Poland calls a fire at a Starlink station sabotage, as Denmark warns Russian attacks on NATO will grow

The stories

33 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   Poland calls a fire at a Starlink station sabotage, as Denmark warns Russian attacks on NATO will grow

   2030

   the year EU leaders set for Europe to be ready to defend itself against Russia

   the EU's own defence agency says current plans do not seem to meet it [7]

   600 km

   how far the Gerbera, a small Russian drone, can fly

   it carries only 4 to 5 kg of explosive, enough to shut an airport or start a fire, a Spanish paper reported [5]

   19

   unarmed drones that flew over Poland a year ago, in an earlier test of its air defences

   Germany says Russia was also behind an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport in August [5][6]

   What happened

   • A fire broke out late on Wednesday at a satellite ground station in Wola Krobowska, in central Poland, owned by Exatel, a state telecom company. [3][1]
   • The station passes internet traffic through Poland to countries including Ukraine.
   • It uses Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX. [1][3]
   • Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland's deputy prime minister, said the fire engulfed the station's power unit and generator. [2]
   • He said it was sabotage meant to cut internet access for several institutions, including Ukraine's army. [2]
   • He said it is not yet proven that Russia did it, but many signs fit what he called Russia's new way of attacking.
   • The station was working again on Thursday. [2][1]
   • The same day, Denmark's military intelligence service said Russia will carry out more frequent 'hybrid' attacks on NATO countries in the coming months. [4]
   • Hybrid attacks mean sabotage, cyberattacks and false stories: pressure on a country that stops short of open war. [1]
   • The Danish service put the risk of a limited Russian military attack on a NATO country bordering Russia at 'low but growing'. [4]
   • Its chief, Thomas Ahrenkiel, said the aim of such an attack would be to divide NATO, not to take over a country. [4]
   • Overnight into Thursday, Moldova's president said four Russian drones crossed into Moldova and at least one exploded.
   • Romania said one drone crashed on its land. [1]
   • An EU agency report seen by Reuters says Europe is not rearming fast enough to be ready to defend itself against Russia by 2030. [7]
   • NATO's top commander, the US general Alexus Grynkewich, said the US will give the alliance 'critical but more limited' military help as Europeans do more. [8]

   1 of 4

   Russian drones that crossed into Moldova overnight; at least one exploded

   Who is involved

   • Krzysztof Gawkowski Poland's deputy prime minister and digital minister; he called the station fire sabotage
   • Thomas Ahrenkiel head of Denmark's military intelligence service; he warned of more Russian attacks on NATO
   • Russia's government the suspect; it denies any part in sabotage or hybrid attacks in NATO countries
   • Alexus Grynkewich a US Air Force general and NATO's top military commander in Europe; he says the US will give less
   • Emmanuel Macron France's president; he says Russia is multiplying hostile acts against European countries

   How it unfolded

   1. 2022 Russia invades Ukraine in full, and Poland goes on alert for sabotage [2]
   2. August an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport in Germany, which Germany blames on Russia [6]
   3. Wed night fire at the Starlink ground station in Wola Krobowska, Poland [1]
   4. Thursday Denmark's threat warning, and Russian drones cross into Moldova and Romania [4][1]
   5. Monday EU defence ministers discuss the report that says Europe is rearming too slowly [7]

   Why it matters

   Watch what Poland's investigation finds about who set the fire, and what EU defence ministers agree on Monday when they discuss the report that says Europe is rearming too slowly. [2][7]

   The truth

   • What is really going on France and Greece sent air defences to Saudi Arabia while the US stayed out, and in Europe an EU agency says the continent is not ready to defend itself as the US offers NATO less. [6][19][18][7][8]
   • Who pays Ukraine's army and the institutions the Polish station serves — The fire was meant to cut their internet access, Poland says, and Starlink still does not work over Russia where Ukraine wants to strike launchers. [2][9]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Who set the fire at the Polish station.

     Poland's deputy prime minister says many signs point to Russia but that it is not established, the investigation is still going on, and Russia's government has not commented. [2][1]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the CIA warned European governments about Russian drones launched from ships in the Mediterranean.

