作者： root

北约战斗机击落立陶宛上空无人机

2026年9月15日 09:05 / 联合早报

8月11日，一架执行北约空中警戒任务的比利时F-16战斗机，在冰岛凯夫拉维克机场起飞。 （路透社）

立陶宛国家危机管理中心说，星期二（9月15日）零时过后，一架北约战斗机在立陶宛上空击落了一架无人机。

路透社报道，立陶宛国家危机管理中心发言人说，这架无人机很可能是从白罗斯飞入，在立陶宛第二大城市考纳斯（Kaunas）附近的普拉特库奈村（Pratkunai）上空被击落。

发言人说，无人机的具体来源尚待确定。

此前，立陶宛首都维尔纽斯及周边地区曾发布无人机警报。

自2004年波罗的海国家加入北约以来，执行北约波罗的海防空任务的战斗机一直在拉脱维亚、立陶宛、爱沙尼亚领空进行巡逻。

执行这项任务的战斗机曾于今年5月在爱沙尼亚以及6月和8月在拉脱维亚，击落偏离航线的乌克兰无人机。

俄罗斯邻国领空屡屡发生军用无人机误入事件，加剧了外界对俄乌战争可能外溢至北约成员国边界的担忧。

近来，乌克兰加大对俄罗斯境内包括波罗的海地区的远程无人机打击，期间有数架乌克兰军用无人机误入芬兰、拉脱维亚、立陶宛、爱沙尼亚的领空。

乌方将这些事件归咎于俄罗斯，称是俄方的电磁战干扰，改变了这些无人机的飞行路线。

美军否认一艘油轮在霍尔木兹海峡触雷

2026年9月15日 09:29 / 联合早报

美国海军中央司令部9月9日发布的照片显示，一架F/A-18“超级大黄蜂”战斗机9月4日停放在尼米兹级航空母舰“乔治·华盛顿”号的飞行甲板上。 （法新社）

美国中央司令部否认一艘悬挂巴拿马国旗的油轮在霍尔木兹海峡触碰水雷。

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队星期一（9月14日）说，一艘名为“阿尔加亚”（EL GAIA）的油轮试图通过霍尔木兹海峡南部“禁航区域”时，触雷后爆炸起火，并指油轮已被大火吞没。

美国中央司令部随后在X平台发文说，伊朗革命卫队的说法不实。“阿尔加亚”油轮8月就遭伊朗导弹袭击，丧失航行能力，伊朗上周末使用无人机对停泊在阿曼沿海水域的这艘油轮再次发动袭击。目前，“阿尔加亚”油轮正由美方的地区伙伴拖曳。

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金正恩回电普京 强调扩大推进共同项目不动摇

2026年9月15日 09:51 / 联合早报

2025年9月3日，普京和金正恩出席在北京举行的中国抗战胜利80周年纪念活动。 （路透社）

朝鲜领导人金正恩致电俄罗斯总统普京，对普京祝贺朝鲜建政78周年（九九节）表示感谢，并强调朝俄关系韧性，扩大推进共同项目不动摇。

朝中社星期二（9月15日）报道，金正恩前一天与普京通话时说，朝俄两国在经历曲折的历史风云中，巩固互信，加强团结，携手捍卫正义与和平。

金正恩说，他和朝鲜政府对与俄罗斯全面扩大推进共同项目的意志毫不动摇。他还表示，坚信俄罗斯将在与乌克兰的战争中取胜，并承诺朝方将坚定不移地提供支持。

韩联社推测，金正恩在回电中提及的“共同项目”或指朝俄军事合作与经济合作等。

除了外宣媒体朝中社外，朝鲜内宣媒体《劳动新闻》也在头版刊登金正恩回电内容。

普京8日向金正恩致贺电，称他和金正恩将共同努力，继续推动最紧密的共同事业，进一步巩固两国全面战略伙伴关系。

Trump nominates Lee Greenwood’s wife to serve as ambassador to Barbados

2026-09-14T21:06:00-0400 / CBS News

By Kristin Brown

Updated on: September 14, 2026 / 9:27 PM EDT / CBS News

President Trump on Monday nominated Kimberly Greenwood, the wife of “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood, to serve as ambassador to Barbados and several other Caribbean countries.

