Politics

Former German Spy Chief August Hanning Arrested on Suspicion of Espionage and Treason: October 6, 2026

BERLIN — German police on Tuesday arrested August Hanning, who led the country’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005, on suspicion of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets and attempted treason, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said, according to BBC News, DW and the Associated Press.

Prosecutors also arrested a former senior BND employee identified only as Manfred D., in line with German privacy rules, who served as Hanning’s chief of staff and later as chief of staff to his successors from 2012 until March 2026. Investigators say the two agreed in 2010 that Manfred D. would pass BND intelligence to Hanning in exchange for payment. “The current findings suggest that, over the years, Manfred D. provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents, many of which contained classified information to be used exclusively by the Federal Intelligence Service for internal purposes,” the prosecutors’ statement said.

Hanning, 80, who later served as state secretary at the Interior Ministry until 2009 before becoming a private consultant, allegedly used the material in his consulting work. Prosecutors say that on one occasion he used classified intelligence to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service, though it is not yet known whether it reached the recipient, and that he passed political information for several years to a representative of another foreign service. The statement did not name the countries involved. Searches were carried out at both men’s properties and in Berlin.

The case grew out of a separate investigation tied to Hamburg businesswoman Christina Block, heir to the Block House steakhouse chain, whose children were abducted from her ex-husband in a custody fight; investigators have alleged Hanning was involved in an earlier attempted abduction, which he denies. Evidence found during a search of his home in that case led to Tuesday’s arrests.

Marc Henrichmann, who chairs the Bundestag’s intelligence oversight committee, told AFP that Germany “will not tolerate the betrayal of secrets.” Green lawmaker Konstantin von Notz called the allegations “deeply troubling” and demanded a swift investigation. Manfred D. was due before an investigating judge Tuesday and Hanning on Wednesday.

Sources: BBC News, DW, Associated Press

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Argentina Vows to Stop Falklands Oil Development in Speech Before British Ambassador: October 6, 2026

BUENOS AIRES — Argentina’s foreign minister, Pablo Quirno, told an audience that included Britain’s ambassador on Monday night that his government would stop the Falkland Islands from exploiting offshore oilfields, calling it part of a strategy to peacefully recover sovereignty over the British-held archipelago, The Guardian and La Nación reported.

Speaking at the 48th-anniversary dinner of the Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI) at La Rural in Buenos Aires’ Palermo district, Quirno condemned London over the Sea Lion project, an oil development in the North Falkland Basin. “The British government not only refuses to enter into negotiations to resolve the sovereignty dispute, but is also taking unilateral measures regarding the exploitation of natural resources in the maritime areas that are part of the controversy,” he said. “Preventing the exploitation of our resources from consolidating the British occupation is part of a strategy to recover, through peaceful means, the full exercise of our sovereignty.”

British Ambassador David Cairns left the event shortly after the speech, both papers reported. La Nación said Chile’s ambassador, Gonzalo Uriarte Herrera, also left moments later. Quirno had warned third parties against helping the islanders develop the resources — an apparent reference to Chile, which is due to open a new shipping link to the Falklands by year’s end. “Whoever contributes, directly or indirectly, to the illegitimate exploration or exploitation of resources that belong to all Argentinians will hardly be able to aspire to share in the benefits of our country’s growth,” he said.

The speech escalates a campaign led by President Javier Milei, who last month told the U.N. General Assembly that Sea Lion was an “unlawful act.” On Sept. 28, Milei gave Britain two weeks to halt the project or face binding arbitration under Annex VII of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Argentina accuses Britain of flouting a 1976 U.N. resolution against unilateral action on the islands.

Britain says the islands, home to about 3,600 people, will remain a British overseas territory as long as residents wish; in a 2013 referendum, 99.8 percent voted to stay British. Argentina invaded the islands in 1982, sparking a 74-day war that killed 649 Argentine and 255 British military personnel and three islanders. Quirno also used the speech to hail Flávio Bolsonaro’s first-round lead in Brazil’s presidential election as a sign of a regional political shift.

Sources: The Guardian, La Nación

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California Leaders Condemn Trump After He Says Iran Could ‘Take Out’ Los Angeles and San Diego: October 6, 2026

LOS ANGELES — California’s governor and the mayors of its two largest southern cities condemned President Donald Trump on Monday night after he told a campaign rally in Nebraska that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego and called it a small price to pay in the war with Tehran, BBC News and KTLA reported.

