Iran relied entirely on its own internal potential and strength in its current conflict with the United States and did not draw on other countries’ military experience, Ambassador Kazem Jalali told TASS. He added that countries involved in wars inevitably gain experience and use it.

IranUnited Statesmilitary experienceRussia-Iran relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Beijing on Wednesday for a state visit to the United States at President Donald Trump’s invitation. China’s Foreign Ministry said Xi and Trump would discuss major issues in bilateral ties, world peace and development, calling their exchanges of visits within six months a historic milestone.

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The agenda for US President Donald Trump’s summit with China’s President Xi Jinping in Washington—covering tariffs, rare earths and AI—will have consequences for Europe.

Donald TrumpXi JinpingUS-China summitEurope

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned French businessman Martin Ryan and 19 others. Ryan had received a 10-year sentence in Baku for allegedly collecting military information during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Media reports linked his release to a Baku-Paris deal in which France pressed for EU sanctions on Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov to be lifted. The EU removed Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list on September 22.

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Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s president, granted clemency to Martin Ryan, a French national imprisoned for espionage. A linked bargain resulted in France securing Usmanov’s removal from the EU register of Russia-related penalties.

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Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev pardoned a French national on Sept. 23, France 24 reported, hours after the EU agreed under French pressure to remove Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list. The move was reportedly linked to Azerbaijan holding two French nationals; Martin Ryan’s pardon lends support to that suspicion.

AzerbaijanFranceEU sanctionsdiplomacy

Pakistan has closed major routes into Islamabad and deployed containers and security personnel to stop supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan from marching into the capital. His party says peaceful protest is a constitutional right, while another opposition group has postponed its own march over high fuel prices.

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Persistent growth in Chinese exports to the United States is helping the world’s second-largest economy withstand ongoing domestic challenges, shifting the dynamics ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting.

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President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to meet at the White House during a high-stakes state visit, with Iran, Taiwan and trade among the thorny issues they will have to navigate.

TrumpXi JinpingUS-China relationsIranTaiwan

US President Donald Trump will host Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington this week, with trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan expected on the agenda. Experts say Trump’s planned welcome is unprecedented, but a major breakthrough on AI or other issues is unlikely.

Donald TrumpXi JinpingUS-China relationstradeartificial intelligence

CNN’s Simone McCarthy writes that when Chinese leader Xi Jinping visits Washington this week to meet President Donald Trump, he will be in a vastly different position from the last time the two men met face-to-face in the United States nearly a decade ago.

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Calls are growing for the United States and China to work together on safeguards for artificial intelligence as President Donald Trump prepares to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington. The rivalry over AI is set to hang over their talks, whether it brings a “nuclear” threat or a market boom.

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AI safety fears have intensified in recent weeks and are expected to be a key focus when the U.S. and Chinese leaders meet, analysts told CNBC. Yet neither side wants to slow its progress in artificial intelligence.

Donald TrumpXi JinpingAI safetyUS-China relations

The OECD’s interim outlook projects global growth of 2.9% in 2026 and 3.0% in 2027, with G20 growth broadly stable. G20 headline inflation is expected to reach 4.1% in 2026 before easing. The OECD warned that Middle East conflict, disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz or Bab al-Mandeb, and damage to energy facilities could drive prices higher and cause commodity shortages.

global growthinflationOECDenergy risks

A High Court in Colombo has sentenced 15 men to between 200 and 260 years in prison over Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter bombings. Fourteen were convicted on all charges, while one was found guilty of some offenses; nine others were acquitted. The attacks on churches and hotels killed 279 people and injured 574.

Sri LankaEaster bombingscourt verdict

Sri Lanka has convicted 15 people over the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people at churches and luxury hotels. The verdict comes as scrutiny continues over intelligence warnings received before the attacks and whether officials failed to act.

Sri LankaEaster bombingscourt verdict

The US Justice Department asked a federal judge to reject CNN, MS Now and Politico’s request to restore White House press credentials for their journalists. President Donald Trump had barred the outlets after deeming their coverage of his administration negative.

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US news organisations are normally fierce rivals, but Donald Trump’s ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW has triggered an unusual display of solidarity among journalists. The decision is reshaping White House coverage as Trump arrives in New York for the UN General Assembly.

Donald Trumpmedia banUS journalism

The US Justice Department has accused CNN, Politico and MS NOW of spreading “verifiable falsehoods” and publishing reports that threatened national security as it defends their White House ban. A judge will decide on Wednesday whether to lift the restriction temporarily while the broader case proceeds.

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The Department of Justice defended President Trump’s decision to bar MS NOW, CNN and Politico from the White House, arguing that access is a privilege rather than a right. It also said national security concerns motivated the ban.

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