Global Express | September 26, 2026 — EU Top Diplomat Warns Europe Against Giving Russia What It Wants

1. EU Top Diplomat Warns Europe Against Giving Russia What It Wants

Source: Fox News

The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, warned in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital that Russia is trying to scare Europe into backing away from its support for Ukraine, and that if the West gives in, Moscow will only grow more aggressive. She spoke on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"Their goal is to intimidate us from not supporting Ukraine, from refraining to support them and pressuring Russia," Kallas said. "What is important for us is that we are not afraid. Because otherwise this kind of intimidation actually pays off, and then we will see more of it across the world."

The report was written by Fox News reporter Morgan Phillips and published on September 26, 2026. It notes that Kallas's mother, Kristi, was just six months old at the time, and that Kallas herself grew up under Soviet rule — a history that gives her a personal understanding of the threat from the east.

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2. Saudi Arabia Intercepts Wave of Houthi Missiles as Oil Climbs to One-Week High

Source: The Guardian

Saudi Arabia says it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, with the latest attacks pushing oil prices to a one-week high over fears of spiralling supply disruptions. The Saudi-led coalition said the missiles were aimed at Taif in western Saudi Arabia and the Yanbu area on the Red Sea, while the Houthis claimed their attacks targeted "a sensitive target" in the capital Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu.

Oil prices climbed about 3%, but trade was volatile and prices came off session highs after reports that the US and Iran discussed reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The escalating attacks threaten Saudi Arabia's ability to export oil through the Red Sea at a time when the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted and the kingdom's east-west pipeline is only now resuming operations after drone strikes earlier this month. The Houthis declared a naval blockade on the kingdom in July, opening a second theatre in the US-Iran war.

Riyadh's foreign ministry said on Friday that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan would hold an urgent meeting of their chiefs of staff under their joint defence agreement to discuss ways to repel the Houthi attacks. Abdullah Abdulkader al Alimi-Bawzer, vice-president of Yemen's internationally recognised government council, urged world leaders at the UN General Assembly not to trust the Houthis' assurances, saying their use of navigational safety as a tool of blackmail "is taking hostage the entire global economy."

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3. German Town Bans New Holocaust 'Stumbling Stones'

Source: DW

The eastern German town of Heidenau, near Dresden, has banned new Stolpersteine ("stumbling stones") on public streets, with the centre-right CDU and the far-right AfD voting together to stop the installation of new memorial plaques bearing the names of Holocaust victims. Activists, politicians and representatives of Holocaust victims reacted with anger to the move.

The Stolpersteine consist of a concrete cube with a metal plaque on top bearing a victim's name, usually installed slightly above the walking surface near the homes of people targeted by the Nazi regime. German artist Gunter Demnig laid the first one in Cologne in 1992; there are now about 128,000 such stones, most in Germany and the rest spread across 30 other countries affected by the Nazi regime, making them the largest decentralised monument in the world.

The initiators of the ban argue that while remembering Holocaust victims is essential, placing stones on the ground leads to "passersby walking over or even stepping onto the names of the victims," and suggested honouring victims at a city cemetery instead. Demnig, now 78, rejected that argument, saying remembrance must be visible where people used to live so that local young people can experience history. He said the ban was expected after recent state elections, accused the CDU of abandoning Christian values, and said the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz "should maybe drop the C." On Friday, Green Party co-leader Felix Banaszak called the move "a scandal," and the International Auschwitz Committee condemned it.

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4. Morocco's PAM Wins Most Seats but Falls Short of Majority

Source: Al Jazeera

Morocco's Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) has won the most seats in the country's parliamentary election, taking 97 of 395 seats in the House of Representatives, according to final results announced by the Ministry of Interior on Friday. Under Morocco's constitution, King Mohammed VI must appoint a prime minister from the party that wins the most seats, but PAM fell well short of the 198 seats needed for an outright majority and will need to build a coalition to govern.

Founded in 2008 by Fouad Ali El Himma, a friend of the king, PAM has long been seen as a counterweight to the Justice and Development Party (PJD), a moderate Islamist party that led the government for a decade before its seats collapsed to 13 in 2021. The PJD staged a striking comeback this time, quadrupling its seats to 54, but a longstanding rivalry makes a coalition between the two unlikely; the PJD has said it will remain in opposition, leaving PAM expected to turn to the monarchist Istiqlal party, which came third, and others. PAM's senior coalition partner, the National Rally of Independents (RNI), fell from 102 seats to 66.

