Today's Newsletter

• Multiple sources report that RNLI's Portsmouth lifeboat station is temporarily out of service following anti-migrant protests. Shortly after a protest at the beginning of September, the charity's chief executive said staff had faced "unacceptable" online and physical abuse - the lifeboat museum in Poole was also shut for several days. Read more.

• Illia Bilyk has pleaded guilty to spraying abusive graffiti on mosques in east London, after allegedly being recruited by a Russian speaker via Telegram, BBC News reports. An investigation by the BBC and Hope not Hate revealed that Russia was behind arson attacks targeting a property and a car connected to then-prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, and had also generated anti-Muslim vandalism throughout London, including on the east London venues which Biluyk has now admitted vandalising. Read more.

• Multiple sources report that the Archbishop of Canterbury has been forced to retract an award given on 11th September 2026 to Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, who once suggested bestowing an honorary title on Usama bin Laden. Ashrafi allegedly responded to the knighting of Sir Salman Rushdie in 2007 by saying: “We are pleased to award the title of Saifullah [sword of God] to Usama bin Laden after the British government’s decision to bestow the title of ‘Sir’ on blasphemer Rushdie. This is the highest title for a Muslim warrior." Read more.

• A new report by the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said there are reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran that killed at least 177 civilians, multiple sources report. The report claimed February's missile strikes on a primary school in Minab and a sports complex in Lamerd constituted indiscriminate attacks causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure. Read more.

• Associated Press reports that debris from an intercepted Houthi drone has killed one person and injured two others in Saudi Arabia. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said a claim of intercepting a drone allegedly aimed towards Mecca shouldn’t be used to escalate tensions. Read more.

• Abu Zubaydah, initially accused of being a high-profile al Qa'ida figure and who was tortured in CIA custody, appeared on Thursday at a hearing to review his detention at Guantanamo Bay, where he has been held for 20 years without charges, Associated Press reports. Zubaydah’s government-assigned representative and private attorney both acknowledged he had known Usama bin Laden but was never a member of the militant group. Read more.

Ukrainian guilty of vandalism at mosques linked to Russian network behind Starmer arson attack

BBC News, 17/09/2026

A Ukrainian man has pleaded guilty to spraying abusive graffiti on mosques in east London, in a case linked to the Russian state network behind arson attacks against the former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. Illia Bilyk, 21, entered guilty pleas at Thames Magistrates' Court to five counts of racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage. Bilyk sprayed graffiti on the Stratford Islamic Association, Al-Birr Mosque and Leyton Jamia Masjid on 23 January 2025. Two days later he targeted Noor Ul Islam Primary School and the Islamic Shariah Council. The BBC has learned that Bilyk told police he was recruited into spraying the graffiti by a Russian speaker after being approached on the messaging app Telegram.

Security fears over tens of thousands of unchecked flights to UK

(£) Daily Telegraph, 17/09/2026

Hostile states could be using unscheduled flights on small aircraft to enter the UK illegally, according to a report. Tens of thousands of flights involving private jets, light aircraft and helicopters are believed to land in the UK each year, many of which are not scrutinised on arrival, according to research by the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), a think tank. The report described the situation as a blind spot in Britain’s border security, “posing a significant risk to national security”. Britain has 538 aerodromes, airfields and helipads approved to accept unscheduled international flights, many of which lack a permanent border control or police presence.

Also: GB News

Burnham's national security chief 'explicitly warned PM and Ed Miliband against Israel West Bank sanctions before crunch elections'… but was ignored

Daily Mail, 17/09/2026

Andy Burnham and Ed Miliband ignored advice from Britain's national security adviser to delay bringing in controversial sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, it was reported today. Jonathan Powell is said to have joined others including the UK ambassador in Tel Aviv in saying action over the occupation of Palestinian land should be held back until after elections in Israel. The ministers were warned that going too early could bolster PM Benjamin Netanyahu, a strong supporter of settlement expansion, who is in danger of losing power on October 27. But they went ahead anyway, sparking a major row with Netanyahu's hard right nationalist government that drove already poor relations with a key intelligence ally to a new low.

