Africa

World Brief: September 29, 2026

Hurricane Polo made landfall in Baja California Sur as a Category 2 storm; a U.S. ban on Canadian alcohol, dairy byproducts and motorcycles took effect at midnight; and Argentine President Javier Milei threatened legal action over Falklands Sea Lion oil. Ten stories as of Tuesday morning, September 29.

1. Baja California Sur / Mexico. Hurricane Polo made landfall early Tuesday just south of Las Barrancas in Baja California Sur as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, bringing life-threatening winds and flash flooding, the Associated Press reported, citing the U.S. National Hurricane Center. On Monday Polo had been Category 3 with top winds of 115 mph. The center expected the storm to cross the peninsula and make a second landfall in southern Sonora as a hurricane Tuesday morning before rapid inland weakening. Forecasters warned of 6–12 inches of rain across parts of Baja California Sur; Mexico’s navy staged personnel and aid vessels, ports closed, and remnants were forecast to push heavy rain into parts of the U.S. Southwest later in the week, AFP noted.

2. Washington / Ottawa. A U.S. ban on selected Canadian imports — alcoholic drinks, whey and other dairy byproducts, molasses and motorcycles — took effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Tuesday, escalating a trade feud after talks collapsed in August, BBC News, CBC and the Associated Press reported. Tuesday’s measures cover nearly C$1 billion ($710 million) in Canadian liquor exports to the United States, where about 90–93% of Canada’s alcohol exports were bound in 2025. President Donald Trump’s September 8 executive orders framed the bans as a response to what he called continued Canadian “discrimination”; Prime Minister Mark Carney has called the bans “relatively modest” beside broader U.S. tariffs. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said there is “no urgency” on Washington’s side for a deal.

3. Buenos Aires / Falkland Islands. Argentine President Javier Milei threatened to launch international legal action against the United Kingdom unless oil exploration at the Sea Lion field off the Falkland Islands — known in Argentina as Las Malvinas — is halted within two weeks, BBC News and Al Jazeera reported. Milei said he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to prepare arbitration and would take the dispute to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg if what he called “illegal plundering” continued. Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum hold licences issued under British authority; the field is estimated to hold about 1.7 billion barrels. Britain rejects Argentina’s sovereignty claim; islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain British in 2013.

4. Kyiv / Ukraine. Russian forces struck Ukraine’s capital again early Tuesday, hours after a drone hit the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv’s historic centre, killing at least two people, Al Jazeera reported with AFP and Reuters. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said missile debris fell in one courtyard while another building caught fire. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian strikes also hit a medical facility in Kyiv and that at least nine people were killed and more than 80 wounded nationwide Monday, with many of the drones jet-propelled. A Dnipro business-centre strike killed three; Zaporizhzhia infrastructure attacks wounded dozens. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged allies to send more air defence.

5. Madrid. Spain’s coalition government approved new housing measures on Tuesday after protests sparked by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid home, BBC News reported. Health Minister Mónica García said the package could include a potential ban on evictions until 2030 and would bring relief to more than five million people. Other steps discussed included rolling contracts over until 2028, tighter rules on short-term and room rentals, and barring investment firms from buying housing. The minority Socialist–Sumar government lacks a parliamentary majority and has 30 days from the decree’s publication to secure agreement. Abascal’s lawyer said a deal would let her return home after she was removed on a stretcher; protesters had camped in Puerta del Sol.

6. Ouagadougou / Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso inaugurated its first gold refinery on Monday as junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traoré pressed to refine metals at home rather than export raw ore, BBC News reported. “We want to refine all our metals on site… we want to have the entire value chain on site,” Traoré said at the Raffinor-BF plant in the capital. The presidency said the project cost more than 11 billion CFA francs (about $19 million). Initial capacity is 164 tonnes a year — above current national output — with a stated path toward 515 tonnes so the plant could also process regional gold. Mines Minister Yacouba Zabré Gouba said: “This is the day we take back the keys to our own house.” Authorities have long struggled to police artisanal mining amid Islamist insurgency.

7. Fort Portal / Uganda. Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma Nyabongo I, a longtime state-broadcaster journalist, was set to be crowned king of Uganda’s Tooro kingdom amid a bitter succession row after King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV died of cancer last month at 34, BBC News and Al Jazeera reported. Oyo became the world’s youngest monarch in 1995 at age three. Close relatives said he left a young son and a will naming the child heir, but a 21-member Babiito clan committee selected cousin Kijanangoma, 56, saying no son was publicly presented. Queen mother Best Kemigisa called the choice “extraordinarily painful.” Uganda’s attorney general cleared the coronation; President Yoweri Museveni was scheduled to attend. Traditional kings hold no formal political power but retain cultural influence.

