G7 to release 100 million barrels of energy reserves after diesel prices reach record highs

PARIS, France 

Leaders of the G7 nations have agreed to release up to 100 million barrels of oil and diesel in a bid to ease supply pressures that have caused prices to skyrocket.

The G7 made the decision after a meeting chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron on the 2nd, Reuters reported. 

In a joint statement, the group said it had decided to carry out a coordinated release of 100 million barrels of diesel, crude and other fuels through the International Energy Agency to stabilize global energy markets. 

G7 members and partner countries will prioritize releasing a substantial volume of diesel within the first 20 days, according to the statement.

The G7 also agreed at the meeting not to restrict diesel exports among member countries. Members will coordinate maintenance schedules at their refineries as well.

European Union member states, which have been pressed by the Donald Trump administration to tap their diesel reserves, held an emergency meeting the same day to discuss their response. 

EU members discussed a French proposal for European countries to release 50 million barrels of diesel and IEA members to release 50 million barrels of crude, Reuters reported.

The Trump administration had issued an ultimatum to Europe, threatening to ban diesel exports unless European countries released strategic reserves, after diesel prices in the U.S. surged ahead of the November midterm elections. 

Average U.S. diesel prices have jumped more than 70% from a year earlier to above $6.5 a gallon.

Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that Europe had just agreed to release a massive amount of stockpiled diesel and that the process would begin immediately. He did not specify which countries would release how much.

"Flydubai attacker had 'Islamist radical indoctrination'" - Netanyahu

JERUSALEM, Israel 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says investigations suggest the man who stabbed his fellow pilot and tried to take over a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination".

The Flydubai plane plunged more than 17,000ft (5,200m) two hours into its journey on Wednesday, before passengers and crew overpowered the attacker and retook control to land safely.

Netanyahu told Fox News that it was looking "very likely" that the attacker, who he said was an Omani national, "was going to down the plane".

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) state news agency reports investigations have begun there to determine "whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose".

The Interior Ministry of Saudi Arabia - where the plane made an emergency landing - said that both the pilot and co-pilot had been sent back to the UAE on Thursday morning after medical teams had cleared them.

UAE officials earlier claimed jurisdiction over the incident because the aircraft on which the attack took place is registered there and flies under its flag.

Netanyahu told Fox that once the attacker had been subdued and tied up by passengers and crew, he was "calling out to the aircrew 'kill me, kill me', so it's clear he was suicidal - that's not a question".

"And with all the passengers in there, and if you couple that with what I just told you about the Islamist tendencies, that radicalisation that were found in his background, I think... that'll give us a pretty good clue."

However, he stressed that he did not want to draw any firm conclusions as to motive yet.

Both US President Donald Trump and UAE officials have indicated to the media that Iran may be responsible for the incident, without definitively blaming Tehran.

Trump told reporters on Thursday that Iran would be "hit very hard" if it was deemed to have been involved in the attack.

Pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel were usually not allowed to fly there, Netanyahu said when asked about how the suspected Omani pilot came to be on the plane.

He added: "Obviously there was a loophole here and we're taking care of that among other things... with the full co-operation, I have to say, of the Emirati government, so we're both interested in making sure this doesn't happen again."

Oman has not formally established official ties with Israel, unlike the UAE.

The prime minister was also asked earlier on the same network whether there was an indication if Iran was involved, he replied: "It's too early to say".

Both Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the stabbed pilot, Indian national Capt Smit Machchhar (pictured down) was a "hero".

India's ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal visited Captain Machhar in hospital on Thursday, the Indian Mission confirmed on social media, stating he was "in good health and recovering well".

Preliminary findings from a separate Israeli investigation into the incident, suggest that the alleged attacker intended to crash the plane, an Israeli security source said.

The source said the investigation - led by Israel's intelligence agency Mossad - interviewed passengers after they arrived in Tel Aviv to establish what had happened on the plane.

Flydubai's flight FZ1073, with more than 170 people on board, took off from Dubai International Airport in the UAE at 03:05 GMT (07:05 local time), en route to Ben Gurion Airport.

Two hours later, the 17,000ft drop in altitude was reported on the plane tracking website Flightradar24 and minutes later the plane signalled an emergency code.

At about 05:40, the plane - which had briefly entered Jordanian airspace - looped back into Saudi Arabia, where it later started its manual descent, landing safely at Tabuk Airport in the north west of Saudi.

Flydubai has since suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv as it carried out its own investigation into the incident.

Israel's Transportation Ministry said the suspension aligns with Netanyahu's directive.

Israeli airlines including El Al, Israir and Arkia said plans were in place to operate rescue flights from Dubai starting on Friday to bring back stranded passengers.

The Transportation Ministry also said it sent an urgent request to Etihad Airlines to increase the number of flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 2/10/2026

 

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 1/10/2026

 

Zimbabwe billionaire among six killed in aircraft crash

HARARE, Zimbabwe 

Prominent Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo has died today, September 30, 2026, in a helicopter crash with his wife Lucy “Lulu” Muteke and four others.

According to a statement issued by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, quoting family member Herbert Chivayo who said that the accident occurred in rural Marondera Province.

So far, the country's police through its spokesperson, Paul Nyathi, has confirmed the occurrence of the accident, which did not have any survivors but the deaths of six people including the two pilots.

Zimbabwean government confirmed the crash but did not name the victims.

