US Government Shuts Down Amid Stalemate
Philippines Quake Kills Dozens In Cebu
UN Approves Expanded Haiti Force
Hegseth Sets Out Standards in Clash with Generals
Trump Tells Brass Cities Could Train Troops
Ex-Congo President Sentenced To Death
Poland Arrests Ukrainian Nord Stream Suspect
Blair Welcomes Trump’s Gaza Oversight Plan
Zelenskyy Warns Of Critical Zaporizhzhia Risk
EU Summit Focuses on Russian Drone Threat
On this day …..
On this day in 1949 the People’s Republic of China was Founded.
Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People’s Republic of China from Tiananmen Square, marking the Communist Party’s victory after years of civil war. The defeated Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan, maintaining its claim as the legitimate authority.
Recognition of the new government divided the international community for decades, with the United States and others initially refusing diplomatic ties.
The founding of the PRC reshaped the global balance of power, introducing a major communist state alongside the Soviet Union and influencing conflicts across Asia. It remains one of the most consequential turning points of the twentieth century.
The US federal government has entered its first shutdown since 2019 after Congress failed to pass a funding bill before the September 30 deadline. Both Republican and Democratic proposals collapsed in the Senate, with Democrats pushing for extended health care subsidies and Republicans seeking a short-term stopgap measure.
President Donald Trump and congressional leaders met in a last-ditch effort on Monday, but negotiations broke down. The deadlock leaves millions of federal workers in limbo and heightens pressure on both parties to compromise.
The closure is set to affect wide areas of public life. Essential workers such as air traffic controllers, TSA officers and active-duty troops must continue working, often without pay, while around 750,000 staff are expected to be furloughed. National parks, museums and some health services could see closures or slowdowns.
Social Security and Medicare payments continue, but services like the jobs report and federal court functions face disruption. The impasse could have far-reaching economic and political consequences if prolonged.
Sources: ABC News, CNN
A shallow 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Bogo, near the northern tip of Cebu, late on Tuesday, collapsing buildings, damaging roads and knocking out power. Officials first reported at least 60 dead, with a later regional update citing 69 pending validation, and said rescue operations were under way in Bogo and San Remigio, where a hospital was “overwhelmed”. The Cebu governor urged residents to move to open areas and prepare for aftershocks.
Multiple aftershocks have been recorded — including several of magnitude 5.0 or higher and one at magnitude 6 — but there was no tsunami threat. Power outages affected Cebu and nearby central islands as authorities assessed damage.
San Remigio was placed under a state of calamity to speed relief, with appeals for food, water and heavy equipment, while the Mactan-Cebu International Airport remained operational. The president assured survivors of swift assistance as agencies mobilised to restore essential services.
Sources: The Guardian, Reuters
The UN Security Council has approved a new international force to confront spiralling gang violence in Haiti, replacing the limited Multinational Security Support mission. The new unit will field up to 5,550 uniformed personnel, including police and soldiers, under a one-year mandate.
It will work alongside the Haitian police and armed forces to neutralise gangs, secure infrastructure, and support humanitarian access. A new UN support office will provide logistics, medical care and troop rotation.
The resolution, sponsored by the US and Panama, passed with 12 votes in favour and abstentions from China, Russia and Pakistan. Supporters argued that the enlarged mission, five times the size of its predecessor, is needed to meet the scale of the crisis. Haiti’s ambassador called the move a “decisive turning point” as nearly 1.3 million people have been displaced by violence. However, Russia and China criticised Washington for underfunding the earlier mission and questioned its long-term commitment.
Sources: The Guardian, UN News
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth used a rare gathering of senior officers to announce new grooming and fitness standards, arguing that discipline and physical readiness had eroded in recent years. Speaking to hundreds of generals and admirals, he called for “no more beards, long hair, superficial, individual expression” and insisted that overweight soldiers and commanders would no longer be tolerated. He said even top officers would undergo regular physical testing.
Hegseth also unveiled rules requiring all combat troops, including women, to meet what he termed the “highest male standards”. While describing the approach as gender-neutral, he acknowledged that few women might qualify under the criteria.
Quantico Marine Base
Critics said his message dismissed the complex realities facing modern militaries, focusing instead on nostalgia for a World War II model. Officers listened in silence, though analysts suggested many bristled at his implication that decades of leadership had been undermined by “woke” policies.
