Thursday 8th October 2026. African Union credit. Eritrean soldiers. North Korea criticises. India Kumar sit-in. Israel memorial. Russia...

0:00 Good morning, this is Send7, world news in 7 minutes. I'm Ben Mallett, today is Thursday, the 8th of October, 2026. Starting in Africa. The African Union will launch a credit rating agency to challenge the big three global rating agencies. The credit agency AFCRA will be based in Mauritius and is expected to provide ratings to 23 African countries that do not have a credit rating from a major agency.

0:46 Many African leaders have said that their countries are treated unfairly by existing credit agencies. African countries currently owe $ 163 billion in external debt. Eritrean soldiers have been seen in Ethiopia's Tigray region, according to eyewitnesses reported by Reuters. Eritrea and Ethiopia cut diplomatic ties last week following the closure of Eritrea's embassy in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has previously accused Eritrea of supporting Tigrayan rebels who are currently in conflict with the army of the Ethiopian government. Asia North Korea has criticised the United States for its support of Taiwan, according to North Korean state news. Last week, Taiwan received the first shipments in an order of 66 fighter jets from

1:53 the US. China, which is a treaty ally of North Korea, claims that Taiwan is a Chinese territory. Indian police have dispersed a sit-in protest calling for the election chief to resign. The protest was attended by leading politicians such as Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi. Protests against Chief Election Commissioner Ganesh Kumar have been ongoing since the Indian Express newspaper first reported issues with voter lists, which supposedly benefit the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In Israel Yesterday marked three years since the Hamas-led 7th of October attacks. Memorial events were held across Israel for the 1,145 people killed and 251 people kidnapped in the attacks. Ahi Aharon, who survived

2:58 the attacks, said that his focus was on his emotional recovery.

3:04 Until the hostages came back, it was the only thing on our mind. Now it's our recovery, or some kind of recovery, as much as we can.

3:19 Europe. Russia says there is no risk of an epidemic after a laboratory worker died at a research institute for the plague. The worker, who was 28, died last Friday from a suspected case of pneumonia. Russian authorities then quarantined 200 people, although most of these people have now been released after testing negative for any infectious diseases. The World Health Organization says the risk to the public is low, but is seeking more information on the death. In Spain, trade unions have announced a nationwide general strike. Spain's two largest trade unions, UGT and CCOO, agreed to call a strike for the 11th of November. This will be the first strike agreed between the two trade unions in 14

4:22 years and is a protest against Spain's housing crisis. Spain is currently short by 750,000 homes, according to the Bank of Spain. The date of the strike is a few weeks before a snap election called by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, which takes place on the 29th of November. In Ukraine, 24 people have died in Russian missile and drone strikes.

4:55 which also damaged industrial and energy facilities. President Vladimir Zelensky said the strikes were vile. In Belgium, hundreds of students have protested against their education system, inspired by ongoing student protests in neighbouring France. 107 arrests were made in the Belgian city of Liege, where the protests took place, Tuition prices for most students in French-speaking areas of Belgium have recently risen. The Americas A Canadian family has agreed to buy the British retailer Boots for $ 8. 9 billion. The Western family will buy the company from its existing owners, a United States-based investment group. Boots owns 1,600 shops across the United Kingdom and Ireland, and mainly sells health and beauty products.

6:03 And the Argentine footballer Lionel Messi has played his final game for Argentina. Messi has represented Argentina on the football pitch for 21 years, having played 208 games and led the team to victory in the 2022 World Cup. Messi scored a goal in Argentina's 3-0 win against Benin, his last game before retiring from international football. 85,000 fans attended the game, with many considering Messi to be the greatest footballer of all time. That's your World News in 7 minutes.

6:47 If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a rating and review in your podcast app. I'm Ben Mallett. Tomorrow, you will be with Stephen Devincenzi. Have a great day.