Israel votes in its first election since 7 October, with Netanyahu's side and the opposition both short of a majority in the final polls

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

   Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani chiefs fly to Iran

   Saudi Arabia's defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, flew to Iran's capital on Monday with Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, and Turkey's intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin. [15] Their three countries signed the Mecca pact, a promise to defend each other, in August. [14] It was their first joint visit to Iran since the war that began with US and Israeli strikes in February. [14][15] The talks ended with no deal, only an agreement to keep talking. [14]

   Why it matters — Dawn, a Pakistani newspaper, said the pact countries moved from defence to diplomacy. [27] Oman's foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, called the same day for a no-attack pact between the six Gulf states, Iran and Iraq, with the US no longer the main protector. [28]

2. 03

   Egypt's parliament lets Sisi send troops to Saudi Arabia

   Egypt's parliament on Monday gave President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the power to send troops to defend Saudi Arabia. [16] Egypt's constitution needs two-thirds of the house, 398 of 596 members, to approve a combat mission abroad. [16] Sisi says he will act only if Saudi Arabia asks, and no request has been made public. [16] The Houthis, an armed group backed by Iran that holds Yemen's capital, have hit Riyadh's airport and the state oil company Saudi Aramco. [29]

   Why it matters — Egypt has not sent a large ground force abroad since the 1991 Gulf War. [29] Saudi Arabia gives Egypt billions of dollars in aid, deposits and fuel, and the Houthis also threaten the sea route to Egypt's Suez Canal. [29]

3. 04

   Yemen's war deepens as the EU asks for action

   The Saudi-led coalition, which fights the Houthis for Yemen's recognised government, said it destroyed two Houthi missile launchers in Sanaa, Yemen's capital. [30][29] A Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid airport on 10 October killed 13 people. [30] The EU's ambassador to Yemen asked for concrete steps in the coming days to stop the fighting. [31] More than 250,000 people have been forced from their homes since June. [31]

   Why it matters — Hundreds of families from Taiz and Lahj now live in about 850 tents in camps near Aden. [32] Pakistan, a Mecca pact member, condemned Houthi missiles fired toward Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities. [33]

4. 05

   Jordan bombs Syria after a church attack

   Jordan's air force struck what it called terrorist hideouts in southern Syria on Monday, in reply to Friday's shooting at a church funeral in Karak that killed nine people. [18] Syria's civil defence said the strikes killed seven people, five of them from one family in a tent, including three children. [34] Jordan said it acted together with Syria's government. [18] Syria said it was not told, and it shut Nassib, the only crossing for people and goods between the two countries. [18]

   Why it matters — Jordan's police said the three men arrested for the church attack were Jordanians who were not tied to any organised group. [35] Until Nassib reopens, trade and travel between the two neighbours stop in both directions. [34]

5. 06

   A truce for one Ukrainian town begins

   Russia and Ukraine stopped firing around Oleshky at 01:00 GMT on Tuesday, and both sides said they were keeping to it. [36] Oleshky is a Russian-held town in southern Ukraine, across the Dnipro river from the city of Kherson. [37] About 2,000 people, up to 50 of them children, are trapped there with little food or medicine, by Ukrainian and US estimates. [36] Melania Trump, the US first lady, brokered the pause so aid can get in and people can leave later this week. [37]

   Why it matters — Russia's government said it would agree more short truces for aid, but would not slow its attacks elsewhere. [38] Ukraine's military said ballistic missiles were fired toward Kyiv the same morning. [39]

6. 07

   Drones hit Voronezh, and Russia strikes Odesa twice

   Ukrainian drones hit Voronezh, a city in western Russia, overnight into Monday. [23] Its governor said air defences brought down 113 drones over the region, and he confirmed three people killed. [23] In Ukraine, Russian forces struck a burning factory in Odesa twice more while firefighters were working there. [22] Ukraine's air force said Russia sent 140 attack drones and decoys overnight, and 112 were stopped. [22]

   Why it matters — Zelensky said Russia fired 48 missiles and nearly 2,300 attack drones at Ukraine in the past week. [40] The strikes go on while the two sides prepare for US-led talks next month. [38]

