Global Express | October 2, 2026 — Eritrea Severs Diplomatic Ties With Ethiopia

1. Eritrea Severs Diplomatic Ties With Ethiopia

Source: Al Jazeera

Eritrea announced on Thursday, October 1, that it is severing diplomatic ties with its neighbour Ethiopia in response to the expulsion of its diplomats from Addis Ababa. "Eritrea has no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia with all the negative corollaries that this entails," its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on X. The move came shortly after Ethiopia said it would close its embassy in Asmara "in response to Eritrea's direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence against Ethiopia."

Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry also declared 10 Eritrean diplomats in Addis Ababa — including the charge d'affaires and others accredited to the African Union — "persona non grata for involvement in activities that pose a direct threat to Ethiopia's national security," ordering them to leave within 48 hours. Eritrea called the claims "astounding," accusing Addis Ababa of pursuing "an agenda of incessant hostility" and of waging war against Eritrea to gain access to the Red Sea, as well as hosting, training and arming Eritrean opposition groups.

Meanwhile, fighting between Ethiopia's federal forces and a coalition of armed opposition groups continues to intensify, with explosions heard in Addis Ababa on Wednesday and Thursday and clashes in the northern Afar region. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front. It also declared an Egyptian diplomat persona non grata, and Egypt responded in kind by expelling an Ethiopian embassy counsellor. U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar, Jim McGovern and John Garamendi expressed concern over the escalating fighting and called on all parties to "immediately recommit to peace negotiations."

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2. Putin Warns Russia Could Use 'All Weapons,' Including Nuclear, to Defend Kaliningrad

Source: CNN

Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West against escalating the war in Ukraine, saying Moscow is prepared to use "all weapons" in its arsenal — including nuclear — if its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad comes under attack. He said he had no plans to attack any European country but was prepared to respond to Western aggression if necessary. His warning follows recent NATO military drills near Kaliningrad, after which Moscow said in late September it would retaliate if the bloc tried to blockade the exclave by air or sea.

Putin also admitted that Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's oil refineries were taking a toll on his country's economy, saying they had cost Russia about 1% of its gross domestic product and that Ukrainian operations in the Black Sea had knocked out more than 100 Russian ships. However, he made clear he remains undeterred, describing the strikes as aimed at civilian targets and saying Moscow's response has been a "mirror-image" one. According to budget documents reviewed by Reuters, Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion rubles ($205.112 billion) on defence in 2027 — about 27% more than originally budgeted and the highest level since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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3. South Korean President Demands Apology From Ukraine Over Prisoner Row

Source: CNBC

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday slammed Ukraine over its disclosure of handing North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, demanding a public apology and threatening "additional measures" against Kyiv. In a post on X, Lee said Kyiv had unilaterally revealed that some captured North Korean soldiers had been sent to South Korea, despite having demanded confidentiality and later claiming there was no secrecy agreement, making the Korean leader look like a "liar." "As this is a matter concerning the honor of the Republic of Korea's people and nation, we cannot overlook it," he said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reportedly described the row on Thursday as a "diplomatic misunderstanding," which his country expects to resolve, adding that Seoul remains an important partner for Kyiv. At the United Nations General Assembly last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had sent two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, prompting Seoul to accuse Ukraine of breaching a nondisclosure agreement and summoning Ukraine's charge d'affaires for an explanation. South Korea's National Intelligence Service reportedly told lawmakers that Zelenskyy may have made the announcement to stir support in Seoul for sending Kyiv weapons and aid.

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4. Finland Probes Suspected Break-ins at MPs' Homes, Foreign Involvement Not Ruled Out

Source: DW

Finnish police announced on Thursday that they are investigating a series of suspected break-ins at the homes of members of parliament. Asked by a reporter whether a foreign power could be behind the suspected intrusions, Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo replied that it was "very possible... quite possible in these times." "If someone tries to destabilize Finland, our sense of security, or our support for example for Ukraine, it has the opposite effect. It strengthens our unity," he added. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said: "An attack against a member of parliament is an attack against democracy."

Speaker of parliament Jussi Halla-aho confirmed that parliament had been made aware of a "significant" number of break-ins and attempted intrusions at the homes of several politicians, but declined to give an exact figure, adding that the known cases had occurred over a longer period, with the first believed to have taken place about a year ago. He stressed that no information is available about the motive or the perpetrator, and Helsinki police said a preliminary inquiry had been opened. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finland — which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia — has been on high alert and joined NATO in April 2023, abandoning its decades-long policy of military non-alignment.

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5. France Floats Major Oil and Diesel Reserve Release in Response to US Pressure

Source: POLITICO

French officials proposed a large release of strategic oil and diesel reserves during emergency talks on Friday after Washington urged European capitals to tap stockpiles or face a potentially crippling ban on fuel exports, according to two people briefed on the meeting. Paris suggested that EU countries release 50 million barrels of crude oil and 50 million barrels of diesel, with the idea still undergoing technical assessment. It comes after U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright asked European countries to release 120 million barrels from stockpiles over a three-month period to combat rising diesel prices or else face export restrictions.

Germany, on the other hand, was reluctant to release any barrels, according to the people. "Germany and others don't want to be used; they wish to release stocks only for real security of supply reasons," one of them told POLITICO. Germany and France have the largest reserves of oil and petroleum products in Europe, according to official EU statistics. A spokesperson for French Economy Minister Roland Lescure dismissed the proposal as "rumors" and declined to comment further. In a statement, the Elysée palace said President Emmanuel Macron will convene a meeting of G7 leaders "as soon as possible to coordinate the measures needed to help ease the pressure on prices and ensure the supply of crude oil and refined products among G7 countries and globally."

