September 23

Sports

North Korean weightlifter Ri Song-gum wins gold in the women's 49kg category at the 2026 Asian Games while setting three world records: 94kg in the snatch, 121kg in the clean and jerk, and 215kg overall.

2026 Asian Games North Korea at the 2026 Asian Games Weightlifting at the 2026 Asian Games

Source: AFP via France 24

Armed conflicts and attacks

The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) seizes several airports in Tigray, while clashes are ongoing in the nearby regions of Afar and Amhara. The TPLF says that it has started a "defensive war" against the federal government of Ethiopia.

2026 Ethiopian offensive Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present)

Source: Reuters

Poland deploys fighter jets into its airspace after a Russian helicopter intruded near Braniewo, Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship.

Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)Violations of non-combatant airspace during the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)

Source: Chronicle Live

15 people, including a village head, are killed in an armed ethnic clash in Bagudo, Kebbi State, Nigeria. Six suspects are arrested following the attack.

Communal conflicts in Nigeria

Source: Daily Post

Politics and elections

Moroccans vote to elect all 395 members of the House of Representatives.

2026 Moroccan general election

Source: AP

The Philippine Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, rules that only senator-judges able to participate count toward the conviction threshold in vice president Sara Duterte's trial, reducing the required votes from 16 to 14.

Second impeachment of Sara Duterte

Source: Reuters

The United Kingdom establishes a National Centre for Information Defence to detect and counter foreign disinformation, including AI-generated content. Prime Minister Andy Burnham says the centre will address disinformation attacks to states such as Russia.

Source: AFP via France 24

Law and crime

Former American film producer Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to 15 years in prison for a 2006 sexual assault case against TV production assistant .

Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases

Source: BBC

Human Rights Watch reports that women held as political prisoners in Myanmar face torture, sexual violence, and inadequate medical care. The group says more than 6,600 women and 640 children are among over 30,000 political prisoners detained since 2021.

War crimes in the Myanmar civil war (2021–present)

Source: Reuters

September 22

Sports

Former American football and New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri sets a Guinness World Records for the highest field goal at the Swiss Alps, with an altitude of 3,454 meters (11,332 ft).

Source: Powder

Disasters and accidents

The National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Polo has strengthened into a category 5 Pacific hurricane.

2026 Pacific hurricane season

Source: The Independent

Typhoon Dujuan kills at least four people and injures 22 others in Japan, while six remain missing after landslides. More than 45,000 households in Chiba Prefecture lose power, and over 460 homes are damaged.

2026 Pacific typhoon season

Source: Taipei Times

Moldova's parliament approves a 60-day state of emergency in the energy and water sectors as low levels in the Dniester and Prut rivers threaten water supplies and global conflicts raise energy costs.

Source: AP

Science and technology

Flights are delayed at five major airports across the northeastern United States, including at Newark Liberty, Teterboro, Philadelphia, LaGuardia, and JFK, due to technological issues after a construction crew accidentally severed numerous cables, including fiber-optic ones used for communication with air traffic control.

Source: CNN

Law and crime

Eleven people are killed, including a pregnant woman, and three others are injured after three men open fire at a gathering inside a house in KwaMakhutha township, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Crime in South Africa

Source: BBC News

Three men are killed in a shooting in Gugulethu, Cape Flats, South Africa. Police are investigating it as a triple homicide.

Crime in South Africa

Source: Cape Town ETC

Sri Lanka's High Court convicts 15 men involved in the Easter bombings in 2019.

2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings

Source: Al Jazeera

Eleven people are wounded in a mass shooting at a high school in Turgutlu, Turkey. The perpetrator is arrested.

2026 Turgutlu school shooting

Source: Al Jazeera

Papua New Guinea police rescue 39 Indonesians allegedly trafficked through false job offers and held in Port Moresby. Officers arrest four Chinese nationals and investigate possible links to a wider transnational trafficking network.

Human trafficking in Papua New Guinea

Source: The Straits Times

Three lawsuits are filed against the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park in Valencia, California, U.S., after 100 riders suffered brain injuries after riding the X2 roller coaster.

Source: CBS Los Angeles

ShinyHunters hackers vandalize the FBI website FBIjobs.gov and allege to have obtained data on current employees as well as applicants. The data includes the names of agents as well as home addresses, social security numbers, and other identifying information.

Source: Reuters

At least three people are killed in an after-curfew ambush in Mangu, Plateau State, Nigeria.

Source: Daily Trust

International relations

Diplomatic sources and the United Nations say that the United States refused to issue Sudanese military chief and leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan a visa to attend the UN General Assembly in New York City. Sudan asks the UN to intervene.

Eighty-first session of the United Nations General Assembly Sudan–United States relations

Source: AFP

United States president Donald Trump and Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodríguez meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, marking the first in-person meeting between the countries' leaders following the 2026 U.S. intervention in Venezuela and capture of Nicolás Maduro.

Eighty-first session of the United Nations General Assembly United States–Venezuela relations

Source: AFP via France 24

Afghanistan and Turkmenistan agree to establish a joint commission on road transport and to facilitate transit between the two bordering countries.