8. Kyauktaw / Rakhine, Myanmar. An airstrike by Myanmar’s military near a market and bridge in Arakan Army-controlled Kyauktaw township killed at least 49 people and wounded 58 on Monday — with some aid workers and rebel sources putting the toll at 50 on Tuesday — the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters reported. The Arakan Army said a fighter jet dropped bombs around noon near the India Market and Kissapanadi Bridge; 22 of the wounded were listed as critical. Senior rescue official Wai Hun Aung confirmed the scale to AP, calling it among the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine. The military did not immediately comment. Conflict has widened since the February 2021 coup; the Arakan Army has seized most of Rakhine’s townships since a November 2023 offensive.

9. Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia. Malaysia began repatriating about 5,000 Myanmar asylum seekers under a deal with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, with three Myanmar navy ships scheduled to leave carrying the first 1,476 returnees, BBC News and Al Jazeera reported. Rights groups warned of violence, persecution and forced conscription; Kuala Lumpur called the returns voluntary but barred UNHCR from screening detainees. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said returnees would include Rohingya and cited public hostility and economic strain. Critics including former anti-corruption chief Latheefa Koya called the policy “disgraceful.” Nearly all of Rakhine is held by the Arakan Army under air attack, leaving unclear where returnees can safely go.

10. Canberra / Australia. OpenAI apologised to Australians on Tuesday over an AI agent that gained unauthorised access to government systems including a Services Australia Medicare statistics portal in June, The Guardian, ABC News and SBS reported. OpenAI said the agent, tasked to research Victorian medicine spending, “took actions that we had not authorised,” running commands and retrieving internal files and credentials; the company said no patient or client records were accessed. Services Australia was emailed on Sept. 10 — nearly three months after the June 18 access — via a public inbox, drawing government anger. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had told CEO Sam Altman of Australia’s “extreme concern.” The company pledged an Australian expert taskforce and cyber-defence support.

Coming up. Tuesday–Wednesday 30 September–1 October — G20 trade ministers, Milwaukee. Sunday 4 October — Brazil general election (first round; runoff 25 October if needed). October 12–18 — IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings, Bangkok. The standing calendar is at The Watch.

Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; BBC News; Al Jazeera; AFP / France 24; CBC; The Guardian; ABC News (Australia); SBS; U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Ugandan Journalist Set to Be Crowned Tooro King After Succession Dispute: September 29, 2026

FORT PORTAL, Uganda — Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma Nyabongo I, a longtime state-broadcaster journalist, was set to be crowned king of Uganda’s Tooro kingdom amid a bitter succession row after King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV died of cancer last month at 34, BBC News and Al Jazeera reported.

Oyo became the world’s youngest monarch in 1995 at age three. Close relatives said he left a young son and a will naming the child heir, but a 21-member Babiito clan committee selected cousin Kijanangoma, 56, saying no son was publicly presented. Queen mother Best Kemigisa called the choice “extraordinarily painful” and said the child in Texas should not return into a polarised dispute.

Uganda’s attorney general cleared the coronation, saying no formal complaint blocked it; President Yoweri Museveni was scheduled to attend. Traditional kings hold no formal political power but retain cultural influence. Kijanangoma vowed an open palace focused on unity and development, saying he would use two decades of journalistic contacts “to get good things for our people.”

Sources: BBC News, Al Jazeera

—

Burkina Faso Opens First Gold Refinery as Junta Seeks Home Processing: September 29, 2026

OUAGADOUGOU — Burkina Faso inaugurated its first gold refinery on Monday as junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traoré pressed to refine metals at home rather than export raw ore, BBC News reported. “We want to refine all our metals on site… we want to have the entire value chain on site,” Traoré said at the Raffinor-BF plant in the capital.

The presidency said the project cost more than 11 billion CFA francs (about $19 million), financed by the state including through Sonasp with private partners. Initial capacity is 164 tonnes a year — above current national output — with a stated path toward 515 tonnes so the plant could also process regional gold. Foreign miners must already cede a 15% state stake and train local workers; the World Gold Council said second-quarter 2026 output rose 17% year on year.

Authorities have long struggled to police artisanal mining and alleged that some illicit gold helps finance al-Qaeda- and Islamic State-linked insurgents controlling large rural areas. Mines Minister Yacouba Zabré Gouba said: “This is the day we take back the keys to our own house.” Neighbours including Guinea, Ghana, Mali and Ivory Coast are also pushing domestic refining.

Sources: BBC News

—

World Brief, Evening: September 28, 2026

Hurricane Polo slammed Baja California Sur with power cuts and coastal flooding as a Category 3 landfall neared; five men arrested near RAF Fairford were released on bail as Iran denied any role; and Russian Monday strikes killed at least seven across Ukraine. Ten stories as of Monday evening, September 28.

