Amanda Anisimova won the US Open final 6-4, 7-6, 6-3, to take on Aryna Sabalenka, who has already lost four sets to Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka, who is now defending her first major title.
“Oh, my God,” The 24-year-old said on Thursday after winning her first final at Flushing Meadows, “it means the world”.
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“I’m attempting to process that right now. Absolutely a dream come true. I’ve wanted to live in the US for a long time. Open final with the goal of winning.
Osaka, the other US Open champion, enjoyed the big game in Arthur Ashe Stadium’s prime-time glare as she entered her first major semifinal since 2021.
In a tight opening set, the pair twice exchanged breaks, and Osaka refocused and roared when Anisimova hit a shot into the net on set point in the tiebreak following a delayed line call from the automated system.
However, Anisimova’s intensity was on par with that of Osaka’s as the 23rd seed struggled to carry the momentum forward in the following set.
After the players exchanged vicious hits for 12 games in the next set, Anisimova slammed into the tiebreak to end the game.
The eighth seed, who defeated Iga Swiatek 6 / 6 6-0 in the Wimbledon final two months ago, held on to her nerve until the win was over and made it back to Grand Slam finals.
She really made me want to run for the final. I wasn’t sure if I made it past the finish line. I made an effort to find more. There was a lot of fighting going on, Anisimova continued.
“I made an effort to remain optimistic. I’m working on that because there were a lot of nerves in the beginning. Yes, I think that was really getting to me because this tournament means a lot to me.
You’re just trying to survive, you’re in the end. I’m making an effort to enjoy the moment. When we were both playing incredible tennis, we would sometimes think, “How are we making these shots?” but we continued to be who we were.
On Saturday, Anisimova will face Aryna Sabalenka, the current US Open champion.
Back-to-back dreams are kept alive by Sabalenka.
In a three-set victory over American fourth seed Jessica Pegula, reigning champion Sabalenka defeated fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula, who had already lost.
In a repeat of the final from the previous year, Sabalenka defeated Pegula 4-6, 6-3, and 6-4.
The Belarusian will make its third consecutive Flushing Meadows final appearance.
She played incredible tennis as usual, and I had to work really hard to get this win, Sabalenka said.
I’m so happy to be back in the final, and I’m hoping to make it all the way.
Sabalenka, 27, wants to become the first woman to have won three straight New York singles titles since 2012-2014 when Serena Williams won three.
Since winning the US Open in 2024, she has already reached the final four of her last five Grand Slams.
She said, “I’ll go out there on Saturday and fight for every reason I can in my life.”
Sabalanka, who is no 1 seeded, will attempt to become the first woman to win two straight championships at Flushing Meadows [File: Kena Betancur/AFP]
Islamabad, Pakistan – For the second time in three years, devastating monsoon floods have strewn a path of destruction through Pakistan’s north and center, particularly in Punjab province, submerging villages, drowning farmland, displacing millions, and injuring hundreds.
This year, India – Pakistan’s archrival and a nuclear-armed neighbour – is also reeling. Heavy monsoon rains swell rivers on both sides of the border, which has caused widespread flooding in northern states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Indian Punjab.
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Authorities in Pakistan claim that at least 884 people have died nationwide, including more than 220 in Punjab, since the monsoon season first started in late June. More than 30 people have died in Indian Punjab, compared to 100 on the Indian side.
Yet, shared suffering hasn’t brought the neighbours closer: In Pakistan’s Punjab, which borders India, federal minister Ahsan Iqbal has, in fact, accused New Delhi of deliberately releasing excess water from dams without timely warnings.
According to Iqbal, “India has started using water as a weapon and has caused widespread flooding in Punjab,” he claimed last month, citing releases into the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers, all of which flow into Pakistan from Indian territory.
Iqbal added that India’s use of flood water was its “worst example of water aggression,” which he claimed threatened people’s lives, property, and livelihoods.
“Some issues should be beyond politics, and water cooperation must be one of them”, the minister said on August 27, while he participated in rescue efforts in Narowal city, his constituency that borders India.
The two countries’ growing tensions, as well as the collapse of a six-decade-old agreement that allowed them to share waters for rivers that both countries rely on, are at the center of those accusations.
However, experts contend that the evidence is insufficient to suggest that India deliberately attempted to flood Pakistan, and that even if New Delhi were to consider doing so, there are the risks associated with such a plan.
Weaponising water
On August 31, 2025, people who have been affected by the flood walk along the shelters of a makeshift camp in Chung, Punjab province, Pakistan. In eastern Pakistan, flooding caused nearly half a million people to flee after days of heavy rains flooded rivers.