     El Mundo, a Spanish paper, reported that the CIA gave the warning. [5] Macron says the CIA did not inform French services, and the CIA has not spoken about it in the reports we read. [6]

   Good news

   • The Polish ground station that burned on Wednesday night was working again on Thursday. It carries internet traffic to countries including Ukraine.

1. 02

   Netanyahu speaks to a half-empty hall

   What happened

   • Dozens of delegates walked out of the UN General Assembly on Thursday as Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, began to speak. [10]
   • He rejected the charge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and called Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan a tyrant. [10]
   • He attacked Britain and France for accusing Israel of colonialism, and thanked Trump as the US delegation applauded. [11]
   • He also accused Zohran Mamdani, New York's mayor, of making Jews feel unsafe, and Mamdani's office called the speech baseless lies. [10]

   Why it matters

   Polls show Israelis losing faith in Netanyahu and his Likud party before an election later this year. [12]

   A former Israeli diplomat told Al Jazeera the speech, shown live on Israeli television, is his way of being seen standing up to the world. [12]

   The truth

   • Who gains Benjamin Netanyahu — His speech, with a walkout and a public fight with New York's mayor, was carried live on Israeli television before an election, and analysts told Al Jazeera that home was the audience. [12][10]
2. 03

   Abbas speaks to the UN by video

   What happened

   • Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, spoke to the General Assembly in a video recorded in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. [13]
   • The US refused visas to him and other senior Palestinian officials for the second year running. [13]
   • He said Palestinians face one of the most dangerous times in their history.
   • He asked how long some states would keep sending Israel weapons. [13]
   • Israel's seats sat empty while he spoke. [13]

   Why it matters

   Abbas is 90 and has led the Palestinian Authority, which runs parts of the West Bank, since 2005, with no presidential vote since. [13]

   He has been largely left out of the talks on Gaza's future, which Trump's Board of Peace now runs. [13]

1. 04

   80 countries tell Iran to reopen Hormuz

   What happened

   • About 80 countries, including the Gulf Arab states and the big Western powers, demanded at the UN on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened urgently. [14]
   • Bahrain's foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, read out the joint statement. [14]
   • It condemned Iran and its allies in Yemen, the Houthis, for attacks that disrupt trade and energy. [14]
   • Iran and the Houthis both say they are defending themselves. [14]

   Why it matters

   The strait, between Iran and Oman, usually carries about a fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments. [24]

   Iran has kept it mostly shut since the US and Israel attacked it in February. [24]

   The statement records who blames Iran, but it orders nothing.

   How it works

   Why a small attack is a question for the victim's friends

   Hitting one country a little, or in a way that is hard to prove, makes its allies decide in public whether to help, and some will not.

   The twist

   A small attack costs the attacker little, and it forces the victim's friends to choose in public whether to help. If they argue or stay out, the attacker has learned how far the alliance will go without fighting a war.

   The picture

   Countries that answered4

   vsvs

   Its main partner, the USstayed out

   Step by step

   1. 1 Several countries promise to defend each other
   2. 2 An attacker hits one of them in a small way, or a way that is hard to prove
   3. 3 Each ally has to decide in public whether this counts as an attack
   4. 4 Some send help, some wait, and some stay out
   5. 5 The attacker learns how far the promise really goes, without starting a war

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • Saudi Arabia's allies line up, and the US stays out

     The Houthis fired at Saudi Arabia and warned others not to step in. Pakistan, Turkey, France and Greece answered, and the US, Saudi Arabia's main partner, stayed out.

   • North Korea warns South Korea over US plans

     North Korea threatens South Korea, not the US, so that South Korea has to weigh its own safety against a bigger part in its ally's plans.

   • 80 countries tell Iran to reopen Hormuz

     Iran's hold on the strait made each government say where it stands. About 80 signed the statement against Iran, and the rest of the UN's members did not.

