Daily Recap: World — 25 September 2026

Security strains and questions about technology dominate the international picture, from new military coordination in the Middle East and claims of deeper U.S.-Ukraine defense ties to a U.S. court backing a Pentagon blacklist. Alongside that, Pope Leo uses a France visit to press...

Saudi Arabia moves to coordinate with Turkey and Pakistan under a joint defence pact as Houthi attacks and tensions with Iran continue to raise pressure on the kingdom. The three countries plan an urgent meeting of military chiefs to discuss what support can be provided and how to respond to the cross-border security threat.

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Donald Trump has approved licences for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles domestically, describing the move as a final decision backed by concrete agreements with Washington. If carried out, the step would deepen Ukraine’s air-defence capacity by shifting part of Patriot production closer to the battlefield.

A U.S. appeals court upholds the Pentagon’s decision to blacklist Anthropic as a national security supply chain risk. The ruling from the D.C. Circuit leaves in place the Defense Department designation and rejects the company’s attempt to block the measure, marking a significant legal win for the government on security controls.

Pope Leo XIV opens his visit to France with a warning that a “paradise of machines” could erode humanity. He casts the advance of emerging technologies as a fundamental moral question, asking what it means to remain fully human as societies confront rapid technological change alongside broader global dangers.

Pope Leo also uses his trip to France to make a pointed defense of journalists, telling reporters they are welcome to cover him. The remarks come as he responds to a Trump administration move to restrict media access to the White House, drawing a contrast on the value of press access and public scrutiny.

A powerful explosion in Athens’ Plaka district near the Acropolis partially collapses a two-storey building, injures several people and damages nearby properties. Emergency crews move into the historic center as rubble spills into surrounding streets, while firefighters search for anyone trapped and investigators examine a possible gas leak.

Neil Henderson, a guitarist associated with the Bay City Rollers, dies at 73 after a period of illness. His death prompts tributes from fans and fellow musicians, who remember him as an important figure in the group’s early years and part of the wider legacy of the Scottish pop band.