John Swinney 'forced to condemn terrorism' after Sinn Fein talks

Daily Mail, 17/09/2026

John Swinney has been forced into insisting that he opposes terrorism after standing shoulder to shoulder with Sinn Fein at his ‘separatist summit’. The First Minister yesterday came under fire for working with Sinn Fein on the push to break up the UK despite the failure of the party’s leaders to denounce IRA terrorism. He said he has always expressed sympathy with victims of terrorism and insisted that he unreservedly condemns all terrorist attacks. But the SNP leader failed to call on Sinn Fein to also denounce terrorism during First Minister’s Questions, where he was criticised for ‘distraction and division’ rather than focusing on his ‘day job’.

Putin’s sabotage is state terrorism. Britain must say so

(£) Daily Telegraph, 17/09/2026

The editorial board writes: “In the past, Nato would have responded to this with one voice. But today, Donald Trump’s presence means little is certain.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

There is growing support at Westminster for banning the Muslim Brotherhoood

Daily Express, 17/09/2026

Donald Trump has ordered a ban on specific chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood in the US - Sara Hernández Díez asks whether the UK should do something similar.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Ed Miliband is serving his own conscience – not Britain’s interests

(£) Daily Telegraph, 17/09/2026

David Blair writes: "The Foreign Secretary is determined to ‘right a wrong’ over Palestine, even when his principles risk undermining our security."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

RNLI station out-of-service after anti-migrant protests

BBC News, 17/09/2026

Portsmouth's lifeboat station remains temporarily out of service following anti-migrant protests. Protesters blocked roads in the city on 6 September after about 120 people arrived at the Eastney Landing ferry port area following a Channel small boat crossing. The RNLI helped bring them ashore. The RNLI also said it helped to ensure the safety of anti-migrant demonstrators who went into the sea. Following the protest, the charity's chief executive said staff had faced "unacceptable" online and physical abuse. The lifeboat station was taken out of service on 10 September, meanwhile, abuse aimed at volunteers also forced the lifeboat museum in Poole to shut for several days.

Also: (£) Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, (£) The Independent, (£) The Times

Archbishop retracts cleric’s award over Osama Bin Laden comments

(£) The Times, 17/09/2026

The Archbishop of Canterbury has been forced to retract an award given on September 11 to a Pakistani cleric who once suggested bestowing an honorary title on Usama bin Laden. Lambeth Palace confirmed the award had been “reconsidered” since the Lambeth Awards ceremony, held last week on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The Most Rev Sarah Mullally faced criticism from MPs, members of the church’s own General Synod and secular groups. Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Co-operation “for his outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan”. He is chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, a body of religious scholars founded in 1990 to combat sectarian violence.

Also: BBC News, (£) Daily Telegraph, GB News, ITV News, PA Media

Shabana Mahmood threatens to unleash 'full force of the law' against 'far-right racist' Danny Tommo

GB News, 18/09/2026

Shabana Mahmood has threatened to unleash the "fall force of the law" against anti-migration activist Danny Tommo. Speaking to The Guardian, the Home Secretary branded the 37-year-old a "a far-right and outright racist” and threatened to use of the powers of the state against him should his group act criminally near migrant housing in places like Piddington. The Patriot Platform co-founder warned he could send thousands of people to the Oxfordshire village "for days" to block more than 1,200 illegal male migrants from being housed at the site. But Ms Mahmood said she “wanted to reassure” locals that the migrants will not "put pressure" on local resources, claiming the men will be handed “self-contained facilities” at the asylum centre.

Also: The Guardian

Restore is being hijacked by racists, says former candidate

(£) Daily Telegraph, 17/09/2026

Restore Britain is being hijacked by racists, according to a former Royal Marine who stood as one of its candidates. Jez Hermer, who stood in a by-election for the Right-wing party on Dover council last month, said he had witnessed “overt antisemitism, racism and misogyny” among its activists. He said the party had gone through a “rapid charge to the hard-Right” which Rupert Lowe, the leader, was doing little to address. Hermer revealed he had been called a “traitor” by hard-Right activists because he had said Restore did not believe only white people could be British. It comes amid wider criticism of Restore over apparently racist and antisemitic comments by some of the party’s members.

