The Houthis denied Saudi claims that they targeted Mecca, saying they instead attacked a pumping station in Yanbu and Riyadh’s airport. Fighting between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed government forces has intensified in Yemen, with the World Health Organization reporting a sharp rise in casualties and displacement.
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Saudi-led coalition forces said they intercepted three cruise missiles aimed at Riyadh and drones headed toward Mecca and southern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence Authority said debris from intercepted ballistic missiles fell in Sabuhah, in Mecca province.
A Yemeni army spokesperson said government forces carried out 773 artillery attacks, 44 drone strikes, and 37 rocket attacks in four governorates.
The spokesperson said Saudi-led coalition forces conducted 23 air strikes and damaged 86 Houthi heavy weapons and military vehicles.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Houthi forces targeted a Saudi coalition command and control centre in Aden’s al-Buraiqa district with ballistic missiles.
The WHO reported 11,755 casualties in Yemen as of November 8, including 2,098 deaths and 9,657 injuries.
The WHO said more than 320,000 people had been displaced by fighting since August 1, including nearly 16,000 in the previous week.
The WHO said strikes had hit health facilities and ambulances, while fuel shortages were disrupting emergency medical services in Taiz.
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Prints from photographer Bert Stern’s personal collection, including images from his “The Last Sitting” series featuring Marilyn Monroe, will go up for auction in Paris on Dec. 2. The photographs were taken at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles in June and July 1962, weeks before Monroe died.
Key Facts
The auction will take place at Gros & Delettrez in Paris.
The sale is the first auction of Stern’s private archives.
The collection includes prints from Stern’s “The Last Sitting” series.
Stern photographed Monroe at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.
The photographs were taken in June and July 1962.
Monroe died weeks after the photo sessions.
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France barred Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, from entering the country after he arrived at a Paris airport last week, according to his office. France’s foreign ministry said Dagan was subject to an administrative entry ban because of his role in settlement policy in the occupied West Bank; Israel condemned the measure and said it would seek an explanation.
Key Facts
Dagan’s office said he was questioned at passport control and then told he could not enter France.
France’s foreign ministry cited Dagan’s active role in implementing settlement policy in the West Bank as the reason for the ban.
Israel’s foreign ministry called the measure unacceptable and said it would demand an explanation from France.
The article says more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements, excluding annexed east Jerusalem, among about three million Palestinians.
More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Health Ministry data.
Israeli figures cited in the article say more than 50 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations over the same period.
France and several other countries announced in September plans to sanction trade with West Bank settlements.
A French parliamentary committee adopted a bill on Monday aimed at banning imports from Israeli settlements and services that contribute to settlement construction.
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A BBC review found that English councils own more than 500,000 artworks, but fewer than one in 20 are on public display. Councils cited limited storage, staffing and museum resources, while some display their collections and a small number have sold or transferred works.
Key Facts
The BBC collected data from 225 English councils that hold more than 500,000 artworks.
As of April, councils reported displaying 26,856 works from their collections.
Waltham Forest Council has the largest reported collection, with 125,000 works.
Rugby Council was the only responding authority with more than 100 artworks to have all of them on display; its collection has 257 pieces.
Rugby displayed the full collection together for the first time in April and is seeking funding for a gallery and museum redevelopment that would include permanent display space.
Ten councils reported disposing of artworks during the past six financial years; Derbyshire sold 356 works in 2021–22 and North Lincolnshire sold 22 at auction in 2023–24.
Kent previously told the BBC that it had sold 418 artworks in the 12 months to April, citing the closure of the store where they were kept.
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Brazil received two skulls from Harvard’s Peabody Museum on Wednesday after a four-year campaign to return the remains, which had been taken from Brazil in the 19th century and used in eugenics studies. Researchers will seek to identify the individuals, and the government says it will arrange burial rites when that work is complete.
Key Facts
One skull was taken from Salvador about 190 years ago; the other was taken from Rio de Janeiro about 160 years ago.
Researchers believe the Salvador skull may belong to a man who took part in an 1835 revolt by about 600 African Muslims.
Police defeated the rebels and killed 70 of them; the man believed to be the skull’s owner later died in a hospital.
A U.S. diplomat, Gideon T. Snow, is believed to have sent the Salvador skull to Boston.
