Sep 21(Jowhar)-Mareykanka ayaa maanta labo duqayn ka fuliyey togga Baalade ee gobolka Bari, kuwaas oo lagu bartilmaameedsaday kooxda IS, sida ay xaqiijisay Puntland.
34 Palestinians killed as Hamas posts hostage images online
A City Remapped by Rubble: Walking Through Gaza’s New Geography
Dust hangs in the air like a second sky. You can taste it—metallic and bitter—after the blast waves that have been reshaping Gaza City into a skyline of absences: empty foundations, sheared façades, the ghostly skeletons where high-rise apartments once housed families, shops and the ordinary bustle of daily life.
“My building was the place everyone met,” says Amal, a woman in her thirties I met near the cratered spine of Sheikh Radwan. “We used to argue over coffee, then we would watch the sunset from the roof. Now there’s nothing left to come back to.”
This week Israel intensified a campaign that has included the demolition of apartment towers and high-rise blocks across Gaza City—up to 20 tower blocks in recent weeks, Israeli military spokespeople say—while carrying out ground operations from positions in the eastern suburbs.
According to Gaza health authorities, 34 people were killed in the most recent wave of attacks. The longer arc of the conflict has already left a staggering toll: more than 65,000 Palestinians dead in almost two years of fighting, health officials say. Homes, hospitals, and schools have been reduced to rubble; entire neighborhoods have been emptied as people flee or find themselves trapped.
Neighborhoods Under Fire
The military has been bombarding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas—zones that overlook or buffer central and western Gaza City, where most of the population has sought refuge. “They’re trying to break the city’s backbone,” an aid worker who has been operating in the area told me. “But the backbone is people, and people don’t just break neatly.”
Israel estimates some 350,000 Palestinians have fled attacks on Gaza City since the start of September. Yet another 600,000 remain—packed into what is left of the urban fabric, living in tents, partially destroyed apartment blocks, or temporary collective shelters.
Hostages, History and a Nation’s Pain
Amid the rubble and the human flood of displacement, another painful thread runs through the crisis: hostages. Of 251 people seized by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attacks on Israel, 47 remain in Gaza. The Israeli military says 25 of those are dead; Hamas disputes those figures and has released images that it says show the remaining captives.
“We put up photos so the world knows who is still there,” said a statement from the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades accompanying the images. In a move heavy with symbolism, the captions invoked the name of Ron Arad—the Israeli navigator missing since 1986 after his plane went down over Lebanon—tapping into a long national trauma in Israel where bringing home the lost is a sacred duty.
“When we think of Ron Arad, generations remember. This is how families keep hope alive or are forced to let it die,” one Israeli relatives’ rights campaigner explained. “That’s why photos have real weight here.”
Two Narratives, One City
Each side frames the crisis in arguments that feel irreconcilable. Israeli officials argue that military pressure is aimed at degrading Hamas’ capacity to launch attacks and that a surrender by Hamas could end the fighting. “Hamas could stop this now,” a military spokesman told journalists. “Disarm, release the hostages, and there would be no justification—no need—for this destructive operation.”
Hamas, for its part, has been emphatic. It says it will not disarm until a Palestinian state is established. “This is not just a tactical position,” a political analyst in Gaza noted. “It is a demand linked to the broader political question that has shadowed this land for decades.”
Recognition, Diplomacy and the Global Conversation
Against the backdrop of explosions and displacement, a diplomatic drumbeat resounded in New York: ten countries—including Australia, Belgium, Britain and Canada—had been scheduled to formally recognise an independent Palestinian state on a Monday before the annual leaders’ gathering at the UN General Assembly.
What does symbolic recognition change on the ground? It is tempting to think of a single act as a neat solution, but the reality is messier. Recognition can shift diplomatic leverage, open new legal pathways, and empower Palestinian demands in international forums. But it cannot instantly patch broken pipelines of food or rebuild a hospital ward.
“Recognition matters. It is about dignity and a claim to equal standing,” says Dr. Laila Mansour, a scholar of international law based in the region. “But those diplomatic moves must be matched with protections, aid corridors and pressure to limit civilian harm.”
Humanitarian Lines and Political Crossroads
UN agencies and relief organizations have repeatedly warned of famine conditions and collapsing services in Gaza. Israel has countered that the severity of the famine has been exaggerated. Independent access to verify conditions is often denied by security constraints—leaving aid workers to piece together a grim and incomplete picture from interviews, hospital records and satellite imagery.
“We are racing against a clock that keeps skipping minutes,” said a UN logistics coordinator who has helped organize convoys into Gaza. “Every delay, every closure of a route, is a renewal of risk—more lives teetering on the brink.”
Faces, Fragments and a Question for the Reader
On a narrow street where a bakery once fed half the block, a child pushes a toy car across a pile of shattered concrete. An old man, beard flecked with dust, sits on the remains of what was once a walled garden and recites a line of poetry as if it were a prayer. These are not statistics but stories: small, stubborn forms of life that persist amid ruin.
