Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not be able to attend next month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York after the United States cancelled his visa along with those of about 80 senior Palestinian officials, the State Department has confirmed.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Abbas and the Palestinian Authority of undermining peace efforts by pushing for the “unilateral recognition of a hypothetical Palestinian state.” The move, which has been welcomed by Israel, is unusual as the US traditionally facilitates the entry of world leaders and officials traveling to UN headquarters.

The development coincides with a French-led initiative to seek international recognition of a Palestinian state during the Assembly, a move strongly opposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, had earlier announced that Abbas would lead the Palestinian delegation. But US officials later clarified that the visa revocation applies to both members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Rubio stated that Palestinian representatives assigned to the UN mission in New York could still take part in meetings under the UN Headquarters Agreement, which regulates diplomatic presence in the United States. However, questions remain as to whether the US decision complies with the agreement, which requires the host country not to obstruct foreign officials’ participation regardless of political relations.

Abbas’ office described the US move as “astonishing” and in violation of international law, stressing that Palestine holds observer status at the UN and therefore should not be barred.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar praised Washington’s decision.

The dispute comes as the broader Israel-Palestine conflict continues. Hamas controls Gaza while Abbas’ Fatah-led PA governs parts of the West Bank but faces mounting challenges amid settlement expansions. Despite past UN votes granting Palestine non-member observer state status, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected a two-state solution, calling recognition of a Palestinian state a reward for “Hamas’s monstrous terrorism.”

The war in Gaza, which began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage, has claimed over 63,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

Rubio insisted that before the PLO and PA could be considered “partners for peace,” they must renounce terrorism including the October 7 attack end incitement in schools, and halt efforts to pursue Israel at international courts.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said discussions were underway with Washington, adding that it was “essential that all member states and observers are represented, especially given the upcoming meeting on a two-state solution to be hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.”

In addition to France, the UK, Canada, and Australia have all announced plans to recognise Palestine at the UN session. Currently, 147 out of the UN’s 193 member states recognise Palestinian statehood.

One person was killed and five others injured after a man deliberately drove his car into a group of people outside a wine bar in northern France early Saturday, prosecutors confirmed.

The attack happened in the town of Evreux, Normandy, around 4:00 a.m. local time (0200 GMT). Authorities have launched an investigation into homicide and attempted homicide but have ruled out both terrorist and racist motives.

“Unfortunately, the toll is very heavy,” Evreux public prosecutor Remi Coutin told AFP, confirming that one victim died at the scene.

According to Coutin, the incident followed an altercation involving a young woman and several men inside the bar. Security staff then forced all patrons outside. At that point, one individual retrieved a vehicle and “deliberately reversed at high speed into the crowd outside the establishment,” Coutin explained, calling the episode one that “escalated and ended in a tragedy.”

Among the five injured, two remain in critical condition. Police said they have detained three suspects—the driver, another man, and a woman—while cautioning that more arrests could follow.

Evreux Mayor Guy Lefrand extended his “deepest sympathy and solidarity with the victims, their families and loved ones,” and praised the swift intervention of emergency responders.

When officers arrived, they were met with a chaotic crowd, many of whom were intoxicated, a police source said.

Speaking later to BFMTV, Mayor Lefrand noted that the wine bar where the incident occurred had a poor reputation and should have closed earlier. “It is an establishment with a bad reputation,” he remarked, pointing out that it was supposed to shut its doors at 1 a.m.

Russia unleashed its heaviest aerial assault on Ukraine’s capital in months on Thursday, striking residential neighborhoods, a shopping mall, and European diplomatic offices. At least 21 people were killed, including four children, and dozens more injured, Ukrainian authorities said.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Moscow launched nearly 600 drones and 31 missiles in a coordinated overnight barrage, targeting all ten districts of Kyiv. Most of the projectiles were intercepted, but several ballistic and cruise missiles pierced air defenses, causing widespread destruction.

The deadliest strike occurred in the Darnytskyi district, where a five-story apartment building collapsed, killing 17 people. In central Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, explosions damaged the British Council and European Union offices. Emergency workers pulled survivors from the rubble as fires burned through the night.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, calling it Moscow’s retaliation against recent peace initiatives. “Russia chooses ballistics over diplomacy,” he said in a televised address, urging Western allies to tighten sanctions and accelerate weapons deliveries.

The Kremlin defended the strikes, saying they targeted military and industrial facilities, while insisting Russia remained “open to negotiations.”

The attack triggered swift international condemnation. The European Union and the United Kingdom summoned Russian envoys to protest the damage to their institutions in Kyiv. The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session, and Washington announced an $825 million arms package to bolster Ukraine’s defenses.

The assault dominated headlines worldwide and fueled a surge of online activity, with CCTV footage and eyewitness videos from Kyiv shared widely across social media platforms.

The strikes also came as NATO projected that all 32 of its members will reach the alliance’s defense spending benchmark of 2% of GDP this year, underscoring heightened security concerns across Europe.

Despite the devastation, Ukrainian officials vowed resilience. “Kyiv will endure,” said Mayor Vitali Klitschko. “We will rebuild, and we will not be broken.”