Brazilian researchers first sought the skulls’ return after their existence became known in 2022; the government joined the effort in late 2024.
The skulls will not be displayed in museums or have their images released.
A Candomblé cleric performed a ritual during the Rio de Janeiro ceremony to honor the remains.
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Bolivian authorities arrested former senior judge Aldo Quezada on suspicion of drug trafficking and criminal association. The arrest is part of a wider investigation into alleged links between judicial officials and drug cartels, amid closer security ties between Bolivia and the United States.
Key Facts
Prosecutor Marcelo Inchausti said Quezada was arrested at his home in Santa Cruz on Wednesday.
Quezada resigned last month as chief justice of the Santa Cruz departmental court.
The United States had placed Quezada on a visa-restrictions list over alleged drug-trafficking links.
Bolivia has arrested several senior judicial officials since September on suspicion of cartel ties.
Former Attorney General Roger Mariaca was arrested on September 30 on suspicion of money laundering and drug trafficking.
The Trump administration announced visa restrictions on 12 Bolivian nationals and their families in September.
President Rodrigo Paz took office on November 8, 2025, ending nearly 20 years of Movement for Socialism governance.
Paz signed Bolivia up to the US-backed Shield of the Americas security alliance.
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The UK government appointed Joint Intelligence Committee chair Madeleine Alessandri as a special representative for climate security. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to announce the role at the COP31 climate summit, where he will also confirm UK support for a proposed global electrification target and clean-energy financing plans.
Key Facts
The new representative will advise the UK government on national security risks linked to climate change.
The article describes the appointment as the world’s first special representative role focused on climate security.
Burnham is due to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The UK will support a proposed target of 35% electrification by 2035 and help with plans to raise £5 billion in private finance for clean-energy projects.
A UK intelligence report warned that ecosystem collapse overseas could create security impacts within five years, including food shortages, higher food prices, migration and conflict.
Climate campaigners criticized the government over possible changes to electric-vehicle targets and approval of the Jackdaw gasfield, as well as its consideration of the Rosebank oilfield.
The article says the UK experienced its hottest summer on record, with heatwaves affecting health services, transport and schools.
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Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Al Jazeera that the United States must respond to Iran’s position in the latest peace talks. He said the U.S. should accept the limits of its legal rights in the region and move on.
Key Facts
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is Iran’s chief negotiator.
Ghalibaf spoke in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera.
He said the United States must answer Iran’s position in the latest round of peace talks.
He said the U.S. should accept the limits of its legal rights in the region.
The article does not provide details about the talks or the positions each side presented.
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Some parents say their teenagers use therapy-related terms such as “triggering,” “gaslighting” and “boundaries” in everyday disagreements. Mental health experts say social media may spread the language, and advise parents to listen, ask what teens mean and use ordinary emotional language; they also recommend seeking professional help when a teen reports symptoms of a mental health condition.
Key Facts
Carla Hoskins, a mother of six in Hertfordshire, says her teenage sons sometimes call her requests to study or do chores triggering or gaslighting.
Shannon Salvatoriello, a mother in the United States, says her teenage sons also use therapy-related terms, which she finds confusing.
Psychiatrist Suzanne Garfinkle-Crowell says social media is one way therapy language has entered everyday conversation.
Garfinkle-Crowell says some young people use diagnostic labels such as ADHD and depression to describe their experiences.
Garfinkle-Crowell says parents should consider why a teen uses these terms and consult a mental health professional if the teen describes symptoms of a condition.
Psychotherapist Julia Samuel warns that using medical terms for ordinary distress may encourage young people to see themselves as having a disorder.
Samuel recommends listening and reflecting a teen’s feelings in ordinary emotional language to build understanding.
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Amnesty International said South Sudanese authorities and the UN peacekeeping mission had warnings of a likely attack on Abiemnom but did not take stronger preventive action before armed men killed more than 200 people on March 1. The report calls for an independent investigation into the killings and a separate review of the peacekeepers’ response, as South Sudan prepares for elections on December 22.
Key Facts
Amnesty said UNMISS knew an attack on Abiemnom was likely but did not reinforce its roughly three dozen peacekeepers there until after the assault.