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6. Boeing Engineers and Tech Workers Approve Contract, Averting Strike

Source: KOMO News

Boeing has avoided an engineering strike after more than 17,000 engineers and technical workers on Thursday approved a four-year contract offer promising wage increases and other perks. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace wrapped up its electronic voting at noon. The bargaining team had recommended members accept the offer as it guarantees a 34% pay boost over four years, including a nearly immediate 10% increase in October. The deal also enhances health care and retirement benefits and adds two vacation days, a new floating holiday and three bereavement days.

The company has said these final amounts are $11,000 more for professional employees and $8,000 more for technical workers than under its initial offer, which the union rejected in August. Following the vote, Boeing said: "We're pleased with the outcome of the vote. We look forward to working with our team to support our company's continued recovery and meeting our customer commitments now and into the future." Industry analysts noted that the agreement means the aerospace company has narrowly avoided a shutdown of engineering development and regulatory compliance at a time when Boeing is under pressure to improve build quality and clear its aircraft backlog.

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7. Trial of Hong Kong Socialite Abby Choi: Suspects Bought Meat Mincer and Electric Saw Before Killing

Source: CNN

The trial of the 2023 murder of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi continued in the city's High Court on Friday, with prosecutors telling jurors that her father-in-law and brother-in-law went on a shopping spree in preparation for the killing. An electric saw, a meat mincer and a refrigerator, along with a large chopping board, a giant saucepan and deodorizing supplies, were among the items the pair bought about two weeks before Choi's death, lead prosecutor Charlotte Draycott said. Parts of Choi's body were later found inside the refrigerator, she added, while a hammer bought by Anthony Kwong is believed to be the murder weapon.

On February 21, 2023, Choi was due to pick up her daughter from school. Shortly before the planned school run, Alex Kwong and Anthony Kwong met at a Starbucks, where CCTV captured Anthony making a series of gestures that Draycott suggested may have foreshadowed the attack. Choi was then attacked with a hammer inside the vehicle, where her blood was found together with the DNA of Alex and Anthony Kwong. Her ex-husband Alex Kwong, his brother Anthony Kwong and their father Kwong Kau have pleaded not guilty to her murder. The trial is expected to last for eight weeks.

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8. Four Americans Killed in Athens Building Collapse Identified as Newlyweds and Family

Source: New York Post

The four Americans killed in a building collapse in Athens, Greece, have been identified as a New York newlywed couple, the bride's brother and his pregnant wife. Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick, 37, and his 34-year-old wife, Florida Hoxha, died alongside her older brother, Florin Hoxha, and his wife, Eris Cani, in the accident in the Greek capital on September 25, Newsday reported. Kirkpatrick and Hoxha exchanged vows in a Long Island ceremony on August 30 and spent nine days in Greece on their honeymoon before the tragedy.

Investigators suspect a gas leak triggered an explosion that caused their two-story Airbnb, located in Athens' historic Plaka district, to buckle. In addition to the four, Edmond Hings, 78, and his Greek wife of 11 years, Athena Papaprescou, 77, were also killed. Athens deputy mayor Paris Charlaftis told a Greek outlet that officials are now examining adjacent buildings after they were "deemed dangerous." "The question is whether there is a risk that they could collapse, whether they are on the verge of collapse," he said. Greek authorities are still investigating the cause of the collapse, almost a week later.

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9. OpenAI Fires Three Researchers for 'Mishandling Sensitive Information'

Source: BBC

OpenAI has fired three researchers for allegedly mishandling information, including work which involved an external organisation analysing AI models. "Our investigation confirmed that these individuals mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures, violating our policies and breaking the trust essential to our work," a spokesperson told the BBC. The ChatGPT-maker did not name the sacked workers, but at least two of them were involved in safety research at the firm. The firings come as the debate over AI safety and the risks the technology may pose to humanity has intensified in recent months.

OpenAI has also come under intense scrutiny after its models went rogue and hacked several platforms, including Australian government websites. In an incident in July, one of the firm's AI models accessed the internet and breached the open-source developer platform Hugging Face, leading OpenAI to review the activities of its AI agents. The firm said this week it has notified more than 100 organisations about incidents involving unauthorised activity linked to its systems, adding that being notified "does not mean that any private information was accessed" or that a system was compromised. The developments follow a White House meeting hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump with leaders of major technology companies to discuss AI.

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10. Analysis: Why Is Burnham Talking About Britain Rejoining the EU Now?

Source: People's Daily Online

Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, said at the party's annual conference on September 29 that "Brexit" has done more harm than good and that Britain should again consider the option of building a long-term relationship with its European partners. In an interview broadcast by the BBC on September 30, he went further, saying that rejoining the EU is one of the options for Britain's future relations with Europe and that he "hopes to see the UK rejoin the EU in his lifetime." This year marks the tenth anniversary of Britain's Brexit referendum: in the June 2016 vote, 52% chose to leave, and the UK formally left the EU in 2020.

Analysts say Burnham's timing reflects multiple considerations: distancing himself from the previous Starmer government's Europe policy; setting the agenda for a UK-EU summit expected to be held in November; and responding to recent polling in which about 70% of British respondents said the UK should build closer ties with the EU, while countering the agenda of right-wing parties. French President Emmanuel Macron said in English, "Welcome back," and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also welcomed the remarks. Analysts note, however, that a near-term return to the EU faces major practical obstacles — including the need for another referendum and unanimous agreement among all EU member states, plus ratification by national parliaments — making it highly unlikely.

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