Speaking at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Neb., where he was campaigning for Sen. Pete Ricketts, Trump discussed higher gasoline prices tied to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. “They could take out a city. Let ’em take out Los Angeles. Let ’em take out San Diego,” he said, drawing cheers from parts of the crowd. “This is a very small price to pay and it’s going to be over very soon. It’s essentially almost over with.” BBC News noted it was not clear exactly what the president meant.

Gov. Gavin Newsom called Trump “deranged and dangerous.” His press office added: “Let’s be clear: The President is advocating for an attack on 10+ million U.S. residents in two of America’s largest cities. This is not normal.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that the president’s remarks “are dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety,” adding: “The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives.”

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria responded: “San Diego is not collateral damage. We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.” Both cities host major U.S. military installations, including Naval Base San Diego, home port of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet, while Los Angeles is home to the Space Force’s Space Systems Command headquarters and Los Angeles Air Force Base, BBC News noted.

Trump had yet to respond to the California officials’ criticism, BBC News reported. The Nebraska rally was part of his midterm campaign swing; Ricketts faces an unexpectedly tight race against independent Dan Osborn, according to polls cited by KTLA.

Sources: BBC News, KTLA

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Separatist Parti Québécois Wins Quebec Election but Falls Short of a Majority: October 6, 2026

MONTREAL — The separatist Parti Québécois won Quebec’s provincial election on Monday but fell short of the seats needed to govern alone, returning the party that promises another independence referendum to power for the first time since 2014, BBC News, DW and The Guardian reported.

With most votes counted Tuesday morning, the PQ was on track to win nearly 60 of the 127 seats in the National Assembly, short of the 64 required for a majority. Its share of the popular vote was about 28 percent. The Quebec Liberals finished second with 40 seats, Québec Solidaire won nine, and the Quebec Conservatives gained ground. The Coalition Avenir Québec, which had governed since 2018, was not projected to win a single seat; outgoing Premier Christine Fréchette conceded her own race in Trois-Rivières.

PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, 49, is set to become premier at the head of a minority government that will need opposition support to pass legislation and survive confidence votes. In his victory speech he vowed to be “the premier of everyone in Quebec” while restating his independence goal: “Our national destiny will be achieved one day.” He has said a referendum would not be held while U.S. President Donald Trump remains in office, arguing the question should not be “hijacked by the theatrics of an unpredictable president.”

Rivals quickly signaled limits. Liberal leader Charles Milliard said his party would support the PQ on some issues but “there is no way we will collaborate on a potential referendum.” Polls put support for sovereignty at roughly 30 percent; Quebec voters rejected independence in 1980 and, by a razor-thin margin, in 1995. St-Pierre Plamondon has also pledged to cut Quebec’s ties to the British monarchy, resist any federal push to raise immigration levels and block a proposed high-speed rail line linking Quebec and Ontario.

Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulated the incoming premier, saying “building a stronger Quebec is at the heart of our mission to build a stronger Canada.” The result hands Carney a new national-unity test as Canada remains locked in a tariff fight with Washington, and it lands two weeks before Albertans vote on Oct. 19 on whether to hold a referendum on separation of their own.

Sources: BBC News, DW, The Guardian

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Samoa Prime Minister Apologises After 2007 ‘Heil Hitler’ Video Surfaces: October 5, 2026

APIA — Samoa’s prime minister apologised Monday after a 2007 video surfaced showing him giving a Nazi salute and saying “Heil Hitler” at a private family gathering on the island of Savai’i, ABC News, CNN and Al Jazeera reported.

Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt said in a statement that the clip, first published by the Samoa Observer, was never intended for public release. “I recognise that those words and gesture were inappropriate and capable of causing offence and hurt and I apologise for using them,” he said, adding that they do not reflect his beliefs or the values of Samoa’s government or people. He explicitly rejected Nazism, antisemitism, racism and political extremism.

According to the Observer, the roughly seven-second recording shows Schmidt holding a microphone in his left hand and encouraging about 13 people to raise their right arms and repeat the phrase as the camera pans across the group. He was deputy speaker of parliament at the time, having won a seat in the previous year’s general election. He became prime minister in 2025 after a snap election when former Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa failed to pass a national budget.

Germany administered Western Samoa from 1900 until World War I, leaving colonial buildings, infrastructure and families of German-Samoan descent. Schmidt noted his German and Samoan heritage while insisting the 2007 gesture was an aberration. Diplomatic partners in New Zealand, Australia and further afield watched the apology for signs of lasting political damage in a country that rarely dominates global headlines.

The statement arrived days after Schmidt’s government reaffirmed a ban barring the Samoa Observer from covering the prime minister’s events and functions, following official complaints about the paper’s reporting. The Observer’s editor said the ban would not stop the newspaper from doing its job. International coverage focused on the content of the video, Schmidt’s repudiation of Nazi ideology, and the friction between his office and Samoa’s largest independent daily.