What does accountability look like when buildings become weapons and civilians become strategic calculations? How does a global community translate recognition and outrage into concrete safety for people who want nothing more than bread, shelter and the ability to bury their dead?
Perhaps the most human answer is also the most political: justice that is paired with protection, diplomacy that is paired with humanitarian corridors, and a recognition that neither walls of rubble nor hashtags will alone resolve the deeper questions driving this cycle of violence.
“We are tired of being a page in other people’s strategies,” Amal told me as we parted. “We just want to be people again—allowed to live, to love, to bury our children.”
As the world watches, acknowledges nations, exchanges statements and photographs of hostages circulate, Gaza is remapped every hour—by displacement, by demolition, and by the stubborn persistence of its people. The urgent challenge for policymakers, aid workers and citizens worldwide is to turn that watching into protection and those words into pathways toward a life beyond the rubble.
Eswatini oo ciidan nabad ilaalin ah usoo diraysa Soomaaliya
Sep 21(Jowhar)-Boqortooyada Eswatini, ayaa 32 askari oo ka tirsan ciidanka booliska dalkaas usoo direysa Soomaaliya, iyagoo qeyb ka noqon doona Hawlgalka Nabad Ilaalinta iyo Xasilinta Soomaaliya (AUSSOM).
RW Xamsa ☓ukuumadda waxa ay dadal badan galisay tayeynta waxbarashada Dalka
Sep 21(Jowhar)-Ra’iisul Wasaaraha Xukuumadda Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya, Mudane Xamsa Cabdi Barre, ayaa maanta dhagax-dhigay xarunta Wasaaradda Waxbarashada, Hiddaha iyo Tacliinta Sare, taasi oo laga hirgelinayo dhisme casri ah oo qeyb ka qaadan doona horumarinta adeegga Waxbarasho ee dalka.
Cyberattack forces disruptions to flights at Dublin Airport Terminal 2
Under the Fluorescent Lights: A Morning at Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2
There is a particular hum to airports in autumn mornings—the hiss of coffee machines, the squeak of trolley wheels, the low murmur of announcements over tannoy systems. This morning, that familiar soundtrack was punctured by something more unsettling: the slow, bureaucratic shuffle of humans filling the gaps left by failing machines.
At Terminal 2, families clustered around paper-laden counters as airline staff scrawled boarding passes by hand and stamped luggage tags with the kind of focus usually reserved for intricate handiwork. “We’ve been doing what we can,” said Siobhán Murphy, a check-in agent who has worked at Dublin Airport for seven years. “When the screens go dark, the real work starts. You see people breathe out, or sometimes, they get quiet—there’s an anxiety in not knowing if you’ll make your flight.”
Dublin Airport confirmed it was supporting carriers as they navigated what it called a “Europe-wide technical issue” that has disrupted check-in and baggage-drop processes in multiple terminals. A spokesperson urged passengers to allow additional time, noting that while the airport expected to operate a full schedule, the check-in experience would be slower than usual.
From Heathrow to Brussels: A Domino of Delays
This wasn’t an isolated hiccup. Airports across Europe—London’s Heathrow, Brussels Airport, Berlin’s airports—reported similar slowdowns. At Heathrow’s Terminal 4, travellers faced long queues and nervous uncertainty, while British Airways’ operations at Terminal 5 remained largely unaffected, underscoring how the disruption was selective, but still pervasive.
“We’re operating manual workarounds wherever possible,” Graeme McQueen, speaking for Dublin Airport, told passengers. “Some airlines are continuing to use manual workarounds to generate bag tags and boarding passes. This means that the check-in and bag drop processes may take slightly longer than normal.”
Brussels Airport was more blunt: it said there had been “a cyber attack” on the service provider for check-in and boarding systems and warned of continued cancellations and delays. Berlin’s airport authority reported extended waits at check-in counters as well.
The Weak Link: A Vendor’s Software and Its Ripple Effects
At the center of the disruption is Muse—Collins Aerospace’s multi-user system environment that handles electronic check-in and baggage drop for several airlines worldwide. Collins Aerospace confirmed a “cyber-related disruption” to the Muse software in select airports and said teams were working to restore full functionality.
“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations,” the company’s statement read. In practice, mitigation meant more manpower, longer lines, and paper replacing pixels.
It’s a sharp reminder of how modern travel runs on a patchwork of third-party services. When one supplier’s system goes offline, the consequences cascade—boarding times stretch out, staff scramble, flights are missed, and the ripple reaches into hotels, rental cars, and schedules that depend on the timely arrival of aircraft and passengers.
People in the Queue: Stories Behind the Delays
There is a story at every folding table where agents are printing paper boarding cards. Javier, a software engineer bound for a client meeting, held his toddler on his hip while collecting a manually issued bag tag. “I told my manager to push the meeting back,” he laughed, a brittle sound. “There is a strange solidarity here—strangers offering to hold each other’s place in line, parents sharing snacks.”
