holds

United States President Donald Trump has insisted that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to stop striking each other’s energy infrastructure, as he called on both sides to end the “ridiculous” war.

Trump’s comments on Monday came even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces had struck at least six Ukrainian energy facilities since the US president declared the truce on Sunday.

“Well, they agreed,” Trump told reporters, referring to Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Because I said, ‘You agree’. That’s why they agreed, because I said they agree.”

When pressed about the Russian strikes, Trump said, “Well, I’d have to look at it and see, because there’s been violations on both sides.”

The US president called the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a “disaster” and claimed, without offering evidence, that at least 32,000 people had been killed this month alone.

“All I know is that Zelenskyy and Putin have to get together and end that ridiculous war,” he said.

Kyiv blindsided

Trump had blindsided Kyiv and its European allies when he announced the purported energy ceasefire on Sunday. The announcement came two days after he temporarily eased US sanctions on Russian diesel, a move that drew outrage in Europe and Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said it reversed years of Western efforts to isolate Russia’s economy and would only embolden Putin.

Lawmakers from both major parties in the United States have also said the diesel decision appears to violate US law. Several Republicans have objected that it undercuts a law Trump himself signed to tighten restrictions on Moscow.

Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukraine supported an energy ceasefire and had carried out no attacks on Russian refineries overnight. He said Kyiv was prepared to sign “guarantees to make sure they can be trusted”.

But he said it was “increasingly evident” that Moscow would not comply.

“Today alone, the Russians have attacked 6 energy facilities in Ukraine. 33 people were wounded across the country,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “This is what happens when Russia sees the prospect of higher revenues for its war machine.”

Russia, however, has rejected any pause in fighting, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promising to press ahead with the military campaign.

“I do not think he deserves a respite,” he said of Zelenskyy. “I don’t think we’ll be buying into assurances and promises again.” Russia, he added, would continue to pursue the goals of what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

US midterms

Trump, meanwhile, has portrayed Ukraine, rather than Russia, as the main obstacle to peace. He has said that Putin is more eager on a deal than Zelenskyy, and has called on Ukrainians to vote their president out of office – an unusually harsh turn in a relationship that has been strained since Trump returned to the White House in 2025.

Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, DC, said Trump has previously announced agreements between Russia and Ukraine that never materialised.

“He says he wants to protect industries in the US like farmers and ranchers, and to do that he needs the price to go down. But it seems that he thinks there’s a deal, but no one else is sure that there actually is one,” Fisher said.

The latest announcement, according to our correspondent, appeared to be driven by Trump’s desire to bring down diesel prices before the US midterm elections on November 3.

Most polls predict that Republicans will lose control of Congress as voters grow frustrated with rising prices, particularly for petrol.

An opinion survey published on October 1 by the Associated Press news agency and the University of Chicago suggested that 65 percent of US adults blame the White House for the high cost of living, especially Trump’s tariff policies and his new war against Iran.

Ukraine’s European allies, meanwhile, voiced scepticism about the energy ceasefire and approved the largest set of European Union sanctions since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

The bloc’s foreign ministers added some 1,569 people and businesses to the bloc’s sanctions list to maintain the pressure on Moscow.

“Russia will only negotiate seriously under pressure, which is why we are sticking to our sanctions against Russia,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin.

Oct. 11, 2026 11:18 AM PT

NEW YORK — UCLA jumped to No. 12 in the latest Associated Press top 25 poll following its upset of Oregon and USC retained its No. 19 ranking following its win at hostile Penn State.

The poll saw many changes following a Saturday filled with upsets.

Georgia moved up to No. 1 after its win at Alabama, Texas dropped six spots to No. 7 after its loss to rival Oklahoma and Oregon was unranked for the first time in four years after losing for the second time in the past month.

The Bulldogs, who had been No. 2 for five straight polls while rolling off five straight lopsided wins, went on the road and beat Alabama 20-17 with the help of what appeared to be a missed pass interference call in the end zone late in the game.

Georgia received 66 first-place votes from the panel of 70 media members after its first victory in Tuscaloosa since 2014 and ascended to the top of the poll for the first time since Sept. 8, 2024.

