The FBI has arrested Wanying “Heather” Zhang at Los Angeles International Airport after federal investigators accused her of surveilling Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s son and family for China. A criminal complaint alleges she filmed their home and vehicles, passed licence plate details to Chinese government contacts and acted as an unregistered foreign agent.

Seven months after an Iranian drone killed six American soldiers at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait, wounded survivors are publicly questioning decisions that placed them there — and describing a military medical system they say failed them after the blast.

Iran has executed Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raeisi after death sentences tied to January unrest in Isfahan were upheld. The case sits inside a broader wave of protest-linked executions, while rights monitors continue to raise allegations of torture, forced confessions and serious fair-trial failures.

The civilian cargo ship Royad Mammadov has sunk in Romania’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone after a fire killed two crew members and left 11 rescued. Ukraine says two Russian drones struck the Turkish-owned vessel carrying corn from Ukraine to Italy, but Romanian authorities have not yet publicly confirmed what caused the deadly incident.

Two men were killed and 35 people injured when gunfire erupted during a homecoming weekend block party in Vienna, Georgia. More than 1,000 people had gathered before shots rang out across multiple locations. Investigators are now trying to establish how many people opened fire, what triggered the violence and who was responsible.

US Marine Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and murder after Anna Yagi, 39, was found dead in a Naha hotel. The Marine denies the allegations. The case has triggered formal Japanese protests and renewed pressure over the US military presence and legal arrangements on Okinawa.

The Flydubai investigation has moved beyond the cockpit. Officials familiar with the UAE probe say the co-pilot accused of attacking Flight FZ1073 planned an attack before he was hired and deliberately searched for an airline serving Tel Aviv. The allegation raises new questions about recruitment, vetting and how he came to operate the Israel route.

A 15-year-old pupil has lost his left hand after an anti-riot grenade exploded during protests in Lens. The devastating incident comes as a rapidly expanding student movement disrupts hundreds of French schools — and an even larger nationwide mobilisation approaches.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called an early general election for 29 November after parliament rejected key housing measures and protests spread across the country. The vote will test whether Sánchez can rebuild a governing majority or whether Spain’s opposition can turn anger over housing, migration and political deadlock into a change of government.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has launched a High Court challenge seeking to quash search warrants used during police raids connected with his February arrest. The investigation continues — but the battle over whether police obtained those warrants lawfully could have major consequences.

French school protests have escalated with an alleged petrol attack on staff in Marseille, a torched fire engine and a school fire in Nantes. Officials give differing descriptions of the Victor Hugo incident. The unrest combines demands for better teaching and buildings with urgent questions about safety, criminal responsibility and the police response.

Explosions were heard across Addis Ababa as Ethiopia’s renewed northern conflict entered a more dangerous phase. An intelligence official confirmed three blasts, including one near the defence headquarters, while an opposition-linked source claimed drone strikes had reached the capital. The cause remains unconfirmed, but the incident raises new questions about how far the war could spread.

Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich have been chosen to co-lead Project Meridian, a 120-day Pentagon study of future warfare. The group will examine emerging battlefields, technologies and weapons while the US military accelerates its push into autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and space-based defence.

US officials increasingly believe China is unlikely to invade Taiwan before 2028, weakening the idea of 2027 as a fixed war deadline. But military readiness problems do not remove the danger. Taiwan’s next election, Chinese coercion and the possibility of US intervention could still turn the Taiwan Strait into the world’s most serious superpower flashpoint.

Sweden have been hit by a five-player illness outbreak before their Nations League match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Yasin Ayari, Benjamin Nygren, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Elliot Stroud and Patrik Wålemark have all stayed behind, forcing Graham Potter to reshape a team that has won its opening two group matches.

Pakistan has launched fresh airstrikes inside Afghanistan, targeting locations in Kunar and Helmand. Kabul says nine civilians were killed and 11 wounded, while Islamabad says 22 militants died in strikes on militant hideouts. The attack deepens a border crisis already driven by drone incidents, militant violence and repeated retaliation.

Passengers and crew aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 helped overpower a co-pilot after the captain was stabbed during a mid-air cockpit confrontation. The jet plunged thousands of feet before other pilots regained control and landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Investigators are now examining whether the incident was a deliberate attempt to crash the aircraft.

Christa Pike remained alive after Tennessee administered two doses of pentobarbital in an attempt to execute her on 30 September 2026. She was taken for medical treatment as Governor Bill Lee halted the state’s remaining execution for the year. The extraordinary failure now raises new questions about Tennessee’s protocol, Pike’s legal position and whether another execution can be attempted.

The RAF Fairford investigation has taken an unusual turn after it emerged that one of the five men arrested contacted police before the local farmer whose 999 call became central to the case. The reason for the suspect’s call remains unexplained, adding a new question to an inquiry involving three vans, petrol, terrorism arrests and possible foreign-state links.

Pep Guardiola has issued his first response after Manchester City were found guilty of serious Premier League financial-rule breaches. The former manager has backed the club, its ownership and Enzo Maresca, even as an earlier promise to walk away if City ever lied to him returns to the centre of the debate.