The US orders non-emergency staff and families out of Saudi Arabia as attacks kill four at Dammam's airport and the Shaybah oil field

The rest of the day

50 more stories on this beat.

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

1. 02

   Russia agrees to talks, then fires 21 missiles at Kyiv

   Russia's President Vladimir Putin met Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's envoy, in St Petersburg on Wednesday, their ninth meeting in person. [21] Russia then said it was ready 'in principle' to restart three-way talks with Ukraine and the US, at a working level, from about 10 November. [21] Those talks stopped in February. [21] That night Russia fired 21 ballistic missiles at Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, in three waves, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said. [17][18] Seven people were killed across Ukraine. [20] Ukraine sent about 630 drones towards the Moscow region. [23]

   Why it matters — Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said the ideas Witkoff brought held little that was useful. [22] Zelensky said the missiles showed Russia had not changed, and asked allies for more air defence. [17]

2. 03

   Iran says seven tankers were hit near Hormuz

   Iran's state television said seven oil tankers were hit or damaged near the Strait of Hormuz overnight into Thursday. [28] The strait is the narrow sea route out of the Gulf that much of the world's oil uses. [31] Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy said four tankers moving oil were hit and caught fire, and three struck sea mines. [28][29] If true, it is the most ships damaged there in one day since the war on Iran began on 28 February. [28] The Guards warned that US bases in the region could be next. [28]

   4 of 7

   tankers Iran says it hit overnight

   Why it matters — The International Maritime Organization, the UN body for shipping, counted 116 attacks on ships and 24 deaths up to 20 October. [31] On one gas carrier stuck off Pakistan, the crew refused to sail through, and one sailor's refusal is enough to stop a ship. [30]

3. 04

   Fighting closes in on besieged Taiz

   Yemen's government forces fought Houthi fighters on the western edge of Taiz on Wednesday, near the old airport and Jabal Han mountain. [34] Taiz is Yemen's third-largest city, with more than 900,000 people, and the Houthis have almost surrounded it. [33][34] The UN says almost 260,000 people in Yemen have fled their homes since August, about half of them to Taiz. [32] Oxfam, an aid charity, says no fuel has reached the city for two to three weeks. [33] A 20-litre can of petrol that cost about $20 now costs $80. [33]

   $20Petrol, before the siege

   ↓→

   $80Petrol in Taiz now

   Why it matters — The UN has confirmed 57 civilians killed in the fighting, half of them children. [32] Donor countries have paid only 23% of the UN's aid plan for Yemen this year. [33]

4. 05

   Israel votes next week with no clear winner

   Israel holds a general election on 27 October. [37] Most polls show neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp nor the camp led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief, with a clear path to a majority. [35] Eisenkot is level with Netanyahu in the polls. [36] Arab citizens, about a fifth of Israel's people, could decide who governs. [35] But Eisenkot has ruled out a government with Arab parties. [35] Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, said any future attack on Israel would be 'licensed in the names' of opposition leaders who criticised his warnings. [38]

   Why it matters — Critics worry that Netanyahu's and Katz's warnings of attacks before the vote are made to win votes. [38] Netanyahu's campaign billboards offer a choice of 'Right or Palestine', with opposition leaders shown on the Palestine side. [35]

5. 06

   Russia frees an American held four years

   Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher from the US state of Michigan, during Witkoff's visit on Wednesday. [25][26] Russia had held him for more than four years on charges of fighting for Ukraine as a paid soldier, which he denied. [24][25] A closed court sentenced him to seven years in 2024. [25] Trump said he had asked Putin directly, and that the US gave nothing in return. [25] Witkoff then praised Putin as 'a humanitarian'. [24]

   Why it matters — Unlike many past releases of Americans, this was not a prisoner swap. [24] Hubbard's sister said he was beaten and starved in prison. [24]

6. 07

   Sudan talks in Geneva without the fighters

   UN and Swiss officials met nearly two dozen countries in Geneva on Wednesday to plan a way to end Sudan's war. [47] The two sides fighting it, Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force, were not there. [47] It was the sixth meeting of its kind. [47] Swiss diplomat Alexandre Fasel said the war has become 'a drone war' that mostly kills civilians. [47] The UN condemned a drone strike that killed dozens at a market in Al Dibab, in West Kordofan, on Sunday. [49]