7. 08

   Zelensky waits a month for US missiles

   Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he had waited nearly a month for Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, to approve missiles for Ukraine. [40] They are for Patriot and NASAMS, systems that shoot down missiles and drones in the air. [40] The same day his adviser said a planned trip to Brussels for talks with the US, the EU and NATO could not be confirmed, because the US side had changed its plans. [41]

   Why it matters — The Brussels meeting was meant to follow talks in Oslo last week with Steve Witkoff, the US envoy. [41] Ukraine is also asking European countries that hold Patriot missiles for supplies. [40]

8. 09

   Europe's five biggest military powers meet in Paris

   Defence ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Britain met in Paris on Monday. [42] They said Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security, while calling the US an indispensable ally. [42] Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, said she expected a brutal winter for Ukraine and no hope of peace soon. [43]

   Why it matters — The meeting came as the US pushes Ukraine toward talks with Russia, and as doubts grow in Europe about US support. [43] Germany's defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said talking to Putin had brought no results. [43]

9. 10

   Romania blames Russia for a fire near an arms plant

   Romania's intelligence service said on Monday that a fire on 14 September in Brasov, near a state-owned weapons factory, was part of a sabotage campaign run by Russia. [44] Prosecutors said three people set it: two Belarusians and a Ukrainian living in the EU. [44] Two were caught in Germany while preparing similar attacks, and the third is still free in Poland. [44] Russia did not comment, and it has denied such claims before. [44]

   Why it matters — The service said the campaign aims at arms makers, to frighten the countries that build them and weaken what they give to Europe's defence. [44]

10. 11

    Drones cut power across eastern Sudan

    Drones from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group at war with Sudan's army since April 2023, hit five power stations on Monday. [21] Two were in Al-Jazira state, two in Gedaref and one in White Nile, all held by the army, a government official said. [21] Large parts of the three states lost electricity. [21] A man in Gedaref said his diabetic son's insulin needs a fridge. [21]

    Why it matters — The UN says such attacks threaten services for millions of people already in the world's largest hunger crisis. [21] In Blue Nile state, officials now let bakeries charge 1,000 Sudanese pounds for two loaves as flour prices climb. [45]

11. 12

    Britain sanctions 15 Sudanese commanders

    Britain banned 15 commanders from both sides of Sudan's war from travelling and froze their money on Monday, a year after the city of El Fasher fell. [46] It accused them of sexual violence, including during the siege of the city. [46] The RSF took El Fasher after an 18-month siege, and up to 10,000 people are believed to have been killed over two days. [46] Britain also pledged 5 million pounds for survivors and 10 million in aid. [47]

    Why it matters — Another 40,000 people from El Fasher are still missing. [46] Ed Miliband, Britain's foreign secretary, said rape and starvation are still used as weapons in Sudan. [47]

12. 13

    Fight grows over who will lead the UN

    Lana Nusseibeh, a minister of the United Arab Emirates, entered the race last week to become the next UN secretary-general. [48] Sudan's UN mission asked countries to reject her and accused her of whitewashing the UAE's role in Sudan's war. [48] The UAE denies backing the RSF. [48] Middle East Eye reported that Britain, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is leaning toward backing her. [49] The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump officials back Viktor Orban, Hungary's former prime minister. [50]

    Why it matters — Antonio Guterres's second and last term ends this year, and the Security Council's 15 members have not agreed on who follows him. [48][51] Orban lost power in April and keeps close ties with Trump, Putin and China's Xi Jinping. [50]

13. 14

    Dozens of Orthodox Christians killed in Ethiopia

    Armed men attacked villages in the Shirka district of Oromia, Ethiopia's largest region, from Saturday evening into Sunday. [52][53] The Ethiopian Orthodox Church said more than 60 people were killed and 20 houses burnt down. [54] ACLED, a group that counts violence in conflicts, recorded at least 43 dead and called the attack religiously motivated. [53] A local official blamed a new rebel alliance that includes the Oromo Liberation Army, which did not comment. [54]

