Situation Reports

Afghanistan's fiber-optic telecommunications network was restored the evening of Oct. 1, easing nationwide disruptions to internet, phone and other services that had resulted from the Taliban's shutdown of the network on Sept. 29, Tolo News has reported.

The United States agreed to give Ukraine targeting data to help guide long-range missile strikes against Russian energy sites, The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 1.

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov announced the opening of an artificial intelligence lab in Astana, Kazakhstan, to develop new AI services for the app's more than one billion users, KazTAG reported on Oct. 2.

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape announced that his Cabinet had approved a mutual defense treaty with Australia, pending parliamentary approval, Reuters reported on Oct. 2.

State-owned Khmer Times stated on Oct. 2 that Cambodian officials had invited Thai forces to hold three Regional Border Committee (RBC) meetings between local border defense groups, scheduled for Oct. 4-6, Oct. 7-9, and Oct. 10-12 -- all to be held in Cambodian provinces. The report did not indicate any response from Thai authorities.

India's foreign ministry announced that direct flights between selected cities in India and China will resume this month, ending a suspension that lasted over five years, Reuters reported Oct. 2.

A new wave of strikes and demonstrations broke out across France on Oct. 2 in response to planned spending cuts in the government's 2026 budget, France24 reported the same day.

Israel's navy intercepted 40 of the 47 ships of the so-called Global Sumud Flotilla and prepared to deport hundreds of the activists onboard, who were attempting to bring aid to Palestinians in Gaza, Reuters reported on Oct. 2.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro ended a free trade agreement with Israel and expelled all Israeli diplomats from Bogota, El Pais reported on Oct. 1.

Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional and Chinese entities are in early talks for a potential rare earth project that would see China build a rare earth refinery in the Southeast Asian country and would include developing some of Malaysia's rare earth reserves, Reuters reported on Oct. 2.