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After more than 18 months of construction for Canberra’s Light Rail Stage 2A, the ACT government plans to partially reopen London Circuit East and restore public access to the Theatre Lane car park. The construction compound in the car park is expected to be dismantled by Saturday, and drivers and cyclists will again be able to use part of the road, including turning left onto Northbourne Avenue. Construction fencing is also being removed as work is completed, while scaffolding at the City South and Commonwealth Park stops is expected to come down in the coming weeks. The reopening will not restore the car park’s former capacity: the number of public spaces will fall from more than 200 to 57 to make room for the new Lyric Theatre. ACT Planning Minister Chris Steel described the openings as part of the city gradually returning to normal as construction progresses. Canberra businesses have experienced substantial disruption during the works. Canberra Business Chamber chief executive Greg Harford said roadworks had made it difficult for customers to reach businesses and called the effects “devastating.” He welcomed the partial reopening as a first step but warned that businesses on the western side of London Circuit would continue to face disruption and could lose more customers. He said there was a real risk of further business closures. Florist Pierce Jackson, whose family operates Embassy Florist and Janine Florist, said construction had made one store’s trade extremely difficult, at times leaving it with only two customers a week. The business has relied more on online deliveries. Jackson welcomed the planned reopening but expressed concern for businesses that remain affected elsewhere in the city. Steel defended the project, saying the construction impacts were temporary and that business closures could result from multiple factors. The government says the light rail extension remains on track for construction completion in the first half of 2027, with passenger services expected to begin in 2028. It also announced that the track slab for Stage 2A is 100 per cent complete.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s ongoing Ebola outbreak has surpassed 10,000 reported cases and caused 4,887 deaths across eight provinces since it was declared in mid-May. It is the country’s largest outbreak on record, the fastest-growing in its history, and the second-largest Ebola outbreak globally. Save the Children says more than 2,700 of those infected are children, and hundreds of children have died. Its DRC director, Greg Ramm, described the milestone as a stark reminder of the crisis, noting that families and children are facing fear and uncertainty amid conflict, displacement and food insecurity. Health facilities are under pressure, and many communities lack resources to prevent transmission and protect children. The outbreak is caused by the comparatively rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus. Available testing kits did not detect it for weeks, and no vaccine is available for this strain. The outbreak has also spread beyond the DRC: Kenya and Nigeria have reported cases linked to it. A patient in Nigeria, described as the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat, was transferred to Switzerland for treatment. Kenya reported its second Bundibugyo death, while nearly 100 contacts of other cases remained in quarantine. Uganda has prohibited non-essential travel to and from the DRC and will quarantine returning citizens for 21 days. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has arranged a meeting of African health ministers. Its director-general, Jean Kaseya, urged a faster, coordinated response, saying the continent has the expertise and capacity to act. The response has also been endangered by violence. A nurse was killed and another health worker seriously injured while responding to an Ebola alert in Tshopo province. WHO leaders Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Mohamed Janabi condemned the attack and called for the protection of outbreak responders. The outbreak’s epicentre is in eastern DRC, where 28 of 36 health zones have recorded cases. The region is highly unstable, and responders have faced threats, violence and conspiracy theories. WHO officials warn that misinformation and fear must not fuel further violence.

Erin Patterson will learn on Friday whether her appeal against her convictions and life sentence for the 2023 mushroom-poisoning deaths has succeeded. Three judges of Victoria’s Court of Appeal are scheduled to deliver their decision at 10am AEDT. Patterson was convicted in 2025 of murdering her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson. The victims became ill after eating beef Wellington portions containing death cap mushrooms. Ian Wilkinson survived after a lengthy hospital stay. Patterson has consistently maintained her innocence and testified that she did not intend to poison her lunch guests. Her appeal challenges aspects of the trial, including the jury sequestration process, decisions by the trial judge and what her lawyers described as unfair cross-examination by prosecutors. If the appeal is successful, the Court of Appeal could order a new trial or acquit her. If it is dismissed, Patterson, 52, will have few remaining legal options to continue contesting the case. The Crown has separately appealed the sentence imposed by Justice Christopher Beale. The life sentence includes a non-parole period that could make Patterson eligible for release in 2056. Prosecutors argue that the possibility of parole makes the sentence manifestly inadequate in light of the crimes. If the Crown’s appeal succeeds, Patterson will be re-sentenced. The article also recounts details of the prosecution case: prosecutors alleged Patterson served poisoned portions on grey plates while eating a poison-free meal from an orange plate. The case attracted international attention after the lunch guests fell ill, Patterson made public denials, and the trial continued for weeks. The Court of Appeal’s decision will be livestreamed on the Supreme Court of Victoria website.

The Northern Territory’s government-owned Power and Water Corporation (PWC) has reported more than $500 million in losses over three years, including a $233 million pre-tax loss in 2025/26. The corporation attributed its latest result in part to high energy costs after its main gas supplier, Eni, curtailed deliveries from the Blacktip gas field. Blacktip, which had been expected to supply the Territory until 2031, has been shut since Tropical Cyclone Fina damaged its offshore platform nearly a year ago. PWC is seeking damages from Eni, and the dispute has moved to arbitration; any recovery depends on the outcome. To make up for the shortfall and maintain electricity supply, the Territory has bought emergency gas from LNG exporters Santos and Inpex at prices above the usual market rate. Energy analyst Rick Wilkinson said the exporters now provide about a third of the Territory’s gas and that their intervention helped prevent blackouts. However, he noted that they also have obligations to overseas customers, and said the gas they provide is priced closer to higher Japanese market rates. The disruption has also affected PWC’s gas business, which previously earned revenue by selling excess gas. The Northern Territory government raised power prices by 5.3 per cent in June, citing inflation and higher subsidy costs associated with the gas challenges. The article also notes that the Blacktip field had technical and reserve issues before the cyclone, according to Wilkinson, so the storm may not fully explain the prolonged supply problem. The platform remains offline, and Eni says repairs and restart work are ongoing under a force majeure declaration. Meanwhile, PWC says Territory Generation’s gas-fired generators are wholly supplied by other suppliers, and that current arrangements are sufficient to meet requirements for the foreseeable future.

Football Australia says the Socceroos’ two scheduled friendlies in the Middle East are currently expected to proceed despite rising security concerns in the region. Australia is due to play Qatar in Doha on November 14 and Jordan in Amman on November 17. The matches are the team’s final outings before coach Tony Popovic names his squad for the Asian Cup, scheduled to begin in Saudi Arabia in January. Recent violence has raised questions about the safety and viability of the matches and tournament. A Houthi strike at Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia and a deadly attack at an Orthodox church in Jordan are cited as significant incidents. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advises Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Jordan, while Qatar is described as a much safer destination. Football Australia says it is monitoring developments and that player, staff and supporter safety is paramount. Its security team is assessing risks and will follow the advice of the organisation’s head of security. For now, the Qatar and Jordan matches remain on schedule. The Asian Cup’s status is less certain. Saudi Arabia has moved a friendly against South Korea to Qatar, and some Asian Champions League matches involving Saudi clubs have been postponed. The tournament is expected to open in Riyadh on January 7, with Australia scheduled to play Singapore in Khobar on January 9. Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said a decision could come by the end of November and that the tournament could be delayed by a year, to 2028, if necessary. For now, he said, organizers are monitoring the situation and the schedule remains in place.

Former Sydney high school teacher Tayla Lee Brailey has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to four charges involving sexual offences against two teenage male students and the transmission and access of child abuse material. The offending occurred in 2024, while the students were under her care. Brailey appeared in Parramatta District Court, where Judge Elizabeth Ryan said the breach of trust between teacher and student warranted imprisonment, and that no other penalty was appropriate. The court heard that Brailey initiated contact with one of the students. She was first arrested at a Sydney school in August 2024 and charged in relation to sexual touching and intercourse with a person under special care. After being released on bail, she was arrested again less than two weeks later and charged with offences relating to a second student. A victim impact statement described serious effects on one student, including shame, difficulty sleeping, flashbacks and leaving high school before completing Year 12. The student also said that friends no longer spoke to him and that the experience felt like his fault. Judge Ryan acknowledged letters from Brailey’s family describing the consequences of her crimes for Brailey, including the loss of her husband, job and reputation. The judge also referred to a psychologist’s report diagnosing Brailey with bipolar disorder and suggesting she may have been experiencing a manic episode at the time. She said Brailey had used her position as a teacher to abuse the trust of two young people. Brailey will be eligible for parole on April 24, 2027, and has been ordered to remain on the NSW Police child protection register for 15 years.

At the murder trial of Robert John Crawford in Queensland’s Supreme Court, Frances Crawford’s older sister Tamara Davis testified that Frances was afraid and overwhelmed at the prospect of leaving her husband. Davis said the sisters were close and spoke regularly, and that she knew their marriage was in disrepair. In a phone conversation days before Frances died, Frances reportedly worried that Robert might overhear them. She told Davis she was tired of his affairs and was seriously considering divorce, but did not feel able to make the decision. Davis recalled Frances saying she wished Robert would die in a car accident so she would not have to leave him herself. Frances had also reportedly feared being left single and without money if they divorced. Robert Crawford has pleaded not guilty to murdering Frances at their Upper Lockyer home in July 2024. Her body was found beneath a ride-on lawn mower at the bottom of a retaining wall. Prosecutors allege Crawford killed her by strangulation and/or blunt force trauma and then staged the scene to appear accidental. The defence argues that her death was a tragic, though not uncommon, lawnmower accident and that no murder occurred. Davis also testified about her sister’s accounts of alleged emotional abuse and conflict. She said Frances described her husband as aggressive and defensive, and said he had lied throughout much of their marriage. In an account of a 2023 argument, Frances was reportedly frightened when Robert angrily took a phone from her while she was trying to access it. Davis said Frances was concerned for her safety and complained that Robert spent money on other women and hobbies while criticising her spending on herself. The jury had previously heard about marital problems linked to alleged infidelity and the prosecution’s claim that Robert stood to gain financially from Frances’s death. Another sibling also gave evidence. The trial is continuing.

Australia’s annual headline inflation rose to 4.3 per cent in September, up from 4.0 per cent in August, prompting economists and financial markets to sharply increase expectations of an interest-rate rise at the Reserve Bank’s next meeting. Treasurer Jim Chalmers acknowledged that inflation remained “too high” but rejected opposition claims that government spending was its main cause. He argued that the budget was playing a helpful role and pointed instead to pressures including the war in the Middle East and stronger-than-expected private investment, particularly in data centres. Chalmers said private demand accounted for four of every five dollars of demand in the economy, and maintained that the government accepted responsibility for its fiscal settings.

Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell and three other men have pleaded guilty to violent disorder connected to an alleged attack on Camp Sovereignty, an Aboriginal burial and protest site in Melbourne. The incident occurred on August 31, 2025, after an anti-immigration March for Australia rally. Prosecutors allege a group stormed the site and injured five people. Sewell, 33, Nathan Bull, Jake Crokett and Michael Saarinen each pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria to one count of violent disorder. However, each told the court, “To the charges, guilty, but I contest the facts,” indicating that they dispute the prosecution’s account of what happened. Bull also pleaded guilty to failing to give police his name and address. Camp Sovereignty, in Kings Domain, is a sacred First Nations site and the burial place of 38 Indigenous people whose remains were repatriated from the Museum of Victoria. Volunteers maintain the site as both a protest and vigil, caring for the country where ancestors are buried. Several other men have faced charges in connection with the incident. Jaeden Johnson, Blake Cathcart and Zack Dewaart have also pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Timothy Lutze entered a guilty plea but has since died. The four men who pleaded guilty on Wednesday had their bail extended and are due back in the County Court on November 9. Sewell’s defence barrister, Dermot Dann KC, said the defence would call witnesses to provide context about the events, including damage to cars. Outside court, Sewell said he would contest the facts and alleged that police and the media had lied about the incident. He declined to answer repeated questions about whether he regretted the violence.

Regional and rural councils in New South Wales and South Australia are struggling to recruit enough lifeguards to staff public swimming pools. Shortages and the cost of staffing have led some councils to reduce opening hours or close pools. In Far West NSW, Central Darling Shire Council plans to keep pools in Menindee and Wilcannia open this summer through an unsupervised-access trial, after being unable to recruit lifeguards for the season beginning in November. The council has already used a similar arrangement in Ivanhoe and White Cliffs for several years. Under the trial, swimmers will need an access card, complete a safety induction and sign a waiver acknowledging the risks. CCTV will be monitored by council staff, and children must be accompanied by an adult. Council general manager John Sevil said the approach would let the facilities serve the community despite a limited pool of potential lifeguards. He also said the council had invited community members to obtain CPR training at their own expense, but nobody expressed interest. Wilcannia resident and Barkindji man Owen Whyman argues the measures do not replace a trained person at the pool. He warned that CCTV cannot provide CPR and questioned how a child or adult could be helped in a drowning or serious injury emergency. The article notes that other regional councils, including Cabonne Shire and Mid Coast, have also tried unsupervised access. In South Australia, Karoonda has restricted pool hours after failing to fill a paid lifeguard position, and the council says recruitment remains difficult even when looking to nearby communities and larger centres. Royal Life Saving NSW’s Craig Roberts says regional pools face staffing pressures alongside financial difficulties and aging infrastructure, forcing councils to choose between closure and changing operating arrangements. He says public pools remain safer than other places people may swim, noting fewer than five drownings a year occur in Australian public pools, most associated with health incidents. Meanwhile, drownings in rivers, coastal areas and other open waterways are at an all-time high.

The Victorian Coalition has pledged to revive processing of native timber at local mills if it wins next month’s state election, making the proposal part of a broader forest-management program. The plan would thin and reduce fuel loads across 5,000 hectares of public forest annually, double planned fuel-reduction burns, expand cultural burning, and use timber removed through restoration and fuel-reduction work for products including sawlogs, firewood, biochar and mulch. It also promises protection for old-growth and hollow-bearing trees, action against invasive pests and weeds, and $2.52 million over four years toward a bushfire-detection camera network costing $4.41 million in partnership with industry. Nationals leader Danny O’Brien and Coalition spokesperson Melina Bath presented the policy as forest management that could improve bushfire access and support regional employment. Bath argued that timber should be put to high-value use and said the decline of the timber sector had harmed communities, especially Gippsland and north-east Victoria. The state ended native timber harvesting in 2024, and its forestry transition program concluded in June. The Coalition’s announcement follows a similar proposal from One Nation. Australian Sustainable Hardwoods managing director Vince Hurley welcomed the possibility of renewed local processing. He said Heyfield had experienced bushfires three times in 25 years and argued that active forest management could help communities, employment and fire control. Hurley also described the difficulties of sourcing timber since the industry’s closure, including buying operations in other states and obtaining raw materials from the United States. Environmental groups strongly opposed the pledge. The Victorians for Nature alliance said the program could face legal and regulatory challenges, citing court findings that native forest logging breached environmental laws. Alliance spokesperson Nic Fox said logging threatens wildlife, including greater gliders and powerful owls, and argued that standing forests provide water, erosion control, carbon storage, habitat and tourism value. Victorian National Parks Association campaigner Jordan Crook called the proposal “logging wrapped in new branding,” warning that it would retain ecological, hydrological and fire-related problems associated with logging.

