Hundreds of thousands of people protested rising living costs and economic inequality across France on Saturday. Most marches remained peaceful, but clashes near Paris’s Porte de Vincennes and in several other cities led police to use tear gas, water cannon and batons.
Key Facts
France’s Interior Ministry estimated that 410,000 people joined demonstrations nationwide; the CGT trade union estimated more than 800,000.
Police estimated that about 110,000 people attended the main Paris march.
Police made 1,314 arrests nationwide, and 53 law enforcement officers were injured, according to France 24.
Authorities deployed about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes across France, around 10,000 more than the previous weekend.
Police used tear gas and water cannon against a group of about 500 hooded youths near the Paris march’s endpoint.
Authorities reported responding to 75 fires and said 24 shops had been looted.
Clashes were also reported in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and Grenoble, though most demonstrations were peaceful.
The Yellow Vests movement called for further demonstrations on October 31.
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Marine Le Pen launched her presidential campaign in Orleans on October 25, as France faced renewed cost-of-living protests and street violence. The National Rally leader has criticized President Emmanuel Macron’s government over public order and is polling as a frontrunner ahead of elections expected in April and May 2027.
Key Facts
Le Pen was scheduled to address about 10,000 National Rally supporters in Orleans.
More than 400,000 people marched in major French cities on Saturday to protest rising living costs.
Clashes broke out after masked groups left the demonstrations, and police made more than 1,300 arrests.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez blamed much of the violence on what he called “ultra-left” extremists.
Police estimated that 13,000 people joined a Saturday protest against Le Pen in Orleans; organizers estimated twice that number.
Le Pen has proposed capped household energy bills, tax cuts and reducing France’s contribution to the European Union to address living costs.
Le Pen has criticized NATO and France’s support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.
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Hundreds of demonstrations took place across France on Saturday over the rising cost of living. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said many marches passed peacefully, but members of groups he described as “ultra-left” threw projectiles and fireworks at police.
Key Facts
Demonstrations took place in cities across France on Saturday.
The protests focused on the rising cost of living.
Security forces were deployed in large numbers after violence at protests the previous weekend.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said marches in several cities passed off well.
Nuñez said people he described as members of “ultra-left” groups threw projectiles and fireworks at police.
The article includes comments from French Communist Party spokesperson Fatima Khallouk.
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Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci compared Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to the pigs in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.” Scaramucci also predicted that Ramaswamy would lose to Democratic candidate Amy Acton.
Key Facts
Scaramucci made the remarks on Sunday.
He posted on the social platform X.
Scaramucci said Ramaswamy had “disgraced himself.”
Ramaswamy is running for governor of Ohio as a Republican.
Acton is Ramaswamy’s Democratic opponent.
Scaramucci predicted Ramaswamy would lose the race.
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The newly introduced Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act would create a federal tax incentive for film and television production. The proposal aims to counter the movement of production overseas.
Key Facts
The Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act has been introduced.
The proposal seeks to establish a federal tax incentive.
The incentive would apply to film and television production.
The proposal aims to address production moving overseas.
The article does not state whether the measure has passed or describe the incentive’s details.
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States may lose some federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if they do not reduce their error rates. The article excerpt does not identify which states face cuts or how much funding is at risk.
Key Facts
The funding at risk is federal funding for SNAP.
States must reduce their SNAP error rates to avoid possible cuts.
The article describes the funding at risk as sizable.
The excerpt does not name any states facing cuts.
The excerpt does not give a funding amount or a deadline.
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Brazilian voters went to the polls on Oct. 25 for a closely contested presidential runoff between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. The result could shift Brazil’s political direction and affect U.S. influence in Latin America; polls had shown the candidates neck and neck.
Key Facts
The runoff required a candidate to win more than 50% of the vote.
Flávio Bolsonaro led Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round earlier that month.
More than 33 million of nearly 160 million eligible voters did not vote in the first round, despite compulsory voting.
The candidates campaigned on different approaches to U.S.-Brazil relations, climate change, social welfare, security and living costs.
Bolsonaro pledged to reduce food costs and take a tough approach to crime; Lula promoted debt relief for small businesses and free weekend public transportation.
Bolsonaro is under investigation over money he accepted from former banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a film about his father.
The next president will appoint at least three of Brazil’s 11 Supreme Court justices as vacancies arise.
Bolsonaro pledged to seek amnesty for his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest for attempting a coup.