A flight attendant who asked to be named only as Maria described the strain on staff. “We train for emergencies, not for paperwork marathons,” she said. “By midday, people are tired. Our guests ask good questions. We try to answer them. That’s all you can do.”
For some travelers, the delay was catastrophic. A bride’s mother missed a connecting flight to a wedding in Berlin. An elderly couple, travelling to reunite with grandchildren, felt the worry of lost time acutely. For others, the inconvenience was a story to tell: “I always thought airports were efficient machines. Today I saw the seams,” said a Zurich-bound passenger.
What Officials and Experts Are Saying
European institutions moved quickly to monitor the situation. The European Commission said it was keeping close watch, working with EUROCONTROL, ENISA (the EU Agency for Cybersecurity), airlines and airports. A spokesperson noted that aviation safety and air traffic control were not affected—reassuring news for systems that guide planes in the sky—but stressed that operational disruption on the ground could still be significant.
Cybersecurity experts see this incident as another symptom of an increasingly connected, and therefore increasingly fragile, aviation ecosystem. “Attack surfaces have multiplied as the industry digitizes,” said Dr. Lukas Weber, a cybersecurity researcher at a Berlin technical university. “Ground systems—check-in, bag drops, even ground handling—are all part of a supply chain. An incident at a single supplier can become a continental story overnight.”
ENISA’s reports have long warned of rising incidents targeting critical infrastructure, and the aviation sector sits high on that list: a blend of safety-critical operations, complex logistics, and high public visibility. Though regulators say this disruption shows no signs of being “widespread or severe,” the episode exposes vulnerabilities that airports and airlines can ill afford to ignore.
Numbers That Matter
So far, the immediate toll includes dozens of disrupted flights across multiple terminals, with at least 14 cancellations reported in London’s affected terminals during the initial day of the outage. While the scales of delay differ by airport and airline, one constant has been passenger inconvenience—ranging from a short wait to a missed event or connecting flight.
Practical Steps: What Travelers Can Do
For readers with trips on the horizon, here are simple, practical tips—born of airport experience and the hard lessons of disrupted itineraries.
- Contact your airline before you travel. Status can change hour by hour.
- Allow extra time for check-in—plan to arrive earlier than usual if possible.
- Pack essentials in carry-on: medication, documents, a change of clothes.
- Have digital and physical copies of your itinerary and travel documents.
- Be patient and polite—airline and airport staff are working harder than it looks.
Beyond One Incident: A Moment to Reflect
Air travel has been remodeled by the digital revolution. Mobile boarding passes, automated kiosks, real-time bag tracking—these innovations have made travel faster and more convenient. But convenience carries trade-offs. We’ve traded redundancy for efficiency; centralized systems save money, and when they fail, the failure is felt farther and wider.
Do we accept that a single software outage can ripple across a continent? Or is now the time to demand more resilient architectures—diverse suppliers, robust offline processes, and contingency funding to keep people moving when systems fail? Policy-makers, airlines and airports will need to answer these questions. So too will passengers, who may have to decide how much buffer they’re willing to build into their travel plans.
Closing Thoughts: Small Acts of Kindness in a Papered World
The image that stays with me is small and human: an exhausted agent pressing a paper tag into a traveler’s hand, a dad balancing a carry-on and a toddler, a stranger offering a smile and a place in line. Technology failed today—but those human moments did not. For all the talk of systems and security, airports remain, at their beating heart, gatherings of people.
Will the industry learn from this? Will it build the redundancies that mirror the complexity of global travel? For now, travelers must be nimble; airports must be ready to revert to analogue; and we, as a society, must reckon with how deeply we want to bind our skies to code. Next time you stand in line under the fluorescent lights, look around. You’re witnessing the fragile choreography of a modern world—beautiful when it works, urgent when it doesn’t.
Khasaare culus oo ka dhashay duqeymo lala eegtay hoggaamiyayaal Shabaab ah
Sep 21(Jowhar)-Duqeymo xooggan oo illaa 4 gaaraya ayaa waxaa laga fuliyay Gobolada Shabeellada hoose, Jubbada dhexe iyo Baay halkaas oo la tilmaamay in lagu dilay hoggaamiyeyaal sar sare oo AS ka tirsanaa kwua kalena lagu dhaawacay.
Airport disruptions from cyberattack expected to persist through Sunday
When the Screens Went Dark: A Morning of Manual Checks and Tangled Itineraries at Europe’s Busiest Hubs
The day began like any other at Heathrow: the hum of trolley wheels, the chorus of departure boards, the scent of coffee and last-minute croissants mixing with the perfume of nervous travellers. By midmorning, however, a different kind of electricity was in the air—the jittery, anxious kind that comes when invisible systems we all trust suddenly fail.
