NEW YORK CITY: The UN secretary-general’s personal envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, joined fellow “Quintet” mediators in Khartoum on Tuesday for a round of talks aimed at reviving an inclusive political process that can end the conflict in Sudan, the UN said.

The Quintet group — comprising the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States, the EU and the UN — held what Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, described as a “good offices mission” to hear an assessment by Sudanese stakeholders of the political and security situation in the country, and to share reflections on efforts to advance peace.

The envoys met at the Sudanese Foreign Ministry before engaging with representatives of UN agencies, Dujarric told reporters in New York. Next, they will meet Sudanese political and civilian representatives, followed by further engagements, he said.

Sudan has been locked in a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and rival paramilitary faction the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.

Haavisto arrived in Khartoum on Friday and held a series of meetings with the chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, the prime minister, the foreign minister and senior government officials, as well as other political leaders and representatives of civil society, Dujarric said.

Haavisto’s talks over the weekend focused on “practical measures to advance deescalation and the protection of civilians,” Dujarric added. He also raised the issue of the release and exchange of detainees, and stressed the importance of a single national examination process for all Sudanese schoolchildren.

Haavisto called for an inclusive political process alongside concrete steps to reduce violence in the country, insisting that a negotiated settlement remained “the only viable path” toward a comprehensive ceasefire agreement and a sustainable end to the conflict.

The envoy is expected to remain in Sudan until the end of this week.

WASHINGTON — A trade war between the United States and Canada entered a new phase Tuesday as Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs on American goods took effect, escalating a dispute that has steadily strained relations between the allies.

Canada’s tariffs, which came into force just after midnight, cover roughly $20 billion in U.S. goods and impose duties of as much as 50% on products, from steel and aluminum to farm equipment, clothing and electronics. The list also reaches into the everyday commerce that binds the two economies, including cheese, seafood and cosmetics.

It was the latest sign that relations between the two neighbors have reached their lowest point in decades, after Trump dismissed Canada as the 51st American state, moved to rename Lake Ontario and mocked its armed forces.

Ottawa’s latest measures are a response to tariffs imposed by President Trump last month on Canadian exports. The two governments had appeared close to a trade deal just a month ago. But talks broke down in dramatic fashion, leaving both sides aggrieved and accusing the other of negotiating in bad faith.

In a post Tuesday, Trump said Canada “has been ripping us off for years” and threatened to respond by removing access for Canadian businesses to key American markets.

“What many do not realize is that the Canadian Government, including Canadian Provinces, have banned American Small Businesses and Companies from selling into their Government Procurement Markets,” Trump wrote. “This is the case even though Canada gets broad access into the massive American Government Procurement Market, including those of our States.

“That is not reciprocity, it is a Canadian Trade Scam. From now on, NO RECIPROCITY — NO ACCESS!” he continued. “I am hereby directing the [General Services Administration], working with the [U.S. Trade Representative], to take all necessary steps to REMOVE Canadian-origin products from GSA’s Multiple Award Schedules unless Canada restores full and fair reciprocity for American Farmers and Companies.”

Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, has characterized the confrontation as more than a dispute over tariffs, arguing that demands by a bullying Trump administration threaten Canada’s economic independence.

In a video released Tuesday, Carney argued that in the past, the United States has tried to use tariffs to “break us,” only to have Canada’s economy grow stronger and more diversified. He urged Canadians to buy Canadian and break economic dependency from the United States.

“This won’t be easy, and I won’t pretend otherwise,” Carney said. “But Canadians have faced difficult stretches before, and what has carried us through has never ever been any one measure. It’s always been Canadians looking out for each other.”

Trump, meanwhile, has pressed Canada to make concessions on trade and has warned of further tariffs, including potentially higher duties on Canadian automobiles. He also threatened to ban the sale of aircraft from Canada’s Bombardier unless its products are manufactured in the United States.

“If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday. “BUY AMERICAN. FLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINERS. ENJOY AMERICAN LIQUOR AND BEVERAGES. SAIL ON LAKE AMERICA. AMERICA FIRST!”

Earlier Monday, Trump posted an image showing Mexico, Canada, Central America, Greenland and Caribbean nations with the colors of the American flag. He also posted a caricature of him and Carney playing hockey in which Trump tells him: “Get up, Governor.”

Both sides stand to lose in a trade war poised to hurt businesses large and small across the world’s longest international border.

A prolonged economic conflict poses long-term risks for Canada, which faces price hikes and investment losses from the United States, by far its largest trading partner.

But Americans may also confront higher costs at a time when inflation is already a stubborn problem for the Trump administration. And the trade war may be felt most in northern border states set to hold midterm elections that could swing control of the U.S. Senate, becoming yet another political challenge for embattled Republican lawmakers.

In Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is seeking reelection, has called Trump’s tariffs “a mistake.” In Michigan, Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed released a video Tuesday highlighting everyday goods that have risen more than 30% over the last year, including Tide Pods, toilet paper and Tim Hortons coffee, as the trade conflict and war in Iran drive up costs.

American alcohol has also been the target of boycotts imposed by several Canadian provinces since March 2025 in response to earlier tariffs on Canadian goods by Trump.