Tate brothers' UK lawyers launch judicial review to challenge extradition bid

Daily Mirror, 18/09/2026

Legal representatives for Andrew and Tristan Tate in the UK have announced plans to mount a judicial review challenging efforts to extradite the siblings from the United States to Britain. Earlier this month, British prosecutors submitted an official application to the US State Department seeking to return the social media personalities to the UK to answer allegations of rape and sex trafficking. During an appearance on Piers Morgan's programme on Thursday evening, Andrew Ford and Adam Rasul from defence firm Holborn Adams contended the brothers ought to first address separate criminal charges in Romania.

Also: PA Media

Apple urges Home Office to come clean on 'backdoor' letting officials snoop on your phone

GB News, 18/09/2026

Apple has urged the Home Office to come clean over its request for the company to create a "backdoor" for officials to snoop on Britons' phones. Human rights groups Liberty and Privacy International have joined the American tech giant in calling for a tribunal to remove a gag order which blocks the Government from confirming the order was made. It is believed that Labour finally admitting the encryption order's existence could pave the way for public legal challenges to be made. Yvette Cooper, then the Home Secretary, made the request to Apple last year, insisting the move could help authorities combat child abuse and terrorism.

Also: (£) Daily Telegraph

Custody for man who allegedly kept IS beheading videos

Australian Associated Press, 17/09/2026

A man charged with possessing "horrific" Daesh beheading propaganda will be held in custody after failing to convince a magistrate his case is exceptional. Mohammad Emad Uddin Ahmadzai, 31, had spent months in the community despite federal police accessing data on a phone allegedly belonging to him which contained violent extremism material. Videos on the device allegedly showed a hostage being shot in the head at close range, beheadings, throat cuttings, mass casualties, dead children and Daesh flags and logos. Ahmadzai was denied bail in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday after being charged with possessing violent extremist material and failing to provide access to his electronic devices on request.

UN experts say grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran strikes

BBC News, 17/09/2026

UN human rights experts say there are reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran that killed at least 177 civilians. A new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, external said February's missile strikes on a primary school in Minab and a sports complex in Lamerd constituted indiscriminate attacks causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure. The US previously denied striking Lamerd and said it was investigating what happened in Minab. A State Department official said the US did not give credibility to the findings in the report.

Also: Associated Press, (£) Reuters, Sky News

Trump says he is weighing whether to ‘annihilate’ Iran

(£) The Independent, 17/09/2026

President Donald Trump said he is weighing whether to “annihilate” Iran as the war nears the seven-month mark with no clear end in sight. “I have a big decision coming up,” the Republican president told Axios on Thursday. “Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me.” Trump has repeatedly invoked apocalyptic rhetoric when discussing Iran, including in April when he wrote on Truth Social that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” The war — which Trump initially predicted would last four to five weeks — has largely fallen into a stalemate, though some strikes have taken place this month, with vessels in the Strait of Hormuz coming under fire.

US to allow Iran delegation to attend UN meetings in New York as war passes half-year mark

BBC News, 17/09/2026

The US government has granted visas to Iranian officials so they can travel to the UN General Assembly in New York next week, as the war between the two countries grinds into its seventh month. The BBC understands the core delegation permitted to attend includes Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. A spokesman for the US State Department confirmed the decision on Thursday, saying that the delegation will be placed under travel restrictions and will be banned from purchasing certain American products. The move comes as the war shows no sign of ending.

Also: (£) The Independent, (£) Reuters

As Iran war grinds on, Trump to face skeptical world leaders at UN

(£) Reuters, 18/09/2026

When President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations a year ago, he touted the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites just months earlier as "totally obliterating everything" and said he had brought peace between Israel and Iran. Returning to the ​world body on Tuesday, Trump will face a deeply sceptical audience increasingly rattled by six months of war between US forces and an emboldened Iran, growing regional instability and a nuclear threat ‌that has not disappeared despite his claims. Though battered militarily and economically, Tehran has remained defiant, obstructing oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and in recent days gaining new leverage as its Houthi allies in Yemen tighten their grip on a Red Sea chokepoint, further spiking global energy prices.