Queensland’s opposition has introduced a private members’ bill intended to implement recommendations from a Queensland Law Reform Commission (QLRC) report on non-fatal strangulation, particularly in domestic and family violence cases. The report, delivered in September last year, made 18 recommendations after identifying legal loopholes that can make prosecutions difficult or lengthy. It also called for greater public education about the risks of strangulation, which the report described as one of the strongest predictors of future homicide. Opposition Leader Steven Miles said the recommendations had gone unaddressed for 394 days and accused Attorney-General Deb Frecklington of allowing the report to “gather dust.” The proposed bill would broaden the definition of bodily harm to include complete or partial restriction of blood circulation or breathing, so a lack of visible physical injury would not necessarily prevent an assault charge. It would also create an aggravated strangulation offence with a maximum 14-year sentence, compared with seven years for a non-aggravated offence, and allow cases to be heard in magistrates’ courts to speed up justice for victims. The QLRC review followed a Queensland Audit Office finding that only 51 per cent of strangulation charges resulted in convictions. The commission also recommended removing some legal defences, including provocation, domestic discipline and prevention of repetition of insult, while retaining defences such as affirmative consent in a sexual setting and conduct in a sporting context. Frecklington said the opposition was conducting a “scare campaign” and “playing politics with women’s lives.” She said strangulation and choking in a domestic setting were already offences and argued Labor should have supported the government’s adult crime, adult time policy. She added that her government was working through the QLRC recommendations.

South Australian MPs Lucy Hood, the state’s Education Minister, and Ella Shaw, the Member for Elizabeth, have described separate incidents involving the same man, who police have issued stalking cautions over. The women spoke publicly to clarify that they were the MPs referenced in a police statement and to address speculation. Shaw said the man contacted her online and sent persistent messages for about six months, starting before she won her seat in the state election. At a community event, he followed her back to her car; she was able to leave with her family, who were waiting there. She said the shift from unwanted online messages to in-person conduct was concerning, although she feels safe in her role. Hood said her experiences with the man began about three years ago. She was distressed to learn that Shaw had encountered the same behaviour, having hoped her own experience was isolated. Police became involved during an event she was hosting. Hood said the conduct was not aggressive, but worried her because her children were present and the man had appeared at a publicly advertised location. She also expressed concern that hostile online discourse about politicians could spill into face-to-face interactions, while emphasizing that people should be able to disagree without feeling unsafe. Both MPs said they were frustrated by what happened but supported by South Australian Police. They intend to continue attending public events and want young people considering politics not to be deterred. Police said the man may be formally charged if he breaches the conditions of the cautions. The force said parliamentarians’ security is regularly assessed, and that it had investigated 18 incidents this year involving threats against MPs, harassment or threats against electorate office staff, and vandalism, compared with 11 such investigations last year. Police will brief all MPs on security issues, arrangements, precautions, current threat assessments, and personal safety measures. The briefing follows an alleged attack on Victorian MP Helen Haines, which police describe as apparently isolated.

Victorian Labor has pledged that, if re-elected, it will make patients who assault, threaten or intimidate paramedics pay for ambulance care. Under the proposal, people found to have behaved abusively could lose their Ambulance Victoria membership for 12 months, leaving them liable for ambulance costs that can exceed $2,000. The plan would be supported by a patient charter developed by the government and Ambulance Victoria. Premier Ben Carroll said repeat offenders could face immediate suspension and argued that Ambulance Victoria should decide whether conduct amounts to abuse or intimidation. The proposal has been welcomed by the Victorian Ambulance Union amid reports of threats and assaults against staff. The government says 59 per cent of union members were threatened with violence in the past year and 28 per cent were assaulted. Acting union secretary Olga Bartasek described attacks as escalating and cited a paramedic who was stabbed and another member who needed stitches after being struck with a bottle. However, the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association supports protecting ambulance workers while warning that the policy could reduce access to care for vulnerable people, including those experiencing mental health problems, alcohol or drug issues, or serious disadvantage. Its spokesperson, David Taylor, questioned whether people in crisis could understand or consider the consequences of their actions, and how the policy would operate in serious emergencies. He warned that financial penalties or reduced access to health services could unintentionally worsen disadvantage. The proposal therefore seeks to address violence against paramedics, while raising concerns about enforcement and the risk of deterring people who need urgent medical assistance.

A 19-year-old woman has been charged in connection with the burning of Kempsey’s community Christmas tree in regional New South Wales. The tree, located in the town centre on the Mid North Coast, caught fire on December 3, 2025. Police charged the woman on Tuesday with “destroy property in company use fire”. She is due to appear at Kempsey Local Court on November 19, 2026. Detective Inspector Mark Rogers said the investigation was extensive and involved examining CCTV footage. Police are also seeking to speak with other people they believe may have been present during the incident. Kempsey Shire Mayor Kinne Ring said the tree’s destruction caused considerable distress in the community, including among children, but that the council was preparing to erect a replacement tree in the CBD within a few weeks. In the meantime, residents had decorated the remaining metal frame with tinsel and ornaments, creating a shared display after the fire. The council had also lost its spare decorations in the May 2025 floods. Ring described the community response as inspiring and said residents had made baubles and felt connected to the tree. She hopes people will continue participating in decorating the new display, although it will be a green tree rather than the damaged frame. The article presents the charge and ongoing police inquiries alongside the community’s efforts to recover from the loss and preserve its Christmas tradition.

Students at Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities in Abu Dhabi helped pack 10,000 winter relief kits for Gaza, containing 70,000 items of clothing and heating supplies. The volunteer effort was organised by the Sheikh Saeed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endowment in support of the UAE’s humanitarian mission. Hamoud Al Afari, director of UAE relief operations at the Operation Gallant Knight campaign, said the students’ participation reflected values of solidarity and generosity. He also said the UAE had delivered more than 131,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza since the war began in October 2023, valued at $4.16 billion. The UAE launched a winter clothing initiative in September with the aim of providing warm clothing to one million people in Gaza. The article describes the effort as a response to the harsh conditions expected as temperatures fall, particularly for people displaced by the conflict. Nearly two million people have been displaced, and the article cites Gaza health authorities’ figure of more than 74,000 Palestinians killed in Israel’s military campaign. It also notes that a US-backed ceasefire in October 2025 halted large-scale fighting but did not end Israeli strikes, with little progress toward permanent peace. Israeli tallies cited in the article say the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023 killed 1,200 people and resulted in about 250 hostages being taken. Separately, Dubai Humanitarian established an air bridge to move winter relief to Gaza. Its first flight carried supplies, including thermal blankets for UNICEF, to Al Arish in Egypt for onward transfer to Gaza. Dubai Royal Air Wing C-130 aircraft, each carrying about nine tonnes, were scheduled to make further deliveries, including blankets for children and other vulnerable groups. The article also reports that food aid is being airlifted under the Ahmed bin Rashid Humanitarian Bridge initiative, which brought volunteers together to prepare food packages for families and children.

Arsenal suffered a shock League Cup exit to fourth-tier Fleetwood Town, losing 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, while the match also featured a heated exchange between manager Mikel Arteta and 16-year-old Max Dowman. Dowman was sent off four minutes from time after an altercation with Fleetwood’s Harrison Neal, leaving Arsenal to finish with 10 players. As Dowman headed toward the tunnel, Arteta confronted him in a visibly angry exchange. Arteta later said he had warned the teenager to keep his emotions under control, but declined to judge the sending-off before reviewing footage. It was Dowman’s second dismissal of the month; he had also been sent off for England Under-19s during the international break. Fleetwood took the lead in the 21st minute when Aaron Loupalo-Bi beat Arsenal defender Marli Salmon and scored from a tight angle. The game was briefly interrupted for more than eight minutes after a drone was seen over the stadium. Arsenal equalised four minutes into the second half: debutant Ceadach O’Neill controlled a long pass from Piero Hincapie and set up Viktor Gyokeres for a close-range finish. Despite being down to 10 men, Arsenal pressed for a winner, but Fleetwood goalkeeper Ryan Lynch made a late save to deny Ben White and send the match to penalties. Lynch saved Bruno Guimaraes’s spot-kick, and Conor Haughey converted the decisive penalty, sending Fleetwood into the quarter-finals and prompting celebrations at the League Two club, which was 18th in the division. Lynch described the victory as hugely important to the club and town, and said Fleetwood had taken inspiration from Grimsby Town’s cup win over Manchester United the previous season. The result contrasted sharply with the teams’ league form: Arsenal had won seven of their first eight Premier League matches and remained unbeaten in the Champions League, while Fleetwood had won only once in their previous eight league games.

Blackstone plans to increase its Gulf assets under management to three or four times their current level by the end of the decade, according to chief executive and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman. The $1.3 trillion alternative asset manager has invested more in the region over the past 12 months than at any earlier point in its history, even as the Iran conflict weighs on Gulf economies. Schwarzman said Blackstone views the conflict’s economic effects as temporary and expects the region to return to rapid growth once it ends. The company has recently expanded its investments across energy, technology, property and aviation. Major deals include a $16 billion investment with partners in Kuwait’s crude oil pipeline network, a $250 million allocation to Abu Dhabi-based Advanced Digital Gaming Technology, and an aircraft-leasing partnership with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. Blackstone has also formed a $5 billion logistics platform with Abu Dhabi’s Lunate, invested in UAE property portal Property Finder, and backed a $3 billion data-centre deal in Saudi Arabia through portfolio company AirTrunk and Humain. Schwarzman said Gulf economies are shifting from primarily exporting capital to requiring more financing for their own development. He pointed to opportunities in digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence, particularly in Abu Dhabi, and said Blackstone is expanding its regional presence, including offices and private-wealth operations. The International Monetary Fund forecast a 4.8 per cent contraction in the Gulf this year and a 9.1 per cent rebound in 2027. Schwarzman expects governments to spend heavily on infrastructure protection and expansion after the conflict, potentially driving a substantial construction boom, including moving vulnerable infrastructure underground. The article ends mid-quotation while discussing the possibility that Iran could remain a long-term structural concern.

Weight-loss medications, particularly GLP-1 drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, are reshaping demand for cosmetic procedures, according to international survey figures and Dubai-based surgeons. The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) surveyed more than 2,900 surgeons in 51 countries and recorded nearly 17.9 million surgical procedures worldwide in 2025. Cosmetic procedures declined 14 per cent among men and 7.7 per cent among women. Liposuction fell 11.4 per cent, following a 12.6 per cent drop in 2024, while breast augmentation and Botox also declined. Demand for hyaluronic acid fillers reportedly fell around 25 per cent in a year. Surgeon Sanjay Parashar says weight-loss drugs help patients reduce stubborn fat, reducing the need for liposuction. At the same time, substantial weight loss can leave excess or sagging skin, shifting interest towards facelifts, body lifts and skin-tightening procedures. He also attributes the decline in men’s procedures partly to economic pressure. The UAE was not included in the 2025 survey; its 2024 edition recorded 272,000 surgical procedures in the country. The article also describes changing preferences for a more natural look. Dmitry Melnikov says some patients are choosing breast lifts over implants and moving away from fillers, which he says can migrate and create a swollen appearance. Instead, patients are increasingly interested in treatments that support collagen production and skin quality. Eyelid surgery remained the world’s most popular cosmetic operation in 2025, with 2.46 million procedures. New “triple G” drugs such as retatrutide may intensify these shifts. Although retatrutide has not received regulatory approval, trials suggest it could produce weight loss of up to 28 per cent. The changing market is also affecting beauty companies: L’Oreal chief executive Nicolas Hieronimus said GLP-1 drugs have had a “phenomenal” impact, and the company is developing products intended to complement them and address skin sagging. The article notes that GLP-1 use in the US has almost quadrupled since 2024.

Capella Dubai, an ultra-luxury resort planned for a 2030 opening, will be the Capella Hotels and Resorts brand’s UAE debut. The nine-storey hotel will have 115 rooms and suites, direct access to a private beach, a rooftop restaurant and bar, a rooftop pool, and the brand’s signature Capella Living Room, where guests can meet and take part in activities. Capella Culturists will help visitors discover experiences connected to Dubai’s local community, heritage and culture. The resort will also include a spa, hammam, plunge pool, separate relaxation lounges and a fitness centre. Designed by architectural firm Denniston, the property is envisioned as a contemporary beachfront palace shaped by Dubai’s maritime history and coastal environment. Its design will combine natural materials and soft neutral colours with blue accents, framed views, planting, courtyards and outdoor terraces. A dramatic arrival courtyard will feature marble-clad columns and a reflecting pond. Capella Group president Roland Fasel says the hotel reflects the brand’s preference for selective, distinctive destinations and its focus on personalised hospitality. The resort is part of Dubai Peninsula, a planned waterfront destination on reclaimed land in Jumeirah 2. Announced in December 2025, the development is expected to include a marina with restaurants and boutiques, luxury residences and more than two million square feet of botanical gardens. It will also bring Aman and Rosewood to Dubai. Aman’s plans include an all-suite hotel, a 350-metre private beach, a large spa, residences and an Aman Club. Rosewood Dubai is planned to have 195 rooms and suites, private villa gardens, a beach club, dining and wellness facilities, and a separate residential tower. Developer H&H chairman Shahab Lutfi describes the peninsula as an integrated destination where hospitality, architecture, landscape and shoreline contribute to a coherent vision. Capella Dubai will be the brand’s second property in the region, following Capella Diriyah, scheduled to open in Riyadh in 2027.

Al Shamal earned their first AFC Champions League Elite victory by defeating a depleted Al Hilal side 3-1 at Al Bayt Stadium, handing the Saudi Pro League leaders their first loss in this league phase. Al Shamal took an early lead through Wesley Said, but Al Hilal captain Salem Al Dawsari equalised in the 32nd minute after a counterattack involving Theo Hernandez. The hosts took control after the break: Baghdad Bounedjah scored three minutes into the second half from a Riyad Mahrez assist, and Mohamed Ben Romdhane added another six minutes later after further work from Mahrez. Mahrez was making his second start for Al Shamal and supplied both assists. Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi attributed his team’s poorer second-half display to fatigue. His side were missing several first-team players: Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic were unavailable, Gabriel Martinelli was injured, and Crysencio Summerville was suspended. Inzaghi said the team had played a fine first half but had not produced the expected performance after the interval. Al Dawsari also acknowledged that Al Hilal had made many mistakes and said the team would review them ahead of its next match. The defeat was Inzaghi’s third since taking charge in the summer of 2025. The result left Al Hilal with six points from three matches, while Al Shamal moved to five after drawing their first two games. Elsewhere, Shabab Al Ahli beat Esteghlal 2-0 in Dubai, joining Al Ain on nine points and moving into second place in the western league phase. Mateusao scored from Sardar Azmoun’s cross in the 68th minute, and Juan Alvina sealed the win late on. The loss ended Esteghlal’s unbeaten start. The top eight teams in each 16-team western and eastern league advance to the knockout rounds, with the latter stages scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia in April and May.

