Follow-up: Flydubai FZ1073 co-pilot suspected of deliberate crash attempt; Netanyahu vows tighter crew vetting on Israel-bound flights
Israeli PM Netanyahu said Wednesday the attacker 'obviously hated Israelis' and that the captain had prevented a '9/11 disaster,' ordering tougher background checks for all pilots flying into Israel. Israeli sources say the probe is run at the 'highest levels' with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman involved; people familiar with the matter told the WSJ investigators initially assessed a deliberate crash attempt, with no motive theory yet. India's embassy in Riyadh said Captain Machchhar is stable in a Tabuk hospital; President Herzog said four Israelis who stormed the cockpit will be recommended for civil heroism awards.
The most important world events of the past 24 hours
Pakistan launches pre-dawn airstrikes on Afghanistan; Kabul says 9 civilians killed
🐱 Scout pilot · Pakistan airstrikes on Afghanistan
Pakistan carried out airstrikes on Afghanistan's Kunar and Helmand provinces in the early hours of October 1. Kabul says the strikes killed 9 civilians, including women and children, and wounded 11; Pakistan says 22 militants were killed. Neither claim has been independently verified.
Background: Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban government of harboring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, and cross-border tensions have been escalating.
Twin attacks in Syria: bus shooting in Homs kills 7, pipeline blast near Damascus knocks out 3 power plants
Late on September 30, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying workers home near Misyaf Bridge in Homs province, killing 7 and wounding 4; no group claimed responsibility. Earlier the same day, an explosion and fire hit a gas pipeline in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, forcing the Deir Ali, al-Nasiriyah and Tishreen power plants offline for lack of gas and lengthening power rationing hours.
Background: Syria's security vacuum has persisted since the fall of the Assad government at the end of 2024; this is the third pipeline blast in six weeks. The energy minister said the cause was unclear — a technical malfunction, an attack or sabotage were all possible.
Sources: Reuters, AP; pipeline blast per Syrian state media SANA
France's 2027 draft budget: tax hikes to plug deficit; debt hits 119% of GDP, highest since 1945
🐱 Scout anchor · France's 2027 draft budget
The French government presented its 2027 draft budget to the cabinet on October 1, centered on tax hikes to retake control of public finances: the deficit will reach or exceed 5% of GDP for a fifth straight year, and public debt stands at €3.596 trillion — 119% of GDP, the highest since 1945. French 10-year bond yields hit their highest since 2002, and the French-German spread widened to 132.86 basis points, the widest since the 2012 eurozone debt crisis.
Background: France holds a presidential election in 2027, and markets fear a far-right victory and fiscal drift reinforcing each other; the ECB said the same day it would not intervene over France's bond spreads.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" on October 1 that the co-pilot had "undergone Islamist radical indoctrination" and that the act was "clearly suicidal," while stressing no final conclusion has been reached. He said it should be possible within days to say whether there was any Iranian connection.
Background: The incident was already issued as breaking news this morning with an in-depth topic page; this is the latest investigative development on that page.
Political developments and international relations
US completes troop withdrawal from Iraq; Operation Inherent Resolve mission there ends
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on September 30 that American forces had completed an orderly withdrawal from Erbil Air Base in Iraq, ending Operation Inherent Resolve's mission in Iraq.
Background: Operation Inherent Resolve began in 2014 to fight the Islamic State (ISIS); the withdrawal is part of a previously agreed phased pullout between Washington and Baghdad.
Pentagon excludes UK, France and Baltic states from NATO meeting in Poland next month
Politico Europe reported on September 30, citing six diplomats, that a Pentagon-led working group on NATO's future — headed by Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby — will meet in Poland next month with only Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands invited (the so-called "Bergen Group," which has met twice before). The UK, France, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were left out. Excluded allies are questioning the selection criteria; the White House did not respond to requests for comment and the Pentagon declined to comment.
Background: The Trump administration has kept up pressure on allies to raise defense spending and has threatened a "naughty and nice" list for governments that defy its priorities; the exclusions have fueled fears of a split in the alliance.
Sources: Politico Europe (via europesays repost; single source, no direct Politico link found)
Russia expels Hungarian diplomats in tit-for-tat retaliation
Russia's Foreign Ministry announced on October 1 that it will expel a group of Hungarian diplomats from the embassy in Moscow and the consulates in St. Petersburg and Kazan, giving them two weeks to leave, in retaliation for Budapest's expulsion last month of 10 Russian diplomats accused of activities "incompatible with their status" — wording typically used for spying. Hungary's Foreign Ministry said it was "not interested in an escalation of diplomatic tension."
Background: The move marks the end of Viktor Orban's 16-year pro-Russian era — Orban lost power in April, and new Prime Minister Peter Magyar has made the EU and NATO Hungary's primary alliances, working to rebuild trust with allies.
South Korea's September exports jump 83.5% to $120.9 billion, first month above $120 billion
South Korean customs data released on October 1 showed September exports surging 83.5% year-on-year to a record $120.94 billion — the first month above $120 billion and the 16th consecutive month of growth. Semiconductor shipments more than tripled to a record $60.3 billion, nearly half of total exports. Imports rose 26%, producing a record trade surplus of $49.85 billion. Cumulative exports for the first nine months topped $800 billion, putting the country on track for its first $1 trillion year.
Background: Global AI infrastructure spending is the main driver, and Korean export data is watched as a bellwether of AI demand; Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shares rose, lifting the KOSPI nearly 2%.
ECB's Nagel: bond-buying tools target inflation, not French bond spreads
ECB policymaker and Bundesbank president Joachim Nagel said on October 1 that the ECB's bond-buying tools are designed to safeguard price stability, not to target specific sovereign bond spreads — cooling market speculation about intervention in the French bond selloff. French 10-year yields hit their highest since 2002, and the French-German spread widened to 132.86 basis points, the widest since the 2012 eurozone debt crisis.