Afghanistan–Turkmenistan relations

Source: Trend News Agency

Belgium and Rwanda restore diplomatic relations 18 months after severing ties over the Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda conflict. The countries plan to reopen their embassies following months of meetings facilitated in part by Qatar.

Belgium–Rwanda relations

Source: Reuters

Denmark, Greenland, and the United States sign an agreement expanding U.S. military access to Greenland, permitting new defence areas and a missile defence system while reaffirming Greenland's self-determination and amending the 1951 defence agreement.

Greenland crisis

Source: Reuters

Arts and culture

Silver Roman coins dating back to the 2nd century are discovered by an amateur archaeologist in Germany. The coins are placed on display at the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn museum in Bonn.

Source: The Guardian

Health and environment

The Atlantic hurricane season breaks a 112-year record without a hurricane, due to a strong El Niño event in the Pacific.

2026 Atlantic hurricane season

Source: AccuWeather

Tunisia's meteorological service reports that summer 2026 is the country's hottest since records began in 1950, with average temperatures 2.9°C (5.2°F) above the previous record and repeated heat waves contributing to water shortages and power cuts.

Source: AFP

Armed conflicts and attacks

The Houthi-affiliated Saba News Agency reports that Saudi airstrikes on the Houthi-held city of Mokha, Yemen, have killed six civilians.

Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)Yemeni civil war (2014–present)Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict 2026 Yemen offensives

Source: AFP via CNA

The Pentagon reports that a 19th U.S. service member has died amidst the ongoing war in Iran.

Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war Casualties of the 2026 Iran war

Source: The Washington Post

September 21

Business and economy

Ceer Motors unveils the EXOBOT SUV and sedan in Saudi Arabia, its first electric vehicles in the country.

Source: Electrek

Health and environment

New Zealand's critically endangered black robin wins Forest & Bird's Bird of the Year competition with more than 26,000 votes out of about 105,000 votes.

Source: AFP

Law and crime

Jason Eaton is found guilty for shooting and critically wounding three Palestinian students in Burlington, Vermont, United States, who wore keffiyehs in solidarity with Palestine in the wake of the beginning of the Gaza war.

2023 Vermont shooting of Palestinian students

Source: IndyStar

Singapore's Land Transport Authority introduces fines of up to S$500 (US$390) for eating on public buses or placing feet on seats, while severe cleanliness or safety violations can incur penalties of up to S$5,000 (US$3,900).

Source: AFP

Arts and culture

The Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia is postponed to 2027 due to the ongoing conflict with the Houthis.

Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict

Source: Gulf News

International relations

European Union ambassadors agree in principle to remove Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while renewing restrictions on about 3,000 other Russian-linked individuals and entities for three years. However, Latvia later blocks the deal.

International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian war Russia–European Union relations

Source: Reuters

Politics and elections

Mexico's Secretariat of Public Education introduces nationwide rules restricting cellphone and tablet use throughout the school day in public primary and secondary schools, effective November 3. High schools set their own limits for educational use.

Source: The Star

Armed conflicts and attacks

British prime minister Andy Burnham says that the United Kingdom will offer Saudi Arabia aerial refueling in its ongoing conflict with the Houthis.

Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)Yemeni civil war (2014–present)Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict 2026 Yemen offensives Saudi Arabia–United Kingdom relations

Source: The Hill

U.S. senior advisor Massad Boulos says that he has held talks with Sudanese foreign minister Mohieddin Salem and Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in an effort to end the three-year long civil war.

Sudanese civil war (2023–present)Egypt–Sudan relations Egypt–United States relations Sudan–United States relations

Source: Sudan Horizon

The Sudanese military at night launches heavy airstrikes against Rapid Support Forces targets in Nyala, South Darfur.

Sudanese civil war (2023–present)Darfur campaign (2023–present)

Source: Sudan Tribune

An attack on a gold mining market in North Kordofan by the Rapid Support Forces kills five citizens, including a goldsmith worker.

Sudanese civil war (2023–present)Kordofan campaign (2023–present)

Source: Sudan Tribune

The United Nations's International Organization for Migration reports that 5 million displaced people have decided to return to Sudan despite the civil war.

Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

Source: Arab News

Pakistan's military launches strikes over the Afghanistan–Pakistan border in retaliation for the 2026 Kohat attack. Afghanistan's government and the UNAMA report that a family of three was killed in the strikes, while Pakistan says the strikes killed 28 Pakistani Taliban militants.

2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war

Source: Reuters

Disasters and accidents

Two pilots are killed in a helicopter crash while fighting a wildfire in Yosemite National Park, California, United States.

2026 California wildfires

Source: Reuters

The Nepalese government announces that they are discussing resettling victims of flooding from Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality to safe places in the country.

2026 Nepal–Tibet floods

Source: Daily Pioneer

An explosion injures three South Korean military officers during an operation inside the Demilitarized Zone, south of the military demarcation line. The Joint Chiefs of Staff says the cause remains unknown.

Korean conflict

Source: The Peninsula

A helicopter crashes in a mountainous area of Urubici, Santa Catarina, Brazil, killing the five occupants, including singer Rick Sollo.

Source: Xinhua