Global Express | September 15, 2026 Saudi-Led Coalition Vows 'Firm' Response to Houthi Strikes as Yemen Fighting Escalates

1. Saudi-Led Coalition Vows 'Firm' Response to Houthi Strikes as Yemen Fighting Escalates

Source: Al Jazeera

The Saudi-led coalition promised on Tuesday to respond "firmly" to attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on urban areas in the kingdom. The coalition said missile and drone strikes by the Iran-aligned Houthis on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif wounded 13 civilians and damaged seven homes and two vehicles. Coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki said the command would deal with the attacks "responsibly and firmly."

Later Tuesday, the Houthis — also known as Ansar Allah — said Saudi Arabia had carried out 54 air raids across the governorates of Lahj, Taiz, al-Jawf, Marib and Hajjah over the past 24 hours. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said F-15 and Typhoon jets flying from Saudi airbases were used in the strikes and threatened retaliation.

The exchanges follow the Houthis' rapid advance in western Yemen last week, when the group seized control of much of the Red Sea coast and moved toward the Bab al-Mandeb strait — a vital waterway for energy and commercial shipping since the US-Iran war disrupted the Strait of Hormuz.

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2. Pentagon Report: Iran War Munitions Spending Caused Strategic Shortfalls

Source: CBS News

The Pentagon's inspector general revealed Monday that the United States is facing a shortfall in ammunition as a result of its costly war in Iran. In a first-of-its-kind mandatory report to Congress, the inspector said Operation Epic Fury had an estimated cost of $33.4 billion between Feb. 28 and June 30, with $22.3 billion of that spent on munitions alone.

The report said the munitions expenditure "has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks." It also listed assets lost in the war, including four F-15s destroyed, one F-35 damaged, seven KC-135 tanker aircraft damaged and up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones destroyed.

President Trump has brushed off concerns about depleted weapons supplies, but Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies warned that while munitions may suffice for a war against Iran, a conflict with China could prove a far greater challenge. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been urging the defense industry to increase production.

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3. Ukraine Drones Hit Russian Oil Refinery as Putin Resists Energy Truce

Source: Kyiv Post

Ukrainian forces launched a massive drone and missile attack on several Russian regions early Tuesday, reportedly hitting a Rosneft-owned oil refinery in the Samara region and other industrial facilities. Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said the region was targeted by more than 40 drones, with one industrial facility and several residential buildings damaged but no casualties.

According to the Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+, the Rosneft-owned Syzran Oil Refinery was among the targets. The facility processes about 8.5 million tons of crude oil a year, and storage tanks caught fire after the attack. The refinery had previously been struck by drones on Aug. 4.

In the Rostov region, a massive missile attack damaged apartment buildings, homes, an educational institution and commercial and agricultural structures, with preliminary information indicating no deaths or injuries. The strikes came as Moscow and Kyiv resumed talks on an energy ceasefire, though Putin reportedly opposes a deal before winter.

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4. Carney Urges 10 EU States to Ratify Canada-EU Trade Pact

Source: Jingbaonet

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has urged the 10 EU member states that have not yet ratified the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement to approve the Canada-EU free trade pact. In an interview with the Financial Times, he said deepening economic ties between Canada and the EU would make all parties more resilient, independent and prosperous.

Canada and the EU signed CETA in Brussels in October 2016, and parts of it have been provisionally applied since 2017, but full implementation requires ratification by EU member parliaments. Ten of the EU's 27 members have yet to ratify it, largely over concerns that Canadian farm exports could hurt European farmers. Carney is set to address the European Parliament on Sept. 17.

Beyond the trade pact, Canada and the EU have agreed to work on agreements covering security, regulation, critical minerals, energy and clean technology, visas and financial systems. As Canada's trade talks with the US broke down in late August, Carney insisted that courting the EU and other investors is not "some kind of response" aimed at the United States.

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5. 10-Year Treasury Yield Breaches 5% as Stock Futures Slip

Source: CNBC

US stock futures slipped Tuesday as traders looked ahead to the Federal Reserve's policy decision later this week, while Treasury yields surged to multiyear highs. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose to its highest since 2007, reaching 5.041% on Tuesday morning. S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures both fell 0.3%, while Dow futures lost 229 points.

Oil prices edged higher after Saudi Arabia shuttered a key pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, with Brent crude futures adding 1.8% to $107.55 a barrel on Tuesday. Fed funds futures suggest a roughly 92% likelihood the central bank will lift rates by a quarter point on Wednesday, with economists expecting the upper bound to reach 4.0%.

