Tunisia
Abdelhamid Jelassi, a former Ennahdha leader serving time in the so-called 'conspiracy' case alongside Rached Ghannouchi and others, begins a hunger strike on Tuesday in which he will also refuse medication and medical monitoring. His wife, Monia Ibrahim, said he is protesting that his mail is not reaching him, that he is cut off from news and denied special visits, and warned that his health has already weakened after four years in detention. Jelassi, 67, has previously joined a collective hunger strike with other jailed opposition figures.
An investigation by Inkyfada, together with figures from the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH), counts 23 deaths in Tunisian prisons in July and August, during a summer of temperatures up to 49°C, overcrowded cells, water and power cuts, and inadequate medical care. The LTDH links the deaths to the heat; families of three of the dead say they were told only after burial and were never shown medical reports, and one family says Hamza Dridi died after the water was cut for four days. Authorities say no death can be attributed to heat without forensic confirmation, and have not published a consolidated death toll.
Source:
Inkyfada · Monday, 5 October 2026
The new interest-free loans, requiring no collateral or insurance and funded with 120 million dinars from 8% of Tunisian banks' 2025 profits, ran out on the very first day, 1 October, with 14,200 applications already registered. The loans go up to 5,000 dinars for individuals, 10,000 for small projects and 25,000 for SMEs, repayable over up to two years with a possible six-month grace period. Accountant Sofiane Ouerimi said the exhausted envelope is a temporary phase while review panels examine applications, with places freed up as incomplete files are rejected.
Source:
Webdo · Monday, 5 October 2026
Geopolitics
Brazil's Ibovespa stock index jumped 8% and the real strengthened on Monday, as investors reacted to Flávio Bolsonaro's first-round result over President Lula, 47.04% to 45.15%, now confirmed for a decisive runoff on 25 October. Analysts at investment bank BTG Pactual estimate a Bolsonaro victory could push shares up a further 45%, on the back of his pledges to cut taxes and privatise state companies.
Source:
Euronews · Monday, 5 October 2026
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Monday that access to the Red Sea, lost in 1993 when Eritrea became independent, is essential to the country's development, and that a solution should rest 'on the principle of give and take.' His remarks came a day after Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia declared jointly from New Alamein that governance of the Red Sea belongs exclusively to its coastal states. The exchange comes as fighting has flared anew in Tigray, with Addis Ababa accusing Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of backing opposition forces.
Forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognised government say they have retaken the port city of Mocha, near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, from Houthi rebels, just over a month after the Houthis seized the city in their biggest territorial gain since a 2022 truce. Roughly 12% of the world's seaborne oil and goods pass through the strait, and the recapture comes days after Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan activated their joint defence pact against Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The announcement came from the government-aligned forces themselves on social media and has not yet been independently confirmed.
Europe
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap general election for 29 November, three days after parliament rejected two of his government's housing decrees, compounding pressure from corruption scandals and mass housing protests. Polls currently put the centre-right Popular Party and the far-right Vox ahead, and EU officials expect a Sánchez defeat to end the last big centre-left government among the bloc's largest states. A loss would likely push the Socialist group in the European Parliament toward a harder line against Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's agenda.
Source:
Euronews · Monday, 5 October 2026
Germany and France have proposed a new EU tool for a faster 'systemic reaction' to Chinese market distortions, which would let the Commission restrict market access and prepare retaliation without needing unanimity. The proposal, which resembles the bloc's existing Anti-Coercion Instrument, comes days before China must respond to an EU ultimatum for concessions ahead of the European Council's 15-16 October summit, after Beijing opened its own anti-dumping probe into the EU.
Source:
Euronews · Monday, 5 October 2026
Hackers gained access to Denmark's national population registry, exposing names, addresses and social security numbers for 8.8 of 11 million records, including deceased and emigrated people. The breach came through a private company with legitimate access to the registry rather than a direct attack on government systems, and the identity of the hackers remains unknown. Digital affairs minister Christina Egelund called it 'an extremely serious incident' and said authorities are still mapping its full extent.
Source:
Euronews · Monday, 5 October 2026