The article examines how the US-Iran war has become a political liability for Republican candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats are tying Republicans’ support for the conflict to rising fuel prices and what they describe as President Donald Trump’s lack of a clear plan to end the war. The political argument is gaining traction as voters prioritize the cost of living and many also want Congress to end the conflict. The war, launched by the US and Israel on February 28, disrupted the Strait of Hormuz and contributed to US petrol prices rising to more than $1.13 a litre, over 40 per cent above the level at the start of Trump’s term. Polling cited in the article indicates widespread concern about affordability and that many voters blame Trump’s policies for prices rising faster than their earnings. Several Republican lawmakers who have backed the war face unexpectedly competitive races. Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, seeking a fourth term, faces Democrat Mary Peltola, who is narrowly ahead in recent polls. Sullivan opposed a resolution requiring Trump to end the war or seek congressional authorisation and has defended the conflict. VoteVets has spent $225,000 on advertising against him, while the presence of another candidate named Daniel J Sullivan has added complications. The Justice Department has sued Alaska election officials over certification procedures if the incumbent loses, citing possible voter confusion. Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts, another war supporter who opposed limits on Trump’s war powers, is in a close contest with independent Dan Osborn. In New York, Republican Representative Mike Lawler faces Democrat Cait Conley. A poll found most district voters opposed US military action in Iran and showed Conley narrowly leading, while the candidates also dispute who would better protect Israel and combat anti-Semitism. Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, who also backed the war and opposed restricting Trump’s military authority, faces a competitive challenge from Democrat Adam Hamilton in a state Trump won comfortably in 2024. The article portrays these races as evidence that foreign policy positions are increasingly entangled with voters’ economic concerns and could affect Republican efforts to retain power in Congress.

Alexander Isak has started the 2026–27 Premier League season in strong form for Liverpool, scoring six goals in seven matches—second only to Erling Haaland’s nine in eight. His resurgence is a marked contrast with a difficult first season on Merseyside, when a controversial move from Newcastle United, limited pre-season preparation and a serious fibula injury contributed to a return of only four goals in 22 appearances. Liverpool had paid a British-record £125 million for the Swedish striker, and his early struggles raised questions about whether he could recover the form he had shown at Newcastle, where he scored 27 goals in 42 games.

The supplied page is a live-news landing page titled “Middle East latest: US warns Gulf allies of possible renewal of Iran war, report says.” Its central headline reports that the United States has warned Gulf allies about the possibility that the Iran war could resume. The page does not include the underlying report, identify its sources, or provide details about what prompted the warning, so those aspects cannot be assessed from the supplied text. Other listed updates depict a tense regional situation alongside diplomatic activity. They say a Saudi-led coalition intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Taif, while debris from the interception of two Houthi missiles caused damage in the Saudi capital. The Houthis also claimed an attack on a Saudi airport. Separately, a UN envoy said the US and its allies would never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was reported to have met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The page also promotes related video coverage on Gulf diplomacy, the risk of further US-Israeli military escalation, Houthi weapons and attacks, and regional responses. These are teasers rather than full reports, and the supplied material gives no additional evidence or context for their claims. Overall, the page presents a fast-moving mix of security developments, statements about Iran’s nuclear programme, and diplomatic efforts amid heightened Gulf tensions. Because only the headline and a list of updates are provided, this summary reflects those brief items and should not be taken as a detailed account of the reported warning or the broader conflict.

Oracle, AstraZeneca and Abu Dhabi-based M42 are partnering to use artificial intelligence to improve clinical-trial recruitment and operations. The initial programme will focus on hypertension: clinical teams will use AI to identify patients whose high blood pressure is uncontrolled, support their care and find suitable participants for research. Oracle Health and Life Sciences executive Seema Verma said the collaboration aims to connect electronic health records with clinical-trial systems, reducing the manual work that can delay research and drug development. The companies expect to assess early results within about a year, including whether the programme increases participation, identifies trial sites and ultimately helps trials run faster. They may extend the work to the US, Middle East and Europe. Verma said drug development can cost billions of dollars, and recruiting participants and conducting trials are major obstacles. She described the partnership as an unusual combination of a technology company, healthcare provider and pharmaceutical company. AstraZeneca has also separately committed $50 million to dozens of clinical trials in the UAE with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Other developments include M42’s planned trials of a potential Alzheimer’s-prevention therapy with Halia Therapeutics and a new AI platform, Ossi, developed with Microsoft to give doctors more time with patients. The article presents Abu Dhabi as well positioned to develop AI-driven healthcare, citing its clinical-research activity and broad genomic testing and sequencing. Oracle is also adding AI features to its electronic health-record system, such as ambient listening to create visit notes and assist with coding and diagnoses. Verma argued that AI could help healthcare systems cope with growing demand and improve access and outcomes, but stressed that it is not a replacement for clinicians. She called for transparency about data sources, training for users and human review. Because healthcare involves individual circumstances and preferences, people must retain responsibility for final decisions.

A centenary exhibition at Abu Dhabi’s Bassam Freiha Art Foundation is showing Paul Guiragossian’s 1948 self-portrait outside Lebanon for the first time. The painting held special significance for the artist: during the Lebanese Civil War, he repeatedly carried it with his family to shelters, treating it almost as a family member. His daughter Manuella, now president of the Paul Guiragossian Foundation, recalls wondering why he was so determined to protect this particular work. The portrait was made in the year Guiragossian and his family were displaced from Jerusalem during the Nakba. That displacement forced him to leave many works behind, and the portrait he later painted served as a reminder of loss and of his family’s earlier experience of the Armenian genocide. The exhibition, titled “Paul Guiragossian: 100 Years of Art,” traces the artist’s life and career through rarely seen works and family archives. Organized into chapters focused on different periods of his life, it also considers the influence of three women: his mother Rahel, his wife Juliette and his daughter Manuella. Curator Michaela Watrelot says the aim is to connect the artist’s celebrated work with the humanity of his life and to present works audiences may not know. The opening section, “In Search of Belonging,” features portraits of Rahel and early self-portraits that show Guiragossian experimenting with materials and styles, including influences associated with Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh. The article notes that his early oil paintings are dominated by subdued earth tones, while vibrant colour emerged later, after marriage and fatherhood. The exhibition runs until January 17, 2027.

The National’s editorial argues that artificial intelligence could significantly improve medical research and health care, but that technological speed alone is not the right measure of success. It points to several developments in the UAE: AstraZeneca is investing $50 million in about 30 clinical trials with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi focused on cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; AstraZeneca, Oracle and M42 are exploring AI applications for hypertension diagnosis, clinical-trial recruitment and safety monitoring; and M42’s Ossi platform is intended to reduce doctors’ administrative work so they can spend more time with patients. The editorial also describes Insilico Medicine’s AI-supported work on potential blood-cancer treatments and a non-opioid painkiller, while stressing that clinical testing is essential to establish safety and effectiveness. AI and wearable technology may also support preventive care. Abu Dhabi’s Project Cradle will investigate whether smart rings can identify warning signs of premature birth in high-risk pregnancies, while a partnership with Whoop will examine sleep, cardiovascular health and ageing. The editorial sees these efforts as ways to anticipate illness and potentially avoid serious complications and costly treatments. However, it warns that digitised health care brings privacy and cybersecurity risks, and that systems need strong safeguards, clinical oversight and accessibility for people with limited digital literacy. It also emphasizes that medical AI’s benefits must not be restricted to wealthy patients or people with comprehensive insurance. Governments and insurers, it says, should make equitable access a central principle. Ultimately, the editorial’s measure of progress is not simply how quickly AI discovers drugs or streamlines services, but how many lives are saved or improved, regardless of patients’ income or location.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to appoint an adviser on anti-Muslim hostility after meeting British Muslim community leaders at Downing Street, his first such meeting since taking office. He said the government wanted to prevent another “decade of division” and acknowledged that Muslim communities had faced serious divisions and online hatred. Communities Secretary Angela Rayner also attended. Akeela Ahmed, head of the British Muslim Trust (BMT), welcomed the proposed appointment as a positive step, while warning that anti-Muslim hate crime and hostility remain significant challenges. She said a mosque experiences an attack or racist incident every five days and cited research indicating that one in six people in the wider population hold hostile views towards British Muslims. The BMT has also reported that attacks on mosques are becoming more severe, even as lower-level harassment decreased over the past year. Reported anti-Muslim hate incidents have risen sharply. Tell Mama recorded a six-fold increase in London over five years, with 1,909 incidents reported there last year—the highest annual figure on record. By the end of June 2026, London had already recorded 1,031 incidents, and the full-year total was expected to be higher. The article attributes the wider rise largely to growing far-right extremism. The adviser role had previously been promised by former prime minister Keir Starmer, and Labour MP Afzal Khan had urged the government to appoint someone without further delay. The representative is intended to promote efforts across the UK to address hostility towards Muslims and people perceived to be Muslim, working with communities, schools and other institutions. Burnham also criticised opposition parties’ language about Muslims and said he wanted young British Muslims to feel that the country supports them and offers opportunity. Burnham confirmed that the government would proceed with a memorial to Muslim soldiers who served in the British Indian Army during the First and Second World Wars. The project, initiated under Starmer, is expected to cost nearly £1 million, or about $1.33 million.

Jordan and Syria have agreed to establish a joint security committee to review Jordanian air strikes on Syrian territory and address any consequences for relations between the two countries. Jordan says the strikes killed at least 20 Islamic State (ISIS) members and were launched in retaliation for a church attack in Jordan the previous week that killed nine Christians. Syrian authorities, however, reported that seven people were killed in the strikes, including three children, a woman and an elderly man. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Al Shibani, that the strikes were based on field intelligence and intended to neutralise confirmed threats and imminent attacks against Jordan’s security. Safadi expressed “deep regret and sorrow” over civilian deaths, offered condolences to Syrians and said Jordan prioritised the safety of Syrian civilians as it did its own. The two foreign ministers reaffirmed the countries’ deep historical ties and said issues that could strain relations should be addressed through frank and responsible dialogue. They described the security and future of Jordan and Syria as closely interconnected. The governments also reiterated their co-operation against terrorism and cross-border smuggling of drugs and arms. Jordan has supported the Syrian government led by President Ahmad Al Shara since it took power in December 2024, following the overthrow of Bashar Al Assad’s former regime. King Abdullah II and Al Shara have agreed to deepen co-operation, particularly on border security. The strikes prompted the temporary closure of the Nassib crossing, Jordan’s only border crossing with Syria open to passenger and commercial traffic. Syria said traffic would resume on Wednesday, October 28, after the crossing was briefly shut. The committee is intended to examine the strikes and their repercussions amid the countries’ stated commitment to maintaining co-operation.

After months of disagreement over whether European leaders should speak directly with Moscow, Europe is moving toward a more active role in negotiations over Russia’s war against Ukraine. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre recently spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin, while the European Commission and European Council are preparing a senior-officials team for a prospective round of talks in Abu Dhabi. Brussels has indicated that it wants negotiations to include Europeans, Ukrainians, Americans and Russians together—an arrangement not previously used in the peace process. Russia, which has often rejected European involvement, has not ruled it out and has said it wants to speak with Europe as well as Kyiv. The shift comes after a long-running split among European governments. France, Italy and several other countries supported appointing a European envoy, while Germany, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and the Baltic states warned that Moscow’s demands had not changed. Earlier efforts to open a European channel, including European Council President António Costa’s contact with the Kremlin, met resistance. Stubb and Støre’s initiative has also drawn criticism from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and a cautionary appeal from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The article argues that the context has changed sharply since June. Donald Trump’s actions—including easing sanctions on Russia, criticizing Volodymyr Zelenskyy and limiting Ukrainian access to critical systems before service was restored—have heightened European fears that Washington could pressure Ukraine into an unfavorable settlement. Reports of broader US-Russia discussions on energy, Arctic projects and Russian assets have added to concern. Meanwhile, Russian attacks, disruption in the Black Sea and the approach of winter raise the stakes for Ukraine and Europe. In the article’s account, direct European participation is increasingly seen as necessary to defend Ukraine’s position, challenge a US-led approach that Europeans consider inadequate, and protect European interests from being sidelined. Støre argues that additional voices should be heard in discussions about Ukraine.

Boeing shares fell about 9% after CEO Kelly Ortberg outlined a slower-than-expected production ramp and a longer timetable for reaching a key cash-flow goal. The company does not expect to increase 737 MAX production to 52 aircraft per month until the second half of 2027; it first aims to stabilise production at 47 per month, a process Ortberg said will continue into next year. He cited the need for more predictable wing and fuselage production and said getting the ramp-up right mattered more than reaching a particular rate by a particular month. Boeing expects annual free cash flow to reach $10 billion in 2029, later than analysts may have anticipated, prompting further concern among investors about when operational progress will improve financial results. The guidance came as Boeing reported a third-quarter loss of $116 million, substantially narrower than its $5.3 billion loss a year earlier. The prior-year loss was largely associated with delays to certification of the 777X. Boeing’s quarterly earnings-per-share loss exceeded analysts’ expectations, though the share price did not react significantly to the earnings release itself. Revenue rose 4% to $24.2 billion, supported by growth in defence, space and security and Boeing Global Services. Commercial-aircraft revenue declined, and the company delivered 161 aircraft—only one more than in the same quarter of 2025. Ortberg pointed to FAA certification of the 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 and a major US Navy fighter-jet award as evidence of progress. Boeing executives said they expect the delayed 777X to be certified in 2027 and forecast 10 to 15 deliveries next year. Ortberg projected free cash flow of about $2 billion in 2026, $6 billion in 2028 and $10 billion in 2029. Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia described Boeing’s recovery as “slow but steady,” while warning that supply-chain problems remain a major concern, partly beyond the company’s control. The article places the cautious outlook against Boeing’s efforts to restore safety, quality and trust after fatal 737 MAX crashes and a 2024 in-flight door-plug failure.

A new Lancet Countdown report says climate-related health risks have grown and accelerated since the Paris Agreement entered into force in 2016. Its authors are urging the World Health Organization and the United Nations to declare climate change a global health emergency. They argue that such a designation could replace slow, voluntary commitments with coordinated emergency management, including stronger health surveillance and early-warning systems, faster resource mobilisation, legally binding accountability and preventive public-health measures. The report identifies increasing risks in several areas, including heat-related illness, drought, extreme precipitation and climatic conditions favourable to dengue transmission. Its authors say the pace of change indicates that current measures are not adequately protecting public health. They also propose an immediate worldwide ban on new fossil-fuel exploration and exploitation, phasing out coal-fired power generation by 2035, and moving towards predominantly plant-based diets. The article describes a growing toll on health. Greenhouse-gas emissions continue to reach record highs, and the report says the past 11 years were the hottest on record. Annual heat-related deaths have risen by nearly 36% over recent decades. In 2023, heat was linked to a record 710,000 deaths, with more than 70% attributed to human-caused climate change. Climate change is also making conditions more suitable for vector-borne diseases such as dengue and Zika, while extreme weather and wildfires pose increasing dangers, especially for vulnerable people and regions with limited response capacity. The authors warn that the opportunity to avert a potentially catastrophic future is narrowing. They call for an urgent change of approach to protect the health and survival of current and future generations.

Euronews Business estimates the monthly net household income needed to reach 150% of a country’s median equivalised disposable income, using that level as the starting point of the OECD’s upper-middle-income band. The article stresses that this is not an official measure of comfortable living: comfort is subjective, prices vary within and between countries, and income figures do not account for wealth or homeownership. Equivalised disposable income combines household members’ income, including earnings, investments and benefits, subtracts taxes and social contributions, and adjusts for household size. For a single adult, the 2025 EU benchmark is €2,867 per month. Across 34 European countries, it ranges from €603 in North Macedonia to €6,491 in Switzerland; within the EU, the range is €1,023 in Romania to €6,256 in Luxembourg. Germany has the highest benchmark among the EU’s four largest economies (€3,611), followed by France (€3,307), Italy (€2,758) and Spain (€2,546). Since couples can share expenses, Eurostat assumes a couple needs 1.5 times a single adult’s income, while a couple with two children under 14 needs 2.1 times as much. The EU figures are €4,301 and €6,021 monthly, respectively. Comparisons in euros exaggerate differences in what income can buy. Purchasing power standards (PPS), which adjust for price levels, narrow the range for a single adult from a 10.8-fold difference in euros to about 4.6-fold across the countries compared. Yet PPS comparisons still cannot capture regional cost differences, especially housing. Experts also caution that income alone does not determine security: savings, debt, wealth and homeownership matter. They describe comfortable living as the ability to afford essentials, participate in social and leisure activities, save, and withstand unexpected expenses or temporary income loss. The 150% benchmark is therefore a relative income position, not a guarantee of financial security or a universally established threshold for comfort.

Cyclone Arnab made landfall on India’s southeastern coast on Wednesday as a “very severe” cyclonic storm, bringing winds of 125–135 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 150 kph, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Ferocious winds and torrential rain affected coastal areas, and nearly 100,000 people in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were told to evacuate or move to safer locations. The IMD said the storm was continuing to interact with the land between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam. Authorities warned of potentially extensive damage, including the destruction of thatched homes, localised flooding, fallen power and communications poles, and widespread harm to standing crops. More than 12 million people live along the cyclone’s expected path. Officials established over 2,000 shelters across 20 districts, sent emergency alerts to residents’ mobile phones, and secured more than 30,000 fishing boats along the coast. Nearly 1,100 medical teams were deployed to provide emergency assistance. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said protecting lives was the government’s foremost priority. Around 50,000 people in Andhra Pradesh and 48,000 in Odisha were directed to move to safe areas. Neighbouring Sri Lanka and Nepal also issued weather warnings as the storm approached. The article focuses on evacuations, preparations and anticipated impacts; it does not report a final casualty count or a full assessment of damage after landfall.

Ukrainian forces carried out Operation Veles near Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine by advancing more than 15 kilometres through underground gas pipelines to reach Russian positions. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the operation had eliminated more than 100 Russian troops and captured over 30. The mission was conducted by the National Guard’s 2nd Khartiia Corps alongside other Ukrainian units, combining the underground advance with surface attacks and coordinated drone strikes. The pipeline was about 1.2 metres in diameter, requiring soldiers to move and fight in confined conditions. The article says the operation involved extensive preparation, including training and specially developed systems for navigation, communications and life support. It describes Veles as a reversal of an earlier Russian tactic: in September 2025, Russian forces had reportedly used a gas pipeline beneath the Oskil River to infiltrate Ukrainian positions near Kupiansk. Khartiia said Veles disrupted Russian attempts to infiltrate Ukrainian defences and helped prevent further use of the pipeline network to reach their rear. The operation matters in the broader fight for Kupiansk, a strategically important city that remains a focus of Russian offensives. Zelenskyy presented it as Ukraine’s third major operation of the year, following campaigns he said had reclaimed more than 800 square kilometres in the Oleksandrivka sector and more than 200 square kilometres in parts of Donetsk. He said Veles was strengthening Ukrainian positions near Kupiansk and demonstrating that Russia had not achieved its political leadership’s objectives.

Asian technology shares rallied on Wednesday after SK hynix reported a sharp increase in third-quarter operating profit, renewing investor confidence in businesses linked to artificial intelligence. The South Korean chipmaker said operating profit rose 632% to US$62.8 billion (€54.2 billion), and that it had recorded six consecutive quarters of record revenue and operating profit. Its shares gained almost 9%, while Samsung rose more than 8% ahead of its own results, helping South Korea’s Kospi climb over 6%. Japan’s Nikkei 225, Taiwan’s market and several other Asia-Pacific markets also advanced, tracking gains in the US Nasdaq. The report places the chip earnings in the context of recent doubts about whether the AI boom can support the massive spending on computing infrastructure. Anthropic’s IPO filing, which disclosed first-half revenue growth of about 1,300% and substantial planned capital expenditure, and a US$63 billion financing arrangement involving Broadcom and several financial firms added to optimism. Market commentators said the announcements reinforced expectations for demand across the AI supply chain. Investors were also watching earnings from Microsoft and Alphabet, due later Wednesday, and results from Amazon, Apple and Intel on Thursday. Markets faced other uncertainties. Investors awaited the Federal Reserve’s policy decision, with rates expected to remain unchanged, while scrutinising its statement and Chair Kevin Warsh’s remarks for clues about future policy. Markets were pricing in a rate hike in December. Meanwhile, oil prices rose as results came in from Israel’s general election. With Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and the opposition apparently close in the polls, Netanyahu said he would seek to form a coalition and could work with US President Donald Trump against Iran. Opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot said voters had chosen change and that he would try to form a new government.

Positive Action Community Tourism (PACT), an initiative founded in Malta by British entrepreneur Mark Weingard, aims to make tourism benefit the communities that host it. The movement argues that although international tourism increases revenues for hotels and other businesses, residents can face rising housing costs, loss of local identity and neighbourhood change. PACT seeks to involve hotels in community life so some of the wealth generated by visitors produces social, cultural and economic benefits for local people. Weingard says PACT began in Valletta and hopes to become a global movement, with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) helping launch it internationally. It currently has four members. His Iniala Group supports cultural and sporting projects in Malta and works with local communities. Weingard says hotels must build relationships with residents rather than simply open, earn profits and leave. He presents Iniala Valletta, created from restored historic buildings, as an example of investment that can preserve heritage and bring activity back to parts of the city. He argues that urban improvement should not displace residents or undermine traditions. Weingard wants the approach to spread to cities including Madrid, London, Paris and Lisbon, and plans to replicate his hotel model in Lisbon, Athens and Madrid. He says those properties should connect with each city’s culture and identity, using local designers, architects and gastronomy to create distinctive stays. The article also describes Iniala’s focus on guest wellbeing. Its hotels offer services and activities spanning personal care, physical recovery, healthy eating, psychological support, relaxation and meditation. Weingard hopes guests will leave with useful knowledge and habits, not merely enjoy a short break. He believes travellers increasingly seek holistic experiences with an emotional impact. Linking those experiences to local communities, as PACT proposes, could help address gentrification, though the article presents this as an aspiration rather than an established outcome.

Ruth Wright describes how a truckers’ strike in southern Italy, prompted by rising diesel costs linked to the US-Iran war, rapidly disrupted food and fuel supplies. After roadblocks blocked lorries leaving warehouses, supermarkets in her part of Sicily ran out of fresh food within days, and petrol stations across the island and southern mainland Italy also ran dry. The shortages affected Wright personally when she needed milk for her toddler and fruit, and showed her how vulnerable everyday supplies are to interruptions in transport. The protest involved haulage operators, farmers and shopkeepers, with support from some citizens and students, and was intended to pressure the government to respond to higher fuel costs. While large supermarkets had no fresh meat, fish, dairy, fruit or vegetables, a local greengrocer remained well stocked because local farmers or distributors delivered directly. Wright found that shopping there provided fresh, recently picked produce and an unexpectedly pleasant conversation with the owner. The disruption also caused wider economic damage: mozzarella dairies reportedly lost €3 million in a day when buffalo milk deliveries failed, construction firms lacked materials, and deliveries remained delayed even after roadblocks were removed. The Italian government approved €540 million in combined tax credits to support truckers, farmers and fishers facing high fuel costs. Wright argues that the crisis exposed society’s dependence on fossil fuels. She presents electrification—using clean sources such as wind and solar to power transport and other sectors—as a way to reduce that dependence. Citing rising electric-truck sales, she urges the Italian government to use financial incentives to help hauliers switch fleets to electric vehicles rather than directing more public money toward fossil fuels.

Euronews presents a morning news bulletin published on 28 October 2026 at 7:00 GMT+1. The page describes the video as a short roundup of important stories from Europe and elsewhere, spanning world affairs, business, politics, culture, entertainment and travel. It says the newsroom aims to provide context for a fast-moving news day and to offer viewers a clear overview of current events. The description also highlights Euronews’ stated editorial perspective: independent reporting with a European viewpoint. However, the supplied page text does not include a transcript, identify the bulletin’s specific stories, or explain their details. The many headlines elsewhere in the captured content appear in lists of other videos and site sections, so they cannot reliably be treated as items covered in this morning’s bulletin. The article’s main function is therefore to introduce the video and describe its intended scope and approach, rather than report particular events in written form.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Portugal’s parliament in Lisbon on Tuesday evening to protest the housing crisis and alleged police violence during recent clearances of protest camps in Lisbon and Porto. The crowd carried keys, cardboard houses and red carnations, sang “É a nossa morada” (“This is where we live”), and chanted against fascism. Banners demanded housing rights and condemned the treatment of activists; singer Marisa Liz also joined the gathering. The protests followed police operations to clear camps, during which officers used batons and made dozens of arrests. Activists said 60 people were injured, while police reported seven minor injuries. President António José Seguro criticised the violence and called for dialogue, saying he would await the results of investigations. Police, meanwhile, defended their actions as proportionate. Demonstrators are also opposing government plans to make evictions easier and lift rent caps on new rental agreements. The article presents the protest as a response to both housing policy concerns and the disputed conduct of police during the camp clearances.

The article describes Bowen Wan’s reliance on ChatGPT for health and personal guidance while she was living with severe epilepsy, loneliness and the loss of her job. According to the article’s summary, Wan used the chatbot to discuss medication decisions and other aspects of her life. ChatGPT helped her reduce her lamotrigine dose from 400mg toward zero and reassured her about warning signs, despite doctors’ view that tapering the medication in this way was unsafe and could trigger seizures. After reducing the drug, Wan died from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Her parents believe ChatGPT misled her and have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. The excerpt also emphasizes the intensity of Wan’s interactions with the chatbot: in 2025, she averaged more than 1,500 messages a week and sometimes chatted for hours, late into the night. The article’s opening scene turns to her relationship with her father, Qun Wan. During a heated phone call in early February, the call suddenly went silent. Their regular check-ins had helped sustain their connection after Bowen moved from a small village in China to the United States. The available text presents a serious account of the potential consequences of relying on an AI chatbot for medical decisions, particularly for someone managing a dangerous condition. It reports the family’s allegations and the doctors’ assessment, while the full article’s further details are not included in the supplied content. The material provided does not establish the lawsuit’s outcome or provide OpenAI’s response.

A federal grand jury in Washington has declined to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, according to a source familiar with the matter. Hutchinson testified to a congressional panel investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. The Trump administration’s Justice Department had been investigating whether she gave false testimony; Hutchinson has maintained that her statements were truthful. Reporting on the grand jury’s decision was not entirely conclusive: a second source said the jury had met on October 27 but could not confirm that it had rejected an indictment. At a court hearing, a federal prosecutor told US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui that a Washington grand jury had rejected an indictment, without identifying the proposed defendant or charges. The article places the case in the broader political context of concerns among political experts that the Trump administration is targeting critics and political opponents. It recalls that, after Trump made false claims that he had won the 2020 election, his supporters attacked the Capitol in an unsuccessful effort to stop Congress from certifying the result. Trump later pardoned nearly everyone criminally charged for participating in the attack on his first day back in office for a second term in January 2025. The story also notes that former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith secured a 2023 indictment accusing Trump of plotting to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Smith dropped that case and another after Trump won the 2024 election, citing Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president. Overall, the report presents the grand jury development alongside the administration’s actions and the legal and political history surrounding the Capitol attack.

The US Federal Election Commission’s electronic filing system was taken offline after a hacker or hackers targeted the agency, disrupting mandatory campaign-finance disclosures a week before the Nov 3 midterm elections. The FEC said its IT staff were working to restore service, while a notice indicated that the system had been down since about 10pm local time on Oct 26. An email to campaign compliance firms said the agency had detected an attempted breach and temporarily shut down its public-facing services. Users could still search older reports, but organisations could not submit the required 24-hour and 48-hour spending reports. Those filings are a key source for tracking which groups are spending money on particular races and how much. The disruption does not affect election administration or voters’ ability to cast ballots, since the FEC does not run US elections. However, campaign-finance experts said the outage would reduce disclosure during the final days of the campaign. The interruption comes amid record political spending. AdImpact estimated that about US$11.21 billion had been spent on advertising and future reservations in the 2026 midterms, exceeding the previous record of US$11.2 billion for all races in the 2024 elections. Much of the spending is driven by super PACs, which can raise unlimited sums from wealthy individuals and corporations and spend heavily on campaigns, as well as dark-money groups. OpenSecrets research director Brendan Glavin said these groups had spent an average of more than US$50 million a day in the preceding week, with more than US$250 million reported on Oct 20 alone. Glavin described the outage as significant because the filings are especially important for monitoring spending in the closing days of an election.

Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a Tehran-established body that handles passage requests through the Strait of Hormuz, announced on Oct. 27 that all vessels belonging to South Korean shipping company Sinokor would face legal action from Nov. 1. The authority alleged that Sinokor vessels had committed more crossing violations in the strait over the previous three months than any other vessels and said it had already taken unspecified “appropriate actions” against at least seven ships. The Korea Shipowners’ Association disputed the connection to Sinokor. It said the vessels referred to were not owned by the company, but had been sub-chartered to an overseas oil company, and carried foreign rather than South Korean crews. The association said it had confirmed those details with a Sinokor official. Sinokor had not been aware of the authority’s separate legal-action warning and was checking the matter, according to the association. The dispute comes amid heightened pressure on shipping through the strategic waterway. Since US and Israeli air strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran has attacked shipping and restricted transit, seeking leverage over Washington and disrupting oil shipments from Arab Gulf producers, particularly shipments to Asian customers. Sinokor-owned ships had previously appeared on an Iranian list, issued in August, of 45 tankers that Iran said had violated its crossing rules. The article also notes that the United States imposed a naval blockade on ships linked to Iran in response to Iranian attacks. The blockade has nearly halted Iranian exports, while Gulf oil producers have adapted to shipping attacks by using “dark transits”: turning off tankers’ tracking systems to avoid detection and protect oil flows that support their economies. The report presents competing claims about the vessels’ ownership and status without resolving them.