   Where you've seen this

   The school playground

   a bully picks on one child to see whether the others step in

   Strikes at work

   a boss offers one group of workers a better deal, so the rest are left standing alone

   Online groups

   a troll goes after one member to see whether the moderators act

   The catch

   It can backfire. A small attack can push allies closer together, and this week European governments answered the warnings with plans to spend and prepare more, not less.

   And the whole of it

   The people deciding whether a fire in Poland or a missile at Yanbu counts are officials in many governments, each weighing their own voters and their own budgets. Most people in those countries never see that choice being made. They live with its result: help that arrives, or help that does not.

1. 05

   Iran's plan opens Hormuz on the last day

   What happened

   • Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had sent the US a plan through go-betweens. [15]
   • Under it, fighting on every front, including Lebanon, would end within seven days. [15]
   • The US would lift its blockade of Iran's ports, free Iran's frozen money and drop its oil sanctions. [15]
   • Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen only on the last of those days. [15]
   • Regional sources told Reuters Iran would move its demand for fees from passing ships out of the main deal. [16]

   Why it matters

   Six sources told Reuters the talks are stuck because neither side wants to give up its pressure first. [16]

   The US blockade has cut off Iran's oil sales, and Iran's grip on the strait keeps fuel prices high far from the Gulf. [16]

   The truth

   • Who gains Iran's government — Its hold on Hormuz brought the US back to talks through go-betweens. [16] Its plan reopens the strait only on the last day, after the US has lifted its blockade. [15]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the US and Iran can agree who moves first on Hormuz.

     Iran wants the US blockade lifted before the strait reopens, and a former US negotiator put the chance of a deal before the 3 November midterms at 30%. [15][16]

2. 06

   Houthis fire at a Saudi oil port

   What happened

   • Saudi Arabia said it shot down six ballistic missiles fired on Thursday by the Houthis, the armed movement that holds northern Yemen, towards Taif and Yanbu. [17][19]
   • Yanbu is the Red Sea port Saudi Arabia uses to export oil while Hormuz is shut. [17]
   • Greek soldiers running a Patriot air-defence system near Yanbu shot down a ballistic missile and a drone, a Greek source told Reuters. [19]
   • The Houthis said they also attacked a target in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and Saudi Arabia did not confirm any attack there. [20]

   Why it matters

   Saudi Arabia had only just started pumping oil again through its pipeline to Yanbu, shut since 11 September. [17]

   The UN human rights chief says fighting in Yemen has killed or wounded at least 125 civilians since August. [40]

   The truth

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the Houthis hit anything in Riyadh.

     The Houthis say they struck a sensitive target in Saudi Arabia's capital, and Saudi Arabia has not confirmed any attack there. [20]

3. 07

   Saudi Arabia's allies line up, and the US stays out

   What happened

   • The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey met under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which says an attack on one of them is an attack on all. [15]
   • They called an urgent meeting of their army chiefs to discuss helping Saudi Arabia. [15]
   • France's president Emmanuel Macron said France will send soldiers, radars and air defences to protect Yanbu. [6]
   • The US, Saudi Arabia's key partner, has said it is in contact with the Houthis and indicated it is sitting this fight out. [18]

   Why it matters

   Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian told Fox News, a US channel, that the Houthis are responsible for their own actions. [15]

   So Saudi Arabia is fighting a group Iran supports, with help from Pakistan, Turkey, France and Greece instead of the US. [15][6][19]

   How it works

   The Houthis fired at Saudi Arabia and warned others not to step in. Pakistan, Turkey, France and Greece answered, and the US, Saudi Arabia's main partner, stayed out.

