onsdag 2 september 2026
Death toll continues to rise after massive landslide
Search operations continue in the mountainous regions of the Himalayas after the major mudslide that hit last week. Of the thousands of people who are missing, more and more bodies are being found.
1,114 people have been found dead so far in Nepal, the country's disaster agency announced. 3,916 people are still reported missing.
In Tibet across the border, Chinese authorities report 16 deaths and 546 missing, but independent organizations suspect that there are far more affected people than that.
After six months at sea – US giant ship in port
The US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in the Thai port city of Laem Chabang. Photo: Sakchai Lalit/AP/TT
The US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with around 5,000 crew members has arrived in Thailand after more than six months at sea.
The ship and its crew, which have been in the Middle East since January to support the US war against Iran, have received a lot of attention, including after several people tried to jump overboard.
The thousands of sailors and marines began their service aboard the huge ship in November and, before reaching Thailand early on Wednesday, had not docked at a port in more than six months.
The record-breaking service has – combined with reports of food shortages, broken toilets and contaminated water – prompted relatives to raise the alarm about mental illness among the crew.
The US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with around 5,000 crew members has arrived in Thailand after more than six months at sea.
The ship and its crew, which have been in the Middle East since January to support the US war against Iran, have received a lot of attention, including after several people tried to jump overboard.
The thousands of sailors and marines began their service aboard the huge ship in November and, before reaching Thailand early on Wednesday, had not docked at a port in more than six months.
The record-long service - combined with reports of food shortages, broken toilets and contaminated water - has caused relatives to raise the alarm about mental illness among the crew.
Nicaragua: Yes to limiting the opposition
Nicaragua's Congress has approved a controversial package of laws that limits the participation of opposition politicians in elections.
The changes come after demands from the country's long-time President Daniel Ortega.
The change extends the president's term of office from six to seven years and excludes anyone deemed to have participated in a "coup attempt or treason" or called for "military intervention".
According to Speaker Gustavo Porras, the measure was approved unanimously.
President Daniel Ortega, together with his wife Rosario Murillo, has ruled the country in turns since 1979, but uninterruptedly since 2007.
Since coming to power, he has crushed the country's political opposition and rewrote the constitution. As recently as January last year, he and Rosario Murillo were given control of the entire state apparatus through an amendment to the constitution.
Hong Kong democracy activist pleads guilty
Activist Joshua Wong, who has been prominent in Hong Kong's democracy movement, pleads guilty in a high-profile trial against him on national security charges.
Human rights groups have criticized the indictment.
The 29-year-old Wong, one of the most famous faces in Hong Kong's effectively crushed democracy movement, is already serving a nearly five-year prison sentence for subversive activities and was due to be released next year.
He is now accused of having urged foreign countries, individuals or institutions to "impose sanctions or blockades" against Hong Kong and China in 2020.
Human rights groups have said the new charges, which could lead to Wong being sentenced to life in prison, are aimed at keeping him behind bars for as long as possible.
tisdag 1 september 2026
The situation in Afghanistan
Millions of undocumented migrants have been deported to Afghanistan
More than a million Afghans have been deported back to their homeland from Iran and Pakistan this year, the UN refugee agency UNHCR says, according to the BBC. In the past three years, this has been six million people.
“We have never seen returns on this scale,” says Charlie Goodlake, spokesman for UNHCR in Afghanistan.
Both neighboring countries have tightened measures against undocumented migrants in recent years. They claim that they pose a security risk and some are described as an economic burden.
Many of those who are now returning have never set foot in Afghanistan, which is now ruled by the Taliban.
Sarwar was forced to leave: "I was devastated"
Many of the millions of undocumented Afghans who have been expelled from Pakistan and Iran have not set foot in their homeland for decades - if at all. This is reported by the BBC.
Sarwar fled Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion in the late 1970s and several of his brothers were born in Pakistan.
- We have lived here for a long time, so I was of course devastated when they forced us out of our home.
He says that he is also relieved, because he no longer has to endure harassment from Pakistani police.
Drone alarm in Europe
Russia promises “response” to Germany’s accusation
Russia denies involvement in the drone incident at Leipzig airport in August and promises a Russian response to Germany’s accusation, Reuters reports.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova calls it an “anti-Russian act” but does not elaborate on how the country will respond.
During a press conference on Tuesday, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that the explosive drone was not an isolated incident, but part of Russian hybrid attacks on European soil.
Germany blames Russia for drones at airport
Germany accuses Russia of being behind the explosive drone discovered at Leipzig airport in August, Reuters reports.
At a press conference, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that it is part of Russia’s “hybrid attacks” on European soil. The Foreign Ministry has summoned Russia's ambassador to the country.
