Category: News

US company SpaceX’s Starship rocket reached Earth orbit for the first time on September 28. According to Armenpress, this occurred during its 14th test flight from the Starbase launch site in Texas.

Starship had not reached orbit during its previous 13 test flights.

Under SpaceX’s mission plan, Starship is expected to deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit and circle the Earth six times.

China and the United States have agreed to cut tariffs imposed on $60 billion worth of goods ‌imported from each other, on an array of products ranging from US corn to cosmetics, and from Chinese household appliances to toys, Reuters reports.

Under the US-China Board of Trade, both countries have each recommended $30 billion of trade in non-sensitive goods for more favorable tariff treatment, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement on Sunday.

For the United States, that was “unlocking improved market access” for about 30% of US exports to China, he said.

The reciprocal tariff reduction as well as an extension of a trade truce were among the key takeaways from the second summit this year between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, hosted in Washington last week.

One of two lists from ⁠the White House showed that China planned to trim duties, on a variety of US agricultural goods including corn, wheat, sorghum, meat, dairy, vegetable oils and meals. It did not include soybeans.

Beijing will also look to reduce levies on US fish and seafood, logs and wood products, cosmetics and medical devices.

In another list were Washington’s reciprocal tariff cuts for Chinese small appliances such as coffee makers and toasters, tableware, blankets and bed linens.

The lists also included toys, fireworks, artificial flowers, Christmas tree lamps and other holiday decorations, and children’s car seats.

China’s commerce ministry said on Monday a two-month extension of a trade truce with the United States through to January 10 would provide room for both sides to evaluate their ongoing arrangement to resolve economic and trade issues, while considering how to advance on those fronts.

The extension also provides a “relatively stable and predictable policy environment” for cooperation among companies and continued active discussions.

Former French President Francois Hollande said he may decide to run for president in 2027, but only if he sees a real chance of winning. 

“Running for the presidency is not a decision to be taken lightly, all the more so for a former head of state like myself,” Reuters quoted Hollande as saying in an interview with Italian daily la Repubblica.

He added he would consider running ⁠only under exceptional circumstances and only if there was a realistic chance of reaching the runoff and ultimately win.

Hollande, 72, was France’s president from 2012 to 2017. The French presidential election will be held in the spring of 2027.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen maintained her lead for the first-round of the presidential election and far-left rival Jean-Luc Melenchon was second in most tested ‌scenarios, according ⁠to a poll released two weeks ago.

“The France of 2027 bears little resemblance to the one I governed. We are ⁠facing a more threatening, more dangerous and harsher world, and a European continent that has become a target for powers such ⁠as the United States, China and Russia. Europe is confronting an existential crisis,” former president Hollande also said.

British police were questioning five men on Monday on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences after they were detained near an air base ‌that has been used by the US to strike Iran, Reuters reports.

Officers detained the men in the early hours of Sunday after they received a tip-off that three large white vans had been seen heading to the military airfield of RAF Fairford in the west of England.

US President Donald Trump said the suspects had been looking to do “big damage” and had been under investigation by British and US authorities. However, a local farmer said she had tipped off police ⁠after seeing a group of “hooded and masked men” running into the fields.

British counterterrorism detectives have not yet publicly stated who they assessed was involved but a source familiar with the investigation said an Iranian-linked motive was considered the most likely, while a Russian sabotage operation or an Islamist plot were also being looked at as possibilities, according to Reuters.

Defense minister Wes Streeting told BBC News on Monday that he would not speculate about motives of a live investigation.

But he added on the general Iranian threat to the country: “We know that Iran and their proxies wish to do us harm. We know that they hate our democracy, and we know that we regularly have to thwart Iranian attempts to threaten either our interests or indeed our allies.”

In May, ‌Britain ⁠sanctioned 12 individuals and entities linked to Iran, accusing them of involvement in hostile activity including plotting attacks and providing financial services to groups seeking to destabilize the UK and other countries.

Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in attacks or plots in the UK and elsewhere.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin ‌Farhan arrived in Washington on Monday for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the ⁠Saudi state news agency reported.  

The two will discuss bilateral ties as well as key regional and international ‌developments, ⁠the agency added.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sought US military help this month ⁠against the Iran-backed Houthis, but Washington declined to launch strikes, ⁠though it agreed to supply intelligence and ⁠targeting support, Reuters reported, citing sources.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country is prepared to resume fighting with the United States but has not yet abandoned diplomacy after President Donald Trump publicly rejected a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, NBC News reported.

“We are fully prepared for the time for the war to be resumed, and I repeat, we stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war,” Araghchi told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, when asked about a Wall Street Journal report that Trump could seek to resume bombing after the U.S. midterm elections. “At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose.”