   The idea, in story 04: Why a small attack is a question for the victim's friends →
4. 08

   US sanctions ground Iran's flights

   What happened

   • Iran's flights to the Gulf states, Oman, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Baghdad stopped on Thursday as new US sanctions took effect, Iranian media reported. [21]
   • The US had said it would punish any company anywhere that does business with Iranian airlines after 23 September. [21]
   • Tehran's main airport still listed flights to countries including China, Turkey, Pakistan and Armenia. [21]
   • A senior Iranian official threatened to make airports unusable in any country that obeys the ban. [21]

   Why it matters

   These are secondary sanctions, which punish other countries' firms, and Trump has called the campaign an economic D-Day. [21]

   They cut flights to the Gulf states, some of Iran's most important business and travel partners, while its ports are already blockaded. [21]

   The truth

   • Who pays Iranians who travel to the Gulf — US sanctions stopped flights between Iran and the Gulf states on Thursday. [21]
5. 09

   US Senate keeps the Iran war going by one vote

   What happened

   • The US Senate voted 50 to 49 on Thursday to reject a Democratic resolution that would have stopped the Iran war until Congress approved it. [22]
   • The House of Representatives had passed it in July. [22]
   • Before Thursday, the US Senate had voted on such resolutions 13 times since the war began on 28 February. [23]
   • Only 34% of Americans approved of the strikes on Iran in a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week. [23]

   Senators against the limit50

   Senators for it49

   Why it matters

   Some Republicans in close races, such as Mike Rogers in Michigan, now call for a quick end to the war before the 3 November midterm elections. [23]

   The vote puts every senator on the record before then. [23]

6. 10

   Britain warns Iran over attacks at home

   What happened

   • Ed Miliband, Britain's foreign secretary, told Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi at the UN that Britain will not tolerate threats or hostile activity on its soil. [24]
   • British intelligence concluded that Iran or groups working for it were involved in an arson attack on four Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green, London, in March. [24]
   • Miliband also asked again for the release of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple jailed in Iran on spying charges they deny. [24]

   Why it matters

   British intelligence first kept an open mind about who was behind the ambulance attack, and only later concluded that Iran or its proxies were involved. [24]

   Finding out who is behind an attack like this can take months, as Poland is finding with its station fire. [2]

7. 11

   Ethiopia's war spreads beyond Tigray

   What happened

   • Ethiopia's army said on Thursday it had pushed back attacks by Tigrayan forces and their allies, its first statement since fighting began on Wednesday. [25]
   • It said the fighting started in the Amhara region, near Tigray's border. [25]
   • A humanitarian source said Tigrayan forces fired heavy artillery while trying to take Yallo, a town in the Afar region. [25]
   • Fano, an Amhara armed movement that fought against Tigray in the last war, is now fighting beside Tigray's forces, security sources told Reuters. [28]

   Why it matters

   The last war, from 2020 to 2022, killed about 600,000 people by the African Union mediator's estimate. [25]

   About three-quarters of a million people in Tigray are still displaced from it, and IGAD, the East African regional group, has called for a ceasefire. [26]

   The truth

   • Nobody knows yet

     Who started Ethiopia's new fighting.

     Ethiopia's army says Tigrayan forces attacked in Amhara, and Tigray's forces say they answered a full federal offensive. The BBC cannot report from the area to check either account. [25][26]

8. 12

   Tigray stocks up, and its leaders split

   What happened

   • People in Mekelle, Tigray's main city, are buying food and taking out cash, and shop shelves in Adigrat, near Eritrea, are empty, residents told Reuters. [27]
   • A resident of Mekelle told the BBC banks had been running out of cash for months. [25]
   • Armed men detained four veteran commanders who doubted the new war, including Tadesse Werede, who led Tigray's forces last time, a relative said. [28]
   • Residents say young men are being forced to fight, which Tigray's leaders deny. [27][28]

   Why it matters

   In the last war Tigray was cut off from food, cash and medicine, and hundreds of thousands of people were pushed into famine-like conditions. [27]

   This time its leaders have six allied armed groups but less support at home, Reuters reported. [28]

   The truth

   • Who pays People in Tigray — Banks have been short of cash for months, shelves are empty, and residents say young men are being forced to fight. [25][27]
9. 13

