Israel seals off Hebron and starts knocking down homes after two soldiers are killed at a checkpoint, four days before Israel votes

The rest of the day

54 more stories on this beat.

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

1. 02

   Gunmen kill seven at a church funeral in Jordan

   Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hammoud, a village in Jordan's southern Karak region, on Friday. [28] They killed seven people and wounded at least 34, then fled in a pickup truck, a witness said. [29] Jordan is a mostly Muslim country of about 11.5 million people, with a Christian minority of a couple of hundred thousand, and gun attacks like this are rare there. [30] No one has claimed it, and the interior minister blamed 'a group of extremists'. [29] Jordan declared three days of national mourning. [13]

   Why it matters — King Abdullah II said anyone who thinks they can divide Jordanians with bullets will fail, and promised the harshest penalties. [28] Karak was last attacked in 2016, when gunmen killed 10 people, seven of them police officers. [13]

2. 03

   US envoy says Iran could be struck this weekend

   Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, said the US could 'absolutely' strike Iran this weekend. [16] He has no direct role on Iran, and President Donald Trump said he knew nothing about it. [16] The US and Iran have fought mostly over shipping since early September, with no big attacks on land. [31] US diplomats are preparing embassy evacuations in the region, Middle East Eye reported. [32] Foreign ministers from eight European and Middle Eastern countries, meeting in Istanbul, urged the US and Israel not to attack. [33]

   Why it matters — Oil rose about 3.5% to pass $117 a barrel on Friday, after Iran threatened Gulf oil sites, undersea cables and data centres if it is attacked. [18] A Brookings Institution expert expects strikes soon after the US midterm elections on 3 November. [31]

3. 04

   Truce agreed for one Ukrainian town

   Russia and Ukraine agreed to stop firing around Oleshky, a Russian-held town in southern Ukraine, from 27 October. [22][34] The US president's office says Melania Trump, the US first lady, brokered it so aid can get in and people can leave. [22] Oleshky sits on the Dnipro river opposite Kherson. [35] About 24,000 people lived there before 2022, and 1,700 to 2,000 remain, about 50 of them children. [35] Some residents have been eating weeds to survive. [22]

   24,000Oleshky before 2022

   ↓→

   about 2,000Oleshky now

   Why it matters — Ukraine's negotiator, Dmytro Lubinets, said the truce covers the Kherson region and could be a model for other aid missions. [34] The US president's office did not say how long it will last. [22]

4. 05

   Drone sinks a cargo ship off Romania

   A drone hit the Khoryv, a cargo ship flying the flag of Comoros, about 13 nautical miles off Constanta, Romania's biggest port, on Friday. [36] The ship capsized, and one sailor died, three are missing and nine were rescued from its crew of ten Ukrainians and three Azerbaijanis. [36] It had left Turkey on 21 October for Romania's port of Sulina. [37] Romania's president, Nicusor Dan, blamed Russia. [24] It is believed to be the fourth merchant ship attacked off Romania this month. [24]

   Why it matters — Romania and Bulgaria, both NATO members, want the alliance to do more to protect ships, and NATO is sending more patrol planes and radar. [24] Dan says Russia wants to weaken Romania's support for Ukraine. [38]

5. 06

   France calls a shooting near Paris racist terrorism

   A gunman shooting from his car killed one person and wounded five, among them a 12-year-old girl, in Trappes and La Verriere, towns west of Paris, on Friday. [39][40] The shooting lasted about 15 minutes, and police arrested him soon after. [14] Prosecutors named him as Kevin T., 39, and found a Sten submachine gun in his car. [14][41] President Emmanuel Macron said the victims were targeted for their skin colour or religion. [39] Trappes is a poorer suburb with a large Muslim community. [42]

   Why it matters — It came a day before new protests, after some on France's far right had blamed immigration for last week's violence. [40] Macron asked people not to let the attack divide the country. [43]

6. 07

   Record month for attacks on ships near Hormuz

   October has seen 28 attacks on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the most of any month on record. [17] That is the count of a tracker at the Washington Institute, a US research group. [17] It counts 113 since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on 28 February. [17] A Reuters review of UN shipping data found 11 supertankers damaged this month, each able to carry about 2 million barrels. [17] Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two more hit naval mines on a route it bans south of the strait. [44]

