Saudi-led jets bomb Houthi fuel depots near Sanaa, and a Houthi missile sets fire to an Aramco office in Dhahran

The rest of the day

51 more stories on this beat.

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

1. 02

   Russia hits Kyiv's power with no warning

   Russian ballistic missiles hit Darnytska CHP-4, a plant that gives Kyiv heat and electricity, on Tuesday night. [12] Kyiv's mayor said two people died and 21 were hurt when a block of flats was also hit. [12] It was the second night running that Ukraine got no early warning from its partners, President Zelensky said. [16] Ukraine relies heavily on US intelligence to see such launches coming. [23] In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, four people died when a block of flats was destroyed. [24]

   Why it matters — US officials had threatened at the weekend to stop sharing intelligence unless Ukraine stopped hitting Russian oil refineries, and Trump says the sharing goes on. [16][23] The strikes came two days after Trump announced an energy ceasefire, about which Russia's government would say only that contacts were going on. [25]

2. 03

   Drones sink a ship off Bulgaria

   Drones hit two cargo ships in Bulgaria's waters in the Black Sea on Tuesday, and one of them sank. [22] The HS Dignity went down off the town of Krapets, and 11 of its 16 crew, Syrians and Egyptians, were missing that evening. [26] All 15 people aboard the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3 were rescued. [26] Prime Minister Rumen Radev summoned Russia's ambassador and said 'the outcome benefits the Russian Federation'. [22] It is the first time Bulgaria has pointed at Russia directly. [26]

   Why it matters — Bulgaria is in NATO, the Western military alliance, and the EU, and a week earlier another ship sank in its waters, its 10 crew presumed dead. [26][22] Russia says it targets ships carrying weapons to Ukraine. [22]

3. 04

   Iran's attacks at Hormuz hit a wartime high

   Iran's missile and drone attacks on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz were the most intense of the war in the two weeks to 11 October. [13] Six vessels were hit on Sunday alone, the worst day yet. [13] Two senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran changed tactics about ten days ago, partly to keep oil prices high before the US vote. [14] A US military official said Iran's Revolutionary Guards now use unarmed spotters in small boats to find targets. [14]

   Why it matters — Oil carried through the strait fell to 2.9 million barrels on 11 October, the lowest day this month, according to Kpler, a firm that tracks ships. [13] The US military says it controls the strait and helped move 19 million barrels in one day. [27]

4. 05

   Senators turn on Trump's diesel deal

   Twelve US senators, six of them from Trump's own Republican party, asked him on Tuesday to cancel his deal letting Russia sell its diesel freely. [15] Trump lifted US sanctions on Russian diesel last week, to bring US fuel prices down, and the deal lets Russia supply almost 2 million tonnes. [25] The senators' letter called it 'a gift to our adversary'. [15] Mitch McConnell, a former Republican leader of the US Senate, signed it. [28]

   Why it matters — It breaks with near-total Republican support for Trump's foreign policy, three weeks before the midterm elections decide who controls the US Congress. [15] The National reports that a 2022 law on Russian energy could open the deal to a court challenge. [28]

5. 06

   Burnham promises Zelensky faster missiles

   Britain's prime minister, Andy Burnham, is hosting Zelensky in London on Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader's first visit to a European capital since Trump lifted the diesel sanctions. [29] Britain will speed up part of a 1.6 billion pound order of light missiles, which can shoot down Russia's new jet-powered drones. [30] It will also deliver 45 million pounds of surface-to-air missiles. [29] Burnham and his ministers will push other countries to stop shipping Russian liquefied gas. [30]

   Why it matters — Russia's jet-powered drones fly faster and higher than the older Shahed drones, so they are harder to shoot down and reach more targets. [30] The two men have met twice since Burnham took office in July. [30]

6. 07

   Hungary lifts its veto on Ukraine's EU talks

   European Union governments agreed on Tuesday to open two more 'clusters' of talks on Ukraine joining the bloc, after Hungary lifted its veto. [31] A cluster is a group of subjects a country must bring up to EU rules, and four of six are now open. [31] Hungary had objected for years to Ukraine's 2015 and 2017 laws limiting minority languages in schools. [31] The two sides agreed on the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine first. [31]

