The UK Green Party has adopted a binding definition of Zionism as a form of racism, while reaffirming support for Palestinian liberation, the right of return and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. Israel condemned the move, and four of the party’s five MPs opposed parts of the resolution. The UN General Assembly passed a similar resolution in 1975, but it was later revoked.

UK Green PartyZionismPalestineIsrael

The US Supreme Court began its new term by considering whether lawsuits holding oil companies accountable for climate change should be allowed. The case carries major implications for environmental policy and the energy industry.

US Supreme Courtclimate lawsuitsoil companiesenergy industry

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over oil companies’ effort to dismiss lawsuits brought by cities and counties. The local governments allege the companies should pay damages for the effects of climate change.

Supreme Courtclimate changeoil companieslawsuits

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday in a major climate change case involving a multibillion-dollar effort to hold oil companies such as ExxonMobil liable for damage caused by planet-warming pollution.

Supreme Courtclimate changeoil companieslegal case

Attribution research is increasingly being cited in lawsuits seeking damages for climate-related harm. Those claims hinge on a case now before the US Supreme Court, bringing the politically contested science into the high court’s proceedings.

climate scienceclimate litigationUS Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court is weighing a major lawsuit brought by Boulder, Colorado, against Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy. The city is seeking financial damages for the effects of climate change.

US Supreme Courtclimate changeclimate liabilityenergy companies

The Supreme Court has returned from its summer recess to hear arguments in Boulder, Colorado’s lawsuit seeking to hold Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy liable for climate change.

Supreme Courtclimate changeenergy companieslawsuit

The UK has threatened to expel one Israeli diplomat for every British diplomat Israel removes after closing the UK consulate in East Jerusalem, potentially affecting up to 27 Israelis. Relations have worsened over Britain’s ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements and sanctions on companies supporting settlement construction.

UKIsraeldiplomatic relationsEast Jerusalemsettlements

At least 30 people drowned and dozens are missing after two boats collided at night on the Congo River near Ngombe-Lukolela in Equateur province, officials said. Search-and-rescue efforts are under way, while the cause remains unclear. An eyewitness said the vessel from Kinshasa was overloaded with goods.

DR Congoboat collisionCongo Riversearch and rescue

Two boats collided on the Congo River over the weekend, killing at least 30 people and leaving dozens missing, Congolese officials said.

Congo Riverboat collisionmissing people

Two traditional motorized wooden vessels collided near Ngombe-Lukolela in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Équateur Province. One capsized and sank, leaving multiple passengers missing. Search efforts are ongoing, while provincial authorities have yet to confirm casualty figures or the cause of the collision.

Congo Riverboat collisionsearch and rescuemissing passengers

US President Donald Trump is expected to announce during a visit to the agricultural state of Nebraska that restrictions on red diesel will be eased, in an effort to curb fuel inflation.

Donald Trumpred dieselfuel inflation

US President Donald Trump will visit Nebraska on Monday to rally Republicans and promote his economic record. His Grand Island stop will highlight investment and manufacturing while farmers and truckers face sharply higher diesel prices and voters worry about inflation. The visit is part of his 32-day push toward the November 3 midterm elections, which he is framing as a referendum on his administration.

Donald TrumpNebraskamidterm electionsinflation

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved UniCredit’s reorganization of its Russian subsidiary and the sale of the new entity. The Italian bank plans to sell most of UniCredit Bank Russia to a private investor from the United Arab Emirates while retaining control of its payments arm, with completion targeted for the first half of 2027.

RussiaUniCreditbankingasset sale

Russian authorities quarantined a hospital and placed contacts under medical observation after Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old worker at an Irkutsk anti-plague institute, died from pneumonia of unknown cause. Officials say tests found no work-related pathogens, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US is monitoring the suspected pneumonic plague case closely but sees no cause for alarm.

RussiaIrkutskpneumonic plaguepublic health

About 200 people are under medical observation, several hospitals are quarantined and dozens are isolated in Shelekhov after researcher Darya Shipilova of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute reportedly died from pneumonia of unknown cause. Unconfirmed reports say she may have broken a tube containing Yersinia pestis before falling ill. A regional official first said plague caused her death, then said it was only possible.