Notre Dame, which tuned up for this week’s top-10 matchup at BYU with a 58-7 rout of Stanford, moved up one spot to No. 2. The Fighting Irish got one first-place vote and have their highest ranking since they were No. 2 in the final poll of the 2024 season.

No. 3 Miami, which received two first-place votes, is followed by Ohio State and Indiana. The Hoosiers, who received the remaining first-place vote, got a two-spot promotion after their narrow win at Nebraska.

Alabama remained No. 6, and Texas, BYU, Mississippi and Texas Tech completed the top 10.

Oregon came into the season with its highest preseason ranking ever at No. 2. The Ducks’ turnover-fueled 17-15 home loss to UCLA dropped them to 3-2 and knocked them out of the poll for the first time since they went from No. 11 to unranked following a 49-3 loss to Georgia in the 2022 opener.

No. 12 UCLA and No. 15 Kentucky got the biggest promotions. The Bruins moved up nine spots with their win over Oregon, and the Wildcats went from unranked to No. 15 with their 35-34 overtime win over LSU, which dropped from No. 10 to No. 22.

In and out

In: Kentucky, which dropped out last week after beating South Carolina, is back in the poll with its highest ranking since early October 2022.

In: No. 21 Wake Forest is 5-1 and ranked for the first time since late October 2022.

In: No. 25 Northwestern, at 4-1, earned its first ranking under fourth-year coach David Braun.

Out: Oregon hasn’t lost two of its first five games since the 2016 team opened 2-5 and finished 4-8.

Out: Florida has gone from No. 8 to No. 16 to out of the rankings in two weeks following its 38-19 home loss to South Carolina.

Out: Pittsburgh managed just one touchdown on eight second-half possessions in a 21-17 home loss to North Carolina.

Poll points

— This is the second time in three years there have been three or more No. 1 teams in the first six polls. Georgia, Texas and Alabama took turns holding the top spot in the first six polls in 2024. The only other time in the Top 25 era that three teams had been No. 1 at this point of a season was 1990.

— Notre Dame and Miami, dubbed “Catholic vs. Convicts” rivals since their classic game in 1988, haven’t been together in the top three since Nov. 9, 1993.

— Texas’ six-spot fall from No. 1 to No. 7 matched its drop following a season-opening loss to Ohio State last year.

Conference call

SEC (9 ranked teams): No. 1 Georgia, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Texas, No. 9 Mississippi, No. 13 Missouri, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 15 Kentucky, No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 22 LSU.

Big Ten (6): No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Indiana, No. 12 UCLA, No. 17 Iowa, No. 19 USC, No. 25 Northwestern.

Big 12 (5): No. 8 BYU, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 11 Utah, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 20 Houston.

ACC (3): No. 3 Miami, No. 21 Wake Forest, No. 24 SMU.

Pac-12 (1): No. 23 Boise State.

Independent (1): No. 3 Notre Dame.

Olson writes for the Associated Press.

Santa Margarita High football coach Carson Palmer said special teams is the Eagles’ best phase of play. Not the elite defense, which had seven sacks and held Mater Dei to seven points on Friday night. Not the offense led by his son Fletch, who completed 65% of his passes for 155 yards.

No, he was adamant that it is the special teams unit. Two plays from junior free safety Jake Martin proved his coach right.

Twice Mater Dei attempted a field goal and twice the kick was missed. Martin juked out blockers late in the first half to deflect the first attempt, keeping the score at 7-7. Then, he helped preserve a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter as his pressure on the outside forced a second miss.

“We’re unbreakable,” Martin said after the Eagles’ 14-7 win. “We’re trying to go back-to-back. This is the team that’s going to do it.”

The chances of a second straight CIF Open Division state championship look good so far. Winning the Trinity League opener at Saddleback College kept the Eagles undefeated at 6-0. Mater Dei dropped to 4-2.

Of course, the Eagles’ offense and defense made plenty of important plays.

The game was sealed with an interception from freshman safety Jayden Jack, as Mater Dei freshman quarterback Paytyn Guess heaved the ball to the end zone with the Monarchs out of timeouts and out of options. That, coupled with a big sack from sophomore defensive lineman Kingston Jimmerson, killed the momentum on the visitors’ final drive.