    Why it matters — Residents told the Addis Standard newspaper that gunmen went door to door, and that at least six children under 15 were killed. [52] Ethiopia limits what reporters can reach, so the death tolls are hard to check. [53]

14. 15

    Algeria sends troops abroad for the first time since 1973

    Algeria's parliament voted on Sunday to send troops to Niger, its neighbour to the south. [17] In the upper house, 148 of 174 senators voted yes. [17] It is Algeria's first deployment abroad since it sent soldiers to Egypt in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. [17] The troops are to guard oil and gas sites in northern Niger run by Sonatrach, Algeria's state energy company. [55] Niger's military government is seeking help against armed groups, some linked to al-Qaeda or Islamic State. [17]

    Why it matters — Niger also lies on the route of a planned pipeline to carry Nigerian gas through Niger and Algeria to Europe. [55] The size of the force and when it leaves have not been announced. [17]

15. 16

    African leaders head to Moscow

    Russia holds its third summit with African countries on 28 and 29 October, and 48 have confirmed they will come, a Kremlin aide said. [56] President Vladimir Putin will chair it with Burundi's president, Evariste Ndayishimiye, who now leads the African Union. [56] The Mail & Guardian, a South African paper, expects at least 23 heads of state, against 40 at the first summit in 2019. [57]

    Why it matters — Ukraine's foreign ministry says at least 2,982 people from 37 African countries were fighting for Russia in August, most of them lured by false promises. [57] Several leaders face pressure at home to raise it with Putin. [57]

16. 17

    Bolsonaro's party accepts Lula's win

    Flavio Bolsonaro's Liberal Party said on Monday that it accepts the result of Sunday's run-off in Brazil. [20] President Lula won by about 4.4 million votes, 51.8% to 48.2%. [20][58] Bolsonaro himself has not conceded, and he said he would ask for the vote to be annulled. [20] Hours after the loss, Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes barred him from leaving Brazil and took his passports, citing a police inquiry into possible money laundering. [25]

    Lula51.8%

    Flavio Bolsonaro48.2%

    Why it matters — His own party distanced itself from his call to annul the vote. [59] Donald Trump said the vote looked rigged, without giving evidence. [60]

17. 18

    Serbia's students start work on a government

    Serbia's Student List, which won Sunday's election, began preparing talks on forming a government. [61] Projected results gave it 53% of the vote and 141 of 250 seats, against 39% for the party of Aleksandar Vucic. [61] The movement grew out of protests after a railway station canopy in Novi Sad collapsed in 2024 and killed 16 people. [61] It has no leader, so it is not yet clear who will become prime minister. [61]

    Student List141 seats

    Vucic's party103 seats

    Why it matters — EU lawmakers hope the new government will restart Serbia's bid to join the EU. [62] Whether it will actually change Serbia's foreign policy is still unclear. [62]

18. 19

    UN inquiry says Gaza genocide goes on despite the ceasefire

    A UN-commissioned inquiry said on Monday that Israel is still committing genocide in Gaza, a year into a ceasefire. [63] Since the ceasefire, Israeli forces have widened their control from 53% of Gaza to at least 60%, it said. [64] Israeli fire along that line has killed at least 196 Palestinians, including 43 children. [64] The inquiry also accused Israel, for the first time, of crimes against humanity in the West Bank, including rape and torture of detainees. [65] Israel denies both claims. [63]

    When the ceasefire began53%

    Now60%

    Why it matters — The Commission of Inquiry was set up by the UN Human Rights Council. [65] Two weeks ago it accused Hamas of murdering 108 civilians in Gaza. [65]

19. 20

    UN raises ethnic cleansing fears over Hebron

    Hebron's city council said 3,189 people have now been forced from their homes by Israel's operation in the West Bank city. [66] Israel began it after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint on Friday. [66] Volker Turk, the UN's human rights chief, said the operation raises serious concerns of ethnic cleansing and must end. [66] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said evictions are unrelenting. [67]

    Why it matters — Turk called it collective punishment, which international law forbids. [66] Netanyahu also ordered the West Bank closed before Tuesday's vote. [67]

20. 21

    Israeli fire kills 13 in Gaza in a day

    Israeli fire and air strikes killed 13 people in Gaza in 24 hours, Gaza's civil defence said on Monday. [68] One strike hit a camp for displaced people at Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, and killed three people, including a girl, Nasser hospital said. [68] Israel's military said it was not aware of any activity in that area. [68]

    Why it matters — A year into the ceasefire, deadly attacks in Gaza go on almost every day. [69] About 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, Gaza's health authorities say. [1]

21. 22

    Israel turns back a delegation at the West Bank border

    Israeli forces held a 23-person delegation for nine hours at the Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan and then turned it back. [70] It included the British MPs Clive Lewis and Lara Bird, and was going to meet Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest. [70] Lewis said the group was shouted at and questioned. [70]

    Why it matters — The UN counted at least 160 attacks by Israeli settlers linked to the olive harvest in the first two weeks of October. [70] Israeli media reported that Israel's defence minister told officials to bar activists from olive-picking areas. [70]

22. 23

    Pakistan rejects Taliban claims of civilian deaths

    Pakistan's foreign office on Monday rejected claims by Afghanistan's Taliban government that Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan have killed civilians. [71] An Afghan foreign ministry spokesman told CNN that 1,119 Afghan civilians had been killed or hurt by Pakistani strikes since late 2021, Afghan media said. [71] Pakistan says attacks launched from Afghan soil caused more than 3,500 casualties in Pakistan this year. [71]

    Why it matters — Pakistan calls its strikes self-defence against groups such as the Pakistani Taliban, known as the TTP, which it says the Taliban shelter. [71] It said it keeps the right to take all necessary measures. [71]

23. 24

    Imran Khan's sisters kept in jail another month

    Officials in Pakistan's Punjab province have extended the detention of Imran Khan's three sisters by 30 days, a court was told on Monday. [26] Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan have been held in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail for more than a month under a 1960 public order law. [26] They were detained on 20 and 21 September, during a crackdown on efforts to rally support for Khan. [26]

    Why it matters — Khan, a former prime minister, founded the PTI party and is himself in jail. [26]

24. 25

    Pakistan's army chief of the 1990s dies

    Abdul Waheed Kakar, who led Pakistan's army from January 1993 to January 1996, died in Rawalpindi on Monday, the army said. [72] In 1993 he pushed both Pakistan's president, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, and the prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, to resign. [72] That led to the 1993 election in which Benazir Bhutto became prime minister. [72]

    Why it matters — He retired at the end of his term. [72] Pakistan's president and prime minister, and Imran Khan's PTI party, all paid tribute to him. [72]

25. 26

    Iraq orders a probe into a pro-Iran official

    A court in Baghdad on Monday ordered an investigation into the head of the provincial council in Maysan, in southern Iraq, after Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi asked for it. [73] Iraq closed the Al Sheeb crossing with Iran in Maysan last week, for security reasons. [73] The council head, Mustafa Duair Abdulhassan, had threatened civil disobedience if it stayed shut. [73] He belongs to the political wing of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, an armed group close to Iran. [73]

    Why it matters — The closure has raised tension with Iran and with Iraqi politicians close to it. [73] Iraq is also planning its biggest budget, $144.8 billion, while its oil exports have fallen from 3.36 million barrels a day to 131,000 since the Strait of Hormuz closed. [74]

26. 27

    Comey is charged for a third time

    US prosecutors moved to charge James Comey, the former head of the FBI, for a third time, a court filing showed on Monday. [24] The two counts accuse him of leaking defence secrets to the New York Times in 2016. [24] They concern a story about a secret order for Yahoo to scan emails, DW reported. [75] Comey, a long-time critic of Donald Trump, called the case an appalling abuse. [24]

    Why it matters — On the same day a federal judge ruled that the US Justice Department had illegally fired Comey's daughter Maurene, a prosecutor, and must give her job back. [76] The department said it would appeal. [76]