   28 of 113

   attacks on ships near Hormuz since 28 February; the filled dots are October

   Why it matters — The Guards said both ships were left stranded with their engine rooms disabled, and warned of a 'far more forceful' answer if what they call smuggling goes on. [44] Oil passed $117 a barrel on Friday, its highest price since April, as traders feared a wider war. [18]

7. 08

   Lula and Bolsonaro hold a calmer last debate

   Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, held their last TV debate on Friday before Sunday's run-off vote. [19][45] It was calmer than the first, though Bolsonaro called Lula 'nine fingers' and then apologised. [19] Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, won the first round 47% to 45%, and polls now show a tie. [19][46] Ten days before the run-off, Brazil's Congress passed Lula's plan to cut the working week from 44 hours to 40 without a cut in pay. [45]

   Why it matters — The winner will run Latin America's biggest economy, with 214 million people. [19] A Bolsonaro win would bring Brazil closer to the US, and a Lula win would keep it closer to China, AP reports. [19]

8. 09

   Diplomats plan to recognise Brazil's winner fast

   Foreign diplomats in Brasilia, Brazil's capital, are discussing recognising Sunday's winner quickly, four ambassadors told Reuters. [47] They want to head off any attempt from abroad to call the election early for either man. [47] Two said they worry the Trump administration might question the result if Lula wins narrowly. [47] No plan is agreed yet, and several embassies are still discussing it with their governments. [47]

   Why it matters — One ambassador said it would not be a surprise if Trump or Argentina's president, Javier Milei, declared Bolsonaro the winner before Brazil's election officials do. [47] The ambassador warned that could set off a crisis inside Brazil's institutions. [47]

9. 10

   Brazil must help Indigenous people get to the polls

   A federal court in Para state ordered Brazil's government to make sure Indigenous people across the country can vote in Sunday's run-off. [48] Prosecutors had asked for free transport by river, road or air, plus food, interpreters and signs in Indigenous languages. [48] Their case cited claims that some towns refused transport for political reasons, and ranchers stopped Indigenous workers leaving farms to vote. [48]

   Why it matters — The ruling said distance and no transport can make a right that exists on paper impossible to use. [48] The run-off is on Sunday, 25 October. [48]

10. 11

    Israel's last polls show no majority

    Israel's three main TV channels published their last polls before Tuesday's election on Friday evening. [12] All put the bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief, two to six seats ahead of Netanyahu's coalition. [12] Neither reached the 61 seats needed for a majority of the 120-seat parliament. [12] Arab-majority parties, whose ban was overturned by Israel's Supreme Court last month, got 14 to 16 seats. [12]

    Why it matters — Haaretz's analyst writes that a deadlocked result would make a new war with Iran more likely, as part of the fight to form a government. [12] The election committee also ordered Likud to take down signs showing Eisenkot's allies beside Arab lawmakers. [49]

11. 12

    Netanyahu floats crypto to beat bank sanctions

    Netanyahu told an Israeli TV channel on Friday that the country should prepare for sanctions that could cut it off from world banking. [49] He said he had asked advisers to plan a way round them using blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrency. [50] It follows Britain and 11 other Western countries announcing sanctions on goods from Israel's West Bank settlements. [50] Haaretz noted that only heavily sanctioned countries, such as Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela, use crypto this way. [49]

    Why it matters — He also said multibillion-dollar US weapons packages 'won't keep coming'. [50] He said it four days before an election in which the last polls put his camp behind. [50][12]

12. 13

    Kenya searches the rubble of a Nairobi tower

    A building of more than ten floors, still being built, collapsed at about 1pm on Friday in Eastleigh, a crowded trading district of Nairobi, Kenya's capital. [51][52] Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said seven people were missing and rescuers had made contact with some of them. [53] Police pulled one woman out and fired tear gas at people looting nearby shops. [51] The head of a Kenyan engineering body blamed builders who skip professional checks. [54]

    Why it matters — A resident said many workers were at Friday prayers when it fell, which may have kept the toll down. [55] The minister promised a full investigation. [53]

13. 14

    Russia and Ukraine swap 540 prisoners

    Russia and Ukraine each freed 270 prisoners of war on Friday, in a 27th exchange arranged with help from the United Arab Emirates. [23] Ukraine got back 261 soldiers and nine civilians, most held since 2022. [56][23] Five of them had been thought killed in a 2022 attack on Olenivka, a prison camp in occupied Ukraine. [56] Ukrainians held with Stephen Hubbard, the 74-year-old American Russia freed this week, told the BBC that guards beat and mocked him. [57]

