The national statistics institute INS put the deficit at 17.85 billion dinars for January-August 2026, up from 14.64 billion a year earlier, as imports grew faster than exports and the import-coverage ratio slipped to 71.4 percent. The energy balance alone accounts for 8.93 billion dinars of the gap, nearly half the total, driven by high global hydrocarbon prices.
The UGTT union, the bar association ONAT and the Human Rights League have called a march for 19 September demanding the release of four flotilla organisers held at Mornaguia prison over alleged money-laundering linked to their Gaza aid campaign. Three have been on hunger strike for eight days; organiser Wael Nawar has refused food for 33 days and his lawyers say his life is now at risk.
The foreign ministry said it “firmly condemns the criminal attacks” that hit several Saudi cities, calling them a threat to the kingdom's security and a violation of its sovereignty. Tunis expressed solidarity with Riyadh and repeated its call for dialogue and de-escalation, without naming who carried out the strikes.
Trump told Axios he is close to a “big decision” on Iran, saying “anything could happen.” Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it struck a Togo-flagged tanker for an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, the latest in weeks of tit-for-tat tanker strikes since Washington adopted a “tanker for tanker” policy. US officials say the military cannot hold its current position much longer.
The Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission said it found reasonable grounds that a Tomahawk strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, which killed over 150 people including about 120 children, and a strike on a Lamerd sports complex, were indiscriminate war crimes. The same report found Iran's own crackdown on protesters, with at least 221 children killed and 29 men executed, amounts to crimes against humanity.
Saudi Arabia said it shot down a Houthi drone near Islam's holiest city, the first such attempt in nearly a decade, hours after Yemen's Houthis claimed a large missile and drone barrage on King Khalid Air Base and other southern cities that wounded dozens. The Houthis said the attacks answered Saudi air strikes in Yemen; Riyadh called the Mecca attempt a “red line” and vowed firm retaliation.
Intercommunal fighting between Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities at the Amiet market in the disputed Abyei region killed at least 26 people and wounded 82, after two separate killings on consecutive days inflamed tensions over grazing land and water. The UN's 3,000-strong peacekeeping force reinforced its presence around Abyei town; its commander urged community leaders toward dialogue.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk told the Sejm that Russia's plans include drone and missile strikes on Poland and other states backing Ukraine, calling late autumn and winter the war's most critical phase so far. He said Moscow is fielding faster, high-altitude jet-powered drones and may stage “accidental” strikes to test whether NATO's mutual-defence guarantee holds in practice.
Prime Minister Mark Carney told the European Parliament in Strasbourg he welcomes the Commission's proposal for a Canada-EU associate status, covering trade, defence, critical minerals, AI, energy and space. He said Canada is not seeking full membership, and that any deal would go to a vote in Canada's own parliament. The offer comes as Trump's tariffs and “51st state” talk push Ottawa toward Europe.
The Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers convicted former president Hashim Thaçi and three other ex-KLA leaders of murder, torture and illegal detention during the 1998-99 war, sentencing Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years, Kadri Veseli to 18 and Rexhep Selimi to 13. All were acquitted of crimes against humanity. Protesters threw stones at the EU's EULEX mission in Pristina; PM Albin Kurti called the verdicts unjust but not final.
The Monetary Policy Committee voted 6-3 to leave the base rate unchanged, with the three dissenters pushing for a rise to 4%. UK inflation hit a five-month high of 3.1% in the year to August as the Iran war disrupts global fuel supplies; the Bank said price pressure is likely to keep rising over the coming quarters.