27. 28

    US government targets ballots before the midterms

    The US Justice Department asked Washington state on Monday to set aside ballots from more than 400 people it says may not be citizens. [19] The state has more than 5 million registered voters. [19] The same day a federal appeals court refused, by two judges to one, to make California set aside about 20,000 mail ballots for the same reason. [77] Trump offered $1 million for tips that lead to a vote-fraud conviction. [78]

    Why it matters — The midterm elections for the US Congress are on 3 November. [77] The US government has not said how it decided that the people on its list are not citizens. [77]

28. 29

    Trump's insult to four countries draws a protest

    At a rally in Georgia on Saturday, Donald Trump called Libya, Yemen, Haiti and Somalia shithouse countries. [79] Libya's government made a formal protest, and politicians on both sides of Libya's divide condemned the words. [80] On Sunday Trump called Libyans proud and hospitable, but he did not apologise. [80] His adviser on Arab-American affairs, Amer Ghalib, said Trump promised not to use the words again. [79]

    Why it matters — Trump's statement still demanded that Libya stop serving as a route for illegal migration. [80] The rally was part of his campaign for Republican candidates before the 3 November midterms. [79]

29. 30

    US bishops regret a prayer photo with Trump

    Two US Catholic bishops said they regret meeting Donald Trump at the White House on 22 October. [81] Photos showed a group of bishops praying around him at his desk in the Oval Office. [81] Jeffrey Grob, the archbishop of Milwaukee, said he believed the meeting was private, not a political photo opportunity. [81]

    Why it matters — Pope Leo XIV and Trump have a tense relationship, and some US bishops criticise Trump's treatment of migrants. [81] Trump won 55% of Catholic voters in 2024, a Pew study found. [81]

30. 31

    Audi's boss is criticised at home for a Trump rally

    Gernot Dollner, the head of the German carmaker Audi, appeared on stage at a Trump rally in Georgia to announce a $4 billion factory there. [82][83] Daniela Cavallo, who leads the elected staff council at Audi's owner Volkswagen, said Trump's speech was full of racism and contempt for democracy. [83] German critics also worry the new US plant could mean more job losses at home. [82]

    Why it matters — Volkswagen plans to cut up to 100,000 jobs by 2030, and Audi's Neckarsulm plant, with about 15,000 staff, is one of four at risk of closing. [82]

31. 32

    Japan charges a US Marine with murder in Okinawa

    Japanese prosecutors charged a US Marine, Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, with murdering and robbing a woman in Naha, the capital of Okinawa. [84] He is accused of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel on 3 October and taking her backpack and wallet. [85] He has denied the charges, but investigators say he made statements suggesting he was involved. [85]

    Why it matters — Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, called the crime brutal and heinous, and the case has set off protests. [85]

32. 33

    EU plans to let Frontex deport from outside Europe

    The European Commission is due to propose on Tuesday a new role for Frontex, the EU's border agency, two EU officials told Politico. [86] It would become a European return agency that sends home people with no right to stay. [86] For the first time it could help countries outside the EU, such as North African governments, send migrants home before they reach Europe. [87]

    Why it matters — Rights groups are likely to object, Euronews reported. [87] EU lawmakers approved a new rule a few months ago to speed up deportations. [86]

33. 34

    Six governments reject a Turkey-Libya sea deal

    Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Bahrain, the UAE and the EU said on Monday that a 2019 sea-border deal between Turkey and Libya is null and void. [88] Libya's eastern parliament recently approved it. [88] The deal draws a line across the Mediterranean that lets both countries claim oil and gas under the sea. [89] Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said those trying to shut Turkey out must respect its will. [89]

    Why it matters — The line could block EastMed, a planned pipeline to carry gas from Israel and Cyprus to Europe through Greece. [89]

34. 35

    Syria bars women from new security colleges

    Syria's education ministry this month barred women from almost all courses at a new security university and from some at a new defence university, DW reported. [90] Women can still study those subjects at other universities, but some would have to move to another province. [90] Lin Najab, 23, one of few women studying mechatronics engineering in Damascus, said the rules may end her plan for a master's degree. [90]

    Why it matters — Human Rights Watch said the rules break Syria's international legal obligations and fit a pattern of the transitional authorities limiting women's role in the state. [90] Officials say some of the rules were carried over from colleges of the Assad era. [90]

