Briefing

Kosovo police used tear gas against protesters calling for restrictions on the war crimes court. Anger has grown since former president Hashim Thaci, regarded by many as a hero of the independence struggle, was sentenced last month for crimes committed during the 1990s war against Serbia.

Kosovoprotestswar crimes court

Police clashed with several hundred protesters outside Kosovo’s Parliament in Pristina after lawmakers failed to complete a vote on changes limiting the powers of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. Tear gas and water cannons were used, and a hospital reported 12 injuries. The dispute over the court has become linked to negotiations over electing Kosovo’s next president.

Kosovoprotestswar crimes courtpresidential election

Southeast Asian energy ministers meeting in Manila this week are confronting the prospect of a prolonged Middle East war. The conflict has exposed the region’s vulnerability to imported energy and heightened attention on plans to strengthen energy security.

ASEANenergy securityMiddle East war

Before the war, daily routines in Gaza included work, school, family gatherings and communal worship. Now, some people live with life-changing injuries, while homes, hospitals, universities and places of worship have been damaged or destroyed. Photographs and familiar sites reveal how war has transformed Gaza.

Gazawar injurieswar destruction

President Donald Trump says the United States removed its bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain because of a threat linked to Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier described the move as a routine rotation, while the UK government says the base is safe.

United StatesUnited KingdomIranbombers

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the move a routine redeployment, while President Trump said it was prompted by a threat. The decision came a week after five men were arrested near the base on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack, followed by the arrest of a British-Iranian dual national. All six have since been released on bail, and Iran strongly denies involvement.

United StatesUnited KingdomB-1 bombersterrorism threat

Trump said the United States had moved its bombers away from RAF Fairford. Two U.S. officials said concern that Iran might use drones against the base and aircraft was one reason for the move.

United StatesUnited KingdombombersIranian drone threat

Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said the death toll from the previous night’s drone attack had risen to two, with nine people injured. Rescuers found the body of a 71-year-old man beneath a private home in Barybino, while a 20-year-old man was killed in Radumlya village.

Moscow Regiondrone attackcasualties

Officials say an attack involving 650 drones on Moscow was Russia’s second-largest such attack in two years. A file image shows a Ukrainian serviceman examining an FP-1 deep-strike drone before a combat mission.

Moscowdrone attackRussiaUkraine

Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said an overnight drone attack damaged 10 private homes, outbuildings and two vehicles in Istra and nearby areas. One house caught fire and another was destroyed. Emergency crews are working across the affected locations and assisting residents.

Moscow Regiondrone attackproperty damage

Yemen says its forces have recaptured the strategic Red Sea port of Mocha as the military begins a broader campaign to seize territory. Oil markets remain under scrutiny after the G7 released up to 100 million barrels of emergency oil and diesel. Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline is operating normally, Kuwait’s output has recovered to 75% of prewar levels, and Iraq is seeking more tankers for shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Yemen conflictMocha portStrait of Hormuzoil markets

Yemeni forces have retaken the strategic port city of Mocha from the Houthis. Separately, Türkiye and Pakistan agreed to rapidly deploy their militaries to bolster Saudi security under the Mecca defence pact.

YemenMochaHouthisSaudi security

Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reports on the ongoing investigation into the FlyDubai cockpit attack. Retired Marine Col. Mike Jernigan also discusses the U.S. military’s withdrawal of B-1 bombers from a U.K. base following a threat.

FlyDubaicockpit attackdeath penaltyB-1 bombers

Student protests in France are gaining momentum and spreading nationwide, while Europe is taking a tougher stance on China. Global stocks moved toward record highs as investors looked past concerns over elevated oil prices and bond yields near multi-decade highs.

France protestsstudent unrestEurope-China relationsglobal stocks

Hundreds of French high schools are set to close Tuesday as teacher unions join a student-led movement seeking more education funding. The government says the unrest has become “urban violence” and blames the far left for driving it.

Francestudent protestseducation funding

Police are preparing for a nationwide day of protests at French high schools. Students want the government to address what they see as urgent education problems, including better classroom facilities, equal treatment for schools in less affluent areas, school-system reforms and the long hours pupils spend at school.

Francehigh school protestseducation reform

Brazil’s presidential election has reshaped the political landscape, sending Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro, into a runoff after he won 47 percent of the vote ahead of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula represents the left and Bolsonaro the far right. Bolsonaro supporters also made major gains in Congress and the Senate, potentially making governing difficult for the winner.