A sell-off in AI-related stocks also weighed on the market, with Nvidia dropping 3% and Corning tumbling 13%. Asia-Pacific markets closed in the red Tuesday, with South Korea's Kospi down 0.85% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index off 1%.

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6. US Homebuyers Face a Growing Pile of Junk Fees

Source: NPR

US homebuyers are facing a growing pile of "junk fees" charged at closing. Kelly MacDonald, preparing to buy a home outside Cincinnati, asked her mother — who works in commercial real estate — to review her agent contract, and she spotted a strange $425 fee. When MacDonald turned to Reddit, commenters warned her it was a junk fee.

While $425 is a fraction of the cost of a typical US home, fees like this are due at closing — an immediate out-of-pocket expense that hits buyers already stretched to cover costs. Known by names such as document storage and administrative fees, they have existed for decades but are now spreading, often charged to both buyers and sellers.

Buyers and sellers are collectively paying nearly $2 billion a year in these fees, according to new research from the think tank Consumer Policy Center, which called the estimate conservative. "It's been growing for so long," said Consumer Policy Center fellow Wendy Gilch.

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7. Bystanders Chase Down Driver After Stolen Tesla Hits Woman on San Diego Boardwalk

Source: NBC News

A man driving a suspected stolen Tesla onto the Pacific Beach boardwalk in San Diego struck a woman before hopping out and being chased by bystanders on Monday afternoon. Police received a report of a stolen Tesla around 12:20 p.m. and located the vehicle about 10 minutes later. The 25-year-old woman was struck around 12:40 p.m. and taken to hospital in critical condition.

During the pursuit, the driver struck a transformer and continued toward the boardwalk before a supervisor terminated the chase over public safety risk. Witness Miguel Valle said he saw a navy blue Tesla fly by at least 50 mph. "A lot of people dove out of the way very quickly, and it really could have been so much worse," said fire-rescue spokesperson Candace Hadley.

The vehicle stopped in front of the Baja Beach Cafe, and bystander Alex Srour — recording on his Meta sunglasses — chased the driver into a parking lot and pinned him to the ground until officers arrived. Police are conducting a felony hit-and-run investigation, and the driver was suspected of being under the influence.

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8. Hungary Moves to Amend Anti-LGBTQ Law to Align with EU Standards

Source: Al Jazeera

Hungary's government has submitted a bill to parliament to amend anti-LGBTQ rules for minors introduced under former nationalist leader Viktor Orban. The law, created as an add-on to child protection regulations in 2021, banned the "promotion of homosexuality" to under-18s and was later used to ban Pride marches, drawing criticism from EU activists and leaders.

The bill submitted Monday aims to remove references in the 2021 legislation banning the "promotion" or "display" of homosexuality and gender transition to minors, instead referring only to material that can "seriously impair the child's physical, intellectual, emotional or moral development." Conservative Prime Minister Peter Magyar said the rules would apply "regardless of sexual orientation."

Magyar won the election in April, ending Orban's 16-year rule. In April, the European Court of Justice ruled the law had violated "the very identity" of the bloc, after which Hungarian police authorised this year's Pride marches. On Saturday, Magyar also said the government was considering changing a 2020 law that effectively banned same-sex couples from adopting.

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9. Nadella Warns Internally That AI Must Stay Under Human Control

Source: Business Insider

In an internal memo posted to a company message board late Monday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella weighed in on the growing debate over whether the AI industry is moving too fast. Nadella said AI should remain under human control, endorsed broader third-party testing, and warned that companies must take time to make the technology safe.

"As the stakes get higher, one should take all the time they need," Nadella wrote. "If not you will anyway lose permission to operate." His comments follow dire warnings from some AI researchers, who said last week that the technology might kill all humans.

Over the weekend, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposed slower AI development and said his company would allow outside monitoring of its model progress, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman concurred on third-party monitoring. Microsoft AI on Monday released a draft 37-page code of conduct for its "humanist" AI models.

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10. Serbia's Vucic Says He Will Resign as President on Sept. 27

Source: Xinhua

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sept. 14 that he will resign from the presidency on Sept. 27 and address the public that evening. Vucic said that after resigning he will run for prime minister as an "ordinary citizen."

On Sept. 5, the Serbian Progressive Party's main committee decided to nominate Vucic as its lead candidate for the parliamentary election and candidate for prime minister, which he accepted. On Sept. 9, he signed a decree dissolving parliament and announced snap parliamentary elections for Oct. 25.

Vucic was elected president in April 2017 and re-elected in May 2022. Under the Serbian constitution, the president serves a five-year term and may be re-elected once.

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