    Why it matters — The UAE says its talks have now freed 8,537 captives in all. [23] Ukraine's president said in May the US-brokered deal would cover 2,000 prisoners. [56]

14. 15

    France puts 70,000 police on the streets

    France is deploying about 70,000 police on Saturday for new cost-of-living protests, including elite counter-terror units, helicopters and water cannon. [25][58] The Louvre, the Orsay and other big Paris museums are shut, and the Art Basel fair cancelled its weekend. [27] More than half a million people marched last weekend, when the protests turned to looting and fires. [27] The movement began with school students demanding more teachers and better buildings. [58]

    Why it matters — The interior minister said 'ultra-left' groups were calling for violence online. [25] Italy has more than 30 protests planned for the same day. [26]

15. 16

    Islamic State calls for attacks on protest marches

    Spain's interior ministry found messages on a website linked to the Islamic State group urging attacks on police and marchers at Europe's protests, the Spanish paper El Pais reported. [15] They called the crowds and clashes 'a rare opportunity' and urged vehicle-ramming and suicide bombs. [15] Portugal's security service said it is closely watching the alert. [15] Protests over housing and prices have filled squares in Lisbon, Porto and Madrid for weeks. [15]

    Why it matters — The warning lands as France and Italy brace for their own marches on Saturday. [26] El Pais said the messages describe police as 'easy prey' when they clash with marchers. [15]

16. 17

    Taiz hospital may stop dialysis within days

    The dialysis centre at the Republican Hospital in Taiz, Yemen, treats 270 patients. [59] It has cut sessions from four hours to two and a half, and its director says it may shut within days. [59] The Houthis, the Iran-backed group that holds Yemen's north, have surrounded Taiz since early October and cut its road to Aden. [60] The UN says more than 800,000 people there are cut off from aid. [60]

    Why it matters — Most people in Taiz rely on water brought by truck, which now costs three times as much, a UN spokesman said. [60] At least 200,000 of those cut off are women and children. [60]

17. 18

    US sues over Alaska's two Dan Sullivans

    The Trump administration asked a federal court to stop Alaska certifying its Senate result if Republican Senator Dan Sullivan loses. [20] It argues that a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot may confuse voters. [20] It wants the block to apply if the senator loses by fewer votes than the other Sullivan gets. [20] Polls show Democrat Mary Peltola narrowly ahead before the 3 November vote. [20]

    Why it matters — Trump told reporters 'I'm the one that said do it'. [20] The other Sullivan, a retired teacher, has denied his run has any hidden purpose. [20]

18. 19

    California told to set aside some ballots

    US federal prosecutors told county officials across California to set aside and check ballots the Justice Department says may belong to non-citizens. [61] It has already sued to stop Los Angeles county counting about 20,000 such votes, with a hearing on Tuesday. [61] Most of the immigrants charged in California this week had applied for US citizenship, and could face years in prison for lying on forms. [62]

    Why it matters — Voting by non-citizens is very rare and has not been shown to change any result, the data show. [61] One woman charged returned a ballot her family thought was a registration form, her husband said. [62]

19. 20

    Trump says Cuba is next after Iran

    Trump told a rally in Florida the US would 'take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran', then send Secretary of State Marco Rubio to 'finish up the deal'. [63] Rubio then urged Cubans who want change to act 'now' through a partnership with the CIA, the US spy agency. [64] A US oil blockade this year has caused fuel shortages and blackouts in Cuba. [63] US forces seized Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, in a deadly raid in January. [63]

    Why it matters — The US government says its goal is to change Cuba's communist government. [63] Cuba's foreign minister told the UN last month that Cuba is open to talks. [63]

20. 21

    Judge drops the crypto case against Milei

    A federal judge dropped the criminal case against Argentina's president, Javier Milei, and his sister Karina over $Libra, a crypto coin. [65][66] The coin crashed in February 2025, shortly after Milei promoted it online, and most buyers lost money. [65] Judge Marcelo Martinez de Giorgi said no criminal deception had been proven. [65] He also dropped a case against Hayden Davis, a US businessman who advised on the launch and says he held about $100m after the crash. [66]

    Why it matters — Milei said he had acted in good faith and has not yet responded. [65] Prosecutors themselves had asked the judge to drop the case. [65]