Turnout was only 38 percent — the second-lowest since King Mohammed VI ascended the throne in 1999, after a record-low 37 percent in 2007 and down from roughly 51 percent in 2021. Analysts attribute the low figure to widespread disengagement after youth-led protests last year over jobs, healthcare and education, and deadly mass attempts by migrants to reach Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta in July. Potential candidates for prime minister include PAM members Fouzi Lekjaa, head of Morocco's football federation and budget minister, and Fatima Ezzahra Mansouri, mayor of Marrakech, who would become Morocco's first woman to hold the post. The incoming government will oversee billions of dollars of investment as Morocco prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.

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5. TikTok to Pay Alabama $100m and Limit Teenage Use in First State Settlement

Source: The Guardian

TikTok has agreed to pay Alabama at least $100m and enact time limits and other restrictions for teenage users, avoiding a trial set to begin on Monday. Alabama described it as a "first-in-the-nation settlement" with a state in the sweeping litigation over social media's effect on teen wellbeing.

Under the deal, TikTok will introduce a two-hour daily time limit for teens, restrict access from midnight to 6am, suspend notifications during school hours, strengthen age verification, ban beauty filters for teenagers and offer young users a non-personalised content feed. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall hailed Friday's settlement as "a great day for Alabama parents." TikTok will send $100m to Alabama and could pay up to $300m in total if 40 other attorneys general sign similar agreements within a specified timeframe.

Alabama originally sued TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance in April 2025, alleging the app was engineered to hook young users "just like a sophisticated gambling machine." The report notes that in August, Meta agreed to pay $18bn to settle a sweeping lawsuit by US states; in March, a New Mexico jury found Meta liable for misleading the public and ordered it to pay $375m. A TikTok spokesperson said the company's priority has always been fostering a safe and positive space for its community.

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6. 10-Year Treasury Yield Hits 19-Year High — and Some Investors See a Buying Opportunity

Source: CNBC

The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note rose to 5.208% on Thursday — the highest since June 2007, before the global financial crisis — and remained elevated on Friday. CNBC reported that elevated inflation, especially higher oil prices, combined with expectations that the Federal Reserve will hike rates at least one more time this year, helped drive the yield up.

Higher long-term bond yields are often seen as a headwind for the stock market because they correlate with higher borrowing costs for consumers and companies, which can slow the economy and especially hurt consumers taking out mortgages or other loans. But rising yields also present an opportunity for savers and bond investors. Dominic J. Pappalardo, chief multi-asset strategist at Morningstar Wealth, said higher rates harm spenders while benefiting savers and investors; Steve Laipply, global co-head of iShares Fixed Income ETFs at BlackRock, called it "a generational income opportunity."

The report noted that rising yields are closely tied to high inflation expectations, and that "real yields" have risen on net since February, around the time the war with Iran began and oil prices jumped. If the Fed raises rates more than already priced in, or if oil prices move significantly higher, yields could rise further; if the conflict with Iran de-escalates and oil prices settle, yields could fall. Experts advised investors not to try to time the bond market and instead consider their own time horizon and financial situation.

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7. Yemen's Civil War Returns and Overwhelms Hospitals

Source: NBC News

Yemen's renewed civil war is collapsing an already fragile health system. Seven-year-old Tarek al-Salami was carried on foot by his father from the southwestern city of Mokha as Iran-backed Houthi rebels swept in this month, bringing a return to civil war; after reaching the government-held city of Aden, 270 kilometres away, the hospital said it had no beds. Tarek finally reached a therapeutic feeding center, where director Dr. Arwa Atef said he arrived in "acute crisis" after the delay in care and only began walking again on Wednesday, over a week later.

More than 130,000 people have fled their homes and millions are affected by the fighting. The World Health Organization said on Friday that "the areas with some of the highest health needs are increasingly difficult to reach." Francesco Galtieri of the UN Population Fund said around 2,000 pregnant women are on the move, with more than 200 expected to deliver in the next week or so. Hashem Osseiran, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said maternity wards in some hospitals close to the fighting have been converted into emergency rooms, and that many lack enough anesthesia drugs, oxygen supplies and sterile surgical gloves.

Fahd al-Nazari, manager of the health office in Taiz province, said: "We are in a very dangerous situation. Within a day or two, or a week at most, we might have to close down (some facilities). In fact, some hospitals are already closed." He said three of the province's 17 hospitals are no longer under government control, and that hospitals across Taiz had received around 635 casualties, including 112 bodies, as of Thursday after the Houthis captured Mokha — among them civilians and combatants.