At Terminal 4, rows of passengers wound past metal stanchions, clutching passports and printouts as if they were talismans. Staff held clipboards and forms; luggage piled at counters where, moments before, sleek touchscreen kiosks had told people where to go. Across Europe, in Brussels, Berlin and later Dublin and Cork, the same scene was playing out: a polite reversion to pen, paper and human intervention after a cyber-related disruption knocked out electronic check-in and baggage-drop services tied to MUSE software from Collins Aerospace—a system used by many airlines and airports worldwide.
Numbers that Tell a Tangled Story
It was not a cataclysmic fall from the sky—at least not yet. Aviation data provider Cirium recorded 29 departures and arrivals cancelled at Heathrow, Berlin and Brussels by lunchtime. Those airports alone had hundreds of departures scheduled for the day: 651 at Heathrow, 228 at Brussels and 226 at Berlin. Brussels authorities warned that delays and diversions had been significant enough that they had requested airlines cancel roughly half of their departing flights for the following day, a stark sign that the ripple effects would not be confined to a few delayed itineraries.
“It feels like someone pulled the plug on an entire backstage,” said Martina López, a mother of two trying to check in for a flight to Barcelona at Brussels Airport. “Nobody was angry—just exhausted. We kept being told to ‘wait’ and ‘we’ll do it manually.’ Manual takes time when hundreds of people need the same thing.”
The Vulnerability Beneath Convenience
The incident sits squarely in a worrying pattern. Over the past several years, sectors from healthcare to automotive manufacturing and retail have been hit by cyber intrusions that temporarily—but painfully—bring services to a standstill. Luxury automaker Jaguar Land Rover, for example, halted production after a breach earlier this year. Supply-chain attacks and ransomware strains have become a favored weapon of choice for groups seeking payoff or disruption.
Cybersecurity experts warn that the modern airport is a network of interdependent technologies. “Air travel is an orchestra of systems—some are the loud instruments you see, others are the quiet ones backstage,” said Daniel Meyer, a London-based cybersecurity analyst who tracks critical-infrastructure incidents. “When a supplier like Collins Aerospace provides software that sits at the heart of check-in operations, it becomes a single point of failure. That’s not hypothetical—it’s what we saw today.”
Industry estimates underscore the stakes. Forecasts from cybersecurity researchers suggest global damages from cybercrime could reach into the trillions in the coming years, with ransomware among the most costly threats. Each outage that forces airports to swap digital processes for paper forms does more than delay flights—it reveals how thin the margins are between normalcy and chaos.
What Happened, and Who’s Looking Into It?
RTX, the parent company of Collins Aerospace, acknowledged a “cyber-related disruption” affecting selected airports and said it was working to restore services. The company did not immediately name the affected locations. European Commission officials said there were no indications the attack was a widescale, coordinated assault across the continent, but investigations were ongoing.
Brussels authorities reported multiple diversions and significant delays, while Dublin and Cork airports later confirmed minor impacts. Frankfurt, Germany’s largest airport, said it was unaffected. For passengers, the advice from affected airports was simple and practical: check with your airline before coming to the terminal.
Passengers, Staff and the Grind of Unexpected Delays
Not every traveller saw the disruption as an indictment of technology—some took the slower pace as a reminder of how resilient human systems can be. “They set up extra desks and started checking people in manually,” said Ahmed El-Khatib, an IT consultant stuck in Berlin who had been meant to fly to Rome. “The staff did what they could. You could see the relief when they stamped a boarding pass by hand.”
Still, frustration simmered. “We’re used to instant confirmations on our phones,” said Anke Müller, a teacher from Hamburg stranded at the Berlin airport. “To be made to wait without clear information—isn’t it odd that all our layers of convenience make us more exposed when they fail?”
Airport employees worked overtime to keep the flow moving. Ground handlers who normally scan bar codes with handheld devices reverted to handwritten tags; check-in agents used spreadsheets printed out minutes earlier. The scene was not cinematic chaos but wearied endurance—staff reading names aloud, passengers forming ad hoc queues, the slow trundle of suitcases over tile.
Wider Implications: Supply Chains, Contracts and Accountability
Experts say this incident highlights a key point: cybersecurity is not just an IT problem for a single vendor to solve. It is a governance issue that touches procurement policies, cross-border regulation and corporate liability. When airports and airlines outsource software that becomes mission-critical, how do regulators ensure resilience?
“We need contractual requirements for incident response, mandatory resilience testing, and better information-sharing between the private sector and governments,” argued Priya Nair, a policy researcher focused on infrastructure resilience. “Public-private partnerships have to be more than talking shops. They need teeth.”
In Europe, the question of who coordinates a response to such incidents is also political. The European Union has frameworks for cybersecurity cooperation, but the on-the-ground execution often relies on national cyber units and the affected companies themselves.
Practical Takeaways for Travellers (and Authorities)
- Check before you travel: Confirm flight status with the airline rather than relying solely on departure boards or third-party apps.
- Allow extra time: If systems are down, lines will move more slowly and manual checks take longer.
- Keep paperwork accessible: A printed itinerary, passport and proof of booking can be quicker than trying to download or print at the terminal.