Relations between India and Pakistan, already at a historic low, plummeted further in April after the Pahalgam attack, in which gunmen killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. India canceled the Transboundary Agreement that governs the Indus Basin’s six rivers, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), leaving the country.
Pakistan refuted claims that it was involved in the Pahalgam attack in any way. But in early May, the neighbours waged a , four-day conflict, targeting each other’s military bases with missiles and drones in the gravest military escalation between them in almost three decades.
The two nations were required to regularly exchange detailed water-flow data under the IWT. Fears have risen in recent months that New Delhi might try to stop the flow of water into Pakistan or flood its western neighbor with unexpected, large releases as India ceases to adhere to the pact.
After New Delhi suspended its participation in the IWT, India’s Home Minister Amit Shah in June said the treaty would never be restored, a stance that prompted protests in Pakistan and accusations of “water terrorism”.
The Indian High Commission in Islamabad has shared several warnings of possible cross-border flooding on “humanitarian grounds” in recent weeks while the Indian government has not officially responded to allegations that it has chosen to flood Pakistan.
Water experts contend that Pakistan’s floods are primarily due to dam-building in India, which raises the possibility of obscuring the urgent, shared challenges posed by climate change and the ageing infrastructure.
“The Indian decision to release water from their dam has not caused flooding in Pakistan”, said Daanish Mustafa, a professor of critical geography at King’s College London.
The rivers in India eventually flow into Pakistan through major dams. He told Al Jazeera, “Any extra water that will be released from these rivers will have a significant impact on India’s own states first.”
Shared monsoon strain
In the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, glaciers provide food for both Pakistan and India. The Indus River basin provides life to Pakistan. It supplies water to most of the country’s roughly 250 million people and underpins its agriculture.
The death toll in Pakistan has surpassed 800, with hundreds of thousands of people being displaced from their homes as a result of the rising water levels.
India controls the three eastern rivers, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas, while Pakistan controls the three western rivers, Jhelum, Chenab, and Indus.
India is obligated to allow waters of the western rivers to flow into Pakistan with limited exceptions, and to provide timely, detailed hydrological data.
The rivers it controls have seen a significant drop in the flow of the Ravi and Sutlej into Pakistan thanks to India’s construction of dams on the eastern ones. As long as the volume of water entering Pakistan is not impacted by it building dams on some of the western rivers, it is permitted to do so under the terms of the treaty.
But melting glaciers and an unusually intense summer monsoon pushed river levels on both sides of the border dangerously high this year.
In Pakistan, heavy rains and glacial outbursts caused levels in western rivers to rise, while rising flows severely damaged infrastructure on India’s eastern rivers.
According to Mustafa of King’s College, dams are typically designed to last about 100 years, just like other infrastructure is designed to have a safe capacity of water. But climate change has dramatically altered the average rainfall that might have been taken into account while designing these projects.
He claimed that the dams’ construction parameters are now meaningless and obsolete. Water must be released when dam capacity exceeds dam capacity, or the entire structure will be in danger of being destroyed.
Among the major dams upstream in Indian territory are Salal and Baglihar on the Chenab, Pong on the Beas, Bhakra on the Sutlej, and Ranjit Sagar (also known as Thein) on the Ravi.
With vast areas of Indian territory between them and the border, these dams are located in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh.
A former Pakistani representative on the bilateral commission tasked with monitoring the implementation of the pact, Shiraz Memon, said that it makes no sense to blame India for the flooding in Pakistan.
“Instead of acknowledging that India has shared warnings, we are blaming them of water terrorism. By the end of August, reservoirs across the region were full, according to Memon, adding that it is a simple, natural flood phenomenon.
Spillways had to be opened for downstream releases because the water was running out. This is a natural solution as there is no other option available”, he told Al Jazeera.
Politics of blame
The day after flash floods occurred in Chositi village, Kishtwar district of Indian-administered Kashmir, last month [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
According to September 3 data on India’s Central Water Commission website, at least a dozen sites face a “severe” flood situation, and another 19 are above normal flood levels.
The Indian High Commission’s message announcing a “high flood” on the Sutlej and Tawi rivers was referenced in a notification from Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources the same day.
India issued its fourth notice of this nature after three earlier warnings last week, but none of them contained detailed hydrological information.
Pakistan’s Meteorological Department, in a report on September 4, said on the Pakistani side, two sites on the Sutlej and Ravi faced “extremely high” flood levels, while two other sites on the Ravi and Chenab saw “very high” levels.
In a powerful monsoon, the volume of water frequently exceeds the capacity of any single dam or barrage. According to experts, controlled releases have become a necessary but dangerous component of flood control on both sides of the border.