35. 36

    Machado offers to talk to Venezuela's interim president

    Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, said on Monday she is ready to meet the interim president, Delcy Rodriguez. [91] Machado came home on Sunday after almost a year in exile. [91] Thousands lined the roads into Caracas, waving flags and shouting freedom. [91]

    Why it matters — Rodriguez leads a government backed by the US, so Machado's return is a direct challenge to it. [91]

36. 37

    Five missing after an oil rig sinks off Gabon

    An oil drilling rig, the Prospector 5, sank off Mayumba in south-west Gabon on Saturday evening. [92] Of the 115 people on board, 110 were rescued, and five are missing: three Gabonese, an Indian and a Croatian. [92] Borr Drilling, the rig's owner, said on Monday that air and sea searches go on. [93] Gabon's oil minister said the rig's legs sank into the seabed, so it lost its balance and went under. [92]

    110 of 115

    rescued out of 115 on board

    Why it matters — The rig was drilling four wells for BW Energy, a Norwegian oil company. [94] Gabon's president, Brice Oligui Nguema, said an investigation has been opened. [94]

37. 38

    A Tanzanian critic is seized in Kenya

    Twaha Mwaipaya, a Tanzanian dissident and youth organiser for Chadema, Tanzania's main opposition party, was abducted in Kenya, rights activists said. [95] He was jailed in 2022 for criticising Tanzania's government and fled to Kenya last year. [95] He posts against President Samia Suluhu Hassan's government to almost 600,000 followers on Instagram. [95]

    Why it matters — Tanzania's government is accused of trying to snatch critics who have fled to Kenya. [95] Boniface Mwangi, a Kenyan activist, said Kenya is not safe for anyone fighting political oppression. [95]

38. 39

    Somalis say air strikes trap them by a flooding river

    People in Jilib, a town in southern Somalia held by the armed group al-Shabaab, told the Guardian that constant air strikes are pinning them beside the flooding Juba river. [96] The Guardian said the US coordinates the campaign, and a source accused it of using El Nino floods as a weapon. [96] US officials deny exploiting the weather. [96] Al-Shabaab controls about 30% of Somalia. [96]

    Why it matters — When El Nino last struck Somalia in 2023, it caused the worst floods in a century and forced more than 1.2 million people from their homes. [96]

39. 40

    A London court lets Mozambique pursue a tycoon's widow

    A London appeal court has ruled that Mozambique can pursue the widow of Iskandar Safa, a Lebanese businessman, over a $2 billion corruption scandal. [97] Safa's shipbuilding company, Privinvest, sold Mozambique fishing boats and patrol ships at inflated prices after paying more than $136 million in bribes, Mozambique says. [97] Safa died in January 2024, and a judge ordered Privinvest to pay $534 million plus interest that December. [97] Under Lebanese law, his widow inherited his debts as well as his assets. [97]

    Why it matters — The $2 billion debt from the so-called tuna bonds brought Mozambique's economy to its knees when the scandal came out. [97]

40. 41

    Germany's president visits China

    Germany's president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, began a five-day visit to China, his first in eight years. [98] He will tour the country, visit a Volkswagen plant in Hefei, and meet China's leaders in Beijing. [98] The same day Chancellor Friedrich Merz began a five-day tour of Asia in Singapore, with 30 business leaders, before Japan and South Korea. [99]

    Why it matters — Steinmeier arrives during the Communist Party's plenum, a meeting foreign guests usually avoid. [98] Both trips aim to strengthen Germany's trade and security ties while supply chains are under threat. [99]

41. 42

    Quebec's separatists want a seat at EU talks

    Quebec's new separatist government wants to take part whenever Canada and the EU strike deals that touch the province's powers, its envoy told Politico. [100] The Parti Quebecois returned to power this month as a minority government and promises another vote on independence in time. [100] Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney hosts the EU's leaders in Montreal on Thursday and Friday. [100]

    Why it matters — The two sides call the summit a step change in their ties, pushed along by Donald Trump's trade war. [100]