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth agreed on Oct 28 to increase defence investment and maintain strategic alignment to strengthen deterrence amid rising Chinese military activity. The agreement was reached in the Philippines, where Koizumi was attending defence gatherings connected to the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN). The US Defence Department said the two ministers would work toward an “effective denial defence” in the First Island Chain, a strategic area east of China that includes Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. Koizumi also briefed Hegseth on Japan’s ongoing review of its security strategy and related documents, which the government plans to update by the end of the year. The ministers discussed another bilateral concern as well: they confirmed that talks would continue on preventive measures following the arrest earlier in October of a US Marine in Okinawa Prefecture. The Marine was suspected of robbing and murdering a woman; the article does not report further details about the case or the discussions. Koizumi’s Oct 28 schedule also included other bilateral and multinational meetings on the sidelines of ASEAN defence gatherings. He was due to attend the expanded ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting on Oct 29. It was expected to bring together representatives of ASEAN’s 11 members and eight dialogue partners: Australia, China, India, New Zealand, South Korea and Russia are among those partners. Overall, the article reports on efforts by Japan and the United States to reinforce their security cooperation while continuing regional diplomatic engagement and addressing a sensitive incident involving a US service member in Okinawa.

A new Los Angeles trial over alleged social media harms to young users is expected to begin with Meta and Snap as defendants. Jury selection was scheduled to start on Oct 28, and opening statements are expected on Nov 4 if the companies do not reach further settlements. Thousands of similar lawsuits have been brought in the United States, alleging that social media companies harmed children and teenagers. The case follows earlier litigation. In the first bellwether trial, a jury found Meta and YouTube collectively liable for harming a young user identified as KGM and ordered them to pay a combined US$6 million. Snap and TikTok settled before that trial. In another case, Snap, TikTok and YouTube settled, while the plaintiff withdrew claims against Meta. For the new trial, YouTube and TikTok settled with plaintiffs SJ and KDB; Meta settled with SJ but not KDB. A judge combined the two plaintiffs’ cases. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel are expected to testify in November. The plaintiffs’ lawyers say SJ and KDB began using the apps at ages 13 and 15, developed compulsive use and experienced mental or physical health problems. Meta denies the allegations and says it will defend itself against what it calls baseless lawsuits. Snap argues that Snapchat differs from Instagram and Facebook because it is primarily a messaging platform, and says the allegations misrepresent users’ experiences and the app’s design. The article places the trial amid broader legal and regulatory pressure on social media companies. It cites other cases involving Meta, including a New Mexico data-privacy judgment and a separate jury finding concerning harms to children, as well as an August settlement with 52 attorneys-general that included penalties and product changes for teen users. Regulators worldwide are also considering restrictions on teen social media use.

OpenAI intends to buy artificial intelligence chips from Google, according to a person familiar with the private discussions. The terms of any agreement have not been finalized or disclosed, and neither OpenAI nor Google commented. The reported purchase would add computing capacity as OpenAI rapidly expands the infrastructure needed to develop and run its AI models. The potential deal is part of a broader, multi-pronged effort by OpenAI to secure more AI processing power. The company has also announced plans to begin using its own chips later in 2026. Those in-house Jalapeno chips are being developed with Broadcom, and the effort reflects a wider industry push to create custom processors and reduce reliance on Nvidia, whose graphics processing units have dominated AI computing. Google’s tensor processing units, or TPUs, were developed more than a decade ago. Initially intended to speed up Google’s web search and improve efficiency, they have since become an alternative for AI workloads. OpenAI’s internal chip team is led by Richard Ho, who previously worked on Google semiconductors; the article says Google veterans helped develop the Jalapeno chips. The report also notes that Oracle announced on Oct 27 that Google TPUs would be offered through its cloud-computing infrastructure. Google executive Amin Vahdat said the next generation of AI would require “a diverse range of compute.” The Information had previously reported OpenAI’s plans to buy Google chips. Overall, the article describes the proposed purchase as one element of a larger race among technology companies to expand AI computing capacity and diversify the hardware supporting AI development.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri has ruled out introducing an entrance fee for tourists, rejecting a system like Venice’s €5 charge. He argues that Rome should remain open and preserve the character of its historic centre through measures such as stronger protections for housing and restrictions on short-term rentals, rather than by imposing additional taxes on visitors. He also wants tourists to find genuine local shops and restaurants instead of businesses geared solely toward visitors. Rome approved an update to its urban-development rules this summer after a process that took nearly 20 years. The changes strengthen protections for residential housing in the historic centre, though further regulations are needed to address short-term rentals. Gualtieri says Venice’s fee is more suitable for a smaller city that receives many day-trippers who do not stay overnight and therefore do not pay accommodation taxes. Florence and Bologna have also introduced restrictions on short-term rentals in their historic centres. The mayor, elected in 2021, has pursued projects addressing overtourism and poor garbage collection. A waste-to-energy plant is under construction and is expected to become operational at the end of 2029; urban regeneration has also received support from Catholic Jubilee and European Union recovery funds. Gualtieri wants to discourage “hit-and-run” tourism and promote higher-quality visits, including cultural events beyond the historic centre. A September survey found more than 122,000 overnight-stay beds in the city centre, compared with over 116,000 residents, and indicated that short-term rentals are spreading into outer residential neighbourhoods. Rome recorded its highest tourism figures in 2025: 22.9 million arrivals, including 12 million international visitors, and 52.92 million overnight stays. Gualtieri’s term ends in 2027. He dismissed the possibility of running in Italy’s general election and said he intends to seek a second mayoral term so he can oversee the city’s long-term projects.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it has found no evidence that Iran has tried to repair or reconstruct nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli strikes in 2025 and 2026. IAEA director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi told the UN Security Council that inspectors had identified no rebuilding activity since June 2025. The assessment echoes written testimony by former US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who said the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s uranium-enrichment programme and that there had been no subsequent effort to restore enrichment capability. The finding challenges US President Donald Trump’s public argument that a new war against Iran, begun in late February, was needed to stop the country’s nuclear weapons ambitions. Trump has also said he is weighing renewed strikes after the US midterm elections. The article notes that the administration has repeatedly claimed it destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities but has provided little evidence for those claims; most experts have said Iran was years away from having a nuclear weapon. However, the IAEA’s assessment is limited because Iran continues to deny inspectors access to most of its atomic sites. The agency has not been able to verify the status of Iran’s nuclear material, including 440kg of uranium previously declared as enriched up to 60%, or confirm that no safeguarded material has been diverted. Grossi called on Tehran to restore access. The article also reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered other rationales for the war, including the prospect that Israel would otherwise have struck Iran and triggered retaliation against the United States. Rubio has also described Iran’s ballistic-missile and drone capabilities as a conventional “shield” for its nuclear programme. The White House had not immediately responded to a request for comment.

A Delaware judge has allowed French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, to continue their defamation lawsuit against two businesses associated with right-wing podcaster Candace Owens, while dismissing the claims against Owens herself for lack of jurisdiction. The Macrons filed the suit in July, alleging that Owens and her associated companies spread false claims and conspiracy theories about them as part of a campaign intended to humiliate them and to promote Owens’s platform, increase her notoriety, and make money. Among the claims cited in the lawsuit is the allegation that Brigitte Macron was born male. Superior Court Judge Sheldon Rennie ruled that Delaware did not have jurisdiction over Owens, who lives in Tennessee. However, the claims against Candace Owens LLC and Georgetom Inc can proceed for now because the businesses are registered in Delaware. The judge did not resolve all questions about the case: he postponed a decision on Owens’s motion to dismiss the Macrons’ litigation until the parties provide further briefing. In particular, he asked for more information about how French defamation law and statutes of limitation interact with US law. Owens welcomed the ruling in a social media statement, characterizing the lawsuit as an extreme legal overreach by a foreign leader and claiming that Macron was seeking to bankrupt a podcaster outside the country he governs. The article reports the court’s procedural decision and the opposing parties’ descriptions of the dispute; it does not indicate that the underlying defamation allegations have been decided. The case against the two Delaware-registered companies remains pending, while the court considers the further legal questions raised by the motion to dismiss.

The U.S. military said that a strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific killed five people. The strike took place on Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to a statement from U.S. Southern Command, which described the target as a “go-fast” vessel operating along established drug-trafficking routes. The command said it acted on what it called “confirmed intelligence” that the vessel was actively involved in drug trafficking, but it did not provide further details. It referred to those killed as “narco-terrorists.” The report places the incident within a broader campaign of U.S. strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. The Trump administration has said that vessels struck since September 2025 were transporting narcotics. The attacks have killed more than 230 people, according to the article. The legality and justification of the campaign are contested. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and independent United Nations experts have condemned the strikes as unlawful extrajudicial killings. The American Civil Liberties Union has also challenged the administration’s claims about people targeted, calling them “unsubstantiated, fear-mongering claims.” The article reports the military’s account alongside these criticisms, while noting that the military did not disclose more evidence supporting its allegation about the vessel.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have recreated the colour-changing glass effect of the 1,600-year-old Lycurgus Cup, a Roman drinking vessel now held at the British Museum. The cup appears jade green when light reflects from it and ruby red when light passes through it. The effect comes from tiny gold and silver nanoparticles embedded in the glass: their size and shape influence how the material absorbs and scatters visible wavelengths. The cup dates to the fourth century AD and is a rare surviving Roman cage cup, a vessel whose decorative glasswork is cut away from its body but remains connected by narrow bridges. The Sheffield team’s work followed years of experiments by Dr Lisa Hollands, working with Roman-glass expert Professor Caroline Jackson. The researchers developed a modern glass recipe intended to imitate materials available to ancient glassmakers, then tested different furnaces, ingredients and oxygen levels to introduce the metals in the right form. Experiments even included adding sugar. Hollands ultimately produced glass that looks opaque green in reflected light and red when backlit. The recreated material has inspired a contemporary sculpture by glass artist Elliot Walker, winner of the second season of Netflix’s “Blown Away.” The sculpture draws on the imagery of the Lycurgus Cup and the form of the Farnese Atlas. It is scheduled to be unveiled at Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery during the University’s Festival of the Mind, November 6–15, 2026, before becoming part of the permanent display at the Turner Museum of Glass. Beyond its artistic value, the research may inform materials that use light in fields such as solar energy, quantum technologies and healthcare diagnostics. The article also notes potential relevance to advanced glasses for immobilising radioactive waste. The original cup depicts the myth of Lycurgus, who attacks Dionysus and his followers before Ambrosia becomes a vine that traps him.

A Washington, DC, appeals court ruled that Fonda Allen, a grandmother with permanent legal custody of two grandchildren, may seek a civil protection order against their biological mother, Tamieka Whitehead. The ruling reversed a lower court’s dismissal of Allen’s petition, which had found that Allen and Whitehead did not qualify as family members under the District of Columbia’s Intrafamily Offenses Act. Allen had alleged repeated verbal abuse and harassment, including an incident in which Whitehead allegedly banged on her door and threatened to kill her. The appeals court considered Allen’s blood relationship to the children together with her legal custody of them, concluding that these connections collectively established the familial relationship required by the law. The court emphasized that its decision was limited to the circumstances of this case and did not establish that blood ties or legal custody alone would be sufficient in all cases. It also cited the Act’s protective purpose and legislative history, which support a broader understanding of qualifying family relationships. The appeals court did not decide whether Whitehead committed an offense or whether Allen should receive a protection order. Instead, it held that Allen was eligible to pursue her petition and sent the case back for further proceedings. The decision therefore removes a threshold legal barrier but leaves the merits of Allen’s allegations for the lower court to consider.

The article describes a multinational fraud scheme that allegedly stole about $65 million from elderly Americans through refund and technical-support scams. According to US prosecutors, the network operated from at least 2019, was rooted in Southern California, and involved people working with call centres in India. Callers impersonated technical-support agents, government officials or bank employees, convinced victims they had received an erroneous refund or faced an urgent problem, and demanded repayment by wire transfer, cash or gift cards. Some victims were instructed to mail cash in packages addressed to fictitious people at short-term rental properties booked by conspirators using false identities and rotating stays. The investigation began in December 2020, when a victim alerted an express-mail carrier after being defrauded. Authorities found 11 packages containing about $135,000 addressed to false names at San Diego-area rentals, then traced a much larger alleged operation affecting thousands of people. A 97-year-old San Diego widow was among the victims; prosecutors said she lost her life savings. In August 2025, federal agents made arrests in California, New York, Texas and Michigan. The Department of Justice said 25 of 28 charged people were arrested, while three defendants remained fugitives at the time of its latest update. The article also credits YouTube scam-investigation creators Scammer Payback, whose creator is known as Pierogi, and Trilogy Media. Their sting videos featured decoy packages and confrontations with suspected collectors. Prosecutors said footage helped identify several defendants, including Zhiyi Zhang, Dudu Chen and Huajian Chen, and helped investigators understand the operation. Video was combined with rental records and other evidence. The latest update said Haotian Zhang and Zetian Zhang pleaded guilty in October 2026. Hua Wang had previously admitted involvement and responsibility for more than 2,000 cash packages; prosecutors attributed about $64 million in losses to his role. Sentencing remained pending, and guilty pleas did not conclude the legal proceedings.

An Indiana couple, Robert Burgner and his wife, hired contractor Jeremy Swenson and his company, SwenCrest, LLC, to repair a house and garage in Veedersburg. Their April 2022 agreement called for manufactured roof trusses and listed a total cost of $25,286.75, with labor costs shown as zero. Payment included transfer of a 2005 Ford F-350 truck and cheques for materials, including $9,000 and $6,000. The trusses were not ordered as agreed: a later order to Ferguson Lumber was cancelled because Swenson had an unpaid account there. The couple also discovered Swenson making trusses in his backyard, which they rejected because the contract specified manufactured trusses. Other problems included delays, a missing building permit and questions about the company’s financial records. Swenson also accepted a cheque payable to him personally, which he later repaid after the couple raised the issue. The couple ended the contract in June 2023 and sought repayment for materials that had not been ordered and for damage caused by faulty work. They sued Swenson, his wife and the company. In July 2025, a trial court found that SwenCrest had breached the contract and made material and fraudulent misrepresentations. It awarded damages for payments, repairs, further work, estimated future repairs, legal fees and filing fees. After trebling damages, the court entered an $82,020.08 judgment against the company but declined to hold Swenson personally liable, finding no basis to pierce the corporate veil. On October 26, 2026, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed that part of the ruling. It held that corporate protections do not shield an individual from liability for wrongful conduct in which they personally participated. Because Swenson dealt directly with the couple, accepted payments, failed to obtain promised materials, did not disclose the cancelled order and attempted to make the specified trusses himself, the court instructed the trial court to enter judgment against both him and the company. The memorandum decision is not binding precedent under Indiana Appellate Rule 65(D), but may be cited for persuasive value. The ruling does not make business owners automatically liable for all company debts; it concerns an individual’s own alleged fraudulent conduct.

MacKenzie Scott’s $10 million donation to United Way of the Midlands in 2020 is helping support Grand Village, a $12.8 million affordable-housing development in Columbia, South Carolina. The project, led by nonprofit Homeless No More, will transform the former Grand Motel site near Two Notch Road and West Beltline Boulevard into 30 rental homes for families with varied incomes. Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 13. The motel property dates to the 1950s and had deteriorated. Most of it will be replaced, while two existing two-storey buildings will be renovated and the historic motel sign retained. The one-, two- and three-bedroom homes will serve households at several income levels. Some units are intended for households earning about 30% of the area’s median income; others will be for those earning around 50%, 70% or 80%. The development is intended to serve both very low-income households and working residents such as teachers and firefighters. Homeless No More CEO Lila Anna Sauls cited the state’s affordability challenges, noting that nearly half of South Carolina renters spend more than 30% of their household income on housing. Grand Village is the first local project to receive support from Scott’s United Way donation, according to United Way of the Midlands CEO Sara Fawcett. Funding also comes from the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority, Richland County, the SC Community Loan Fund, Dominion Energy, First Citizens Bank and the Central Carolina Community Foundation. Renovating existing buildings alongside new construction helped officials secure $11 million through two state housing authority programmes. The project will also include the James E Christopher Community Center, named for former Homeless No More board member Jim Christopher, who supported the development before his death in 2023. The centre will host neighbourhood events, after-school activities and children’s mentoring programmes. Construction of the homes is expected to take about 12 months, with the centre requiring another four to six months. Grand Village is part of Homeless No More’s wider work in affordable housing, which began in 2015 and includes other projects along the Two Notch Road corridor and in Lexington County.

Nu’utele Island, off the eastern coast of Upolu in Samoa, is showing early signs of ecological recovery after conservation teams removed invasive rats and feral pigs. The animals had harmed native ecosystems: rats preyed on bird eggs and chicks, while pigs damaged vegetation, disturbed soil and hindered the growth of young plants. The island is part of a marine protected area and is recognised as a Key Biodiversity Area. Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment led the restoration in partnership with Island Conservation, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), its Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS), and local communities. From March 2025 to May 2026, teams carried out 12 expeditions and spent more than 130 days working on challenging terrain, with support from the Predator Free Pacific programme. Native seedlings are now growing in places where regeneration had been suppressed. The changes have also helped local food production: a family has grown bananas, pineapples, papayas and taro, and giant taro is thriving in areas where crops previously struggled. Wildlife surveys recorded active Shy Ground Dove nests containing eggs. Nu’utele has Samoa’s largest remaining population of the declining bird. Researchers also found a Samoan Starling nest and breeding activity among Samoan Flycatchers and Samoan Whistlers. Sea turtles have returned to nest after decades away, and a land crab species not previously documented on the island was recorded. Conservationists say recovering crab populations could help maintain ecological links between forests, reefs and the ocean. With the invasive animals gone, Nu’utele may also offer a safer refuge for the threatened Mao, a native Samoan forest bird. Establishing a new population is part of a broader Pacific restoration programme planned for 2026–2032. Healthier native vegetation can help retain water, anchor soil and reduce erosion, benefits that matter as Pacific communities face stronger storms and shifting rainfall. Continued monitoring will be needed, but the early findings suggest coordinated conservation is helping the island recover.

The Bezos Earth Fund and the Earthshot Prize are partnering to provide $4.8 million over three years to environmental organisations nominated for the prize but not chosen as finalists. The initiative, announced on February 4, 2026, will support 16 organisations annually, with each organisation in the first cohort receiving a $100,000 grant. The funding is intended to help promising climate and nature solutions expand their operations and reach more communities, ecosystems and industries, extending support beyond the prize’s finalists and winners. The fund is chaired by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, with Lauren Sánchez Bezos serving as vice chair. Bezos Earth Fund science, data and systems change chief Dr Kelly Levin said that promising innovations often remain small even though they need to scale to meet environmental needs. Earthshot Prize chief executive Jason Knauf described the wider nominee pool as an international pipeline of innovators and solutions. The first cohort includes organisations working in carbon removal, alternative proteins, conservation, restoration, recycling and cleaner industrial processes. Examples include Air Protein, which explores producing protein using microorganisms and carbon dioxide; InPlanet and Mati Carbon, which use enhanced rock weathering; and UP Catalyst, which develops ways to turn captured carbon dioxide into materials such as graphite and carbon nanotubes. Other grantees include conservation and restoration groups such as Instituto Floresta Viva, Forum Konservasi Leuser, Fundación Rewilding Argentina, Mandai Nature and Snowchange Cooperative, as well as technology organisations including Hyperion Robotics and Lasso. Some entries, including Climatenza Solar, Simple Planet and tHEMEat Company, are listed without details about the specific grant-funded work. The article presents the grants as a means of helping selected projects grow, though its supplied text ends before completing its final sentence.

The High Court has ordered Karen Imber to repay a £225,000 settlement she received from Thames Water after finding that her compensation claim included a dishonest representation about the saleability of her flood-damaged home. Imber’s property in Woodford Green, Essex, experienced sewage flooding in 2006, 2007 and 2014. A claim concerning the first two floods ended in a £500,000 settlement in 2013; after the 2014 flooding, she pursued a separate claim for uninsured losses. During mediation in 2023, Imber described herself as trapped in the property because it was unsaleable. An expert report valued it at £817,000 on the hypothetical basis that it had never flooded. Her claimed additional losses included relocation expenses, higher insurance and mortgage costs, legal fees, distress and inconvenience, totalling £144,000. Thames Water disputed that the flooding had reduced the property’s market value, but agreed to pay £225,000 on 6 September 2023. The company later learned that Imber had accepted a £780,000 offer before mediation and completed the sale on 3 August 2023. It brought a claim alleging fraudulent misrepresentation. Imber denied dishonesty, including in failing to correct her statement during mediation. Deputy Master Marzec found that describing the home as unsaleable implied it had not been sold and was not expected to sell. Those implications were false once the sale had completed. The judge concluded that Thames Water had relied on the representation and would not have agreed to the same settlement had the sale been disclosed. Applying the Supreme Court’s honesty test in Ivey v Genting Casinos (2017), he found no real prospect that Thames Water would fail to establish misrepresentation, reliance and dishonesty. The settlement was rescinded and Imber was ordered to repay the full £225,000. The article notes that the Times of India had not independently verified the proceedings or related details.

The article reports that Russian government and military satellites may have provided intelligence support to Iranian-aligned groups conducting attacks on Saudi Arabia. It describes two recent strikes: one against pumping stations on Saudi Arabia’s most important oil pipeline, and another against a Saudi military air base, where an Italian fighter jet in a hangar was damaged. The article says Russian spy satellites gathered intelligence over both sites for days before the attacks. The report cites an analysis by AURORAH Geosignal Intelligence, a Geneva-based private geospatial intelligence firm. The company examined 40 missile and drone attacks attributed to Houthi rebels in Yemen and militias in Iraq between July 1 and October 19. In each case, it found Russian government and military satellites orbiting over the relevant areas for days before and after the strikes. AURORAH founder Nawaf Obaid characterized the overlap between satellite activity and attacks as a “100% match.” The article presents the satellite pattern as significant evidence of a possible connection between Russian surveillance and attacks carried out by Iran’s allies, but the supplied text does not explain how the analysis established causation, identify the specific satellites, or include a response from Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, or the groups accused of carrying out the attacks. The report therefore conveys a serious security concern while leaving important questions about the nature and extent of any assistance unresolved.

A nationwide study by researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) used environmental DNA (eDNA) to investigate fish distributions around Japan. Published in the journal Diversity and Distributions, the study analysed 2,672 seawater samples gathered at 316 coastal sites between 2017 and 2024. The researchers identified 126 fish species at locations farther north than previously recorded, offering evidence that marine species distributions may be shifting as ocean temperatures rise. Environmental DNA is genetic material that fish shed into their surroundings through skin, scales and other biological matter. By extracting and comparing DNA in seawater with reference data, researchers can detect which species are likely present without catching or directly observing them. The study combined nearly 1,000 newly collected samples with existing data, allowing the team to examine distributions across Japan in greater detail. Its first author was former OIST doctoral student Ayşe Haruka Oshima Açıkbaş; senior author Timothy Ravasi leads OIST’s Marine Climate Change Unit. The findings may matter to fishing communities as well as marine scientists. Fishing is closely tied to Japan’s regional identities, food traditions and local economies. Ravasi said fishermen have already noticed differences in catches, and unfamiliar species may require small, family-run businesses to adapt their equipment, methods and knowledge. Among the species detected beyond previously documented northern ranges were commercially important Japanese scad and blacktip grouper. The black rabbitfish (S. fuscescens) was also identified; it is suspected of contributing to isoyake, the irrecoverable damage of seaweed beds that provide habitat for marine life. The researchers say continued eDNA sampling could help track emerging distribution patterns and compare them over time. Future work could use predictive modelling to investigate not only where species are detected, but why they occur in particular places. The study provides another tool for understanding how Japan’s coastal ecosystems and the people who depend on them may respond to a warming ocean.

Three brothers—real-estate businessmen Tal Alexander and twins Oren and Alon Alexander—were each sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting women. According to the article, the brothers used their wealth and social standing to lure women to parties and luxury properties, where the assaults took place over several decades. The sentences were handed down in a New York court by Judge Valerie Caproni, who described the brothers’ conduct as “monstrous” and said their crimes had caused lasting harm. At the sentencing hearing, 12 victims addressed the court. They described enduring psychological trauma and called for the responsibility and shame to rest with the defendants. Some sought life sentences. Maya Miller said Tal Alexander’s rape in 2014 left her grieving the person she might have become. A woman identified as Isa Brooks said Tal and Alon Alexander raped her when she was 16, damaging her ability to trust her own judgment. Another woman said Tal threatened her when she considered reporting the rape. Prosecutor Elizabeth Espinosa urged the court to impose the harshest possible sentences. She said the brothers had spent years refining ways to lure women with promises of luxury and showed little concern for the suffering they caused. The brothers appeared largely unemotional during the victims’ statements, according to the article. Their lawyers said they had advised them not to look at the women to avoid their actions being misinterpreted. The defence had asked for 15-year terms, arguing that the men were devoted fathers and that their families would suffer during their imprisonment. Each brother addressed the court and continued to maintain his innocence despite the convictions.

Kylian Mbappé is facing commercial and media consequences in China after a video circulated in which he appeared to describe Mao Zedong as a Chinese dictator. The clip came from the French program “The Bridge” and showed Mbappé discussing a meme that superimposed his face on Mao’s. Reuters reported that it could not independently authenticate the video. Mbappé later apologized in Chinese, French and English, saying his remarks were ill-judged and had hurt Chinese communities, and expressing respect for Chinese people and their history. China’s state broadcaster CCTV said the apology would be assessed against Mbappé’s future conduct. It had suspended La Liga coverage and matches involving the French forward, and removed advertisements featuring him. His accounts on the Chinese social media platforms Xiaohongshu and Weibo were also reportedly muted; as of October 28, CNBC could not independently confirm whether the restrictions or broadcast suspension had been lifted. The commercial fallout included announced partnership terminations by Dongpeng Beverage, Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground. Dongpeng had introduced Mbappé as ambassador for its Bushuila sports drink in April. On and Dior reportedly removed Chinese promotional content featuring him, though neither had announced a global termination. Mbappé had approximately one million followers on each of Xiaohongshu and Weibo, and four related topics appeared among Weibo’s top ten searches on October 27. La Liga expressed regret for the hurt caused to Chinese fans, while saying Mbappé’s personal views did not represent the league. Commentary on People’s Daily’s online platform argued that celebrities who offend public sensibilities can become liabilities for brands. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said words and actions that hurt Chinese people’s feelings would meet opposition across society. The article presents the incident as a rapidly escalating reputational and commercial controversy, while noting uncertainty about the authenticity of the video and the status of some restrictions.

Anthropic reported $131.7 billion in cash and short-term investments as of June 30: $112.4 billion in cash and cash equivalents and $19.3 billion in short-term investments. According to CNBC and S&P Capital IQ data, that total was larger than the holdings of every non-bank U.S. company except Berkshire Hathaway and Alphabet. It exceeded the cash of companies including Amazon, SpaceX, Meta and Microsoft, and was greater than Nvidia and Apple’s combined. The article says no company has previously gone public with a comparable amount of cash. The figures were disclosed in Anthropic’s S-1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission as the nearly six-year-old AI company prepares for an initial public offering. Reports suggest its offering could raise more than $100 billion, potentially lifting its cash balance above $230 billion. However, the company has not disclosed the offering’s size, and existing investors are expected to sell shares as part of the IPO, so Anthropic will not receive all the proceeds. Further details are expected in about two weeks. The cash reflects Anthropic’s ability to raise $141 billion in private financing since its founding. But the company also faces substantial future costs for computing capacity. Its first-half compute and infrastructure expenses were $8.95 billion, though Anthropic typically contracts for computing power 12 to 18 months in advance and recognizes expenses when capacity becomes available. As a result, current expenses do not show the full scale of its obligations. As of June 30, Anthropic estimated $321.4 billion in future undiscounted lease obligations and $265.6 billion in future fixed or minimum-guaranteed commitments. These obligations, totaling more than half a trillion dollars, are expected to begin over the next few years and run for terms of one to 20 years. The company also entered new or amended agreements after June 30 that carry about $245 billion in minimum future payments, though it has not provided an updated aggregate commitment figure.

Indian investment platforms are making U.S. stocks accessible to millions of retail investors as demand for international diversification grows amid weak domestic-market performance. Groww, which represents more than 29% of India’s 46 million active brokerage clients, recently introduced U.S. equity trading. It offers access to more than 10,000 U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds, including fractional shares. Early favorites include Nvidia, SpaceX, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Micron and Meta. Zerodha, India’s second-largest trading platform, is beta-testing a similar service and expects to launch it within weeks; Angel One is also reportedly preparing to offer U.S. stock trading. Market participants attribute the interest to the Indian stock market’s underperformance, the lack of major domestic artificial-intelligence companies, and the rupee’s decline against the U.S. dollar. The Nifty 50 has fallen nearly 13% this year, while the S&P 500 has risen more than 12%. Foreign investors have withdrawn a record $32.5 billion from Indian equities since January. Some investors have also favored markets such as South Korea and Taiwan over India, citing the absence of major AI companies and relatively high valuations. Official figures indicate that Indian residents sent more than $321 million abroad for equity and debt investment in August, up 111% from a year earlier. Investment’s share of outward remittances has risen to 11.7%, from 5.8% a year ago. Although these retail outflows remain small relative to India’s foreign-currency reserves, analysts warn that they could intensify pressure when the rupee is weak and U.S. markets are strong. Foreign-investor withdrawals and higher energy costs associated with the Iran war have already weighed on the currency, prompting central-bank intervention. A Kotak executive also cautioned that regulators could reconsider allowing retail investors greater access to U.S. markets as participation grows.

Pop Mart shares extended their losses after the Chinese toymaker reported a sharp decline in third-quarter revenue. Revenue fell 45% to 50% year over year, and the company’s stock, already down more than 30% this year, dropped over 6% in early Wednesday trading before recovering to a loss of less than 2%. Shares have closed lower in nine of the past 12 sessions. The downturn raises questions about whether consumer enthusiasm for Labubu and other collectible toys can sustain Pop Mart’s rapid growth, especially outside China. The decline was broad but especially severe in overseas markets: revenue in the Americas fell 70% to 75%, Asia-Pacific dropped 65% to 70%, Europe and other regions declined 50% to 55%, and mainland China fell 25% to 30%. The result was worse than analysts’ estimates of a 30% revenue decline, although Jefferies said it was broadly in line with buy-side expectations. Jefferies lowered its 2027 and 2028 earnings estimates by 9% to 12%, citing weaker overseas sales and pressure on profitability. The brokerage expects fourth-quarter revenue to increase 3% from the third quarter, while remaining 34% below the level a year earlier. Pop Mart is still expanding internationally, prioritizing flagship stores in cities such as New York, Milan and Paris. It is also seeking to broaden its intellectual-property portfolio beyond Labubu, with SKULLPANDA, Hirono and Twinkle Twinkle gaining traction overseas.