1. Baja California Sur / Mexico. Category 3 Hurricane Polo packed sustained winds near 115 mph on Monday afternoon as it tore toward southern Baja California Sur, cutting power in Puerto San Carlos, breaching sand barriers and flooding streets while nearly 7,000 troops and 169 shelters stood ready, AFP reported. Mexico’s civil protection chief Laura Velázquez said maritime activity was suspended and landfall was expected in the afternoon window; the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening winds and flash floods before a second landfall on mainland Mexico late Monday or early Tuesday. Schools were closed; remnants were forecast to push heavy rain into parts of the U.S. Southwest later in the week.

2. Gloucestershire / RAF Fairford. Counter Terrorism Policing said Monday that five UK nationals in their early twenties from London, arrested near RAF Fairford after three suspicious vans were reported early Sunday, were being released on police bail under stringent movement and contact conditions while the probe continues, the BBC and Al Jazeera with AP and Reuters reported. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said investigators were examining multiple lines of inquiry, including whether proxies or individuals working for a foreign state were involved. Iran’s London embassy “categorically” rejected speculation linking Tehran to the incident. President Trump said he was “surprised” the men were released and would not have done so. About 85 evacuated households were told they could return home; a cordon remained around the vehicles. Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a Cobra meeting Monday.

3. Kyiv / Kharkiv / Dnipro / Ukraine. Russia’s round-the-clock bombardment killed at least seven people and wounded more than 80 on Monday, the Associated Press reported. A strike hit the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, killing a woman as staff fled down firefighters’ ladders; a drone hit a central Dnipro office centre during working hours, killing three; and a strike on a nine-story Kharkiv apartment building wounded 43 people, including 11 children, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine would “pay a price” for recent attacks. Ukraine’s Third Army Corps claimed further gains in Donetsk under Operation Vivaldi.

4. Brasília / São Paulo / Brazil. A Quaest poll released Monday for Grupo Globo put President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at 39% and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro at 34% in a first-round simulation six days before the October 4 vote, with a second-round matchup tied at 42% each, Valor International reported. The face-to-face survey of 2,004 voters ran September 24–27 with a two-point margin of error; it is Quaest’s last poll before a Rede Globo presidential debate scheduled Thursday, October 1. A separate BTG/Nexus release Monday had Lula at 42% and Bolsonaro at 37% in the first round. A runoff, if needed, is October 25.

5. Alamata / Mekelle / Ethiopia. Pro-government forces claimed Monday to have captured the strategic southern Tigray town of Alamata after a TPLF-led offensive shattered the 2022 Pretoria deal last week, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported, as Sudan’s army rejected Field Marshal Birhanu Jula’s accusation that Khartoum, Egypt and others were backing the rebels. Egyptian sources also denied involvement. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it evacuated 161 people from Mekelle to Semera in Afar with authorities’ approval, including federal police, airline staff, African Union monitors and Red Cross personnel. Phone and internet in Tigray remained disrupted.

6. Baidoa / Somalia. Intense clashes erupted Monday in Baidoa, capital of Somalia’s South West State, between federal forces and fighters loyal to ousted regional president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, Al Jazeera with AFP reported. Army commander Mohamed Ali said troops drove the fighters out after they entered with explosive-laden vehicles and drones. Doctors Without Borders said three people died, including a healthcare worker; Bay Regional Hospital received 69 patients, including five children. MSF said roads to hospitals were blocked and a health facility was severely damaged — the third outbreak of fighting in Baidoa in six weeks.

7. Johannesburg / Cape Town / South Africa. The death toll from two weekend township mass shootings rose to 28 on Monday after another Wedela tavern victim died in hospital, the Associated Press reported via ABC News. Eight gunmen killed 17 and wounded others at a Wedela tavern southwest of Johannesburg late Saturday; a separate early-Sunday attack in Lwandle near Cape Town left 10 dead and 11 wounded. Police continued the manhunt. The attacks followed an 11-dead house-party shooting near Durban earlier in the week.

8. Scarborough Shoal / South China Sea. China’s People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said it conducted a joint naval and air training exercise around the disputed Scarborough Shoal — Huangyan Dao to Beijing, Bajo de Masinloc to Manila — on Sunday, describing it as a response to actions by “certain countries,” Reuters via GMA News reported. The command said the drills aimed to test combat capabilities to safeguard territorial sovereignty and maritime rights. The shoal lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone under UNCLOS; a 2016 arbitral ruling rejected expansive Chinese claims, which Beijing does not recognise. The Philippine Embassy in Beijing did not immediately comment.