- For authorities: regularly test vendor resilience and require incident response plans that include manual fallbacks and cross-airport coordination.
Questions That Stay With You
When technology fails, we are left with human improvisation: check-in clerks and baggage handlers, voice calls instead of APIs, and the patient shuffling of people who need to get somewhere. That improvisation can be heroic, but it is also costly and uneven. Should the architects of our travel system accept this fragility as an operational risk, or treat it as a solvable design flaw?
And for readers: How much of your daily life relies on systems you barely notice—and what would it take for you to change your habits if those systems go dark? We live in an age of staggering convenience. Moments like this are blunt instruments, blunt reminders.
Looking Ahead
By the afternoon, engineers were engaged in the painstaking work of untangling digital knots: restoring services, validating backups, and ensuring that moving from manual back to automated operations did not introduce new errors. The full cause remained under investigation, and authorities promised updates.
For now, airports and airlines will tally not just delayed flights and canceled itineraries, but the reputational and logistical costs of a day when little screens went dark and people—quietly, sometimes angrily, often helpfully—stepped in to keep the world moving.
We are more connected than ever. That connection brings incredible freedom—and new dependencies. How we shore up those dependencies will shape not just travel, but how societies function when the next digital storm arrives.
Russian air attack on Ukraine leaves three people dead
Night of Wings and Fire: How a New Wave of Drone Swarms Tore Through Ukraine’s Quiet
By the time dawn bled pale over the Dnipro River, neighborhoods that had been humming with life the evening before were ringing with a different soundtrack — the relentless whine of propellers, the staccato rattle of air-defence batteries, the long, hollow clang of an alarm that seems to live in the chest of a whole city.
“I could hear the Shahed coming closer and closer. I knew it was heading for us,” said Yulia Chystokletova, voice still trembling over a phone line from Kyiv. “My child and I were very frightened. It should not be happening in the 21st century. We are all people. Sit down at the negotiating table.”
Numbers that make your head spin
The scale of last night’s assault — as described by Ukrainian officials — reads like a new chapter in modern warfare: roughly 580 drones and about 40 missiles launched across the country. Ukraine’s air force reported shooting down 552 of those drones and 31 missiles, but the strikes still left scars. President Volodymyr Zelensky said three people were killed, dozens were injured, and residential blocks and critical infrastructure suffered heavy damage.
- Attacks reported across multiple regions, including Dnipro, Chernihiv and Khmelnytskyi.
- In Dnipro a missile reportedly carrying cluster munitions struck an apartment building — at least one person died and 26 were wounded, officials said.
- Ukraine said it struck refineries in the Samara and Saratov regions of Russia in retaliatory raids; Russian regional officials reported four dead in Samara.
Independent verification of battlefield claims remains limited — Reuters and other outlets have cautioned that some reports could not be independently confirmed. Still, the human stories are unmistakable: flattened facades, a child’s backpack in the rubble, a landlord trying to account for tenants.
From trickle to flood: the evolution of the drone threat
What is most striking is not only the death toll but the tactic. Early in the war, Russia used dozens of drones in single raids. Last night’s assault — hundreds launched in coordinated waves — reveals a dramatic escalation in resources and operational coordination. These are not lone, errant toy-like machines but organized swarms intended to saturate air defences and strike deep into civilian areas.
“We are living through a watershed moment in conflict technology,” said Dr. Tomasz Kowalczyk, a Warsaw-based security analyst. “Swarms amplify effects: they force defenders to spend interceptors, strain radars, and most perniciously, they convert logistics and small weapons factories into strategic assets. This is asymmetric attrition in the air.”
Ukraine’s response has been to strike back — aiming for fuel depots, refineries, and logistics hubs far across the border. Kyiv’s General Staff said operations hit refineries in Samara and Saratov overnight; the Samara attack was described by regional authorities as one of the deadliest such strikes on Russian soil, with four civilian casualties reported.
On the ground: the quiet bravery
In Dnipro, near where the river widens and the city’s Soviet-era apartment blocks stand shoulder to shoulder, life has folded into a new rhythm. Cafés that once served late coffee now hand out water and bandages. A bricklayer named Oleksandr, who spent the night hauling debris with neighbors, shrugged and said, “We have no choice. We clean up, we bury what’s broken, we cook for those whose homes were hit. This is what people do.”
Olena, who runs a tiny bakery on the corner of a street pocked by shrapnel, kept bringing out loaves to volunteers in reflective vests. “My oven keeps working,” she said, “so I will keep baking. The smell of bread comforts the hurt.”
There are practical, wrenching realities behind the statistics: hospitals filling with the wounded, power lines flickering as transformers take hits, schools closing or moving underground into basements and metro stations that have become makeshift shelters.