They added that while the IWT obliged India to alert Pakistan to abnormal flows, Pakistan also needs better monitoring and real-time data systems rather than relying solely on diplomatic exchanges.
According to experts, the blame game can have short-term political effects on both sides, especially after the May conflict.
For India, halting the agreement serves as a strong defense of what it perceives as Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism. For Pakistan, blaming India can provide a political scapegoat that distracts from domestic failures in flood mitigation and governance.
Rivers are “living, breathing things,” they say. They always make the move because of this. You cannot control the flood, especially a high or severe flood”, academic Mustafa said.
In a move described as “highly provocative,” two Venezuelan military aircraft flew close to a US Navy ship in international waters, according to the US Department of Defense.
The Venezuelan government issued a warning to stop further provocative moves in a statement released late on Thursday, blaming the Venezuelan aircraft’s alleged involvement with the guided-missile destroyer Jason Dunham as an attempt to “interfere with our counter-narco-terror operations.”
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The Pentagon stated in a post on the X platform that two Maduro-style military aircraft flew close to a US Navy vessel today in international waters.
The Pentagon advised the cartel operating in Venezuela to refrain from further efforts to obstruct, deter, or interfere with US military counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations.
pic.twitter.com/PSxm3uRsfM
A US ship did not engage the aircraft, according to a US defense official who was cited by The New York Times as saying that two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the guided-missile destroyer Jason Dunham in the southern Caribbean Sea.
Venezuelan state media did not mention the alleged US-Venezuela encounter because it covered President Nicolas Maduro’s announcement of the country’s National Militia’s first round of operation, whose ranks have been increased by new volunteers in recent weeks as Washington’s threats grow.
According to Maduro, Venezuela’s Noticias Venevision news outlet, it was the “first time in history that the communal units of the militia will be activated, spanning the national map from north to south, from east to west, down to the final community.”
The US has so far denied any evidence that Maduro is connected to or has any connections to drug trafficking cartels in Venezuela and the region.
Washington increased the reward in August to $50 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest over allegations that he had been a part of a cocaine trafficking operation. In a move allegedly aimed at drug cartels, the US quickly deployed several ships and a nuclear-powered submarine to the Caribbean and Venezuelan waters.
Maduro has been expressing concern over the US’s recent naval deployment in the Southern Caribbean, claiming that it was “seeking a regime change through military threat” and promising that if Washington attacked, he would ” mobilize the nation and declare it a republic in arms” for weeks.
In a rumored airstrike in the Caribbean on Tuesday, US forces apparently launched a speedboat allegedly used for drug trafficking.
According to Trump, the boat belongs to a violent group linked to Maduro, and 11 people have been killed in the attack.
Washington allegedly carried out extrajudicial killings, accusing Caracas of killing 11 people without a trial. Legal experts have also raised questions about the attack’s legality because the Trump administration failed to provide any proof that the US was in imminent danger from those aboard the ship or that the passengers were even armed.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the two countries’ joint meeting the day after their first-ever joint summit in Beijing, showed unwavering support for each other for its territorial, economic, and development goals.
Following their recent bilateral meeting on Wednesday, Xi and Kim met at a ceremony to celebrate the 80 years since World War II’s end, and Russia also praised North Korea’s support for its conflict in Ukraine.
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Kim was quoted as saying, “No matter how the international situation changes, the feeling of friendship between Pyongyang and Beijing cannot change,” in an article published on Friday by the state-run newspaper of North Korea, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
After meeting with Xi, Kim said, “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [will as always support and encourage the positions of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Republic of China to defend the state’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and development interests,” KCNA said.
Xi reportedly told Kim that he and China share a destiny and that he was ready to “defend, consolidate, and develop” the nations’ relations, according to KCNA.
Kim’s departure from Beijing on Thursday marked his first visit to Russia since 2023, according to KCNA, and he was also confirmed by KCNA.
Cai Qi and Wang Yi, two top Chinese Communist Party officials, attended Kim’s graduation ceremony, according to KCNA.
During the People’s Liberation Army’s latest generation of stealth fighters, tanks, and ballistic missiles in Beijing’s military parade on Wednesday, Xi praised China’s victory over “Japanese aggression” in the “world anti-fascist war” over “Japanese aggression.”
In an unprecedented display of unity, Putin and Kim met with Xi for two and a half hours on the sidelines of the event, where they were seated along with a total of 26 mostly non-Western world leaders. According to KCNA, the trio discussed “long-term” cooperation plans.