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An Al Jazeera True Crime Reports episode examines the 2006 murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu in Malaysia. It explores questions about who ordered her killing and whether officials covered it up.
Key Facts
The episode says Shaariibuu was abducted from an affluent Kuala Lumpur neighbourhood in 2006.
It says she was taken to a jungle, shot twice, and killed with explosives.
The episode describes the murder as part of a major political scandal in Malaysia.
Mary Ann Jolley, an Al Jazeera senior reporter, appears in the episode.
Halla Mohieddeen hosts the episode, which Ryan Gaffney wrote.
Artists used AI-powered software to help create the episode’s illustrations.
The episode is an Al Jazeera Originals production.
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European governments are warning against renewed US-Israeli attacks on Iran as the war disrupts oil supplies and raises energy costs. Their calls for restraint mark a shift from the response at the start of the conflict, though European countries remain divided and continue to oppose Iran’s nuclear program.
Key Facts
The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, according to the article.
Britain, France and Germany initially condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes but did not condemn the opening US-Israeli attacks in their joint statement.
On Friday, the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and Italy met officials from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt in Istanbul to discuss the war and the Strait of Hormuz.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned that further escalation could have serious effects on hydrocarbon prices and urged both sides to show restraint.
The article says disrupted energy supplies and rising oil prices are increasing household costs as winter approaches in Europe.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has opposed the US-Israeli campaign and called it illegal, unjust and unjustified.
European warnings against renewed attacks do not mean governments have dropped their opposition to Iran’s nuclear program or regional activities.
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Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel should prepare to use cryptocurrency to bypass possible banking sanctions and reduce reliance on U.S. military funding. The Bank of Israel rejected the proposal, while the article notes that Israel’s banking system has not been sanctioned and that several countries have imposed measures linked to Israeli settlements.
Key Facts
Netanyahu proposed using blockchain-based cryptocurrency as an alternative to the international banking system.
The Bank of Israel rejected Netanyahu’s proposal.
Opposition parties criticized the plan, according to the article.
The article says Israel’s banking system has not been targeted by sanctions.
The United Kingdom and other major economies pledged coordinated measures against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The European Union has sanctioned people and groups linked to settlements.
Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands have introduced restrictions on settlement goods.
Netanyahu said Israel should prepare for less U.S. support after Donald Trump’s term ends.
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Sources told the article that Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Donald Trump for more public support before Israel’s Tuesday election. Final polls from three major Israeli television networks projected Netanyahu’s coalition well short of a majority, though Channel 14’s poll offered a more favorable result.
Key Facts
A U.S. source and an Israeli source said Netanyahu spoke with Trump twice in three days and sought stronger public endorsements.
An Israeli source said Netanyahu proposed that Trump speak with Israeli reporters; a U.S. source said Netanyahu suggested wording for further statements.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu’s Likud party denied that he asked Trump for campaign support in recent days or before Trump’s endorsement.
Trump endorsed Netanyahu the previous Sunday and suggested that Netanyahu’s defeat could affect U.S.-Israel relations.
Three major Israeli television networks’ final pre-election polls projected 50 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc in the 120-seat Knesset.
Those polls projected 52 to 56 seats for Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc and 14 to 16 seats for two Arab Israeli parties.
Channel 14, described as pro-Netanyahu, projected 60 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc and 30 for Likud in a poll earlier that week.
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Attorney General Todd Blanche said President Donald Trump believes Alaska’s Senate race is unfair because another candidate on the ballot has the same name as incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Blanche said the shared name could confuse voters and potentially cost Republicans the seat.
Key Facts
Blanche made the remarks Sunday on CNN.
The race is for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Dan Sullivan.
A candidate with the same name as Sullivan is also on the ballot.
Blanche said the name could confuse voters.
Blanche said the situation could potentially cost Republicans the seat.
Trump views the contest as unfair, according to Blanche.
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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said several Southern statewide races could be competitive for Democrats in the November 2026 midterms. He said Democrats erred by failing to invest in the region earlier and predicted a strong election for the party.
Key Facts
Moore named Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina as states where he believes Democratic candidates could compete.
He said Democrats had underinvested in the South, not only during this election cycle but over a longer period.
Moore said he had personally invested in Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa’s campaign.
He described winning and improving health care, reducing child poverty and raising wages as candidates’ main goals.
Moore said he sees an energized and enlarged Democratic base while campaigning in Maryland and elsewhere.
The article said the 2026 midterm election was nine days away as of October 25.