Sources: ABC News, CNN, Al Jazeera

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Imran Khan Supporters Begin March on Islamabad After Talks With Government Collapse: October 5, 2026

ISLAMABAD — More than 5,000 supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan began a multi-day motorcade from northwestern Pakistan toward the capital after negotiations with the federal government collapsed, NPR, BBC News and The Guardian reported.

The convoy departed Sunday from Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province — where Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party holds power — in trucks, buses and cars led by provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Organizers planned overnight stops through towns including Kohat and Peshawar and said they intended to enter Islamabad after drawing larger crowds. Afridi spoke from a container truck painted with Khan’s portrait, vowing to press the release demand in the heart of the capital.

Khan has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he and PTI call politically motivated. Demonstrators demand his freedom, transfer to a hospital and freer family visits; officials say he is in good health and already receives relatives under rules that bar turning meetings into political rallies. PTI chairman Gohar Khan said two rounds of talks remained deadlocked after the government sought to postpone the march.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed Afridi for the breakdown and warned he would be held responsible for any loss of life. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government cited a surge in Pakistani Taliban attacks in the northwest as reason to delay and has accused PTI of sympathizing with the militants — allegations the party rejects. Authorities erected container barriers at Islamabad’s entrances and inside the government district.

A similar march set for late September was postponed after key approaches, including Attock Bridge, were blocked. Previous PTI protests have turned violent, with security personnel and civilians killed in 2024 unrest. The new convoy deepens Pakistan’s political uncertainty as police and the military balance crowd control against a rising militant threat along the Afghan frontier.

Sources: NPR, BBC News, The Guardian

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Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan Issue El Alamein Declaration Amid Ethiopia War: October 5, 2026

NEW ALAMEIN, Egypt — Leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan issued a joint declaration after a quadrilateral summit on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, calling for political solutions to regional wars even as fighting intensified in Ethiopia and Sudan’s civil war continued, Al Jazeera and The National reported.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hosted Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in New Alamein City on Sunday. The El Alamein Joint Declaration backed a Sudanese-led political process under the army-led authorities, rejected parallel governments and mercenaries in Sudan, opposed recognition of Somaliland, and insisted that Red Sea security remain the responsibility of coastal states.

The document also warned against “unilateral measures” on the Nile that harm downstream Egypt and Sudan — phrasing widely interpreted as a rebuke of Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam — without naming Addis Ababa. El-Sisi said cross-border challenges required “dialogue, not confrontation.” Somalia’s president told Al Jazeera that Mogadishu does not object to Ethiopian commercial access through Somali ports if arrangements are negotiated with Somalia.

Ethiopia has accused Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan of backing a seven-group armed alliance fighting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government; officials from all three countries deny involvement. Over the weekend, Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters entered Mekelle after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it had “temporarily moved out” of the regional capital. Eritrea’s information minister accused Addis Ababa of fabricating a pretext to attack Eritrea.

Regional analysts said the summit advertised a tighter alignment among Red Sea and Nile states wary of Ethiopian power projection, from dam diplomacy to talk of a sovereign naval outlet. How far the four capitals will coordinate military or economic pressure remained unclear. The declaration offered little operational detail even as aid groups warned that renewed Tigray fighting and Sudan’s war were driving fresh displacement.

Sources: Al Jazeera, The National, Eritrea Ministry of Information

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Nationalists Dominate Bosnia Presidency Races as Dodik Camp Claims Sweep: October 5, 2026

SARAJEVO — Preliminary results from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Sunday general election showed nationalist parties capturing the three ethnic seats of the country’s collective presidency, with allies of barred Serb secessionist Milorad Dodik declaring a sweeping win, Deutsche Welle, The Guardian and Radio Free Europe reported.

With counting nearly finished, Serb nationalist Željka Cvijanović, Bosniak Social Democrat Denis Bećirović and Croat nationalist Darijana Filipović led their respective presidential races. Cvijanović, backed by Dodik’s Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, was reported with about 55.6 percent; Bećirović around 38 percent; Filipović about 48 percent. Election officials and wire services described turnout as among the lowest in the postwar period, with overall participation reported in the low-to-mid 40 percent range depending on the tally cited.

Dodik, barred from public office for six years after being convicted of defying the international high representative who oversees the 1995 Dayton peace framework, told supporters in Banja Luka that SNSD had retained the Serb seat in the presidency and strengthened its hold on Republika Srpska’s institutions. He thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin and credited “Donald Trump’s magnificent victory” for what he called a more favorable geopolitical environment.

