October 2026 news

Brazil has backed an amendment to reduce the maximum workweek from 44 hours to 40, NDTV reports, in a move to end six-day work schedules. This follows earlier reports that Congress approved the change.

Some believe the detention of a Hokkaido Shimbun reporter is linked to Russia’s handover to Germany this month of a Russian hacker detained in Japan in May, The Japan Times reports. This follows reports that Japan protested Russia’s arrest of the journalist on suspicion of spying.

Japan’s defense chief Koizumi said China’s carrier drills in the Pacific highlighted Japan’s limited surveillance capabilities. He called strengthening the country’s defense posture on its Pacific flank an urgent task, according to The Japan Times.

Burger King Japan disclosed a data breach after attackers accessed a server containing 11.18 million customer records, according to BleepingComputer.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she has a busier schedule than her male predecessors, a remark that The Japan Times said points to the disproportionate share of household tasks that fall to women in Japan. This follows earlier reports that Takaichi cited housework among her responsibilities.

Cornell’s board appeared to back the campus administration amid a crisis over sexual-assault allegations, while some students protested during homecoming weekend, The New York Times reports. This follows earlier reports that Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff faced angry faculty questions about the university’s handling of a sexual-assault allegation.

The New York Times reports that federal investigators reviewed family text messages from a phone belonging to Ilhan Omar’s sister, which was seized before a search of the lawmaker’s home, as a criminal investigation into Omar’s immigration process advanced. Earlier coverage had reported a probe into Omar’s immigration paperwork and the seizure of her phone, along with subpoenas to relatives.

Samoa and France are set to meet in their Rugby League World Cup 2026 opener. TechRadar reports on ways to watch free live streams of the match from around the world.

A high-security courtroom in Hamburg has been hearing the case against Christina Block for 15 months. The German steakhouse heiress is accused of ordering the abduction of her children.

Meta has denied accusations that it acted with political bias during Brazil’s presidential campaign, after an electoral court ruling. This follows reports that Lula accused Meta of helping his right-wing opponent and that his party planned to file a complaint over election interference in Brazil.

Lebanon has opened an investigation into the abduction of a Syrian militia leader and his transfer to Syria. Lebanese authorities are investigating how a former Syrian militia commander was kidnapped in Lebanon and taken across the border, according to ABC News.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a final appeal to Alberta voters against separation, warning that a referendum could put the oil-rich province on a path toward independence and would be a dangerous gamble amid growing threats to Canada, ABC News reports. Advance voting is underway in a referendum that could set Alberta on a path to a future vote on separation; Deutsche Welle says voters will decide whether to remain a Canadian province or begin the legal process toward separation. ABC News and Deutsche Welle report Carney said the US was trying to break Canada; The Hindu and PBS NewsHour say he warned that outside forces were working to break the country so they could own it. TIME reports he urged Albertans to remain in Canada shortly after Trump threatened Canada would become the 51st state.

Rivers swollen by El Niño rains have flooded parts of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, driving thousands of people from their homes, ABC News reports. The Hindu says Uruguayan officials have warned that the country’s drenched northwest could get its heaviest rain of the year in the coming months.

The UK has not had any named storms yet this autumn, as wet and windy weather patterns have so far been steered away from the country, according to the BBC. The BBC's report asks when that pattern could change.

A fast-moving fire spread into Southern California neighborhoods on Friday, with structures ablaze as firefighters tackled the more-than-465-acre Norte fire in Orange County; mandatory evacuations were issued in parts of San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente, and nine schools dismissed early, The Guardian reports. The Guardian says the region faced more hot, windy weather that could amplify fire dangers through Saturday. Earlier, The Guardian reported that the Henderson fire at Camp Pendleton burned more than 1,000 acres, prompting evacuations and a brief closure of part of Interstate 5. Hindustan Times reported fires in Malibu, Azusa and near San Diego on Thursday amid strong winds and hot, dry weather, and said power cuts hit thousands.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied Cilia Flores’s request to be released from jail on health grounds ahead of a trial scheduled for next year, The Hindu reports. The Hindu’s headline says Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro was charged in the United States with ordering torture of opponents and Americans. This follows reports that Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to new torture-related charges in a U.S. court on Thursday.

A White House official said Katie Zacharia was let go as press secretary after five days, while CBC reported an official confirmed she was leaving about a week after starting and the Sydney Morning Herald said she was transitioning out after five days. Trump told reporters he had urged Zacharia to reconsider taking the job; the South China Morning Post said he denied firing her, while NDTV’s headline said he fired her although its summary only says he asked her to reconsider. The Guardian reported Trump said she had been treated badly by media following her first briefing and scrutiny of her legal credentials. This follows reports of questions about Zacharia’s background and legal credentials, including an inconclusive answer about where she passed the bar, as RTÉ reported.

Katie Zacharia is facing backlash over a lawyer tag and came under scrutiny after appearing uncomfortable during her inaugural White House briefing Tuesday, NDTV reports. This follows The Globe and Mail's report that her first briefing lasted 14 minutes and she directed reporters to put questions to President Donald Trump; The Irish Times described the debut as bumpy.

Brazilian government data show that Amazon deforestation reached its lowest level since records began in 1988. Deutsche Welle and The Hindu report that 3,335 square kilometres were cleared in the year ending in July, while The Straits Times reports a nearly 42% decline between August 2025 and July 2026; RTÉ says the data were released by Brazil’s space research agency, Inpe. The Guardian says the decrease comes ahead of an Oct. 25 presidential runoff between candidates with sharply different visions for the rainforest.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 16 people from the Pacific off Mexico’s Baja California coast on Friday, and rescue operations were still underway for 11 believed missing, according to Al Jazeera. CBC reports that the rescue followed a Mayday call about a sinking vessel and that one person had a suspected shark bite. The New York Times says the Coast Guard received reports of 27 people in the water, while NDTV reports those rescued were being taken to hospitals in San Diego. Hindustan Times also reports that the Coast Guard was searching for more people.