Briefing

Ukrainian special forces officer Serhii Kuznetsov is due to face trial in Hamburg, accused of involvement in the 2022 explosions that badly damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines. He denies involvement; prosecutors accuse him of attacking civilian infrastructure and causing explosions, property damage and disruption to public services.

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Germany has opened the first trial over the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipeline explosions. Ukrainian national Sergey K. is to appear before the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg. Prosecutors allege that he and accomplices planned the blasts on orders from Ukrainian government agencies.

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Serhii Kuznietsov is accused of leading a group of divers who planted explosives on Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

Nord StreamGermany trialpipeline sabotage

Russia says it arrested Hokkaido Shimbun reporter Yuki Imai on Sakhalin and accused him of spying for Japanese intelligence by gathering information about Russian defences. Japan’s embassy in Moscow said the government was trying to confirm reports of his detention. A court in Moscow ordered him held before trial.

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Japanese journalist Yuki Imai was arrested on espionage charges on Oct. 13, court records show. Russia’s FSB said she was detained in the country’s Far East near islands disputed with Japan and taken to Moscow. The agency alleges she gathered information for Japanese intelligence on Russian soldiers and volunteers mobilized for the war against Ukraine.

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Former DR Congo President Joseph Kabila has joined forces with M23 rebels to form the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) in Goma. The move challenges President Felix Tshisekedi’s government and complicates efforts to end the conflict in eastern DR Congo. Kinshasa authorities have held emergency meetings as fighting continues; the African Union and Luanda framework remain involved in diplomacy.

DR CongoJoseph KabilaM23political alliance

Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian ballistic missile struck Kyiv’s CHP-4 power plant, criticising Western allies for failing to give advance warning. The attack came as Donald Trump claimed an energy ceasefire was in effect.

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Russian ballistic missiles struck Kyiv for a second day in a row, Ukrainian officials said, with no advance warning from Ukraine’s Western partners. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine detected the missiles only when they were nearing the city.

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A Russian missile struck a power plant in Kyiv. Zelenskyy pointed to the absence of a warning from Western countries.

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Saudi Arabia said it intercepted missiles aimed at Riyadh and Dhahran. Falling debris injured at least four people and damaged homes in the capital. Yemen’s Saudi-backed government said its offensive to retake Houthi-held territory was advancing.

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The Houthis say Saudi Arabia attacked an oil facility near Sanaa. Political and conflict analyst Hisham Al-Omeisy discusses the latest developments in the Yemen war.

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A Saudi Aramco building in Dhahran was hit after Saudi-led coalition forces struck what they called Houthi “vital assets” in Yemen.

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US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Greenland was set to launch “massive” oil, gas and mineral exploration. The US, Denmark and Greenland signed a security agreement last month after Trump repeatedly threatened to take control of the island.

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday in a Truth Social post that large-scale oil, gas and mineral exploration was preparing to get underway in Greenland.

Donald TrumpGreenlandresource exploration

U.S. President Donald Trump reported Tuesday that Taiwan would purchase a 30% share of the gas tied to an Alaska pipeline project.

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U.S. President Donald Trump said at a rally in Alaska on Tuesday that Taiwan had agreed to buy 30% of the natural gas from a pipeline project there. The terms of the deal were not immediately clear.

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Donald Trump said Taiwan had agreed to purchase 30% of the gas from an Alaska liquefied natural gas pipeline project over the next 20 years. He promoted the initiative ahead of the midterm elections.

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Sergey Beskrestnov, an external adviser to Zelensky, said SpaceX imposed overnight speed limits on Starlink terminals in motion, currently affecting Starshield’s “military package” with a cap of 100 miles per hour. He said Ukraine’s defense forces received no warning and several missions were disrupted, adding that the move was linked to the current political situation.

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Sergey Sternenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, said SpaceX restricted Starlink terminal operations for the Ukrainian army overnight, disrupting some missions. Internet outages occurred when terminals were moving faster than 160 km/h. He suggested SpaceX acted at the US administration’s request.

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SpaceX restricted Starlink terminals used by Ukrainian troops at the front, slowing drones that depend on them, Ukrainian officials and volunteers said. Ukrainian media, citing the military, reported that the limits affected Starshield, the faster military version used by drone operators. One commander’s video showed two drones losing their connection and being unable to continue their mission. Serhii Beskrestnov said Ukraine received no warning, causing missions to fail, and called the move obviously connected to the current political situation.

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Thousands of students have demonstrated in Paris and other French cities, calling for better school conditions, more teachers and greater investment in education. They say crowded schedules, staff shortages and inadequate resources are harming their education and making young people feel neglected by the state. Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined the protests, drawing attention to investment in young people’s future.

Francestudent protestseducationGreta Thunberg

Prosecutors allege that Aili Wang, 32, a Wyoming microbiology graduate student, poisoned a colleague’s tea; the colleague had pending patents. After police questioned her, she allegedly tried to leave the country and was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on 6 October. She is also accused of searching the colleague’s desk and buying acrylamide.

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