Students at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi are protesting the university’s two-decade suspension of campus-wide student union elections. The university has proposed elections after a draft union constitution is approved, but students rejected the timeline as unclear and slow; five students remain on hunger strike.
Key Facts
Law student Ebin Basil began an indefinite hunger strike on October 12 to demand the restoration of the student union.
Basil is one of five hunger strikers; several other students who joined the strike have withdrawn over health concerns.
On October 16, the university suspended Basil for a year and barred two other hunger strikers from campus.
On October 24, the university barricaded its entrance gates, moved classes online and imposed a ban on gatherings of more than four people on campus.
The university said elections would take place within 15 days of approval of a draft union constitution, which a committee must prepare by December 20.
The university has not set a deadline for approving the draft constitution, and student protesters called the proposed process too slow.
Jamia held student union elections in 1981 and 2005; the union formed in 2005 was dissolved the following year.
Basil has lost 7kg, struggles to walk unaided, and has low sodium and glucose levels, according to the article.
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French students have led nationwide protests over poor school conditions, rising living costs and cuts to social services, with workers and other groups joining them. After demonstrations and a government response that included protest bans and arrests, the government announced loans and education changes, but student organizers said they would continue their campaign; the article highlights how unions and community support can strengthen protests.
Key Facts
The student movement began at a single campus in a Paris suburb and spread to high school and university students nationwide.
Public sector workers, climate activists, labor unions and other members of the public joined the protests.
Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated on 17 October and again on 24 October, according to the article.
The 17 October gatherings were largely peaceful before looting and vandalism occurred.
Authorities used aggressive policing, protest bans, curfews, tear gas and arrests during the response to the movement.
The government announced $4.45 billion in loans for renovating rundown buildings, along with more university spaces, teachers and administrative changes.
Student organizers called the government measures inadequate and scheduled further actions for 31 October and a national strike for 5 November.
The article contrasts France’s union networks and labor protections with the greater risks U.S. workers face when striking, and cites the 2018 teachers’ strikes as an example of effective organizing.
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Rare letters by scientist Jean-André Mongez, who joined Louis XVI’s 1785 expedition led by Jean-François de Galaup, the count of La Pérouse, have resurfaced in a book of engravings. Addressed to Louise Victoria Le Cloustier, a married woman from Normandy, they offer a personal glimpse of an expedition whose ships disappeared in 1788 and whose fate remains uncertain.
Key Facts
Mongez wrote the letters to Louise Victoria Le Cloustier, the married daughter of a minor aristocratic family from Rouen, Normandy.
The letters were found hidden in a book of engravings being prepared for auction.
Mongez was a scientist and church canon who joined the La Pérouse expedition and died in 1788.
Louis XVI sent La Pérouse on a round-the-world scientific mission in 1785 amid rivalry with Britain over exploration and trade.
The expedition’s ships, La Boussole and L’Astrolabe, left Botany Bay in March 1788 and were never heard from again.
The ships are believed to have wrecked on coral reefs near Vanikoro, east of the Solomon Islands; their wrecks were formally identified in 2005.
The expedition’s 225 crew members, officers and scientists sent reports from stops including Alaska, California, Asia, Russia and Samoa.
La Pérouse reached Australia six days after Britain’s First Fleet, led by Captain Arthur Phillip.
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The article warns that several current threats could lead to a major crisis. It points to Russia’s hybrid war against Europe, the unresolved war in Iran, and increasing cyber-attacks.
Key Facts
The article identifies Russia’s hybrid war against Europe as a potential threat.
It describes the war in Iran as unfinished.
It says cyber-attacks have increased.
The article presents these issues as signs of possible disaster.
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French anti-terrorism prosecutor Olivier Christen held a press conference on Thursday about a recent racist terrorist attack in Trappes. The attack killed one man and wounded five others, including a 12-year-old girl.
Key Facts
Olivier Christen is France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor.
Christen gave the press conference on Thursday, October 29, 2026.
The attack took place in Trappes, France.
The attack killed one man.
Five people were wounded, including a 12-year-old girl.
The article provides a replay of the press conference.
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A collision between a moving Renfe train and a stationary Iryo train near Urda in central Spain killed at least 68 people and injured about 80. Spain’s transport minister said a computer failure disrupted the main signalling system, and the article says authorities blamed an order from rail controllers that let the Renfe train resume normal speed; investigators are examining the crash.
Key Facts
The collision happened shortly before 9am near Urda, south of Madrid, on a raised section of track.
Both trains were travelling from Madrid to Seville.
The Renfe train carried 397 people, and the Iryo train carried 147, according to the Castilla-La Mancha government.
Two Iryo carriages derailed and fell down an embankment, according to regional officials and emergency sources cited in the article.
About 80 people were injured; regional officials said 50 were seriously hurt and 15 critically.
At the time of the article, emergency teams had recovered 52 bodies and were searching the wreckage.
A computer failure knocked out the LZB signalling system, which automatically keeps trains a safe distance apart, Transport Minister Oscar Puente said.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared three days of national mourning and said authorities would investigate possible negligence and system failures.