Leipzig airport is a hub for deliveries to Ukraine and the drone was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane.
German entrepreneur: Tell it like it is – we are at war
German defense contractor Stefan Thumann is turning against EU leaders' words that Russia is engaging in "hybrid warfare" aimed at European countries. In an interview with Politico, he says that "the Russian armed forces" are engaging in pure acts of war.
- Germany and Russia are at war.
The statement comes after several media outlets published information that Germany will point out Russia as responsible for the explosive drone found at Leipzig airport in early August.
Thumann's company supplies drones to Ukraine and last year German authorities warned that Russian intelligence was planning to poison him.
Iran responds to new US attacks
Attacks on targets in Iran along the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman are confirmed by US President Donald Trump.
Iran responds by firing missiles and attacking with drones, according to state-controlled media.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warns that inspections of nuclear facilities in Iran cannot be carried out.
“The attacks are large and powerful, and in retaliation for the Iranians’ failed attempt to lay naval mines in the Strait,” Trump writes on Truth Social about the latest wave of attacks, warning Iran again:
“If the failed nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be exposed again at a much harsher and higher level.”
According to the Iranian state news agency Fars, explosions were heard in the major port city of Bandar Abbas and in Sirik. Both cities are located near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Fars news agency said that an airport in Jiroft had been attacked in a new wave of US attacks, but that damage was minimal, AFP reported.
Cities hit
Four missiles were also reported to have hit cities east of the strait, including Chabahar and Konarak on the Gulf of Oman. Explosions were also reported from the island of Qeshm.
The US military command Centcom stated in a post on X that targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard were being attacked. The attack was said to be a response to Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and "US soldiers stationed in the region".
US forces attacked Iran on Sunday for the first time in about a month. The target was rocket launchers on the island of Larak that were said to be used to launch naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded overnight to Monday with drones and missiles targeting US targets in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran was said to have responded to the latest US attacks "in a decisive action" against US targets in the region.
The state-controlled Tasnim news agency confirmed late on Tuesday that attacks with missiles and drones "have been launched against US bases and interests" in the region, AFP reports.
Lack of information
The UN agency IAEA said in a statement on Tuesday evening that developments around Iran's nuclear facilities were worrying, and stressed the urgency of the agency gaining access to visit and inspect the facilities.
"The agency's lack of information about nuclear material and access to the facilities for inspection is crucial to controlling potential proliferation," the IAEA wrote in a report seen by AFP.
Attacker mot mål i Iran längs Hormuzsundet och Omanbukten bekräftas av USA:s president Donald Trump.
Iran svarar med att avfyra robotar och attackera med drönare enligt statligt kontrollerade medier.
Atomenergiorganet IAEA varnar för att granskningar av kärnenergianläggningar i Iran inte kan genomföras.
”Attackerna är stora och kraftfulla, och en hämnd för iraniernas misslyckade försök att lägga ut sjöminor i sundet”, skriver Trump på Truth Social om den senaste attackvågen och varnar Iran på nytt:
”Om den misslyckade nationen Iran hämnas för denna mycket berättigade attack, kommer de att utsättas igen på en mycket hårdare och högre nivå.”
Enligt den iranska statliga nyhetsbyrån Fars har explosioner hörts i den stora hamnstaden Bandar Abbas och i Sirik. Båda städerna ligger nära Hormuzsundet.
Nyhetsbyrån Fars sade att en flygplats i Jiroft hade angripits i en ny våg av amerikanska attacker, men att skadorna var få, rapporterade AFP.
Städer träffade
Fyra projektiler ska också ha träffat städer öster om sundet, däribland Chabahar och Konarak vid Omanbukten. Även från ön Qeshm rapporteras explosioner.
USA:s militärkommando Centcom uppger i ett inlägg på X att mål kopplade till Irans revolutionsgarde attackeras. Angreppen uppges vara ett svar på iranska attacker mot fartyg i Hormuzsundet och ”amerikanska soldater stationerade i regionen”.
Amerikanska styrkor attackerade i söndags Iran för första gången på ungefär en månad. Målet då var raketramper på ön Larak som sades användas för att skjuta ut sjöminor i Hormuzsundet. Iran svarade under natten mot måndagen med drönare och robotar riktade mot USA-mål i Jordanien och Förenade arabemiraten.
Iran uppgavs ha svarat på de senaste amerikanska attackerna ”i en avgörande insats” mot amerikanska mål i regionen.
Den statligt kontrollerade nyhetsbyrån Tasnim bekräftade sent på tisdagen att angrepp med robotar och drönare ”inletts mot amerikanska baser och intressen” i regionen, rapporterar AFP.
