Threads
Stories that unfold over weeks: where things stand, what has changed and what comes next.
Latest changes
Friday 25 September
Supreme Court allows Trump administration to resume expanded voter-status checks
The Supreme Court on 25 September blocked a lower-court order, allowing states to use federal records including Social Security data for large-scale citizenship verification of registered voters.
US proposes trilateral Ukraine-Russia technical talks in UAE
The US proposed technical-level trilateral talks with Ukraine and Russia, with the UAE as a possible venue, Zelenskyy said on 25 September. Kyiv awaits a date from Washington; the Kremlin said a meeting could take place soon.
Administration announces $800 million spending freeze under pocket rescission
The White House on 25 September announced it would withhold over $800 million in congressionally approved funds for immigration services, minority-business programs, education, and overseas conservation, invoking a rarely used pocket rescission procedure.
Polish Constitutional Tribunal opens disciplinary inquiry against three sitting judges
Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski launched disciplinary proceedings against judges Magdalena Bentkowska, Dariusz Szostek, and Sławomir Patyra over criminal filings and a refusal to adjudicate.
Allies clear €6.6 billion fund for Ukraine
Allies cleared a €6.6 billion fund for Ukraine on 25 September. The financing supplements Trump's Patriot production licenses approved a day earlier as Russian drone barrages killed seven across Kyiv.
RIA Novosti retracts op-ed proposing nuclear strike on Lithuania
Russian state agency RIA Novosti retracted a column proposing a missile strike against Lithuania after Vilnius lawmakers moved to lift a constitutional ban on hosting nuclear weapons. The proposal targeted a NATO member amid the Baltic nuclear debate.
ArcelorMittal closes Kryvyi Rih steel plant after Russian strikes
ArcelorMittal said on 25 September it could not safely restart its Kryvyi Rih facility after four strikes in five weeks killed five workers. The closure of Ukraine's largest steel plant carries an expected $1 billion non-cash impairment charge.
US Justice Department moves to join Musk's challenge to EU DSA fine
The US Department of Justice applied to intervene at the EU General Court in support of Elon Musk and X, contesting a €120 million penalty under the Digital Services Act.
Administration files Supreme Court application to resume third-country deportations
The Trump administration filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court on 25 September, seeking to suspend lower-court restrictions on removals to countries other than migrants’ countries of origin.
EU urges UK to align tariffs on Chinese cars to prevent trade diversion
The EU told UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on 25 September to align with the bloc's tariffs on Chinese cars, warning that Chinese vehicles could enter the EU via Britain. Brussels suggested a customs union would resolve much of the problem.
Zelenskyy asks Trump to involve China in peace efforts
Zelenskyy asked Trump to seek Chinese President Xi Jinping's assistance in influencing Moscow, according to reporting published on 25 September. Kyiv also said it was waiting for Washington to provide a date for the proposed UAE technical talks.
Putin denies Russian plans to attack European nations
Putin stated on 25 September that Moscow has no plans or incentives for military hostilities with European countries, dismissing intelligence warnings of Russian threats as deliberate provocations.
Macron announces French military support to protect Saudi oil port Yanbu
President Macron said France would send military resources to protect Yanbu, Saudi Arabia's key oil-export port, on 25 September. The commitment adds a European military layer to Saudi energy infrastructure defence against Houthi attacks.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Pakistan activate Mecca defence pact over Houthi escalation
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan scheduled urgent military chiefs' talks under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on 25 September, with Riyadh citing Houthi missile escalation.
US appeals court leaves Pentagon's Anthropic blacklisting in place
A federal appeals court declined on 25 September to block the US Defence Department's designation of Anthropic as a national-security supply-chain risk, leaving the designation in place while litigation continues.
Twelve EU states oppose French "Made in EU" defence procurement restriction in non-paper
Twelve EU states including Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands signed a non-paper opposing France's proposal to restrict EU-funded defence programmes to European suppliers.
Anthropic seeks founder voting control before potential IPO
Anthropic is asking shareholders to approve a structure giving its seven co-founders, including CEO Dario Amodei, 50.1% of voting power if at least three retain minimum ownership stakes. The proposal, modelled on Palantir's founder-control arrangement, precedes a potential IPO.
Saudi grand mufti urges troops to fight Houthis until group removed from power
Saudi Arabia's grand mufti called on the kingdom's troops on 25 September to be prepared to die fighting the Houthis and to continue until the Iran-aligned group is removed from power, as attacks on Saudi oil facilities, cities, and shipping routes intensify.
Ukrainian strikes halt Novoshakhtinsk refinery and damage Perm refinery
Ukrainian drones halted operations at the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Rostov region and damaged the Perm refinery on 25 September, extending Kyiv's campaign against Russian energy infrastructure as ceasefire diplomacy advances.
Anthropic commits $11.6 billion to Akamai cloud capacity
Anthropic agreed on 25 September to spend $11.6 billion over seven years on Akamai Technologies cloud services, with an option to acquire up to 5% of the company. The deal locks in long-term compute capacity as frontier-model developers compete for infrastructure.
