International news from Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026

Executives from three of the world's leading artificial intelligence companies briefed the UN Security Council on Wednesday amid warnings that increasingly powerful AI systems could soon improve themselves, slip beyond human control and pose a threat to international security.

Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli ordered the closure of the Colosseum to be extended until Thursday as a mark of respect after a worker was killed overnight in an accident.

One Indian national was killed in an attack on the bulk carrier MV Cape Dao while the vessel was heading towards India, the Indian embassy in Oman said on Wednesday.

Ukraine and Russia have both voiced an interest in a limited ceasefire involving grain and energy-related targets, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local health officials said, and Israel said one of the attacks targeted a Hamas finance chief.

Pakistan curbed access on Wednesday to its capital, Islamabad, ahead of a march planned by supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, blocking major highways with shipping containers and deploying tens of thousands of security forces.

The first shuttle talks between the US and Iran for months raised hopes on Wednesday that the adversaries could make some progress towards ending the Middle East war, although neither side spelled out any change in their positions.

Three armed men opened fire on guests at a house party in a township south of the South African city of Durban on Tuesday night, killing at least 11 and injuring three, in what police said could be a gang-related incident.

The Philippine Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, on Wednesday lowered the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, reducing the threshold prosecutors must clear to secure a guilty verdict.

The official death toll from a passenger ship that capsized and sank in Indonesia's Java Sea rose to 20 on Wednesday, up from the previous 10, with rescuers expecting to find more bodies as the ongoing underwater search widens, officials said.

Mexico has unveiled nationwide rules restricting cellphone use in schools for younger students from bell to bell on Tuesday, as concern grows over the effects of screen time on children.

Belgium and Rwanda have resumed diplomatic relations 18 months after breaking ties due to a dispute over the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Canada is giving C$100 million (around $71.05 million) in international assistance for Palestine, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday.