Trump announces an energy ceasefire in Ukraine that Russia has not confirmed, and Russian drones hit power plants within hours

The rest of the day

44 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Houthis hit Riyadh's airport again

   A projectile hit a passenger hall at King Khalid airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, on Sunday, killing a Pakistani resident and injuring 11, Saudi officials said. [14] A day earlier a strike on the same airport killed 12 people and hurt about 300; an Indian man hurt in it died on Sunday. [14][16] The Houthis, an Iran-backed group that holds most of Yemen's people, said they also hit oil sites and Dammam airport. [14] They told airlines to avoid every Saudi airport except those in Mecca and Medina. [14]

   Why it matters — The Houthis mix drones and missiles of different speeds to confuse air defences, Al Jazeera reported. [26] Saudi Arabia backs Yemen's government in a civil war that flared again in July, when a 2022 truce collapsed. [14]

2. 03

   Boat sinks off Djibouti, killing at least 139

   A boat carrying 305 people from Djibouti to Yemen capsized near the port town of Obock late last week, the IOM, the UN's migration agency, said. [23] At least 139 people died, including 15 children, and 84 are missing. [27][23] About 82 survived, all of them Ethiopian. [23] The toll rose on Sunday after 30 more bodies were found. [28] The IOM called it one of the deadliest wrecks on the route from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. [24]

   • Died139 · 46%
   • Missing84 · 28%
   • Rescued82 · 27%

   Why it matters — More than 20,000 people crossed into Djibouti from Ethiopia in the month from 10 September, most heading for work in the Gulf, even though Yemen is at war. [24][27] More than 900 people died on this crossing in 2025. [27]

3. 04

   Pakistan takes over Imran Khan's home province

   Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari, declared an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province on the border with Afghanistan, and suspended its elected government on Sunday. [20][29] It was run by the PTI, the party of Imran Khan, a former prime minister jailed since 2023. [29] Pakistan's federal government said the province had failed to fight Islamist militants, and sent in the army. [20][30] The PTI called it 'a coup disguised as emergency'. [20] Internet service was disrupted in parts of Peshawar, the provincial capital. [31]

   Why it matters — The move came a week after PTI supporters set out to march on Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, to demand Khan's release. [20] Karachi banned gatherings of more than five people until 20 October, and bus services out of Lahore stopped. [32][33]

4. 05

   Rights group says strikes killed 72 gold miners

   Air strikes killed at least 72 people digging for gold at Jabal al-Uqaydat, a mining area on Sudan's disputed border with Egypt, on Saturday, a Sudanese rights group said. [17][34] The group, Emergency Lawyers, blamed Egypt's air force. [17] Egypt has not commented, and AFP could not check the toll independently. [34] Strikes on the same site killed 23 miners in June, after which Egypt's army said it had acted against illegal gold mining inside its own borders. [34]

   Why it matters — Both countries claim the land, an area called the Halayeb triangle. [35] Egypt is also a key ally of Sudan's army in its war with the RSF, a paramilitary force, and Sudan's army-led authorities have not commented either. [34][36]

5. 06

   Iran calls the US reply on Hormuz 'insufficient'

   Mohsen Rezaei, who runs Iran's top security council, said Iran sent the US seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz about two weeks ago. [37] He said the US had accepted some, left others open, and that its reply was 'insufficient'. [37] Iran has blocked the strait, which carries a fifth of the world's oil and gas in peacetime, since the US and Israel attacked it in February. [37][38] Iran's Revolutionary Guards said a supertanker hit a mine there on Saturday after taking an unapproved route. [38]

   Why it matters — Rezaei said the US asked for Iran's terms through Pakistan, Qatar and Iraq, so those countries now carry the messages. [37] The US has rejected Iran's plan to run the strait jointly with Oman, and says ships must pass freely. [37]

6. 07

   Drone hits a tanker off Oman

   A drone hit the MT Petro Dolphin, a tanker anchored off the port of Sohar in northern Oman, on Sunday, India's shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said. [15] Nine of its 11 Indian crew were rescued and two are missing. [15][39] Oman's coast guard is searching for them. [15] At least 16 Indian sailors have been killed since the Iran war began in late February. [15]

   Why it matters — The UK's maritime security agency reported another projectile hitting a tanker leaving the Strait of Hormuz the same afternoon. [38] Ship captains near Ras al-Khaimah in the UAE were told by radio overnight to leave their anchorages. [38]

