Follow the latest public stories in Politics and branch into related briefings, coverage, and the broader ZettaWire wire.
A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, according to Al Jazeera.
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji died of illness at age 98 in Beijing at 11:06 a.m. Wednesday, according to Xinhua state news agency.
Lebanon's parliament on Tuesday passed a bill abolishing the death penalty, making it the first country in the Middle East to formally end capital punishment, according to the National News Agency (NNA) and local channel LBCI TV. The bill was approved by a majority of the 128-member parliament. The EU delegation to Lebanon welcomed the move, noting it includes retroactive application and builds on a de facto moratorium maintained since 2004.
Hungary's Parliament elected former Supreme Court Chairman András Baka as the country's new president, the Hungarian newspaper Nepszava reports.
Türkiye's parliament on Monday approved a legal framework for the disarmament and reintegration of the PKK, with 468 of 562 lawmakers voting in favor after nearly 10 hours of debate in Ankara. The legislation allows lower-ranking PKK members to return from northern Iraq under legal conditions but excludes jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, senior PKK leaders, and those serving aggravated life sentences.
The U.S. Senate voted 90-6 early Saturday to approve a short-term funding measure to keep federal operations running through Dec. 11, avoiding a government shutdown ahead of the Sept. 30 funding deadline and the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The bill now needs to be reconciled with the House version passed last month before Trump can sign it.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Wednesday survived a second caucus confidence vote in four months amid tightening polls ahead of the Nov. 7 general election, according to Xinhua.
A federal judge blocked the US Postal Service (USPS) from implementing provisions of Donald Trump's executive order aimed at tightening rules for mail-in voting ahead of the November midterm elections.
Donald Trump said he directed Dr. Mehmet Oz to announce that Medicaid will no longer fund gender transition surgeries and hormones for minors, calling the procedures barbaric and urging voters to consider the issue in November's midterm elections.
Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved an Education Ministry proposal to elevate school safety to a national agenda following a mass shooting at a secondary school outside Bangkok last week that killed nine people, designating all schools 'School Safety Zones' with mandatory safety centers and weapon screening.
A US appeals court has rejected challenges from Meta and TikTok to lawsuits alleging harm to young users, with 3,137 cases remaining pending against social media companies. Jury selection in a multistate case against Meta is set to begin Wednesday.
Donald Trump posted on Truth Social stating that a National Park Service career employee witnessed David Hearn of ActBlue vandalize the Reflecting Pool in broad daylight by 'violently' ripping and tugging at its coating; witness testimony was shared with the U.S. Attorney's Office in early July. Trump also said 'acid-like' material was used on newly installed grass with the letters '86 47,' a phrase he said probably originated with James Comey, and that security cameras are being installed.