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Gabon’s High Communication Authority announced on Saturday that it had restored access to social media, ending a ban imposed on 17 February. The regulator had said online content was fueling conflict and divisions; the ban drew criticism from the opposition and prompted many users to turn to virtual private networks (VPNs).
Key Facts
The social media ban lasted about eight months.
The High Communication Authority announced the restoration in a televised statement.
The ban covered popular platforms including Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
Many Gabonese users relied on VPNs to access social media during the ban.
The suspension began amid social unrest, including strikes by teachers and civil servants over pay and working conditions.
The opposition described the suspension as an abuse of power.
President Brice Oligui Nguema won last year’s election with more than 90% of the vote, two years after his coup ended more than five decades of Bongo family rule.
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Former President Barack Obama campaigned in Ohio and Michigan ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, criticizing President Donald Trump and Republican allies over campaign attacks. He defended Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed against personal attacks.
Key Facts
Obama spoke at campaign events in Cleveland and Detroit on Saturday.
The segment features Golden Orb Weaver spiders at Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center in Davie, Florida. Videographer Charles Schultz filmed the spiders.
Key Facts
The segment is titled “Nature: Spiders in Florida.”
It shows Golden Orb Weaver spiders.
The spiders were filmed at Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center.
The location is in Davie, Florida.
Charles Schultz was the videographer.
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David Sedaris recounts mistakenly believing his friend Cristina was scheduled for a prostate exam, then imagining that she was transgender. Cristina later emailed to clarify that she had meant a colonoscopy. The essay uses the misunderstanding to discuss privacy, assumptions about transgender people, and the fact that trans women can have prostates.
Key Facts
Cristina initially told Sedaris she had a prostate exam scheduled for Tuesday.
Sedaris says he had heard that trans women can have prostate cancer and explained to his boyfriend that transition does not necessarily remove the prostate.
Sedaris assumed Cristina was transgender, but the essay does not say that she identified herself that way.
Cristina emailed Sedaris the next morning to correct her statement: she was scheduled for a colonoscopy, not a prostate exam.
Sedaris says he had thought Cristina’s personal information was hers to share when she chose.
The essay is by David Sedaris and was produced by Amy Wall.
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Composer Missy Mazzoli’s opera “Lincoln in the Bardo,” based on George Saunders’s novel, is debuting at the Metropolitan Opera. The production marks the first time the Met has premiered an opera by a woman, according to the article; Mazzoli says punk music and MTV helped shape her artistic interests.
Key Facts
Mazzoli is 45 and has composed music for opera and other works.
Her parents bought her a piano at a flea market when she was seven, and she began writing music a few years later.
Mazzoli said she played in punk bands and watched MTV for hours as a child.
“Lincoln in the Bardo” tells the story of President Abraham Lincoln grieving the death of his 11-year-old son, Willie.
Mazzoli said the opera’s setting during the Civil War felt relevant because the country was deeply divided.
The Met production includes elaborate costumes, puppetry, special effects and a large horse.
Mazzoli and lyricist Royce Vavrek also premiered “The Galloping Cure,” an opera about the opioid epidemic, that summer.
Mazzoli has an upcoming piano concerto commissioned by the New York Philharmonic.
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Composer Missy Mazzoli discusses her opera “Lincoln in the Bardo” in an interview with CBS News correspondent Faith Salie. The work depicts Abraham Lincoln mourning his son Willie, who occupies a threshold between life and death.
Key Facts
Missy Mazzoli composed “Lincoln in the Bardo.”
The opera is based on George Saunders’s award-winning novel.
Royce Vavrek wrote the libretto, or the text set to music.
The story centers on Abraham Lincoln mourning his 11-year-old son, Willie.
The opera depicts Willie in a place between the living and the dead.
Mazzoli is the first woman to have an opera premiered by the Metropolitan Opera.
Mazzoli discusses how punk rock and music videos influenced her work.
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West Yorkshire Police have opened a murder investigation after a 38-year-old man died following an attack in New Wortley, Leeds. Police described the incident as targeted and isolated and said they are working to identify those responsible.
Key Facts
The man was attacked outside a property on Hedley Chase at about 22:25 BST on Saturday.
Police said four people armed with weapons carried out a sustained attack.
Officers and paramedics treated the man, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
West Yorkshire Police said the victim’s family is receiving support from trained officers.
Investigators remain at the scene and are asking anyone with information to contact police.
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