Iran expels Swedish diplomat in retaliatory action, foreign ministry says

(£) Reuters, 17/09/2026

Iran asked a Swedish diplomat to ​leave the country in to similar move from Sweden on Wednesday, Iran's ​Foreign Ministry said on ​Thursday, describing the Swedish ⁠action as "unjustified". Sweden's foreign ministry ​said on Wednesday it ​had summoned Iran's ambassador and asked an official at the Iranian embassy ​in Stockholm to ​leave the country, citing activity incompatible ‌with ⁠the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Iran's foreign ministry said on Thursday it ​had also ​summoned ⁠the Swedish ambassador in Tehran and ​protested his country's policies ​towards ⁠Iran "especially the offensive rhetoric about Iran and the ⁠hosting ​of anti-Iranian ​terrorist elements and groups".

Israelis strike in West Bank

Daily Mail, 17/09/2026

Israel attacked Palestinian cities across the West Bank and Gaza Strip today, hitting just beyond Yasser Arafat's main West Bank headquarters while he was inside, but he was not hurt. The multiple bombardment by Israeli warplanes and helicopter gunships was the largest simultaneous air strike at Palestinian targets since the start of a 14-month-old Palestinian uprising. Hospital officials said at least two Palestinians were killed and dozens were wounded in the Gaza Strip. Israel launched the assault in response to one of the most devastating waves of Palestinian suicide bombings inside the Jewish state in years. Palestinians accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of declaring war and demanded immediate international intervention. "Sharon's government is exercising terror.

Israeli troops withdraw from West Bank village

Daily Mail, 17/09/2026

Israeli troops withdrew from the West Bank village of Beit Reema today after a deadly raid that Israel called an anti-terrorist operation and the Palestinian Authority condemned as a massacre. Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, responding to U.S. demands for an Israeli pullout from areas seized in or around six Palestinian cities after the assassination of an Israeli cabinet minister, said he hoped all the troops could leave within days. Washington has been trying to calm a year of Israeli-Palestinian violence as it seeks to bolster Arab support for its anti-terrorism alliance after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Powell meets Arafat in the West Bank

Daily Mail, 17/09/2026

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is meeting with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in the West Bank today after he issued a statement in Arabic denouncing terrorism. In it, the spokesman noted positive points in Arafat's statement, including a call to implement a workplan drawn up by CIA director George Tenet and a blueprint for peace sketched out under the leadership of former U.S. Senator George Mitchell. The statement issued yesterday by Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian leadership contains a number of positive elements, including: Condemnation of all terrorist acts against Israeli and Palestinian civilians; A strong condemnation of yesterday's bombing in Jerusalem.

Israeli settlers, some armed, celebrate a new synagogue in the occupied West Bank, in photos

Associated Press, 17/09/2026

Israeli settlers, some carrying rifles, sang, danced and carried Torah scrolls as they inaugurated a synagogue at the newly revived settlement of Homesh. For those attending the event Wednesday, it was a celebration. For Palestinians living nearby, the return of settlers to the site carried a very different meaning. Homesh lies deep in the northern occupied West Bank, near the Palestinian village of Burqa. Israel dismantled the settlement in 2005 but formally approved its reestablishment last year, allowing settlers to live there and connect to Israel’s water and electricity networks. Palestinian residents of Burqa say the settlement restricts access to privately owned farmland around the site.

UN allows Palestinian president to again speak via video after US denies visa

(£) Reuters, 17/09/2026

The United Nations General Assembly voted on Thursday to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address ​the annual gathering of world leaders next week via video - ‌for the second year in a row - after the United States again denied him a visa to travel to New York. The resolution received 152 votes in favour and three ​votes against, while four countries abstained. It also allows Abbas and ​any other high-level Palestinian officials to take part in U.N. ⁠meetings or conferences via video over the next year if they are ​prevented from traveling to the United States.