It wasn’t a bad night for the young quarterback, though, as Guess staked his claim to the starting role for the Monarchs.

Mater Dei rotated three quarterbacks in nonleague play, and coach Raul Lara kept his cards tight to his chest before the game. The starter was Guess, who took more than 90% of the snaps on a night when he finished 16 for 22 for 163 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.

“He’s dynamic, but the problem with him is that he’s a freshman who just came into the program and is getting his feet wet,” Lara said before kickoff.

The impressive Santa Margarita front exposed those growing pains. Guess held on to the ball too long and took too many hits.

His playmaking ability did give Mater Dei a chance until the final moments, as he scrambled around and found senior wide receiver Gavin Honore down the sideline. The inconsistency on offense, though, has been a source of frustration for Lara.

“It all comes down to execution. We have to execute,” he said. “When we have the opportunity to make a play, we need to make that play and take advantage of it.”

Mater Dei’s defensive line had a solid game, holding Santa Margarita star sophomore running back Adrian Petero to 41 yards on 11 carries, although he scored his team’s first touchdown.

It was Santa Margarita’s junior quarterback who had the decisive play as Palmer found junior wide receiver Grant Van Raaphorst in the back of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Mater Dei sophomore running back Asir Nembhard had the only touchdown for his team, which gave the Monarchs their only lead of the night in the first quarter.

Before the game, Palmer said tat he tells his players to never take an opponent too lightly nor build it up too much. The former NFL quarterback played in a division with the prime Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, so he knows a thing or two about a competitive schedule like the Trinity League offers.

“We’ve got a target on our back after last year, and we know that,” Palmer said. “We know that we are highlighted on other teams’ schedules.”

He also emphasized that his team could improve in every aspect of the game. That is certainly a scary prospect for foes facing the No. 1 team in the state.

Colin Simmons tied the program record with five sacks as top-ranked Texas held off No. 14 Tennessee 20-17 Saturday with President Donald Trump on hand in the Longhorns’ first visit to Neyland Stadium.

Raleek Brown ran for 67 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and his four-yarder with 5:41 left gave the Longhorns the winning margin in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Giannis Spetic had a pair of field goals.

It was a defensive day with Texas (4-0) dominating with 10 sacks. Simmons’ big day will be remembered for his vulgar celebration after one sack. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct with the referee saying Simmons was “simulating” using the restroom.

“We took him out, we addressed it and put him back in,” Sarkisian said of Simmons. “At that point, I’m not going to give the guy a death penalty over an unsportsmanlike conduct. We got to fix it though. That can’t continue.”

Quarterback Brandon Faizon of Tennessee (3-1) made it interesting late, capping an 80-yard drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Mike Matthews with 1:22 left. Linebacker Arion Carter recovered the onside kick, and Jelani McDonald batted away Brandon’s pass to Travis Smith Jr. on the final play in the end zone.

Texas’ Arch Manning threw for 201 yards while being sacked six times. He also was intercepted once with the Longhorns needing the smothering defensive performance to help on a day with too many penalties, including two illegal forward passes by Manning.

at No. 2 Georgia 41, Oklahoma 13: Chris Cole scored on a 85-yard fumble return as the Bulldogs (4-0) took advantage of three first-half turnovers by John Mateer and overwhelmed the struggling Sooners in the SEC opener for both schools.

Mateer lost two fumbles, each recovered by Cole, and and had a pass instercepted as Oklahoma, which finished with four turnovers, fell behind 28-0. K.J. Bolden picked off a pass from Mateer in the second quarter.

Gunner Stockton was almost perfect in the first half for Georgia. Stockton completed his first nine passes, including a 35-yard touchdown throw to Talyn Taylor.

No. 3 Notre Dame 49, at Purdue 10: CJ Carr threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score and linebacker Drayk Bowen scored his first career touchdown on a 15-yard fumble return for the Fighting Irish.

Carr was 14-of-22 passing for 237 yards with his first interception of the season.Aneyas Williams carried 14 times for 80 yards with one TD as Notre Dame (4-0) produced a season-high 177 yards rushing. Notre Dame has won 14 straight and will start October with a perfect record for the first time since 2021.

at No. 7 Ohio State 42, Illinois 19: Jeremiah Smith tied an Ohio State record with four touchdown catches and also had career highs with 12 receptions and 217 yards in the rout of the Illini.