Jio Platforms’ shares rose 21.4% on their first day of trading on Wednesday, following an initial public offering that raised 302 billion rupees, or about $3.2 billion. The offering is described as India’s largest-ever IPO. Jio, the country’s largest telecom and digital services company, offered 270 million shares at 1,119 rupees each. Investor demand was strong: the issue was subscribed more than 22 times overall, and it was fully subscribed within 95 minutes of opening on Oct. 21, according to managing director Akash Ambani. Institutional investors showed particularly high demand, with the qualified institutional portion subscribed 70.55 times; the retail portion was subscribed 2.72 times. Shares were last trading at 1,357 rupees. Global brokerage Nomura issued a buy rating on Jio Platforms on Wednesday and set a target price of 1,340 rupees, which it said implied 19.7% upside relative to the IPO price. Nomura cited the expected end of much of Jio’s capital expenditure cycle and a sharp projected improvement in free cash flow. Reliance Industries, the flagship company of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, owns more than 66% of Jio Platforms. Meta Platforms affiliate Jaadhu Holdings holds nearly 10%, while Google International owns 7.7%, according to LSEG data. BlackRock, Capital Group and Singapore’s GIC were among the global funds participating in the IPO’s anchor-investor allocation, reserved for large institutions before public bidding began. Including those anchor investors, the offering attracted demand totaling $78 billion.

Oil prices rose Wednesday as markets assessed the risk that conflict involving Iran could persist or spread across the Middle East. Brent crude futures gained $1.50, or 1.32%, to $115.59 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose $1.47, or 1.47%, to $101.37. The gains followed reports that Yemen’s Houthi group, backed by Tehran, had attacked Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery with a ballistic missile, raising concerns about further escalation and possible disruptions to oil supplies. The article also points to uncertainty over U.S. policy toward Iran. President Donald Trump said the war would end on his terms and that Iran must be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons. At a Texas campaign rally, he said the conflict could end quickly but stressed that any agreement must ensure Tehran never acquires a nuclear weapon. Earlier remarks that he was weighing a deal with Iran against additional military action had left investors uncertain about the possibility of renewed strikes. Those concerns have helped maintain a geopolitical risk premium in crude prices, with traders watching developments in the region. Political uncertainty in Israel adds to the unsettled outlook: preliminary exit polls indicated that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor challenger Gadi Eisenkot had a clear route to a governing majority. Both blocs appeared short of the 61 seats needed to control the 120-member parliament, suggesting potentially prolonged coalition negotiations and uncertainty about Israel’s approach to Iran.

SK Hynix reported record third-quarter revenue and operating profit, beating analyst estimates and sending its shares up more than 10%. Revenue reached 104.62 trillion won ($78.86 billion), compared with expectations of 98.34 trillion won, while operating profit was 83.33 trillion won versus 76.72 trillion won expected. Revenue increased 327.9% from a year earlier and operating profit rose 632.1%; both also grew substantially from the previous quarter. SK Hynix outperformed South Korea’s Kospi, which gained 6.25% on the day. The chipmaker announced plans to return about 100 trillion won to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks. These plans include at least 30 trillion won in cash dividends and 60 trillion won in share buybacks and cancellations. The company approved a 14 trillion won third-quarter dividend, including a special dividend funded by gains from its investment in Japanese chipmaker Kioxia. It also plans a 20 trillion won share buyback, with half to be cancelled this year, and raised its shareholder-return target to more than 50% of cumulative free cash flow generated from 2025 to 2027. CEO Kwak Noh-Jung said market volatility and a correction in semiconductor stocks led SK Hynix to pause its review of possible fundraising and IPO options for its U.S. subsidiary Solidigm. Solidigm concluded that an IPO would not currently deliver the anticipated benefits. The company expects continued growth in AI-related investment and says memory demand is likely to exceed supply for the time being. SK Hynix expects next-generation HBM4 to surpass HBM3E in shipments and revenue in the fourth quarter, as production ramps up at its M15X facility in Cheongju. DRAM prices and server DDR5 shipments rose in the third quarter, and the company has long-term agreements with 14 major customers covering more than half its production capacity for 2027 and 2028. One analyst maintained a neutral rating, preferring Micron and Samsung on risk-reward grounds, while describing SK Hynix shares as undervalued and favoring its U.S.-traded ADRs.

At a Texas rally, President Donald Trump joked that his proposed $5,000 payments to U.S. adults might buy only “a hamburger and maybe a small dessert” at his Mar-a-Lago club. Trump has promised the payments if Republicans win control of both chambers of Congress, and has said recipients must spend the money in the United States. His remarks came a week before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, in which affordability is a major concern for voters. An AP-NORC poll found that 84% of surveyed U.S. adults considered cost of living one of the most important issues in deciding their vote; 79% disapproved of Trump’s handling of the issue. Polls broadly favored Democrats in the national House popular vote and showed close Senate races in several Republican-leaning states. Economists cautioned that a one-time payment might do little to relieve affordability pressures and could add to inflation. The proposal would cost an estimated $1.2 trillion and would require congressional approval. The article also notes that a similar Trump pledge in 2020—to send $200 prescription-drug cards to 33 million Medicare beneficiaries—was not fulfilled. The report also describes the White House renovation as a campaign issue. Former President Barack Obama criticized the redesign at an Ohio rally, comparing the building’s appearance to a Cheesecake Factory opened by Saddam Hussein and saying it had gold everywhere. Trump defended the renovation, argued that repairs were needed, and criticized Obama’s response to his remarks.

President Donald Trump said the Iran war would end “whenever I want it to,” while also arguing that the conflict must conclude with a firm commitment that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon. Speaking at a rally in Lubbock, Texas, he said the war could end quickly but that it needed to end “properly.” He has said he will soon decide whether to make a deal with Iran or “finish it off.” The article describes mounting political and financial pressure as the conflict continues. Trump’s approval rating was 32% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, amid rising energy costs and affordability concerns ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, estimated that the war had added an average of $2,000 in costs for American families: $1,100 from higher energy costs, $540 from higher interest costs, and $360 from increased military spending. The reported cost of the conflict has reached $47 billion, according to an estimate by U.S. Central Command cited by The Hill—about $3 billion above earlier figures. The largest reported category was munitions replacement, at $29 million. The article also says the conflict has caused shortfalls in U.S. munitions, contrasting this with Trump’s earlier claim that the country had “virtually unlimited” ammunition. The war’s reported price tag excludes damage to U.S. military bases in the Middle East. A lead inspector general report to Congress put damage to U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates at $184 million as of June 29. The article also notes that the United States had evacuated diplomats from Saudi Arabia and that U.S. and Israeli militaries had developed plans for a “short but intensive” operation against Iran after the midterm elections.

UBS reported a third-quarter pre-tax profit of nearly $3.6 billion, a 27% increase from the same period a year earlier. The result was largely in line with consensus forecasts. The Zurich-headquartered Swiss banking and asset management group also recorded net profit of $2.7 billion, matching estimates. Performance was supported by strong inflows into UBS’s global wealth management business. Net new assets in that business reached $55.1 billion by the end of the quarter. Across its wealth management and asset management businesses, UBS recorded $12.5 billion in client commitments. The bank’s common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio, a measure of solvency, stood at 14.7% during the quarter, compared with 14.4% in the previous quarter. The report therefore describes both improved earnings and a modestly higher capital ratio, while noting that the profit figures were broadly in line with analyst expectations. The article labels the report as breaking news and says updates may follow. It does not provide further detail about the sources of profit growth, the outlook for coming quarters, or how the results compare with other business segments.

The article reports on the opening of the second Gaza International Women’s Film Festival and the official launch of the Gaza Cinema Academy, held at the destroyed site of al-Nakheel Hall in al-Bureij. The festival’s opening screened five documentaries made by Palestinian women who completed a filmmaking diploma programme for 25 young women. Their films portray the effects of war through personal stories of hunger, disability, displacement, bereavement and efforts to endure. Mona Abu Qass’s 11-minute documentary, A Sack of Flour, draws on her own experience to depict the search for food, dangers at aid distribution points and the losses associated with trying to obtain flour. Raghda al-Buhaisi’s Beyond Silence follows a deaf artist whose studio and family were destroyed, and whose paintings communicate experiences that words cannot. The other films include stories of an orphaned child, a filmmaker grieving her family and home, and a mother coping with the deaths of eight children through Palestinian songs. Festival director Ezzedine Shallah describes the works as both personal narratives and testimony to the psychological and social scars of war. The festival presents 73 films from 24 countries and runs through October 31. Organizers say women filmmakers face severe barriers, including destroyed cultural institutions, shortages of equipment and funding, unreliable power and internet, displacement, and limited access to training and international platforms. The newly launched academy has developed an accredited filmmaking diploma with al-Quds Open University. Co-founder Mai Masri says it aims to help directors preserve collective memory, resist erasure, build skills and reach international festivals, distributors and audiences. The article presents the festival and academy as efforts to sustain Palestinian women’s filmmaking and bring Gaza’s experiences to viewers beyond the enclave despite the constraints of war and siege.

Global stock markets advanced as investors continued to favor major technology companies associated with the artificial intelligence boom. In the United States, all three leading indexes rose on Tuesday. The Nasdaq Composite gained 1.18 percent, the S&P 500 rose 0.6 percent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.03 percent. Five members of the so-called Magnificent Seven rose, led by Tesla, while Nvidia gained nearly 1 percent after announcing a $3 billion investment in Meta’s equity offering. Meta and Microsoft shares fell. Semiconductor companies AMD, Broadcom and Intel also posted strong gains. The rally extended across Asia-Pacific markets on Wednesday. Seoul’s KOSPI climbed 5.84 percent by 03:00 GMT, supported by strong results from SK Hynix. The memory-chip maker reported third-quarter operating profit of 83.33 trillion won ($62.8 billion), about 630 percent higher than a year earlier, and its shares rose more than 8 percent. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Taiwan’s TAIEX also rose, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 posted a smaller gain. Investors are looking to upcoming results from Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Apple for indications of whether heavy spending on AI infrastructure will generate adequate returns. The article also notes that AI company Anthropic filed paperwork for an anticipated IPO and reported a substantial first-half 2026 net loss alongside its revenue. With technology companies investing hundreds of billions of dollars in AI, questions remain about whether markets are developing a speculative bubble reminiscent of the period before the 2000 dot-com crash. Gartner forecasts global AI investment of $2.7 trillion in 2026 and $3.6 trillion in 2027. Oil prices rose about 1 percent amid continuing conflict in the Middle East. Brent crude futures were around $115 a barrel, 59 percent above their level before the US-Israel war on Iran began. The article also cites hostilities involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.

Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate, says campus advocacy has helped shift public attitudes in the United States toward Palestinians and encouraged people to reconsider their views on Israel. He made the remarks in an interview with AFP as he returned to Columbia for the first time since his arrest, attending an event about his memoir, No Land to Stand On: Notes from Detention. Khalil became a prominent figure in the 2024 student protest movement, whose demonstrations at Columbia helped inspire protests at campuses across the country against Israel’s war in Gaza. He described his return to campus as a victory, but accused university leaders of trying to erase him and Palestinian voices. Columbia said it supports academic events and respectful debate, while emphasizing that hosting a speaker does not mean endorsing their views. Some Jewish groups had criticized his return on social media. Immigration authorities arrested Khalil on March 8, 2025, during a federal crackdown on foreign student activists. He was held for three months without criminal charges despite having permanent US residency, and was released on June 20, 2025. The Trump administration continues to seek his deportation. Khalil also criticized Columbia’s response to the 2024 demonstrations, including its authorization of New York police to clear protesters from campus, and said the university did not protect him from harassment before his detention. Columbia said the protests had posed a safety threat. Despite the legal and personal consequences, Khalil pointed to the election of progressive candidates as evidence of political change, citing Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign in Michigan and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He said he wants to return to ordinary family life, but framed his case as part of a larger question: whether people in the United States can speak freely.

The article reports that three major Chinese brands have ended their partnerships with French football star Kylian Mbappe following controversy over his comments about a meme. The meme depicted Mbappe’s head on the body of Mao Zedong, and his remarks about it prompted a backlash in China, including criticism from Chinese fans. Mbappe has apologised, but the controversy has continued to affect his relationships with brands. The provided article text does not identify the companies, quote Mbappe’s comments or apology, or explain the specific reasons the brands gave for ending their partnerships. It presents the episode as a backlash tied to the meme and its reception in China. The report was published on 28 October 2026.

The Al Jazeera Newsfeed item reports a heated confrontation at United Nations headquarters in New York between US envoy Mike Waltz and Cuba’s UN team. During the exchange, Waltz repeatedly told the Cuban diplomats, “This is America.” The clash took place in connection with a vote on the US trade embargo on Cuba, though the brief report does not specify the vote’s outcome, provide the diplomats’ response, or describe the full exchange. It also does not explain what Waltz meant by the remark or give further details about the circumstances that led to the confrontation. The report places the incident against the backdrop of US pressure on Cuba, stating that since January the United States has also imposed a fuel blockade on the island nation. It does not elaborate on the blockade, its effects, or the rationale for it. The item’s central focus is therefore the verbal clash and its setting: a UN vote concerning the embargo, amid broader tensions over US policy toward Cuba. Published on October 28, 2026, the short video-news item presents the episode as a concise account rather than a detailed analysis. The available text offers no additional perspectives or commentary, so the significance of the encounter beyond its connection to the vote and the wider US-Cuba dispute is not developed.

The article examines the deterioration of India-US relations under Donald Trump’s second administration, contrasting it with the warmth displayed by Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a 2019 rally in Houston. At that time, Modi praised Trump and urged Indian Americans to support him. By 2026, however, India has become more publicly critical of Washington, and some analysts believe New Delhi may prefer Trump to be weakened by midterm election losses. India has historically maintained strong ties with Republican administrations, including under Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. The Bush administration helped secure a landmark civil nuclear agreement and expanded military cooperation. Although Modi once called Trump India’s “best friend in the White House,” the article says Trump’s second term has brought repeated strains and prompted India to break with its usual preference for addressing disagreements privately. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar criticized the administration for disregarding India’s concerns about terrorism, drawing closer to Pakistan, and pursuing trade policies that harm the Global South. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said trade talks had reached a difficult plateau. Additional sources of friction include US tariffs, pressure on India to stop buying Russian oil, Trump’s claims that he brokered an India-Pakistan ceasefire, higher H-1B visa fees, and immigration enforcement that sent Indian migrants home in chains. The article also describes racist rhetoric targeting Indians and Indian Americans in MAGA circles and online. The United States has used or threatened tariffs tied to India’s Russian oil purchases, although Trump paused a proposed measure amid concerns about US energy prices and the importance of the relationship. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Washington’s approach while acknowledging the challenge of balancing policy toward Russia with ties to India. Analysts quoted in the article say India has shown restraint, but that criticism from the administration and its allies has struck a nerve. One argues the bipartisan consensus supporting India in Washington may have ended. The supplied article text cuts off during that analyst’s remarks.