   Why it matters — The war began in April 2023 between two former allies who took power together in a 2021 coup. [48] Famine-like conditions persist in Darfur and Kordofan, Fasel said. [47]

7. 08

   France bans protests in Lyon and central Paris

   Lyon, France's third-largest city, banned all demonstrations for Saturday 24 October. [52] Paris police barred protests near the presidential palace, parliament and tourist sites such as the Louvre. [53] France's interior minister had expected about 200,000 people at last Saturday's cost-of-living protests, but 550,000 to 800,000 came, and riots followed. [54] President Emmanuel Macron chaired an emergency security meeting on Thursday. [54] Union leaders left talks with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu with no new measures, and called a strike for 5 November. [55]

   Why it matters — Macron accused unnamed foreign leaders, taken to mean Trump and Netanyahu, of using the riots in their own election campaigns. [56] A second national day of protest is set for Saturday. [55]

8. 09

   North Korea readies its border loudspeakers

   Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, said propaganda loudspeakers would be ready along the whole border with South Korea within days. [44][45] It would be the first loudspeaker exchange across the border in 16 months. [44] South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung stopped the South's broadcasts in June 2025 to ease tensions. [44] South Korea's defence ministry said it would answer in proportion if the North goes ahead. [44]

   Why it matters — Tensions have risen since a landmine wounded three South Korean soldiers in September. [44] A row over who has authority inside the border zone has also strained South Korea's alliance with the US. [46]

9. 10

   El Salvador hits Haitian gangs over hostages

   El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said he launched a military operation in Haiti on Wednesday to free four Salvadoran air force technicians. [64][65] Gangs ambushed their armoured vehicle on Sunday in Croix-des-Bouquets, near Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince. [65] The men belong to the Gang Suppression Force, which the UN Security Council approved this month. [64] Bukele said the attack was 'nothing' compared with what would follow if the four were not returned alive. [64]

   Why it matters — It is the first big attack on the new international force. [65] Bukele said the four were pilots and technicians who carry out medical evacuations, not fighters. [64]

10. 11

    Mexico charges an ex-prosecutor with treason

    Mexico's federal prosecutors charged Cesar Jauregui, until this year the top prosecutor of the border state of Chihuahua, with treason on Wednesday. [61][62][63] They say he let US agents join an April raid on a suspected drug lab without federal approval. [61] The raid came to light when two Americans, said to work for the CIA, died in a car crash with two Mexican officers. [61] Jauregui denies it, and a judge hears the case on Saturday. [61]

    Why it matters — Treason is one of Mexico's gravest and least-used charges. [62] President Claudia Sheinbaum says foreign agents need federal permission to work in Mexico, while Trump presses her to crack down on drug gangs. [61]

11. 12

    The ICC wins Europe's top rights prize

    The European Parliament gave its Sakharov Prize for human rights to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday. [50] The ICC, based in The Hague, tries people for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. [50] The Trump administration announced sanctions on the court on 9 October. [51] The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza. [50] The prize is worth 50,000 euros and will be presented in December. [51][50]

    Why it matters — The Parliament's Socialists and Democrats group nominated the court after the US sanctions. [51] Tundu Lissu, Tanzania's opposition leader, now on trial for treason, was one of the other finalists. [50][69]

12. 13

    Georgia's top court weighs banning the opposition

    Georgia's Constitutional Court began three days of hearings on Wednesday on a government lawsuit to ban the five main opposition parties. [78] The ruling Georgian Dream party, in power since 2012, says they threaten the constitutional order. [78] All five are pro-Western, and only one, For Georgia, has seats in parliament. [78] The court must rule by June 2027, and its decision cannot be appealed. [78]

    Why it matters — Civil society groups say a ban would start one-party rule. [78] The EU says Georgia is now a candidate to join it 'in name only'. [78]

13. 14

    Tanzania charges a second opposition leader

    Tanzania charged John Pambalu, a senior official of the main opposition party Chadema, with treason on Wednesday. [69] Treason can carry the death penalty in Tanzania. [69] He is accused of urging people to obstruct the 2025 general election. [69] He is the second Chadema official charged, after party leader Tundu Lissu, whose trial is ending. [69] President Samia Suluhu Hassan won that election with 98% of the vote after Chadema was shut out. [69]