According to Sportradar, it is the 23rd time since 2000 an FBS player has had double-digit catches for at least 200 yards and four scores in a game. The last to do it was Western Michigan’s Sky Moore against Northern Illinois in 2021.

It is the fifth time an Ohio State receiver has had four touchdowns. The last time it happened before Saturday was Noah Brown at Oklahoma in 2016.

at No. 11 Texas Tech 49, Sam Houston 14: Red Raiders linebacker Austin Romaine returned two interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive passes thrown by different Sam Houston quarterbacks in the first half of what became a rout.

Texas Tech led only 7-0 before fellow linebacker Brock Gowlas leaped to deflect a pass thrown by Brett Holloway. Romaine, who had also jumped, then grabbed the ball out of the air and ran 15 yards for a touchdown with 14:54 left in the first half. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Bearcats starting quarterback Landyn Locke was back in the game, and his pass on first down was picked off by Romaine. That 31-yard return made it 21-0.

Wake Forest 30 at No. 16 Louisville 27: Connor Calvert kicked three field goals, including a 32-yarder with 6:20 remaining, to lift the Decons (3-1, 1-1 ACC) to the upset.

Gio Lopez threw for 225 yards and a touchdown. on 12 of 19 passing for the Demon Deacons (3-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) against Louisville (2-2, 1-1). Carlos Hernandez caught nine of those for 194 yards, just three yards off the career best he set last season against Delaware. Ty Clark III carried the ball 21 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns.

No. 17 Iowa 20, at No. 18 Michigan 19: Hank Brown threw a game-ending, 16-yard touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee to lift the Hawkeyes to the win in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Iowa (4-0) went 91 yards on the final drive — boosted by an unnecessary roughness penalty against Michigan on a third down at midfield. Brown’s 29-yard pass to Addison Ostrenga set up the final play with two seconds on the clock.

Bryce Underwood threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to JJ Buchanan early in the fourth quarter — their second scoring connection of the game — but the Wolverines (3-1) could not make enough plays on both sides of the ball to hold on for the win.

Etc.

Wayshawn Parker broke a 54-yard run on the game’s opening play from scrimmage for the first of his three touchdowns and No. 15 Utah (4-0) held off host Iowa State (2-2) in the second half for a 31-17 win on Saturday in a Big 12 opener for both teams. … Conner Weigman threw four touchdown passes and ran for two scores, leading No. 25 Houston (3-1) to a 42-28 win over visiting Georgia Southern.

Lee Beebe Jr. rushed for 203 yards, including a 70-yard burst that set up Josh Hoover’s game-sealing one-yard touchdown run with 1:56 to play, and No. 5 Indiana (4-0) held on for a 29-23 over surprising Northwestern (2-1) in the Big Ten opener for both schools on Friday night. …

Mason Heintschel passed for 403 yards and six touchdowns, and host Pittsburgh (4-0) remained perfect by rolling past Bucknell 59-0 on Saturday. … Jeffrey Overton Jr. ran for a 76-yard, go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter as Virginia Tech (4-0) rallied for a 21-14 victory at Boston College (2-2) in an ACC opener for both teams that was played in a nor’easter. …

Russell appeared on course for a comfortable win as the race unfolded with few incidents of note in the opening stages.

Piastri moved up from third on the grid to second by passing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the start but the Australian lacked the pace to chase Russell, who edged away into a comfortable lead.

Behind, Piastri soon found himself holding off Hadjar, who won an early battle with McLaren’s Lando Norris and then passed Leclerc to challenge the McLaren.

Meanwhile, Verstappen was making his way up from eighth place after a qualifying session in which a cascade of problems had prevented him qualifying second to Russell.

By lap seven, he was past Hadjar into third place after the Frenchman did not fight him.

The three cars circulated together in a stalemate, with no-one able to pass and the teams all waiting for the expected accident that would lead to a safety car and a cheap pit stop.

That happened on lap 30, when Williams’ Alex Albon crashed at Turn Five.

