overcome" in order for talks to be successful.
He said the Iranians were open to talks on implementing the MOU in stages in order to end the impasse, but that the "US needs to show it does not intend to overthrow our government".
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmvgyyw2jeego
Inside Yemen's front-line city as Houthis battle for control
"This is the first drone," said the soldier accompanying us in south-western Yemen. "It's usually followed by an attack."
The buzzing sound overhead got louder as we took cover under the bushes, before climbing back into the vehicle and driving away.
Within about 10 minutes, the loud thuds of strikes followed, one after another, though it was unclear where they landed.
It is hard to tell where the front line begins in the mountains south-west of the city of Taiz.
Saudi-backed pro-government forces are battling to push back Houthi fighters, who swept down the coast of the Red Sea earlier this month, taking control of a key shipping chokepoint and escalating Yemen's civil war.
We travelled with government forces from Taiz through checkpoints to the line where their control ends and no man's land begins, in order to see the fighting up close.
FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw98005ndz7no
Pope says 'scourge' of abuse must be rooted out as he visits Lourdes
Pope Leo has called on French bishops to root out the "scourge" of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church, urging them to "maintain the greatest vigilance".
The Pope delivered the message to bishops during a private meeting at the Sanctuary of Our Holy Lady of Lourdes, a holy site in southern France, on the third day of his four-day official visit to France.
A 2021 inquiry found that clergy or lay members of the Church had abused about 330,000 people as children in France over 70 years. The Pope said Mass in front of thousands of worshippers in Lourdes before later meeting survivors of abuse.
The Pope told the bishops: "You have faced with determination the painful scourge of abuse of minors committed by members of the clergy or within an ecclesial context.
"It is important to persevere along the path you have begun, maintaining the greatest vigilance." The gathering of senior church leaders was held behind closed doors and the remarks were later released to reporters.
Leo then met with seven survivors of abuse by the French clergy. The Pope "thanked them for their painful testimony and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the harm they experienced is not repeated for others", the Vatican said in a statement.
"It was extraordinary," said survivor Jean-Marie Delbos at a news conference following the encounter with the pontiff. He said Leo listened and was informed of their cases. "I never thought I would have a Pope before me," he added.
The Lourdes gathering came a day after an estimated 700,000 people flocked to the Place de la Concorde in Paris to hear the pontiff speak.
Huge crowds cheered and waved as he rode down the Champs-Élysées Avenue greeting followers from his open-topped popemobile. On Friday, the Pope also met French President Emmanuel Macron.
FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm5y5nj8ejj8o
Five arrested as counter-terror police investigate major incident near RAF Fairford in England
Five men have been arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and explosive offences after three "suspicious vehicles" were reported travelling towards an RAF base, police have said.
A major incident was declared and dozens of homes near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire were evacuated following the report at about 00:45 BST on Sunday.
An Army explosive ordnance disposal team has been examining vehicles near the base, which is used by the United States Air Force (USAF), as counter-terror police lead the investigation.
Residents evacuated from the nearby village of Whelford have been told they will not be able to return home overnight, but officials say they believe the incident is contained.
Aerial pictures showed a remote-controlled robot approaching stationary white vans in a wooded area, though its use has not been confirmed by police.
A 400m cordon has been placed around the area, where a hazardous area response team was deployed as part of a major emergency service response.
FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqrm99mm9l84o
US OR IRAN? – Trump Gives Ultimatum to 50 Countries
| Who Actually Walked Out on Netanyahu’s UN Speech? Jewish Journalist Punished for Report on Yom Kippur Harassment; Saudis Haven’t Ruled Out Nuclear Weapons | |||||
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Israel Blasts UN for Gross ‘Distortion’
| Trump Rejects Iran Truce; Hamas Plot to Kill Jews in Europe; Country Bars Israeli Plane from Landing; BBC Lists Dozens of Terrorists as ‘Journalists’ | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Sunday, 27 September 2026
DONALD TRUMP REJECTS IRAN DEAL TO RE-OPEN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IN SEVEN DAYS
US President Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping within a week.
