The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the Group of 20 summit in Miami in December, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on September 23, as the Trump administration is seeking steps to reduce fighting in Ukraine.

In the wake of intelligence reports that Russia may be planning an attack on NATO, questions have arisen over whether European officials have contingency plans ready to deal with such an event.

At least 17 Afghans died of extreme dehydration in mid-September after crossing Iran through Pakistan, according to a human rights organization. Among them were a mother and her four daughters.

The United States is set to unveil the next stage of TRIPP, a planned transport corridor through southern Armenia that Washington says could open new trade routes linking the South Caucasus and Central Asia with Western markets.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met in New York on September 22 following days of signals that US-Iranian talks would take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The meeting sparked a backlash from Iranian hard-liners.

Russia’s efforts to cultivate clout in Africa’s Sahel have been a mixed bag of successes and setbacks. Across the continent, however, on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, Moscow is making another quiet push for influence.