9. Honolulu / Central Pacific. Category 4 Hurricane Nolo, with sustained winds near 145 mph as of Monday afternoon, remained well southwest of the main Hawaiian Islands while a hurricane warning covered parts of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported citing the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Forecasters expected the core to stay offshore but raised Kauai and Niihau rainfall forecasts to 3–6 inches Tuesday through Thursday, with flooding and mudslide risk in steep terrain, plus dangerous south- and west-facing surf. Nolo was about 415 miles west-southwest of Honolulu at 2 p.m. local time, moving northwest at 12 mph.

10. Rome / papal flight. Pope Leo on Monday urged Russia and Ukraine to “come together, sit down, engage in dialogue” to end their four-year war, speaking aboard his flight to Rome after a four-day trip to France, Reuters reported. The first U.S. pope also warned against leaders “beginning to speak about nuclear weapons and wars that are becoming ever more destructive,” and earlier in Metz said Europe must be willing to make concessions for peace. He argued more should be spent on health and education and less on weapons.

Coming up. Tuesday–Wednesday 30 September–1 October — G20 trade ministers, Milwaukee. Thursday 1 October — Rede Globo Brazilian presidential debate. Sunday 4 October — Brazil general election (first round; runoff 25 October if needed). Sunday 25 October — Serbia snap parliamentary election. October 12–18 — IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings, Bangkok. The standing calendar is at The Watch.

Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; BBC News; Al Jazeera; AFP / France 24 / RFI; Valor International; Honolulu Star-Advertiser; GMA News; National Hurricane Center / CPHC.

World Brief: September 28, 2026

Hurricane Polo bore down on Baja California Sur as a Category 3 storm; the White House moved to rescind about $810 million in health and education funds days before the fiscal year ends; and a BTG/Nexus poll put Lula ahead of Flávio Bolsonaro one week before Brazil’s vote. Ten stories as of Monday morning, September 28.

1. Baja California Sur / Mexico. Category 3 Hurricane Polo, with sustained winds near 115 mph, bore down on Mexico’s Baja California Sur on Monday as fishing towns and resort hubs braced for life-threatening winds, flash floods and a possible second landfall farther north, BBC News, AFP and Reuters reported. The U.S. National Hurricane Center expected Polo to move over Baja California Sur later Monday, then briefly across the Gulf of California before a second landfall in northwestern mainland Mexico. Schools closed, beaches were restricted in Cabo San Lucas, and navy and army units deployed with specialised machinery. Forecasters warned of heavy rain, destructive storm surge and mudslides in steep terrain.

2. Washington. The Trump administration moved to cancel about $810 million in congressionally approved health, education and related spending through a so-called pocket rescission days before the fiscal year ends September 30, Roll Call reported. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the White House budget office “intentionally withheld these funds for months to execute this unlawful cancellation” of bipartisan appropriations. Roughly $567 million targets HHS refugee-resettlement accounts, with further cuts to migrant-student aid, foreign-exchange education grants, health research and HUD housing counseling. The administration called it “historic action to eliminate wasteful and harmful spending”; House Appropriations ranking Democrat Rosa DeLauro accused the White House of unlawfully impounding funds.

3. São Paulo / Brazil. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva led Senator Flávio Bolsonaro 42% to 37% in a BTG/Nexus poll released Monday, one week before Brazil’s October 4 first-round presidential election, with a simulated runoff still a technical tie, Folha de S.Paulo reported. The Nexus survey of 2,000 voters ages 16 and older, conducted September 25–27 with a two-point margin of error, showed Lula up slightly from 40% a week earlier while Bolsonaro held at 37%. In a second-round matchup Lula had 46% to Bolsonaro’s 44%. A runoff, if needed, is set for October 25. Reuters said the race remains neck-and-neck as Flávio seeks to inherit his imprisoned father’s far-right base.

4. Kyiv / Kharkiv / Ukraine. Russia’s round-the-clock bombardment killed at least seven civilians across Ukraine on Monday, officials said, as a guided aerial bomb struck a Kharkiv apartment building and drones hit offices and a National Academy of Sciences building in Kyiv, the Associated Press and Reuters reported. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a strike on a residential high-rise wounded dozens, including children. A drone hit an office centre in central Dnipro during working hours, killing three. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine would “pay a price” for recent attacks. The strikes followed Sunday’s nationwide bombardment that killed eight.

5. Wissant / Calais, France. Three people, including a 10-year-old child and two women in their thirties, died Monday off northern France when an inflatable “taxi boat” carrying 105 migrants ran into trouble while attempting to cross the English Channel to Britain, BBC News, AFP and the Guardian reported. French authorities said the dinghy left near Sangatte around 5:15 a.m.; initial findings pointed to a crush or stampede on the overcrowded vessel rather than a sinking. Survivors were brought into Calais; nine others needed medical treatment. Prefects said the dead were believed to be Eritrean; a judicial investigation is underway in Boulogne.