Diplomacy, danger, and the risk of spillover
Compounding the threat at home are the geopolitical ripples abroad. Last week three Russian jets were accused of violating Estonian airspace — a claim Moscow denied — and Polish authorities said allied aircraft scrambled this morning after strikes neared NATO’s eastern flank. Officials say Polish and allied fighter jets were patrolling to safeguard Polish airspace as debris and drones traversed skies near the border.
President Zelensky announced he plans to meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. “I will discuss security guarantees and sanctions,” Zelensky said, underscoring Kyiv’s insistence that Western-backed protection is essential to prevent future attacks.
“If Western troops were to deploy in Ukraine, Moscow has warned they would become legitimate targets,” noted Dr. Kowalczyk. “That is the grim chessboard — every move shifts thresholds for action and danger.”
Weapons, law, and moral lines
One detail that has provoked particular alarm is the reported use of a missile with cluster munitions in a residential area. Cluster munitions are banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, a treaty signed by more than 100 countries; their use has devastating long-term effects, scattering bomblets that can maim civilians months and years after conflict subsides.
“Those are weapons designed to terrorize populations,” said Mariana Petrova, a humanitarian aid coordinator working with displaced families in central Ukraine. “Even if a cluster munition hits a field, children could find remnants later. The human cost echoes.”
What the world should feel — and do
There are numbers and tidings to digest, but what should stay with us is human. A mother in Kyiv clutching her sleeping child, a café owner kneading dough at dawn, a volunteer directing traffic around rubble. These are faces behind the facts.
So ask yourself: how do we, as distant observers or policymakers, respond to a conflict that is increasingly technological and intimate at once? Do we accept drone swarms as the new normal or marshal coordinated action — humanitarian corridors, tighter export controls on drone components, stronger air-defence aid to cities under threat?
For Ukrainians, the calculus is simple and immediate: survive the night, clear the glass, tend the wounded, preserve some small measure of normalcy. For the rest of the world, the question is whether we will treat this as a distant headline or a test of collective responsibility.
As smoke still curled into the morning, Zelensky’s words cut through the ash: “All night, Ukraine was under a massive attack. Every such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy to terrorize civilians.” If that is the strategy, then the counter-strategy must be equally human: solidarity, diplomacy, and pragmatic steps to blunt the tools of terror.
And in the months to come, when we read of raids and counterstrikes and diplomatic posturing at international gatherings, perhaps we will also remember the smell of fresh bread in a bakery on a shattered street — and the people who, despite everything, keep baking.
Trump accuses mainstream media of ‘illegal’ negative coverage against him
A Nation Watching Itself on TV: When Broadcast Battles Become a Mirror
On a late-summer morning in Washington, the Oval Office felt like a living room tuned to a reality show. Televisions blinked across cable networks, anchors swapped breathless leads, and in one corner of the world a president scolded the press as if addressing an unruly family from the head of the table.
“They’ll take a great story and they’ll make it bad. See I think it’s really illegal, personally,” he told reporters, voice steady and unmistakable. It was a line that landed like a bell, reverberating through newsrooms and living rooms alike.
What Happened — and Why It Feels Bigger Than One Moment
The spark for this latest conflagration was a late-night exchange gone too far for some and merely provocative for others: a televised comedian made a joke about a public figure that drew condemnation, and the head of the Federal Communications Commission signaled that networks airing that content could face penalties. Within hours, ABC suspended the show in question.
For the president, the moment crystallized a familiar grievance. “Coverage of my administration is 97% bad,” he declared — a shorthand for a long-running belief that mainstream television and print media are uniformly hostile. He urged regulators to take a harder line, suggesting networks that run unfavorable material could lose their licenses.
For critics, it was the latest sign of something more worrying: a political effort to weaponize federal oversight to shape what is said on air.
The regulatory backdrop
The FCC, the agency at the center of this storm, does hold powers that make many broadcasters uneasy. Under the Communications Act, the agency can fine licensees or, in extreme cases, deny or revoke licenses for violations of federal rules. Historically, that authority has been used in narrow circumstances — indecency fines, spectrum violations, technical infractions — not as an instrument to adjudicate taste or political balance.
As one former broadcast engineer put it in an interview, “The commission’s muscle is real, but so is a broadcaster’s fear. Stations run on thin margins; a big fine or a lengthy licensing fight can be fatal.”
Lines Drawn — Politicians, Lawyers, and Late-Night
Not surprisingly, the fastest reactions came from the political amphitheater. The president praised the FCC chair as “an incredible American patriot with courage,” framing the regulator’s posture as a fight for balance and decency. A number of lawmakers echoed that posture; others recoiled.
“This is dangerous,” said a senator known for advocating free speech. “When government starts deciding what it likes and dislikes, it looks an awful lot like intimidation. That’s not the American way.” He added, with a wry smile, “This is straight out of a gangster movie — ‘Nice bar you have here. It would be a shame if something happened to it.'”
Across the newsroom floor, producers and legal teams scrambled. ABC’s decision to suspend the show signaled how delicate the balance between creative expression and corporate risk has become. “We have to act,” a network executive told staff. “Our advertisers, our affiliates, the law — we have to weigh all of that, and fast.”