The boycotts since then have erased roughly $360 million in revenue for the U.S. wine industry, according to a Wine Institute report, which represents California wineries. Canada makes up more than 35% of the export market for U.S. wine, more than the EU, U.K. and China markets combined.

For some California winemakers, the impact was even greater. One Sonoma winery referenced in the report said Canada made up about 85% of its international sales. Multiple wineries have had to lay off employees because of hits to their business.

“It’s had a tremendous negative impact,” said Julie Berge, vice president of communications at the Wine Institute.

Wine is not the only California business that has taken a hit — tourism has also seen a sharp decline in arrivals from Canada. In 2025, visitors from the country dropped by 20%.

Canada also targeted the agriculture, electronics and transportation equipment industries with its tariffs announced Tuesday, all of which have a presence in California.

Soon after the World Cup brought positive international attention and tourists to the United States, Trump escalated trade tensions with Canada.

“You went from this really high, exciting moment for the U.S. in terms of international attention, to the next week, it’s negative again,” Deborah Friedland, a hospitality consultant at financial services firm Eisner Advisory Group, told the Associated Press. “It’s one step forward and two steps back.”

Times staff writers Wilner and Ceballos reported from Washington and Duneja from Los Angeles.

NEW YORK: The UN closed the books on the 80th session of the General Assembly on Tuesday and opened the 81st in a single day of ceremony, amid warnings from its outgoing and incoming leadership that the world body must reform itself or face erosion.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was addressing the assembly for what he noted was his final time as UN chief, painted a bleak picture of the present moment in the world: wars that carry a risk of nuclear escalation; worsening climate chaos; advances in artificial intelligence without adequate governance; and human suffering that is intensifying even as aid funding has been slashed.

“Geopolitical mistrust and suspicion continue to block the effective solutions we need — and erode people’s faith in the possibilities of global cooperation,” Guterres said.

Still, he told delegates, he has “enormous hope,” pointing in particular to the UN’s Pact for the Future and the UN80 reform initiative as “a blueprint for action, solutions and bold reforms.”

The UN80 Initiative is a reform drive launched by Guterres in March last year, the organization’s 80th anniversary. It aims to overhaul overlapping structures and outdated mandates that officials say have rendered the UN slow and bureaucratic.

The departing president of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, described the initiative as unfinished business that she and her successor, Khalilur Rahman, were carrying into the 81st session.

Baerbock described the 80th session one that had found itself at “a crossroads” over whether a handful of states could effectively impose a veto on the General Assembly’s consensus. Member states, she said, had answered by refusing “to allow compromise to become compromising,” by pushing through 317 resolutions, holding 116 plenary meetings and opening a new chapter on AI governance, despite the challenges and only a few processes concluding through consensus.

“Not a single day, not a single country would be better off without the United Nations,” Baerbock told the assembly as she rejected the argument that the body had become irrelevant.

She credited Guterres with forcing the question of reform onto the agenda through the UN80 Initiative, including cuts to mandates and a merger of the UN System Staff College, which provides personnel and partners with the knowledge, skills and tools to act collaboratively and effectively, with UN Institute for Training and Research.

“If we are not capable of freeing this organization from overlapping structures and mandates, as well as a heavy bureaucratic mentality, it will erode over time,” she warned, describing the upcoming selection of a new secretary-general, a process she formally handed over to her successor, as “the credibility test of this institution for this decade.”

Rahman was then sworn in. He is from Bangladesh and told reporters he intended to run an open, media-engaged presidency built around the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation.”

During his formal address to the assembly he lamented that the UN “has often fallen short of the expectations placed upon us,” citing in particular a “widening trust deficit” that member states must work to close through the delivery of results, not rhetoric.

“Trust cannot simply be requested, it must be earned,” he added.

Rahman outlined six priorities for the coming 12-month session: peacekeeping-driven conflict prevention; acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals, with just four years left to achieve them and only 36 percent of targets on track; climate adaptation ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP31, in November, and a high-level meeting this month on rising sea levels; human rights, including the anniversaries of the Durban Declaration to combat racism and other forms of discrimination and intolerance, and the Declaration on the Right to Development, an issue he described as personal, given that Bangladesh hosts more than a million displaced Rohingya; inclusive governance of AI; and institutional solvency, as he appealed to member states to pay their assessed dues “in full, on time and without conditions.”

Rahman also inherits oversight of the selection process for the next secretary-general, under Article 97 of the UN Charter, to replace Guterres, whose term ends on Dec. 31. He pledged to run it “fairly, inclusively and transparently,” alongside the Security Council.

He said he had built his office to reflect the opening words of the Charter — “We the peoples,” not “We the states” — and noted that women make up 60 percent of his cabinet.

Guterres closed the day with a separate, more somber commemoration: a wreath-laying ceremony for Dag Hammarskjold, the second secretary-general of the UN, who was killed in the course of his duties, along with 15 others, in plane crash on Sept. 18, 1961.

Citing a new report from investigator Mohammed Chande Othman, Guterres renewed his appeal for undisclosed records relating to the crash in what is now Zambia, and said he would soon send recommendations to the General Assembly.

He also noted that UN personnel had been killed “in record numbers” over the past three years and added: “Their sacrifice reminds us of all the women and men who have lost their lives while serving the United Nations.”

BRITS are being caught out by visa rules which is seeing thousands banned from their flights.

