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Sep 27, 2026 - World

Residents near Royal Air Force Fairford — a British air base used by the United States — were evacuated Sunday morning after a “major incident” involving explosives was declared by local law enforcement, ABC News reported.“The [counter terrorism] world tracking this story this morning very very closely,” wrote Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA intelligence officer, in a social media post on X.According to ABC News, several people were arrested Sunday “on suspicion of offenses under the explosives act” near the base, which has served as a “key hub for American operations against Iran.” According to The Guardian, a bomb squad was dispatched to the area, and residents of the nearby village of Whelford were evacuated.“I would like to thank all those emergency and specialist teams who have acted so swiftly regarding the incident in Gloucestershire,” said U.K. Secretary of State for Defense Wes Streeting in a statement. “We can be reassured that this is being dealt with, and it is exactly why our emergency response teams and Armed Forces are on standby 24/7.”A U.S. Air Force spokesperson declined to discuss specifics about the incident when contacted by The Guardian, but did tell the outlet that U.S. personnel at the air base “remain vigilant” and “take appropriate actions” when necessary to “ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, civilians, contractors and their families.”Iran has previously warned Britain against allowing U.S. bombers to use the air base, including the B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress, warning that doing so would make the base a “legitimate target.”“To the British monarchy, which has been the main culprit behind the misfortunes of the people of our region, with a dark record of the dismemberment of Islamic countries, widespread massacres in these nations, the imposition of dictatorial regimes and, worst of all, the organisation and direction of the operations to occupy Palestine and the creation of the Israeli catastrophe, and which has had the greatest involvement in the recent aggressions by the US and the Zionist regime against Iran, we warn it not to add further to its own indictment,” reads a July statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.The CT world tracking this story this morning very very closely….. https://t.co/zyc1xs9y0D— Marc Polymeropoulos (@Mpolymer) September 27, 2026

Sep 27, 2026 - World

Two troops of chacma baboons are breaking into homes and shops but animal rights activists insist coexistence is the answerCape Town’s city council has said it will “imminently” round up two baboon troops coming into repeated conflict with residents. The animals will be sterilised and permanently moved to a newly constructed sanctuary. The plan has been fiercely criticised by animal rights activists, who say the monkeys should remain roaming freely, and that less destructive options have not been properly considered.Cape Town’s baboon problem has been brewing since the 2000s, after the city stopped culling troops in the late 1990s after pressure from the public. But in the past two years it has reached boiling point. A 2025 census found that the population had grown by a third since 2000, from 360 baboons to 493, now living in 12 managed troops. Continue reading...

Sep 27, 2026 - World

Loved ones describe Jordan Yap, 30, as an experienced hiker who set out for a 10-day solo trek Peru before falling silentGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLoved ones of a missing Australian trekker who was last seen nearly two weeks ago on a remote South American hiking trail are urging local authorities to help with the search.A wide-scale sweep by a private rescue crew has so far failed to find any trace of 30-year-old Jordan Yap, who last made contact with friends and family on 14 September ahead of a planned 10-day solo trek along Peru’s Huayhuash mountain range, 400km north-east of Lima. Continue reading...

Sep 26, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump heads into high-stakes meetings with world leaders carrying a risky habit, White House insiders told his biographer.In a Saturday episode of "Inside Trump's Head," Michael Wolff said that Trump refuses to read his briefing books before summits and told co-host Joanna Coles about the pattern while breaking down Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit."I've had this described to me by White House people of what happens when he goes into these meetings," Wolff said. Summits normally demand "really hard work," with briefing books and input from every corner of government that has "issues that they want on the table," Wolff explained."It's a difficult moment for any president because, I mean, you're the guy and you got to know what you're talking about," Wolff said. "If you don't know what you're talking about, you're giving away the store."The stakes, he stressed, go well beyond pageantry."It's a matter of security," Wolff said. "The world turns on these kinds of meetings. Not with Trump."Trump "refuses to look at the briefing books" and "refuses to have extensive conversations about the issues at hand," according to Wolff."Doesn't care, I suppose. Doesn't know what he's talking about," Wolff said. "He is always saying, 'I'm really good with this.' And then he goes into these meetings, and all it is is flattery."That flattery flows in both directions, with foreign counterparts "very clearly" understanding "what they can get by this," Wolff said."I'm trying to circumvent using the word buffoon," he added, "but I think that's what they see him as. They're like, 'Oh my God.'"Coles asked who would traditionally prepare the president, suggesting Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Wolff said the job requires "weeks of preparation," so aides boil it down instead."They give him two points. You got to do this and this," Wolff said. "And even that usually doesn't register with him."Wolff said the reality is difficult to convey to voters, and even to White House staff, who fall back on the idea that "he's been elected twice" and "must know what he's doing.""The president of the United States does not know what he's talking about in these situations," Wolff said.He warned that the consequences will soon come into view."Years from now, or not even years from now, I think we will start to see the effects of this," Wolff said.

Sep 26, 2026 - World

A European energy official ripped dealing with the Trump administration as a waste of time while the White House weighs capping diesel exports.Politico reported Saturday that the White House is considering curbs on diesel shipments overseas, with options ranging from a full 90-day ban to gradual limits, as prices in the U.S. have climbed from $3.74 to $6.52 a gallon over the past year. The oil and gas industry has fiercely resisted the idea, warning it could hurt American producers in foreign markets.The official, who represents an Eastern European government and spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions, pointed to that industry pushback as proof of how little sway foreign governments hold with the administration."If they're not listening to their own people, why would they listen to us?" the official said.The official added that a wider diplomatic breakdown had made formal outreach pointless."With this administration, official channels tend to be a slow waste of time," the official said. "And yet that's exactly why official channels are supposed to work. If everyone tries to get in through the back door, the back door becomes the front door."Some in Trump's own orbit share the concern. An outside adviser to the Trump administration, also granted anonymity, warned the move would undercut the president's pledge to keep allies supplied with American energy."This is going to damage our reputation," the adviser said. "The whole premise of energy dominance was that the United States would be able to supply our allies around the world. Curtailing that is going to raise question marks."Europe has leaned heavily on U.S. diesel since the war with Iran disrupted oil supplies in February. David Jorbenaze, a senior oil analyst at ICIS, said European Union imports rose by 1.5 million barrels a day in August. S&P Global Energy estimates American diesel now meets a tenth of the continent's demand."Removing that source would pull away the leg Europe has been leaning on hardest," Jorbenaze said.