Russiaplaguequarantine

A worker at a plague research institute in Siberia has died, while nearly 200 contacts are under medical observation. Russian authorities deny that the death was linked to plague, saying the woman had pneumonia of unknown origin, and the US is monitoring the situation. Pneumonic plague is highly contagious and can spread through respiratory particles, but it is curable when treatment starts quickly.

pneumonic plagueSiberiaRussiapublic health

A researcher at a laboratory in Siberia has died after reportedly being potentially exposed to pneumonic plague. Nearly 200 people are also said to be under quarantine, prompting health officials worldwide to monitor the incident closely.

RussiaSiberiapneumonic plaguequarantine

Almost 200 people are under medical observation in Russia’s Siberia region after a 28-year-old laboratory worker died. Local media reports say the worker may have been exposed to pneumonic plague.

Russiapneumonic plaguemedical observation

Officials in Baikalsk, in Russia’s Irkutsk region, urged residents not to travel to Shelekhov after reports that hospital patient Daria Shipilova may have died of pneumonic plague. The post was deleted two hours later. Authorities have not confirmed the cause, describing it only as a suspected case of an “especially dangerous infection,” while residents bought antibiotics amid rumors.

plagueShelekhovIrkutsk regionpublic health

American scientist Karl Deisseroth and Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering a molecular switch in nerve cells. Their optogenetics research has transformed brain studies and could enable more precise cochlear implants.

Nobel Prizeoptogeneticsbrain research

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Ernst Bamberg and Peter Hegemann for work enabling scientists to control brain activity with light. The announcement was made in Stockholm on October 5.

Nobel Prizemedical researchbrainoptogenetics

US psychiatrist and neurologist Karl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have won this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on optogenetics. Their research has advanced understanding of the brain and neural circuits linked to specific memories, feelings and behaviours, while the technique is also being tested to restore sight.

Nobel Prizeoptogeneticsneuroscience

The 2026 Nobel Prize in medicine has been awarded to three experts in optogenetics, a technique that helps reveal how nerve cells shape memories and feelings in the brain.

Nobel Prizeoptogeneticsneuroscience

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries involving light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, the prize-giving body said Monday.

Nobel PrizeMedicineoptogenetics

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their work on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute announced.

Nobel Prizemedicineoptogenetics

A 15-year-old boy lost a hand during a confrontation between police and demonstrators near the Auguste Béhal high school in Lens, northern France. The prefect said his life was not in danger. The police watchdog IGPN will investigate, amid nationwide student protests that partly or fully closed about 500 schools.

Francestudent protestspolice clashLens

A 15-year-old boy lost his hand after reportedly picking up a police stun grenade during school protests in Lens, northern France. An investigation has opened. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ordered ministers to address students’ demands, including substitute teachers and repairs to deteriorating schools, as hundreds remained closed and further demonstrations were planned.

France school protestsLenspolice stun grenadeeducation

A 15-year-old protesting the dilapidated, understaffed state of France’s schools had his hand blown off on Monday in the northern town of Lens, local prefect François-Xavier Lauch said.

Franceschool protestsLensinjury

U.S. President Donald Trump, facing pressure from energy prices rising because of the war in Iran, sought on Monday to blame high gasoline prices on Democrats and Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries.

Iran warUS gasoline pricesDonald TrumpUkraine

TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanné says he prefers “disruption to the peaceful world”, even though the French major is among the companies most affected by the conflict in the Middle East. He also points to the opportunities created by turmoil in global markets.

TotalEnergiesglobal marketsMiddle East conflict

Washington Capitals star forward Alex Ovechkin told his teammates that the current season will be his last in the National Hockey League.

Alex OvechkinWashington CapitalsNHLretirement

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called an early election for Nov. 29, seeking a stronger mandate after a fragmented parliament rejected the government’s key housing decrees last week amid widespread protests.

Spainsnap electionPedro Sánchezhousing crisis

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called an early election for 29 November after parliament rejected measures intended to address the housing crisis and protect tenants. Protests intensified after 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her Madrid home, while Sánchez said broader progressive support was needed to advance reforms.

Spain politicssnap electionhousing crisistenant protections