Man accused of ties to bin Laden and tortured after 9/11 has 20-year Guantanamo detention reviewed

Associated Press, 17/09/2026

A man initially accused of being a high-profile al-Qa’ida figure and who was tortured in CIA custody appeared Thursday at a hearing to review his detention at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he has been held for 20 years without charges. A U.S. government official said Abu Zubaydah, who wore a neatly trimmed beard and glasses, had “probably” served as one of Usama bin Laden’s most trusted facilitators. The roughly 20-minute hearing offered rare visibility into the secretive military court proceedings of a suspect who had been tortured at CIA black sites during the U.S. war on terrorism and whose case still has not been resolved 25 years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Is Russia preparing to attack dissidents on American soil?

(£) The Times, 17/09/2026

It was an audacious plot with $40,000 on offer to “eliminate” a prominent Russian dissident living in Washington, DC. US officials revealed this week that they had uncovered a Kremlin plan involving a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officer and his father, two Cubans and a Venezuelan to kill the unnamed opposition activist residing in the US, identified in a Department of Justice indictment only as Victim-1. The five were charged in absentia with conspiracy to murder and commit terrorist acts, but are all still at large. The term “transnational repression” has become increasingly common parlance in recent years for the Kremlin’s attempts to harass, intimidate or kill diaspora figures abroad.

Man sentenced for spraying vinegar on Rep. Ilhan Omar in town hall attack

(£) The Independent, 17/09/2026

The man who sprayed vinegar at Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar during a Minneapolis town hall meeting was sentenced Thursday to the 14 months in prison prosecutors had asked for. Anthony Kazmierczak was sentenced nearly eight months after attacking Omar as the city was going through an immigration crackdown and mourning the deaths of two U.S. citizens. Kazmierczak was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, which includes no contact with Omar. In an earlier hearing, Kazmierczak, who is in his mid-50s, could give no explanation of what happened in the Jan. 27 assault.

Also: Associated Press

Iran war sows bitter divisions for diaspora in US

AFP, 18/09/2026

When the war on Iran began seven months ago, Washington area Iranian-American Soroush quickly found himself losing friends. He hates the Islamic government in Tehran but believes "nothing is going to be better" by going to war. Fellow exiles in the United States began accusing him of supporting their oppressors. Another Iranian-American, Bahar, also found herself being cut off within the diaspora -- but in her case because she strongly supported the war launched by US President Donald Trump. The 750,000-strong Iranian community in the US is overwhelmingly united in opposing Iran's Islamic regime whose top leadership has been decimated by the US-Israeli offensive that has destroyed swaths of the country's military and prompted global economic shocks.

Ireland to boycott Eurovision again over Israel’s inclusion

(£) Daily Telegraph, 17/09/2026

Ireland will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest for a second year because of Israel’s war in Gaza. The country has joined the Netherlands in skipping the world’s biggest live televised music event, taking place next year in Bulgaria. A spokesman for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE), the broadcaster which manages Ireland’s entry in the competition, said: “RTÉ will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, nor will RTE broadcast the competition. “RTE feels that Ireland’s participation cannot be justified given the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.”

Also: The Guardian

Saudi Arabia says debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed 1

Associated Press, 17/09/2026

Debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed one person and injured two others in Saudi Arabia’s Taif province, Saudi civil defence said Thursday. The statement didn’t indicate when this happened, though Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that it had stopped a drone aimed at Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. The Houthis are fighting the internationally recognized government in Yemen, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. The Houthis deny targeting Mecca. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said a claim of intercepting a drone shouldn’t be used to escalate tensions.

Also: (£) Reuters

Militants kill 15 in overnight Cameroon raid, village sources say

(£) Reuters, 17/09/2026

Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 15 people in a pre-dawn attack on ​a village in northern Cameroon, a local vigilante and ‌an administrative authority said on Thursday, in the latest violence to hit the area plagued by a long-running insurgency. Armed insurgents entered ​the village of Madegoua, near the town of ​Makary, at around 2 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Thursday, pulling out ⁠men and tying them up before executing them, said ​the local vigilante member, who requested anonymity to discuss the ​incident for security reasons. The initial death toll had been 13 though two other victims later died from injuries at a Makary hospital, according to the vigilante.