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8. 'Godzilla' El Nino Is Here — but Experts Say Damage Can Be Limited

Source: Euronews

The "Godzilla" El Nino is here and is already breaking records the world would rather have left unbroken. Sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific have already surpassed the highest recorded during any previous El Nino, and the phenomenon is still strengthening. Experts estimate that between June 2026 and February 2027, the extreme heat associated with it could contribute to 451,000 additional deaths. The forecast has set off alarm bells among weather agencies, health authorities and governments, including an unprecedented mobilisation by the World Meteorological Organization.

Outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in early September: "El Nino is being supersized before our eyes. The planet is in uncharted waters, and those waters are heating up." An El Nino starts in the Pacific but its effects are felt worldwide — when waters near the equator become unusually warm, they release heat into the atmosphere, pushing up global temperatures and changing where rain falls. India has already experienced below-normal monsoon rainfall while southern Africa faces an increased risk of drought; Europe is unlikely to feel the most severe direct effects, but El Nino can influence winter weather, and failed harvests elsewhere can disrupt food imports.

Governments are already acting: this month, California Governor Gavin Newsom preemptively declared a state of emergency to prepare for potential flooding, landslides, coastal erosion and powerful winter storms. Davide Faranda, research director at France's CNRS and a lead author for the UN's IPCC, said the key is to manage water and prepare for changes in where and when rainfall occurs — for example by storing and distributing water more carefully and adjusting farming schedules and irrigation practices. The FAO has advised farmers to change planting dates, irrigate at cooler times of day, store water ahead of droughts and protect crops and livestock from extreme heat. The UK has pledged up to £15 million (€17 million) to help vulnerable countries prepare.

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9. Chinese AI Models Surge in Global Popularity — and Washington Is Worried

Source: CNBC

Chinese AI models have surged in global popularity, raising concern in Washington, CNBC reported. According to usage data shared with CNBC, the global adoption of Chinese models by companies increased substantially in 2026, going from a relatively small share to a majority on two major developer platforms: on OpenRouter, they accounted for 57%–67% of tokens used in the week of September 14, up from 6%–13% in February, while on Vercel their share rose to 55% in August from 11% in January.

The most advanced US models still lead most benchmarks, but Chinese companies such as DeepSeek, Z.ai and Alibaba have released new models with major performance gains in tasks such as coding. Businesses in what OpenRouter defines as the "Global South" — 82 countries across Central and South America, Africa and Asia — have been the biggest users: 67% of the tokens these companies use are on Chinese models.

Concern is growing in Washington, where two US House Committees are investigating the impact of rising adoption of Chinese models. The US has sought to preserve its AI lead by restricting Chinese AI companies from buying the most advanced chips through export controls, and is worried about them accessing Nvidia chips remotely via overseas data centers and gaining ground through "distillation." Daniel Remler, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), told CNBC that Chinese AI represents "real economic and security risks for the United States," with the ultimate concern being that the integration of Chinese AI models pulls countries into a Chinese technology sphere of influence. Earlier this week, both OpenAI and Anthropic announced new, cheaper models.

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10. Han Zheng Attends Dialogue Marking 5th Anniversary of Global Development Initiative

Source: Xinhua

Xinhua reported that on September 25 local time, Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng, during the UN General Assembly in New York, met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and attended the high-level dialogue on the fifth anniversary of the China-initiated Global Development Initiative, where he read out a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping and delivered remarks.

During the meeting with Guterres, Han said the international situation is complex and volatile, and that the UN-centred international system faces multiple challenges. He noted that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the restoration of New China's lawful seat in the United Nations, and that over 55 years China has consistently upheld true multilateralism and supported the UN's core role in international affairs. Guterres thanked China for its firm support for the UN's cause and said the UN is ready to deepen cooperation with China to safeguard the common interests of the international community.

At the high-level dialogue, Han said Xi's congratulatory letter fully reflects the great importance he attaches to the event, and that over five years the Global Development Initiative has been transformed from a Chinese concept into common international action, contributing Chinese solutions and strength to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Maldivian Vice-President Hussain Mohamed Latheef and Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane delivered remarks; ministers from more than 30 countries attended, and more than 300 representatives from over 60 countries and more than 20 international organisations took part. Han also met with the President of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

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