42. 43

    Macron promises tough steps as French students vow more protests

    President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday his government will announce strong measures against the protests that have shaken France. [101] He said marches planned for Saturday were risky and would be kept out of city centres. [101] Student groups met Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu but said their demands were not met, and called new protests for 31 October and 5 November. [102]

    Why it matters — The students want up to 250,000 more university places, more teachers and a new way of choosing who gets in. [102] The interior minister, Laurent Nunez, said he expects more trouble on Halloween night. [101]

43. 44

    Old videos passed off as Europe's protests

    Videos from Poland in 2017, from Portugal and from Argentina have been shared online as if they showed this month's youth protests in Europe, France 24's fact-checkers found. [103] The young protesters are marching against poor school conditions and the rising cost of living. [103] The recycled clips give a false picture of unrest across the continent. [103]

    Why it matters — Old footage recycled this way spreads quickly because it draws clicks. [103]

44. 45

    Australia moves to protect its MPs

    Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised a swift response to threats against members of parliament, and floated panic alarms for their offices. [104] MPs from all parties asked for more protection after the alleged attack on Helen Haines, an MP, last week. [104] Senator Fatima Payman asked whether Albanese's government was waiting for something similar to happen at her office. [104]

    Why it matters — Albanese said politicians and their staff have put up with threats for too long. [104]

45. 46

    Kenya's road safety body asks for a national emergency

    Kenya's transport safety authority asked for road crashes to be declared a national emergency, after 24 people died when a bus hit a truck on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway on Sunday. [105] President William Ruto ordered checks on all public service vehicles. [105] Officials blamed unsafe overtaking. [105] The passengers were going home to Mombasa from their pastor's funeral. [105]

    Why it matters — The crash happened close to the site of an earlier deadly accident on the same road. [105]

46. 47

    Apartheid killer 'Prime Evil' testifies in South Africa

    Eugene de Kock, an apartheid-era police colonel known as Prime Evil, testified on Monday to the Khampepe Commission. [106] The inquiry, led by retired judge Sisi Khampepe, asks why apartheid-era crimes were never prosecuted. [106] Victims' families say governments after apartheid stalled cases that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission sent to prosecutors. [106] De Kock commanded a police unit at Vlakplaas, a farm that became known for state violence against activists. [106]

    Why it matters — The commission exists because families took legal action to force it. [106]

47. 48

    A court rejects a plea deal that names South African police

    A court in Pretoria rejected an eight-year plea deal for Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, a businessman accused of corruption, saying the sentence was too light. [107] It proposed 12 years, and Matlala withdrew from the deal. [107] A leaked draft statement he wrote describes alleged corrupt dealings with senior police officers, including gifts of 20 impala to a former deputy police chief. [107]

    Why it matters — The statement also describes meetings with a former police minister, Bheki Cele. [107] Matlala's company had won a police medical contract. [107]

48. 49

    Zuma's daughter's trial hears a language expert

    A language expert told the Durban High Court on Monday what Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla's social media posts said in isiZulu. [108] She is the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma and is on trial for inciting violence during the July 2021 riots that followed his jailing. [108] She has pleaded not guilty to inciting terrorism and public violence. [108]

    Why it matters — Her lawyer argued that translating a post cannot show what she meant by it. [108] The trial runs until 6 November. [108]

49. 50

    Pope Leo will travel to South America as planned

    The Vatican confirmed on Monday that Pope Leo XIV will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 to 17 November. [109] He had surgery on 13 October to remove a tumour from his right lung. [110] Tests show the cancer was contained, and he needs no more treatment, the Vatican said. [109]

    Why it matters — He will visit 10 cities, starting in Uruguay on 8 November. [110]

50. 51

    Western Sydney's new airport takes its first foreign flight

    Western Sydney International Airport took its first international flight on Monday, an Air New Zealand plane from Auckland. [111] It is Australia's first major new international airport in 50 years. [111] It lies about 60km west of central Sydney and runs around the clock. [111]

    Why it matters — Sydney's old airport has a curfew from 11pm to 6am, so the new one gives airlines more choice of flight times. [111]