World News Briefs: Iran President's Aides Denied US Visas, Russia Election Results, Gaza Deaths
The United States has denied entry visas to some members of the entourage accompanying Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was scheduled to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly. This comes as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard threatened "new targets" and a "change in the geography and type of warfare" if the US attacks Tehran again.
In other international developments, two crew members of a tanker sustained minor injuries from an "unknown projectile" while crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the Israeli military killed three Palestinians in various areas of the Gaza Strip, according to medical and civil defense sources.
Russia's "United Russia" party, led by President Vladimir Putin, secured a record 355 out of 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, based on preliminary results. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, described the Russian legislative elections as "fake democracy" and proposed measures against those who facilitated voting in Ukrainian territories.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged to maintain the cohesion of his ruling coalition for Germany's "democratic future" after his party's setbacks in local elections. China confirmed that President Xi Jinping will visit the United States this week for talks with President Donald Trump, expressing hope for enhanced "strategic stability."
US President Donald Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly. Trump also accused parts of the American media of posing a "threat to national security."
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for urgent regulation of artificial intelligence, warning of "devastating" consequences if left uncontrolled. A UN expert panel report also warned that the risk management model for AI is "collapsing." Ireland's Data Protection Authority fined Google 403 million euros for violating rules on user location data.
In Afghanistan, three civilians were killed in Pakistani shelling in eastern Afghanistan, according to Taliban authorities, while Islamabad stated its forces targeted "terrorist hotspots" along the border. In Ethiopia, at least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in violence in the west of the country near the South Sudanese border.
Three people, including South Korean soldiers, were injured by a suspected landmine explosion within the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Typhoon "Dugong" caused hundreds of flight cancellations in Japan, with over 1.6 million people urged to evacuate as it approached Tokyo. Indonesia is struggling to control widespread forest fires in Sumatra and Borneo. The party of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that his three sisters were detained in Lahore. The United States has deported over 25,000 migrants under secret deals with third countries.