FBI tip-off leads to extremist charges for teen

Australian Associated Press, 18/09/2026

A teenager has been charged with allegedly possessing violent extremist material and promoting violence against Muslims and Jews online, following an overseas tip-off. FBI officers sounded the alarm in May, alerting authorities that an Australian user had referenced terrorist attacks on social media. Police executed a search warrant at a home in Warner, in Brisbane's northwest, on May 27, seizing several electronic devices. Officers allege the 18-year-old was the operator of several social media channels where extremist content was shared supporting violence against people of Muslim, Jewish and migrant backgrounds.

Thailand's Muslim separatists vow to fight to the end

AFP, 18/09/2026

Two decades into an insurgency that has killed thousands in southern Thailand, a leader of the main Malay-Muslim separatist group vowed this week to keep fighting until they achieve their goals. "This struggle will continue until the end of time," Nikmatullah Seri, the spokesman for the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) peace negotiation delegation, told AFP in a rare interview. "As long as our objectives remain unachieved, we will continue to fight." Militants from BRN have fought for an independent Islamic nation in Thailand's Muslim-majority south since the 1960s, although the current unrest began in 2004. Thailand has been negotiating with the BRN under Malaysian mediation since 2013, the most recent high-level talks taking place in December.

Houthis release video claiming to show downed Saudi F-15 fighter as Iran-backed rebels press their lightning advance

CNN, 17/09/2026

Houthi rebels on Wednesday released video of what they said was a Saudi F-15 fighter jet they shot down over Yemen as the recent lightning advance by the Iran-backed rebels piles further pressure on global energy supplies. According to a Houthi statement, the sophisticated US-built jet “was downed using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile” as it “conducted hostile operations” over Marib Governate in west-central Yemen. Video released by the group shows an electronic image of a missile hitting what appears to be a fighter jet followed by Houthi fighters inspecting wreckage in a desert landscape.

China presses Iran to help rein in Houthis after Saudi appeal, sources say

(£) Reuters, 17/09/2026

China has privately asked Tehran to help rein in Yemen's Houthis after an appeal to Beijing by Saudi Arabia following the Iran-backed group's military blitz in the past week, according to three Iranian sources familiar with ​the matter. Riyadh turned to China for help after the Houthis made rapid advances along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, moves that have left Saudi oil exports and ‌shipping more exposed, the sources said. China has publicly called for restraint, dialogue and the restoration of safe navigation, but its private message went further than the public statements, they said.

Italy readies navy to protect its shipping amid Bab el-Mandeb tensions

(£) Reuters, 17/09/2026

Italy is preparing for a possible naval mission to safeguard its merchant shipping as security concerns mount in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Defence ​Minister Guido Crosetto said on Thursday. Crosetto said he and Italy's of defence staff had agreed to mobilise the navy to prepare "whatever is necessary" to guarantee the secure transit of Italian vessels, arguing that delays in responding to ​mounting maritime risks could have direct consequences for the economy and ​consumers. Fears for shipping in the Red Sea have surged this ⁠month after the Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of parts of Yemen's coast ​that overlook the Bab el-Mandeb, threatening Saudi oil exports rerouted from the ​Strait of Hormuz.

This summary is not a statement of Home Office policy or opinion. Note that these outlets have a local or regional UK focus and/or a daily reach of less than 100k, and a minority may be funded by foreign governments.

RNLI in Portsmouth temporarily suspends service after volunteer abuse

LBC News, 17/09/2026

The RNLI has paused its services in Portsmouth in the wake of abuse of its volunteers after anti-migrant protests.

Tip-off from within UDA almost led to IRA digger bomb attack on Adair at shebeen

(£) Belfast Telegraph, 18/09/2026

A tip-off from someone within his own organisation almost led to the IRA launching a digger bomb attack on a UDA shebeen frequented by Johnny ‘Mad Dog’ Adair.

Houthi Attack Puts Pakistan-Saudi Pact To Test

Asian Lite, 17/09/2026

Pakistan has condemned an alleged Houthi drone attack near Mecca and reaffirmed its commitment to Saudi Arabia, while its military has stressed that the newly signed defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye is defensive in nature and that details of any response would remain operationally classified.