    Why it matters — An inquiry set up by Hassan put the death toll from the election violence at 518. [69] Chadema's deputy leader John Heche said he expects a similar charge. [69]

14. 15

    US embassy accuses Canada of meddling

    The US embassy in Ottawa, Canada's capital, accused Canadian leaders on Wednesday of trying to influence the US midterm elections in November. [66] It named Industry Minister Melanie Joly, over talk of tariffs aimed at Republican states, and Ontario's premier Doug Ford, over a TV advert against tariffs. [67] Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ford rejected the claim. [68] The same day they announced a $6.2 billion plan to protect Canada's steel and car makers from US tariffs. [67]

    Why it matters — Canada's car exports to the US have fallen more than 10%, and US car exports to Canada more than 20%. [67] Carney wants to double Canada's exports to other countries within ten years. [67]

15. 16

    Israel detains olive-harvest volunteers

    Israel's military detained about 80 volunteers helping Palestinians pick olives near Nahalin, a village near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday. [41] They included Brad Lander, a Democratic candidate for the US Congress, several rabbis and Israel's former deputy attorney general. [41] Lander was released within hours. [42] The army said the harvest had not been approved and was near an Israeli community. [42] Separately, all but one of ten suspects in recent settler attacks on a US photographer and a French mayor were moved to house arrest. [43]

    Why it matters — Settler violence in the West Bank is rising, but attackers are seldom prosecuted. [43] A lawyer for the suspects called their arrests 'for show'. [43]

16. 17

    Israeli troops kill a disabled man in Syria

    Israeli forces shot dead a man with a disability during raids on homes in the village of Jamla, in Syria's southern Daraa province, Syria's state news agency said on Thursday. [39][40] It said snipers were placed on rooftops. [39] The Israeli military did not comment. [39] Israel has sent troops into southern Syria many times since Bashar al-Assad, Syria's long-time ruler, was removed in December 2024. [39] The UN counted 280 armed Israeli incursions there in September alone. [40]

    Why it matters — Syria's foreign ministry says the raids damage any chance of stability. [40] Israeli officials have said they plan to keep troops in a zone inside Syria. [39]

17. 18

    Italian truckers' blockades empty shelves

    Truck drivers angry about diesel prices are blocking roads in southern Italy, leaving some supermarket shelves empty and airports short of fuel. [60] Business Minister Adolfo Urso said blocking only lorries still counts as a roadblock and can mean prison. [60] Police have identified 1,339 people, reported 71 and issued 242 fines, Italy's government said. [60] Police now escort trucks, including 500 in the Campania region alone. [60] Lawmakers are discussing a flexible cap on fuel prices. [60]

    Why it matters — The same fuel costs are hitting Italy's farmers and fishing businesses. [60]

18. 19

    Cost-of-living protests spread beyond France

    A German youth group, Gen Z regelt, called protests in 21 cities for 31 October over broken schools, cuts and the cost of living. [57] In Athens, about 10,000 students, teachers and public workers marched for school funding and cheaper housing, police said. [58] Some carried banners in French. [58] In Senegal, unions started a 72-hour general strike on Wednesday over rising prices. [59]

    Why it matters — German police unions said they would deal harshly with any riots. [57] In Senegal, a dialysis centre manager warned the strike could leave patients without treatment. [59]

19. 20

    Iraq shuts a main crossing into Iran

    Iraq closed the Al Sheeb crossing with Iran to people and goods on Wednesday, on orders from Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi. [75] An official said security arrangements were being reviewed and anti-smuggling equipment installed. [75] Iran's state media said Iran got no warning, though a deal between the two requires notice for any closure longer than a day. [75] Trade between the two countries was over $10 billion last year. [75]

    Why it matters — Markets in southern Iraq depend on Iranian fresh food and building materials, so prices there may rise. [75]

20. 21

    Four Muslim countries sign a defence deal

    Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar and Indonesia signed a defence cooperation deal in Doha, Qatar's capital, on Wednesday. [74] It is called the Badr Memorandum of Understanding. [74] Turkey's defence ministry announced it, and Pakistan's foreign office had not yet commented. [74] It follows the Makkah defence agreement that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed in August, under which an attack on one is treated as an attack on all. [74]