On the restart, six laps later, Verstappen passed Piastri into Turn One to move into second place.

But the race was almost immediately put back under caution after a pile-up at the first corner caused by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who cannoned into team-mate Pierre Gasly, who in turn clattered into Norris.

Behind them, the two Racing Bulls also came together, Arvid Lindblad tipping Liam Lawson into a spin, leading to a sarcastic response from the New Zealander on the radio.

That put Verstappen on to Russell’s tail for another restart but the Briton handled the situation coolly, accelerating early and catching the Dutchman somewhat unawares.

He was unable to shake Verstappen, who was always about 0.5secs behind but never quite close enough to try a move into Turn One, the only significant overtaking place.

There was one last chance for Verstappen on the final lap.

Valtteri Bottas crashed his Cadillac at Turn 15, and after backing off for the yellow flags, Russell lost his turbo which in turn cost him electrical boost.

Verstappen closed in on the run to the line and there was just 0.196secs between them as they crossed the line, the closest green-flag finish to a grand prix since the 2002 United States Grand Prix.

Russell has now finished on the podium in three of the four races since the summer break and asked what has changed for him since then, he said: “I think it’s just having more experience with this new driving style I’ve adopted and every race since the break I feel like I’ve gone from strength to strength. I feel more like myself again.”

A federal judge declined Thursday to rule immediately on a proposed settlement between Paramount Skydance and 12 state attorneys general, leaving the last major legal hurdle to the studio’s $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery unresolved for now.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín did not indicate how she would rule, but said she wanted more information before deciding whether to approve the proposed consent decree, a court-enforceable agreement that would allow the merger to proceed under certain conditions..

“I’m not the only one who has some questions for you all. There’s lots of interest,” said Judge Martínez-Olguín. “I appreciate people are interested, but I also want to make sure that I have everything that I’m going to consider in front of me.”

The judge said she would issue a ruling “in due course.”

The hearing comes three days after California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced that the two sides had reached an agreement.

It requires the combined company to release at least 30 films in theaters each year, commit at least an additional $1.5 billion to domestic film production and set aside $47.5 million for workers affected by the merger.

“When theater owners have publicly said that supply is the problem, those are voices that carry weight because they’re in the market,” said Paula Blizzard, an attorney for California, during the hearing. “They are the people we’re trying to protect — the businesses and the competition that we are trying to protect.”

The settlement proposal also includes stipulations on how basic cable channel negotiations must proceed, creates a board intended to protect the editorial independence of CBS News and CNN, and bars Paramount from selling or closing its Melrose Ave. lot or Warner Bros.’ Burbank lot while requiring the company to operate them “in a manner consistent with past practices.”

An independent monitor will oversee the settlement implementation. The agreement, if approved by the judge, will be in effect for five years.

“Paramount wants to get to work. Paramount is doing this deal because it wants to compete. Netflix, Amazon, Disney are far larger streaming undertakings,” said Josh Holian, an attorney for Paramount, during the hearing. “Paramount believes that a transaction like this can be transformative in fueling its ability to compete in that market.”

Before ending the hearing, Judge Martínez-Olguín assigned the parties several tasks, which included addressing a letter from U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) who echoed some concerns about the proposal.

Booker, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, asked the judge to conduct an “independent public-interest review” before approving the settlement agreement. Because the U.S. Justice Department closed its investigation of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger without seeking any remedies, Booker argued, the proposal is “the only enforceable instrument that will govern” the combined company.

Martínez-Olguín asked the parties to submit their responses to Booker’s letter by Monday, Sept. 28 at noon.

Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav had told staff earlier this week that he expected the deal to close no later than early October.

The settlement has divided Hollywood, with some saying Bonta bowed to political pressure from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. During negotiations, Paramount threatened to move its studio out of state, which Newsom said he took seriously.

After the proposed settlement was announced, Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison said the combined company would remain in L.A.

Many in Hollywood are concerned about the threat of layoffs from the merger. Paramount has told Wall Street it plans to make more than $6 billion in cost cuts. A recent report commissioned by L.A. County estimated that 4,500 jobs could be lost over three years.

