The EU accused Russia on Tuesday of recklessly firing flares at a Danish frigate. Alongside the shooting down of a drone over Lithuania, the incident has intensified European anxiety over the Ukraine-Russia war. Danish analysts are urging NATO and the EU to strengthen their response to Moscow.

RussiaDenmarkLithuaniaNATO

A NATO fighter jet brought down a drone in southern Lithuania shortly after midnight on Tuesday. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said it had “probably originated from Russia.”

NATOLithuaniadroneRussia

American rapper Macklemore has been dropped as the opening act for British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s US tour after making pro-Palestinian statements on stage. He has publicly advocated the position for years and released “Hind’s Hall” in solidarity with Palestinians, honouring five-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza in January 2024.

MacklemoreEd SheeranUS tourPalestine

Ed Sheeran says tour promoters, not he, decided to remove Macklemore from his US tour after the rapper made pro-Palestinian statements at two New Jersey shows. Sheeran says he has personal views on the conflict but avoids using his professional platform for politics, preferring to keep dialogue open and promote peace.

Ed SheeranMacklemoretour controversyPalestine

Ed Sheeran has spoken out after Macklemore was dropped from his tour.

Ed SheeranMacklemoretour

American billionaire Robert Kraft confirmed he pressured Ed Sheeran to remove Macklemore from his US tour, saying the rapper’s recent performances crossed a line because they included a broader history of “antisemitic rhetoric and imagery”. Macklemore claims Kraft also rallied other venue owners against his participation.

Robert KraftMacklemoreEd SheeranUS tour

Macklemore is receiving broad public backing from celebrities and politicians after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft insisted that he be dropped as a performer over his pro-Palestine remarks. Macklemore may also no longer be touring with Ed Sheeran.

MacklemoreRobert Kraftpro-Palestine remarks

Questions concern Kraft’s identity as an NFL billionaire, his Epstein link and the part he played in removing Macklemore from Ed Sheeran’s tour.

Robert KraftNFLMacklemoreEd Sheeran

Police detained dozens of demonstrators outside an Istanbul courthouse as protesters called for the release of LGBTQ+ activists detained in a recent crackdown.

IstanbulLGBTQ+protestpolice detention

A planned demonstration over recent detentions directed at LGBTQ+ groups ended with at least 150 people in custody after police intervened outside Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse on Tuesday, witnesses said.

TurkeyIstanbulLGBTQ+detentions

Experts say Turkey’s latest raids, arrests and rhetoric targeting LGBTQ+ people reflect a broader regression in rights. Researchers argue that authoritarian governments often invoke protecting families and children to scapegoat LGBTQ+ communities, reinforce traditional family values and distract from other crises.

LGBTQ+ rightsauthoritarianismTurkeyhuman rights

No fewer than 150 pro-LGBTQ demonstrators were taken into custody by Turkish police at an Istanbul rally on Tuesday, 15 September, protesting a nationwide crackdown on the community.

IstanbulLGBTQ rightsprotestdetentions

At least 150 people were detained in Turkey on Tuesday after police intervened at a gathering outside Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse. Witnesses said demonstrators had planned to protest recent detentions targeting LGBTQ+ groups.

TurkeyIstanbulLGBTQ+protests

Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina, confirmed that Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev — linked to Vladimir Putin and sanctioned by Ukraine — helped pay for celebrations after their May wedding in the Bahamas. President Donald Trump, who did not attend, said he had “never heard of” Kremlev and called it “not a big deal.”

Trump familyweddingRussian oligarch

The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to stop the Clarity Act from moving forward, dealing a setback to the crypto industry’s effort to secure a comprehensive framework for market regulation.

U.S. SenateClarity Actcryptocurrency

One of the most consequential U.S. regulations for crypto markets failed to secure enough support to clear the Senate’s final 60-vote hurdle, prompting reactions across the industry.

U.S. SenateClarity Actcrypto industry

An initial Senate vote aimed at moving the Clarity Act closer to becoming law failed amid opposition to President Trump’s crypto wealth.

U.S. SenatecryptocurrencyClarity Act

The years-long push to establish U.S. rules for crypto markets failed to secure enough support to clear the Senate’s final 60-vote threshold.

cryptocurrencyU.S. Senatefinancial regulation

With both parties digging in, the crypto market-structure bill still lacks the votes needed to clear the Senate’s first hurdle scheduled for Tuesday.

cryptocurrencyUS Senatefinancial regulation

Hours before an initial vote on the Clarity Act, Senate Republicans rejected a counterproposal put forward by fellow Democrats.

US SenateClarity ActRepublicansDemocrats

Mark Carney says Canada will seek a “unique security and economic alliance” with Europe, presenting the country as a safe destination for investment in a “new global economic order.” As relations with the US have fractured, Ottawa is working to reduce its trade dependence by deepening economic and political ties with the EU, though talks remain at an early stage.