Prior to the parade, both leaders praised the strengthening military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, reportedly sneered at Xi during a post on his Truth Social platform, saying, “Kum Jong Un and Vladimir Putin, you conspire against the United States of America.
No one even thought of this, according to a Kremlin aide, who refrained from saying this in their heads about Trump’s remarks.
Putin also congratulated Kim on the occasion of North Korea’s foundation day, in which he praised Moscow’s military might in Ukraine.
Putin’s message read, “Your combat force’s heroic involvement in releasing the Kursk territories from the invaders is a distinct symbol of friendship and mutual aid between Russia and North Korea,” according to KCNA.
“I have no doubt that we will continue to collaborate to build a strong strategic partnership between our two nations,” Putin continued.
Incontrovertibly, North Korea has provided artillery ammunition and missiles to support Moscow’s fight against Kyiv by sending thousands of soldiers to battle in Kursk, a region previously occupied by Ukraine.
On Friday, September 5, 2018, the situation is as follows:
Fighting
In the village of Khotimlia in the Kharkiv region of northeast Ukraine, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that three people were killed by Russian drones, two of whom were men and two women, and injured three others.
Two people have been killed in a Russian missile attack on a Danish-sponsored humanitarian demining mission close to Chernihiv, according to Governor Viacheslav Chaus. Chaus claimed that the attack intentionally targeted the Danish Refugee Council’s team, leaving three others injured. Ukrainians were the only victims.
In the same attack in the Chernihiv region, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have used an Iskander missile strike to destroy a launch site for long-range drones.
The village of Novoselivka in the southeast of Ukraine, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, has been under Russian military rule.
According to Oleksandr Syrskii, the head of the Ukrainian military, Ukraine wants interceptor drones’ better performance to repel Russian aerial attacks more effectively.
Coalition of the Willing
Following the “coalition of the willing” group meeting for a meeting of Kyiv’s allies in Paris to discuss those guarantees, twenty-six nations have pledged to provide post-war security guarantees to Ukraine, which will include an international force on land, sea, and in the air.
At a press conference held at the Elysee Palace alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Macron declared, “The security guarantees will be deployed the day the conflict ends.”
Macron initially stated that 26 countries would send troops to Ukraine, which he chose not to name. However, he later stated that some nations would offer guarantees while remaining outside of Ukraine, such as by funding Kyiv’s forces’ training and development.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy stated that “we are working out which nations will participate in which security component.” He added that “26 nations endorsed providing security guarantees.” This is the first such serious, very specific substance to be released today, for the first time in a long time.
Germany will decide on additional military commitments, including sending troops to Ukraine, only after more specific circumstances are clarified, according to a government spokesperson.
Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, speak before their meeting on September 3, 2025 at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris.
After the meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Ukraine must turn into an indigent steel porcupine that is inedigible for both current and upcoming aggressors.
In addition, Macron claimed that Zelenskyy, fellow European leaders, and President Donald Trump had a phone call after the summit, and that US contributions to the guarantees would be finalized.
Macron said there was “no doubt” about the willingness of Washington to participate in the Ukraine-issued security guarantees, and that Washington needed to work with it to finalize the necessary planning arrangements.
A White House official said Trump’s statement on that call, telling European leaders that the country must stop purchasing Russian oil because it, in part, is helping Moscow fund its war against Ukraine, was offensive in the midst of slow diplomatic progress.
The official added that the president also emphasized that European leaders must put economic pressure on China to fund Russia’s war efforts.
Sanctions
The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on 11 more individuals and groups associated with the Russian state, specifically those linked to Moscow’s alleged forcible deportation and indoctrinate of children in Ukraine.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former head of the Russian Security Council and current deputy chairman, predicted that Russia would invade Ukrainian territory and seize British property after London claimed to have spent about $1.3 billion on weapons from Russian assets that had been frozen.
According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russia has reciprocally expelled an Estonian diplomat. A Russian diplomat was fired from Estonia in mid-August amid allegations that the country had violated the country’s sanctions and committed other crimes.
According to Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil producer, has signed an additional agreement to supply Kazakhstan with 2.5 million metric tons of oil.
Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea, speaks with Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, on September 3, 2025 in Beijing, China.
Regional security
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the two countries’ ties “special,” according to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who stated that his nation would “fully support” Russia’s army as a “fraternal duty.”
Kim reportedly received a greeting for North Korea’s foundation day from Putin.
Putin’s message read, “Your combat force’s heroic involvement in releasing the Kursk territories from the invaders is a distinct symbol of friendship and mutual aid between Russia and North Korea,” according to KCNA. Putin reaffirmed his confidence in the continued cooperation we will have in order to strengthen the deep strategic partnership between our two nations.