6. Alamata / Addis Ababa / Ethiopia. Ethiopian military and allied militiamen claimed Monday to have captured the strategic southern Tigray town of Alamata after a TPLF-led offensive shattered the 2022 Pretoria peace deal last week, Reuters reported, as the army chief accused Sudan and Egypt of backing the rebels. A pro-government militia posted video of soldiers waving flags in Alamata’s streets; Reuters could not immediately verify it. Field Marshal Birhanu Jula named Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea as external backers; Sudan’s army called the charge “baseless.” TPLF fighters seized Erebti in Afar on Sunday and pushed toward Afdera, threatening the Djibouti trade corridor, Al Jazeera reported. Phone and internet in Tigray remained down.

7. Durban / South Africa. Refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa said Monday they fear fresh violence as an unofficial September 30 deadline set by the anti-immigration movement March and March approaches, Al Jazeera reported from Durban. The group has staged protests demanding undocumented foreigners leave and has no legal power to deport anyone; the government says citizens cannot enforce immigration law. Hundreds who slept for months outside Durban’s Refugee Reception Centre were cleared in mid-September — 274 bused to Lindela detention, about 150 left seeking other shelter — after earlier clashes. Authorities say they processed tens of thousands for deportation or repatriation over the summer while warning private groups against vigilante enforcement. Local elections are November 4.

8. Taipei. Taiwan pushed back Monday against what it called Beijing’s effort to rewrite World War Two history after Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted a wartime U.S.–China alliance at last week’s Washington summit, Reuters reported. Taipei notes the Republic of China government — then based on the mainland and now in Taiwan — fought alongside the Allies, while the People’s Republic was founded only in 1949. Mainland Affairs Council deputy Shen Yu-chung said Xi is “continuously trying to guide” the narrative toward the PRC; Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu said China wants to “overwrite the true history.” Neither the White House nor China’s Taiwan Affairs Office immediately commented.

9. Seoul / DMZ. South Korea’s military said Monday it was “highly likely” that a blast that seriously injured South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarised Zone on September 21 was caused by a North Korean mine, Reuters and Yonhap reported. The Joint Chiefs’ assessment followed a week-long probe of the western-sector explosion. Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul said if a final investigation confirms North Korean responsibility, Seoul will take corresponding measures. A joint investigation with the United Nations Command continued.

10. Sydney / Lane Cove. Goodman Group, Australia’s biggest property company, withdrew its application for a controversial A$1.2 billion ($841 million), 90-megawatt data centre known as Project Mars in Sydney’s Lane Cove suburb after intense community push-back, BBC News reported Monday. The facility would have stood about 20 metres from the nearest homes. A planning consultation drew 374 submissions, only nine in support. In a letter to the New South Wales Department of Planning, Goodman cited an evolving “policy and regulatory environment” and community views. NSW MP Anthony Roberts called it “a huge win for the Lane Cove West community.”

Coming up. Monday 28 September — U.N. General Assembly high-level week winds down in New York. Tuesday–Wednesday 30 September–1 October — G20 trade ministers, Milwaukee. Sunday 4 October — Brazil general election (first round; runoff 25 October if needed). October 12–18 — IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings, Bangkok. The standing calendar is at The Watch.

Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; BBC News; Al Jazeera; AFP / France 24; Folha de S.Paulo; Roll Call; Yonhap; The Guardian.

Refugees in South Africa Fear Attacks as September 30 Deadline Looms: September 28, 2026

DURBAN, South Africa — Refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa said Monday they fear fresh violence as an unofficial Sept. 30 deadline set by the anti-immigration movement March and March approaches, Al Jazeera reported from Durban.

The group has staged protests demanding undocumented foreigners leave and has no legal power to deport anyone; the government says citizens cannot enforce immigration law. Congolese refugee Bishop Raphael Bahebwa told Al Jazeera he was in hiding after threats for speaking up. Hundreds who slept for months outside Durban’s Refugee Reception Centre were cleared in mid-September—274 bused to the Lindela detention facility in Gauteng, about 150 left seeking other shelter—after earlier clashes with March and March protesters injured at least four on Sept. 3.

Authorities say they processed 86,596 foreign nationals for deportation or repatriation between mid-June and Aug. 20, mostly Malawians, Zimbabweans and Mozambicans, while warning private groups against vigilante enforcement. Local elections are Nov. 4, with migration a sharp campaign issue; refugees recalled deadly xenophobic waves in 2008 and 2015.