CanadaEuropean UnionMark Carneytrade dispute

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is travelling to Europe amid a trade war with US President Donald Trump, pursuing a deeper relationship with the European Union that could give Canadians more freedom to work and study there.

CanadaEuropean Uniontrade wardiplomacy

Mark Carney is reportedly expected to use his European trip to pursue a new arrangement with the EU that could let Canadians live and work across the bloc without visa restrictions.

CanadaEuropean Uniondiplomacy

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is visiting Strasbourg and Liverpool to pursue what he calls a “unique alliance” with the EU, seeking stronger trade, investment and security ties as relations with Washington deteriorate. Carney says Canada does not want EU membership, but Ottawa is exploring a deeper partnership, including visa-free living and work arrangements in Europe.

CanadaEuropean Uniontrade warMark Carney

Prime Minister Mark Carney is presenting Canada as a “safe harbour” for major investors amid geopolitical uncertainty and an intensifying trade war with the US. At a Toronto investment summit, he pledged to attract C$1tn over five years and announced plans to allow private investment in operations at four major airports, drawing criticism from labour unions.

Canadainvestment summitMark CarneyUS trade war

Pending regulatory approval, SpaceX plans to launch its 14th Starship mission as early as September 22. The flight would mark the company’s first attempt to place the experimental vehicle into orbit. It will carry 26 larger V3 Starlink satellites and aim to complete six orbits before ending the roughly 10-hour mission.

SpaceXStarshiporbital launch

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the war with Iran has caused more than one-third of this year’s increase in inflation and will push prices higher again in the first quarter of next year, according to a report released Tuesday.

Iran warUS inflationCongressional Budget Office

The Congressional Budget Office says the war in Iran has cost the Pentagon $38 billion and depleted its missile stockpiles.

Iran warPentagonmilitary spendingmissile stockpiles

The six-month U.S. war against Iran has cost $38 billion so far, with spending projected to increase by $3 billion each month, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Trump administration is seeking to end the conflict and reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Iran warUnited Stateswar spendingStrait of Hormuz

The Kennedy Center board selected by President Donald Trump voted Tuesday to immediately close the performing arts center, according to a person familiar with the decision. Board members said the institution is in “dire” financial and structural condition.

Kennedy CenterDonald Trumpcultural institutionsclosure

Members of the Kennedy Center board, selected by President Donald Trump, are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to close the iconic venue because of damage or a possible bankruptcy. Documents say Trump has offered to help raise money but suggested he is unlikely to lead the rescue without “appropriate recognition.”

Kennedy CenterDonald Trumpvenue closureboard vote

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed two more measles-related deaths on Tuesday, bringing the state’s reported total to four.

Pennsylvaniameaslesdeaths

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed two more measles-associated deaths on Tuesday. Both victims were unvaccinated, bringing the state’s total number of deaths linked to the disease to four.

Pennsylvaniameaslesdeaths

Pennsylvania has reported its fourth measles-related death, bringing the US measles death toll to its highest level in decades as the outbreak rapidly expands.

MeaslesPennsylvaniaOutbreakPublic health

After Donald Trump’s surprise decision to strike Iran, the war became a quagmire without an exit strategy. Six months later, access to the Gulf is almost shut, while global shipping watches the other end of the Arabian Peninsula as Iran-backed Houthis threaten Red Sea passage and Saudi Arabia is drawn back into Yemen.

Saudi ArabiaYemenHouthisRed Sea

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi endorsed Saudi calls for safe, unhindered navigation in the Red Sea during talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo. Disruptions to Red Sea shipping have cost Egypt about $7bn in Suez Canal revenue over two years, roughly 60 percent of the total.

EgyptSaudi ArabiaRed Sea navigationSuez Canal

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed the need to protect navigation in the Red Sea during talks in Cairo, as Houthi attacks continue.

EgyptSaudi ArabiaRed Sea security

Egypt's presidency said the two leaders stressed at Tuesday's meeting that passage through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea should be free and secure.

EgyptSaudi ArabiaRed SeaBab el-Mandeb Strait

The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said at a Monday conference that the country has fielded “on-orbit space control weapons” capable of defending against hostile action.

space weaponsUnited Statesmilitary technology

The US says it has placed “space control weapons” in Earth orbit to defend its forces, but has not disclosed their timing, number or design. Experts believe they are more likely to be communications jammers than destructive kinetic weapons, and warn the announcement could intensify military competition in space.

United Statesspace weaponsspace militarisation

The Air Force secretary disclosed that US weaponry is already stationed beyond Earth for use in shielding American forces. The disclosure is the country’s first open admission of an orbital capability and a purposeful message to anyone who could pose a danger in space.

United Statesspace weaponsmilitary deployment

OpenAI confirms it has spent weeks discussing AI safety with Anthropic and Google DeepMind. The talks come as Trump’s team dismisses safety concerns and pushes to keep pace with China.

AIAI safetyOpenAIAnthropic