This summary is not a statement of Home Office policy or opinion. Note that some of these outlets have lower reach with UK audiences and/or may be state/government funded. Please also note that foreign media outlets may not have equivalent editorial standards to UK-based outlets.

Syria warns Israel poses ‘the greatest threat’ to Middle East stability

Al Jazeera, 18/09/2026

The United Nations Security Council’s monthly meeting on Syria’s post-Assad transition has seen Syria, Israel and Turkiye trade accusations over who can rightfully have a military presence on Syrian soil.

US approves visas for top Iranian leaders to attend UN General Assembly

Al Jazeera, 17/09/2026

The United States is allowing an Iranian delegation to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City next week, a Department of State spokesman said, in spite of the protracted war that is raging into its seventh month.

Also: AFP, National Newspaper

Ten India-sponsored militants killed in KP operations, says ISPR

Geo News, 18/09/2026

Security forces killed 10 militants belonging to the India-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij in multiple engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between September 15 and 17, while six soldiers were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.

PM Shehbaz to lead Pakistan's delegation to UNGA session next week, confirms FO

Geo News, 17/09/2026

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will lead Pakistan's delegation to the high-level segment of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York next week, Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan confirmed on Thursday.

Russia’s plans may include strikes against Ukraine’s allies, Poland says

Al Jazeera, 17/09/2026

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says that intelligence information suggests Russia plans to launch drone and missile attacks against countries supporting Ukraine.

Ireland boycotts Eurovision for second year over Israel’s inclusion

Al Jazeera, 17/09/2026

Ireland boycotts Eurovision for second year over Israel’s inclusion

At least 26 killed in clashes along Sudan-South Sudan border region

Al Jazeera, 17/09/2026

At least 26 people have been killed and 82 others injured in days of intercommunal fighting in a disputed region on the border between South Sudan and Sudan.

Five killed as Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis trade attacks

Al Jazeera, 17/09/2026

Intensifying attacks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis have reportedly killed at least five people in total, including three children.

One killed, two injured by debris from intercepted Houthi drone in Saudi Arabia

Al Arabiya, 17/09/2026

A Yemeni resident was killed and two others were injured in Saudi Arabia’s Taif on Thursday by falling debris from the interception and destruction of a drone launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Pakistan will go 'to any extent' to defend Saudi Arabia, vows ISPR DG

Geo News, 18/09/2026

Pakistan's armed forces have pledged to go "to any extent" to defend Saudi Arabia, with the military's chief spokesperson saying Islamabad's commitment to Riyadh's security was "unconditional".

Europe's capacity for war tested as Saudi Arabia seeks support to counter Houthis

National Newspaper, 18/09/2026

Western powers are struggling to find the military capacity or political appetite to intervene directly as Saudi Arabia seeks behind-the-scenes support to counter the advances of the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

‘They called us’: Has Trump abandoned Bab al-Mandeb to the Houthis?

Al Jazeera, 17/09/2026

Suleiman Al-Aqili writes: "Washington’s response to the Houthi advance exposes the limits of the US security umbrella in the Gulf."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Al Jazeera (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• Russia’s parliamentary election: Who’s on the ballot, and why it matters; Ghalibaf’s maths missile at Trump decoded: Is Iran fixing US interest rates?; Five killed as Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis trade attacks; South Korea says US-North Korea talks possible, rules out Hormuz deployment

Al Arabiya (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• US approves potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia; US allows Iran delegation to attend UN assembly; One killed, two injured by debris from intercepted Houthi drone in Saudi Arabia; Israel adds tender for 2,167 housing units to West Bank settlement expansion plan; Chinese, US top diplomats hold call days before leaders’ meeting

Geo TV (Pakistan, Urdu and English)

• US-IRAN CONFLICT: WAR AND DIPLOMACY; Pakistan will go 'to any extent' to defend Saudi Arabia, vows ISPR DG; 10 India-sponsored militants killed in KP operations: ISPR; Govt orders shops and malls to close by 9pm under austerity drive