21. 22

    US military calls Confucius Institutes a threat

    The US defence department named Confucius Institutes, Chinese-funded cultural centres at universities, a threat to US national security. [67] Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said 80 such groups had reappeared under new names at 30 universities after the US Congress restricted them. [68] He said his department had broken up all of them over the past two months. [68] China's embassy in Washington did not reply to questions. [68]

    Why it matters — The US government has long called the centres tools of Chinese propaganda. [67] Hegseth called them 'sleeper organisations'. [67]

22. 23

    US watchdog member tells broadcasters to push back

    Anna Gomez, the only Democrat on the US Federal Communications Commission, which licenses TV and radio stations, wrote to the broadcasters' trade group on Thursday. [69] She said its answer to pressure from the Trump administration had been too quiet. [69] She pointed to commission chair Brendan Carr saying stations could break their rules by airing 'entirely fake polls' before the 3 November midterms. [69]

    Why it matters — The midterms may decide which party controls both houses of the US Congress. [69]

23. 24

    US court ends bond hearings for detained migrants

    A US appeals court ruled 10-7 on Friday that the Constitution does not require bond hearings for detained immigrants. [70] The ruling covers Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, the states under the court in New Orleans. [70] Judge Cory Wilson wrote that detainees can be free 'at any moment' by agreeing to leave the country. [70] The US Supreme Court agreed this month to hear the same question. [70]

    Why it matters — A bond hearing gives a detainee the chance to seek release on bond while their case goes on. [70] The ruling removes one of the main ways detainees in those states can argue for release. [70]

24. 25

    Russia hits Kyiv harder, and Ukraine gains ground

    Russian attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, are coming harder and more often this year, DW reports. [71] With too few shelters for its 4 million people, metro stations become dormitories every night. [71] Ukraine said on Friday it has retaken more land this year than Russia has seized. [72] Russia answered by hitting dozens of energy sites and dropping cluster bombs that hurt civilians, Al Jazeera reported. [72]

    Why it matters — Ukraine says it gained ground despite limits on US satellite services it relies on. [72]

25. 26

    Girl held over poison sent to soldiers

    Ukrainian police arrested a 17-year-old girl in Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv, suspected of mailing deadly capsules to soldiers for a Russian handler. [73] She was paid at least 5,000 hryvnias, about $111, police said. [73] Two soldiers died after taking the capsules, which held a lethal dose of methadone, a strong drug. [73] Police said they stopped four more packages. [73]

    Why it matters — Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of recruiting teenagers online for sabotage. [73] Most of the contact happens on Telegram, a messaging app. [73]

26. 27

    First Russian diesel tanker heads for New York

    A tanker carrying about 40,000 tonnes of Russian diesel left the Baltic port of Primorsk for New York, under a deal Trump announced with Putin this month. [74][75] The ship tracker Kpler says it is due on 7 November, four days after the US midterm elections. [74] It would be the first Russian diesel sent to the US since July 2023. [75]

    Why it matters — The sudden change in US sanctions was seen as a way to bring down fuel prices before the vote, AP reports. [75] Ukraine protested against the deal. [75]

27. 28

    Estonia warns of Russian sabotage

    Margus Tsahkna, Estonia's foreign minister, said Russian sabotage in Europe has reached a new and dangerous phase, as his country's spy-catchers warned. [76] He said Estonia jailed three men three weeks ago over an attack on a defence company. [76] He said the Russian troops once massed on Estonia's border were sent to Ukraine and died there. [76]

    Why it matters — Tsahkna said Russia's aim is to divide Europe's societies, not to beat NATO's armies. [76] Estonia is a small NATO member on Russia's border. [77]

28. 29

    Spain's opposition runs a deepfake ad

    Spain's main opposition party, the conservative People's Party, ran an ad using fake AI-made videos of people linked to the governing Socialists. [21] One showed a fake of the prime minister's wife, Begona Gomez, and another a fake of former prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. [21] The video had nearly 2 million views by Friday, and a minister called it a 'colossal lie'. [21]

    Why it matters — Spain votes on 29 November. [78] The party's leader, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, said he would rewrite abortion and euthanasia laws if he wins, and might govern with the far-right Vox. [78]

29. 30

    Pakistan drafts rules for AI in elections

    Pakistan's Election Commission proposed rules making parties and candidates label every piece of campaign material made with AI, including fake videos and fake voices. [79] The draft also bars digitally altered material that defames people. [79] It covers parties, the media and election observers, and the commission wants comments by 20 November. [79]