    Why it matters — Saudi Arabia, a member of the Makkah pact, was hit at Dammam's airport the same day. [1][74]

21. 22

    Taiwan charges five over attack on a comedian

    Prosecutors in New Taipei charged five Taiwanese men over a plot to injure Huang Yi-hao, a comedian who mocks China's leader Xi Jinping. [72][73] They say someone from mainland China called 'K' paid them about $13,900 to break his arms and legs before a show on 20 September. [73] A car swerved into Huang on his scooter last month, but he escaped serious injury. [73] Prosecutors say China's Communist Party is suspected of directing the attack. [72]

    Why it matters — China claims Taiwan as its own, and Taiwan has accused it many times of reaching across to silence critics. [72] China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond. [72]

22. 23

    Two European women freed after Niger kidnapping

    Eva Gretzmacher, 76, from Austria, and Claudia Abbt, 69, from Switzerland, were freed after more than a year in captivity. [70] Both were kidnapped in Agadez, a city in northern Niger, in January and April 2025. [70] They were handed over in Benghazi, in eastern Libya, and thanked the eastern commander Khalifa Haftar and his son Saddam. [70] Haftar reportedly oversaw the operation that freed them. [71] Nobody has said who held them or what was demanded. [70]

    Why it matters — Groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State have kidnapped and killed across Niger and its neighbours for years. [70] Libya is split between Haftar's east and a government in Tripoli. [70]

23. 24

    The Pope needs no more cancer treatment

    Pope Leo XIV, 71, needs no further treatment after surgery for lung cancer, his doctors said on Wednesday. [100][101] Surgeons removed the lower part of his right lung on 13 October at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. [100] Tests confirmed the cancer had not spread. [100] His surgeon said there was no medical reason to cancel his trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, planned for 6 to 17 November. [101]

    Why it matters — Pope Leo announced his illness himself, breaking with the Church's long habit of secrecy about popes' health. [101]

24. 25

    Greece rejects a Libya-Turkey sea deal

    Greece rejected a vote by eastern Libya's parliament to approve a 2019 sea-border deal with Turkey. [76] The deal divides Mediterranean waters between Libya and Turkey. [76] The eastern parliament, allied to commander Khalifa Haftar, had opposed it until its unanimous vote on Tuesday. [76] Greece says the deal ignores the rights of its islands and is 'illegal, null and void'. [76] Egypt and Cyprus also oppose it. [76]

    Why it matters — Rival claims over these waters, and the search for offshore oil and gas in them, have fed the dispute for years. [76]

25. 26

    A UAE minister runs to lead the UN

    Lana Nusseibeh, a minister of state in the United Arab Emirates, entered the race to be the next UN secretary general on Wednesday. [77] She was the UAE's ambassador to the UN from 2013. [77] She joins eight other candidates. [77] If chosen, she would be the first woman and the first Gulf Arab to lead the UN. [77] Straw polls point to Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan as the front-runner, but no one yet has enough Security Council support. [77]

    Why it matters — Nusseibeh led the UAE's team during its recent two years on the Security Council, the body whose backing decides the race. [77]

26. 27

    Sick US detainees face flights to Africa

    Families of seriously ill men held in two Florida immigration jails say US officers plan to deport them to countries in Africa. [94] They say Mexico refused to take some of the men because of their medical needs. [94] A lawyer, Shalyn Fluharty, said two flights were likely this week, to the Central African Republic and probably Burundi. [94] One of the men, a Cuban, has diabetes and pancreatitis and lost over 50 pounds in detention, his wife said. [94]

    Why it matters — Advocates say people sent to such 'third countries', which are not their own, get little medical care there. [94]

27. 28

    India frees two youth protest leaders

    A Delhi magistrate ordered the release of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party, after a week in Tihar jail. [87][88] The group is a youth movement, not a registered party. [87] It began as an online joke after India's top judge compared jobless young people to cockroaches. [87] The two were jailed for climbing a locked gate at Jantar Mantar, a protest site in central Delhi. [87] They had to sign a pledge to keep the peace. [88]