He told reporters at the White House that Tehran "want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they're losing so badly". In a post on Telegram, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged Trump's comments, but said Tehran would wait for an official response from mediators.
On Friday, Araghchi had told reporters at the UN in New York that an agreement could be reached "if the necessary conditions are met" and that these were contained in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the two countries in June.
The vital waterway through which around a fifth of the world's gas and oil supply usually flows has been effectively closed since the outbreak of war in February. "I'm rejecting their deal," Trump said on Saturday, adding that the US already had "total control" of the strait, with "massive amounts of oil" passing through it.
"They want to make a deal, and I think that's fine. I like making a deal, too. But that deal would not be acceptable," he added. Araghchi wrote that Trump "has made many good statements, as well as many contradictory ones, which unfortunately we hear frequently."
He added that he would await the "definitive views" of mediators, and that Tehran "will make a decision based on that." On Friday the Wall Street Journal
cited officials as saying Trump was sceptical that Iran would meet his demands and had told his staff that he saw a renewed bombing campaign as probable.
Iran responded to US and Israeli air strikes, beginning in late February, by attacking Israel and US bases in the Gulf and Arab Gulf allies of the US - as well as blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Its closure has caused wild fluctuations of energy prices.
The economic effects have also increased pressure on Trump to find a way of ending the conflict - particularly as the US heads towards Congressional elections in November.
Araghchi told reporters on Friday: "If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, a normal maritime passage restored within seven days,"
He added that "the actions that the United States should take are not new. They are all already in the MOU... The choice now rests with the United States."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, told CBS News, the BBC's US partner: "We had previously reached an agreement based on the MOU that was signed in Pakistan... if the United States agrees to proceed in that way, everything will return to the way it was before."
But Kirsten Fontenrose, who served on the National Security Council during the first Trump administration, told the BBC there was no appetite for restarting the conversation around the MOU as it is seen as a bad deal in the US and Iran was "pushing against a very closed door".
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqgmrr9ekr7ko
Israel slams Jordan for denying Palestinians rights after king’s scathing UN speech
The Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized Jordanian King Abdullah II following his speech at the United Nations General Assembly against Israel’s policies in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, which he claimed violate international law.
“It is particularly amusing to hear King Abdullah II of Jordan speak so passionately about international law and the rights of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria,” the ministry wrote on X, invoking the orders of his father, King Hussein, in 1988 to revoke the citizenship of Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria “overnight” and “in complete violation of international law.”
“Palestinians in Judea and Samaria lost the right to vote or run for the Jordanian parliament, work in the Jordanian civil service, or receive funding from the Hashemite Kingdom. Their Jordanian passports were confiscated or not renewed. They were classified as foreign nationals. Their entry into Jordan and their ability to remain there were restricted,” the ministry continued. “Tell us more about international law,” it added.
Another clash between King Hussein and the Palestinians took place in 1970, known as “Black September.” The Jordanian Army was ordered to take action against the Palestine Liberation Organization, comprising of Palestinian fedayeen guerrillas that relocated to Jordan after the Six-Day War in 1967 and had engaged in terrorist activities within the Hashemite Kingdom. Inflicting thousands of casualties on PLO forces, led by Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian militants were ultimately compelled to leave Jordan in 1971.
Relocating to Lebanon via Syria, the PLO then became involved in the Lebanese Civil War from 1975 to 1990, while continuing to carry out terror attacks against Israel. King Abdullah spoke at the General Debate of the 81st Session of UNGA in New York on Tuesday, dedicating the bulk of his address to lash out at the Jewish state.
He accused Israel of implementing an expansionist policy in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and Syria, “testing how far it can go.” He went as far as saying that “This Israeli government’s expansionist appetite is now a regional threat” and its “sense of impunity has reached terrifying levels.” The Jordanian leader then told the delegates in the hall that they have tools such as “sanctions, asset freezes, embargoes, diplomatic isolation” that have been used elsewhere. “Any threat to our northern border or our water security is a threat to our national security,” King Abdullah added, claiming that Israel has imposed “new facts on the ground,” including around “vital water resources.”
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