A Turkish navigational warning covering the survey vessel Oruç Reis has run since 1 October and lasts until 25 October, while the ship maps a route for a planned 101-kilometre gas pipeline between Mersin province and Turkish Cyprus. Greece and the Cypriot government object that the project reaches into waters Nicosia regards as its own continental shelf.
European officials are discussing stricter checks and transit rules for Russian diplomats after a string of incidents blamed on Moscow, including an unexploded drone found at Leipzig airport and a suspected arson attack in Estonia. Draft conclusions for this month's EU leaders' summit commit the bloc to respond "resolutely," though officials say the Vienna Convention's protections for diplomats limit how far any new rules can go.
In a letter sent in late September, the leaders of the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Austria warned they will not back the EU's 2028-2034 budget unless it is cut by "hundreds of billions" of euros and redirected toward defence and innovation. Ireland, which chairs the negotiations as Council president, still aims for a political deal by the end of the year, and the dispute is due to come up when EU leaders meet in Brussels this month.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez launched his Socialist party's campaign in Dos Hermanas near Seville on 10 October, ahead of the snap general election he himself called for 29 November. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the People's Party launched his own campaign in Madrid the same day, and housing, which has driven large protests in Spain this year, was central to both speeches.
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority says twelve people were killed and 309 injured in the latest of a string of missile and drone strikes this month on Riyadh's King Khalid airport, attacks Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed. After the strike, Trump said he would "take a look" at joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis and plans to call the Saudi crown prince. This paper had reported earlier this week that strikes on the Riyadh and Abha airports had killed three and injured 36.
President Trump said on Saturday that Ukraine needs "a new leader who can make a deal," after Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Washington's agreement to buy Russian diesel ahead of the US midterm elections a "gift to Putin." Zelenskyy said the deal is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged, while the Kremlin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev praised Trump's remarks.
About a year after the Gaza ceasefire took effect in October 2025, UN Secretary-General António Guterres says it has "yet to deliver security, adequate humanitarian assistance or a credible path to recovery and peace." Israel refuses to withdraw its soldiers until Hamas's disarmament is verified, while Hamas has called for gradual disarmament rather than immediate, unilateral surrender of its arsenal.
Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson presented a new forecast on 9 October that raises this year's growth to 3.0 percent, up from 2.5 in August, while unemployment is projected at 8.5 percent this year and falling to 7.7 next year. She said the incoming government "inherits a beautifully set table," but warned that the Middle East conflict, Ukraine and rising interest rates remain risks. She described this as marking the end of the recession.