   Sudan's RSF steps up drone strikes on towns

   What happened

   • The Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary army fighting Sudan's national army, have stepped up drone attacks on army-held towns in North Kordofan, in central Sudan, residents told Reuters. [29]
   • On 8 September a drone hit a crowded courtroom in Um Ruwaba, killing about 10 people, a rights group said. [29]
   • A day later a drone struck a college in al-Obeid, the state capital. [29]
   • The RSF says it does not target civilians on purpose. [29]

   Why it matters

   The UN says drone attacks by both sides killed more than 1,000 civilians in the first half of this year. [29]

   The war is three and a half years old, and North Kordofan is now one of its main front lines. [29]

   The truth

   • Who pays Civilians in North Kordofan, Sudan — RSF drones hit a courtroom and a college this month, and drone attacks killed more than 1,000 Sudanese civilians in the first half of the year. [29]
10. 14

    Taliban say Pakistan's strikes killed four

    What happened

    • Afghanistan's Taliban government said Pakistani air strikes killed four civilians, hitting Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces. [30]
    • Pakistan said its 10 targets were strictly military and linked to drones that crossed into Pakistan on Wednesday. [30][31]
    • The Taliban deny sending the drones and promised an appropriate response. [30][31]
    • It is Pakistan's second wave of strikes on Afghanistan in a week. [30]

    Why it matters

    Pakistan says Afghanistan shelters the Pakistani Taliban, a faction of which claimed a deadly attack on a police mosque last week, and Afghanistan denies it. [31]

    China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been trying to make peace between the two neighbours. [31]

    The truth

    • Nobody knows yet

      How many people Pakistan's air strikes killed, and who they were.

      The Taliban say four civilians died. Pakistan says it hit only military targets linked to drone attacks, and neither account can be checked from outside. [30][31]

    • Nobody knows yet

      How many people died in last week's attack on a police mosque in Pakistan.

      Al Jazeera says at least 21. The BBC, citing the AFP news agency, says at least 31. [31][30]

11. 15

    Russian strike kills six farm workers near Kharkiv

    What happened

    • A Russian strike on a farm in Stara Hnylytsia, a village in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, killed six farm workers who were sorting vegetables, Ukraine's emergency service said. [1]
    • Four of them were women, the head of the region said. [1]
    • Russia's defence ministry said its strikes that night hit military sites, supply hubs and telecom centres. [1]
    • At the UN, President Volodymyr Zelensky asked the US to help Ukraine with interceptors that can stop ballistic missiles. [1]

    Why it matters

    Russia's new jet-powered drones are harder to shoot down, and the missiles Ukraine has for stopping them cost too much to use on every one. [1]

    Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told the Security Council there would be no pause in the war. [1]

    The truth

    • Who pays Farm workers near Kharkiv — Six of them, four women, were killed while sorting vegetables when a Russian strike hit their farm. [1]
12. 16

    Finland's president asks Musk to switch on Starlink

    What happened

    • Alexander Stubb, Finland's president, said he pleaded with Elon Musk to let Ukraine use Starlink, Musk's satellite internet, over Russian land. [9]
    • Starlink does not work over Russia. [9]
    • Ukrainian officials believe switching it on would let them hit the mobile launchers that fire ballistic missiles from a few hundred kilometres inside Russia. [9]
    • Only Ukraine's Patriot air defences can stop those missiles, and their ammunition is badly depleted. [9]

    Why it matters

    Russia fired record numbers of ballistic missiles this summer, and Ukraine fears attacks on its power and heating in winter. [9]

    Whether Ukraine can reach those launchers depends on a decision by one private company. [9]

13. 17

    Up to 25,000 North Koreans build Russian drones

    What happened

    • Up to 25,000 North Koreans are assembling drones in Russia, according to a UN sanctions monitoring team and Ukrainian reports. [32]
    • Most work in the Alabuga zone in Tatarstan, where Russia builds its own copies of Iran's Shahed attack drone. [32]
    • UN sanctions have banned North Korean workers abroad since 2017, so many are registered as students. [32]
    • Russia gave 35,800 student visas to North Koreans in 2025. [32]

    • Student visas35,800 · 98%
    • All other visas600 · 2%

    Why it matters

    North Korea's government takes almost all of their pay.