   Why it matters — The deal could bring the first meeting between Zelensky and Hungary's new prime minister, Peter Magyar, at an EU summit this week. [31] Under Viktor Orban, who lost power in April, Hungary blocked Ukraine's progress again and again. [31]

7. 08

   Hungary scraps most of an anti-gay law

   Hungary's parliament voted 139 to 51 on Tuesday to remove most of a 2021 law limiting how gay and transgender people may be shown to children. [32] Under it, even age-appropriate books on the subject had to be sold sealed in black plastic. [32] The EU's top court ruled in April that the law broke EU treaties. [32] The same day, EU governments ended a 2022 freeze over corruption and released 4.2 billion euros to Hungary. [33]

   • Released on Tuesday4.2 bn euros · 26%
   • Recovery funds asked for10 bn euros · 61%
   • Tied to academic freedom2.2 bn euros · 13%

   Why it matters — Prime Minister Magyar, who ended Orban's 16 years in power, presented the change as child protection, and Orban's Fidesz party voted against it. [34] Hungary can also rejoin Erasmus+, the EU's student exchange, and is seeking 12.2 billion euros more. [33]

8. 09

   Nord Stream trial opens in Hamburg

   A Ukrainian former military officer, named only as Serhii K., went on trial in Hamburg, Germany, on Wednesday over the 2022 blasts that wrecked the Nord Stream gas pipelines. [35] The pipes ran under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, and three of the four were destroyed. [20] Prosecutors say he led a group of Ukrainian divers and an explosives expert who sailed from the German port of Rostock in a hired yacht. [35] He denies it, and the trial is expected to run until February. [35]

   Why it matters — Germany is one of Ukraine's biggest backers, so a Ukrainian in the dock for this is a highly sensitive case. [36] Zelensky has said Ukraine never officially took part in any such operation. [36]

9. 10

   MI5 says state threats have quadrupled

   Ken McCallum, head of MI5, Britain's domestic security service, said on Tuesday that threats from foreign states have quadrupled in ten years. [21] He called Russia 'aggressor number one' and said that after almost 1,000 expulsions of its spies since the invasion of Ukraine, it pays criminals to do its attacks. [21] He said Iran now wants 'harder targets, like military sites'. [37] He called the suspected plot at RAF Fairford, a US-run air base in England, 'not unique'. [37]

   Why it matters — Britain's prime minister said on Monday the Fairford plot was 'almost certainly' directed by Iran's Revolutionary Guards. [37] McCallum also said more people are moving from far-right hate talk to planning violence. [38]

10. 11

    Russia charges a Japanese reporter with spying

    Russian agents arrested Yuki Imai, a reporter for Japan's Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, on Sakhalin, a Russian island north of Japan, and charged him with spying. [39] He was held a day before he was due to leave Russia, and a court in Moscow ordered him kept in jail until 12 December. [39] Russia says he gathered information on its defences for Japan's intelligence service. [39] Spying can bring up to 20 years in prison in Russia. [40]

    Why it matters — Ties have worsened since Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril Islands in August; Russia runs the islands, and Japan claims four of them. [39] Japan has asked for fair treatment and for information about the case. [40]

11. 12

    Protest against emergency rule turns violent in Pakistan

    Supporters of Imran Khan's party, PTI, clashed with police in Bara, in north-west Pakistan, on Tuesday, and government buildings were set on fire. [17] Police fired tear gas and live rounds into the air and arrested 50 people. [17] They were protesting against emergency rule, which on Sunday suspended the elected PTI government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. [17] The law minister cited 8,600 terrorist attacks there in 2024 to 2026, against 2,900 in 2020 to 2024. [41] Most PTI leaders in the province have gone into hiding. [42]

    2020 to 20242,900 attacks

    2024 to 20268,600 attacks

    Why it matters — Pakistan's federal government says PTI's provincial government worked with the Pakistani Taliban, but two days later it had shown no evidence. [42] Khan, a former prime minister, has been in jail since 2023, and PTI has run the province for 13 years. [43][42]

12. 13

    Delhi police detain the 'cockroach' leaders

    Delhi police detained leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party, a youth protest movement, on Tuesday after they climbed barricades into Jantar Mantar, the city's best-known protest site. [18] A day earlier India's home ministry had removed the site from the list of places where protests are allowed. [18] The movement wants Gyanesh Kumar, the chief election commissioner, to resign. [44] Since last year, 130 million names have been removed from India's voter lists. [45]

    Why it matters — Critics say the voter-list review hit Muslims and poorer, lower-caste voters hardest, and India's government says it removed dead and duplicate names. [45] Human Rights Watch called the weekend's mass arrests arbitrary. [44]

13. 14

    France's school protests reach Paris streets

    Students and teachers marched across France on Tuesday over crowded classes, missing teachers and run-down schools. [46] France's interior ministry counted 161,500 marchers, and unions about 480,000. [46] Police fired tear gas in Paris, and 11 officers went to hospital. [46] The education minister said only 35% of 3,000 promised supply teachers had reached schools. [47] Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate campaigner, joined pupils in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, where lawyers formed a chain to protect teenagers after claims of police violence. [48]

    161,500Interior ministry count

    vsvs

    480,000Unions' count

    Why it matters — Parliament began debating the 2027 budget the same day, and critics say its 1.6% rise for schools is below inflation of 1.8%. [47] France's police watchdog has opened 36 inquiries since the protests began. [49]

14. 15

    Mauritius imposes a curfew after a police shooting

    Mauritius put its capital, Port Louis, and other big towns under a night curfew on Tuesday after unrest over a police shooting. [19] A police officer shot Elodie Thomas, 27, as she travelled home from work in a van, and she survived surgery. [19] On Monday protesters burned tyres and blocked roads. [19] A police sergeant has been charged, and unrest is uncommon on the Indian Ocean island. [19]

    Why it matters — Some schools closed, and the prime minister's cabinet was due to meet on Wednesday to assess the situation. [19]

15. 16

    Students storm Albania's education ministry

    Albanian riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of student protesters in Tirana, the capital, on Tuesday. [50] Some threw bricks at Albania's education ministry and petrol bombs at police. [50] Six police officers and a journalist were hurt, and 23 people were arrested. [50] The students want lower fees, better universities and the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. [50]

    Why it matters — Tirana has seen protests since May over a luxury tourism project linked to Trump's family, which protesters say shows corruption. [50]

16. 17

    Pope Leo has lung cancer

    Pope Leo XIV, 71, has lung cancer, the Vatican said, after surgeons in Rome removed the lower part of his right lung on Tuesday. [51] The Vatican said the 90-minute operation went well, with no complications. [51] Leo himself announced the operation on Sunday, saying the growth was found at a very early stage. [51] Doctors are testing whether it has spread, and his diary is clear until 20 October. [51]

    Why it matters — Leo, the first pope born in the US, leads the Roman Catholic Church. [52] Leaders including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Australia's Anthony Albanese sent good wishes. [52]

17. 18

    Trump's ambassador to Greece is told to quit

    The Trump administration asked Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece, to resign on Tuesday. [53] Texts first reported by the Wall Street Journal appear to show her asking a Trump donor to pay her credit card bill in return for access to the Trump administration. [53] She denies wrongdoing and says she will defend her name. [53] Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host, was once engaged to Donald Trump Jr. [53]

    Why it matters — Senior Democrats in the US Congress want investigations. [54] Rubio had defended her while in Greece only last week. [54]

18. 19

    Netanyahu admits Egypt's spy chief came before 7 October

    Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, admitted on Tuesday that Abbas Kamel, then Egypt's intelligence chief, was in Israel before Hamas's attack of 7 October 2023. [55] He had denied it several times. [55] He said Kamel spent 59 minutes on the ground and did not meet him. [55] The Atlantic, a US magazine, reported in September that Kamel came to warn of an attack. [55]

    Why it matters — Netanyahu now says he wants to know which Israeli official met Kamel. [55] Israelis vote on 27 October. [56]

19. 20

    Israel's opposition leads the polls, short of a majority

    A poll by Channel 12, an Israeli TV news channel, gave the bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief, 54 seats, against 49 for Netanyahu's bloc. [57] Parties opposed to Netanyahu would hold 67 seats in all, but some in Eisenkot's bloc refuse to work with Arab parties, and 60 are needed to govern. [57] Itamar Ben Gvir, the far-right security minister, ruled out a vote-sharing deal with former general Ofer Winter's party. [56] Winter's party again polled below the share needed to win any seats. [57]

    Why it matters — Winter's party says Ben Gvir is throwing away votes from Netanyahu's side three weeks before the election. [56]

20. 21

    A year into the Gaza ceasefire, strikes go on

    On the anniversary of the summit that began the Gaza ceasefire, the US State Department said 'real progress' was being made towards a disarmed Gaza. [58] The same day an Israeli strike on a car in Gaza City killed one person, Gaza's emergency services said. [59] Al Jazeera's maps show nearly two-thirds of Gaza under Israeli control or limits on entry. [59] In the occupied West Bank, settlers have killed two Palestinians at the olive harvest since late September. [60]

    Why it matters — The Palestinian news agency Wafa counts more than 74,382 Palestinians killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. [59] The olive harvest matters to many Palestinian families for both money and identity. [60]

21. 22

    Hezbollah offers families money to rebuild

    Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group in Lebanon, announced aid for families whose homes were destroyed in this year's war with Israel: $14,000 per household in Beirut and its suburbs, and $12,000 elsewhere. [61] It will be paid in four parts over a year. [61] It did not say where the money comes from or how many families it can pay. [61] US sanctions and tighter Lebanese controls on its money and supply routes are squeezing it. [61]

    Why it matters — Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the war on 2 March in support of Iran, and after an earlier war it announced $77 million of similar aid in December 2024. [61]

22. 23

    Two Maldivian pilots held over the flydubai attack

    Police in the United Arab Emirates have detained two Maldivian pilots who work for flydubai over the 30 September attack on a Dubai to Tel Aviv flight. [62] An Omani co-pilot is accused of attacking the captain with an axe to take control of the plane. [62] No charges or links have been made public. [62] Separately, Israel turned back an Ethiopian Airlines flight in mid-air because one of its pilots was Indonesian. [63]

    Why it matters — Israel now bars crews from several countries that have no ties with it, and at least 10 African countries are covered, a United Airlines memo says. [63]

23. 24

    Iranian student sentenced to death over a post

    A court in Iran has sentenced Najmeh Amini, a 23-year-old accounting student, to death for 'insulting the prophet' in a social media post, a rights group reports. [64] A second court gave her 12 and a half years for acting against national security. [64] She was arrested during January's protests across Iran, when thousands were reported killed and more than 50,000 arrested. [64] She is held in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad. [64]

    Why it matters — Rights groups say death sentences and executions in Iran are rising. [64]

24. 25

    Sudan orders an inquiry into a gold-mine strike

    Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, ordered an inquiry into Saturday's air strike on a gold mine near the Egyptian border. [65] A rights group, the Emergency Lawyers, says it killed 72 people and blames Egypt, which has not commented. [65] Police say a man then shot dead two Egyptian lorry drivers in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, to avenge his brother, killed in the strike. [66] Egypt and Sudan say they are investigating. [66]

    Why it matters — Neither country has said who carried out the strike. [66] Sudan's civil war has pushed an estimated two million people into small-scale gold mining. [66]

25. 26

    UN envoy sees a window for peace in Congo

    Huang Xia, the UN envoy for Africa's Great Lakes region, told the Security Council on Tuesday there is a 'window of opportunity' for peace in eastern Congo. [67] He said US- and Qatar-led talks had made progress but the fighting and suffering had got worse. [67] A day earlier Joseph Kabila, Congo's former president, became head of a new armed front whose deputies are the leaders of the M23 rebels. [68] The front says it will use force if needed. [68]

    Why it matters — Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 signed a ceasefire pledge in Doha in July 2025, and fighting went on. [67]

26. 27

    Colombia charges former FARC rebels

    Colombia's peace court, the JEP, charged 10 former FARC rebels on Tuesday with war crimes against five Indigenous peoples in the south-east between 1996 and 2016. [69] The charges include murder, torture and driving people from their land. [69] A judge said FARC commanders ordered landmines planted on Indigenous land. [69] FARC, once Colombia's largest rebel group, made peace with Colombia's government in 2016. [69]

    Why it matters — Three of the accused sat on FARC's last leadership council. [69] Critics of the peace deal say many people behind abuses have escaped trial. [69]

