Tuesday 29 September 2026

Piracy off the coast of Somalia

The Puntland Maritime Police Force successfully frees another hijacked oil tanker, the MT Honour ​25, following an ongoing week-long counter-piracy operation near Bayla, Karkaar, Puntland, after it was seized by Somali pirates on 21 April ​around 30 nautical miles off Puntland's coast with 17 crew members on board.

2026 Moroccan general election

King Mohammed VI appoints Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the first female prime minister of Morocco after her victory in the general elections on 23 September.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia

Five crew members aboard the MT Honour 25 are killed and four more injured by the pirates before the rescue. The fatalities are three citizens of Pakistan and one each from India and Myanmar. It is the first time in over a decade that people are killed by the pirates.

Culture

The coronation ceremony for Nyabongo I of Uganda's Tooro Kingdom is held, formally making him king.

Haitian crisis

The United Nations Security Council extends the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti by six months, allowing the multinational force to continue supporting Haitian security forces against armed gangs.

Crime in Mexico

The Supreme Court of Mexico invalidates the state of Chihuahua's authority to annul elections due to interference by organized crime and instructs the local legislature to instead include the annulment of elections due to foreign interference.

Crime & Justice

The Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park in Valencia, California, U.S., announces that the X2 roller coaster will close permanently after several lawsuits alleged that over 100 riders sustained brain injuries while riding the attraction.

Health

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issues two recalls for more than 25,000 bottles of chlorthalidone, a diuretic antihypertensive drug, created by Indian-based Inventia Healthcare Limited, due to faulty dissolution times in the human body.

Health

The Japan Meteorological Agency reports rainfall in Tokyo for 34 consecutive days through today, the longest streak since records began in 1886 and one day longer than the previous record set in 2019.

Korean conflict

South Korean defense minister Kang Shin-chul says that land mines planted by North Korea likely caused two explosions last week that injured three South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone south of the military demarcation line, potentially violating the armistice.

Malaysia–Myanmar relations

Malaysia begins repatriating about 1,500 Burmese nationals from immigration detention centres under the first phase of a programme covering 5,000 people.

Myanmar civil war

Twenty-one people are arrested in Myanmar for allegedly donating to the in-exile National Unity Government-linked People's Revolution Supply Family fundraising platform as the government identifies more than 2,700 alleged contributors.

Badminton at the 2026 Asian Games

In badminton, South Korea's An Se-young wins the women's singles gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, becoming the first woman to win two singles titles and the first to defend the title, defeating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 21–17, 21–9.

Disasters

A vehicle crashes through a fence and plunges into the River Wear in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, killing three teenagers. The driver of the vehicle, also a teenager, is later arrested by Northumbria Police.

2026 Staškov school stabbing

A teacher is killed and a student and another teacher are wounded in a mass stabbing at a secondary school in Staškov, Slovakia. The perpetrator, a fellow student, is arrested.

Julius Baer Group controversies

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) concludes its investigation into the Julius Baer Group, finding serious risk-management and anti–money laundering failures. FINMA orders additional capital requirements, compliance reporting through 2032, and the confiscation of about CHF10 million (US$12 million) in profits.

Crime & Justice

Seventeen people are arrested during a security operation involving 800 police officers against a "suspected organised crime group" in five cities in the United Kingdom, including London. A police officer is stabbed and wounded during one of the raids.

Manchester City F.C. financial breaches scandal

In association football, an independent Premier League commission finds Manchester City guilty of almost all 115-plus financial charges, including inflating revenue by more than £900 million (US$1.19 billion) and failing to cooperate with the investigation.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

The Reserve Bank of Australia raises its cash rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.60%, the highest level since 2011, citing persistently high inflation above its 2–3% target range.

Israeli settler violence

More than 100 Israeli settlers attack the Palestinian village of Jalud in the occupied West Bank, burning two homes and injuring three Israeli security personnel while preventing a displaced Palestinian family from returning home.

Gaza war

An Israeli airstrike kills Izz al-Din al-Beik, the head of Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip.

Science & Tech

Scientists identify and name a new penguin species, the southeastern gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis kerguelensis), in the Kerguelen Islands near Antarctica. Previously classfied as a standard gentoo penguin due to its nearly identical appearance, it is now differentiated through genetic sequencing.