    Why it matters — Robocalls using cloned voices would have to say at the start that they were made with AI. [79] The commission calls misleading AI content a corrupt practice it must guard against. [79]

30. 31

    EU prosecutors look at the EPP's spending

    The EU's own prosecutor is investigating the European People's Party, the alliance of centre-right parties, a group of newspapers reported. [80] The case is about more than half a million euros paid to two Greek consultants. [80] The money was for campaign work before the 2024 European election. [80] The European Parliament, which funds European parties, refused to pay for it in full. [80] The prosecutors would not confirm the case. [80]

    Why it matters — Former EPP staff told reporters the fees were far above the work done. [80] The consultants dispute that, and say they have paid some money back. [80]

31. 32

    Hungary marks 70 years since 1956

    Hungary marked 70 years since its 1956 uprising against Soviet rule, which Soviet tanks crushed in 15 days, killing up to 3,000 rebels. [81] Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who took over from Viktor Orban, hosted EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa. [81] France's Macron, Poland's Tusk and Ukraine's Zelensky stayed away, after late invitations and diplomatic quarrels. [82]

    Why it matters — Magyar's government is trying to unlock billions of euros of EU money frozen over corruption and the rule of law. [81]

32. 33

    Fire at Hitler's Eagle's Nest

    Fire engulfed the Kehlsteinhaus, Hitler's mountain retreat in Bavaria known as the Eagle's Nest, on Friday night, and police detained a suspect. [83][84] About 200 emergency workers struggled to reach the building, which sits 1,834 metres up. [84] The Nazis finished it in 1938, and Hitler met commanders in the area to plan the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. [83]

    Why it matters — Since the war it has been a tourist site with an inn, kept as a warning about the Nazis. [83] Police are investigating whether the suspect started the fire. [83]

33. 34

    World war-crimes court asks the EU for help

    The European Commission should act 'as soon as possible' on US sanctions against the International Criminal Court, the world court for war crimes, its chief administrator said. [85] The US imposed sanctions on the whole court on 9 October. [85] Registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler said firms and charities do not know whether to obey the US rules. [85]

    Why it matters — The EU has resisted calls to use a rule that would forbid European firms from obeying the US sanctions. [85]

34. 35

    Syrians rally against Israeli raids

    Hundreds of people rallied in Damascus, Homs and Daraa on Friday against Israeli raids into southern Syria. [86] One raid this week killed a man with a disability. [86] Israel has struck Syria hundreds of times since Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December 2024. [86] It has also sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights. [86]

    Why it matters — Israeli troops have bulldozed olive groves, set up checkpoints and detained people in the south. [86] A protester in Daraa said Syria stands united against the raids. [86]

35. 36

    Pakistan and Saudi Arabia ratify their defence pact

    Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have finished ratifying the Makkah defence pact, Pakistan's foreign office said. [87] The pact, signed with Turkey in August, says an attack on one member is an attack on all. [87] Turkey is still ratifying it. [87] Pakistan's army spokesman said it is giving Saudi Arabia 'whatever support is needed' against Houthi attacks. [87]

    Why it matters — The foreign office said how the pact will work is still being discussed by the three countries. [87]

36. 37

    Turkey hints at a deal to reunite Libya

    Turkey's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said conditions are ripe to reunite Libya's rival governments in the east and west. [88] Both sides have their own armed forces, which would need to be joined into one army, he said. [88] He promised 'very good news' from Turkey soon. [88] Eastern Libya's parliament approved a sea-border deal with Turkey on Tuesday. [88]

    Why it matters — Turkey long backed the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, but has grown closer to the east. [88] The EU, including Italy and Greece, criticised the sea deal. [88]

37. 38

    Olive farmers attacked 21 times in a day

    Israeli forces and settlers attacked Palestinian farmers 21 times in 12 hours on Friday across six areas of the West Bank, a Palestinian official commission said. [89] The attacks included shootings, burning and cutting down olive trees, and stealing crops. [89] The olive harvest officially began on 15 October and runs to the end of November. [11]

    Why it matters — The crop matters to Palestinian families for their income and their culture. [2] The commission says the attacks aim to push Palestinians off their land. [89]

38. 39

    Floods may force 874,000 Somalis from home

    The UN's migration agency warned that nearly 874,000 people in Somalia could be forced from their homes by floods over the next three months. [90] Rains are expected to be heavier than normal as El Nino, a warming of the Pacific that shifts weather, grows stronger. [90] Many families are already living in crowded camps after drought. [90]