Media reports say US withholds army chief’s visa to pressure him into accepting a 90-day truce in Sudan’s civil war.

Sudanese activists and journalists have criticised the United States over reports that Washington has withheld a visa from army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan before the United Nations General Assembly in an apparent bid to pressure him into accepting a ceasefire proposal.

Activists took to social media on Wednesday to slam the reported move as “political pressure”, arguing that access to the UN should not be used to influence Khartoum’s position on Sudan’s three-year civil war.

Neither the Sudanese government nor the US Department of State has commented on the reports.

General al-Burhan, whose army has been fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, was scheduled to address the General Assembly on Thursday in New York. The army chief has spoken at the assembly twice since the war began.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and caused the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises.

The Reuters news agency, citing Sudanese sources, reported on Tuesday that the US was withholding al-Burhan’s visa and had made its issuance contingent on him agreeing to a 90-day ceasefire proposed by Massad Boulos, US senior adviser for Arab and African affairs.

The AFP news agency, quoting two diplomatic sources, also reported that Washington refused to issue the visa. One source called the move a “clear violation of the UN’s agreement with the US” while another said the visa had been “conditioned” on al-Burhan accepting the three-month truce.

‘Political pressure’

Sudan’s UN ambassador, Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith, wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to request the UN’s “immediate intervention” with US authorities, according to Reuters.

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for Guterres, said the UN chief was “deeply concerned” that the visa had reportedly not been issued. He told the AFP that the UN Secretariat has urged the US, as host country, to ensure visas were issued in accordance with its obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement and in time for al-Burhan to participate in the General Assembly.

Sudanese activist Mamoun al-Sheikh denounced the US move in a post on Facebook, saying: “Even if the visa is withheld, it will not silence Sudan’s voice.”

Another activist, Sayed Al-Mazaj, described linking the visa to a proposed 90-day ceasefire as “a tool for political pressure”. And in a video posted on X, Sudanese journalist Diaa Al-Din Bilal said barring al-Burhan from New York would not force him to accept the US position and could instead boost his popularity and rally support around him.

Another X user, @Atifazhri, also denounced the US move, noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes in Gaza, had been granted a visa.

“The issue is double standards – when visas become instruments of political coercion against a sovereign state while far more serious cases are treated differently. International law and justice cannot be applied selectively,” the user wrote.

US questions al-Burhan’s legitimacy

The State Department issued a statement on Tuesday that did not directly address al-Burhan’s visa but called into question his legitimacy. Its spokesman Tommy Pigott said neither the Sudanese army nor the RSF “nor their respective leaders, represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan”.

He added the US would “seek to raise the cost of continued conflict on all belligerents”.

Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hit back on Wednesday, calling on the US to engage positively with the country’s government. Any peace initiative, it said, must “be grounded in respect for Sudan’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and legitimate national institutions”.

“It must also address the root causes of the war’s continuation — foremost among them, negative foreign interference,” the ministry added.

Al-Burhan has been Sudan’s de facto leader since 2019 although the African Union and Western powers withdrew recognition after a 2021 coup that he led with Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF’s leader, against the civilian leadership.

He has rejected externally imposed ceasefires, arguing that earlier pauses in the fighting benefitted the paramilitary group.

The US has also refused visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and some members of Iran’s delegation to the UN.

Published on
17/09/2026 – 13:17 GMT+2

The ‘Old Lady of Threadneedle Street’ has chosen to wait, though not unanimously.

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The Monetary Policy Committee voted by a majority of six to three on Thursday to leave borrowing costs unchanged, with the dissenting trio pushing for a quarter-point increase to 4%.

The decision puts the Bank of England at odds with the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, both of which have tightened within the past week.

Despite holding, the central bank expects the situation to worsen before it improves.

Inflation “is likely to rise further over coming quarters,” the committee said, pointing to crude and refined energy prices that have climbed again since its last meeting and remain “more volatile and higher than pre-conflict.”

Watching for second-round effects

The case for holding rests on what has not yet happened.

“There has been little evidence so far of material second-round effects in price and wage-setting,” the statement read, meaning expensive energy is not yet feeding into broader wages and prices.

However, that reprieve may be temporary.