    It earned up to $800 million from its workers abroad in 2025, and the UN team says the money pays for its nuclear and missile programme. [32]

    The drones they build are the ones Russia fires at Ukrainian cities. [32]

    The truth

    • Who gains North Korea's government — It takes almost all the pay of workers in Russia, up to $800 million from its workers abroad in 2025, and the sanctions team says the money funds its missiles. [32]
    • Nobody knows yet

      How many North Koreans work in Russia.

      The sanctions team counts 15,000 to 30,000 at the end of 2025, and Ukrainian reports say up to 25,000 build drones. Most are registered as students, which hides the real number. [32]

14. 18

    North Korea warns South Korea over US plans

    What happened

    • North Korea said on Friday that South Korea would become a decisive target if it served as a hub for US-led collective defence, the state news agency KCNA reported. [33]
    • The commentary quoted the commander of US forces in South Korea describing the country as a key centre of collective defence. [33]
    • It said North Korea has prepared countermeasures. [33]
    • About 28,500 US troops are based in South Korea. [33]

    Why it matters

    The threat is addressed to South Korea, not to the US.

    It tells South Koreans that a bigger place in US plans would bring the danger to them. [33]

    How it works

    North Korea threatens South Korea, not the US, so that South Korea has to weigh its own safety against a bigger part in its ally's plans.

    The idea, in story 04: Why a small attack is a question for the victim's friends →
15. 19

    Africa asks again for permanent Security Council seats

    What happened

    • African leaders at the UN again demanded permanent seats on the Security Council, the UN body that decides on war and peace. [34]
    • Its five permanent members, the US, Russia, France, Britain and China, each hold a veto, and Africa holds three of the ten rotating seats. [34]
    • Kenya's president William Ruto said the equality promised in the assembly ends at the doors of the Security Council. [34]
    • In 2024 the US, under Joe Biden, backed two permanent African seats. [34]

    5 of 15

    Security Council seats that are permanent and carry a veto

    Why it matters

    Ethiopia's president Taye Atske Selassie said 1.6 billion Africans are denied equal representation. [34]

    The wars on this year's agenda, from Ukraine to Iran, are decided in a room where Africa has no lasting say. [34]

16. 20

    US weighs new limits on Cuba's diplomats

    What happened

    • The US State Department is weighing strict controls on Cuban officials who come to the UN next month, officials and a document seen by AP say. [35]
    • They are coming for the UN's yearly vote on the US embargo on Cuba. [35]
    • Cuba's foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez said talks with the US have stalled. [35]
    • He said a US oil blockade since January works like a naval siege. [35]
    • Cuba's power grid has collapsed at least six times this year, leaving millions without electricity. [35]

    Why it matters

    The General Assembly has condemned the embargo by large margins for years. [35]

    Cuban officials may already travel only within 25 miles of the UN in New York, and new limits could make it hard for them to attend the vote at all. [35]

    The truth

    • Who pays People in Cuba — Since a US oil blockade began in January, the island's power grid has collapsed at least six times, and millions have lost electricity. [35]
17. 21

    Trump asks the US Supreme Court to restart deportations to third countries

    What happened

    • The Trump administration asked the US Supreme Court to let it deport migrants to countries that are not their own, after lower courts blocked it. [36]
    • A Boston appeals court put the block into force late on Wednesday. [36]
    • More than 25,000 migrants have been sent to 29 countries this way, most to Mexico, rights groups count. [36]
    • Others went to South Sudan, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia and the Central African Republic. [36]

    Why it matters

    The policy sends people to countries not named on their deportation orders, including South Sudan, which the US State Department tells Americans to avoid. [36]

    The US Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration once before in this case. [36]

18. 22

    US asks refiners to hold back diesel

    What happened

    • Chris Wright, the US energy secretary, has asked big American refiners whether they would export less diesel voluntarily, three people told Reuters. [37]
    • Trump said on Tuesday he backed limits on diesel exports, which surprised his own officials. [37]
    • US diesel costs about $6.52 a gallon, and US stocks are 13% below normal for the season. [37]
    • France's president Emmanuel Macron said a US ban on diesel exports would be catastrophic. [6]