Kimberly Greenwood’s nomination was sent to the Senate along with dozens of other nominations for judgeships, ambassadorships and administration officials.

She was tasked to serve as ambassador to Barbados and, “without additional compensation,” as the U.S.’ top envoy to Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It’s common for a single person to serve simultaneously as ambassador to Barbados and several nearby Eastern Caribbean island nations, most of which are small and do not have their own separate U.S. diplomatic posts.

Kimberly Greenwood thanked Mr. Trump in an Instagram post that included a photo of her with Lee Greenwood and the president, calling it “one of the greatest honors of my lifetime.”

“If confirmed by the United States Senate, I will work every day to earn that confidence, to listen and learn, to build genuine relationships, and to make sure the people of every nation I am privileged to serve know how deeply America values their friendship,” she wrote.

Lee Greenwood congratulated his wife for the nomination, writing on X: “I know Kim will serve with humility, dignity and a sincere desire to strengthen the friendships between the United States and the people of these seven Caribbean nations.”

Lee Greenwood has been closely associated with Mr. Trump for much of the president’s political career. Mr. Trump has long used Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” as his rally walk-up song, and in recent years, the country singer has performed the patriotic anthem live at certain Trump events. The president also worked with the artist to sell a line of Bibles.

In an interview with Sean Hannity over the summer, Kimberly Greenwood said her professional relationship with the president predates her husband’s. A former Miss Tennessee, she worked with Mr. Trump for years in his capacity as the former owner of the Miss Universe pageant.

Kimberly Greenwood has directed the Miss Tennessee, Miss Mississippi and Miss Georgia competitions, according to a biography on the Miss Georgia website.

“Kim has always approached every responsibility with a servant’s heart and a deep commitment to excellence,” Lee Greenwood wrote on X. “Kim worked with President Trump for 18 years through the Miss Universe Organization while directing multiple state pageants, and I am deeply grateful for the confidence he has once again placed in her through this nomination.”

Mr. Trump is far from the first president to pick political allies to serve as diplomats in some cases, but aWashington Post review last month found the Trump administration has filled a larger-than-usual share of its ambassadorial posts with political supporters rather than career Foreign Service officers. Many posts remain unfilled.

The president has nominated Trump-backed former Senate candidates Herschel Walker of Georgia and Kari Lake of Arizona to serve as ambassadors to the Bahamas and Jamaica, respectively. Charles Kushner, the father of Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, serves as ambassador to France and Monaco. And Kimberly Guilfoyle, a pro-Trump former Fox News host who previously dated the president’s eldest son, was chosen as ambassador to Greece.

Accenture to pay $25 million to settle US government allegations over DEI

September 15, 2026 12:45 AM UTC Updated 2 hours ago / Reuters

By Kanishka Singh

The logo of Accenture is displayed on a building, on the first day of the annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 15, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) – IT consulting firm Accenture will pay $25 million to settle U.S. government allegations over diversity practices, which President Donald Trump’s administration ​has targeted in his second term in office.

“Accenture shall pay to ‌the United States $25,000,000, inclusive of civil penalties and interest on the Settlement Amount at a rate of 4% per annum from September 9, 2026,” the settlement ​agreement made public on Monday said. It was signed by ​the U.S. Department of Justice and Accenture.

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The Trump administration has ⁠penalized public and private organizations, from government agencies to universities, over ​DEI practices that civil rights advocates say help address historic inequities for ​marginalized groups such as women, the LGBT community and ethnic minorities.

The White House casts DEI as anti-merit and discriminatory against white people and men. Trump has signed ​executive orders asking federal contractors and subcontractors to eliminate DEI. Civil ​rights groups say such steps roll back social progress.

Many U.S. companies scaled back or ‌modified ⁠diversity policies after Trump’s orders.