27. 28

    Jamaica takes its first US deportees from other countries

    Jamaica received its first flight of people deported from the US who are not Jamaican on Tuesday, when 22 people landed in Kingston. [70] Jamaica agreed in June to take such deportees and send them on to their home countries. [70] At least 35 countries have signed such deals with the US, according to an advocacy project. [70] Jamaica says it will not take anyone with a criminal record. [70]

    Why it matters — Rights groups question whether sending people to a country they have no tie to is legal. [70]

28. 29

    Britain asks Interpol to ignore Argentina's Falklands requests

    Britain has asked Interpol, the international police body, to refuse Argentina's requests to arrest people working on Sea Lion, an oil project north of the Falkland Islands. [71] Argentina has also gone to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to stop the drilling. [72] Britain rules the islands, and Argentina claims them and fought a war over them in 1982. [71] The field holds an estimated 1.7 billion barrels and is due to start pumping in 2028. [72]

    Why it matters — Sea Lion could triple the islands' income, and about 3,500 people live there. [71][72]

29. 30

    Latin American gangs are rooted in Europe

    A four-month Guardian investigation found gangs from Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and other countries active in at least 12 European countries. [73] Cocaine seized in Europe rose 471% between 2014 and 2024. [73] The groups include Mexico's Sinaloa cartel and Brazil's PCC gang, working with local mafias. [73] On Sunday Portuguese police seized 3.7 tonnes of cocaine from a speedboat 80 nautical miles south of Faro. [74]

    Why it matters — The count includes only groups found through police work and court cases, so the real number may be higher. [73] One suspect in the Portuguese chase died after a collision at sea. [74]

30. 31

    Storms kill five on Mexico's Pacific coast

    Hurricane Simon and Tropical Storm Rachel killed at least five people on Mexico's Pacific coast. [75] A 71-year-old man died when a wall fell in Chilpancingo, and four members of one family, two of them children, were found near Ensenada in Baja California. [75] Five people are still missing, and helicopters rescued 32. [75] Simon weakened without reaching land, but forecasters warned of more floods and mudslides. [75]

    Why it matters — Acapulco, a major port, was among the coastal towns damaged. [75]

31. 32

    Indonesian fire burns almost 300 homes

    A peat fire on Indonesia's Bangka Belitung islands, off Sumatra, burned almost 300 homes and drove nearly 1,000 people from their village. [76] Villagers thought they had put it out, but it smouldered underground and the wind brought it back. [76] The village was built last year on what had been protected peatland. [76] Indonesia has recorded more than a million fire hotspots this year, and 900,000 hectares have burned. [77]

    Why it matters — The smoke has reached Singapore and closed some schools in Malaysia. [77] Indonesia's government calls this the worst fire season in a decade. [76]

32. 33

    China and North Korea open a new bridge

    China and North Korea will open the New Yalu River Bridge to traffic on Thursday, China's state news agency Xinhua says. [78] China finished its half in 2014, but North Korea left its side unfinished for years after China backed UN sanctions over its nuclear tests. [78] China's exports to North Korea reached $2.3 billion last year, a six-year high. [78] The first bridge between Russia and North Korea opened earlier this month. [78]

    Why it matters — China's 1961 treaty with North Korea is still its only formal military alliance. [78] Analysts say North Korea's closeness to Russia may have changed its dealings with China. [78]

33. 34

    China investigates Bo Xilai's old right-hand man

    China's anti-corruption watchdog said on Tuesday it is investigating Huang Qifan, 74, a former mayor of Chongqing. [79] Huang was the right-hand man of Bo Xilai, Chongqing's Communist Party chief, who was jailed for life in 2013. [79] Huang survived Bo's fall by quickly disowning him and kept running the city's economy. [79] The watchdog's phrase, 'violations of discipline and law', usually means corruption. [79]

    Why it matters — Huang is one of China's best-known economic planners, and it is unclear whether he has a lawyer. [79]

34. 35

    Trump says Taiwan will buy Alaska gas

    Trump told a rally in Alaska that Taiwan will buy 30% of the gas from Alaska's planned pipeline for 20 years and invest $4.4 billion in it. [80] Taiwan's officials did not confirm the figures straight away. [80] Taiwan imports nearly all its energy, and about 38% of its gas comes from Australia and 25% from Qatar. [80] The pipeline has not been built yet. [80]