    Why it matters

    The US is the world's biggest diesel exporter, so any cut in its sales abroad lands on buyers in other countries. [37][6]

    Farm-state Republicans want limits before the midterm elections, and more than 30 business groups urged Trump not to impose them. [37]

    The truth

    • Who gains US diesel refiners — They are earning record export revenue, and the energy secretary is asking them to cut exports voluntarily rather than banning exports outright. [37]
19. 23

    The US hands a Baghdad base back to Iraq

    What happened

    • The US will hand Iraq a diplomatic and supply centre at Baghdad airport that Iran-backed armed groups attacked many times during the war, Iraq's foreign ministry said. [38]
    • It said the agreement was signed with the top US diplomat in Iraq, Steven Fagin. [38]
    • The handover is part of ending the US-led coalition's military presence in Iraq. [38]
    • The last coalition troops are due to leave by 30 September. [38]

    Why it matters

    Iraq's government gets back a site at its main airport that Iran-backed groups had attacked again and again. [38]

    The handover comes days before the coalition's deadline to leave. [38]

    Good news

    • Iraq is taking back a US diplomatic centre at Baghdad airport, and the last troops of the US-led coalition are due to leave Iraq by 30 September, as agreed.
20. 24

    Gaza needs $71.5bn, a UN agency says

    What happened

    • Gaza will need about $71.5 billion to recover and rebuild, UNCTAD, the UN's trade and development agency, said on Thursday. [39]
    • It found 92% of Gaza's businesses damaged or destroyed since October 2023. [39]
    • Each person's share of Gaza's output is $0.58 a day, and prices are 274% higher than in 2022. [39]
    • An EU commissioner said only 1 billion euros has been raised of the 71 billion euros needed. [40]

    • Raised so far1 · 1%
    • Still missing70 · 99%

    Why it matters

    Israel says rebuilding cannot start until Hamas disarms. [40]

    Hamas said it is ready to follow the Board of Peace's plan, but did not mention giving up its weapons. [40]

21. 25

    Gaza's planners quietly meet UNRWA

    What happened

    • Members of Trump's Board of Peace, which plans Gaza's future, have met officials of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, several times, a board official confirmed to AP. [41]
    • In public the board says the agency has no role in Gaza. [41]
    • Philippe Lazzarini, who led UNRWA until March, said it still props up about half of Gaza's public health system. [41]
    • Israel wants UNRWA out, saying Hamas has infiltrated it. [41]

    Why it matters

    The International Court of Justice says Israel's claims about UNRWA have not been proven. [41]

    Almost a year after the ceasefire nothing has been rebuilt, and UNRWA has more workers in Gaza than any other aid group. [41]

    The truth

    • Nobody knows yet

      Whether UNRWA will have any part in rebuilding Gaza.

      A Board of Peace official says the agency's days are over but that its programmes may continue if they serve Gazans well. [41]

22. 26

    Journalists' group corrects its Gaza death list

    What happened

    • The Committee to Protect Journalists, a press freedom group, removed 22 people from its list of media workers killed in the Gaza war. [42]
    • A review found some of them had been fighters.
    • It began with obituaries published by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. [42]
    • The group now counts 191 journalists and media workers killed by Israel since October 2023, and still calls Israel the world's leading killer of journalists. [42]

    Why it matters

    The group said the accuracy of its research is fundamental to seeking justice for journalists who were killed. [42]

    Its corrected count still puts Israel first in the world. [42]

23. 27

    Israel's army releases a delayed 7 October report

    What happened

    • Israel's army published its investigation into the fighting at the Paga outpost near Gaza on 7 October 2023, where 18 Israeli soldiers were killed. [43]
    • It found that 60 to 80 Hamas fighters attacked in three waves. [43]
    • They overwhelmed about 30 soldiers who were not ready for a large surprise attack. [43]
    • The report was finished about a year ago and was held back several times. [43]