While UK holidaymakers can (currently) travel to Europe without needing a visa, other countries do not have such rules.

A new study by Confused.com found that more than 2,800 Brits were stopped at the border between 2023 and 2025 to just two destinations.

When it came to the US, this saw 242 refusals in 2014, followed by 1,451 last year.

All UK travellers need a an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) to visit the US, which was launched back in 2008.

Confusion often comes when travelling via the US as a layover – an ESTA is still required , even if in America for a few hours without leaving the airport.

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ESTAs currently cost $40.27 (£30), a steep jump from $21 (£15.38) last year.

But a large number of Brits were also refused entry at the Australian border too.

An eVisa is required from all UK travellers visiting Australia for holiday purposes which lets you stay up to three months in a 12-month period.

Thankfully, this is free although it must be applied for being travelling.

According to Confused.com, more than 300 people were refused entry to Australia because of travel document problems between 2023 and 2025.

Some places have recently scrapped visas, such as China until the end of 2026.

And Sri Lanka has scrapped ETA visa fees, which were usually $50 (37), although you will still need to apply for a free one.

From next year, Brits will need an ETIAS to visit Europe, which is a visa-waiver similar to the American ESTA and will cost £18, lasting three years.

In response, Confused.com has launched a new visa checker tool which helps you find out what you need for your travels.

Tom Vaughan, travel insurance expert at Confused.com said: “Being turned away at border control is something no traveller expects, but it’s a real risk if you’re unsure about the entry requirements for your destination.

“Visa rules can be complex and vary between countries, so even small mistakes can result in people being refused entry and losing out on their holiday.

“And it’s worth knowing that if you’re refused entry, it may not be covered by standard travel insurance.”

RIYADH: With a FIFA Intercontinental Cup clash against Mamelodi Sundowns looming on Sept. 19, Al-Ahli fans have been plunged further into an alarming state of concern.

Just seven days after losing 3-0 to Al-Hilal in their first top-six clash of the season, on Tuesday night Marino Pusic’s side once again conceded three goals, this time to Brendan Rodgers’ Al-Qadsiah.

Al-Ahli have now lost three of their last four games, but even during the four-game winning streak (in all competitions) with which they began the season, many had started to feel the writing was on the wall; Pusic inherited the team late in the preseason and brought with him a football philosophy that often looks like a complete departure from that of outgoing manager Matthias Jaissle.

The 3-2 scoreline away to Al-Qadsiah might not look too worrying on paper but it was the nature of the defeat that will give Al-Ahli much to think about. They were simply outclassed by their opponents in the first 45 minutes, before Ivan Toney led a second-half rally that reduced the deficit but in the end was not enough to rescue a point.

Al-Ahli started the game with only one holding midfielder, Valentin Atangana, allowing Al-Qadsiah’s midfield trio of Julian Weigl, Tijjani Reijnders and Musab Al-Juwayr to overload the center of the pitch on several occasions, leaving the home side with a free player in the final third a number of times.

Such a situation was what led to Al-Qadsiah’s first goal when, in the 14th minute, Reijnders found himself in between Eduard Spertsyan and Galeno in the right half-space. The Dutch international only needed a few touches toward goal before he unleashed a belter of a shot toward the far corner, beating Edouard Mendy.

As Al-Qadsiah’s midfield trio continued to control the game, the wing-backs, Christopher Bonsu Baah and Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, became the main beneficiaries of Al-Ahli’s narrow defensive focus. As the game entered added time at the end of the first half, Al-Juwayr released Bonsu Baah down the left and he delivered a low cross into the box that found Abu Al-Shamat, who was unmarked inside the Al-Ahli box and finished cleanly to extend the lead.

A third followed two minutes later, with that Al-Juwayr-to-Bonsu Baah connection once again tormenting Al-Ahli. This time they switched the ball to the right flank, where Abu Al-Shamat received the ball and delivered a dipping cross towards Reijnders, who headed home to complete his brace. Al-Ahli mixed things up with a number of substitutions in the second half, including the introduction of Saleh Abu Al-Shamat for Galeno.

And it was Saleh, facing off against his brother Mohammed on the left flank, who injected a renewed spirit into Al-Ahli’s attack with his movement. This ultimately led to Al-Ahli’s revival of sorts in the second half, spearheaded by the league’s top scorer, Toney.

In the 63rd minute, he got on the end of a diagonal cross from Francisco Trincao to finally beat goalkeeper Koen Casteels — who had made four saves up to that point — with a header.

Toney scored again in the 82nd minute, this time latching onto a through ball from Abu Al-Shamat before cutting inside and curling his effort beyond Casteels. The humidity in Dammam clearly had an effect on Al-Qadsiah, who by now had shifted their high-pressing 3-4-1-2 formation into a compact 5-3-2.

This was ultimately enough to hold off Toney and his teammates, and claim a fifth victory from their first six games, their best-ever start to a Saudi Pro League season. In Jeddah, Al-Ittihad followed up on their 2-1 home win against Al-Nassr on Saturday with an identical result, this time against visiting Al-Fayha.

Continuing his fine run of form, George Ilenikhena opened the scoring in the 43rd minute when he headed home the rebound from a Steven Bergwijn shot after it twice struck the crossbar. It was canceled out by Jason just before the half-time whistle, who redirected an Ahmed Bamasud cross with a deft backheel.