The risk of such effects “is greater the longer higher energy prices persist or are more volatile,” the committee warned, adding that risks to the inflation outlook are “tilted to the upside, and more so than at the time of the July Monetary Policy Report.”

Brent crude and UK wholesale gas prices have risen 36% and 78% respectively since July, with Brent at $106 a barrel and gas at 207 pence per therm on 14 September.

Refinery pressures have kept crack spreads, the gap between refined fuel prices and crude, well above pre-conflict levels.

Economic activity has held up slightly better than expected, while a soft labour market and the higher borrowing costs households and businesses have faced since the conflict began should bring inflation down over time.

A crowded week for central banks

The Fed raised its benchmark on Wednesday to a range of 3.75% to 4%, its first increase since 2023 and a unanimous decision, while signalling more to come.

The ECB lifted its deposit rate to 2.5% last week.

The sequence concludes on Friday with the Bank of Japan, where markets expect a hike.

That would leave the Bank of England as the only major central bank to have stood still this week, though on Thursday’s evidence not by much.

Additional sources • AP

Sept. 16, 2026 3:10 PM PT

WASHINGTON — The House approved a resolution Wednesday holding billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress, referring the matter to the Department of Justice after he defied the Oversight Committee’s subpoenas in its investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The action was swift and without a formal vote, and now leaves it to the Justice Department to decide whether to seek criminal prosecution. Black has refused to respond to the subpoenas’ requests to appear and to turn over any potential nondisclosure agreements involving the investigation into Epstein.

Republicans and Democrats from the Oversight Committee joined in a bipartisan effort to advance the resolution forward.

“No one is above the law,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the Oversight Committee chairman, said in a statement. “We will continue to seek transparency for the American people and justice for survivors in our investigation of the federal government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal cases.”

California Rep. Robert Garcia, the panel’s top Democrat, called the vote “an important step toward justice and accountability.”

Black’s lawyers have denounced the Oversight Committee’s pursuit of the former head of a private equity firm as an abuse of congressional power. They said he “had no knowledge of any of Epstein’s heinous conduct.”

“The Committee has continued to insist on looking for information that does not exist,” attorneys Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler said in a statement. They called the action “politically motivated” and have sued the committee and asked the Office of Congressional Conduct to open a probe into Comer’s tactics.

“This an outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr. Black,” they said.

Epstein investigation churns in Congress

Black is the latest among several prominent figures, including former President Clinton and Bill Gates, who have been asked to appear as part of the Oversight Committee’s long-running probe of Epstein. Survivors of Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse have told personal stories of being young women in a trafficking enterprise organized by Epstein and his colleague Maxwell.

In June, Black did appear for a voluntary interview at the committee. Lawmakers said later that he refused to answer their questions about the nondisclosure agreements.

The committee issued two subpoenas seeking to compel Black to produce the NDAs and to appear for a deposition July 16. The committee said it had accommodated Black’s request to delay the deposition to Sept. 3, but he refused to appear.

On Tuesday the Oversight Committee voted unanimously to approve the contempt recommendation, sending it to the full House.

Black co-founded the private equity firm Apollo Global Management and stepped down in 2021 during the fallout over his ties to Epstein. Lawmakers have alleged that Black paid Epstein $180 million during their years-long relationship.

A 2021 review commissioned by Apollo found that Black paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 to 2017, after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The review said the payments were for “bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services.”

Mascaro writes for the Associated Press.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s inflation held at 1.8 percent in August for the fourth-straight month, as housing, food and transport costs continued to drive consumer prices higher, official data showed. 

The annual increase matched July’s reading, while the Consumer Price Index rose 0.1 percent from the previous month, according to data from the General Authority for Statistics. 

This increase was mainly driven by a rise in housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuel prices by 3.9 percent, food and beverage prices by 1.4 percent, and transport prices by 2 percent, the report added. 

Saudi Arabia’s inflation remains relatively subdued compared with some regional peers.

Oman’s rate accelerated to 3.4 percent in August, driven by an 8.5 percent increase in transport costs and a 7 percent rise in food and non-alcoholic beverages, while inflation averaged 2.9 percent in the first eight months.