Brazil electionpresidential runoffLulaBolsonaro

Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court said conservative opposition senator Flavio Bolsonaro led incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by 1.87 percentage points after all first-round votes were counted. Bolsonaro won 47.03%, or 56,104,503 votes, while Lula received 45.16%, or 53,879,538, leaving Bolsonaro nearly 2.225 million votes ahead.

Brazil electionFlavio BolsonaroLula da Silvapresidential election

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap election after several days of protests over the housing crisis. Polling indicates a right-wing coalition could remove him from office, while lawmakers rejected proposals to address housing just days before the vote was announced.

Spainsnap electionhousing crisis

The Parti Québécois won Quebec’s provincial election but fell short of the 64 seats needed for a majority, leaving it dependent on opposition support. Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon promised another independence referendum, while saying it would not be held during Donald Trump’s presidency. The result revives the sovereignty debate but does not show majority support for independence.

Quebecseparatismindependence referendumprovincial election

Quebec separatists have won the local election but fallen short of a majority, while pledging to hold a referendum on independence. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would work with the incoming separatist government to address the province’s needs, including resisting a hostile US administration, creating jobs and building housing.

Quebecseparatismindependence referendumlocal election

The Parti Quebecois has returned to power in Quebec after winning the provincial election, its first return since 2014. Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon pledged that the party would hold a future referendum on independence from Canada.

Quebecelectionindependence referendum

With U.S. diesel prices hitting a record, Donald Trump is allowing cheaper dyed diesel to be used on highways to blunt a historic fuel-cost surge ahead of the midterms. The national average diesel price topped $6 a gallon in September for the first time, as supply disruptions pushed up transportation costs.

Donald Trumpdieselfuel costsUnited States

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing diesel typically reserved for off-road use to be sold for use on public roads and highways in the United States.

United StatesDonald Trumpdieselexecutive order

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday easing restrictions on a tax-exempt type of diesel, his latest effort to reduce fuel costs ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Donald Trumpdieselexecutive ordermidterm elections

US psychiatrist and neurologist Karl Deisseroth and German colleagues Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have won this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on optogenetics. Their research has helped scientists better understand how the brain works and how the human mind functions.

Nobel Prizeoptogeneticsbrain research

American scientist Karl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel jointly received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Other top stories included Russian guided bombs and drones killing three people in an October 5 attack on Kharkiv; Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Washington was closely monitoring reports of plague infection at a Russian laboratory; and Yemen’s government saying its forces had retaken territory overlooking the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait.

Nobel PrizePhysiology or MedicineKharkiv attackplague

The Nobel Committee for Physics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is set to announce the 2026 laureate. Nobel Prizes have been awarded 634 times to 1,029 individuals and organizations since 1901, while the Physics Prize has been awarded 119 times to 230 laureates. The names remain secret until the announcement.

Nobel PrizephysicsStockholm

Fears of pneumonic plague have emerged after a 28-year-old employee at a Siberian plague research institute died from a mysterious pneumonia case. Russian authorities quarantined a hospital and placed dozens of people under observation, while the US is monitoring the situation closely.

pneumonic plagueRussiaSiberiaquarantinepublic health

Russian authorities quarantined a hospital and are monitoring people who had contact with an employee of a plague research institute in Siberia. The employee contracted pneumonia of an “unknown” cause and reportedly died last week, while experts say the risk of spread to the United States is low.

Russiaplaguepublic health

US President Donald Trump says Washington is watching the death of a laboratory technician at a plague research centre in Siberia “very closely”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced concern that pneumonic plague could spread, while saying there was no reason for panic. Russian officials identified the cause as pneumonia of unknown origin, and said safety inspections found no emergency. Unconfirmed reports suggest the woman became ill after breaking a pathogen tube or after fieldwork in an area where plague occurs naturally among rodents.

Russiaplaguepneumonic plaguebiosafety

Pennsylvania has recorded more than 1,000 measles cases this year, making it the largest outbreak in a US state in decades.

Pennsylvaniameaslesoutbreak

Indonesia’s drive for food self-sufficiency and zero rice imports has come with a heavy environmental price linked to land burning, development and agricultural expansion. Intensifying El Niño-related drought has fueled widespread fires, ecological damage, cross-border haze and a public-health crisis. The podcast examines why the problem persists and how ASEAN countries might cooperate against the haze.

Indonesiafood self-sufficiencyforest firescross-border haze

Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling British thriller novelist, former politician and one-time prisoner, has died at age 86, his publisher said.

Jeffrey ArcherobituaryBritish literature