Al-Ittihad claimed the victory after Jason handled the ball inside the area in the 68th minute, prompting the referee to award a penalty following a review by the video assistant referee. Substitute Youssef En-Nesyri slotted the ball into the right corner.

Elsewhere, Al-Ettifaq were held to a goalless home draw by Al-Faisaly in what was an underwhelming evening for Arthur Papas’ side, while visiting Al-Taawoun were beaten 1-0 by Al-Hazem, after a mistake by goalkeeper Mailson gifted Aboubacar Bah an open goal in the third minute.

On Wednesday, Al-Kholood host Al-Shabab at 6:55 p.m., then Al-Fateh face visiting Diriyah and Al-Nassr are at home to Abha, with both matches kicking off at 9 p.m.

Aged 18 years and 341 days, Ayyoub Bouaddi became the fourth-youngest player to start a Champions League match for City.

Question marks were raised around the size of the fee for a position on the pitch where players can be exposed, but Bouaddi seems to have settled in immediately and showcased why he will be a valuable option this season.

“He is very good,” said manager Enzo Maresca. “Against Coventry, he lost two balls and after that he was inside our box and calm. Other players may have panicked but at 18, he is a fantastic player.

“Tonight, he was very good. He speaks French, English, Spanish perfect. He is different in how mature he is. This is why the club has made the effort for him to be with us.”

BBC Sport reported City’s interest in Bouaddi in June and, contrary to reports, sources said signing him and then loaning back to Lille for a season was not on the agenda.

The performance in Portugal highlighted why those in power at City believe he has all attributes to “develop into a world class talent” and he clearly enjoys playing on the biggest stage.

Two years ago, Bouaddi earned a standing ovation from Lille supporters after helping his side to a shock group phase victory over holders Real Madrid and the travelling City fans will have been doing the same in Portugal on Tuesday evening.

Bouaddi completed 54 of his 55 passes, while he also topped the metrics across players of both sides for most dribbles (4), most times possession won (7) and contesting more duels (13).

“He did a really good game,” said Haaland. “The last couple of weeks in training, he has been amazing. I think we have got a gem there, to be honest.”

Though it was only Bouaddi’s 10th appearance in the competition, the Norwegian sent a playful yet pointed message to his team-mate about needing to be perfect all of the time.

The striker added: “I think he should’ve played me through in the second half so I was a bit angry.

“But he played a good game… except for that pass.”

Stella Parton has released a public plea as the family continues to mourn her sister Dolly Parton’s death last month at the age of 80.

Late last week in an Instagram statement, Stella Parton thanked fans for the “genuine” support, urging them to use her sister’s life as an “example for tolerance and respect towards others.”

At the same time, she asked them to “show more compassion and wisdom.”

The 77-year-old singer-songwriter says the family has been subjected to “pressure” and “insensitivity” from strangers following the death of Dolly, who died on Aug. 25 after a private battle with cancer.

“There is a tremendous amount of [artificial intelligence] and endless garbage being posted everyday and it’s been challenging to absorb and or ignore,” Stella wrote in her Sept. 4 statement. “As time passes, those who are in the business of exploiting the loss and tragedies of others on a daily basis will move on to the next stampede of endless misinformation.”

While it is not clear what AI content Stella was referring to, AI-generated images of Dolly surged online following her death.

On Aug. 27, President Trump uploaded a fake image on Truth Social of the two walking around the White House . Another online user created an AI song that has amassed over 1.5 million views since its upload on Aug. 25. The song was falsely credited to pop singer Miley Cyrus, Dolly’s goddaughter..

“She loved her fans and the public in general. That is the reason she chose not to express her opinions on a lot of things like politics, religion and individuals in the public eye,” Stella wrote in the Instagram post. “She knew as well as anyone what a negative vortex that could turn into which is nothing but a huge waste of positive energy.”

Last year, Dolly critiqued AI content when clearing rumors surrounding her health, which swirled online after sister Freida Parton asked the public for prayers in a Facebook post on Oct. 7, 2025, in which she stated that the singer “hasn’t been feeling her best lately.”

“Did you see that AI picture of Reba and me? Oh lordy, I mean, they had Reba at my death bed and we both looked like we need to be buried,” Dolly said on Instagram on Oct. 8, 2025.

Toward the end of her Instagram statement, Stella said her plea is less about the “fake AI garbage” or “snarky tweets,” and more about encouraging the community to look within: “How will you feel about yourself? It’s not about what other individuals you will never meet think of you!”

Stella Parton is best known for her 1975 hit “I Want to Hold You in My Dreams Tonight” and a country and gospel discography that spans 21 studio albums. Also known for her acting in “The Dukes of Hazzard” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” Stella made the distinction between her and her older sister clear at the end of her statement: “I’ve always embraced my own personality and will continue to be myself and express my opinions as I deem appropriate regardless of what anyone thinks of me.”

“Dolly loved the world and everyone in it,” Stella wrote on Aug. 27 on Instagram in her first statement after her sister’s death. “I would criticize and complain about it and she would laugh and say; ‘shoot Tedda, we’ve got more important things to do than worry about their silly a—.’ She was right, and she proved it every day.”