7. 08

   Riyadh keeps its energy summit as flights stop

   Saudi Arabia went ahead on Sunday with the International Energy Forum, a meeting of energy ministers, held alongside a big oil industry congress in Riyadh. [40] Reporters were kept out of the ministers' talks, and Italy's energy minister said he would join by video instead of travelling. [40] Flight trackers counted 655 cancelled flights to and from Riyadh on Sunday, and UAE airlines cancelled flights into Tuesday. [41] A Saudi league football match was postponed, and an Asian Champions League game for Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo's club, was in doubt. [42]

   Why it matters — The BBC's analysis said Saudi Arabia's name as a safe, stable place to visit is taking a battering. [43] Saudi officials kept the airport shut until 1am on Monday. [44]

8. 09

   Saudi-led coalition hits 136 Houthi targets

   The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it destroyed 136 military targets in areas they hold, in a 'large-scale operation' on Saturday. [45] Houthi television reported strikes in Saada, in Yemen's north-west. [45] The coalition called the airport attack 'a full-fledged war crime' and promised to respond. [44] Trump said the US 'may' join strikes on the Houthis, and later said Saudi Arabia could defend itself. [16]

   Why it matters — Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said an American citizen was among the dead in Riyadh. [44] The US is already caught up in three unfinished conflicts in the region, in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, the BBC noted. [43]

9. 10

   Iran offers to help Saudi Arabia talk to the Houthis

   Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, phoned Prince Faisal bin Farhan, his Saudi counterpart, on Sunday about the attacks on Saudi airports. [46] Araghchi said the region's crises have no military solution. [46] He said Iran was ready to help start talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. [46][14] An expert told Al Jazeera that the Houthis' missiles are mostly Iranian designs. [26]

   Why it matters — Iran backs the Houthis and Saudi Arabia backs Yemen's government, so the two are on opposite sides of Yemen's war. [14] The call came as Saudi Arabia promised to answer the airport attack. [44]

10. 11

    Poland arrests a man over a plot to kill Tusk

    Polish police arrested a man in the Lower Silesia region suspected of planning to kill Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the defence minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz. [47] The plan came to light when the State Protection Service, which guards ministers, passed an email about it to the police. [47] A spokesman for Poland's security services said there was 'a strong likelihood' the threats could have been carried out. [47] Security chiefs met at short notice on Sunday after the tip-off. [48]

    Why it matters — Poland, which borders Ukraine, has faced growing threats from 'hybrid' attacks by Russia in recent months, DW reported. [48] The arrest came in a week of three knife attacks at Polish schools. [49]

11. 12

    Poland arrests 117 after school attacks

    Police in Poland have arrested 117 people for carrying knives or other weapons, or for threatening to attack schools or other pupils, after searching tens of thousands of schools. [49] Three attacks at schools this week killed a woman caretaker and hurt others, including children. [49] On Saturday a woman injured three people while attacking a 17-year-old girl at a school in Warsaw. [49] Tusk said the attacks were often 'spontaneous' and inspired by violence praised online, not by an organised group. [49]

    Why it matters — Tusk said that a fascination with violence has grown in Poland and around the world in recent years. [49] Thousands of police visited schools across the country on Friday. [49]

12. 13

    Independent wins Krakow, beating Tusk's candidate

    Lukasz Gibala, an independent, won the race to be mayor of Krakow, Poland's second-largest city, with 61% of the vote, an exit poll said on Sunday. [50] He beat Monika Piatkowska, a senator backed by Tusk's Civic Coalition, who took 39%. [50] The vote was held because Krakow's last mayor, from Tusk's camp, was removed in a referendum in May. [50] It was Gibala's fourth attempt. [50]

    Why it matters — Tusk's party and its partner, the Left, hold 23 of the city council's 43 seats, so Gibala will have to work with them. [50]

13. 14

    Burnham says Russia meddled in the Brexit vote

    Andy Burnham, Britain's prime minister since July, said it is 'clear' that Russia interfered in the 2016 vote in which Britain chose to leave the European Union. [51][52] He said he asked about it when he took office and was told yes. [51] He gave no evidence. [51] He is the first British prime minister to say so openly; Russia has denied it, and Boris Johnson said in 2020 there was no evidence. [53]

    Why it matters — Burnham said he wanted voters in France and Germany to know that Russia stirs up some of their politics. [51] He has said Britain could one day rejoin the EU. [53]

14. 15

    Pope Leo to have lung surgery

    Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church, said on Sunday he will have an operation to remove a small lump, called a nodule, found on his lung. [54] He said it was found early and is well contained. [54][55] The Vatican said surgery is set for early this week, with about a week to recover. [56] Fewer than 5% of lung nodules turn out to be cancer, according to the American Thoracic Society, a group of lung doctors. [55]

    Why it matters — Leo, 71 and the first American pope, became pope in 2025, and this is his first big health scare. [55] He has a trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru planned for 6 to 17 November. [56]

15. 16

    North Korea fires missiles after Seoul's test

    North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday morning, South Korea's military said. [57] One flew more than 900km. [58] Japan's coast guard said two had come down in the sea. [58] South Korea's military called it a show of force after South Korea tested its first homemade hypersonic missile, a very fast weapon, last week. [58][57] North Korea has tested missiles on more than 10 occasions this year, four of them in October. [59]

    Why it matters — Tension has grown since landmines wounded three South Korean soldiers in the border zone last month; a joint South Korea-UN inquiry says North Korea laid them. [57]

16. 17

    Glucksmann wins the French centre-left primary

    Raphael Glucksmann, a 46-year-old member of the European Parliament, won the primary of France's centre-left with 66% of the vote on Sunday. [60][61] He will be its candidate for president in 2027. [60] He said he stands for a break with Macron's politics and with Melenchon's hold over the left. [60] Olivier Faure, the Socialist Party leader, came second with 14%, and Segolene Royal third with under 8%. [61] About 120,000 people voted. [61]

    Glucksmann66%

    Faure14%

    Royal8%

    Why it matters — Glucksmann now competes with Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the hard left, to be the left's main candidate against the far right. [60]

17. 18

    Macron's approval falls to 15%

    Only 15% of French people have a good opinion of President Emmanuel Macron, his lowest since he took office in 2017, an Ipsos BVA poll for La Tribune Dimanche found. [62] His prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, rose two points to 22%. [62] France's government faces school pupils' protests, a fuel crisis and a budget fight in a parliament where no side has a majority. [62] People named the cost of living as their top worry, at 54%. [62]

    Why it matters — Macron has seven months left in his second and last term. [62] The far right's Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen also lost ground in the poll. [62]

18. 19

    Slovenians vote down Jansa's bill

    Voters in Slovenia rejected a government bill in a binding referendum on Sunday, by 51% to 49%, with 99% of votes counted. [63] The bill would have made people called before parliament's inquiry committees appear at once, with no right to challenge the summons in court until the inquiry ended. [63] It was part of the plans of Prime Minister Janez Jansa, a nationalist. [63] The opposition had called those plans 'authoritarian'. [63]

    Against51%

    For49%

    Why it matters — Because the vote was binding, the bill falls, a blow to the rest of Jansa's reform plans. [63]

19. 20

    Babis's party wins no Senate seat outright

    None of the five candidates who won Senate seats outright in Czechia's first round came from ANO, the party of Prime Minister Andrej Babis. [64] A third of Czechia's Senate, 27 seats, was up for election, with 154 candidates. [64] Thirteen ANO candidates go to run-offs for the other 22 seats, mostly against pro-Western opposition groups that joined forces. [64] Independents appeared to win most seats in local elections held at the same time. [64]

    Why it matters — The vote was seen as a test of Babis's popularity, and the run-offs will decide how many seats his party gains in the upper house. [64]

20. 21

    Judge stops Trump's taxpayer-funded adverts

    A federal judge in New York ordered the Trump administration to stop any remaining TV adverts praising Trump that were paid for with public money. [18] The adverts, which began in late September, showed Trump promoting his policies and ended with a note saying the US government paid for them. [18] The Department of Homeland Security spent $20 million on them. [18] Judge Jennifer Rochon called them an illegal misuse of funds, in a case brought by groups including Common Cause, a democracy watchdog. [18]

    Why it matters — The order lasts two weeks, and the Trump administration had told the court the adverts were ending anyway. [18] Trump's political fundraising group says it will pay for such adverts from now on. [18]

21. 22

    Trump weighs firing his envoy to Greece

    Trump and Marco Rubio are thinking of firing Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece, a senior official told AP. [65] The Wall Street Journal has reported that she threatened an official of the host country and took improper gifts. [65] It also reported that she offered to use her influence in return for help paying a large credit card bill. [65] Her lawyer says she did nothing wrong. [65] A decision is expected this week. [66]

    Why it matters — The official said Rubio was especially angry because she greeted him with a hug in Athens last week as the reports came out. [65]

22. 23

    Businessman in Venezuela bribery case is arrested

    Alvaro Pulido, a Colombian-born businessman wanted in the US for paying bribes to officials of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's former president, is in US custody. [67] Prosecutors say he and his partner, Alex Saab, used shell companies to pay bribes for contracts to import food, medicine and cheap housing. [67] The US had offered up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest. [67] He appears in a Miami court on Tuesday. [67]

    Why it matters — Saab pleaded guilty last month and agreed to help prosecutors against Maduro, whom the US military removed in January. [67] Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, has said nothing about the arrest. [67]

23. 24

    Flights return to Tigray's capital

    Ethiopian Airlines flew to Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region, on Sunday for the first time since rebels seized its airport on 23 September. [68] The rebels, led by the TPLF, the party that used to run Tigray, left on 3 October when government-allied forces entered the city. [68] Getachew Reda, a former Tigray leader who now advises Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, promised 'visible change' on arrival. [68] Passengers said the flights would reunite families and bring in goods and medicine. [69]

    Why it matters — The fighting has weakened the 2022 peace deal that ended a war in which about 500,000 civilians died. [68] Ethiopia has told the UN Security Council that troops from Eritrea, its neighbour, have pushed 60km into Tigray. [70]

24. 25

    South Africa sets a date for asylum sign-ups

    South Africa's government said it will ask the courts how to carry out a July ruling on asylum. [71] By 10 November it will also set up a system for people to register that they mean to apply. [71] The Constitutional Court had struck down parts of the Refugees Act that let officials deport asylum seekers who arrived without a transit visa. [71] Home Affairs withdrew an order to accept such applications on Friday, after protests in Soweto and Durban in which 24 vehicles were reportedly set alight. [72]

    Why it matters — Long queues formed at refugee offices within days of the first order, and the protests followed. [72]

25. 26

    BBC says Kenyan police shot mourners far from a scuffle

    Three mourners shot dead by Kenyan police at last October's national farewell for Raila Odinga, a former prime minister, were far from the scuffle that set off the shooting. [73] A BBC Africa Eye investigation found they were 60m to 160m away. [73] The BBC studied more than 1,500 photos and videos from Nairobi's Kasarani Stadium. [73] It said an elite unit that guards Kenya's president may have fired the shots. [73] Kenya's police watchdog is still investigating, and no one has been held to account. [73]

    Why it matters — Kipchumba Murkomen, Kenya's interior minister, told the BBC the police had been 'restrained' after the crowd threw stones; the BBC found chairs thrown, but no evidence of stones. [73]

26. 27

    Gunmen kill 22 traders on an army-escorted road

    At least 22 people are feared dead after gunmen ambushed traders travelling under army escort in Zamfara, a state in north-west Nigeria, early on Sunday. [74] The traders were going to the weekly market in Gwashi. [74] A resident said security personnel were among the dead. [74] The attackers are suspected to be bandits, as Nigerians call the armed gangs that rob and kidnap for ransom. [74] The army did not answer calls for comment. [74]

    Why it matters — Gwashi and the nearby Bukkuyum area have been attacked again and again, and the attacks have disrupted trade there. [74]

27. 28

    Nigeria's opposition presses Tinubu before the vote

    Atiku Abubakar, a former vice-president running for president in 2027, demanded that Nigeria's election commission, INEC, name the firms printing its ballot papers. [75] He said moving senior election officials and giving work to private printers could weaken trust in the vote. [75] Peter Obi, another candidate, said the 30-day petrol discount from President Bola Tinubu's government was a 'reactive' policy that takes less than 5% off what petrol costs. [76]

    Why it matters — Obi blamed Tinubu's ending of the fuel subsidy for 'acute hardship and hunger'. [76]

28. 29

    Somali opposition fears troops at its door

    Himilo Qaran, an opposition party in Somalia, said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud would be to blame if troops attacked opposition politicians' offices. [22] It said forces taking orders directly from Mohamud were being moved. [22] It urged soldiers not to obey orders aimed at opposition politicians. [22] It gave no details of any planned operation, and its claims could not be checked. [22]

    Why it matters — The warning comes in a dispute over how Somalia's next elections will be run, and the party asked for an urgent deal on them. [22]

29. 30

    Ruto tells rivals 'I will deal with you'

    William Ruto, Kenya's president, told a church service in Likuyani that unnamed opponents were 'sponsoring' politicians to cause confusion before the 2027 election. [77] He said: 'leave the sponsor and all their people to me, I will deal with these problems.' [77] Ruto has before accused Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya's president before him, of paying for rivals such as Edwin Sifuna, a senator for Nairobi. [77]

