Current-events digest: 18 September 2026

2026 09 18 yes

Armed conflicts and attacks

2026 Iran war

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

The IRNA reports that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has hit the Togo-flagged oil tanker Trend as it attempted to pass the Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via FMT) (Al Jazeera)

Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

2026 Kohat attack

A suicide car bombing outside a mosque located inside a police station in Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, kills at least 31 people, including 16 policemen, and injures at least 100 more. The Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group claims responsibility. (AFP)

Mali War

2026 Mali offensives

At least 100 Malian soldiers are reported to have been killed in a attack on the Dioura central army base in Mali over the past weeks. (AFP via Arab News)

Sudanese civil war

2026 Blue Nile campaign

The Sudanese Armed Forces says that they have killed several Rapid Support Forces militants in Sudan's Blue Nile state. The country's defence ministry also confirms the attacks. (Radio Tamazuj)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

2026 Iran war fuel crisis

The Bank of Japan raises its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1.25%, the highest level since 1995, citing inflation pressures from rising energy costs and a weak yen, and signals further increases. (AFP via France 24)

Russia places the local assets of Auchan and Nestlé under temporary administration, transferring their control to Russian firm L.E.V. Management, headed by interior minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev. The government cites the companies' origins in countries it designates as "unfriendly" amid broader seizures of foreign-owned businesses. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

2024–2026 Cuba blackouts

Millions of people are left without electricity in Cuba as a result of a collapse of the country's energy power grid. (AP)

Health and environment

Zealand Pharma's drug Zeydovio receives approval by the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use to treat short bowel syndrome. (Reuters)

International relations

Denmark–United States relations

Greenland crisis

Denmark and the United States reach a deal allowing the U.S. to expand its military presence in Greenland and granting permanent basing, overflight, and access rights, while barring non-NATO countries from establishing bases and restricting sensitive investments on the island. (Reuters)

International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, United States and the Russo-Ukrainian war, United States sanctions against Iran

U.S. president Donald Trump signs the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which authorises and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran until 2031. (Middle East Eye) (Kyiv Indepedent)

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk announces that Poland has joined the Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition to develop a joint anti-ballistic missile defence system with some other European countries. (Firstpost)

Law and crime

1MDB scandal

King Sultan Ibrahim of Malaysia grants former prime minister Najib Razak a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, following his corruption conviction linked to 1MDB. (Reuters)

2026 Ceuta migrant crisis

Spanish police begin moving more than 3,000 migrants from beaches in Ceuta to temporary accommodation at the port. The operation prompts crowding and clashes, with officers firing warning shots and several people sustaining injuries. (News.Az)

2026 South Cotabato school shooting

Three students, including the perpetrator, are killed ‌and eight others are injured ​in ​a mass shooting at a ⁠secondary ​school in ​Banga, South Cotabato, Philippines. (AA)

Afghanistan–Pakistan relations

Pakistan's medical regulator orders Afghan students enrolled in medical and dental programs to leave their colleges and return to Afghanistan. Dozens challenge the directive in court, while a Lahore judge temporarily suspends expulsions in Punjab. (AFP via France 24)

Protests erupt in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria, after 37 miners died yesterday in custody of the Security and Civil Defence Corps following raids on suspected illegal mines. Niger state governor Mohammed Umar Bago imposes a curfew. (Reuters)

Russia designates filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev a foreign agent, subjecting him to financial restrictions, reporting requirements, and mandatory labels on published material. Zvyagintsev, who lives abroad, has criticized the Russo-Ukrainian war and president Vladimir Putin. (Reuters)

Vietnamese police arrest three men, including Norwegian and Australian citizens, on terrorism and document-forgery charges after authorities say they attempted to enter Vietnam illegally from Cambodia while carrying out activities linked to Việt Tân. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2026 Russian legislative election

Russians begin voting to elect 450 seats of the State Duma over a period of three days following Ukrainian attacks upon oil infrastructure. The elections are also held under strict control during the Russo-Ukrainian war, combined with an ongoing crackdown on anti-war opposition and the anti-war party Yabloko being disqualified from running. (AFP via RNZ) (AP)

The Senate of Bolivia ratifies an agreement to take a US$1.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund amid a deep economic crisis in the country, with trade unions threatening renewed protests in response. (AP)

Science and technology

Investigation of UFO reports by the United States government

The U.S. Defense Department releases a sixth batch of classified files related to unidentified flying objects, including videos of several orbs flying over Washington, D.C. in 1952 and orbs flying near Tremonton, Utah, also in 1952. (BBC News) (CBC News)

2026 09 18 yes