Daily World Briefing, Sept. 3

China's V-Day gathering to start at 9 a.m., Sept. 3 at Tian'anmen Square

A grand gathering to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, which includes a military parade, will start at 9 a.m. on Sept. 3 at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing.

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will deliver a speech at the gathering and review troops.

At 8 p.m. of the same day, a commemorative gala will kick off at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi will also attend the event.

The commemorations will be broadcast live by China Media Group and on Xinhuanet.

Xi, Putin laud bilateral ties, vow further cooperation

Speaking highly of the exemplary major-country ties between their countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pledged to strengthen high-level exchanges, mutual support, and coordination for greater development of bilateral relations in the future.

The China-Russia relationship features permanent good-neighborly friendship, comprehensive strategic coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation, Xi said while holding talks with Putin, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, as well as commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

China is ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with Russia, support each other's development and revitalization, coordinate positions on issues involving the two countries' core interests and major concerns in a timely manner, and advance bilateral relations for greater development, Xi said.

The two sides should leverage major projects to steer their cooperation, develop exemplary cooperation projects, and promote deep-level integration of interests, he noted, calling for enhanced resilience and understanding in cooperation and all-out efforts to consolidate the overall cooperation.

U.S. federal judge rules Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles illegal

Charles Breyer, senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, wrote in a ruling that the Trump administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act that prohibits the use of the U.S. military to execute domestic law without approval from Congress.

The ruling bars the Trump administration from "deploying, ordering, instructing, training, or using the National Guard currently deployed in California, and any military troops heretofore deployed in California, to execute the laws."

"There were indeed protests in Los Angeles, and some individuals engaged in violence. Yet there was no rebellion, nor was civilian law enforcement unable to respond to the protests and enforce the law," wrote the ruling.

It said that almost three months after the National Guard was deployed to Los Angeles, 300 National Guard members remain stationed there, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated their intention to call the troops into federal service in other cities across the country, thus creating a national police force with the president as its chief.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement: "Today, the court sided with democracy and the Constitution. No president is a king -- not even Trump -- and no president can trample a state's power to protect its people."

"Trump's attempt to use federal troops as his personal police force is illegal, authoritarian, and must be stopped in every courtroom across this country," the statement added.

Houthis claim drone attacks on Israeli army's General Staff building in Tel Aviv

Yemen's Houthi group said Tuesday it launched multiple attacks on targets in Israel, including the Israeli army's General Staff headquarters in Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion International Airport, and a vessel in the northern Red Sea.

In a statement aired on the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, military spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed that "a Sammad-4 drone struck the Israeli army's General Staff building" in Tel Aviv. He added that other drones targeted a power station in Hadera, Ben Gurion Airport, and the Port of Ashdod.

Sarea also said the group launched two drones and a cruise missile at the container ship MSC Aby in the northern Red Sea, accusing the vessel of maintaining trade links with Israeli ports.

The claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate confirmation from Israel or the ship's operator.

The fresh alleged attacks came a day after the Houthis took responsibility for a missile attack near the Scarlet Ray oil tanker in the northern Red Sea.

Pakistan reports 18 deaths from floods, rains in 24 hours

Floods and rain-triggered accidents across Pakistan claimed 18 lives and injured 29 others in the past 24 hours, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said Tuesday.

The eastern Punjab province and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir reported seven deaths each, followed by four in the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the NDMA.

The causes of death included flood-related drowning, structural collapses due to water damage, and accidental electrocutions as water levels rose in urban and semi-urban areas.

Authorities have issued fresh warnings for further rain in vulnerable areas, while emergency teams remain on alert. Rescue operations and damage assessments are underway in the affected regions.

M23 rebels reaffirm commitment to Doha mediation despite rift with DR Congo government

The March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing the peace process under Qatari mediation, despite ongoing differences with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

At a press conference in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province that has been under M23 control since late January, Corneille Nangaa, head of the Congo River Alliance, a politico-military coalition allied with the M23, voiced confidence in Qatar's mediation efforts even as disputes with Kinshasa persist.

The remarks came as the DRC government and the M23 resumed discussions in Doha, following the signing on July 19 of a Declaration of Principles intended to start negotiations by Aug. 8 and target a peace accord by Aug. 18. These deadlines have not been met, but Doha remains the only venue for direct dialogue in recent weeks.■