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Alex Vines of the European Council on Foreign Relations discussed Russia’s growing diplomatic role in Africa and the questions raised by its security partnerships, information operations and recruitment practices. He cited the latest Russia-Africa summit, attended by representatives of 48 African countries and 22 heads of state or government, as evidence of Moscow’s appeal as a diplomatic and strategic partner.
Key Facts
Alex Vines is Africa Program Director at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The France 24 interview focused on Russia’s influence and partnerships in Africa.
Vines described Russia’s diplomatic traction alongside African countries’ security dependence on Moscow.
The discussion raised concerns about sovereignty, accountability and human costs.
The latest Russia-Africa summit included participants from 48 African countries.
The summit included 22 heads of state or government.
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Somalia’s lower house of parliament passed a bill addressing sexual violence, according to France 24. The report says the country’s criminal code dates to 1962 and had not been updated since.
Key Facts
Somalia’s lower house passed a bill on sexual violence.
The report describes the measure as a new law against sexual violence.
Somalia’s criminal code dates back to 1962.
The article says the criminal code had not been updated since 1962.
Legal Action Worldwide lobbied Somali authorities in support of the measure.
Sofia Rajab, the NGO’s program manager, spoke with France 24 in Nairobi.
France 24 published the report on October 29, 2026.
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A train crash in Spain killed at least 69 people, and emergency crews continued operations on Thursday, October 29. Authorities took victims to the Institute of Legal Medicine of Toledo for identification, with police, medical and military units present outside.
Key Facts
The crash happened in Spain a day before the report.
At least 69 people died in the crash.
Emergency responders continued their operations on Thursday morning.
Victims were taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine of Toledo for identification.
Police, medical and military units were seen outside the institute.
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The wreck of the Canadian steamship SS Cornwallis, sunk by a German submarine off Maine in December 1944, was found in July nearly 400 feet underwater, according to the Nomad Exploration Team. The same submarine, U-1230, had landed two German spies in Maine four days before sinking the ship.
Key Facts
The Cornwallis was a 5,458-ton merchant ship built in Vancouver and launched in 1921.
U-1230 torpedoed the ship on Dec. 3, 1944, as it traveled along the Maine coast.
The ship sank in less than 10 minutes.
Of the 48 people aboard, five survived; one other person who reached a life raft died of hypothermia.
The five survivors were rescued by fishing boats and taken to Rockland, Maine, aboard a U.S. Navy ship.
U-1230 had landed German agents Erich Gimpel and William Colepaugh near Hancock, Maine, on Nov. 29, 1944.
The Nomad Exploration Team used side-scan sonar to locate the wreck and later dives to confirm its identity.
Gimpel and Colepaugh were sentenced to death by a military court, but their sentences were later changed to life in prison.
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Rescue teams searched the wreckage in Toledo province on Thursday, a day after a train struck a stationary train, killing 68 people. Spain’s transport minister said several trains had stopped automatically after a signal failure, and the prime minister promised an investigation and safety improvements.
Key Facts
The collision derailed at least three carriages in central Spain.
Rescuers used sniffer dogs and cranes as they searched the wreckage for more victims.
Fifty-three people remained in hospital, including 15 in critical care.
Spain declared three days of mourning for those killed.
The crash followed another fatal high-speed rail accident in Spain earlier this year, in which 46 people died.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente said a Renfe train was authorised to proceed at normal speed while an Iryo-operated train was stopped ahead.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the crash site and pledged an investigation and measures to improve rail safety.
The SEMAF train drivers’ union said it would proceed with a previously planned strike focused on rail safety and structural change.
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Israel’s Central Elections Committee urged the head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency, to investigate alleged foreign interference in the Knesset elections. The allegations include suspected funding and bribery linked to Qatar.
Key Facts
The Central Elections Committee made the request on October 29, 2026.
The committee called on the Shin Bet chief to investigate.
The allegations concern possible foreign interference in Israel’s Knesset elections.
Suspected funding and bribery linked to Qatar are among the allegations.
FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky reported from Jerusalem.
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Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami with his family on Wednesday after losing Brazil’s presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The article says Brazil’s Supreme Court reportedly considered him a flight risk amid corruption investigations and ordered his passports seized.
Key Facts
Flávio Bolsonaro is 45 years old.
He arrived in Florida on Wednesday with his family.
He lost Brazil’s presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The article describes him as an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Brazil’s Supreme Court reportedly considered him a flight risk.
The court reportedly ordered his passports seized amid ongoing corruption investigations.
FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor Philip Turle explained the election and Bolsonaro’s departure.
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A suspected racist terror attack in Trappes, a Paris suburb, killed 26-year-old Pengo Bossio Wangi and injured five people. Hundreds marched in his memory and in support of his family, while local mediators mobilized to help residents affected by the attack.
Key Facts
A gunman opened fire in Trappes five days before the report was published.
The attack is being treated as a suspected racist terror attack.
The attack killed 26-year-old Pengo Bossio Wangi.
Five people were injured.
Hundreds of people marched through Trappes over the weekend.
The march honored Wangi and expressed solidarity with his family.
