Belarus and Russia are reportedly planning a large-scale economic integration program that includes a single tax code, consolidated customs service and a unified industry regulator for key sectors like energy, Kommersant reported Sept. 16, citing a preliminary agreement between both countries.
The United Arab Emirates has abandoned plans to construct a military airbase in the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland, according to Muse Bihi Abdi, Somaliland's president, Reuters reported Sept. 15.
Early returns from the first round of Tunisia's presidential elections indicate that independent outsider Kais Saied secured 18.9 percent of the vote, followed by detained media magnate Nabil Karoui at 15.5 percent and Islamist Ennahda party candidate Abdelfattah Mourou at 12.9 percent, according to Tunisia's electoral authority.
U.S. President Donald Trump said via Twitter on Sept. 14 that he was exploring a mutual defense treaty with Israel and that talks could begin after the country held its parliamentary elections on Sept. 17.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly invited U.S. President Donald Trump in late August to visit Pyongyang for a third bilateral summit, according to a Sept. 16 report by South Korean newspaper Joongang Ilbo. Neither North Korea nor the United States confirmed the invitation.
U.S. officials have said that an attack against a Saudi oil processing plant originated on Iranian territory, citing intelligence findings, while Riyadh said it hasn't yet reached the same conclusion after analyzing the information, The Wall Street Journal reported Sept. 16.
The Solomon Islands has cut its diplomatic ties with Taiwan and established relations with the mainland Chinese government after the island nation's parliament voted to move forward with the measure, Bloomberg reported Sept. 16.
A Taliban delegation traveled to Moscow on Sept. 13 to meet Russia's Afghanistan envoy to discuss the abrupt end of U.S.-Taliban peace talks, Reuters reported Sept. 14.
A World Trade Organization panel has ruled that the United States can proceed with punitive tariffs on between 5 billion and 8 billion euros ($5.5 billion and $8.8 billion) worth of EU imports over a dispute concerning illegal aircraft subsidies, Politico reported Sept. 14, citing four EU officials.
Yemen-based Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for drone attacks on two of Saudi Arabia's major oil facilities, Al Jazeera reported Sept. 14.