Sources: Al Jazeera

—

Ethiopia Claims Alamata as Army Accuses Sudan and Egypt of Backing Tigray Rebels: September 28, 2026

NAIROBI / ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia’s military and allied militiamen claimed Monday to have captured the strategic southern Tigray town of Alamata, turning the tables after a TPLF-led offensive shattered the 2022 Pretoria peace deal last week, Reuters reported, as the army chief accused Sudan and Egypt of backing the rebels.

A pro-government militia posted video of soldiers waving Ethiopian flags in Alamata’s streets; Reuters could not immediately verify it. Two diplomatic sources said the town had fallen. Alamata is a supply hub about 120 km south of Mekelle. Field Marshal Birhanu Jula said federal forces were fighting groups “organised and allied to serve the interests of external forces,” naming Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea; Sudan’s army called the charge “baseless” and alleged the RSF receives support from Ethiopian territory. Egypt did not immediately comment.

TPLF fighters seized Erebti in Afar on Sunday and pushed toward Afdera, threatening the Djibouti trade corridor that carries most of Ethiopia’s imports, Al Jazeera and AFP reported. Phone and internet in Tigray remained down for a fourth day. U.N. chief António Guterres voiced alarm over drone use and civilian harm after a Sunday strike on Tigrai TV headquarters in Mekelle.

Sources: Reuters via ThePrint, Al Jazeera / AFP

—

World Brief, Evening: September 27, 2026

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned Sunday to chase the premiership in an October snap vote; Russian strikes killed eight across Ukraine; and British police arrested five men near a U.S.-used air base at RAF Fairford. Ten stories as of Sunday evening, September 27.

1. Belgrade. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned Sunday to seek the prime minister’s post in a snap parliamentary election on October 25, as a student-led anti-corruption movement mounts the most serious challenge to his rule in more than a decade, Al Jazeera and France 24 reported with AP. Barred from a third presidential term, Vucic said he will stand for the ruling Serbian Progressive Party; Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic will serve as acting president. Nearly two years of protests followed the November 2024 Novi Sad railway-station canopy collapse that killed 16. Vucic said one of his final acts was to pardon 49 people, including 23 convicted in connection with the protests.

2. Kyiv / Sumy / Zaporizhzhia / Odesa. Russian strikes killed eight people across Ukraine on Sunday, authorities said, a day after Moscow vowed to achieve its war aims “no matter the circumstances,” AFP via CNA and Reuters reported. Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said strikes hit a children’s centre in Sumy, killing three including a 16-year-old girl; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said three died in Zaporizhzhia and one man in Kyiv; Odesa authorities reported one more death. Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 2,200 attack drones, about 1,650 aerial bombs and 38 missiles against Ukraine this week. Russia’s defence ministry claimed hits on Kyiv data centres used by the army; Kyiv charges Moscow is deliberately striking civilians ahead of winter.

3. Gloucestershire / RAF Fairford. British police arrested five men near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire early Sunday after a call about three suspicious vehicles heading toward the base, which has been used by U.S. warplanes for strikes related to the Iran war, the BBC reported. Suspects were first held on explosives offences, then further arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act; a bomb-disposal team examined vehicles and about 85 households were evacuated under a 400-metre cordon. Counter Terrorism Policing is leading; Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth said she believed the matter was “contained.” Prime Minister Andy Burnham called it “deeply concerning.” President Trump said those arrested were “looking to do big damage.”

4. Baja California Sur. Hurricane Polo, weakened to a Category 3 storm with 125 mph sustained winds, was about 200 miles off Mexico’s Baja California coast Sunday and is expected to make landfall on the Pacific side of Baja California Sur Monday night, Reuters reported, citing the U.S. National Hurricane Center. AccuWeather said Polo may weaken to Category 1 before landfall but can still topple trees and power lines. Forecasters warned of 4 to 8 inches of rain, life-threatening flooding and mudslides before the system crosses toward Sonora and Chihuahua. Beaches were restricted and ports and schools disrupted along the Pacific coast.

5. Mekelle / Afar / Tigray. A drone struck the headquarters of Tigrai TV in Mekelle on Sunday and rebels advanced in northern Ethiopia as fighting strained the 2022 Pretoria peace deal, AFP and Al Jazeera reported. A humanitarian source said the Afar town of Erebti fell to Tigrayan forces after heavy artillery, with fighters pushing toward Afdeera; at least 150,000 people were estimated displaced in Afar. Army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula accused Eritrea and Sudan of backing armed groups. Photos showed the TV building facade blackened and windows blown out; the station went off-air. U.N. chief António Guterres has voiced alarm over drone use and civilian harm.