Mediators were mobilized to support the local community.
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Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee apologised after an investigation found serious oversight failures linked to the November 2025 fire at Wang Fuk Court, which killed 168 people. Housing Secretary Winnie Ho resigned, and Lee announced a three-month inquiry into four government departments as officials proposed measures including making bid rigging a crime.
Key Facts
The fire engulfed seven buildings at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 27, 2025.
The fire killed 168 people, injured 79 and displaced thousands.
An independent committee found that the Housing Bureau’s checking unit failed to properly supervise maintenance work.
The Buildings, Fire Services and Labour departments also had shortcomings in overseeing fire hazards, Lee said.
Ho resigned on Wednesday and Lee said she should bear political responsibility; the investigation found no personal wrongdoing by her.
The committee said a lighted cigarette likely started the fire and that combustible materials, blocked windows, altered staircase windows and a disabled fire alarm contributed to its spread or death toll.
Officials proposed criminalising bid rigging in connection with the building’s US$38 million renovation contract.
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A planned six-day ceasefire has brought a rare lull in fighting in the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson. The pause allows aid deliveries to Russian-occupied Oleshky, with evacuation corridors expected to open later in the week.
Key Facts
The article was issued on October 29, 2026.
The planned ceasefire lasts six days.
The ceasefire was brokered by U.S. first lady Melania Trump and is tied to a humanitarian aid mission.
A local pause in fighting began at 3 a.m. on Tuesday.
The pause allows medicine, food and water to be taken to Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town.
Kherson, across the water from Oleshky, is held by Ukraine.
Evacuation corridors are expected to open later in the week.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are meeting in Montreal for a two-day summit focused on closer Canada-EU ties. Officials expect discussions on defence, critical minerals, research, trade and possible Canadian participation in EU programs, but say a major announcement on Canada’s relationship with the bloc may come later.
Key Facts
The summit takes place Thursday and Friday in Montreal.
Von der Leyen proposed an “associate membership” for Canada last month, but the status does not currently exist.
Germany and other EU member states objected to the term “associate membership,” and a draft summit statement instead uses “ever closer association,” according to reports.
Germany’s ambassador to Canada said the term could be confusing because Germany uses it in a different context involving Ukraine and potentially Moldova.
Canadian and EU officials have said they want closer ties without full EU membership for Canada.
Possible areas of cooperation include business, student exchanges, defence, critical minerals, research and trade.
Canadian officials say Canada is considering joining selected EU programs rather than paying a membership fee like EU member states.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called the associate-member idea “laughable” and threatened tariffs on Europe if he viewed it as a hostile act.
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A 39-year-old suspect in a shooting in Trappes, near Paris, was transferred to the Paris Judicial Court on Thursday and may face formal charges. The shooting killed one person and wounded five; France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor, Olivier Christen, was scheduled to address the case at 11 a.m.
Key Facts
The shooting took place last week in Trappes and neighbouring La Verrière.
One person was killed and five were wounded.
The suspect was arrested on Friday with a submachine gun and tear gas grenades in his car.
The suspect was identified in part as Kevin T.
A source close to the investigation told AFP that the suspect was receiving treatment for schizophrenia.
France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office is handling the case.
President Emmanuel Macron described the shooting as a “racist terrorist attack”; most victims were from immigrant backgrounds.
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An 8-year-old girl suffered serious injuries after at least one wolf attacked her inside an enclosure at the Johannismühle Wildlife Park south of Berlin. A zookeeper intervened before two other girls in the enclosure were attacked, and the park closed while authorities investigate.
Key Facts
The attack happened Wednesday during a special event for children.
The girl was flown to a hospital, according to district officials.
The enclosure housed Arctic wolves.
A zookeeper intervened before two other girls were attacked.
Officials said the wolves had been given water at the time.
Johannismühle Wildlife Park is closed until further notice during the investigation.
A wolf bit a woman in a Hamburg shopping area earlier in 2026; authorities described it as a believed first such attack since wolves returned to Germany in 1998.
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The article argues that nationalist populist politics associated with Donald Trump are losing ground in several democracies, though their underlying voter concerns remain. It points to shifts in British public opinion on Brexit and political changes in Hungary, Sweden, Italy, and Brazil, while saying U.S. midterm results could weaken Trump politically.
Key Facts
The article says Trump's approval rating averages about 37 percent amid higher gasoline prices and voter concern about living costs.
It says forecasters expect Democrats to have a strong chance of winning the House and a narrower chance of taking the Senate in the November 3 midterms.
Reform U.K., led by Brexit advocate Nigel Farage, has fallen to third place in the cited polls after previously leading Labour.
Labour leader Andy Burnham has said Brexit did more harm than good and raised the possibility of Britain rejoining the European Union.
A YouGov poll cited in the article found that Britons believe by a two-to-one margin that leaving the EU was a mistake.
The article reports that Hungary's Viktor Orbán lost power after 16 years and that Péter Magyar's Tisza party won a two-thirds majority.
It says Sweden's right-wing government was voted out in September and describes a public dispute between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The article begins to describe a political rebuke to Trump in Brazil but ends before giving details.
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