    Why it matters — Floods would wipe out crops and spoil drinking water, the agency said. [90] It is working with Somalia's authorities on early warnings. [90]

39. 40

    Johannesburg and Pretoria face water cuts

    Rand Water, which supplies water to South Africa's biggest cities, will cut supply to Johannesburg and Tshwane, the city that includes Pretoria, because they keep using too much. [91] Johannesburg used 1,724 million litres a day in September against a target of 1,528 million. [91] Tshwane used 893 million litres a day against 752 million. [91]

    1,528m litresJohannesburg allowed

    vsvs

    1,724m litresJohannesburg used

    Why it matters — Homes in both cities may get low pressure or water only some of the time. [91] Ekurhuleni, the third big city it supplies, kept to its share. [91]

40. 41

    ANC loses support before local elections

    With less than two weeks to South Africa's local elections, polls show support for the ANC, the governing party, falling. [92] It won just over 40% in the 2024 national vote and had to share power. [92] In Katlehong, near Johannesburg, 180 households have used illegal power lines for over 20 years. [92] 'No electricity, no vote,' a community leader said. [92]

    Why it matters — Broken water and power services are the main complaint. [92] The same week, Rand Water announced cuts to Johannesburg. [91]

41. 42

    Ivory Coast court delays the Thiam case

    A court in Abidjan put off until 19 November a hearing on whether Tidjane Thiam was properly elected leader of the PDCI, a main opposition party in Ivory Coast. [93] Two party members say the party's rules were broken. [93] A third case asks for an interim leader. [93] A court threw out a challenge in May 2025 that said he lost his nationality by taking French citizenship. [93]

    Why it matters — The judge joined all three cases into one hearing. [93]

42. 43

    Botswana backs an Armenian doctor for WHO

    Botswana nominated Gevorg Tamamyan, an Armenian doctor who treats children's cancer, to lead the World Health Organization. [94] He would replace Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whose second term ends in August 2027. [94] He is from Armenia, but Botswana nominated him, as part of his effort to win backing from several regions of the world. [94] He faces candidates backed by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, China, Spain and Indonesia. [94] The WHO's board will shortlist up to three in January 2027, and the World Health Assembly elects the winner in May. [94]

    Why it matters — The WHO's next leader will take over at a time of growing argument over how global health is run. [94]

43. 44

    US stops funding Afghan women's last university

    The US has stopped funding the American University of Afghanistan, one of the last places Afghan women can still study, DW reports. [95] The Taliban, who took power in 2021, banned women from universities in December 2022. [95] The university's campus was taken by the Taliban, but about 1,000 students study online, three-quarters of them women. [95]

    Why it matters — Students fear the university will shut entirely. [95] One woman told DW she has lost hope of earning a degree. [95]

44. 45

    Pakistan keeps arresting Afghans

    Pakistani authorities arrested 517 Afghans in one week in October, mostly in Balochistan, a UN report says. [96] About 2.74 million Afghans have been sent back from Pakistan since September 2023. [96] In the same week, 3,883 returned to Afghanistan through three border crossings. [96] Fear of arrest was the main reason most undocumented Afghans gave for going back, the report says. [96] Deportations that week fell by 48% from the week before. [96]

    Why it matters — Afghanistan's Taliban rulers bar women from school and university, and from many jobs. [95]

45. 46

    Taiwan says China sends militia boats

    Taiwan's coast guard said China is pairing militia boats, fishing boats that work for its military, with coast guard ships to prepare for conflict around Taiwan. [97] One such boat came within about 2.7 nautical miles of Taiwan's restricted waters in August. [97] The coast guard said the moves also put pressure on Japan and the Philippines. [97]

    Why it matters — Taiwan sent a patrol boat to drive the militia boat away. [97] China has increased this activity since June, the coast guard said. [97]

46. 47

    Typhoon Champi injures more than 500 in Taiwan

    Typhoon Champi glanced off Taiwan's north-east coast early on Saturday, killing one man and injuring 527 people. [98][99] The man was swept away by waves from Liuqiu, a small island. [99] More than 167,000 homes lost power, and most were reconnected by morning. [98] Taipei closed offices and schools for a second day. [99]

    Why it matters — The storm is weakening and heading north towards China's coast, then southern Japan. [98] Flight cancellations fell from almost 1,000 on Friday to 259. [99]

