Ronen Bar, Israel’s former security chief, has sued Netanyahu over claims related to the October 7 attacks, France 24 reports. The Irish Times reports that Bar accused Netanyahu of trying to shift blame onto him. This follows The New York Times’ report that the October 7 attack changed Israel but not its politics.
European leaders backed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the weekend as a rift with the US widened, but the limits of Europe’s support came into focus as Washington pressured Kyiv. Semafor says that support may have an expiration date, while The Irish Times frames the pressure as exposing Europe’s strategic weakness.
US counterpart Pete Hegseth told UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting that Ukraine’s access to Starlink had been restored, the Irish Times reports. The system had been disrupted amid renewed tensions between the US and Ukraine, according to the Irish Times. During a Washington visit, Streeting urged the US to stand by Ukraine and sought to ease tensions over the Starlink row; The Guardian says he argued that supporting Ukraine was in Washington’s long-term interests and a business opportunity.
Newly appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia’s first briefing lasted 14 minutes, and she directed reporters to put their questions to President Donald Trump directly, The Globe and Mail reports. The Irish Times describes her debut as bumpy and says it left reporters with more questions than answers.
Saudi Arabia has expensive military equipment but struggles to stop attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia, whose missiles and drones are difficult to detect and stop, the New York Times reports. The Irish Times says lethal strikes show the Iran-backed militia’s growing military power.
Britain’s MI5 chief Ken McCallum warned of threats from Russia, Iran, China, artificial intelligence and terrorist groups. He said MI5 is devoting more resources to state threats than it did during the Cold War, according to Semafor.
Navi Pillay, a former international judge and UN human rights chief, won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her efforts to promote peace and international law. Later that night, President Trump criticized the decision in a lengthy Truth Social post, saying he did not know Pillay and arguing that he deserved the prize, claiming he had settled eight wars.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Brussels on Oct. 16 to join the EU’s 27 leaders, seeking to put Ukraine’s financing and military needs high on their agenda as US support appeared uncertain. He was also set to hold his first formal bilateral talks with Hungary’s new prime minister, Péter Magyar. Euronews reported that EU leaders had failed to agree on the bloc’s budget. Semafor, citing the Financial Times, reported that EU leaders were expected to ask Zelenskyy to moderate his rhetoric against US President Donald Trump.
The UK said it was prepared to align its tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles with the EU, according to Semafor, as Brussels negotiates trade with Beijing. Semafor also reports that European leaders have adopted a more aggressive stance to shield local businesses from Chinese imports.
A leader of Ireland’s Jewish community says a Dublin hotel canceled a deal for 70 rooms reserved for guests attending an international forum to combat antisemitism. Fox News reports that Jewish Representative Council of Ireland chairman Maurice Cohen said the hotel rejected the conference after its manager questioned IDF involvement.
The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for 2027, with higher payments due in January, Axios reports. The adjustment applies to 76 million retirement and disability benefit recipients and will add an average of $75 a month to retirees’ benefits, according to Axios. The New York Times and Al Jazeera also report the 3.6% increase; The Guardian describes it as a promise by the Trump administration.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the military execution of the Ford Hood shooter will not be livestreamed. The Hindu reports that Trump said victims’ immediate families may witness it in person if they choose. Channel NewsAsia reports that Trump rejected Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution, saying many people would rather not watch the man die.
The New York Times describes Ethiopia and Eritrea as edging toward war, while Fox News says mounting tensions put the Horn of Africa at risk of war. Fox News reports that, following attacks in Addis Ababa, the U.S. Embassy warned Americans of long-range threats.
Greta Thunberg backed French high-school protests over run-down schools. Fox News reports that she joined protesters amid more than 6,100 arrests and widespread school closures, as clashes with riot police escalated.
Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia continued striking Ukraine’s energy facilities despite Donald Trump’s announcement of an immediate energy ceasefire, and urged Washington to ensure Moscow abided by it. The Kremlin’s Dmitry Peskov would not say whether Russia had agreed to a ceasefire, saying contacts were ongoing, The Globe and Mail reported.
Nineteen people were injured on Thursday when a minibus carrying truck drivers collided with a train at the French entrance to the Channel Tunnel near Calais. France 24 reports that shuttle services were suspended for 90 minutes and two people were hospitalised with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The Guardian says two people were critically hurt, while the South China Morning Post reports that five were severely injured but no one appeared to be in danger of losing their life.
Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh said the economy had broadly conformed with expectations since the September rate increase. The Financial Times reported that bets on a rate hold in October strengthened after his comments, while Axios said Warsh gave no explicit signal about the October decision.
Donald Trump called Ukraine's renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries a disgrace and said Volodymyr Zelenskyy was more difficult to deal with than Vladimir Putin, The Guardian reports. The Guardian says Ukraine resumed the strikes after Zelenskyy said Kyiv was abandoning a ceasefire declared unilaterally by Trump, following a brief pause in Ukrainian attacks to show readiness for peace talks; Russia continued striking Ukrainian power plants. The BBC reports that Russia accused Ukraine of attacking a refinery after Zelenskyy said the pause on strikes against energy sites was over following fresh Russian attacks. The New York Times reports that Zelenskyy expressed frustration with the United States in an interview with the Financial Times and had paused strikes to comply with a US demand.
Navi Pillay has won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Guardian says the committee recognized the South African former UN human rights chief for promoting international law; she is serving as an ICJ judge and chaired a UN commission that concluded Israel was guilty of genocide in Gaza. The committee said Pillay had shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence, according to The Guardian.
President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt attacks on each other’s energy facilities, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the announcement was news to him and asked when the ceasefire would begin. Axios reports Zelensky said Ukraine would agree if Russia did, while NBC News says Kyiv reported strikes were continuing. The Irish Times reports Britain and Canada would back an energy ceasefire.