    Why it matters — The remarks mark a sharper tone as Kenya's leaders get ready for the 2027 vote. [77]

30. 31

    Half of Zimbabwe's essential medicines are missing

    Zimbabwe's health ministry told MPs that only about half of essential medicines are in stock at its clinics and hospitals, against a target of 70%. [78] Patients needing kidney dialysis, and blood for women giving birth, are among the shortages. [78] By September the health ministry had received just over half of its 2026 budget. [78] For 2027 it asked for ZWG89.27 billion and was offered about a third of that. [78]

    Target70%

    In stock now50%

    Why it matters — Some hospitals have already recorded more deaths of mothers and newborn babies linked to the shortages, the Zimbabwean ministry said. [78] Help from foreign donors has also collapsed. [78]

31. 32

    Fire guts a Rwandan market, and no one dies

    A fire gutted GOICO Plaza, the main market in the city of Musanze in Rwanda, on Saturday afternoon. [79] It started on the roof of the five-storey building at about 4pm and had reached every floor by 6pm. [79] About 2,000 traders worked there. [79] No one died, the district's mayor, Claudien Nsengimana, said, and the cost of the damage is still being counted. [79]

    Why it matters — Firefighters were still putting out the last of the fire on Sunday, and no one was allowed inside. [79]

32. 33

    Coach crash kills 11 in Turkey

    A tour coach turned over after hitting a truck near a motorway entrance between Bursa and Izmir, in western Turkey, on Sunday, killing 11 people and injuring 27. [80] The toll came from the governor's office in Manisa province. [80] Photographs showed the coach lying across the safety barriers with its windscreen smashed. [80] Turkey's interior minister, Mustafa Ciftci, said Turkey's government was closely following the situation. [80]

    Why it matters — The crash happened on a motorway linking Bursa and Izmir, two of Turkey's biggest cities. [80]

33. 34

    Pakistan says it killed 12 fighters on the Afghan border

    Pakistan's army said it killed 12 fighters trying to cross from Afghanistan into Kurram, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Sunday, and lost one soldier. [81] It said the fighters were from the Pakistani Taliban, a banned group, and that Afghan Taliban posts fired to cover them. [81] The army said this proved that Afghanistan's Taliban government lets the group use its land. [81]

    Why it matters — The clash came on the day Pakistan's government cited the fight against militants to take over the same province. [31]

34. 35

    Delhi protests go into a second day

    Protests in Delhi, India's capital, went into a second day on Sunday, with thousands of police deployed and roads closed, after leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party, a youth movement, were freed. [21] Media reports said 7,000 protesters were held and released on Saturday, and hundreds more were detained on Sunday. [21] Reporters Without Borders, a press freedom group, said at least 16 journalists had been detained. [82] The movement wants India's chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, to resign over changes to voter lists. [21]

    Why it matters — The leaders say they will not back down, months before important state elections. [21] The Election Commission denies doing anything wrong. [82]

35. 36

    Netanyahu wants soldiers in a film prosecuted

    Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, asked Israel's attorney general, army chief and internal security service to find and prosecute the soldiers who spoke anonymously in NAZA. [83] NAZA is a documentary about Israel's killing of civilians in Gaza. [83] Netanyahu called it a 'libel film' and said the soldiers had revealed 'top secret information'. [83] He wrote to Gali Baharav-Miara, the attorney general, Eyal Zamir, the army chief, and David Zini, head of the Shin Bet. [83]

    Why it matters — He asked for charges including criminal defamation and harming Israel's security interests. [83] Israel holds an election in about two weeks. [84]

36. 37

    Flydubai passengers plan to sue

    About 100 of the 174 passengers on flydubai Flight 1073 plan a class action against the airline and the transport ministries of Israel and the UAE, Calcalist, an Israeli business paper, reported. [85] On 30 September the plane's Omani co-pilot attacked the captain and tried to crash it on the way to Tel Aviv, and the wounded captain and passengers stopped him. [85] The suit will seek hundreds of millions of dollars. [85] It will be led by Tzvika Manes, one of the passengers who overpowered the attacker. [85]

    Why it matters — Israel's transport ministry, which oversees the safety of foreign flights to Israel, is already under heavy criticism over the attack. [85]