FN-organet IAEA sade i ett uttalande på tisdagskvällen att utvecklingen kring Irans kärnenergianläggningar är oroande, och underströk det akuta i att organet får tillgång till att besöka och granska anläggningarna.
”Organets brist på information om kärnenergimateriel och tillgång till anläggningarna för granskning är avgörande för att kontrollera eventuell spridning”, skriver IAEA i en rapport som AFP tagit del av.
ECB vs. inflation
Inflation rises in the eurozone – interest rate hike more likely
Inflation in the eurozone is rising to 3.3 percent annually, according to the latest statistics from Eurostat.
The fact that energy prices have increased by 14.3 percent since August last year contributed to the inflation outcome. Excluding rapidly fluctuating energy and food prices, the so-called core inflation was 2.4 percent, slightly lower than in July. This is also above the European Central Bank's (ECB) target of 2 percent.
“With inflation still rising, it is almost certain that the ECB will raise interest rates at next week's meeting,” Oxford Economics senior economist Leo Barincou told Euronews.
Economists doubt hike despite inflation shock
Inflation in the euro area rose in August to the highest level in almost three years and now the market is fully pricing in the ECB raising interest rates by 25 basis points next week. But Bloomberg economist David Powell disagrees.
Although overall inflation in the EMU rose from 2.9 percent in July to 3.3 percent at an annual rate, core inflation – where volatile components such as food and energy are excluded – unexpectedly decreased to 2.4 percent.
“This difference reinforces our view that the ECB is unlikely to tighten monetary policy as much as financial markets are now pricing in,” writes David Powell. If the energy price shock is prolonged, another interest rate hike could still be on the cards in December, he adds.
Middle East Crisis Economic Impact
Two ships fired at in the Strait of Hormuz – oil prices rise
Two large oil tankers on their way out of the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz have been fired at by unknown projectiles, Bloomberg reports, citing security consultant Marisks.
This causes the price of oil to rise from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent in the morning, while the declines on the Stockholm Stock Exchange increase.
This weekend, tensions increased in the war between Iran and the United States, which has now been going on for over six months.
ECB Summit: The conflict in the Middle East can keep inflation up
The European Central Bank, ECB, must prepare for the possibility that the war between Iran and the United States could become a “conflict of attrition” that could keep inflation up in the euro area for a long time. This is what Finnish central bank governor Olli Rehn told the Financial Times.
The conflict has pushed up oil prices, which in turn contributes to higher inflation. The statement from Olli Rehn has strengthened market expectations that the ECB will raise the key interest rate in the euro area by 0.25 percentage points to 2.5 percent at the interest rate announcement next week.
Less than ten ships a day pass through the Strait of Hormuz
The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz remained in single digits after the weekend, around five on Monday. This is reported by Reuters, citing preliminary shipping data.
Of the five, four sailed into the strait and one out – and none of them carried oil or gas. Over the past two weeks, the average has been ten ships per day.
The conflict between the US and Iran escalated further over the weekend, after the US attacked Iran, which then responded with attacks on US military targets in the Middle East.
Economy
Currency market
ECB top criticises US for unexpected euro move
The US sold euros instead of dollars to support the Japanese yen this summer – a departure from long-standing practice that ECB member Joachim Nagel is now criticising, writes Bloomberg.
– It would of course have been desirable [...] to coordinate and consult in advance about such interventions, he says at the G20 meeting in North Carolina.
According to Nagel, the issue was discussed at the meeting and the participants understood the euro countries' dissatisfaction. Next time he expects coordination in advance.
The last time the US and Japan intervened in the yen was in 2011, when the G7 countries jointly weakened the Japanese currency.
Tech companies' AI race
Central bank governor warns G20: AI boom could slow down the economy
Britain's central bank governor Andrew Bailey warns G20 countries that investments in AI make the market vulnerable to a crash, reports the BBC.
He says that if the growth of AI companies stops, it could lead to a market freeze that spreads globally. High stock market valuations, increased leverage and lower risk spread to a few tech giants have made the economy more fragile.
– In particular, the increasing cross-investments between AI companies could amplify a future downturn, says Bailey according to the BBC.
Middle East crisis Stock market sentiment
Interest rates are soaring: “Vicious spiral – no relief in sight”
Investors are dumping global government bonds and sending market rates up. British borrowing costs are now the highest since the 2008 financial crisis and in Japan since the 1990s, notes the Financial Times.
The escalation in the Middle East is increasing concerns that inflation will force central banks to raise interest rates more quickly.
Royal London’s fixed income chief Craig Inches describes the bond market as “a vicious spiral” with no relief in sight.
– The conflict is not going away, interest rates have to price in greater uncertainty at the same time as governments still have large borrowing needs, he tells the FT.