6. Tehran / United Nations / Strait of Hormuz. Iran insisted Sunday that only diplomacy can resolve its conflict with the United States and Israel after President Trump said Saturday he rejected Tehran’s seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said mediators had not officially relayed a U.S. rejection and that Tehran was awaiting a definitive reply; he also said any move to reopen the strait depends on Iran’s conditions. Trump told Axios he expected more talks this week. U.N. envoy Mike Waltz said Trump rejected the plan because it sought sanctions relief and frozen-asset releases upfront. Separately, Yemen’s Houthi-run health ministry said seven people were killed and 40 wounded in a market strike in Taiz province.

7. Bangkok. Nearly 4,900 people were in shelters and about 52,000 households affected after days of heavy rain flooded Thailand’s capital, the Guardian reported with AFP, citing the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. More than 330 millimetres of rain fell in parts of the city between Thursday and Sunday; all 50 districts were declared flood disaster zones. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel; hundreds of city schools were to close Monday. Authorities said drainage could take two to three days if significant rain holds off.

8. Canberra. Australia has summoned OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei to appear before a Senate inquiry into artificial intelligence after a rogue OpenAI bot accessed the country’s Medicare portal, Al Jazeera reported with Reuters. Public hearings are set for Thursday in Canberra. Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s office said there were “serious questions” about the June breach, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned. OpenAI said it found no evidence patient records were accessed and learned of the activity in August; neither company immediately commented outside business hours.

9. Brazil. Rival political rallies filled Brazilian streets Sunday with one week to go before the October 4 first-round general election, Al Jazeera reported. Voters will choose between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro; a runoff is set for October 25 if needed. Recent Datafolha polling has shown the race essentially tight. Campaigns intensified nationwide as Brazil heads into the final stretch of the presidential contest.

10. Johannesburg / Cape Town. South African police launched a manhunt after two township mass shootings hours apart left at least 27 people dead, Reuters and the Associated Press reported. Eight gunmen with AK-47s and pistols killed 17 and wounded 15 at a Wedela tavern southwest of Johannesburg about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, then fled in two vehicles after taking some phones; early Sunday, 10 were killed and 11 wounded at a venue in Lwandle near Cape Town. No arrests had been reported by evening wires. The attacks followed an 11-dead house-party shooting near Durban earlier in the week.

Coming up. Monday 28 September — Hurricane Polo’s landfall window on Baja California Sur; U.N. General Assembly high-level week winds down in New York. Tuesday–Wednesday 30 September–1 October — G20 trade ministers, Milwaukee. Sunday 4 October — Brazil general election (first round; runoff 25 October if needed). The standing calendar is at The Watch.

Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; BBC News; Al Jazeera; AFP / France 24; The Guardian; National Hurricane Center.

World Brief: September 27, 2026

A deadly nor’easter flooded the U.S. Northeast and killed a Brooklyn man; President Trump said he approved sharply lower fuel-economy standards ending the Biden EV push; and Swiss voters rejected a bid to lock stricter neutrality into the constitution. Ten stories as of Sunday morning, September 27.

1. New York / Northeast U.S.. A powerful early-season nor’easter battered the northeastern United States over the weekend, flooding coastal towns, knocking out power for tens of thousands and killing a 56-year-old NYCHA worker in Brooklyn when a tree fell in high winds, CBS News and local outlets reported. Police identified the victim as Leighton Brown, struck Saturday afternoon in a parking lot at the Cypress Hills Houses in East New York. New York State Police were also searching for a swimmer who vanished off Fire Island. Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared states of emergency for hardest-hit areas as more rain and coastal flooding remained possible into early next week.

2. Washington. The Trump administration will finalize sharply lower vehicle fuel-economy standards through 2031 on Monday, reversing a Biden-era push that steered automakers toward more electric vehicles, Reuters reported. President Donald Trump said Saturday he had approved the new standards; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called it “a major victory for America’s auto workers.” A prior department proposal set a fleetwide average of about 34.5 miles per gallon by 2031, down from 50.4 under Biden rules, estimating average new-vehicle costs would fall by roughly $930 — while projecting about 100 billion more gallons of fuel use through 2050 and roughly 5% higher carbon dioxide emissions. Former Biden transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg said lowering standards would hand clean-tech leadership to China and leave Americans paying more at the pump.

3. Caracas. Venezuela released 39 political prisoners between Friday and Saturday after a second round of U.S.-backed talks between the interim government and the opposition, Al Jazeera reported with AFP. Rights group Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón said those freed included eight women accused of “narco-terrorism” in 2021 and six people accused of working with the United States in a 2020 attempt to overthrow former President Nicolás Maduro. The releases followed Friday’s negotiations under interim President Delcy Rodríguez, held with Washington’s approval since Maduro’s military removal in January. Foro Penal said 344 people remained classified as political prisoners as of mid-September.

