Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed four drones over Riyadh and the eastern and southern regions.

The U.S. Treasury said the fiscal 2026 deficit widened $217 bln YoY to $1.99 tln, the largest since FY2021 and the third-largest on record. Receipts were a record $5.40 tln, up 3% YoY, while outlays hit a record $7.40 tln, up 6%. Debt-service payments rose 12% YoY to a record $1.36 tln. A Supreme Court ruling voiding much of the Trump-era tariff program prompted $145 bln in tariff refunds in FY2026, cutting net tariff revenue 11% YoY to about $173 bln. Treasury estimates the deficit at 6.2% of GDP versus 5.8% a year earlier. September showed a $27 bln deficit versus a $198 bln surplus in the same month last year.

Nicolas Maduro Guerra, a Venezuelan National Assembly deputy, posted a video on social media early on the 16th saying U.S. judicial proceedings against President Maduro and his wife are an illegal trial that violates all existing international law. Quoting Maduro’s remarks at a New York hearing on the 15th, he said the charges are the same as previously filed, false and contain no new allegations, and that Maduro is innocent. He said Venezuela will seek the couple’s release through diplomatic and dialogue channels.