Current-events digest: 01 October 2026

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi conflict

Withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq

Ahmad al-Hamidawi, leader of Kata'ib Hezbollah, announces that the group will suspend military activities in Iraq following the withdrawal of U.S. troops, with the exception of targeting hostile aircraft violating the country's airspace. (Middle East Eye)

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Israeli settler violence, Israeli incursions in the West Bank during the Gaza war

Israeli settlers shoot and kill a Palestinian man at his home in Yasuf, West Bank, and injure another. (Reuters)

Russo-Ukrainian war

Aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Russo-Ukrainian war

A Russian Su-35 fighter jet shoots down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter over Voronezh Oblast, Russia, in a friendly fire incident. All three crew members are killed. (Kyiv Independent)

Sudanese civil war, Kordofan campaign

War crimes in the Sudanese civil war

A drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces on a dormitory at the University of Kordofan in El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, kills five people. (Sudan Tribune)

Ethiopian civil conflict

2026 Ethiopian offensive

Explosions caused by suspected drone strikes are reported in Ethiopia's capital of Addis Ababa, including one near the Ethiopian National Defense Force' headquarters. (BBC News)

2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war

Pakistan launches airstrikes in Afghanistan, claiming the killing of 22 Taliban fighters at two locations, while the Government of Afghanistan reports that nine women and children are killed in Kunar Province and Helmand Province by Pakistan airstrikes. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

A medical helicopter transporting a patient crashes off the coast of Santa Catalina Island in Los Angeles County, California, United States, killing two people, injuring two others, and leaving one missing. (AP)

International relations

Ethiopian civil conflict, TPLF insurgency in Ethiopia

Eritrea–Ethiopia relations

Ethiopia closes its embassy in Eritrea and announces the expulsion of ten Eritrean diplomats from the country, after accusing its neighbour of financing the Tigray People's Liberation Front. (AP)

Eritrea's foreign ministry announces that the country will cut off diplomatic ties with Ethiopia in response. (AFP via Al Arabiya) (Reuters)

Egypt–Ethiopia relations

A diplomat from Egypt is told to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours after being declared as persona non grata. (Reuters)

The European Commission stops payments with immediate effect to Sierra Leone, which would have been €18 million for 2026, after the nation refused to cooperate with the extradition of drugs trafficker Jos Leijdekkers. (Het Parool)

Law and crime

Censorship in Egypt, Human rights in Egypt

Egyptian police are arresting six journalists from a fact-checking and investigative media outlet, accusing them of spreading misinformation on behalf of the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. (Reuters)

2026 RAF Fairford arrests

British counter-terrorism police arrest a 25-year-old British-Iranian dual national in Westminster, London, England, on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts linked to the RAF Fairford investigation. Officers also search two properties in the area. (CNN)

Sentencing Act 2026

Hundreds of prisoners begin leaving prison in England and Wales under an early release scheme by the British government to avoid overcapacity in prisons. More than 4,500 "low-risk" prisoners are expected to be released in the coming weeks. (BBC News) (Firstpost)

Former Malawian military chief Paul Valentino Phiri is arrested by Malawi's anti-corruption agency for allegedly trafficking weapons to Sudan during his tenure in June and July 2025. (Al-Monitor)

Two 18-year-old former students attack a secondary school in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico, with knives and pyrotechnic devices, killing the vice-principal and injuring three people. Police arrest both suspects. (AFP via RNZ)

Politics and elections

Immigration to Japan

Japan tightens permanent residency requirements for foreign nationals, introducing above-average income and basic Japanese-language standards while raising application fees twentyfold as part of broader changes to immigration policy. (AFP)

Gerardo Giovagnoli and William Casali are sworn in as the new Captains Regent of San Marino, succeeding Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva. (San Marino RTV)

Ousted Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir is sent to a military hospital in Khartoum, Sudan, for medical treatment. (Reuters)

Science and technology

SpaceX Crew-13

The SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station launches, carrying two NASA astronauts, one Roscosmos cosmonaut, and one Canadian Space Agency astronaut, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States. (AFP via France 24)

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