Indian authorities detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday ahead of a protest in New Delhi, while hundreds gathered in central Delhi waving national flags and demanding the election chief’s resignation, the South China Morning Post reports. France 24 and ABC News report that authorities closed a central park and increased security ahead of the rally. France 24 says the demonstrations call for the election authority chief’s resignation over the removal of more than 130 million people from voter lists. This follows reports that two movement leaders were sent to judicial custody amid a protest crackdown.
Donald Trump was interrupted by protesters as he tried to rally Texas voters behind Paxton in the U.S. Senate race, The Hindu reports. With Election Day less than a month away, the outlet says Trump's poor approval ratings, the Iran war and soaring gas prices have threatened Republicans in virtually every state. This comes amid earlier reports that U.S. inflation rose to 3.7% in September, with higher energy prices cited as a driver.
North Korea is drawing closer to China and Russia through new bridges, with increasing trade and cooperation reducing the need for talks with Washington and Seoul, analysts say, the Financial Times reports. This follows reports that China and North Korea opened the long-delayed New Yalu River Bridge.
The New Yorker reports that Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director, reflects on his record for occupational brevity being broken.
Police in Bend, Oregon, are investigating why a 16-year-old killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary before an armed bystander shot him dead, reports say. The Guardian reports that officials identified the shooter as Griffin J John II, a former student, and that the bystander was identified by his family as Kaylub Giamanco; it also reports that the five-year-old victim was Rhoam Summer and the teacher was Megan Lambert. The Guardian says Summer’s father described the family as broken and lost, while a seven-year-old pupil and a 54-year-old teacher remained hospitalized. The Straits Times reports police were also investigating how the teenager obtained the long gun.
NATO may redeploy anti-drone defenses as attacks sink more Black Sea shipping, Ars Technica reports. Bulgaria says Russia was likely behind drone attacks that sank two ships, but that there is no way to prove it; rescue operations continue, ABC News reports.
Renewed fighting between the TPLF and government forces, alongside worsening relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, has revived fears of another war with wider regional consequences, The Hindu reports. Africanews says Ethiopia’s military gains in northern Tigray do not end the conflict and could increase the risk of war with Eritrea, an analyst warns. A peace deal signed in November 2022 ended two years of fighting, but disputes over political power, territory and disarmament remain unresolved, according to The Hindu. This follows earlier reports that Ethiopia and Eritrea were edging toward war amid rising tensions.
Yemen’s Houthis say they struck Riyadh airport and other Saudi sites, The Hindu reports. The outlet says fighting in Yemen has become the most active front in the wider West Asia war in recent weeks, while the United Nations says it has displaced more than 184,000 people. This follows earlier reports of a Houthi attack on an Aramco facility in Riyadh and a Saudi coalition missile interception in the Medina region.
Italian prosecutors have placed Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and senior Israeli officials under investigation over the treatment of Gaza flotilla activists. The Times of Israel reports that the probe names the IDF chief and 11 senior officials, while Al Jazeera reports that 12 senior military, police and prison officials were named; Al Jazeera’s headline describes allegations of abuse and sexual assault. Middle East Eye reports that the investigation, previously focused on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, concerns suspected crimes linked to Israeli interceptions of boats bound for Gaza in 2025 and 2026. It says complaints came from 50 Italian citizens detained after two flotilla missions, and that activists reported beatings and other mistreatment.
Cubans are struggling to get power and afford necessities amid a U.S. blockade, CBS News reports. The Hindu says fuel shortages are disrupting electricity, food distribution and health care, while U.S. pressure and demands for regime change constrain Havana’s options. CBS News also reports that the Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on Cuba’s state-run bank, and that Matt Gutman traveled to Havana to examine the effects of U.S. sanctions on Cubans.
Lufthansa is to buy a €1.2 billion stake in TAP Air Portugal, with ABC News reporting it will acquire 44.9% of the airline. Euronews reports that Lufthansa beat Air France-KLM to the stake.
France is investigating a cyberattack on retailers' refrigeration systems, NPR reports. Euronews reports that thousands of supermarket fridges remain exposed, while ABC News says the French cybersecurity authority warned the attack may still be ongoing as stores scramble to restock. CBC reports that a fridge hack spoiled food in hundreds of French supermarkets and that cybersecurity experts called it a wake-up call.
At the opening of Russell Brand’s trial, prosecutors described him as a ruthless, calculated and manipulative sexual predator, and alleged that he laughed at women who refused his sexual demands, according to RTÉ and The Guardian. Brand has pleaded not guilty to charges involving six women between 1999 and 2009, The Globe and Mail reports; The Irish Times says he denies the rape and sexual assault allegations.
China’s exports surged 36.3% in September from a year earlier, and its January-September trade surplus reached $938 billion, according to ABC News, as pressure to rebalance trade increased. CNBC reports that exports and imports both surpassed expectations, while Al Jazeera reports exports surged amid AI-driven demand. The New York Times says the export surge puts the trade surplus on track for a record.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in the occupied West Bank on Friday, with reports describing burned trees, thrown stones and injuries to several people, including a U.S. photojournalist for The Washington Post. PBS reports the attacks also involved fires set to cars and beatings of residents; CBC says the Israeli army said the incident would be examined. The Globe and Mail reports that at least four Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 injured since the harvest season began earlier this month. This follows earlier reports that settlers attacked and set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank.
Wentworth Park in Sydney held its final greyhound race meeting on Friday night, ending racing at the track after 94 years. ABC reports a sell-out crowd, while The Guardian says thousands attended the final meeting; it reports races have been held there since 1932 and the track is planned for demolition and return to parkland.
The Wallabies are confident star code-crosser Mark Nawaqanitawase wants to represent Australia at next year’s Rugby World Cup, but he still has a choice of three nations. He says he will make a decision next year.
A man remains on the run after residents reportedly saw him threaten people with a shotgun and set a stolen vehicle alight in Dulwich Hill, in Sydney’s inner west. The lockdown imposed during the police search has been lifted. ABC News says residents saw him in a van stolen nearby a couple of days earlier; The Guardian reported that police appealed for information about a man allegedly carrying a shotgun.
The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin agreed to cooperate with Pope Leo XIV on a Vatican initiative to get supplies to civilians in Russian-controlled Oleshky, southern Ukraine, after their Friday phone call. Leo called for a ceasefire to allow food and medical aid deliveries and the voluntary, safe evacuation of civilians, the South China Morning Post reports; The Straits Times says the Vatican described him as deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation. Fox News reports food deliveries have been blocked since May, and The New York Times says mines and drones have trapped about 2,000 people at risk of starvation; the South China Morning Post says Leo was recovering from lung cancer surgery, while Euronews reports he was recovering at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic and celebrated his first Mass since the operation that day.
Andy Burnham’s ultimatum to the Greens has changed the political picture amid an escalating stand-off between the PM and Zack Polanski over the Green Party’s “Zionism is racism” motion, the New Statesman reports. This follows earlier reports that Burnham ruled out a coalition with the Greens: the Financial Times said he ruled it out while the policy remained, and the BBC said the decision came after a motion on the issue.