    Why it matters

    The army took about a year to release a finished report on a battle in which 18 of its soldiers died. [43]

    It comes out as Israel heads to an election later this year. [12]

24. 28

    Two Israeli reservists killed by their own drone

    What happened

    • Two reservists from the Israeli army's 16th Brigade were killed on Thursday at an outpost in northern Gaza when one of the army's own drones exploded. [44]
    • The army said the two had been flying the drone.
    • It blew up when they picked it up after it crashed. [44]
    • The army opened an investigation and grounded all its drone flights. [44]

    Why it matters

    The army has grounded every drone it flies until it knows why this one blew up. [44]

25. 29

    Cars burned in a West Bank village

    What happened

    • Two cars were set on fire overnight in Atara, a Palestinian village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Haaretz reported. [45]
    • Graffiti sprayed in the village called for revenge for two recent attacks on Israelis. [45]
    • One was the killing of an Israeli near a settlement on the eve of Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement. [45]

    Why it matters

    Haaretz, an Israeli paper, reported the attack as the work of settlers. [45]

    It happened on the day Netanyahu defended Israel at the UN. [10]

26. 30

    A priest is killed at a Polish abbey

    What happened

    • A man with a knife killed a priest and wounded four other people at a Benedictine abbey in Jaroslaw, in south-east Poland, on Thursday. [46][47]
    • Police arrested a 31-year-old Ukrainian man.
    • His motive is not yet known. [46][48]
    • Two of the wounded are in a critical condition. [46]
    • Poland's president Karol Nawrocki called for a firm response, and Ukraine's president Zelensky said Ukraine was shocked. [48]

    Why it matters

    Nawrocki wrote that everyone living in Poland must respect its values. [46]

    Poland is one of Ukraine's strongest supporters in Europe. [3]

    The truth

    • Nobody knows yet

      Why the attacker at the Jaroslaw abbey did it.

      Police have arrested a 31-year-old Ukrainian man and have not given a motive. [46][48]

27. 31

    Netanyahu's lawyer sits on a Serbian drone firm

    What happened

    • Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's president, showed off Serbia's first factory for Israeli drones, in Belgrade, in a post on 17 September, saying it created 100 jobs. [50]
    • Reporters were not invited. [50]
    • Haaretz, an Israeli paper, reports that one of the three directors of SDS Technologies, the company working with Israel's Elbit Systems there, is Zion Amir. [50]
    • Amir is Netanyahu's lawyer at Israel's Supreme Court. [50]

    Why it matters

    Vucic said the drones will also go to other countries' armies. [50]

    Israel's embassy praised the project, and neither it nor Vucic mentioned Amir's role. [50]

    The truth

    • Who gains Firms that build drones and air defences — The EU's defence agency says Europe has gaps in air defence and drones and must buy faster. [7] Serbia's new factory will make Israeli drones for other armies too. [50]
28. 32

    Earthquake shakes Turkey and Syria

    What happened

    • A magnitude 5.4 earthquake shook south-east Turkey and parts of Syria on Thursday, Turkey's disaster agency said. [40]
    • It was centred in Sanliurfa province, on the border with Syria. [40]
    • People ran out of buildings in panic. [40]
    • There were no early reports of damage. [40]
    • In 2023 a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the same region killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and 6,000 in Syria. [40]

    Why it matters

    Sanliurfa was one of the 11 Turkish provinces hit by the 2023 earthquake. [40]

    Good news

    • A magnitude 5.4 earthquake shook Sanliurfa, a Turkish province that the 2023 earthquake hit hard, and there were no early reports of damage.
29. 33

    Nine Kazakh soldiers swept out to sea

    What happened

    • Nine Kazakh military personnel died after being swept out to sea during a naval training exercise, Kazakhstan's defence ministry said on Thursday. [49]
    • It happened in the Mangistau region, on the Caspian Sea, in the west of the country. [49]

    Why it matters

    Kazakhstan's defence ministry did not say what went wrong during the exercise. [49]