Miller Tabak's Matt Maley notes that the stock market has so far ignored the rise in interest rates.
– But as we have seen before, higher interest rates do not matter for stocks – until they suddenly do, he tells Bloomberg.
US attack on Venezuela Oil market
Sources: Chevron secures new oil fields in Venezuela
Chevron is close to a deal that will greatly expand the US oil giant's operations in Venezuela, sources tell Bloomberg. The company is said to be getting rights to operate two large oil fields in the Orinoco belt.
The deal is expected to be the largest of several agreements as the Trump administration tries to step up US investment and oil production in Venezuela.
Chevron has also negotiated with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez about new tax terms that could pave the way for more investment in the country, the news agency writes.
Swedish business
Kinnevik's largest holding is being sued in the US
Investment company Kinnevik's largest holding Spring Health is in a legal dispute in the US, reports EFN. A former employee sued the digital healthcare company this summer and is demanding compensation for alleged systematic violations of California labor law. The person also wants to pursue the case as a class action.
Spring Health denies the allegations. Kinnevik's head of communications Hannah Björk writes to EFN that the legal process does not affect the investment company's investment.
Spring Health accounts for 16.5 percent of the net asset value in Kinnevik's portfolio.
Germany: Russia behind bomb drone in Leipzig
Cultural center to close
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul announces at a press conference that the Russian consulate in Bonn will be closed from September 18. He also says that the lease for the Russian House, a cultural center in Berlin, will be terminated.
“We are tightening entry controls for Russian citizens,” says Wadephul.
Germany will also propose that more Russian people be added to the EU sanctions list and promises tougher pressure on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has spoken to Chancellor Friedrich Merz about the incident.
“NATO stands in full solidarity with Germany after the Russian hybrid attack,” Rutte wrote in a post on X, continuing:
“Russia’s attempts to intimidate us, to undermine our unity and our willingness to support Ukraine are futile and will fail. Our support for Ukraine is unwavering, as is our unwavering commitment to NATO’s collective defense.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media that she would speak to Rutte on Wednesday and that further sanctions against Russia would be discussed within the EU.
“We stand united”
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) wrote on X that he was in close contact with Merz.
“Sweden fully supports the strong measures taken by the German government. We stand united and we will continue to support our ally and neighbor,” Kristersson wrote, adding that he would convene Sweden’s National Security Council on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister states that Russia “wants to scare us”, but that it will “fail”.
Russia has not yet commented on the matter.
Leipzig/Halle Airport is both an internationally important airport and crucial for deliveries of, among other things, military equipment to Ukraine.
NATO’s strategic efforts through, among other things, an air bridge (Salis) operate from Leipzig Airport with basically daily deliveries to NATO groups in the Ukrainian vicinity: from Finland to Romania.
Starmer also leaves parliament
Keir Starmer resigned as Prime Minister a few weeks ago. Now he is also leaving his seat in the British Parliament.
Former Labour leader Starmer tells the local London newspaper Camden New Journal that he wants to hand over the baton and devote his time to other things.
– I will now focus on other things and those will be foreign affairs such as defense, security, trade and technology in a world that is changing rapidly, he says.
Keir Starmer was elected to the House of Commons for his constituency in London just over 11 years ago. He took over as leader of the Labour Party in April 2020 and became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in July 2024. In mid-July this year, he resigned from both posts and handed over to Manchester politician Andy Burnham.
Iran thanks Russia for support during US war
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian thanked Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the Russian stance in the ongoing war between the US and Iran.
The thanksgiving took place during the ongoing summit in Kyrgyzstan.
Moscow has strengthened military and economic ties with Tehran in the time since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Pezeshkian said at the two-day meeting in Bishkek, according to a statement, that Russia has supported Iran both bilaterally and in the UN since the US launched the war against Iran.
– This shows that our relationship is strategic, and not just an ordinary one, Pezeshkian said.
In addition to the leaders from Iran and Russia, China's Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, India's Narendra Modi and Pakistan's leader Shehbaz Sharif are participating in the meeting, which is part of the so-called Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
New US attacks on Iran
Explosions were heard in several places in Iran on Tuesday evening.
The US military command Centcom confirms that attacks have been launched on Iran.
According to the Iranian state news agency Fars, explosions have been heard in the large port city of Bandar Abbas and in Sirik. Both cities are located near the Strait of Hormuz.
Explosions are also reported from the island of Qeshm.
Centcom states in a post on X that targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard are being attacked. The attack is said to be a response to Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and "American soldiers stationed in the region".
American forces attacked Iran on Sunday for the first time in about a month. The target was rocket launchers on the island of Larak. Iran responded overnight Monday with drone and missile attacks on US targets in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
US President Donald Trump warned on Monday of continued bombing.
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