Voices from the Street: Fear, Amusement, and Confusion
On a D.C. corner near a commuter diner, a television glows above the counter. A barista wiping espresso machines shrugged when asked about the controversy. “I like late-night comedians,” she said. “They say things I don’t hear on the evening news. But this feels different — like everything’s getting louder and meaner.”
A retired schoolteacher watching the exchange on his phone replied, “If the government can pull a channel because someone offended the president, where does it stop? I worry for my grandchildren — for what they’ll believe or won’t believe.”
Meanwhile, a 22-year-old communications intern shrugged when the network she streams was mentioned. “Most people my age trust what they follow online more than cable,” she said. “But the platforms are fragmented. The idea that a federal agency can take away a broadcast license? That’s old-school power in a new-school world.”
Legal Echoes and a Broader Backdrop
All of this plays out against a broader legal and cultural context. Earlier this year, the president’s sweeping $15 billion defamation lawsuit against a major newspaper was dismissed by a federal judge, a ruling that underscored First Amendment protections for the press. That decision, and the flurry of litigation surrounding it, has only intensified debate about the boundaries between private reputation and public scrutiny.
Media scholars point to a long arc in U.S. communications history. “We used to have the Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to present balanced views,” explained a media law professor. “It was eliminated decades ago because it chilled speech and gave regulators enormous discretion. We’re seeing the contours of that tension again — whether government should police content, and if so, how.”
There are also hard numbers that help explain why the stakes feel so high. Trust in traditional news outlets has been softening for years; audiences fragment across cable, streaming, podcasts, and social platforms. At the same time, broadcast licenses remain valuable public assets — airwaves allocated by the government, subject to rules that date back nearly a century.
Global Resonances: Not Just an American Story
To the global observer, the debate is familiar. Around the world, governments and powerful figures have tested the limits of media freedom — sometimes with fines and sanctions, sometimes with more blunt instruments. The American struggle over what is permissible on airways echoes struggles from Berlin to Bogotá, where regulators and politicians wrestle with misinformation, decency, and political pressure.
“This is about trust,” said an independent journalist who has covered media repression overseas. “If you allow the state to decide what is acceptable speech, you risk eroding the very institutions that check power — and once that’s gone, it is hard to get back.”
Questions for the Reader
So what do we want from our public square? Do we expect broadcasters to be guardians of civility — or engines of robust, even messy debate? When regulators step in, are they protecting the public good or amplifying the loudest voices in power? And if a comedy monologue can trigger a regulatory showdown, what does that say about the culture we’ve created?
These are not abstract hypotheticals. They are the choices that shape what millions of people hear at dinner tables, in taxis, and on commute radios. They influence which stories gain traction and which are smothered by corporate caution or political pressure.
Where We Go From Here
In the immediate term, the suspension of a television program is a headline that will fade and flare again. Legal fights may multiply. Politicians will posture. Networks will weigh advertiser concerns against audience outrage. But the deeper question — how a democracy balances free expression with public standards — will remain.
As you scroll past the next breaking alert, consider this: a vibrant media ecosystem needs both robust comedy that challenges power and steadfast protections that prevent governments from silencing dissent. Keeping that balance is messy, often uncomfortable work. But it is, in the end, what keeps a free society doing what it’s supposed to do: argue in public, correct in private, and keep the channels of truth open — however imperfectly — for the next generation.
Top agenda items to watch at this year’s UN General Assembly
A Blizzard of Flags, But Not of Confidence
Step out of the subway at 42nd Street and the city seems to be trying to stage its own United Nations: a flutter of flags along First Avenue, diplomatic SUVs inching past late‑arrival delegations, and doormen in blue ties checking credentials with a tired politeness. Yet beneath the choreographed pageantry there is a hum of unease — not the usual, seasonal politeness of a Manhattan September, but something colder, existential.
This year the UN turns 80. Eight decades after its founding, the marble halls on the East River are hosting their ritual of global theater — speeches, luncheons, photo-ops — at the same moment the institution’s very purpose feels contested. “We’re gathering in turbulent, even uncharted waters,” one UN veteran told me as he sipped coffee on the Secretariat steps, looking out at the flags. “It feels less like a summit and more like triage.”
The Money Vanishes — and So Does Trust
Money is the spine of any bureaucracy, and for the UN that spine is shrinking. The United States, which historically covers nearly a quarter of the UN’s assessed budget, has withheld dues; China and Russia, the second and third largest contributors by many measures, have also delayed payments. Major European donors are tightening belts and redirecting funds toward defence budgets. The result: programs are being scaled back, posts axed, and whole operations moved to cheaper cities such as Nairobi.
“We’re being asked to do miracles with half the ingredients,” said a mid-level UN programme officer who asked not to be named. “Humanitarian responses don’t repackage themselves into cost-savings.” Across dozens of agencies — from peacekeeping to public health — managers are drawing up contingency plans, shuttering projects, and rationing the very aid that keeps fragile societies afloat.