Sept. 8, 2026 3:02 PM PT

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rebuffed an appeal from Missouri officials who wanted to use new congressional districts backed by President Trump in the November election, a defeat for Republicans who had hoped the new map could help them hold onto their slim House majority.

The justices let stand a decision by Missouri’s top court, which said the new districts were automatically suspended by a citizen petition demanding a statewide vote.

The ruling marks a rare setback for Republicans in a nationwide redistricting battle that Trump urged Republicans to launch last year.

Missouri’s new districts were used in the August primaries. But the Missouri Supreme Court ruled in September that the state must revert to districts adopted after the last census.

Republican state Atty. Gen. Catherine Hanaway, who appealed, had argued it would violate federal rights to switch districts for voters between the primary and general elections. She also said it would cause confusion.

Missouri currently is represented in the U.S. House by six Republicans and two Democrats who were elected under districts that Republican state officials approved in 2022.

But at Trump’s urging, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe called the Legislature into a special session last year to redraw congressional boundaries to their advantage ahead of the midterms.

The revised map targeted the 5th Congressional District, held by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City. It reassigned portions of Kansas City to two neighboring districts represented by Republicans and stretched the remainder of Cleaver’s district far eastward into rural Republican areas.

Cleaver was unopposed in the Democratic primary. State Sen. Rick Brattin won the Republican primary in the reshaped district.

On the same day as the primary, Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a petition with thousands of signatures seeking to force a November referendum on the map. Hoskins asserted that Missouri’s Constitution doesn’t allow a referendum on congressional redistricting. A lower court agreed, but the state Supreme Court reversed Hoskins’ decision.

The state’s top court said the new districts were retroactively frozen in December, when the petition signatures were submitted, and thus never became law. Hoskins on Tuesday assigned the redistricting referendum as Proposition A on the November ballot, in compliance with the state court order.

The Missouri Constitution does not specifically say that a referendum can be used for congressional redistricting. But the state Supreme Court said a constitutional provision allowing a referendum on “any act” of the Legislature encompasses congressional redistricting legislation.

Missouri was the second Republican-led state, after Texas, to respond to Trump’s call last year to redraw congressional districts. Several other states followed. All told, Republicans had hoped to win as many as 16 additional seats from new House maps enacted in eight states — Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama. Democrats, whose counterattack faced several setbacks, think they could win up to six additional seats from new districts in California and Utah.

It remains to be seen whether the redistricting works as intended for Republicans. The president’s party historically has lost congressional seats in the midterms, and Trump’s poor approval ratings could provide an extra hurdle for Republican candidates.

Whitehurst and Lieb write for the Associated Press.

Sanctions announced by the British government on Tuesday targeting West Bank settlements have upended the UK’s decades-long balancing act and provoked furious condemnation from the Israeli government that has all but severed relations between the two.

Coming a year on from recognizing Palestinian statehood, the Labour-led UK government confirmed it was tightening restrictions on arms exports to Israel and was placing bans on the import of all goods from settlements and on some services, including construction, financing, infrastructure, real estate, and settlement advertising.

Addressing Parliament, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who is of Jewish heritage and lost multiple members of his family during the Holocaust, labeled the settlers “terrorists” who had received tacit support for their practices by an Israeli government.

“There is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank perpetrated by settler terrorists, and all too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this, and worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians,” Miliband added.

The move marks part of a broader international pushback on settlement activity, with Canada and France also announcing on Tuesday they would join Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK in enacting bans.

Against a backdrop of looming Israeli elections, questions are now being asked: Does the news out of London mark a long-term structural shift in its relationship with Israel, or is it part of a coordinated effort to put pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of elections in late October?

In Israel, early political response was definitive, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir leaning into a global call by right-wing governments as he urged the country to “publicly recognize that the Malvinas Islands (Falklands) are Argentine territory under occupation.”

He added: “The British are not content with merely occupying the territory; they also carry out oil drilling there and steal money from the Argentine people.”

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, meanwhile, claimed “we will not be a doormat trampled by an antisemitic government, in a country conquered by radical Islam, trying to save itself from economic and social decline.”

Addressing the media shortly after Miliband’s announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated plainly that the UK was engaging in election interference as he warned that the Israeli population “emphatically” rejected Palestinian statehood.

Announcing countermeasures, Saar said Israel would close the British Consulate in Jerusalem; remove British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel; terminate the UK’s role in training Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank; and deny 12 elected officials entry to Israel.

These include former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana, Fahad Ansari, director of Riverway to the Sea, Naz Shah, Diane Abbott MP, Hannah Spencer, Carla Denyer, Sian Berry, Ellie Chowns, John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, and Adrian Ramsay.

Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, said that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich’s history of offensive comments would likely mean these remarks were not “seen as serious” in and of themselves, but warned that they could not be wholly ignored.

“They (Gvir and Smotrich) are viewed with the sort of contempt that is necessary. It’s one of the many reasons that they are sanctioned,” Doyle told Arab News.

“But clearly, the concern will remain that somehow whatever they say could become official Israeli government policy, not least in an election cycle.”

Burcu Ozcelik, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told Arab News the real threat from Israel surrounded the potential that it could downgrade aspects of intelligence-sharing and defense cooperation with the UK.

