The Week

Ukraine's defence ministry announced a week of long-range strikes on Russia's fuel and energy sector, saying six strategic oil refineries were hit, some up to 1,600 kilometres behind the front line. Kyiv described the targeted facilities as key suppliers of fuel to Russia's defence industry and framed the campaign as an answer to continued Russian attacks on Ukraine.

President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal and then told Axios he expects new talks with Tehran to take place this week. The back-to-back moves signal that negotiations between Washington and Iran are continuing despite the setback, with officials watching whether diplomacy can ease tensions in the region.

The UN General Assembly, the largest annual gathering in world diplomacy, is underway in New York as of September 22, 2026. Coverage is focusing on what to expect from this year's session, including the annual leaders' addresses and the diplomatic meetings held on the sidelines as heads of state and government converge for the week.

Meta has blocked President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's Facebook page and his campaign's paid advertising, with the suspension landing roughly two weeks before Brazil's election. The move is drawing wide attention, with people debating whether it reflects an enforcement error, a policy violation, or a politically sensitive decision by the platform at a critical moment in the campaign.

A new project is compiling and examining President Trump's changing statements about the Iran war, which he has repeatedly described as lasting 'about two weeks.' By cataloguing these shifting timelines, the initiative highlights inconsistencies between the administration's public predictions and the ongoing conflict. Coverage from multiple US news outlets is drawing attention to how the timeline rhetoric has evolved.

The sixth and final day of the UN General Debate has concluded in New York, with speakers and organisers urging member states to convert the week's promises into concrete measures. UN News's daily wrap-up highlighted the closing message that declarations on climate, peace and development must now be matched by delivery back home.

The United States and China have reached a trade deal to lower tariffs on roughly $30 billion worth of "non-sensitive goods", following a meeting between President Trump and President Xi this week. The agreement is expected to reduce prices on a range of consumer products, including small appliances, toys and holiday items, and is drawing wide attention as a step toward easing trade tensions between the two economies.

The sixth and final day of the UN General Debate has concluded, with a closing appeal for member states to translate their speeches into concrete action. The takeaway highlights the gap between rhetoric and delivery as world leaders wrap up a week of addresses at the United Nations, with calls for follow-through on commitments made during the debate.

Fuel prices are climbing worldwide as threats issued by Donald Trump and ongoing armed conflicts weigh on energy markets. Traders and analysts are tracking how sanctions rhetoric, military escalation and supply disruption risks could push crude oil and refined fuel costs further up, leaving governments and consumers bracing for more expensive energy in the weeks ahead.

Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, is scheduled to brief the United Nations Security Council next week on artificial intelligence, according to Reuters. The session would place the head of one of the world's leading AI companies directly before the body charged with international peace and security, as governments weigh how to regulate advanced AI. Details of the briefing's agenda and who requested it were not immediately available.

Iran has put forward a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping route for global oil supplies, alongside a proposal to resume nuclear talks within the same week. The offer, reported by Al Jazeera, is drawing attention from governments and observers watching tensions in the Gulf. Details of conditions or responses from other parties remain unclear.

President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran are expected to pick back up this week, after the United States rejected a proposal put forward by Tehran. He gave no details of the rejected offer or the terms for renewed discussions. The comments come as Washington and Tehran remain at odds over Iran's nuclear programme, and officials on both sides have signalled that diplomacy has not collapsed despite the setback.

The United Nations General Assembly's annual 'High-level Week' is under way, drawing heads of state and government to UN headquarters in New York for a series of speeches and diplomatic meetings. The gathering is one of the busiest weeks in the international diplomatic calendar, with world leaders addressing the assembly and holding bilateral talks on the sidelines.

The UN General Assembly's general debate continued into its fifth day in New York, with world leaders and foreign ministers taking the rostrum to lay out their governments' positions on conflicts, climate and development. UN News is summarising the day's key speeches and moments for audiences following the annual high-level week.

The UN General Assembly's 2026 session in New York has drawn attention for what a full week of speeches and side meetings revealed about the state of global diplomacy. Commentators say the annual gathering offered a read on current geopolitical tensions and the direction of international cooperation among member states.

Donald Trump said negotiations between the United States and Iran will resume next week, adding that Tehran had 'overplayed their hand'. The remark suggests he believes Iran is negotiating from a weakened position as the two sides return to the table.

A intense week of international diplomacy has raised the question of whether negotiations made real progress toward ending the war between the United States and Iran. Commentators and analysts are weighing what the round of high-level talks actually achieved, with observers divided on whether the diplomacy brought the two sides closer to a ceasefire or a lasting settlement.

Conflict with Iran is being linked to rising gasoline prices across the United States, as markets react to the risk of disruption in Middle Eastern oil supplies. Commentators are watching crude markets and warning that any escalation could push costs at the pump higher for American drivers in the coming weeks.

SpaceX is reportedly planning to launch three Starship test flights within roughly five weeks, a dramatic acceleration of its launch cadence from Starbase, Texas. The schedule would mark the fastest turnaround yet for the programme, which has so far flown flights weeks or months apart. Space commentators are debating whether the company can realistically achieve the rapid sequence, pointing to booster reuse, pad readiness and regulatory approvals as the key hurdles.

Gold prices recovered slightly after falling to a seven-week low, with traders closely watching developments in the Middle East and upcoming US economic data. Market participants are weighing geopolitical risk against expectations for US interest rate policy, which could influence demand for the safe-haven metal in the coming sessions.

Australia's four major banks are now unanimous in forecasting that the Reserve Bank of Australia will raise interest rates at its meeting next week. The shift in forecasts, reported by ABC News' finance desk, suggests markets and economists see an rate hike as near-certain, with borrowers bracing for higher mortgage repayments should the central bank act.

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito will not take part in a major climate change case when it is heard next week. The case is one of the most significant climate-related disputes to reach the Court, and his absence leaves eight justices to decide it, raising the possibility of a 4-4 split that would leave lower court rulings in place. No reason for his non-participation has been given in the announcement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian forces neutralized more than 10,600 Russian military personnel at the front over the past week. He made the claim in one of his regular addresses on the course of the war. If accurate, the figure would point to continued heavy fighting and high Russian casualty rates along the front line, though independent verification of wartime casualty claims from either side is difficult.

President Trump has cancelled roughly $100 million in education funding that Congress had already approved, according to Education Week. The move bypasses lawmakers for the second time in this area, drawing criticism that the administration is overriding congressional spending decisions. The cancelled programs and the legal grounds for the rescission were not specified in the report, but the decision is likely to intensify disputes between the White House and Congress over control of federal spending.

Eight U.S. Marines were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz roughly two weeks before the report emerged, according to Military.com. Details of the incident, including who carried out the attack and whether there were injuries, have not been disclosed. The report has drawn attention because the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world's most sensitive waterways amid ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran.