Cameroon’s constitution gives President Paul Biya broad executive powers and sets rules for delegating some duties when he cannot perform them. His long absences have raised questions about how the government operates, but officials have not publicly explained whether a formal delegation applies during those periods.
Key Facts
Biya has governed Cameroon since 1982.
Biya returned to Yaounde on August 20 after more than 10 weeks abroad; his stay in Europe began on June 7.
The constitution allows the president to delegate some powers and requires an express delegation if he is temporarily unable to perform his duties.
An overseas absence alone does not establish that the president is unable to perform his duties or automatically transfer his constitutional powers.
The government has not provided a detailed public account of whether a clear delegation of presidential functions is in effect during Biya’s prolonged absences.
A 2019 decree granted presidency secretary-general Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh a permanent delegation of signature for certain official documents.
The article distinguishes Ngoh Ngoh’s authority to sign certain documents from a transfer of presidential powers.
First Lady Chantal Biya and the president’s son, Franck Biya, hold no constitutional executive office; claims about their influence are difficult to verify independently.
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Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said recent Republican losses in U.S. midterm elections and Benjamin Netanyahu’s poor showing in Israeli polls could benefit Lebanon. He rejected calls to disarm Hezbollah, citing Israel’s continued presence in southern Lebanon, while urging Lebanese leaders to resist U.S. pressure and focus on domestic issues.
Key Facts
Qassem called the U.S. election results an “earthquake” and the Israeli results a “defeat.”
Netanyahu’s bloc fell short of the 61 seats needed to retain power after Israel’s October 27 vote, according to the article.
Qassem said Hezbollah would not give up its weapons while Israel occupies parts of southern Lebanon.
The United States has urged Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, while Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and the group are at odds over the issue.
The article says Lebanese authorities reported more than 4,300 deaths in Israeli strikes, and the United Nations estimated about one million people were displaced.
Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon and carry out strikes there despite a June ceasefire negotiated with U.S. mediation.
Qassem praised Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, saying it raised oil prices and would weaken U.S. and Israeli influence.
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Israeli attacks killed at least five Palestinians in Gaza, including two people sheltering in a tent, according to the article. The UN appealed for waterproof tents after heavy rains flooded tens of thousands of shelters, while aid groups said restrictions and limited resources hampered relief efforts.
Key Facts
An Israeli air attack killed Mohammed Salem al-Daash, 38, in the al-Sabra neighbourhood south of Gaza City.
The article reports that Israeli forces shot one Palestinian east of al-Bureij camp and that a drone strike killed another in the al-Nasr neighbourhood.
At least two Palestinians were killed and several wounded in a strike on a tent sheltering displaced people in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said at least 70,000 tents were flooded during weekend rains.
UNICEF said heavy rain had affected at least 106,000 people in Gaza in recent days.
UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said Israeli permits were needed to bring tents into Gaza.
Italy’s foreign minister said the country had launched a 5 million euro emergency initiative to provide assistance to Gaza.
Medical sources cited by the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that 74,653 Palestinians had been killed and 176,007 injured since October 7, 2023.
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Iran said it will designate Argentina’s navy and air force as “terrorist organisations,” citing reciprocity after Argentina designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in March. Argentina rejected Iran’s move, while the dispute adds to long-running tensions tied to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, which Argentina blames on Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Key Facts
Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced the designations in a statement on Wednesday.
Iran’s statement named Argentina’s navy and air force but did not mention its army.
Iran said it acted under the principle of reciprocity and warned Argentina would bear responsibility for consequences.
Argentina’s Foreign Ministry called Iran’s designation baseless and said it categorically rejected it.
Argentina designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation on March 31.
Argentina blames Iran-backed Hezbollah for the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people and injured hundreds.
President Javier Milei’s government has supported the United States and Israel amid their conflict with Iran.
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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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Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war status and that Iran and Oman have agreed on oversight of the waterway. He said Tehran sent the United States seven conditions for peace talks through Qatar and is awaiting an official response.
Key Facts
Ghalibaf said Iran and Oman reached an understanding on overseeing the Strait of Hormuz.
He argued that rules in the strait should be set by Iran and Oman, the two countries bordering it.
Iran’s conditions include lifting the US naval blockade and sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian funds, ending fighting on all fronts, and declaring the war over.
Ghalibaf said Iran considers the conditions part of a June memorandum of understanding and wants them implemented before negotiations with the United States.
He said US officials asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to help arrange direct talks with Iran.
Ghalibaf warned against renewed US attacks and said Iran wants a lasting deterrent capability, including military strength.
On Yemen, he said Iran would help resolve the conflict if Yemen’s government and Saudi Arabia requested assistance.
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Thousands of people marched in Warsaw on Poland’s Independence Day. The annual celebration marks Poland’s restoration of independence in 1918 after 123 years of partition by Russia, Prussia and Austria.
Key Facts
Thousands of people took part in the march in Warsaw.
The march was held for Poland’s annual Independence Day.
Poland marks the restoration of its independence in 1918.
The country regained independence after 123 years of partition.
Russia, Prussia and Austria partitioned Poland.
The event took place amid heightened political tensions following a deadly shooting in Krakow.
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Thousands of schools in Italy, the UK and Ireland received hoax bomb threat emails. At least 300 schools in Italy evacuated; the report says the Italian email was signed by the same person linked to threats against newsrooms in Bulgaria and Ireland.
Key Facts
Schools across Italy, the UK and Ireland received bomb threat emails.
The threats were hoaxes.
At least 300 Italian schools evacuated.
The Italian email was reportedly signed by the same person behind threats sent to newsrooms in Bulgaria and Ireland.
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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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Palestinian goalkeeper Mahmoud Abdel-Malek was killed in an Israeli attack on Tuesday, according to the article. Less than a week earlier, he had played in the Thousand Martyrs Cup, a tournament honoring athletes and sports officials killed during the war.
Key Facts
Mahmoud Abdel-Malek was a Palestinian footballer and goalkeeper.
The article says an Israeli attack killed Abdel-Malek on Tuesday.
He played in the Thousand Martyrs Cup less than a week before his death.
The tournament honors athletes and sports officials killed during the war.
Al Jazeera’s Andrew Richardson reported on Abdel-Malek’s death.
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Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling for the release of French reporter Christophe Gleizes, who has been detained in Algeria for almost 500 days. RSF Director General Thibault Bruttin said Gleizes may have become a “token” in a diplomatic dispute, while people close to him and sports journalists campaign for his release.
Key Facts
Gleizes is a French reporter detained in Algeria for almost 500 days.
Reporters Without Borders is calling for Gleizes to be released.
Thibault Bruttin, RSF’s director general, spoke with France 24’s Mark Owen.
Bruttin said Gleizes may have become a “token in a diplomatic game.”
Bruttin questioned whether Gleizes had become a state hostage; he presented this as a concern, not an established fact.
People close to Gleizes and fellow sports journalists have campaigned for his release.
The campaign has drawn the attention of Zinedine Zidane, manager of the French football team.
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Palestinian families returned to Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood after an Israeli strike hit a metal foundry and killed three people. The families described losing their only place of shelter.
Key Facts
The strike hit a metal foundry in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City.
The strike killed three people.
Palestinian families returned to the neighbourhood after the strike.
Families said they had lost their only place of shelter.
The article describes the aftermath of the strike.
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Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton urged Israel to reopen the Rafah crossing so humanitarian supplies can enter Gaza from Egypt. He spoke after visiting an Egyptian Red Crescent aid storage site near the border, where trucks were waiting to cross; meanwhile, the UN said more than 150,000 tents were awaiting Israeli permission to enter Gaza.
Key Facts
Hamilton visited an Egyptian Red Crescent storage facility in el-Arish on Tuesday.
He said aid supplies were stored in several locations but were not reaching Palestinians because the border was closed.
Hamilton called for pressure on Israel and cooperation to ensure aid reaches Gaza.
His Instagram post showed him meeting Red Crescent workers and volunteers and trucks loaded with food.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected accusations that Israel was delaying winter supplies to Gaza.
The United Nations said more than 150,000 tents purchased by humanitarian partners and member states were waiting outside Gaza for Israeli permission to enter.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the formation of a new Israeli government was not an acceptable reason to delay essential winter supplies.
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An exhibition at Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art presents artifacts connected to Uzbekistan and explores Central Asia’s cultural diversity. Al Jazeera’s Al Anoud Al Aqeedi speaks with a historian and the exhibition’s curator.
Key Facts
The exhibition is at Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art.
The exhibition features artifacts connected to Uzbekistan.
The presentation explores Central Asia’s cultural diversity.
Al Jazeera’s Al Anoud Al Aqeedi reports on the exhibition.
Al Aqeedi speaks with a historian and the exhibition’s curator.
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The Caine Prize for African Writing says an internal review found no evidence that Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Kundizeza used generative AI to write his winning story, “The Blue Fighter.” The prize has confirmed Kundizeza as this year’s winner of the £10,000 award.
Key Facts
The review included interviews with Kundizeza, the 2026 judging panel and Shallow Tales Review, where the story first appeared.
An independent cyber security and digital forensic investigator examined metadata from the author’s drafts.
The investigation followed an Atlantic article that cited AI-detection software Pangram and alleged the story was AI-generated.
Kundizeza denied using AI to write the story.
Kundizeza said he drew inspiration from a poem about fish tanks and fictionalized details from his own life during Zimbabwe’s economic troubles around 2002.
The prize is worth £10,000, or about $13,000.
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent relocated to a military base because of safety concerns, including media reports that helped identify his home address, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move comes as the Trump administration intensifies financial pressure on Iran and U.S. intelligence reports increased Iranian efforts to target American personnel.
Key Facts
A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Bessent's relocation was partly prompted by reports that helped identify his home address.
The person spoke anonymously on Wednesday to discuss sensitive details.
The New York Times had previously reported Bessent's relocation.
Recent U.S. intelligence indicated that Iran had stepped up efforts to target American personnel in the Middle East and elsewhere.
The State Department reduced staffing at four U.S. embassies in the region last month.
The Treasury Department pledged an “economic D-Day” against Iran in August as part of a sanctions and influence campaign.
The United Arab Emirates and Turkey halted Iran's top commercial bank from issuing transactions in their countries, according to the article.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also live on military bases.
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The article says Kate Middleton shared in 2024 that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. It reports that she found hope in nature during her cancer journey.
Key Facts
Kate Middleton said she was diagnosed with cancer in 2024.
She shared that she was undergoing chemotherapy.
The article says she found hope in nature amid her cancer journey.
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Tens of thousands of people marched in Spain on Wednesday during a nationwide 24-hour strike over housing costs and purchasing power. The protests came weeks before an early general election. Unions reported strong participation in some sectors, while business leaders played down the turnout.
Key Facts
Demonstrators marched in cities across Spain, including Madrid.
Protesters in Madrid carried placards shaped like houses and called for more affordable housing.
The strike was Spain’s first nationwide 24-hour stoppage since 2012, according to the article.
Unions reported a significant response in some sectors.
Business leaders said participation was limited.
The strike took place weeks before an early general election.
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Tens of thousands of Polish nationalist sympathizers gathered in Warsaw on Wednesday for the annual Independence Day March. The march took place days after a deadly shooting spree in Krakow and draws participants from conservative-nationalist, far-right and radical groups.
Key Facts
The march was held in Warsaw on November 11.
The event takes place annually on Poland’s Independence Day.
The date marks the 1918 end of 123 years of partition by Russia, Prussia and Austria.
The gathering attracts supporters from across Poland’s right wing.
The article says a deadly shooting spree in Krakow occurred days before the march.
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President Donald Trump said the United States had won the ongoing war with Iran during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. He added that ending the war was “just a question of when we want to end it.”
Key Facts
Trump placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before speaking at the ceremony.
He described the U.S.-Iran war as ongoing.
Trump said, “we won” the war.
He said the timing of ending the war was up to the United States.
The ceremony took place at Arlington National Cemetery.
The cemetery is near Memorial Circle, the proposed site of a 250-foot triumphal arch.
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