Sources: Politico, New York Times
President Donald Trump delivered a 73-minute address to senior commanders at Quantico, where he repeated familiar themes before, at minute 44, saying the United States should use “some of these dangerous cities as training grounds” for the military. The gathering followed his push to deploy forces into US cities; commanders had been summoned from across the country and overseas to attend.
He urged the audience to “applaud” if they wished and joked that those who left the room would risk their rank and future. His defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, also framed the moment as part of a domestic security drive, while Trump listed cities he described as unsafe.
The president’s remarks blended political lines with military messaging, as he continued to court support from the brass for a wider homeland crackdown.
Sources: New York Times, CNN
A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia. He was convicted of treason, crimes against humanity, murder, torture, sexual assault and insurrection over alleged support for the M23 rebel group, which has seized large parts of eastern Congo this year. Kabila, who led the country from 2001 to 2019, denounced the case as politically motivated and called the courts an “instrument of oppression”.
The ruling follows the Senate’s repeal of Kabila’s immunity earlier this year, paving the way for prosecution. His exact whereabouts remain unknown, though he returned briefly to Goma in May after leaving the country in 2023.
Rwanda denies accusations of backing M23, though UN investigators say its army played a critical role in the group’s offensive. The verdict could deepen political tensions, with observers warning it may be seen as an attempt to sideline Kabila’s support base.
Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC
Polish authorities have detained a Ukrainian man wanted by Germany over the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions. Identified as Volodymyr Z., the diving instructor is accused by German prosecutors of helping attach explosives to the undersea pipelines linking Russia and Germany. Investigators allege the team rented a yacht from Rostock using forged documents, sailed into the Baltic, and carried out dives to plant charges before being transported back to Ukraine.
Aftermath of Nordstream Sabotage
The suspect’s lawyer confirmed his arrest near Warsaw under a European warrant but argued there are no grounds for extradition, saying the charges cannot apply in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He maintains his client is not guilty. Germany has already secured the extradition of another Ukrainian suspect from Italy and has issued warrants for five others. The blasts, which destroyed sections of Nord Stream 1 and 2, forced Europe to accelerate moves away from Russian gas.
Sources: Anadolu Agency, Washington Post
Sir Tony Blair has welcomed Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan as “bold and intelligent”, saying it offered “the best chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering”. Under the proposal, Trump would chair an international “Board of Peace” that would oversee a Palestinian technocratic committee to administer Gaza once a ceasefire takes hold. Blair indicated he would serve on the board and has been working on Gaza plans for more than a year, including consultations with Jared Kushner.
Reaction has been mixed. Some Labour figures expressed disbelief given Blair’s role in the 2003 Iraq invasion, while others were more supportive. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer backed efforts to end the fighting and release hostages, and Dame Emily Thornberry said she could support any plan that advanced a path to a Palestinian state.
Critics in the region voiced strong objections, and Hamas officials rejected Blair’s involvement.
Sources: FT, BBC
Ukraine’s president says the situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is “critical” after seven days without external power, the longest outage since 2022. He said one of the diesel generators providing emergency electricity is no longer working, and blamed Russian shelling for cutting the plant off from the grid and preventing repairs.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it is in constant contact with both sides to restore off-site power. While diesel generators are keeping essential cooling and safety systems running, the watchdog warned there is no immediate danger only so long as they keep working, and that this is not a sustainable basis for nuclear safety.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
The plant, Europe’s largest with six reactors, currently produces no electricity but still requires power to prevent a meltdown; this is the tenth disconnection since the war began. IAEA monitors remain at the site.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters
European leaders are meeting in Copenhagen amid heightened security following drone disruptions at Danish airports and military sites. Denmark has banned civilian drone flights during the summit, where leaders are considering proposals for a “drone wall” to detect and neutralise incursions. NATO has twice convened under Article 4 after recent Russian airspace violations in Poland and Estonia, while a German frigate and radar systems from Sweden have been deployed to bolster defences.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that Russia’s hybrid warfare — spanning drones, cyberattacks and sabotage — is “only the beginning” and aimed at dividing Europe. NATO chief Mark Rutte said Europe “must do much more for our own security”, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called it “reasonable” to assume drones were Russian.
EU leaders will also review defence investment plans, including raising €150bn to strengthen Europe’s military industries, alongside discussions on support for Ukraine.