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Deloitte agreed to pay $21.5 million to settle a DOJ probe over diversity practices, according to an agreement made public in August. IBM agreed to pay $17 million to settle a similar U.S. government ​probe, an agreement ​revealed in April.

The ⁠Justice Department had alleged Accenture took race and sex into consideration when it made hiring and promotion ​decisions to achieve demographic goals.

Accenture said it complied with ​applicable laws ⁠and that the resolution agreement did not constitute an admission of liability.

“We have cooperated with the government’s review, and we are pleased to put ⁠this ​matter behind us to avoid the costs ​and resource demands of prolonged litigation,” an Accenture spokesperson said.

The settlement agreement said Accenture denied ​engaging in discrimination.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

美国最高法院驳回邮寄选票新规 特朗普遭遇司法重挫

2026年9月15日 11:06 / 联合早报

美国司法部紧急申请撤销波士顿联邦地区法院法官塔尔瓦尼针对邮寄选票的一项裁决，这项申请9月14日被最高法院驳回。 （路透社）

美国最高法院拒绝允许美国邮政总局执行邮寄选票新规，这对美国总统特朗普试图在11月中期选举前限制邮寄投票的努力造成打击。

路透社报道，美国司法部紧急申请撤销波士顿联邦地区法院法官塔尔瓦尼（Indira Talwani）针对邮寄选票的一项裁决，这项申请星期一（9月14日）被最高法院驳回。

塔尔瓦尼法官的裁决阻止美国邮政总局在各州及投票权团体提起法律诉讼期间执行邮寄选票新规。特朗普3月签署一项旨在收紧邮寄选票规则的行政命令。上个月，美国邮政总局在特朗普的授意下采纳了这些新规。

最高法院星期一发布简短的命令说：“政府对地区法院临时禁令提出的上诉，基于实质理由不太可能获得支持。”

在星期一的裁决中，仅有阿利托（Samuel Alito）和托马斯（Clarence Thomas）两位保守派大法官表示异议，其余大法官均未公开提出异议。美国最高法院现由六位保守派和三位自由派大法官组成，保守派占绝对多数。

目前在国会参众两院仅握有微弱多数的共和党在中期选举面临苦战。多项民调显示，限制邮寄选票将对共和党有利，因为民主党选民选择邮寄选票的比例显著高于共和党选民。

根据邮寄选票新规，各州必须向邮政总局提供邮寄选票接收人名单，并统一采用邮政总局批准、带有专属条形码的寄出与回寄信封。对于不符合新规或选民未出现在名单上的选票，邮政总局有权拒绝寄送。

批评者指出，随着11月3日投票日临近，邮寄选票新规可能会扰乱数以千计的合法选票投递。此外，鉴于许多州已计划在近期向合格选民寄出选票，新规势必会引发混乱。

特朗普政府则辩称，新规旨在防止选民欺诈，尽管此类欺诈行为的证据少之又少。

塔尔瓦尼法官9月4日颁布禁令暂缓执行邮寄选票新规。她认定，根据美国宪法，选举事务应由各州自行管理，因此邮寄选票新规很可能违宪。她还说，鉴于中期选举已迫在眉睫，各州在时间上根本无法落实邮寄选票新规。

Blanche defends mail ballot changes, says election practices in multiple states are being probed

September 14, 2026 / 9:25 PM EDT / CBS News

By Nicole Sganga

Nicole Sganga Homeland Security and Justice Correspondent

Nicole Sganga is CBS News’ homeland security and justice correspondent. She is based in Washington, D.C., and reports for all shows and platforms.

Attorney General Todd Blanche fiercely defended the Trump administration’s push to impose tighter mail voting rules just before the midterm elections, telling CBS News in an exclusive interview that the Justice Department is examining election practices in multiple states.

When asked for evidence that the administration’s new mail voting rules — which are on hold due to a series of court orders — would prevent fraud, the attorney general initially said that “there’s a lot of evidence,” arguing that it was inherently the case that “if you’re using mail-in voting, the potential for fraud is greater than in-person voting with ID.”

Pressed further on what evidence he had that mail voting presents a greater risk of fraud than in-person voting with identification, Blanche maintained there is “a lot of evidence.” Asked what the evidence was, he responded, “Well, it’s common sense.”