    Why it matters — China claims Taiwan as its own, and Taiwan is trying to keep the US government on its side. [80]

35. 36

    Russia plans a record share for its military

    Russia's draft budget for 2027 gives a record 44% of federal spending to defence and security, twice the share for social programmes. [81] Spending on pensions, veterans and maternity payments is set to fall 7%. [81] Military spending this year has reached 17 trillion roubles, against 12.1 trillion first planned. [81] The State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, starts debating it on 22 October, and Putin's party holds a large majority. [81]

    Planned for 202612.1 trillion roubles

    Spent so far in 202617 trillion roubles

    Why it matters — The plan assumes the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, goes on. [81]

36. 37

    Slovakia swaps military envoys with Russia

    Slovakia has sent two military officers to its embassy in Russia and is getting ready to receive a Russian military attache, an officer posted as a diplomat. [82] It is the first such link since Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in 2022. [82] Prime Minister Robert Fico told Putin in May that steps were under way. [82] Opposition politicians warn that Russia could use the post for spying. [82]

    Why it matters — A Slovak opposition politician said NATO allies should worry about the Russian officer's work and the politics around it. [82]

37. 38

    Sweden's left fails to form a government

    Magdalena Andersson, leader of Sweden's Social Democrats, said on Tuesday she could not form a government with the three other left-wing parties. [83] Her bloc won 176 of 349 seats in the 13 September election, against 173 for the right. [83] Parliament will still vote on Thursday on making her prime minister, and the speaker expects her to lose. [83]

    Why it matters — After that vote the speaker will pick who tries next, and the outgoing prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, leads the right-wing bloc. [83]

38. 39

    Berlin talks with the Left party collapse

    The Social Democrats and Greens in Berlin halted talks on Tuesday on governing the German capital with the Left party, less than a week after they began. [84] The Left did well in last month's city election, but its line on Israel and an organised-crime figure at its election party drew criticism. [84] Its new lawmakers rejected a joint text calling Israel's right to exist 'non-negotiable' and signed their own. [84]

    Why it matters — The conservative CDU, second in the vote, says the Social Democrats and Greens should govern with it instead. [84]

39. 40

    Spain's king visits Ceuta

    King Felipe VI of Spain visited Ceuta, a Spanish city on Morocco's coast that Morocco claims, on Tuesday, the first royal visit since 2007. [85] He said its status is not negotiable and called for 'good neighbourly relations' with Morocco. [85] About 72,000 people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco on 30 and 31 July, in a city of just over 80,000. [86] The plan for his visit included a ceremony at a Muslim cemetery where dozens of drowned migrants are buried, because Morocco refused to take their bodies. [86]

    Why it matters — Spain votes on 29 November, and migration is one of the main issues. [85]

40. 41

    Morocco's first woman prime minister forms a government

    Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, Morocco's first woman to lead its government, agreed a coalition of four parties on Monday. [87] Together they hold 207 seats, nine more than a majority. [87] Her centrist party, PAM, came first in September's election. [87] She has promised help for one million young people, with youth unemployment at 24.2%. [88]

    Why it matters — Her government will also oversee the last preparations for the 2030 football World Cup, which Morocco hosts with Spain and Portugal. [88]

41. 42

    UN rights council seats handed out unopposed

    The UN General Assembly elected 15 countries to the Human Rights Council on Tuesday, and every race was uncontested. [89] Each regional group put up exactly as many candidates as it had seats, for the second year running. [89] Burundi, Nigeria, Kuwait and Ukraine were among those elected. [89] Human Rights Watch said the vote 'makes a mockery of the word election'. [89]

    Why it matters — The council reviews every country's rights record and appoints investigators into abuses such as torture. [89]

42. 43

    US trial over Rwanda's genocide begins

    A US federal court in Boston began the trial of Eric Nshimiye, 55, a Rwandan-American accused of hiding his part in Rwanda's 1994 genocide. [90] More than 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were killed in about 100 days. [90] Prosecutors say Nshimiye, then a medical student, attacked Tutsis and lied about it to US officials and in a 2019 trial. [90] He was arrested at his home in Ohio in 2024. [90]