"The government wishes to confirm that a helicopter crash has occurred, involving one high-profile businessman, three other passengers, and two pilots," Nick Mangwana, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, said in a statement.

"Current information indicates that there were no survivors in this crash." 

Last UK and US troops leave Iraq as anti-Islamic State mission ends

WASHINGTON, United States 

The exit of the remaining UK military personnel - around 100 - from Irbil, in the northern Kurdistan region, was co-ordinated over recent weeks with US forces, who also departed on Wednesday.

It follows an agreement between the US and the Iraqi government, signed two years ago, to withdraw foreign troops by the end of this month.

British and US forces have been present in Iraq since 2014, as part of the international coalition to help defeat the extremist Islamic State (IS) group. Their departure brings the mission, known as Operation Inherent Resolve, to an end.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said the end of the coalition's mission marked "Iraq's transition to a phase in which it assumes full responsibility for its security and stability".

Iraq is set to hold four "Sovereignty Days" as a national holiday to mark the withdrawal.

"Following more than a decade of operations, training and capacity building, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the Kurdish Peshmerga have secured the enduring territorial defeat of Daesh in Iraq and are now well placed to take primary responsibility for the country's security," the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement, referring to IS by an Arabic acronym.

"With these objectives achieved, Iraq and its international partners can begin a new chapter focused on enduring security co-operation under Iraqi leadership."

US President Donald Trump celebrated the withdrawal, calling it a "victory for the United States, a victory for Iraq, and a decisive victory over ISIS".

Writing in a Truth Social post, the president added: "It has been a long time, with very bad decision-making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place, but soon, that will be part of History."

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also said the coalition's departure from Irbil marked "the successful conclusion of the military mission that defeated [IS] in Iraq".

He added: "The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq's remaining security challenges, including [IS] remnants and Iran-aligned militias that undermine Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability, now rests with the government of Iraq."

The Iraqi government declared the military defeat of IS in 2017, but coalition forces remained to help prevent the group's resurgence.

A recent UN report assessed that sustained counter-terrorism pressure by Iraqi security forces had left IS with several hundred fighters who were "able to carry out unsophisticated operations only".

The Iraqi government also faces the challenge of Iranian-backed militias in the country.

Zaidi, who took office in May, has vowed to disarm them and bring all weapons under state control following the coalition's exit.

But several powerful factions have resisted his plans and could now see their influence grow without the US presence.

Since the start of the US and Israel's war with Iran earlier this year, militias have been targeting the remaining US and UK forces stationed at Irbil air base.

Hundreds of Nato troops stationed in Baghdad left the country in March as tensions rose.

Flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv lands 'safely' in Saudi Arabia after 'brawl between pilots'

TABUK, Saudi Arabia 

A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv has landed safely after an incident during the journey, the airline has said.

The Israel-bound Flydubai flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a brawl between pilots, an Israeli official told the Reuters news agency.

At one stage it was feared that a hijacking had occurred on board after ‌an emergency signal was transmitted that indicated a possible unlawful interference, Reuters reported, based on information from tracking website Flightradar24.

Israeli authorities said that, at one point, jets were scrambled.

It is not clear what had caused the fight, officials said.

The Boeing 737 plane is said to have transmitted a second general emergency signal before landing ​at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Flydubai, an Emirati government-owned airline based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, said the plane had "experienced an incident while en route" and had landed safely in Tabuk.

It added that further updates will be issued as details become available.

The office of the Israeli prime minister said the incident ⁠was not believed to have been a hijacking.

An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told our reporter‌ that the pilots had transmitted the emergency signals after getting into a physical altercation with each other.

Three Israeli security officials earlier said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been informed.

Mr Netanyahu's office said the incident is under control and all measures were being taken to return Israeli passengers to Israel.

Six Heads of State to attend groundbreaking of Lamu oil refinery

By Moses Kinyanjui, NAIROBI Kenya 

Six Heads of State are set to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kenya's Lamu Oil refinery, which is set to cost over Ksh.2 trillion to build.

President William Ruto will be joined by his fellow leaders Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Abiy Ahmed (Ethiopia) and Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi).

Others are Romuald Wadagni (Benin), Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové (Togo), and others yet to be confirmed.

The Dangote East Africa Refinery is expected to take up to three years to complete. 

It will supply refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighbouring countries, helping reduce East Africa's reliance on imported fuels.

The refinery aims to supply refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighbouring East African countries, including Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the DRC.

Dangote Group Chairman and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has said the refinery is designed to refine 700,000 barrels per day.

It is projected to produce more than 100 million litres of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel daily.

The project is expected to become Dangote Group's biggest refining investment outside Nigeria and comes as the company pursues further expansion of its energy business across Africa.

“What this investment (Lamu refinery) will do for the Kenyans, it's not only the refinery; the refinery is like the gate. Once you open and have the refinery, you'll be shocked at how many people will know to come and invest in Kenya,” Dangote said during an interview in Lagos.

The Port of Lamu has received 2,930 metric tonnes of construction equipment loaded on the MV Da Yang.

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said that the vessel docked at the port on September 26 ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony.

President William Ruto, while touring the Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria on September 25, said the project is expected to improve fuel reliability and security while supporting industrialisation and creating about 60,000 jobs.

He said the refinery has also been connected to crude oil supplies through 120 kilometres of sea cables used to transport crude from ships to the facility. 

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 30/9/2026