47. 48

    Wildfires threaten the world's oldest cave art

    Indonesia's worst wildfires since 2015 are threatening cave paintings on Sulawesi island that are more than 67,000 years old, researchers said. [100] A painting of people and a pig there has been dated to at least 51,200 years ago. [100] A strong El Nino has made the weather hotter and drier. [100] The oldest, a red hand stencil on Muna island, is at least 67,800 years old. [100] Fires burned for more than a week this month and came within 800 metres of one cave, a firefighter said. [100]

    Why it matters — Heat and smoke can speed up the damage to the rock art, researchers said. [100]

48. 49

    Ecuador keeps an opposition leader in jail

    A judge in Ecuador ordered Luisa Gonzalez, the left-wing candidate who lost the April 2025 presidential run-off, held in jail before trial. [101] She is accused of money laundering over $500,000 of advertising in her 2023 campaign. [101] Her party says the case is political persecution. [101] The party has been banned from next month's local elections. [101]

    Why it matters — Other party figures have been convicted, including a former vice-president. [101] President Daniel Noboa, a close ally of Trump, accuses the party of plotting against him. [101]

49. 50

    El Salvador's prisoners' families want more

    Families of people held in El Salvador's crackdown on gangs say President Nayib Bukele's plan to free some of them falls short. [102] Bukele said up to half of the more than 90,000 people arrested since March 2022 could be freed. [102] About 1.5% of the country's people are in prison, the highest rate in the world. [102]

    Why it matters — Families want every case reviewed and people paid for wrongful jailing. [102] Murders fell to 1.3 per 100,000 people in 2025, though experts say El Salvador's government narrowed how it counts them. [102]

50. 51

    Dubai flies winter blankets to Gaza

    Dubai Humanitarian began an air bridge to send winter supplies to Gaza. [103] The first flight landed in Al Arish, in Egypt, with thermal blankets for Unicef, the UN children's agency, before they went on into Gaza. [103] Each C-130 plane carries about nine tonnes, and at least three more flights are planned. [103]

    Why it matters — Its organisers say winter is hardest on families in Gaza already living in poor conditions, above all children. [103]

51. 52

    France closes a charity accused of funding Hamas

    Arrests have shut down a network accused of raising money for Hamas by diverting donations meant as aid for Gaza, prosecutors say. [104] US authorities say it raised $2 million, $1.5 million of it after the 7 October 2023 attack. [104] France's security service closed Association Baraka, a charity set up days after that attack. [104]

    Why it matters — PayPal told The National it was not processing payments for those named. [104]

52. 53

    Coal mine blast kills three in Turkey

    An explosion killed three miners at a coal mine in Gelik, in Zonguldak province in north-west Turkey. [105] A trapped miner was later confirmed dead. [105] Five were injured, two of them seriously, and one was moved to a hospital in Ankara. [105] The mine is privately owned, and an investigation into the blast has been opened. [105] Earlier this month five people died when a coal mine collapsed in Soma, in western Turkey. [105] A workers' safety group counts 1,267 miners killed at work in Turkey between 2013 and 2025. [105]

    Why it matters — Officials said the blast was caused by firedamp, a flammable gas found in coal mines. [105]

53. 54

    Portugal's last circus elephant goes to a sanctuary

    Julie, Portugal's last circus elephant, has moved to a new wildlife sanctuary in Alentejo, in the south of the country. [106] Portugal banned wild animals in circuses in 2018, and the law took effect in 2024. [106] The circus had nowhere else to send her. [106] Pangea, a British charitable trust, runs the 1,000-acre sanctuary, which is closed to the public. [106] Julie arrived in June and has put on about 100 kilos, which its manager hopes is mostly muscle from walking. [106] A second elephant, Kariba, is due from a circus in Belgium in November. [106]

    Why it matters — The sanctuary plans to take elephants from zoos and circuses across Europe. [106]

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    Explosions at a firework workshop kill five in India

    Explosions tore through a firecracker workshop run from a home in Siwan, in India's eastern state of Bihar, on Friday, killing five, three of them children, police said. [107] The owner and four relatives were among the dead. [107] Police said people living nearby feared more were buried under the rubble. [107] In March a fire at a fireworks factory in Maharashtra state killed 17 people. [107]

    Why it matters — Firework accidents are common in India, where safety rules are poorly enforced. [107] In August a similar blast in Uttar Pradesh killed 11 people, eight of them children. [107]