The attorney general went on to say the government is looking at “multiple states,” adding that the review extends far beyond the Justice Department.

The comments come as the administration faces several overlapping court fights over its election policies. A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction earlier this month blocking the Postal Service from enforcing new rules for mail ballots, and a second federal judge blocked the policy on Sunday.

On Monday evening, the Supreme Court declined the administration’s request to lift Massachusetts-based U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s injunction, leaving the new restrictions blocked for the upcoming midterm elections. The court’s order still falls short of resolving the legality of the rule, and the litigation will continue.

The rule, adopted Aug. 21, requires that states provide the Postal Service with lists of mail ballot recipients and issue USPS-approved ballot envelopes carrying unique barcodes. According to the new regulation, USPS could refuse to transmit ballots that fail to meet those requirements.

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Documented election fraud, including mail-ballot fraud, does occur, but researchers have found it to be rare. For instance, a 2024 Stanford study of roughly 4.5 million voters in Washington state found only 14 ballots that might have been suspiciously cast after a voter’s death — about 0.0003% — and determined that even those cases could include matching or clerical errors. A broader 2025 analysis of the 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022 elections found roughly four identified cases of mail-ballot fraud for every 10 million mail ballots cast, resulting in an average rate of 0.000043%.

Over the past several months, the Justice Department has also told 29 states and D.C. to preserve 2024 election records, and is now suing for voter-registration data containing sensitive identifiers. The department has also acknowledged in litigation that unredacted voter data could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security for citizenship checks.

Pressed on those efforts to obtain voter-registration data, Blanche said, “We have hundreds of open investigations into people who are here illegally and who potentially and, in many cases, they’ve been charged with voting.”

“So, we have hundreds of ongoing investigations where we have identified people who are here illegally or are otherwise not eligible to vote, that have voted,” he added. “We have some of them [who] have been charged. Some of those investigations are ongoing.”

Asked whether information collected from states would be placed into a database, Blanche said he was “not aware of a database,” but acknowledged that information being collected would have to be stored and used by agencies within the federal government.

“So, yeah, I mean, … we’re not going to just do it and leave it in an office and say, you know, so be it,” Blanche said. “So, we would use it to help us understand whether there’s people here voting who shouldn’t be voting.”

美国最高法院驳回邮寄选票新规 特朗普遭遇司法重挫

2026年9月15日 11:06 / 联合早报

美国司法部紧急申请撤销波士顿联邦地区法院法官塔尔瓦尼针对邮寄选票的一项裁决，这项申请9月14日被最高法院驳回。 （路透社）

美国最高法院拒绝允许美国邮政总局执行邮寄选票新规，这对美国总统特朗普试图在11月中期选举前限制邮寄投票的努力造成打击。

路透社报道，美国司法部紧急申请撤销波士顿联邦地区法院法官塔尔瓦尼（Indira Talwani）针对邮寄选票的一项裁决，这项申请星期一（9月14日）被最高法院驳回。

塔尔瓦尼法官的裁决阻止美国邮政总局在各州及投票权团体提起法律诉讼期间执行邮寄选票新规。特朗普3月签署一项旨在收紧邮寄选票规则的行政命令。上个月，美国邮政总局在特朗普的授意下采纳了这些新规。

最高法院星期一发布简短的命令说：“政府对地区法院临时禁令提出的上诉，基于实质理由不太可能获得支持。”

在星期一的裁决中，仅有阿利托（Samuel Alito）和托马斯（Clarence Thomas）两位保守派大法官表示异议，其余大法官均未公开提出异议。美国最高法院现由六位保守派和三位自由派大法官组成，保守派占绝对多数。

目前在国会参众两院仅握有微弱多数的共和党在中期选举面临苦战。多项民调显示，限制邮寄选票将对共和党有利，因为民主党选民选择邮寄选票的比例显著高于共和党选民。

根据邮寄选票新规，各州必须向邮政总局提供邮寄选票接收人名单，并统一采用邮政总局批准、带有专属条形码的寄出与回寄信封。对于不符合新规或选民未出现在名单上的选票，邮政总局有权拒绝寄送。