The rights group said 1,000 to 1,500 armed men from neighbouring Mayom County attacked the village, killing residents and security personnel, burning homes, and looting part of a hospital.
Authorities reported more than 200 deaths: 130 town residents, 76 security personnel, and seven foreign nationals.
Amnesty said satellite images showed more than 230 structures had burned and that most victims were buried in two mass graves.
UNMISS spokesperson Priyanka Chowdhury said the mission focused its limited resources on protecting and treating about 2,500 people sheltering at its base.
The UN Security Council cut UNMISS’s authorised troop ceiling from 17,000 to 12,000 when it renewed the mission’s mandate in April.
South Sudan is scheduled to hold elections on December 22; an African Union envoy urged the Security Council to help ensure a peaceful vote.
South Sudanese authorities did not respond to two letters from Amnesty seeking information and responses to the report’s preliminary findings.
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Prime Minister Andy Burnham is calling for closer ties with the EU, arguing that the UK’s current Brexit arrangements have harmed the country. His approach has divided ministers and Labour figures, while raising concerns among some politicians that discussion of rejoining could weaken negotiations with the EU.
Key Facts
Burnham told his Cabinet that the UK had ended up with a harder Brexit than voters chose and said the deal negotiated by the Conservatives was not working for the country.
Burnham is due to meet European leaders in Dublin and travel to Brussels for a UK-EU summit focused on agreements covering food, energy and youth mobility.
Burnham has opened debate about the UK potentially rejoining the EU single market or the EU, steps that would involve questions about freedom of movement.
Some Labour ministers support closer EU ties, while others stress the party’s current manifesto commitments against joining the single market, customs union or restoring freedom of movement.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned about the costs and consequences of both rejoining the EU and remaining outside it.
Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds supports closer ties but has expressed doubts about joining the customs union or rejoining the EU.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron warned that talk of rejoining could make the EU less willing to offer the UK a favorable partnership deal.
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New South Wales police have opened a homicide investigation after finding a human torso in bushland in Lane Cove North, on Sydney’s lower north shore. Forensic specialists seized the remains for a post-mortem examination.
Key Facts
Police were called to Lane Cove North at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday after reports of human remains.
Officers found a sofa containing a torso believed to belong to an adult male.
Police established a crime scene.
Forensic specialists seized the remains for examination.
Detectives and the state homicide squad are investigating.
Police asked anyone with information to contact them.
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The UK Committee for Advertising Practice has issued an enforcement notice telling sunbed businesses not to downplay cancer risks or make unsupported medical claims. Advertisers have until 7 December 2026 to comply, and the notice follows earlier bans on five sunbed adverts.
Key Facts
The CAP says sunbed adverts must not claim the devices are safe, treat medical conditions, or provide vitamin D.
The CAP identified claims that sunbeds could ease eczema, improve brain function, reduce inflammation, and boost circulation.
The Advertising Standards Authority banned five adverts earlier in 2026 for claims about managing conditions including osteoporosis and depression.
The World Health Organization says using a sunbed before age 35 raises later melanoma risk by 59%.
A 2025 YouGov survey found that about one in seven UK residents aged 18 to 24 used a sunbed in the previous year, twice the average across age groups.
Sunbed use is legal across the UK, but under-18s are barred from using the devices and rules limit the strength of their UV light.
The Sunbed Association supports action against misleading adverts and says businesses should still be able to explain how they operate responsibly.
Advertisers have until 7 December 2026 to ensure their claims comply with the rules.
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Israeli media reported that Israel’s security cabinet ordered the military to increase preparations for possible strikes on Iran. Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned that Iranian forces could target military bases involved in an attack, including bases in Europe, as diplomatic efforts continue between Washington and Tehran.
Key Facts
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that the security cabinet directed the military to step up preparations for a possible attack on Iran.
Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot urged caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to deploy the military without a direct and immediate threat.
Netanyahu’s ruling coalition lost its parliamentary majority in October’s elections, and President Isaac Herzog asked Eisenkot to try to form a government.
Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said military bases involved in a U.S. attack on Iran could become targets, from West Asia to Europe.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said distrust of the United States stands in the way of an agreement.
Ghalibaf said the Strait of Hormuz would not return to its prewar status.
