God Morgon · Thursday, 1 October 2026

Türkiye

Türkiye's fund-scandal probe widens to 217 suspects

Prosecutors have issued warrants for 217 suspects in the investment-fund manipulation scandal that has frozen roughly $18 billion in assets since mid-September, affecting more than 455,000 investors. President Erdoğan said Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz will chair a new board to wind down the frozen funds. New Party leader Özgür Özel, a former CHP chief, accused cabinet-linked figures of moving money through accounts in Luxembourg and the Netherlands, without presenting transaction records.

Source: Turkish Minute · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

CHP refers five district mayors to discipline board

Türkiye's Republican People's Party (CHP) referred five of its own district mayors, including Kadıköy's Mesut Kösedağı and Sancaktepe's Alper Yeğin in Istanbul, to its disciplinary board and called for their expulsion. CHP spokesman Müslim Sarı said the party's Central Executive Board, chaired by leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, found that working for another party while remaining a CHP member is a clear disciplinary offense. It is the latest round in a split that has drawn CHP figures toward the rival New Party founded by former leader Özgür Özel.

Source: Daily Sabah · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Türkiye and Azerbaijan sign $500 million defense deals

Türkiye and Azerbaijan signed defense-industry contracts worth more than $500 million at the ADEX-2026 exhibition in Baku. Azerbaijan will buy 14 Turkish-made Hürkuş-II trainer aircraft due for delivery this year, alongside Baykar combat-drone systems and a Roketsan coastal-defense system. The deals extend the alliance the two countries sealed in the 2021 Shusha Declaration.

Source: Euronews · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Türkiye's security council urges end to US-Israel-Iran war

Türkiye's National Security Council, chaired by President Erdoğan, called for an end to the US-Israel-Iran war and a return to negotiations, warning that continued fighting risks a wider and more dangerous cycle of conflict. Ankara has cast itself as a potential mediator in the conflict, as it has in the Ukraine war.

Source: Daily Sabah · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Europe

UK and France end their 'one in, one out' migrant deal

Britain and France have ended their 'one in, one out' returns agreement after failing to agree an extension, with the scheme expiring on 1 October. Between August 2025 and June 2026 Britain sent 1,087 people back to France while taking in 1,117 vetted asylum seekers, a fraction of the 27,920 who crossed the Channel on small boats over the same period. France wants a European Union-wide arrangement instead, saying it cannot bear sole responsibility for an EU external border.

Source: Euronews · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Macron backs Spain, demands EU action on Ceuta

French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his support for Spain over the Ceuta migration crisis, calling for ‘consideration for every human being’ and a European policy carried through to the end. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez thanked France for its solidarity during the crisis, which saw around 72,000 people cross from Morocco into the enclave in late July.

Source: Euronews · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Italy's Meloni asks EU for budget flexibility on energy costs

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asking that energy-related spending be exempted from EU deficit rules, as it already is for defence. Rising inflation driven by high global energy prices, she argued, means member states need room to support households and businesses. Italy plans to spend 14 billion euros over two years cutting energy costs for businesses.

Source: Bloomberg · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

UK says 'strong indications' Iran linked to airbase security scare

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there are 'strong indications' Iran played a part in an incident at RAF Fairford, a base used by US bombers in the campaign against Iran. Five British men were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act after vans were found blocking a road near the base on 27 September, then released on bail. Iran's embassy in London called the reports 'unfounded and malicious speculation'.

Source: Euronews · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

The World

Iraq marks Sovereignty Day as US troop withdrawal completes

The United States completed the withdrawal of its remaining troops from Iraq on 29 September, under a 2024 agreement with Baghdad to end the international coalition's anti-ISIL mission. Iraq declared a four-day holiday it named Sovereignty Days, with military parades marking the departure of American and coalition forces after more than two decades of foreign military presence. Iraqi officials say security forces must now manage the country's security without the coalition's direct support.

Source: South China Morning Post · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Hong Kong arrests journalist on sedition charge, fourth case in months

Hong Kong police arrested Tang Ho-wing, founder of the online outlet Boom News, on suspicion of inciting hatred through disinformation, under the 2024 national security law. The arrest stems from the outlet's coverage of an August 31 gathering marking the anniversary of a 2019 police crackdown. It is the fourth sedition case involving a journalist in just over three months, drawing concern from press-freedom groups.

Source: Al Jazeera · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Gulf states split over Ethiopia as fighting spreads beyond Tigray

The UAE declared 'full solidarity' with Ethiopia's federal government as it battles forces led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), who have seized airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire, while Qatar called for an immediate end to the fighting and respect for the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement. Fighting has spread into the Afar and Amhara regions, displacing around 150,000 people, and Ethiopia's military has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the TPLF-led alliance. A drone also struck Tigrai TV's headquarters in Mekelle.

Source: Euronews · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Sweden

Sweden Democrat leader calls for a vote on Andersson as PM

Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson has called on parliament to vote on Magdalena Andersson's candidacy for prime minister, after she withdrew her own bid to form a government on 28 September when the Left Party backed a rival candidate for parliamentary speaker. ‘She campaigned on forming a government with these four parties, now it's time for her to prove it,’ he said. Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar instead criticized Andersson for 'giving up too easily' and blamed the Centre Party, which refuses to work with Left Party ministers. Speaker Andreas Norlén is now weighing whether to give Andersson or Ulf Kristersson the next attempt at forming a government.

Source: The Local Sweden · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Truth commission urges Swedish state to apologise to the Sami

The Truth Commission for the Sami People handed over its final report on 30 September, with 71 proposals built on roughly 300 interviews and written accounts of forced relocations, assimilation policies and children sent to boarding schools. The commission demands that the state acknowledge and take responsibility for, and compensate for, violations of Sami rights, calling for a formal apology and compensation mechanisms. The abuses it documents stretch from the 17th century through intensified assimilation policies in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Source: The Local Sweden · Wednesday, 30 September 2026