    Why it matters — In a 2019 trial in Boston, Nshimiye testified that he took no part in the genocide. [90]

43. 44

    Tupac's killer is sentenced

    A Las Vegas judge sentenced Duane 'Keffe D' Davis, a former gang leader, to 40 years to life for planning the 1996 killing of the rapper Tupac Shakur. [91] Shakur was shot near the Las Vegas Strip after a Mike Tyson fight and died days later. [91] The killing went unsolved for decades, and Davis is the only person convicted for it. [91]

    Why it matters — It ends a case that had been one of hip-hop's longest-running mysteries. [91]

44. 45

    Train derails in Pakistan, killing five

    The Rehman Baba Express, travelling from Karachi to Peshawar, came off the tracks near Multan, Pakistan, early on Tuesday. [92] Five people were killed and more than 40 hurt, the head of Pakistan Railways said. [93] All 14 carriages derailed, and some overturned with people trapped inside. [92] An early railway report blames a fault in a passenger coach, and the driver said the signal was clear. [93]

    Why it matters — Services on the line were stopped, and a government railway inspector will lead the inquiry. [92][93]

45. 46

    Australia wants a US execution kept offline

    Australia's prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he will do whatever he can to stop a live online stream of a US execution being seen in Australia. [94] Nidal Hasan, who shot dead 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009, is due to be executed by firing squad on 3 December. [94] It would be the first US military firing-squad execution since 1945, and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wants it public. [94]

    Why it matters — Australia's internet regulator says it has no power to block the stream, so Australia's government will press social media firms. [94]

46. 47

    Israel returns stolen antiquities to Greece

    Israel returned 22 ancient objects stolen from Greece, the first time it has sent antiquities back to Greece. [95] They are 15 Attic vases, six Corinthian vases and a bronze statuette of a woman, made between 700 and 320 BC. [95] Israel's Antiquities Authority found them, but neither side said how they reached Israel. [95]

    Why it matters — Greece and Israel signed a $3.5 billion deal in August for Israel to build an air-defence system in Greece. [95]

47. 48

    Malawi says its president is still in South Africa

    Malawi's government says President Peter Mutharika, 87, is still in South Africa on a 'private visit' and denied reports he went to India for treatment. [96] He left on 6 October, and no return date has been given. [96] It is his fifth announced private trip to South Africa since he won the September 2025 election. [96] Malawi's government has not addressed rumours about his health. [96]

    Why it matters — Malawians have been told only that the trips are personal. [96]

48. 49

    Trump calls Somaliland 'a totally different country'

    Trump called Somaliland 'a totally different country' from Somalia at a rally in Ohio on Monday, and said it should change its name. [97] Somaliland has run its own government, army and currency since 1991, but Somalia still claims it. [97] Israel recognised Somaliland in December 2025. [97] The remark came while Trump was talking about immigration, not as a step towards US recognition. [97]

    Why it matters — Somaliland's president asked Trump to recognise it in an interview published the day before the rally. [97]

49. 50

    Israel bans some drones for six months

    Israel Katz, Israel's defence minister, said he will ban drones steered by fibre-optic cable or by mobile phone networks from Israeli airspace for six months. [98] The ban covers drones that do not use ordinary radio signals, with exemptions for security agencies. [98] Hezbollah has used drones guided by fibre-optic cable. [98]

    Why it matters — Katz's office called it a stopgap until other ways of stopping such drones are found. [98]

50. 51

    Trump doubts reports that Russia and China help Iran

    Trump said on Monday he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran, saying they have 'too much to lose'. [99] Two people briefed on US intelligence say assessments in recent months found both countries giving Iran satellite pictures for targeting and parts for weapons. [100] Trump has recently spoken with Putin and with Xi Jinping, China's president, about energy and trade. [99]

    Why it matters — Days earlier Trump agreed with Putin to let Russia sell its diesel abroad. [99]

51. 52

    Bali frees 20 rescued sea turtles

    Police on Bali, Indonesia, released 20 protected green sea turtles back into the sea on Tuesday. [101] Marine police had found 22 turtles on Saturday on an empty boat that smugglers seem to have left as they fled a raid off Serangan Island. [101] Two turtles are still sick and are being treated before release. [101]

    Why it matters — Residents who suspected smuggling tipped off the police. [101]