Doing so, Ozcelik said, would prove “significant” and was “exactly why” she expected to see the UK go to great pains in the days and weeks ahead to “telegraph that the settlement trade ban is legally and diplomatically defensible because it is consistent with its recognition policy, but that the UK seeks to preserve substantial security and economic ties with Israel.”

However, according to observers who spoke to Arab News, the UK appears to have reached a point at which it is willing to take that gamble, with Doyle noting that after meeting with Miliband on Monday, he was convinced the ban was indicative of a broader structural shift.

“I’m quite convinced that Ed Miliband is genuine when he says that this will be a reset in relations with Israel,” said Doyle.

“It’s a phrase he’s used in public and repeated. So I think that imposing a ban on trade with settlements is certainly part of that. But I think that there needs to be other measures, and I expect that there will be.”

Concurring, Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, described the decision as “long overdue,” writing on X that the sanctions marked a “turning point in UK-Palestine relations,” with Britain moving “from condemnation to consequences, from words to action.”

Stressing that the development marked neither a “wholesale rupture with Israel” nor a “blanket trade ban” with Israel, Ozcelik said the Labour government was adding consistency to last September’s recognition of Palestine and the country’s “continued commitment to a two-state solution.”

“It is distinguishing between Israel’s legitimate security concerns, which the UK fully recognizes, and the settlement expansion in the West Bank, which the UK considers illegal under international law,” Ozcelik said.

“The UK government’s calculation is that if it recognizes a Palestinian state while taking no action against settlements that undermine the territorial viability of a future state, there is an obvious credibility gap. These measures need to be read as an attempt to give practical meaning to the UK’s support for a two-state solution.”

Public support for a ban has been steadily climbing since a recommendation for one last July from the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, with an August YouGov poll pointing to 50 percent support, with just 16 percent opposed, while Caabu research noted 246 MPs were in favor.

Trustee of the Britain Palestine Project, which seeks equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians, and former UK Consul-General to Jerusalem Sir Vincent Fean said that with “no peace process” and a “genocide in Gaza and apartheid, state-controlled settler violence and ethnic cleansing in East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank,” action was necessary.

“This is a necessary reset of UK government policy, wholly consistent with UK recognition of the State of Palestine on Sept. 21, 2025, and respect for international law, which the Labour government came into office committed to uphold,” Fean told Arab News.

“It exerts UK leverage over Israeli illegal settlements for the first time. The UK has joined the international virtual consensus in condemning settlements as illegal, undermining prospects for peace. But nothing was done to stop them.

“With this policy step change, the UK is giving a lead to like-minded partners. The UK is not powerless in this regard.”

Noting that the UK move was “inevitable” amid a “deterioration of the security situation in the West Bank,” which followed the Israeli government overturning a 20-year settlement ban in Jenin, Yossi Mekelberg said he wanted to see words matched with action.

“Taking measures against the trade with the settlements is one thing, but we also need to see a drive toward a two-state solution,” Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow on the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, told Arab News.

“Do you support the two-state solution on both sides? Do you support the process? If so, you need to fill it with content, with substance.”

Asked to provide a metric for measuring the ban’s success, Ozcelik said this would ultimately be measured in whether it deters implementation of the contentious E1 plan, which critics say will sever Palestinian territory in such a way that a contiguous state is no longer possible.

Allegations of misconduct between two justices threaten to pull court into political battles ahead of upcoming election.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca has ordered the suspension of federal police chief Andrei Rodrigues and the force’s intelligence chief Leandro Almada amid growing divisions that have tested the credibility of the country’s highest court.

The suspensions were announced on Tuesday. Mendonca, appointed by former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, has accused Rodrigues and Almada of producing six illegal reports on the activities of justices.

The move was backed by a majority on one of the high court’s five-member panels.

But it is likely to be challenged by the government, possibly pulling the administration of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva into a political battle ahead of October’s presidential election.

“Investigating possible evidence of crimes is correct,” Institutional Relations Minister Jose Guimaraes, a top aide to Lula, said in response to the decision on social media. “But this measure smells electoral to me. That cannot happen.”

Polls show Lula and Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, in a tight race ahead of the first round of voting on October 4.

The Supreme Court has been roiled by mutual accusations of wrongdoing between Justice Alexandre de Moraes, appointed under centre-right President Michel Temer, and Mendonca, a Bolsonaro appointee.

De Moraes has become a prominent target of right-wing criticism, particularly after he oversaw the case against Jair Bolsonaro for plotting a coup after the 2022 election.

A report detailing possible links between de Moraes and disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro was made public by Mendonca last week.

De Moraes, however, responded by accusing Mendonca of abusing his power, citing federal police intelligence reports and urging the court to investigate him. Mendonca has now challenged the legality of those reports.

The Vorcaro corruption scandal has widened to include powerful political figures on both the left and right.

Vorcaro was arrested in 2025 for allegedly overseeing one of the largest bank fraud schemes in the history of Brazil, leaving billions in owed money.

Flavio Bolsonaro has also faced scrutiny for his ties with Vorcaro, after he approached the banker for assistance in funding a film about his father. Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence.

The right-wing senator used Tuesday’s suspension to push his claim that the prosecution of his father was a political “witch-hunt”. The Federal Police had recommended charges be brought against the elder Bolsonaro in November 2024.

