The death toll in a crush at the annual haj pilgrimage outside Mecca rose to 769, Saudi Arabia said September 26, as arch-rival Iran said Saudi officials should be tried in an international court for what it called a crime.

Pope Francis, speaking in America's birthplace on September 26, offered stout words of support to Hispanic and other immigrants in the United States, telling them not to be discouraged at a time when some prominent politicians are directing hostility toward them.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will try to launch a new initiative for a political solution in Syria during meetings in New York in the next week, starting with talks with his Iranian counterpart on September 26, US and other Western officials said.

Pope Francis on September 25 condemned the craving for material gains and power, warning an annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations that greed is destroying the Earth's resources and aggravating poverty.

Pope Francis beseeched Americans to end hostility toward immigrants in a historic speech before the US Congress on September 24, weighing in forcefully on a divisive issue that is stirring debate in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on September 24 for a state visit and talks with President Barack Obama that are expected to be clouded by differences over alleged Chinese cyber spying, Beijing's economic policies and territorial disputes in the East Sea.

US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in New York on September 28 at a time of high tension in Europe and the Middle East, but the Kremlin and the White House disagreed on September 24 over the top priority for the talks.

At least 717 pilgrims from around the world were killed on September 24 in a crush outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi authorities said, in the worst disaster to strike the annual haj pilgrimage for 25 years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for unilateral air strikes against Islamic State in Syria if the United States rejects his proposal to join forces, Bloomberg reported on September 23, citing two people familiar with the matter.

EU leaders pledged at least EUR1 billion (US$1.1 billion) for Syrian refugees in the Middle East and closer cooperation to stem migrant flows into Europe at a summit described as less tense than feared after weeks of feuding.