批评者指出，随着11月3日投票日临近，邮寄选票新规可能会扰乱数以千计的合法选票投递。此外，鉴于许多州已计划在近期向合格选民寄出选票，新规势必会引发混乱。

特朗普政府则辩称，新规旨在防止选民欺诈，尽管此类欺诈行为的证据少之又少。

塔尔瓦尼法官9月4日颁布禁令暂缓执行邮寄选票新规。她认定，根据美国宪法，选举事务应由各州自行管理，因此邮寄选票新规很可能违宪。她还说，鉴于中期选举已迫在眉睫，各州在时间上根本无法落实邮寄选票新规。

US NTSB says one-third of FAA answers to safety recommendations are ‘unacceptable’

2026-09-14T22:14:39.986Z / Reuters

By David Shepardson

September 14, 2026 10:14 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

An American Airlines airplane takes off near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River,outside Washington, U.S., January 31, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) – The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said responses by the Federal Aviation Administration to 11 of 33 recommendations made by the board after ​a 2025 mid-air collision killed 67 people near Washington were “unacceptable” and failed to address safety ‌concerns.

The January 2025 collision of an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in more than two decades.

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The NTSB said the FAA had not agreed to mandate a key safety ​system known as ADS-B In, which was one of the board’s recommendations.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the ​system could have given the passenger plane pilot an alert 59 seconds before the ⁠collision and the helicopter crew 48 seconds before the collision.

“How many more decades have to go by before ​we again and again and again have to recommend it after terrible tragedy?” Homendy told Reuters.

Homendy and families from ​some of those killed in the collision will again urge Congress on Tuesday to pass legislation to address the causes of the accident.

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FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Reuters in July the FAA could move forward on ADS-B without action from Congress but would ​prefer direction from lawmakers.

In a letter seen by Reuters detailing its responses to the safety board on Tuesday, ​the FAA said it is reviewing helicopter routes in six major cities, has completed reviews of routes in four cities, and ‌has issued ⁠a directive to keep planes and helicopters separate.

The NTSB said Monday the FAA did not indicate if it intends to write rules to require ADS-B In.

The safety board makes recommendations and then issues status updates on its push to convince regulators to make changes. It labels them unacceptable if the agency disagrees with the recommendation, offers ​an alternative the NTSB finds ​would not address the ⁠concern, or fails to take action in a timely fashion.

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https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-ntsb-says-one-third-faa-answers-safety-recommendations-are-unacceptable-2026-09-14/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-ntsb-says-one-third-faa-answers-safety-recommendations-are-unacceptable-2026-09-14/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-ntsb-says-one-third-faa-answers-safety-recommendations-are-unacceptable-2026-09-14/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-ntsb-says-one-third-faa-answers-safety-recommendations-are-unacceptable-2026-09-14/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-ntsb-says-one-third-faa-answers-safety-recommendations-are-unacceptable-2026-09-14/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-ntsb-says-one-third-faa-answers-safety-recommendations-are-unacceptable-2026-09-14/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-ntsb-says-one-third-faa-answers-safety-recommendations-are-unacceptable-2026-09-14/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-ntsb-says-one-third-faa-answers-safety-recommendations-are-unacceptable-2026-09-14/

In January, the NTSB found systemic failures by the FAA led to the 2025 collision, the worst U.S. aviation disaster since ​2001. It said the accident was caused by the FAA’s decision to allow helicopters to ​travel close ⁠to the airport with no safeguards to separate them from airplanes and its failure to review data and act on recommendations to move helicopter traffic away from the airport.

The U.S. House of Representatives in April voted 396-10 to pass a ⁠sweeping ​aviation safety reform bill to address dozens of recommendations, while a rival ​bill known as the ROTOR Act passed the U.S. Senate unanimously in December but needed a two-thirds majority in the House to pass ​under fast-track rules and it fell one vote short.

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Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Nick Zieminski and Stephen Coates

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.