    Why it matters — The movement wants India's chief election commissioner to resign over voter-roll changes that removed more than 130 million names. [88] The governing BJP denies any interference. [88]

28. 29

    Imran Khan's party turns on itself

    Senior leaders of the PTI, Pakistan's main opposition party, accused each other in public on Wednesday after a failed protest march. [90] Secretary general Salman Akram Raja and Ali Amin Gandapur, a former provincial chief minister, traded charges of betraying the party. [90] The march ended with the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa placed under direct rule by its governor. [90] A Lahore court summoned officials over the continued jailing of Imran Khan's three sisters. [91]

    Why it matters — Imran Khan, the party's founder and a former prime minister, is in jail. [90] His sisters' 30-day detention orders ran out on 19 and 20 October, but they were not freed, their lawyer told the court. [91]

29. 30

    New Mexico sues Epstein's lawyer and accountant

    New Mexico, a US state, sued Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, the lawyer and accountant who run Jeffrey Epstein's estate, on Wednesday. [93] Attorney General Raul Torrez says they helped hide abuse at Epstein's ranch near Santa Fe and still profit while victims wait. [93] Their lawyer said they 'emphatically reject' the claims. [93] Epstein, a financier, left about $635m when he killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex-trafficking charges. [93]

    Why it matters — The two men could be paid tens of millions of dollars each from the estate once claims are settled. [93] Torrez says that money belongs to survivors. [93]

30. 31

    US Senate races tighten before the vote

    Two members of the Bush family, long Republican leaders in Texas, backed Democrat James Talarico for the US Senate there. [96] Polls show Talarico level with Republican Ken Paxton, and no Democrat has won a Texas Senate seat since 1988. [96] In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers clashed in a final debate over the US-Israeli war on Iran. [97] Republicans hold 53 of the US Senate's 100 seats. [97]

    • Republicans53 · 53%
    • Democrats45 · 45%
    • Independents who side with Democrats2 · 2%

    Why it matters — The 3 November elections decide which party controls the US Congress for the rest of Trump's term. [96][97]

31. 32

    AIPAC stops endorsing candidates

    AIPAC, an influential pro-Israel lobby group in the US, will stop endorsing candidates and giving them money directly, it told members in a letter. [98] The change reverses a strategy it adopted in 2021. [98] It will keep running United Democracy Project, its separate election-spending group. [98] AIPAC's backing has become a liability, especially in Democratic primaries, amid anger over the war in Gaza. [98]

    Why it matters — AIPAC called 2026 'one of the most challenging environments in recent memory'. [98]

32. 33

    Vance defends an attack ad in Ohio

    US Vice-President JD Vance told fellow Republicans to stop 'whining' about an advert attacking Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio. [95] In the ad, Acton's estranged mother says her daughter 'lied her entire life'. [95] It does not mention that the mother's husband was charged with raping Acton when she was a child. [95] Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign has paid millions to show it. [95]

    Why it matters — Acton's brother called the ad a 'despicable low'. [95]

33. 34

    Tunisia jails anti-pollution activists

    A court in Tunisia sentenced ten environmental activists over 2020 protests against pollution from a state phosphate plant in Gabes, a southern coastal city. [85] Two got one-year jail terms and eight got six-month suspended sentences, their lawyer said. [85] The state-owned factory brought the case. [85] The activists thought it had been dropped, then learned they had been sentenced in their absence in 2023. [85]

    Why it matters — Researchers say some of the plant's waste is radioactive and may harm health. [85] Tunisia plans to raise phosphate output more than fourfold by 2030. [85]

34. 35

    Ivory Coast charges 12 over a killing

    Prosecutors in Ivory Coast charged 12 people over the killing of a gendarme, a military police officer, shot near Agboville on 20 October 2025. [86] He died in the violence around last year's presidential election. [86] They face charges including murder and terrorism, before Abidjan's anti-terrorism court division. [86] Eleven people were officially reported killed in the election unrest. [86]

    Why it matters — President Alassane Ouattara won a disputed fourth term in that election. [86] The opposition party PPA-CI accuses Ivory Coast's government of anti-democratic acts, which officials deny. [86]