“Lula’s special group in the Federal Police officially unmasked,” Senator Bolsonaro wrote in a social media post. “May the honourable and glorious Federal Police regain its autonomy to go after criminals, and not Lula’s political adversaries.”

William Marcel Murad, the federal police’s executive director, released a statement saying that Rodrigues has the agency’s “full confidence” and that agents “will not be shaken by attacks”.

Jeremy Clarkson opened up on his ‘annoying’ cancer battle at the NTAs, after winning big with his Clarkson’s Farm co-stars.

Jeremy Clarkson made a comment about his recent cancer battle after winning big at the National Television Awards this evening, beating out stiff competition from Stacey Solomon and Tyson Fury.

The former Grand Tour host, 66, has delighted fans with his Clarkson’s Farm series in recent years, with the Amazon Prime Video show taking home the first ever Reality Docuseries at the NTAs.

The hit show was up against At Home With The Furys, Fletchers’ Family Farm, Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing and Stacey & Joe for the first ever award of its kind.

Appearing in the press room following the latest addition to his trophy cabinet, he shared an update on his health after breaking the news of his prostate cancer diagnosis in the most recent season.

“I had a heart thing and a bit of cancer but we live in a time when doctors can fix things very easily,” he said. “It was annoying rather than emotional – I missed a lot of the harvest, which I love.”

Speaking onstage during the ceremony he also took the opportunity to celebrate his co-stars, telling the star-studded: “Crikey! Some lovely programmes in that category.

“I don’t want to drone on forever but I just want to say on behalf of everyone who makes this show, thank you.”

Jeremy stunned fans – and his Clarkson’s Farm castmates – when he spoke candidly about his health in the most recent series, and was seen telling Kaleb Cooper that the disease was “aggressive” but had been discovered early.

He also revealed that he had undergone an operation to remove part of his prostate. In an update after the episode aired, he shared that he is now in remission.

Jeremy’s appearance at the NTAs comes after Kaleb gave the Mirror an update after 11 sheep were stolen from Clarkson’s Farm last week.

The Clarkson’s Farm breakout star told us on the red carpet: “We had 11 sheep stolen. It’s in the police’s hands now, so we’re just waiting to hear back from their investigation.

“But it’s going to be incredibly hard to track down because, of course, it’s been so dry this year, so we can’t find tracks, you know? They’re checking all the cameras in the local area at the moment to see if they can track it back.”

The Clarkson’s Farm star said that while sheep theft was not something he heard about particularly often, its impact on farmers could be devastating.

He added: “I wouldn’t say it happens a lot. I think it happens, but you don’t hear of it very often. But it’s very serious. You’ve actually taken someone’s livelihood away.

“[They rely on] that money to keep the farm going, keep people paid and jobs, and so on. So I think it’s very serious. We had 11. I’ve heard of some cases where it’s been about 50.”

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LONDON: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has voiced support for the UK’s new ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements.

He told The Guardian that the decision, announced by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, “became unavoidable as a result of a continuous effort of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by a large group of Jewish terrorists in the West Bank.”

Olmert added: “The crimes of these terrorists are actively assisted by police and military units over a long period of time.

“The highest levels of government led by Minister of Defence (Israel) Katz and Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu are actively supporting these terrorists and avoid taking the necessary measures to stop it.”

Olmert’s comments come as Israelis prepare to go to the polls late next month. “Millions of Israelis are appalled by this terror and are actively resisting the terrorists,” he said.

“Sanctions are directed against the terrorists not against Israel, and as such they are unavoidable.”

In announcing the new UK policy, Miliband referenced earlier comments by Olmert, saying: “Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister, has described what is happening as, I quote, ‘a violent and criminal effort to ethnically cleanse territories in the West Bank.’”

Sept. 8, 2026 9:01 AM PT

WASHINGTON — Work on the White House North Portico appears to be nearing completion before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States in late September.

Scaffolding was being taken down Tuesday after workers over Labor Day weekend removed a shroud that had obscured the work. The Executive Mansion’s front columns had been covered since July. The work, ordered by President Trump, began in June.

The portico was first completed in 1830 during Andrew Jackson’s presidency. Administration officials said previously that stonework and plaster on the structure were being refurbished because of routine damage from age and weather exposure.

Trump has said he noticed it was in “deplorable condition” before insisting on repairs. The work is part of the president’s sweeping overhaul of the White House and other federal property in the nation’s capital — with most of his more ambitious moves drawing lawsuits and criticism from preservationists.

Trump said last week that workers finished construction of a helipad on the South Lawn.

His signature project, a White House ballroom and underground bunker, continues as legal fights play out. Multiple lawsuits were filed after Trump demolished the East Wing before going through the usual regulatory steps for major work on historic federal buildings in Washington. The massive project will add more square footage than what the existing White House footprint comprises.

That means Trump must host Xi’s state dinner, scheduled for Sept. 24, in existing spaces and in a construction zone — a circumstance that will afford the president a new opportunity to extol his ballroom project.

Barrow and Martin write for the Associated Press. Barrow reported from Atlanta.

The visitors were in a commanding and deserved position at half-time, McGinn’s opener making him the club’s all-time record European goalscorer with 12.