Iran had offered a deal last week to reopen the strait and resume normal maritime passage through the critical global oil chokepoint within seven days, as part of a plan conveyed to the U.S. through mediator Qatar on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Trump said Saturday that he had turned down that proposal, telling reporters: “I rejected their deal. They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they’re losing so badly.”

Araghchi told moderator Kristen Welker on Sunday that despite Trump’s public comments, the rejection had still not been officially communicated to Iran via mediators.

He reaffirmed that Iran was ready to reopen the strait as part of an agreement to end the conflict, adding that in return, “we want our monies, our assets, which are illegally frozen, to be released. We want to be able to sell our oil.”

Araghchi said the conditions were “not new” and were things the U.S. has already committed itself to previously, referring to the memorandum of understanding that the two countries signed in June that laid out plans for a temporary ceasefire. That agreement collapsed within days after fresh strikes were exchanged.

“If you ask us, there is no reason why we should go back to diplomacy,” Araghchi said. “But I am still trying diplomacy because I think we shouldn’t miss any chance for peace.”

“We don’t care about U.S. midterm elections,” the Iranian official added. “We care about our national interests.”

Prior to Araghchi’s interview, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told “Meet the Press” that the deal was rejected for “a number of reasons,” suggesting the U.S. could not permit Iran “to have access to billions in frozen funds.”

Waltz said: “I think this was a pretty cynical attempt to put something on the table that they knew was unacceptable, to ask for the release of the blockade, the sanctions, international sanctions and access to billions in assets.”

He also questioned “who’s calling the shots in Iran right now,” adding that the country had violated the past memorandum of understanding by attacking international shipping.

Voters in Switzerland have overwhelmingly rejected a stricter interpretation of the country’s tradition of diplomatic neutrality, the BBC reported citing official results.

More than 70% of Swiss voters rejected proposals that would have prevented the European nation from imposing sanctions without UN approval, official results showed.

The move would have also prevented Switzerland from pursuing closer ties with the Nato military alliance.

According to the BBC, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reopened the debate around Switzerland’s centuries-old non-alignment.

Moscow openly backed the initiative, which was supported by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and opposed by the federal government and all other major parties.

Lukas Golder, co-director of research institute Gfs.bern told Swiss public broadcaster SRF that Swiss voters had not rejected embracing its neutrality but that the vote showed Switzerland was in favour of sanctions against Russia.

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said during a recent televised debate that “neutrality has always been applied with a degree of flexibility”.

While Switzerland had no plans to lift a ban on selling arms to countries in conflict, including Ukraine, he stressed that “neutrality does not mean indifference”.

He added that Switzerland would “not look away when we see violations of the very international rules that allow us to live in peace”.

Switzerland was internationally recognized in 1815 when the country was granted “eternal neutrality” at the Congress of Vienna, during a period of war and upheaval in Europe.

This neutrality was legally defined by the Hague Convention of 1907, which forbade Switzerland supplying weapons to countries at war. It previously rejected a request from Germany for ammunition for tanks being sent to Kyiv.

Switzerland’s system of direct democracy means major political decisions are often deferred to the voters through referenda.

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic ‌announced his resignation on Sunday, ending his second and final five-year term and paving the way for early presidential elections, Reuters reported.

Vucic’s resignation, seven months before his term ends, comes amid campaigning for Serbia’s October 25 snap parliamentary vote and allows him to be appointed prime minister if his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) forms the new government.

He had said in late June that he planned to resign and that Serbia would hold early parliamentary and presidential elections.

On Sunday, hundreds of Vucic’s supporters cheered him in front of the Presidency building in Belgrade’s city centre.

“This is the last evening for me in this building,” he told the flag-waving crowd minutes before resigning.

“I have faithfully served you and my fatherland, Serbia, … I am proud of what we have done together,” he said.

Under Serbia’s constitution, outgoing Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic will serve as interim president until a new one is elected. The presidential election must be completed within 90 days, with the campaign lasting between 30 and 60 days.

“By the end of December … we will have the first round of presidential elections,” Vucic said.

Russian authorities are preparing a document to extend the export ban for diesel fuel producers by another month, until the end of October.

An industry source told TASS about this. According to the source, the document is currently undergoing approval.

The existing ban for producers expires on September 30. For companies that do not produce diesel fuel, the export ban will remain in force until January 31, 2027.

Nvidia has introduced a system that allows AI agents — programmes capable of performing tasks independently — to be controlled. According to a statement from the company, the system makes it possible to define in advance which data an agent can access and what actions it can perform.

The system’s OpenShell tool monitors these boundaries and blocks unauthorised actions. Nvidia has also introduced an additional solution called Sentry, which can separately monitor an agent’s activity and isolate it if it attempts to operate outside the permitted boundaries.

OpenShell is already available, while Sentry has been presented as a design solution for an additional protection system.