35. 36

    Italy and Spain end border checks

    Italy and Spain agreed to end the checks Italy put on travel from Spain on 1 August. [80] Italy brought them in after more than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, a Spanish city in North Africa, in July. [80] The checks suspended Europe's free-travel rules between the two and caused a bitter row. [80] The same day, the EU's rights agency said the Ceuta crossings put rights at Europe's borders 'to the test'. [81]

    Why it matters — Greece wants EU rules that let countries suspend asylum claims in emergencies. [81] Politico notes that could amount to pushbacks, turning people away at the border, which international law bans. [81]

36. 37

    EU prosecutors search far-right offices

    The European Public Prosecutor's Office, which investigates crimes against the EU budget, searched premises in France and Belgium on Wednesday. [79] Patriots for Europe, the third-largest group in the European Parliament, said its offices in Brussels and Strasbourg were searched. [79] It linked the searches to a long probe into misuse of funds by a former group, Identity and Democracy. [79] The prosecutors did not name the group. [79]

    Why it matters — Patriots for Europe was formed from what was left of Identity and Democracy after the 2024 European elections. [79]

37. 38

    AfD leader pitches a smaller EU

    Alice Weidel, co-leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right party, presented its plan for the EU at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday. [84] She said the EU is 'in severe need of reform'. [84] She wants it built on three ideas: decisions made as locally as possible, responsibility, and national sovereignty. [84] She said the EU is no longer a group of sovereign states. [84]

    Why it matters — Weidel said the European Commission, which is not elected, should not intrude in people's private lives. [84]

38. 39

    Bulgaria picks a president on Sunday

    Bulgaria votes for a president on 25 October, with a possible run-off on 1 November. [83] There are 27 candidates, but the race is between President Iliana Yotova, backed by the prime minister, and former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov, backed by the opposition. [83] The job is mostly ceremonial, but Bulgaria's president commands the armed forces and can veto laws. [83] Security in the Black Sea dominates the campaign. [83]

    Why it matters — The vote tests the cabinet of Rumen Radev, a former president whose party won Bulgaria's first outright majority in almost three decades in April. [83]

39. 40

    Cyprus asks the EU to plan mutual defence

    Cyprus's President Nikos Christodoulides wrote to Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, asking the EU to restart talks on its mutual defence clause. [82] The clause, Article 42.7 of the Lisbon Treaty, says EU members must help one that is attacked 'by all the means in their power'. [82] His letter, dated 20 October, asked for a timeline. [82]

    Why it matters — The clause has risen up the agenda because of Russia's war on Ukraine, its hidden attacks on the EU, and the wars in the Middle East. [82]

40. 41

    Delhi starts its winter pollution rules

    Delhi, a city of 30 million people, began its yearly measures against toxic air on Thursday. [89] Its government banned open burning of rubbish and told food stalls to stop using coal or firewood. [89] Monitors read 233 micrograms of fine dust per cubic metre early on Thursday, about 15 times the World Health Organization's limit. [89] Similar measures have failed in past years. [89]

    Why it matters — Pollution peaks from November to January. [89] A 2024 study linked 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 to dirty air. [89]

41. 42

    Malaysia bans Waze for civil servants

    Malaysia barred its civil servants from using Waze, a navigation app owned by Alphabet, Google's parent company. [92] Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the app's Israeli origins raised security concerns because it is 'bound to Israeli laws'. [92] He gave no details of the risks. [92] He recommended TuJu, a Malaysian app made by the country's highway authority. [92] Malaysia, a mostly Muslim country, has no diplomatic ties with Israel. [92]

    Why it matters — The ban followed a meeting of Malaysia's national cybersecurity committee. [92]

42. 43

    Russia arrests a former German soldier

    Russia's FSB security service said on Wednesday it had arrested a German man, calling him a 'mercenary', a paid fighter, for Ukraine. [27] It said he served in Germany's army from 1996 to 2010 and later fought in Ukraine's Donetsk region. [27] The FSB did not give his name or say where he was arrested. [27] Germany's foreign ministry said it had seen the reports. [27]

    Why it matters — The arrest came on the day Russia freed the American Stephen Hubbard, held on a similar charge. [27] Past releases of Americans from Russia have often come through prisoner swaps. [24]

