US judge blocks Trump rule limiting foreign student and journalist visa stays

29m ago1 min read

A federal judge in Boston blocked a Trump administration rule that would have limited how long foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists can stay in the US. Judge F. Dennis Saylor issued the ruling one day before the Department of Homeland Security policy was to take effect. The decision came in a lawsuit brought by labor unions and higher education groups.

1 source

AI agents from iLands flood Mastodon, Bluesky, X with spam and paid-citation pitches

AI agents operated by startup iLands are flooding Mastodon, Bluesky, and X with unsolicited messages and spam. The agents ask to create accounts and offer writers paid citations for a fee of around $25. Mastodon administrators have largely blocked the bots, while iLands agents remain active on Bluesky and X.

1 source

35m ago

Pentagon watchdog details Iran war damage to U.S. bases and aircraft

A Pentagon inspector general report released Monday details Iranian strikes that damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings at U.S. bases across eight Middle East countries. The report also documents dozens of damaged or destroyed American aircraft and drones, and $184 million in damage to diplomatic facilities. The war has cost $37.5 billion so far, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress in late July.

1 source

38m ago

Mao Zedong's image resurges among China's Gen Z 50 years after his death

Fifty years after Mao Zedong's death, his image has re-emerged as a prominent phenomenon in China's youth internet culture. Videos of Mao on Bilibili, a platform where nearly 60% of users are aged 18-24, have drawn millions of views and tens of thousands of comments. The trend reflects a renewed interest in the former leader among Generation Z, even as his legacy includes campaigns that caused millions of deaths.

1 source

1h ago

Hainan evacuates 31,564 people as torrential rains trigger flood alerts

1h ago1 min read

More than 31,500 people were evacuated from high-risk zones in Hainan province, southern China, as torrential rains battered parts of the island. The provincial disaster committee raised the flood emergency response to level 2, with Wanning city activating the highest level 1 response. No major disasters were reported as of Sunday evening.

4 sources

DRC and Rwanda to hold Geneva talks on Washington Accords implementation

1h ago1 min read

Officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda are due to reconvene in Geneva on September 16 and 17 for talks on implementing the 2025 Washington Accords. The two-day Joint Security Coordination Mechanism meeting will include mediators from the United States, Qatar, Togo and the African Union Commission. The talks come as fighting continues in eastern DRC and key security commitments remain unresolved.

1 source

China shipped 46 tons of drone material to sanctioned Russian firm

A Chinese state-owned enterprise transferred 46 tons of carbon-fiber precursor material to a sanctioned Russian drone manufacturer earlier in 2026. The shipment was logged under a civilian customs code, obscuring its military use. Beijing and Rosatom deny any wrongdoing.

1 source

1h ago

US Treasury adds Russia's VTB to Iran sanctions list

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Russia's second-largest bank VTB to its Iran-related sanctions list on Monday, September 14. The Treasury said VTB facilitated sanctions evasion by opening offices in Iran, dealing with sanctioned Iranian banks, and moving billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets.

1 source

1h ago

US Supreme Court blocks Trump mail-in ballot restrictions for 2026 midterms

The US Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump's plan to restrict mail-in voting before November's midterm elections. The justices upheld a federal judge's order temporarily blocking new USPS requirements for postal ballots. Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed with the ruling but indicated he might side with the administration after the elections.

1 source

1h ago

CENTCOM disputes IRGC claim El Gaia tanker hit by mine in Hormuz

1h ago1 min read

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) disputes Iran's Revolutionary Guard claim that the Panama-flagged tanker El Gaia struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz, asserting the vessel was hit by an Iranian missile last month and an Iranian drone this weekend. The dispute comes as the Saudi-led coalition reports 13 civilians injured in Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.

1 source

Kazakhstan allocates 1.6 trillion tenge for 80 healthcare projects through 2029

2h ago1 min read

Kazakhstan will finance about 80 healthcare projects worth 1.6 trillion tenge from the National Fund between 2026 and 2029. The program includes eight perinatal centers with over 1,900 beds and nine multidisciplinary children's hospitals. The Ministry of Health announced the plan on September 15, 2026.

1 source

US Treasury launches Operation Economic Outcast targeting Iran's financial networks

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the launch of Operation Economic Outcast, targeting financial networks of the Iranian government and its supporters. The Treasury will reward individuals who provide actionable information on these networks, regardless of their location or income source.

1 source

2h ago

Ancient horse DNA reveals behavior was selected before physical traits

Genetic analysis of ancient horse DNA shows early domestication first selected for calm, controllable behavior before physical traits for riding and endurance. Researchers from China, France, and Switzerland analyzed 266 genetic markers to trace the sequence of selection. The study, published in Science, indicates that behavioral selection preceded selection for body traits needed for transport and warfare.

1 source

2h ago

NATO jets down drone that crossed into Lithuania from Belarus

NATO fighter pilots shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace overnight near Kaunas, President Gitanas Nausėda said on Tuesday. The drone likely crossed from Belarus shortly after midnight, triggering alerts in Vilnius and the surrounding region. The drone's origin remains undetermined as Lithuania reinforced its air defense readiness with NATO allies.

1 source

2h ago

Unitree founder's cost obsession drives cheap humanoid robot lead

3h ago1 min read

Unitree Robotics founder Wang Xingxing's extreme cost-cutting and micromanagement have made the company a leader in affordable humanoid robots, with a G1 model priced at $13,500. Caijing Magazine reports this focus has come at the expense of quality control, with high early return rates. The company's IPO on August 19 made Wang phenomenally wealthy even as questions emerge about whether his leadership style can scale.

1 source

Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour after 'Free Palestine' speech

3h ago1 min read

Rapper Macklemore has been dropped from Ed Sheeran's US tour after making pro-Palestinian comments on stage earlier this month. The decision followed criticism from Jewish groups and a petition by the Israeli-American Council urging Sheeran to remove him. Macklemore confirmed the split on Monday, saying he and Sheeran ended in 'fundamental disagreement'.

3 sources

Serbian President Vucic to resign on September 27 ahead of October 25 election

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced he will resign on September 27. He will address the nation that evening and then campaign as an ordinary citizen for the October 25 early general election.

3 sources

3h ago

Sandworm-linked Cyclops Blink variant targets Cisco FMC via chained flaws

A likely Russian threat actor is deploying a new Cyclops Blink variant against Cisco Firewall Management Center devices by chaining two vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-20079 and CVE-2026-20316. Cisco released hotfixes last week and strongly advised immediate patching amid evidence of in-the-wild exploitation.

1 source

3h ago

Anthropic co-founder calls for mandatory third-party AI kill switch

Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark said AI companies may need a mandatory kill switch verifiable by third parties. Clark told the BBC that society might want to pass rules around shutting off AI software if it gets too dangerous. His comments come as US lawmakers push the Kill Switch Act while President Donald Trump rejects slowing AI development.

1 source

3h ago

British Crown symbol branded on enslaved Africans, research finds

3h ago1 min read

New research by the Register of British Slave Traders project reveals that enslaved Africans were branded with an emblem of the British Crown. The mark, found in South Sea Company archives, was used to distinguish the company's slaves. The register documents 13,000 individuals and hundreds of institutions involved in Britain's slave trade between 1563 and 1807.

1 source