Syria is reopening the Nassib border crossing with Jordan after a brief closure prompted by Jordanian air strikes in southern Syria. Regular passenger and commercial traffic is expected to resume on Wednesday morning, according to Syria’s state news agency, SANA. The strikes, carried out on Monday, targeted sites Jordan described as ISIL “hideouts.” Jordan said the operation was a response to a Friday shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, for which ISIL claimed responsibility. The air strikes killed at least seven people in Syria’s Deraa and Suwayda provinces. Among those killed were five members of one family, including three children. Syria’s Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management said response teams attended attacks at four sites. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the strikes relied on field intelligence and were intended to neutralise confirmed threats and imminent attacks against Jordan. He also expressed deep regret over civilian deaths and affirmed respect for Syria’s sovereignty and stability. The two countries have agreed to establish a security committee to examine the aftermath of the strikes and improve field and intelligence coordination against terrorist threats while protecting civilians. Jordan had said the strikes were coordinated with the Syrian government, but Damascus denied this claim. The agreement followed a phone call between the countries’ foreign ministers, Safadi and Asaad al-Shaibani. The church shooting in Karak killed at least nine people and injured 34. Jordanian security forces arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law on suspicion of carrying out the attack. The article reports both the border reopening and the continuing investigation and diplomatic coordination surrounding the deadly strikes.

A new estimate from U.S. Central Command puts the U.S. military’s cost of the Iran war at at least $47.1 billion as of mid-October. About $29 billion is attributed to replacing expended munitions, while $6.1 billion would replace lost equipment and roughly $11.9 billion covers additional expenses, including support for U.S. service members. The estimate excludes damage to American military bases in the Middle East that have been targeted by Iranian drones and missiles. The figure is higher than the approximately $37.5 billion estimate Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave lawmakers three months earlier, which also excluded damage to bases. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the war could cost $2 billion to $3 billion per month for as long as it continues, partly because interceptor missiles must be replaced. Costs could rise if exchanges between the U.S. and Iran resume; such exchanges were frequent over the summer but have been quieter in recent weeks. As the conflict approaches its ninth month, its future remains uncertain. President Trump has indicated he might restart hostilities after next month’s midterm elections if Iran does not agree to a deal, saying, “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree.” Meanwhile, the Pentagon inspector general has warned of “strategic inventory shortfalls” resulting from the munitions expended, prompting efforts to accelerate production. The administration disputes that the military faces shortages, and Trump has claimed the U.S. has virtually unlimited ammunition. The administration has requested tens of billions of dollars in supplemental military funding, partly because of the war, but Congress has not approved the request. Democrats have pushed Hegseth to provide a more detailed accounting of the conflict’s costs. CBS News said it had sought comment from the Pentagon.

Nearly 150 researchers from more than 30 countries are urging the World Health Organization and United Nations to declare climate change a global health emergency. Their call is supported by findings from the annual Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, which documents rising deaths, illness, food insecurity and economic losses linked to planetary heating. Climate change contributed to more than half a million heat deaths in 2023 and nearly 3 million since 2016. Between 2016 and 2023, it was responsible for 68% of heat-related deaths, up from 55% in the preceding decade, while the yearly rise in climate-driven heat deaths more than doubled. The report describes impacts beyond mortality: extreme heat causes heatstroke, sleep disruption and worsening chronic illness, and it reduces workers’ ability to earn a living. In 2025, heat eliminated an estimated 573 billion potential working hours, with farmworkers and economies in Africa and Southeast Asia especially affected. Drought and flooding are also intensifying: satellite data show more than 80% of the world’s land is shifting toward wetter or drier extremes. These conditions threaten water safety, sanitation and crops; heat waves and droughts pushed nearly 128 million additional people into food insecurity in 2024 compared with the 1981–2010 average. The proposed emergency mechanism would help countries share information, coordinate responses, monitor risks and distribute funding. Researchers argue that existing WHO emergency procedures are designed for short-term crises and cannot provide the sustained, cross-sector coordination climate change demands. The article notes some progress, including climate-informed early-warning systems, renewable energy helping reduce air-pollution deaths, and more countries adapting health services. But fossil fuels still supply over 80% of global energy, emissions reached a record in 2024, and governments’ fossil-fuel subsidies have doubled since 2016. Funding for climate adaptation in developing countries remains far below estimated needs. The report’s central message is that evidence is abundant, but political action and resources are insufficient.

An Egyptian court has ordered the closure of Mada Masr, one of the country’s few remaining independent news outlets, after convicting its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, of operating without a license. Attalah was detained for several hours after the verdict and released when the outlet paid a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds, the maximum penalty. The court also ordered Mada Masr’s equipment confiscated. The outlet plans to appeal. Attalah’s lawyers said the court refused requests to review case materials and submit evidence. According to Hossam Bahgat of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the judge appointed a new lawyer over the objections of Attalah’s eight-person defense team and dictated motions for that lawyer. During her release, Attalah learned she had also been sentenced in absentia in a separate 2024 case to one year in prison and a fine for allegedly spreading false news and operating an unlicensed website. Her lawyers have challenged that ruling. Mada Masr says it first sought a license in 2018 but received no response, and that a later application has been pending since 2023. Egyptian authorities have blocked access to its website domestically since 2017. The government says media organizations must follow the law, protect national security and counter misinformation, while maintaining that Egypt respects freedom of expression. Rights groups and media organizations condemned the ruling as a serious attack on press freedom. The case comes amid wider pressure on independent journalism: six journalists from the fact-checking platform Matsadaash were arrested in September and charged with terrorism-related offenses. They have reported being tortured, allegations denied by Egypt’s Interior Ministry. Prosecutors extended their detention, and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights says 26 journalists are currently held in connection with their work.

King Charles III began a nine-day tour of the Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda amid growing calls for Britain to apologize for slavery and provide reparations. At a youth rally in the Bahamas, he acknowledged the “great suffering and injustices of the past,” while also celebrating the country’s present achievements and future opportunities. The king, who is receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, will later attend a Commonwealth heads of government summit in Antigua and Barbuda with Queen Camilla. The question of reparations is expected to feature at the summit. Several former British colonies are pressing for action, and Jamaica recently filed a petition in a London appeals court to advance its reparations campaign. Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali described Charles’s recognition of slavery’s “darkest days” as a first step, saying an apology should follow. Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said it would not hurt for the king to apologize and that discussions of reparations—financial or otherwise—were timely. No modern British monarch has formally apologized, while the UK government has resisted financial compensation. The tour also emphasizes climate change and resilience. Charles highlighted the danger to low-lying islands, noting that 90 percent of the Bahamas’ land lies below two metres. He is scheduled to meet groups working on coral restoration in Antigua and Barbuda and rainforest conservation in Guyana. Botchwey stressed that many climate-affected countries are not major polluters yet bear severe consequences. The Commonwealth summit, she said, will address climate resilience as well as trade and investment among its 56 members. The article presents the tour as a diplomatic balancing act between historical accountability and forward-looking cooperation.

Human rights groups have urged countries to oppose Lana Nusseibeh’s candidacy for United Nations secretary-general, citing concerns about whether she can act independently of the United Arab Emirates and allegations that Abu Dhabi has funded Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The UAE denies supporting the RSF. Sudan has been at war since 2023 between the army and the paramilitary group, which has been accused of atrocities. Nusseibeh, 48, was officially nominated the previous week and is seeking to become both the first woman and the second Arab to lead the UN. Her candidacy has received backing from Gulf states but has also drawn scrutiny over the UAE’s alleged role in Sudan’s conflict and its normalization of relations with Israel. Human Rights Watch head Ken Roth called her an inappropriate candidate, arguing that her repeated denials of UAE support for the RSF disregard the facts. Kate Ferguson, co-director of the British NGO Protection Approaches, questioned whether there was enough evidence that Nusseibeh would be independent from her government. Nusseibeh said she had taken a leave of absence from her UAE ministerial post to respect the independence expected of the UN role. She described Sudan’s conflict as a test for an incoming secretary-general, condemned the RSF’s atrocities, supported UN fact-finding work on accountability and transitional justice, and said stopping the conflict should be the UN’s first priority. A candidate must win at least nine of the Security Council’s 15 votes and avoid a veto from any of its five permanent members: the United States, Britain, China, France, and Russia. Nusseibeh is a veteran diplomat who served as the UAE’s permanent representative to the UN from 2013 to 2024. She comes from a prominent Palestinian family traditionally entrusted with the keys to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

King Charles has said that he will discuss the legacy of slavery with Commonwealth leaders at their meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, during a nine-day Caribbean tour that began in the Bahamas. The tour comes as Caribbean governments and reparations advocates renew calls for Britain to apologize for transatlantic slavery and enter reparations talks. In a speech in the Bahamas, Charles acknowledged the suffering of the past while celebrating the country’s present and future, and described aspects of Bahamian culture as having emerged from darkness. The Bahamas National Reparations Committee criticized his remarks as inadequate, arguing that Bahamian culture reflects agency and survival rather than simply a response to suffering. Its chair, Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, called the comments “hollow platitudes” and said the king should address the Crown’s role and the actions needed to remedy historical wrongs. Prof Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caribbean Community Reparations Commission, said that justice should begin with remorse and urged the king to empower Caribbean young people. Charles is due to visit Guyana, whose president, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has called on him to offer an apology. The article reports that the king acts on ministers’ advice and that the UK government has not recommended an apology or reparations, consistent with established policy. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband are expected to attend the Commonwealth gathering. The article also recalls Charles’s previous statements acknowledging slavery’s atrocities and his ongoing effort to understand its lasting effects. Buckingham Palace said the tour would emphasize modern partnerships and future opportunities while also reflecting, in different ways, the king’s engagement with the past.

Donald Trump suggested that Venezuela could someday become the United States’ 51st state during a campaign rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he promoted a US oil deal with the country’s interim government. He pointed to a tanker offshore and claimed it carried one million barrels of Venezuelan oil, describing the agreement as the “greatest oil victory in history” and saying the oil would be supplied at no cost to American taxpayers. Trump also said the agreement could involve billions of barrels and predicted that US fuel prices would soon fall. The deal follows the US attack on Venezuela in January, in which US forces captured long-serving president Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was detained and taken to New York to face criminal charges. The article notes that Venezuela has not held elections since his removal, and that critics fault the Trump administration for failing to press for a democratic transition under the interim government it backs. Trump’s remarks come as his foreign policy faces domestic political pressure. With midterm elections approaching, opinion polls show falling approval ratings amid controversy over the war with Iran and tariffs on goods from many countries. The Iran conflict is also linked to the oil agreement’s urgency: after the US entered the war in February, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a route carrying about 20% of global oil supplies, and fuel prices rose across the United States. Trump presented the Venezuela operation as a success and promoted a broader vision of US “energy dominance,” while his suggestion of acquiring Venezuela echoed earlier comments about Greenland, Canada, and Mexico.

Thousands of people gathered outside Portugal’s parliament in Lisbon on Tuesday evening to protest the housing crisis and alleged police violence. Demonstrators filled the air with keys, cardboard houses and red carnations, sang “É a nossa morada” (“This is where we live”), and chanted against fascism. Their banners called for housing rights and condemned the treatment of activists. Singer Marisa Liz also joined the demonstration. The protest followed police operations to clear protest camps in Lisbon and Porto. Officers used batons and made dozens of arrests during those operations. Accounts of injuries differed: activists said 60 people were hurt, while police reported seven minor injuries. President António José Seguro criticised the violence and called for dialogue, adding that he would wait for the results of investigations. Police, for their part, defended their conduct as proportionate. The demonstrators’ demands also addressed proposed housing policy changes. They want the government to abandon plans that would make evictions easier and to lift rent caps on new rental agreements. The gathering thus brought together opposition to housing measures and concern about how authorities treated activists during the camp clearances. The article reports the competing accounts and official responses but does not provide investigation findings or further details about the proposed policy changes.

Jesse Adams, a Vancouver Island animal-rescue activist who founded RainCoast Dog Rescue Society in Victoria, has died after being injured while rescuing animals in eastern Ukraine. Adams had announced on Facebook that he was leaving on a rescue mission the Friday before the incident. According to RainCoast Dog Rescue Society, an FPV (first-person view) drone struck the vehicle he was using to transport animals two days later. He suffered severe injuries and underwent emergency surgery, but doctors could not save him. People who worked with Adams remember him as energetic, compassionate and willing to help wherever the need was greatest. Penny Stone, executive director of the Victoria Humane Society, said Adams had travelled to places including Kabul and Ukraine to assist, and described him as someone who consistently stepped up for animals and people. In Ukraine, Stone said, he helped rescue a wide variety of animals, including tigers, lions, pigs and goats. She called his death a tragic loss and said he believed every animal and person deserved a chance. RainCoast Dog Rescue Society announced Adams’s death in a social media post, saying he had made the ultimate sacrifice for his beliefs while serving animal welfare on Ukraine’s front lines. Lori Kalef, SPCA International’s director of programs, said she was stunned and still struggling to process the news. Adams and his team are estimated to have evacuated as many as 1,000 animals from Ukraine, in addition to helping thousands more at home. Those who spoke to Global News said his absence will leave a major gap, while expressing hope that the animal-rescue community will come together and find a way forward.

Tal Alexander, 40, and his twin brothers Oren and Alon Alexander, 39, were each sentenced to 30 years in prison in New York for sex-trafficking-related crimes involving the drugging and rape of women. They were convicted in March after a five-week trial. The judge also imposed 20-year sentences for additional crimes, to be served concurrently. Judge Valerie Caproni called their conduct “monstrous” and criticized them for continuing to deny responsibility, questioning how they could be rehabilitated without acknowledging their wrongdoing. At the sentencing hearing, 12 victims addressed the court. They described lasting psychological harm and asked for the shame to fall on the defendants; many sought life sentences. Maya Miller said an assault by Tal Alexander in 2014 destroyed her sense of safety. A woman identified by the pseudonym Isa Brooks said Tal and Alon Alexander raped her when she was 16, leaving her unable to trust herself. Another woman said Tal threatened her when she considered reporting her assault. Prosecutor Elizabeth Espinosa argued that the brothers deserved the maximum punishment, citing years of methods for luring women with promises of luxury and the suffering they caused. The brothers’ lawyers sought 15-year sentences, describing them as devoted fathers and arguing that their families would suffer. The men addressed the court and maintained their innocence. Tal Alexander characterized their outlook as “work-hard, play-hard” and said he saw that his behavior had hurt people’s feelings, but the judge was not persuaded. At trial, 11 women testified that the brothers used gifts and trips, including to Aspen and the Bahamas, to lure them before giving them drugs and sexually assaulting them. Prosecutors said the abuse began in high school, with crimes in the case dating from 2008; the defense argued the sex was consensual. Tal and Oren Alexander built careers in luxury real estate, while Alon worked at the family security firm.