43. 44

    Rubio meets Indian business leaders

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, and N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, in Mumbai on Wednesday. [108] He then visited Reliance Industries' oil refinery at Jamnagar in Gujarat. [108] Neither side gave details of the meetings. [108] In Washington, Trump said a US-India trade deal was 'pretty close'. [109]

    Why it matters — India and the US agreed a framework for the first stage of a trade deal in February. [109] Energy is at the centre of Rubio's trip. [108]

44. 45

    Colombia seizes 7.6 tonnes of cocaine

    Colombian police seized 7.6 tonnes of cocaine bound for the Netherlands at the port of Cartagena, President Abelardo de la Espriella said. [107] It was hidden in panela, an unrefined cane sugar, and found with help from the US Drug Enforcement Administration. [107] He called it the port's biggest seizure in ten years. [107] Separately, two Dutch men were arrested in Colombia at the Netherlands' request. [107]

    EU seizures, 2023419 tonnes

    EU seizures, 2024330 tonnes

    This one ship, Cartagena7.6 tonnes

    Why it matters — The EU's drugs agency says 330 tonnes of cocaine were seized in the EU in 2024, down from 419 tonnes in 2023. [107]

45. 46

    Lithuania finds a huge drugs lab

    Lithuanian police uncovered one of the largest synthetic drug labs in the Baltic states, near Vilnius, the capital. [106] They seized more than 500kg of methamphetamine, more than 300kg of amphetamine and over 3,000 litres of a chemical used to make amphetamine. [106] Police say a Dutch man of Turkish origin ran it with three Lithuanians. [106] The drugs were worth more than 2 million euros at wholesale prices. [106]

    Why it matters — Police say a lab this size was making drugs for markets across Europe. [106]

46. 47

    UK border chief warns of Channel deaths

    Britain's Border Security Commander, Duncan Capps, warned that a mass-casualty event in the English Channel is 'only a matter of time'. [104] Smugglers are using bigger boats, with a record 230 people seen on one dinghy this year. [104] They are also launching from Normandy, so some crossings are nearly 60 nautical miles. [104] About 3,800 people live in camps near Dunkirk, double the number two years ago. [104]

    Why it matters — Longer crossings in bigger, overloaded boats are most dangerous in winter. [104]

47. 48

    US base failed to tell UK police of a crime

    The US military did not tell British police about a drink-driving allegation against Christopher Mooty, an airman based in Suffolk, England, the Guardian found. [103] That broke a long-standing agreement that lets British police investigate crimes by US troops based in Britain. [103] His commanders disciplined him internally instead. [103] A year later he drove drunk again and was prosecuted in a British court. [103]

    Why it matters — Britain's government and police chiefs set up an inquiry this summer into whether US personnel are being brought to justice. [103]

48. 49

    Ireland apologises to an IRA victim's family

    Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin apologised in parliament on Wednesday to the family of Brian Stack, a prison officer shot in Dublin in 1983 by the IRA, an armed Irish republican group. [102] Stack, chief officer at Portlaoise prison, was paralysed and died 18 months later. [102] Three police inquiries never brought anyone to justice. [102] The apology was for failings in those investigations. [102]

    Why it matters — Martin said the IRA still holds all the facts of the case. [102] Stack's sons left the chamber when members of Sinn Fein, an Irish party, spoke. [102]

49. 50

    Wales marks 60 years since Aberfan

    King Charles III led tributes in Aberfan, Wales, on 21 October, 60 years after a coal waste tip slid onto the village school. [105] The 1966 disaster killed 116 children and 28 adults. [105] Coal bosses had been warned, and the tip had moved in 1944 and 1963. [105] No one was prosecuted or lost their job. [105]

    Why it matters — The King and Prince William laid wreaths and met survivors. [105]

50. 51

    Pakistan arrests a US postage fraud suspect

    Pakistan's cybercrime agency arrested Faheem Akram, 33, who is accused of selling fake US postage labels. [99] US prosecutors say he sold more than five million labels through a website, LabelsBank.com, since 2023. [99] They say this cost the US Postal Service $126 million. [99] A US grand jury in Florida charged him last month, and a $100,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest. [99]

    Why it matters — The fake labels, usually sold for $2 each, let customers post parcels far more cheaply than real labels allowed. [99]