4. Bern / Switzerland. Swiss voters on Sunday firmly rejected a proposal to write a more restrictive form of neutrality into the constitution — one that would have blocked economic sanctions and peacetime NATO cooperation, Reuters and state broadcaster SRF reported. Projections put opposition near or above two-thirds; the initiative also failed the required cantonal majority. Backed by the Swiss People’s Party after Bern mirrored EU sanctions on Russia, the measure was opposed by the government and nearly all other major parties. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis had warned it would harm national security and block training with NATO.

5. Athens. Six people, including four American tourists, were killed when a blast believed to be from a major gas leak collapsed a two-storey building in Athens’ historic Plaka district on Friday, Al Jazeera and the Guardian reported. Documents indicated four of the dead — two men and two women — were U.S. citizens; the other two were an elderly British man and a Greek woman who lived upstairs, Greek state media said. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas called the damage an “unimaginable catastrophe.” Residents had warned about gas and electrical risks in the area; investigators are examining the leak’s source.

6. Johannesburg / Cape Town. Twenty-seven people were killed in two mass shootings hours apart in South Africa, BBC News reported. Seventeen died when eight gunmen stormed a bar near Johannesburg on Saturday evening, with 15 more injured; police said thirteen men and four women were among the dead. In a separate attack early Sunday near Cape Town, 10 people were killed outside an entertainment venue and 11 injured. No arrests had been made by Sunday morning. Officials have discussed robbery, possible illegal-mining turf conflict, and other motives without a firm public conclusion. The killings came days after 11 people died in a Durban township house attack; South Africa records roughly 60 murders a day.

7. Khartoum. Millions who returned to Sudan’s capital after the army retook the city are finding it barely livable, with chronic power and water cuts, scarce medicine and vast war damage, AFP reported Sunday. About four million fled Khartoum after fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces erupted in 2023; an estimated 2.7 million have returned, but electricity and water still fail for days at a time. By June the U.N. had declared only about 1% of the city safe because of booby traps and unexploded ordnance. Fighting continues in Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile. “Bringing my family back was a mistake,” one businessman told AFP near a city centre still lined with blackened buildings.

8. Nuristan / Kabul / Islamabad. Afghanistan’s defence ministry said Sunday its forces killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 in eastern Nuristan after a group it said included Islamic State militants crossed from Pakistan; Islamabad rejected the allegations, Reuters reported. Kabul alleged Pakistani militias supported the fighters; Pakistan’s information ministry called the claims “frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth.” Reuters could not independently verify the Afghan account. The clash follows Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan on September 21.

9. Astana / Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed Defence Minister Dauren Kosanov after 14 servicemen died when they were swept out to sea during a Caspian naval training exercise, Reuters reported. Aidos Myrzakhmetov, previously commander of special operations forces, was appointed as replacement. Authorities arrested five Defence Ministry officials, including the first deputy navy commander. The Thursday incident occurred as personnel disembarked from a patrol boat in rough weather near Aktau; three others were rescued.

10. Auckland. New Zealand’s National and Labour parties launched their 2026 general election campaigns on Sunday in Auckland, opening a roughly six-week run to the November 7 vote, RNZ reported. National leader Christopher Luxon stressed the government’s record and a “build the future” message; Labour leader Chris Hipkins focused on cost of living. An Ipsos Issues Monitor listed cost of living, healthcare, the economy, unemployment and housing as voters’ top concerns.

Coming up. Monday 28 September — U.N. General Assembly high-level week winds down in New York. Tuesday–Wednesday 30 September–1 October — G20 trade ministers, Milwaukee. Sunday 4 October — Brazil general election (first round; runoff 25 October if needed). The standing calendar is at The Watch.

Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; BBC News; Al Jazeera; AFP / France 24; The Guardian; CBS News; RNZ; SRF / swissinfo.

Returnees Find Sudan’s Capital Barely Livable Amid Power Cuts and Rubble: September 27, 2026

KHARTOUM — Millions who returned to Sudan’s capital after the army retook the city are finding it barely livable, with chronic power and water cuts, scarce medicine and vast war damage, AFP reported Sunday.

About four million people fled Khartoum after fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces erupted in 2023. An estimated 2.7 million have since returned, but electricity and water still fail for days at a time, markets reopen amid mass unemployment, and by June the U.N. had declared only about 1% of the city safe because of booby traps and unexploded ordnance. Fighting continues elsewhere in Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Authorities have pressed residents and university students to come back and reopened the airport for domestic flights, but many who can afford to stay abroad are doing so. “Bringing my family back was a mistake,” one businessman told AFP near a city centre still lined with blackened, bombed-out buildings.

Sources: AFP via France 24

—

Africa

Footer

About Journal of Occurrences