Buendia’s strike and Jackson’s first Villa goal – benefiting from Yann Sommer’s rush of blood – had them cruising.

Brugge were poor and George Hemmings, Villa’s first Champions League/European Cup teenage starter in 43 years, could have had at least one.

Yet the hosts made it uncomfortable for Emery’s men with Nicolo Tresoldi’s penalty after Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s blatant handball setting up an anxious last half an hour, during which Tresoldi hit the post.

It can be viewed as a blessing in disguise that Villa had to battle their way through and ride out the hosts’ pressure to earn their first win of the season. Adding the grit and determination to the quality of the opening half to prove they can get the job done.

Not that they needed the evidence themselves, Emery and his squad always have that faith and the internal desire to progress no matter the obstacle.

It was the same last season. A below-par 1-0 win over limited Bologna – thanks to another McGinn goal – got Villa going and they hardly looked back.

The victory kicked off the staggering run of 17 wins in 20 games which formed the backbone of returning to the Champions League and giving Villa momentum to win the Europa League.

Since then, of course, Villa’s spine has been torn out and Emery has to integrate 10 new players into his methodical methods.

Three points in Brugge may not spark another relentless run but it gives Emery and Villa the foundations of this new era.

“It’s a new Villa and it was a big test for the new players to dig in,” McGinn told Uefa.

“It was Joao Gomes and George Hemmings’ first Champions League game. It’s not easy to go away at a place like this in difficult weather conditions. Club Brugge were pushing and pushing and pushing and we had to stand strong. We managed to do that.

“It was so important to show a real gritty performance and get a victory at a very, very tough place to play.”

PARIS: Last year’s winner Ousmane Dembélé, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé are among the top contenders for the men’s Ballon d’Or.

The 30 men’s and 30 women’s nominees were revealed by France Football magazine on Tuesday, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on Oct. 26.

In the women’s field, two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor and Melchie Dumornay are among the favorites. Aitana Bonmatí, the winner of the past three awards, did not make the cut after missing most of the season through injury. She returned at the end of Barcelona’s quadruple-winning season that included another Champions League title.

Dembélé and Mbappé both played for France at the World Cup, where their team lost to eventual champion Spain in the semifinals. Although it’s difficult to win the accolade without a major trophy, Mbappé made history when he overtook Lionel Messi for the most all-time World Cup goals (22), in fewer games.

After claiming a second straight Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain, Dembélé has a chance to retain the Ballon d’Or.

Kane had one of his best seasons, scoring 73 goals for club and country and winning the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. Kane also led England to a third-place finish at the World Cup.

Spain captain Rodri, who claimed the award in 2024 and played an instrumental role in midfield to help Spain secure their second World Cup title, was also included.

The 39-year-old Messi, who has a record eight Ballon d’Or awards, was on the shortlist after guiding Argentina to a runner-up finish at the World Cup and winning Major League Soccer with Inter Miami. The other three Ballon d’Or winners still active, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric, were not in the list.

PSG dominate

Dembélé was one of nine PSG players — 10 including newly acquired Ferran Torres — nominated for the men’s award, alongside Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha. Torres scored Spain’s winner in the World Cup final.

In an interview with France Football, Dembélé said he expects the award to remain at PSG. Asked to name his top three in no particular order, he cited PSG teammate Kvaratskhelia, Kane and Mbappé. He also mentioned Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal, Ruiz and Pacho, but did not include himself.

“I don’t think the trophy is undecided. I think it will remain in the hands of a Paris Saint-Germain player,” he said.

The other men’s nominees include Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, as well as Manchester City striker.

Italy, which did not qualify for the World Cup, and the Netherlands and Germany had no representatives. Only one player from Serie A, Lautaro Martínez of Inter Milan, was selected.

There was no goalkeeper nominated, ensuring Lev Yashin remains the only keeper to win the coveted trophy (1963) for another year.

The Ballon d’Or ceremony is moving from its traditional Paris home to London this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the first award won by England great Stanley Matthews.

The voting system

The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football and has been awarded since 1956 for men, and since 2018 for women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for the men’s award and the top 50 FIFA-ranked countries for the women’s award.

Each journalist, one per country, selects players in ranked order with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points.

Organizers say the trophy is awarded based on three criteria, in order of importance: 1, individual performances, decisive and impressive character; 2, collective performances and titles won; 3, class and fair play. The performance period is Aug. 3, 2025 to July 19 — the day of this year’s World Cup final.

Jamaica’s campaign for reparations from the United Kingdom is part of a broader push for countries to pay for their roles in the transatlantic slave trade and hundreds of years of slavery.

Momentum is building. In March, a United Nations resolution said the claims represent a step towards a remedy for the descendants of enslaved people. Most Western countries abstained from the vote, and the United States opposed it.

In June, African and Caribbean nations met in Ghana – where hundreds of thousands of people were forced onto slave ships. They put together a plan for reparatory justice, which would include debt relief and other support for African nations.

Last month, a UN committee said governments are obliged by law to consider paying damages.

So, will the legal argument boost the case for reparations?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Hilary Beckles – vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies and chairman of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) Reparations Commission

Lawrence Goldman – emeritus fellow in history at St Peter’s College, University of Oxford, and former editor of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Patrick Vernon – British historian and social commentator knighted in 2026 for his services to racial equality and social justice