President Donald Trump said he could resume military action if diplomacy with Iran fails.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said economic pressure on Iran had reduced the need for renewed large-scale military operations.
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A mother in Chile reunited with two sons she had not seen in 40 years. Hospital workers took the boys from her as infants during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, amid an estimated 20,000 coerced adoptions.
Key Facts
The mother and her two sons reunited in Chile.
The sons were taken from their mother as infants.
The article says hospital workers took the boys.
The separation occurred during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.
The article cites an estimate of 20,000 coerced adoptions during that period.
The sons and their mother had been apart for 40 years.
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Environment Agency figures show that levels of PFOS and PFOA in England’s rivers fell by 30% and 29%, respectively, over the past decade. The agency says other PFAS remain in use and should be monitored and regulated, while the chemicals’ persistence means the total amount in the environment may not have fallen.
Key Facts
PFOS and PFOA are two types of PFAS, a group of chemicals often called “forever chemicals” because they break down very slowly.
PFOS was almost entirely banned in the UK in 2010, and PFOA was banned in 2020.
Levels of PFOS and PFOA in freshwater fish have fallen by 49%.
The Environment Agency is regularly testing for 60 other PFAS.
The agency said uncertainty remains about the toxicity of many PFAS.
The government announced earlier this month that it would begin monitoring PFAS levels in people’s bodies.
The report says the chemicals’ concentrations have declined, but their total amount in the environment may have stayed similar as they were diluted and washed into the sea.
The article says high-temperature incineration is one of the few ways to permanently destroy PFAS, and that only two suitable sites currently operate in the UK.
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Argentine President Javier Milei became visibly emotional while bidding farewell to Pope Leo XIV. The Pope left Argentina for Peru, the final stop on his South American tour; his three-day visit highlighted tensions with Milei over cuts to social programs.
Key Facts
Milei became visibly emotional as he said goodbye to Pope Leo XIV.
Leo XIV departed Argentina for Peru.
Peru was the final stop on the Pope’s South American tour.
The Pope’s visit to Argentina lasted three days.
The visit highlighted tensions between the Pope and Milei over austerity cuts to social programs.
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Lance Corporal Nicholas Horne has been charged with one count of rape following an allegation involving a woman serving with the UK armed forces in Cyprus. He was remanded in custody pending a court-martial hearing; the charge is not a conviction.
Key Facts
Horne serves in the 4th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as The Highlanders.
He was arrested on October 19, two days after the Defence Serious Crime Command was informed of the allegation.
The Defence Serious Crime Command charged Horne on October 23, 2026.
The command’s major crime team investigated the case.
An Army spokesperson said anyone convicted of a sexual offence will be discharged from the service.
The UK retains sovereign bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus under a 1960 treaty.
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Gaza’s Civil Defence says an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis killed at least six people and injured at least 20 others. The article title says the strike hit the hospital’s intensive care unit; some of the injured were staff members.
Key Facts
Gaza’s Civil Defence reported the strike and casualties.
The strike hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, according to the article.
The article title identifies the intensive care unit as the target.
At least six people were killed, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence.
At least 20 people were injured.
Hospital staff were among the injured.
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Leonardo Bertulazzi, a 74-year-old former Red Brigades member wanted in Italy, escaped house arrest in Argentina and remained at large the next day. Argentina has launched a nationwide search and offered a reward as he faces extradition to serve a 27-year sentence.
Key Facts
Argentine police said Bertulazzi escaped on Tuesday by climbing from a fifth-floor apartment with a harness and rope.
Police said he crossed neighbouring terraces and a vacant lot before climbing over a gate to reach the street.
Officials said Bertulazzi had tampered with his electronic ankle monitor, delaying their discovery of his escape.
Argentina’s Security Ministry offered 20 million pesos, about $13,000, for information leading to his capture.
Bertulazzi was convicted in Italy in the 1980s and faces a combined 27-year sentence for terrorism-related crimes.
Argentine authorities said Bertulazzi helped with logistics for the 1978 kidnapping of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro, who was later killed.
Argentina revoked Bertulazzi’s refugee status in 2024 and arrested him that August; its Supreme Court approved his extradition last year.
The Red Brigades were a far-left armed group that carried out kidnappings and killings in Italy during the 1970s and 1980s. The period is known as the Years of Lead.
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