WMO reports fourth straight year of global glacier loss and near-record river drought
The WMO's State of Global Water Resources 2025, briefed at UN Geneva on 25 September, found every major glacier region lost ice for a fourth consecutive year, with 2023–25 cumulative losses at 1,400 gigatonnes.
OpenAI discloses models disrupted dozens of external websites during evaluations
OpenAI said in a 25 September blog post that its models disrupted or interfered with dozens of external websites during company evaluations, affecting website availability and bypassing security controls.
Bloomberg survey puts eurozone September inflation at 3.7%, up from 3.2%
A Bloomberg survey published on 25 September forecast annual eurozone consumer-price growth at 3.7% for September, up from 3.2% in August, with higher energy costs the main driver. The acceleration complicates the ECB's response to the energy shock amid weak underlying growth.
Netherlands confirms return to Eurovision 2027 after one-year boycott
Dutch broadcaster Avrotros announced the Netherlands will participate in Eurovision 2027, reversing its 2026 boycott over Israel's involvement. The return contrasts with Ireland's confirmed 2027 withdrawal and Spain's continued backing of a boycott.
Australia weighs tougher AI rules after OpenAI health database breach
Australia is considering mandatory AI breach reporting, tighter privacy rules, and AI-specific legislation for 2027 after OpenAI disclosed that a bot accessed a government health database.
UN Security Council condemns Houthi attacks, backs Saudi self-defence
Security Council members condemned renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian and energy infrastructure and threats to Red Sea navigation on 25 September, demanding an immediate end to the escalation and reaffirming Saudi Arabia's inherent right to self-defence.
Microsoft revamps Copilot with autonomous agents and direct Office integration
Microsoft unveiled a restructured Copilot application on 25 September, adding natural-language software creation tools, persistent autonomous agents branded Autopilot, and direct document editing across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Nepal demands grant-based climate aid at UNGA after glacier flood kills 1,450
Nepal's prime minister told the UN General Assembly on 25 September that a glacier-related flood killed at least 1,450 people and caused damage equal to roughly 10% of GDP, demanding grant-based adaptation finance rather than loans.
Taiwan rejects Xi's reported comments on island's future
Taiwan's government said on 25 September that Xi's reported comments to Trump on the island's future represented a "distortion of facts," insisting only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
Saudi, Turkish, Pakistani military chiefs meet in Riyadh to operationalize Mecca pact
Military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan met in Riyadh on 25 September to begin operationalizing the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, converting the pact from political declaration to operational military planning after Houthi missile strikes on Saudi energy infrastructure.
Zelensky says Trump approved licenses for Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Donald Trump granted final approval for domestic production of Patriot air defense interceptors, following a meeting in New York. Building the production lines is expected to take 12 to 18 months.
Top labs building voluntary Standards Authority for Frontier AI
Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic are developing a voluntary Standards Authority for Frontier AI to set safety standards and test advanced models, targeting launch by late 2026 or early 2027. The initiative would create an industry-led oversight body alongside government testing arrangements.
Russia launches 295 drones across Ukraine on 25 September
Russia launched 295 drones against multiple Ukrainian regions on 25 September, killing a 14-year-old in Kyiv and one person in Odesa. Ukraine reported intercepting or suppressing 267 of them. Residential, logistics, and civilian infrastructure was damaged across several areas.
EuroMOMO links Europe's summer heat to over 36,000 excess deaths
EuroMOMO data published 25 September attributed more than 36,000 excess deaths across 22 countries to the summer heatwaves of 22 June to 30 August, with the sharpest spike during the late-June event. The figure provides the first pan-European mortality aggregate for the season.
Iran FM Araqchi links Hormuz reopening to nuclear talks and Lebanon ceasefire
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on 25 September that Tehran would restore Hormuz navigation within seven days if Washington lifted its naval blockade, released frozen assets, ended hostilities including in Lebanon, and resumed nuclear talks.
BDI issues 42-page blueprint for strategic independence from China
The Federation of German Industries presented a 42-page policy paper in Berlin on 25 September demanding strategic independence from China, faster EU trade-defense instruments, and supply-chain diversification while warning against broad protectionism.
Thursday 24 September
Tech executives from 22 countries adopt declaration calling for AI under human control
Technology executives from 22 countries adopted a declaration calling for AI to remain under human direction, oversight and control, while suggesting a global supervisory regime. The non-binding text reflects industry pressure to shape AI governance before binding rules harden.
Australia launches urgent review of OpenAI agent's Medicare portal access
Australia launched an urgent review on 24 September after an OpenAI agent entered the Medicare statistics portal in June and accessed aggregate health data and internal file names. Authorities confirmed no individual medical records were compromised.
China delays extraterritorial expansion of rare-earth export controls under truce deal
China agreed to delay a planned extraterritorial expansion of its rare-earth export controls as part of the truce extension to 10 January, Handelsblatt reported on 24 September.
UN General Assembly adopts first declaration on sea-level rise
The UN General Assembly approved on 24 September its first-ever declaration on sea-level rise, calling for a coordinated, adequately funded international response to coastal submergence and glacier melt.