Jordan’s inflation stood at 2.66 percent in August, taking the average for the first eight months to 2.20 percent.  

This comes as Kamco Invest said in a report last month that regional tensions could fuel inflation by pushing up oil prices and disrupting fertilizer exports, although inflation across the Gulf Cooperation Council remained subdued in June and July. 

In its latest report, GASTAT stated: “The housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels division was the main contributor to the annual inflation with a contribution of 0.8 percentage points, followed by the food and beverages division with a contribution of 0.3 percentage points, in addition to the transport division with a contribution of 0.3 percentage points.” 

Since housing remains the single largest driver of Saudi CPI, authorities have leaned heavily on real estate interventions to keep it in check. A five-year freeze of annual rent increases for new and existing residential and commercial contracts within Riyadh’s urban boundaries took effect in September last year. 

Housing and personal care lead gains 

The housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels division rose 3.9 percent year on year, largely due to a 3.9 percent increase in actual rents.  

The personal care, social protection and other goods and services division followed with a 3.5 percent annual rise, pushed up by a 13.3 percent jump in other personal effects, itself driven by a 14.4 percent surge in jewelry and watch prices.  

Recreation, sport and culture climbed 2.8 percent, helped by a 4.7 percent rise in holiday package prices. 

On the downside, furniture, home appliances and routine home maintenance fell 0.6 percent, while clothing and footwear slipped 0.5 percent. 

Monthly movements mixed  

On a monthly basis, personal care, social protection and other goods and services rose 0.8 percent in August, transport gained 0.6 percent, and insurance and financial services rose 0.5 percent.  

Housing costs edged up 0.2 percent on a 0.2 percent rise in actual rents. Food and beverages slipped 0.1 percent, while restaurants and accommodation services fell 0.4 percent, the steepest monthly decline among divisions. 

Average prices show sharp swings 

A separate GASTAT report on average prices of goods and services showed some of the sharpest monthly moves came from fresh produce and construction inputs.  

Local onions posted the largest monthly gain of any tracked item, up 17.9 percent, followed by imported onions at 11.6 percent, medium local potatoes at 7 percent, and local zucchini at 6.7 percent.  

Hotel accommodation rose 2.5 percent, while furnished apartments increased 2.8 percent on the month.  

On the other side, local tomatoes recorded the steepest monthly drop at 15.2 percent, followed by imported tomatoes down 9.3 percent and medium African lemons down 9.2 percent.  

Among construction materials, national reinforcing iron of various diameters fell between 1 and 2 percent month on month, while national electrical cables and wires rose broadly, led by a 25.7 percent annual increase in 35mm cables. 

Wholesale Price Index 

Saudi Arabia’s Wholesale Price Index stood at 4.6 percent in August, down from 5 percent in July, GASTAT said.  

This was driven mainly by an 8.2 percent jump in other transportable goods, excluding metal products, machinery and equipment, on the back of a 51.4 percent surge in basic chemical prices and a 4 percent rise in refined petroleum product prices.  

Metal products, machinery and equipment prices rose 2.2 percent annually, while agriculture and fishery products increased 4.8 percent. Ores and minerals prices fell 1.8 percent. 

“On a monthly basis, the WPI recorded a decline of 0.2 percent in August compared to July 2026,” the report noted, weighed down by a 1 percent drop in other transportable goods and a 2 percent fall in ores and minerals, even as metal products, machinery and equipment rose 0.8 percent and food, beverages, tobacco and textiles gained 0.6 percent. 

Producer Price Index 

Separately, Saudi Arabia’s Producer Price Index for July — the most recent data available — recorded a 5.3 percent annual increase compared with July 2025, according to GASTAT.  

The rise was driven by a 5.5 percent increase in manufacturing prices, a 2.3 percent rise in electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply prices, and a 6.8 percent increase in water supply, sewerage and waste management activity prices. 

Within manufacturing, prices for chemicals and chemical products jumped 13.1 percent annually, wearing apparel rose 12.9 percent, and basic metals climbed 8.8 percent.  

On a monthly basis, however, the PPI fell 2.8 percent in July compared with June, mainly on a 3.0 percent decline in manufacturing prices, led by a 6.8 percent drop in refined petroleum product prices.