Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez makes a televised statement to call early elections at La Moncloa Palace in Madrid on October 5, 2026. Photo: Screengrab from footage released by La Moncloa / AFP / Lehtikuva

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called a general election for 29 November after parliament rejected his government's housing measures, bringing an early end to a legislature marked by weak parliamentary support and growing protests over rents and evictions. The election had not been due until 2027.

Sánchez announced the decision from the Moncloa Palace on Monday after a weekend of consultations with members of his government and Socialist Party officials. He said voters should decide whether to give his government a broader parliamentary base.

Smoke rises over a bridge spanning the Dnieper River following a drone attack in Kyiv on October 2, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo: Serhii Okunev / AFP / Lehtikuva

Russia struck Kyiv’s Northern Bridge on Saturday, damaging its road surface and trolleybus power lines as attacks on the Ukrainian capital’s transport network continued for a third day.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were injured and traffic from the city’s eastern bank to the western side was halted after the strike.

Emergency crews went to the bridge, one of the main crossings over the Dnipro River.

US President Donald Trump walks to board Marine One as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 23, 2026. Photo: Alex Wroblewski / AFP / Lehtikuva

US President Donald Trump has reportedly rejected an Iranian proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days and restarting negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme, despite both sides continuing indirect diplomatic contacts.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Friday that Tehran had presented Washington with what he described as a concrete seven-day roadmap through Qatar, which has been mediating between the two sides.

Kazakhstan is holding AI MONTH from September 23 to October 23 as part of the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. The month-long program features a wide range of events dedicated to artificial intelligence and digital technologies, bringing together the tech community, businesses, educational institutions, startups, international experts and regional initiatives from across the country.

Storage tanks at the Lavera oil refinery in Martigues, southern France on March 17, 2026. G7 countries have agreed to release "100 million barrels" of diesel and crude oil from their reserves over the next four months, their leaders said on October 2, 2026. Photo: Miguel Medina / AFP / Lehtikuva

G7 countries have agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel from emergency reserves over four months as governments seek to curb fuel prices and ease pressure on households and businesses.

The release will start immediately and will be coordinated through the International Energy Agency, according to a joint statement issued after a virtual meeting on Friday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping used his state visit to Washington to press for the China-U.S. relationship to move from a shared political formula to practical work, telling President Donald Trump that their vision of “constructive strategic stability” should guide cooperation, competition and the management of disputes between the two countries now.

The White House hosted Xi on 24 September after Trump greeted him at Joint Base Andrews a day earlier.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (2nd L) visit damaged building of the Ukrainian Academy of Science in Kyiv on October 4, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo: Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP / Lehtikuva

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday as air raid sirens and explosions sounded across the Ukrainian capital, where another Russian drone strike hit the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River.

Merz travelled to Ukraine for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky as Germany prepared further military and energy support and deeper cooperation with Ukraine's defence industry.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on September 24, 2026. Photo: Angela Weiss / AFP / Lehtikuva

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to deny reports that he had warned Netanyahu of a Hamas attack shortly before October 7, 2023, during a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

The AP cited a person with first-hand knowledge of the meeting and a regional official briefed on the talks. Both spoke anonymously because the visit had not been announced in advance.

Combination picture of President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas virtually addressing, and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking during the 81st session of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters on September 24, 2026 in New York City. Photo: Alexi J. Rosenfeld / Getty Images & Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Lehtikuva

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned world leaders not to allow “another Nakba” as he addressed the UN General Assembly on Thursday, hours before dozens of delegates walked out when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium and rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza.

The two speeches set out opposing accounts of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank as Palestinians face displacement, destruction and an economic collapse after years of war.

Israeli soldiers conduct a raid in the Palestinian town of Beddu, northwest of Jerusalem on September 21, 2026. Photo: Zain Jaafar / AFP / Lehtikuva

Sixty-two Finnish citizens are serving in the Israeli military, according to figures obtained by Swedish public broadcaster SVT from the Israel Defense Forces.

The figures form part of data showing that hundreds of Nordic citizens are registered with the IDF, while tens of thousands of its personnel hold citizenship in two or more countries.

SVT reported that 150 Swedish citizens, 99 Danish citizens and 35 Norwegian citizens are serving in the Israeli military alongside the 62 Finnish citizens.

Trusted Finnish product labels including the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, EU Ecolabel and Produce from Finland (Hyvää Suomesta) will remain in use under the EU’s new rules. Photo: Finfood – Finnish Food Information

New European Union consumer rules targeting greenwashing took effect on 27 September 2026, setting tighter limits on environmental and sustainability claims used on products and in marketing.

The rules restrict vague terms such as “environmentally friendly”, “green”, “climate friendly”, “low carbon” and “biodegradable” when businesses lack evidence to support them. Companies also face restrictions on sustainability labels that do not rely on recognised certification schemes or approval from public authorities.

This combination of pictures created on September 16, 2026 shows (L/R) US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, on September 4, 2026 and China's President Xi Jinping in Bishkek on September 1, 2026. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Washington on September 24 and meet with US President Donald Trump. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA and Peter KOVALEV / various sources / AFP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a state visit to the United States on 23 September, returning to Washington for the first time in a decade as Beijing and Washington seek firmer channels for managing trade, technology and security disputes. President Donald Trump will receive Xi at the White House on 24 September for talks on trade and technology.

The visit runs from 23 to 25 September at Trump’s invitation.

Demonstrators hold a banner reading 'General strike' during a protest against evictions and high rent prices on Plaza de Espana in Madrid on October 3, 2026. Photo: Javier Soriano / AFP / Lehtikuva

Tens of thousands of people marched in Madrid and other Spanish cities on Saturday to demand action on housing, a day after parliament rejected two government decrees covering evictions, rental contracts and property investment. The protests followed weeks of public anger over rising housing costs and the eviction of an 87-year-old Madrid resident.

Spain's government said about 70,000 people attended the Madrid demonstration. The city's Tenants' Union gave a figure of 500,000. The estimates could not be independently reconciled.

Police are pictured at a base set up at the Fairford Youth Football Club near RAF Fairford base, south-west England on September 27, 2026, as UK counter-terrorism police investigate an incident near the base in the village of Whelford. Photo: Justin Tallis / AFP / Lehtikuva

Five men have been arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act after three suspicious vehicles were reported travelling towards RAF Fairford, a British airbase used by the US military for operations against Iran.

Gloucestershire Police said officers received a call at around 12.45am on Sunday concerning three vehicles heading towards the base in southwest England. Armed officers responded and arrested five men in the nearby village of Whelford on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act.

President Stubb and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sign a drone deal in New York on Wednesday, 23 September 2026. Photo: Emmi Syrjäniemi / Office of the President of the Republic of Finland

Finland and Ukraine have signed a defence cooperation agreement that sets the framework for producing drones and other weapons systems in Finland, as Kyiv seeks more production capacity and Helsinki expands cooperation between the two countries’ defence industries.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the agreement in New York on Wednesday during the United Nations General Assembly. Stubb had travelled to New York for the UN’s high-level week, which runs from 20 to 24 September.