Voters also chose lawmakers for the national parliament and for the two largely autonomous entities — the Bosniak-Croat Federation and Serb-majority Republika Srpska — under a constitutional order that allocates power by ethnicity. Multi-ethnic opposition coalitions failed to break the grip of ethnonationalist machines. EU officials have repeatedly said membership talks hinge on judicial independence and anti-corruption reforms that dominant parties have delayed for years.

Complex coalition talks mean forming governments could take months. Bećirović has pledged to revive the EU and NATO accession path; Dodik continues to call Bosnia “an impossible country” and to seek closer ties with Serbia and Russia. International envoys urged calm as results firmed Monday, warning that post-election brinkmanship in Republika Srpska could again test the Dayton settlement.

Sources: Deutsche Welle, The Guardian, Radio Free Europe

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Spain’s Pedro Sánchez Calls Snap Election for November 29 After Housing Bill Defeat: October 5, 2026

MADRID — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday called a snap general election for Nov. 29 after parliament rejected his minority government’s emergency housing package amid nationwide protests over rents and evictions, The Guardian, BBC News and France 24 reported.

In a televised address, Sánchez said Spain needed “to renew and broaden the support of the people” and to secure a broader progressive majority. The next election had been due by summer 2027; bringing it forward makes Nov. 29 Spain’s fifth general election in a decade and a high-stakes gamble for one of Europe’s last major left-leaning governments.

Congress on Friday defeated a decree package that would have suspended evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, automatically renewed many rental contracts, raised taxes on tourist apartments and restricted purchases by investment funds. The conservative People’s Party, far-right Vox and the Catalan Junts party voted against the measures. Junts’ defection underscored the fragility of Sánchez’s coalition with Sumar, which has not passed a full budget since 2023 and depends on uneasy parliamentary arithmetic.

Protests intensified after the eviction last month of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman removed from a Madrid home where she had lived for about 70 years after a sharp rent increase. Tens of thousands marched again over the weekend in Madrid and other cities. Sánchez is betting that housing anger can mobilize left-leaning voters even though polls show the PP ahead — though often short of an absolute majority that would allow Alberto Núñez Feijóo to govern without Vox.

Feijóo framed the early election as proof of Socialist failure after eight years in power. Analysts noted Sánchez also faces pressure over a migration crisis in the North African enclave of Ceuta and corruption allegations involving family members and allies. Before dissolution, the government signaled it may try to keep housing decrees alive through standing committees. The campaign will test whether voters blame the opposition for blocking relief — or the prime minister for failing to fix Spain’s housing market sooner.

Sources: The Guardian, BBC News, France 24

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Flávio Bolsonaro Leads Lula Into Brazil Presidential Runoff After First-Round Shock: October 5, 2026

BRASÍLIA — Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will face each other in Brazil’s Oct. 25 presidential runoff after neither candidate secured a first-round majority, with Bolsonaro finishing narrowly ahead in a result that upended many pre-election forecasts, the Associated Press, Agência Brasil and The Guardian reported.

Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court showed Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party with about 47 percent of valid votes — more than 56 million ballots — and Lula of the Workers’ Party with roughly 45 percent, or about 53.7 million to 53.9 million votes, with nearly all electronic tallies in. Turnout hovered near 79 percent, with blank and null ballots in the low single digits. No candidate cleared the absolute majority required to avoid a second round.

Lula, 80, seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, called the outcome “unexpected” and conceded he had believed he could win Sunday outright. “Tomorrow we start a new campaign,” he told supporters. “I am very good in the knockout stage. We will see who has the best plan.” Bolsonaro, 45, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and a political ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, told a small crowd outside his Brasília home that “Brazil wants change” and declared “the end of the Workers’ Party era.”

Writer Augusto Cury finished third with roughly 3.4 million votes and said he would not endorse either finalist. Other candidates who together drew several million votes have similarly declined early endorsements, leaving both campaigns three weeks to court moderates. Markets watched the tally closely; analysts said a Bolsonaro presidency could deepen alignment with Washington on trade and rare minerals, while a Lula victory would likely preserve Brazil’s closer commercial relationship with China.

The next presidential term begins Jan. 5, 2027. The Organization of American States’ electoral observation mission said Sunday’s voting proceeded smoothly under adequate security. Brazilian authorities again defended the electronic ballot system introduced in the 1990s, noting that rapid publication of results has historically limited space for fraud claims. Both candidates enter the runoff with high negatives: polls show large shares of voters disapprove of the Bolsonaro family and of Lula’s party alike.

Sources: Associated Press, Agência Brasil, The Guardian

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