Top World News

Sep 26, 2026 - World

President’s ‘hard, drastic and necessary measure’, likely to attract widespread public support, polls suggestThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has signed an order banning fixed-odds sports betting just over a week before the first round of the presidential election, in a move he said was designed to tackle the pervasive problem of families falling into debt.The decision ends the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of betting. Continue reading...

Sep 26, 2026 - World

Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-fiancée has used her ambassadorship to promote one foreign firm while keeping its paid lobbyist at her side.Kimberly Guilfoyle, whom President Donald Trump named ambassador to Greece, has repeatedly pressed Balkan governments to work with Aktor Group, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Aktor is a Greek construction company that only recently moved into the natural gas business.Christos Marafatsos, who lobbies for the firm, has joined Guilfoyle at so many meetings that some foreign officials took him for her chief of staff. Federal lobbying records show Aktor paid Marafatsos $160,000 through June to build ties with the White House and the State and Energy departments. Several people who met with the pair, including government officials, told The Journal he never disclosed his work for the company.This spring, Guilfoyle arrived in Bulgaria on a private jet provided by Aktor's CEO and urged officials there to do business with the company."There is no doubt that this is kind of an official position of the U.S. government," a person familiar with the talks told The Journal.Robin Brooks, who oversaw the Balkans on the National Security Council under former President Joe Biden, called an ambassador promoting a foreign company "absolutely problematic." Bringing a registered lobbyist into meetings with foreign officials, she said, "calls into question whether the meeting is advancing American interests or advancing some sort of private interest."Guilfoyle's lawyer, Jesse Binnall, said she has "worked with companies across the energy sector" and that her official meetings are arranged through embassy channels rather than through Marafatsos. Lawyers for Aktor said the company's involvement began before it had any contact with the ambassador."I am proud to champion commercial initiatives that advance U.S. interests and create lasting economic opportunity in Greece and Southeastern Europe," Marafatsos said in a statement.Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Guilfoyle an "incredibly effective advocate for the President's agenda."

Sep 26, 2026 - World

President Trump has turned down a proposed pause in fighting with Iran and confided to aides that he anticipates striking the country again once this fall's midterm elections have concluded, the Wall Street Journal reported.The rejected offer came out of weekend talks in Qatar, where Iranian representatives suggested a seven-day halt to hostilities that would have seen Tehran reopen a critical shipping waterway and resume nuclear discussions, contingent on Washington easing its economic squeeze on the country, including its naval presence blocking Iranian ports. Trump maintains publicly that Iran will ultimately have no choice but to accept a deal once the election passes, but sources say he harbors real doubts Tehran will cooperate and has already signaled to staff that renewed airstrikes feel like the more probable path forward.Just how extensive any future strikes might be is still uncertain. Sources describe a president torn between wanting to preserve limited weapons stockpiles for other potential flashpoints and a pattern of threatening dramatic military action whenever talks stall, threats he's historically walked back from at the last moment.Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly this week, Trump insisted electoral politics play no role in his Iran strategy."The Republican Party is running, and I'll be helping them, but I am not running. I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence through the election when it comes to Iran," Trump said.Behind the scenes, talks are still ongoing through go-betweens, and one U.S. official credited a successful American operation keeping oil tankers moving safely through the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iranian threats, with easing some of the pressure to rush into an agreement. Washington has made clear to both Tehran and outside negotiators that ending the naval blockade isn't happening anytime soon, calculating that continued financial pain will eventually force Iran's hand on more favorable terms.Regional go-betweens say Iranian officials have conceded their economy is in serious trouble and put forward several possible frameworks to wind down the conflict.Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, effectively controlling the country since February, has pushed back on new arrangements, indicating a willingness to fight indefinitely and preferring instead to revive elements of an earlier framework from June, one built around sanctions relief, unfrozen funds, and some acknowledged Iranian involvement managing the strait once it reopened.

Sep 25, 2026 - World

As the Trump administration ramps up efforts to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court (ICC), it also risks letting loose a number of the world’s most notorious alleged mass killers, legal scholar Ryan Goodman argued in a report published Friday.The United States has long been opposed to the ICC, with former President George W. Bush having signed a bill in 2002 that permits the U.S. military to invade the ICC headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, to rescue American military personnel and elected officials should they be imprisoned for war crimes.The Trump administration has escalated efforts to oppose the ICC in recent months after the international body issued arrest warrants for multiple Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed in July that the United States would “dismantle” the ICC “brick by brick” if necessary, per the Wall Street Journal.Should the Trump administration be successful in its efforts, Goodman warned that those convicted and detained by the court who had “not yet exhausted their right to appeal” may “have to be released.”“The result could have dire consequences for the continued detention of people convicted of, or charged with, war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Goodman wrote in a report published in Just Security.Among those who could be freed is former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who was charged earlier this year with crimes against humanity, including murder and attempted murder. Duterte was accused by the court for at least 76 murders, “including the killings of children,” Goodman wrote.Still in ICC custody, Duterte is scheduled to face trial on Nov. 30, but could walk free should the Trump administration succeed in dismantling the international body.Several other infamous figures could also be released, including Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri of Libya, an alleged former soldier charged with crimes such as rape, torture and murder, and Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, a Sudanese former commander who was convicted of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape, torture, forcible transfer and murder.

Sep 25, 2026 - World

The U.S. Army Reserve is looking into whether it can supply military police, medical teams and other support units to U.S. Southern Command within the next four months in an apparent buildup to military action in Cuba, according to a new report.An internal Army message reviewed by CBS News doesn't mention Cuba by name, and nothing in it shows that any units have received deployment orders, but several U.S. officials, speaking anonymously because they weren't authorized to comment, told the network the planning is focused on the island.The message, written last week, asks Army Reserve commands to report whether six types of units are available. It says they may be "needed in 90-120 days," which points to action as early as late December. Commands had until Sept. 25 to respond.The requested units include a combat sustainment support battalion and an engineer battalion. The list also includes an expeditionary sustainment command to run logistics across a theater of operations. It adds a medical brigade, a forward surgical team for trauma care near the front lines, and a military police brigade, a type of unit that typically handles security and detention.The Army Reserve did not respond to CBS News, and a Southern Command spokesperson declined to discuss "potential deployment timelines." The spokesperson said the command "continuously coordinates with the Joint Force to assess a range of potential requirements."The request adds to a series of signs pointing toward Cuba. U.S. military personnel told CBS that American forces surveyed the seafloor and sea approaches around the island earlier this year. U.S. air units were also placed on heightened readiness at the time, but those plans were not carried out.In July, CBS reported that Pentagon planners had considered options including an air assault by thousands of 101st Airborne Division soldiers. Officials stressed then that no decision had been made.The planning comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on Havana. This week it imposed new sanctions on Cuban military enterprises tied to the island's nickel industry. At the United Nations, President Donald Trump predicted Cuba's communist government "will fall" and said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was "deep into negotiations" with Havana. The Cuban delegation walked out during his speech.Trump has spoken openly about his ambitions for Cuba for months. In March, he said he expected to have "the honor of taking Cuba.""Whether I free it, take it — I think I could do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth," Trump said at the time. Later that month, he declared, "Cuba's going to be next."Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has promised to resist any U.S. attack.