Background: The ECB has raised rates twice since June to fight inflation fueled by the Iran war's energy shock; markets worry that France's fiscal drift and expectations of a far-right presidential victory in 2027 are reinforcing each other.
Amazon and Constellation sign 20-year nuclear power deal, expanding Maryland's Calvert Cliffs plant
Constellation Energy announced on September 30 a 20-year power purchase agreement with Amazon: Amazon will buy 690 megawatts from the Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in Maryland and back more than $3 billion in infrastructure investment, adding about 190 megawatts of new nuclear capacity in 2030–2032. The deal also gives revenue certainty for a 20-year life extension of the plant. Constellation shares rose more than 3% after hours.
Background: Tech giants keep racing for stable clean power for AI data centers, with nuclear the preferred option; Amazon had previously shelved a plan to build a data center directly at a nuclear site after community opposition.
US urges Europe to release emergency diesel reserves as EU diesel hits record €2.24 a liter
Reuters reported on September 30 that the US government is urging Europe to release emergency diesel reserves. The average EU diesel pump price has hit a record €2.24 per liter (European Commission data), with 12 member states at all-time highs; the EU holds about 39 million tons of emergency diesel stocks, of which Germany (5.6 million tons) and France (8.2 million) account for 35%. Washington is particularly frustrated that France and Germany have not met commitments under this year's IEA-coordinated oil stock release.
Background: The Iran war has disrupted Strait of Hormuz oil flows and slashed Middle East diesel exports, while Europe — having cut refining capacity — increasingly depends on imported diesel; DW News and other European outlets are also tracking the diesel price surge.
Sources: Reuters, Deutsche Welle (DW News also covering the diesel surge)
Tech companies, research breakthroughs and digital policy
TikTok signs deal to put US business in American-controlled joint venture, targeting January 22 close
According to an internal memo from TikTok CEO Shou Chew first obtained by Axios, TikTok has signed agreements to house its US operations in a new "TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC," targeting a January 22, 2026 close. Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will each hold 15% (45% combined); affiliates of existing ByteDance investors will hold about 30.1% and ByteDance will retain about 19.9%. The new company will be majority American-owned with a majority-American seven-member board, responsible for US data protection, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurance, and will retrain the recommendation algorithm on US user data; Oracle will serve as the "trusted security partner" auditing national-security compliance. Axios reports the deal values TikTok's US business at about $14 billion.
Background: A 2024 "sell-or-ban" law required ByteDance to divest TikTok's US business; the White House and Beijing reached an in-principle agreement in September, and the signing closes a years-long saga.
Military developments, security situations and conflicts
Hegseth's "state of the force" speech: new four-star autonomous warfare command, 20% cut in generals by 2027
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a "state of the force" speech at Quantico on September 30, announcing a new four-star "autonomous warfare command" and ordering a 20% cut in general-officer billets by January 1, 2027.
Background: The move is part of the second Trump administration's Pentagon "warrior ethos" overhaul, aimed at flattening command layers and expanding unmanned and autonomous warfare capabilities.
Russian drones hit Kyiv's Pivdennyi bridge support structure; metro suspended (AFP journalist on site)
Two Russian drones struck the support structure of Kyiv's Pivdennyi bridge on October 1, suspending metro service; there was no major structural damage. An AFP journalist witnessed the attack on site.
Background: Russia keeps striking Ukrainian energy and transport infrastructure; Kyiv says Moscow is using jet-powered drones against cities that are harder to intercept.
Swiss glaciers lost a fifth of their mass in five years — "catastrophic," AFP reports
AFP reported on October 1 that Swiss glaciers have lost a fifth of their mass in just five years, a melt rate described as "catastrophic."
Background: Accelerating Alpine glacier melt has become one of the emblematic indicators of Europe's climate crisis, threatening hydropower and tourism.
Student protests escalate in France: principal doused with petrol in Marseille, two schools set ablaze
🐱 Scout teacher · Student protests in France
Student protests across France escalated on October 1: in Marseille, protesters doused a principal at the Victor Hugo high school with petrol, and two schools were set on fire. Prime Minister Lecornu scheduled a crisis meeting for Thursday afternoon.
Background: The protest wave overlaps with social discontent over France's fiscal austerity and the 2027 draft budget.
Japan tightens permanent residency from October 1: income must stay above average, Japanese conversation skills required (single-source reprint)
Japan is tightening permanent residency for foreigners from October 1: applicants must show income consistently above the average and possess everyday Japanese conversation skills; the application fee jumps 20-fold from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000, with hundreds queuing at a Tokyo immigration office this week to file before the hike. (Reprint; no NHK original link found, single source.)
Background: Prime Minister Takaichi says the move answers a sense of "unfairness" among some citizens and promotes "orderly coexistence"; Japan faces both an aging population with labor shortages and spreading anti-immigration sentiment on social media.
Sources: NHK (via reprint; no nhk.or.jp original found)
South Korea's Lee urges North Korea to restore dialogue, pledges nuclear-powered submarines by mid-2030s
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on October 1, in an Armed Forces Day address, that he hopes the North will "restore trust and resume dialogue," pledging practical steps to ease military tensions. He also announced South Korea will build nuclear-powered submarines by the mid-2030s, upgrade missile defense, AI command-and-control and high-energy laser interceptors, and take back wartime operational control from the United States. The remarks followed a DMZ landmine blast last week that wounded three South Korean soldiers, which Seoul and the UN Command called an armistice violation — a finding Kim Yo Jong rejected while warning of retaliation.
Background: Lee's government has sought engagement with Pyongyang, but the North has repeatedly rebuffed Seoul's overtures while fortifying the border.
