Tunisia
A new interest-free financing platform, the 'honour credit', opens 1 October under Decree-Law 148 of 2026, letting individuals borrow up to 5,000 dinars, small project holders up to 10,000 dinars, and SMEs and community companies up to 25,000 dinars, without guarantees. Every bank must run the online registration platform, process applications in order of registration, and respond within ten working days. Loans carry a two-year repayment period with up to six months' grace.
Source:
La Presse · Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Equipment Minister Salah Zouari said the government is racing to finish new power and renewable-energy projects to avoid a repeat of this summer's cuts, after peak demand hit a record 6,400 megawatts in July, up from 5,175 MW in 2025. Plans include a third gas turbine at the Borj El Amri plant, worth about 600 million dinars, and a 300 MW solar plant with battery storage at Bazma in Kébili. Solar capacity reached 630 MW by June, with renewables making up 9.2 percent of national electricity output.
Source:
Webdo · Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Energy ministers from Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Germany and Austria meet in Algiers on 1 October for the second summit on the SoutH2 Corridor, a planned 3,300-kilometre pipeline meant to carry up to 4 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen a year from North Africa to Europe. Tunisia wants the meeting to settle the exact route of its own national infrastructure, which facilities need to be built or converted, and how much transit capacity it will be allocated. The country already hosts a flagship project targeting 600,000 tonnes of hydrogen a year for export.
Source:
Webdo · Wednesday, 30 September 2026
The US embassy in Tunis, through Ambassador Bill Bazzi, delivered close to one million dollars in equipment to Tunisia's intervention units and National Guard, part of a counter-terrorism assistance programme. The aid aims to help Tunisian security forces gain certifications in crisis response and specialised skills. It is the latest instalment in US funding that in September also paid for a new phase of naval commando training at the Bizerte base.
Source:
Webdo · Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Energy ministers from Tunisia, Algeria, Italy, Austria and Germany signed the Algiers Ministerial Declaration on Thursday on the SoutH2 Corridor, which aims to carry 4 million tonnes of green hydrogen a year from Algeria to Europe and sets up a technical secretariat backed by the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). Several financing and routing questions for Tunisia's stretch of the project still need to be settled.
Source:
Webdo · Thursday, 1 October 2026
The World Intellectual Property Organization's Global Innovation Index 2026, released Thursday, ranked Tunisia 71st out of 139 economies, up five places from 76th last year. The report credits Tunisia's strength in science and engineering graduates, where it ranks first worldwide, and in scientific output, while naming a weak business environment as the main constraint.
Geopolitics
The United States completed the withdrawal of its remaining troops from Iraq on 29 September, under a 2024 agreement with Baghdad to end the international coalition's anti-ISIL mission. Iraq declared a four-day holiday it named Sovereignty Days, with military parades marking the departure of American and coalition forces after more than two decades of foreign military presence. Iraqi officials say security forces must now manage the country's security without the coalition's direct support.
Hong Kong police arrested Tang Ho-wing, founder of the online outlet Boom News, on suspicion of inciting hatred through disinformation, under the 2024 national security law. The arrest stems from the outlet's coverage of an August 31 gathering marking the anniversary of a 2019 police crackdown. It is the fourth sedition case involving a journalist in just over three months, drawing concern from press-freedom groups.
The UAE declared 'full solidarity' with Ethiopia's federal government as it battles forces led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), who have seized airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire, while Qatar called for an immediate end to the fighting and respect for the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement. Fighting has spread into the Afar and Amhara regions, displacing around 150,000 people, and Ethiopia's military has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the TPLF-led alliance. A drone also struck Tigrai TV's headquarters in Mekelle.
Source:
Euronews · Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Europe
Britain and France have ended their 'one in, one out' returns agreement after failing to agree an extension, with the scheme expiring on 1 October. Between August 2025 and June 2026 Britain sent 1,087 people back to France while taking in 1,117 vetted asylum seekers, a fraction of the 27,920 who crossed the Channel on small boats over the same period. France wants a European Union-wide arrangement instead, saying it cannot bear sole responsibility for an EU external border.
Source:
Euronews · Wednesday, 30 September 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his support for Spain over the Ceuta migration crisis, calling for ‘consideration for every human being’ and a European policy carried through to the end. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez thanked France for its solidarity during the crisis, which saw around 72,000 people cross from Morocco into the enclave in late July.
Source:
Euronews · Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asking that energy-related spending be exempted from EU deficit rules, as it already is for defence. Rising inflation driven by high global energy prices, she argued, means member states need room to support households and businesses. Italy plans to spend 14 billion euros over two years cutting energy costs for businesses.
Source:
Bloomberg · Wednesday, 30 September 2026
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there are 'strong indications' Iran played a part in an incident at RAF Fairford, a base used by US bombers in the campaign against Iran. Five British men were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act after vans were found blocking a road near the base on 27 September, then released on bail. Iran's embassy in London called the reports 'unfounded and malicious speculation'.
Source:
Euronews · Wednesday, 30 September 2026