37. 38

    Two olive pickers killed in south Lebanon

    Two men were killed in southern Lebanon's Bint Jbeil district on Sunday while picking olives, Lebanese state media said. [86] One died in Yater when Israeli shelling hit the edge of the town; the other, an engineer from Beirut, died in Froun when a munition left from earlier fighting exploded. [86] Lebanon's army blamed Israeli tank fire and called the attacks 'a flagrant breach' of agreements. [86] People in Froun stopped their harvest until the army clears the village. [86]

    Why it matters — Lebanon was pulled into the Iran war on 2 March, and Lebanese authorities say Israel's bombing and invasion have killed more than 4,300 people since. [86] Violence in the south has eased since a June agreement, but has not stopped. [86]

38. 39

    Egypt invites Palestinian factions to Cairo

    Egypt has invited the leaders of Palestinian factions to Cairo for talks on healing their split, The National reported. [87] It follows a decision by Mahmoud Abbas, the 90-year-old president of the Palestinian Authority, to delay elections due next month until September 2027. [87] The last Palestinian parliamentary election was held in 2006. [87] A poll found 79% of Palestinians surveyed want Abbas to step down. [87]

    Why it matters — A faction loyal to Mohammed Dahlan, a Palestinian politician, called the delay an 'attack on democracy'. [87]

39. 40

    Bennett floats, then drops, a seat for Netanyahu

    Naftali Bennett, a former Israeli prime minister who leads an opposition party, said Benjamin Netanyahu could join a future government if he accepted its policies. [84] Those include a state inquiry into the 7 October attack. [84] Other opposition leaders ruled it out, and Bennett then said the remark was meant to show the idea was absurd, since Netanyahu opposes such an inquiry. [84] A poll reported by Haaretz put the opposition bloc at 50 seats and Netanyahu's coalition at 53, with 61 needed to govern. [88]

    Why it matters — With neither bloc near a majority two weeks before the vote, the 13 seats the poll gives Arab parties could decide who governs. [88][84]

40. 41

    Robert Pether leaves Iraq after five years

    Robert Pether, an Australian engineer, left Iraq on Monday after more than four years in a Baghdad prison and a ban on leaving the country. [89][90] He was arrested in 2021 in a contract dispute between his firm, which was building a new headquarters for Iraq's central bank, and the Iraqi government. [89] He was let out of prison last year because of poor health but could not leave. [89] His Egyptian co-worker, Khaled Radwan, has also left. [90]

    Why it matters — Penny Wong, Australia's foreign minister, thanked Irish officials for their help, and Pether flew to Ireland, where his wife and children live. [89][90]

41. 42

    Spain clears a migrant beach camp in Ceuta

    Spanish police cleared about 400 migrants from Guano beach in Ceuta, Spain's city on Morocco's coast, on Sunday morning. [25] They were taken by bus to be registered and then housed in government camps, and children were kept apart from adults. [25] The camp formed after more than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco at the end of July. [25] Two people died in the camp, and many of the children there had tried to register before and run away. [25]

    Why it matters — King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visit Ceuta on 13 October to honour those who died at sea during the crossing. [25]

42. 43

    Portugal marches against the cost of living

    Thousands of people marched in Lisbon and Porto on Saturday against rising living costs and house prices, with more protests planned in Aveiro, Braga and Funchal. [91] They were organised by a group called 'You can't live like this anymore'. [91] One placard read 'this salary isn't enough to live on'. [91] One marcher said she was inspired by similar protests in Spain. [91]

    Why it matters — The cost of living tops people's worries in France too, where 54% named it first in a poll published the same weekend. [62]

43. 44

    NATO's commander to warn Russia

    NATO's top military commander, US General Alexus Grynkewich, was due on Monday to set out at a security conference in Warsaw how the alliance would beat back any attack. [92] NATO officials said he would warn Russia over what Western officials call a 'hybrid' campaign of sabotage and interference against Ukraine's backers. [92] NATO usually keeps its defence plans secret, and the speech was not expected to reveal much. [92]

    Why it matters — Western officials say Russia's hybrid attacks have grown more reckless while its army is stuck in Ukraine. [92]

44. 45

    Soder says Merz will stay chancellor

    Markus Soder, the premier of Bavaria, said on Sunday night that 'Friedrich Merz is chancellor and will remain chancellor', amid talk of replacing the German leader. [93] Merz's party, the CDU, met over the weekend to find a way out of what DW called an electoral free fall. [93] Christian Sewing, head of Deutsche Bank, Germany's biggest bank, warned that the rise of the far right and far left is putting off foreign investors. [93]

    Why it matters — Sewing said recent wins for the far-right AfD and the Left Party in state and local elections 'pose a significant risk for Germany'. [93]