Consider the arithmetic: the UN system employs tens of thousands of staff worldwide, administers peacekeeping missions costing billions annually, and coordinates humanitarian responses that save millions of lives. Yet when cash dries up, the most vulnerable pay the price. In practical terms, funding shortfalls mean fewer medical teams in conflict zones, fewer food distributions in famine-affected regions, and delayed evacuations when violence flares.
The Trump Effect: A Hostile Host?
Donald Trump’s return to the podium adds another layer of drama. His previous term included abrupt withdrawals from bodies such as the World Health Organization and UNESCO, and public disdain for institutions he once dismissed as “just a club.” This year, the U.S. president’s address will be watched for clues: rhetoric only, or a prelude to deeper disengagement?
“He likes the stage,” a European diplomat said. “Expect grand claims and sharp criticisms. But many leaders here also see him as a conduit — if he signals interest in multilateral action, it can move capitals.”
That ambivalence matters because the UN is as much about power as it is about paperwork. The United States is not just a funder; it is guarantor of access — especially for the UN headquarters itself. When visa decisions become tools of foreign policy, the functioning of the institution is strained. This year’s controversy over visas for Palestinian officials — and the decision that Palestine’s president would speak via prerecorded video — crystallised how domestic politics can tangle with diplomatic norms.
Palestine, Recognition, and a Shifting Balance
Walk around the corridors at UNGA week and you’ll hear two competing realities: one of entrenched positions, and one of accelerating change. More than 140 UN members already recognise a Palestinian state. This year, several G7 countries signalled they could join that tally — a move that would make four of the five permanent Security Council members recognise Palestine, leaving the United States alone in opposition.
“Recognition is both symbolic and practical,” a Palestinian human rights advocate told me. “It shifts the floor of diplomacy. But recognition without pressure to end settlements and protect civilians can be hollow.”
That tension underlines why the UN is both a stage and a courtroom. Delegations pledge recognition, denounce violence, and pass resolutions — even as on-the-ground realities, from settlement expansion to security crackdowns, remain unchanged.
Wars, Vetoes and the Return of Famine
The UN says there is more armed conflict today than at any time since 1945. Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan dominate headlines and humming corridor conversations. A UN-backed inquiry’s finding that Israel’s actions in Gaza could amount to genocide; the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s declaration of famine; and a Security Council paralysed by mutual vetoes — these are not abstract problems. They produce starving families, displaced communities, and fractured alliances.
“When the council is frozen, the world does not pause. It bleeds,” a senior humanitarian coordinator said. “Vetoes have consequences in kitchens and clinics.”
In Sudan, the UN labels the crisis the largest humanitarian emergency on the planet. In Gaza, famine declarations and the interruption of aid convoys have produced scenes many diplomats describe as unthinkable in the 21st century. And in Europe, the war in Ukraine continues to test NATO cohesion and Western resolve.
Reform, Succession and an Aging Charter
At 80, the organisation’s architecture shows its pedigree: Security Council seats awarded to the victors of 1945. For decades the argument has been the same — the world has shifted, but the institutions have not. Africa, India, and Latin America press for representation; small states demand equity. Yet meaningful reform has proved elusive.
Last year’s Pact of the Future promised big ambitions — from AI governance to disarmament — but with the political will drying up, many now call it a document of a bygone moment. “It looks like a wish list written in better times,” one ambassador sighed.
And there is a looming administrative question: who will replace António Guterres? The campaign for the next Secretary‑General looms as both an institutional pivot and a cultural test: will the UN finally choose its first woman secretary-general, or will politics and power preferences favour continuity?
What to Watch (and Why You Should Care)
- Funding levels for the UN regular budget and major agencies: cuts here ripple into hospitals, schools and camps.
- Security Council dynamics: vetoes are no longer just procedural; they can determine life or death for entire populations.
- Recognition of Palestine by G7 states: symbolic shifts that could recalibrate diplomacy in the Middle East.
- Selection process for the next Secretary‑General: a test of reform and representation.
So what does all this mean for the rest of us — for people in Nairobi, New York, Khartoum, Kyiv? The UN is not just an ivory-tower bureaucracy; it is the plumbing of global cooperation. When that plumbing leaks, the consequences are lived by the poorest and most exposed.
As you follow the coming days of speeches and side‑events, ask yourself: can a body fashioned after World War II be remade for the geopolitical realities of 2025? Or will it continue to muddle through, a collection of good intentions papered over by budget lines and broken by power politics?
The flags still fly. Inside, diplomats and aid workers are trying to patch together responses to famine, war, and diplomatic impasse. Outside, taxi drivers grumble about gridlock and a barista jokes that the General Assembly brings every language and a long line to the corner café. It is, in its own chaotic way, the most human picture of an organisation wrestling with survival. And that battle will play out not only in those marble halls, but in the towns and clinics where the UN’s fate is felt most sharply.
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