President Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Thursday phone call to advance the Gaza peace plan after Israel’s Oct. 27 election, according to sources cited by the article. The plan calls for Hamas to disarm, a Palestinian technocratic government to take over civilian governance, and reconstruction to follow verified progress on disarmament.
Key Facts
The phone call also included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff.
The article says Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of Trump’s 20-point plan a year earlier, leading to a ceasefire and the release of the last 20 living hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
The Board of Peace has worked on an implementation plan that includes a Palestinian technocratic government and an International Stabilization Force.
The Board of Peace reached a 15-point agreement with Hamas last July on disarming armed groups and transferring civilian and security control to the new Palestinian government.
Netanyahu’s government has largely not advanced implementation, and Netanyahu has questioned whether Hamas will disarm.
The Board of Peace presented a six-month initial recovery plan for Gaza worth $2.45 billion at the U.N. General Assembly in September.
Tony Blair visited Israel after the call and urged Netanyahu and other political leaders to give the plan a chance, according to a source cited by the article.
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Gadi Eisenkot received a 28-day mandate from Israeli President Isaac Herzog to try to form a government after October’s election left both major blocs short of a majority. He appealed to parties aligned with Benjamin Netanyahu to join a coalition under Eisenkot’s leadership, but potential partners disagree over cooperation with Arab-led parties and exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox men.
Key Facts
Eisenkot leads the Yashar party and previously served as Israel’s military chief.
Eisenkot’s opposition bloc won 48 of the Knesset’s 120 seats; Netanyahu’s camp won 53.
Both Arab-majority lists endorsed Eisenkot during consultations with Herzog.
Eisenkot says Arab parties joining his coalition would need to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and call Hamas a terrorist organization.
Yisrael Beiteinu, a partner in Eisenkot’s bloc, has said it will not join a coalition with Arab-led parties.
Eisenkot and his partners campaigned to end longstanding military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.
Netanyahu has alleged that Arab parties stole the election but has offered little or no evidence, according to the article.
Israel’s Central Elections Committee and Herzog said the election was valid; the Shin Bet is investigating possible foreign interference.
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South Africa’s African National Congress won 31% of the vote in local elections, its weakest local-election result since the end of apartheid. The party lost ground in provinces and cities as the Democratic Alliance came second and the MK party displaced the ANC as the leading party in Durban; President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ANC accepted voters’ verdict.
Key Facts
The ANC received 31% of the overall vote, down from 46% in 2021.
The ANC won a majority in one of South Africa’s nine provinces, compared with six in 2021.
The ANC won the most votes in two of the country’s eight cities, down from six in 2021.
The Democratic Alliance received 25% of the vote and retained majority control of Cape Town.
Jacob Zuma’s MK party received 10% and displaced the ANC as the leading party in Durban.
The Economic Freedom Fighters received 6%, placing fourth overall.
Voter turnout was 52%, up from 46% in 2021.
Analyst Susan Booysen linked the ANC’s decline to poor public services and infrastructure, including water, power and sanitation.
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More than 200,000 people joined a “Red Line” protest in Amsterdam, according to the Dutch branch of Amnesty International, one of the organizers. Demonstrators urged the Dutch government to tighten trade restrictions and halt arms sales to Israel, while Prime Minister Rob Jetten said his government was increasing political and diplomatic pressure.
Key Facts
Amnesty International’s Dutch branch said more than 200,000 people took part in Sunday’s march.
Protesters called for tighter trade restrictions on Israel and an end to arms sales.
The demonstration included a gathering at Amsterdam’s Museum Square.
The article reports that at least 74,000 Palestinians, including 21,000 children, have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
A ceasefire took effect in Gaza on October 10, but the article says Israeli attacks and killings have continued almost daily.
The Dutch government introduced an import ban on products from Israeli settlements in February.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten said his government was applying greater political and diplomatic pressure on Israel.
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A collision between two trains in Giza province, south of Cairo, killed seven people and injured more than 100 on Sunday, Egyptian officials said. Investigators said a train traveling from Giza to Fayoum struck the rear carriage of a Cairo-to-Aswan train that was stopped on the same track.
Key Facts
The crash occurred in al-Ayyat district, about 52 kilometers south of Cairo.
The train conductor was among those killed.
The Chief Prosecutor's office said investigators arrived at the crash site late Sunday.
A nearby resident said local people helped pull survivors from the trains and called ambulances.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said he ordered a prompt investigation.
Emergency teams and cranes were sent to clear wreckage and help restore train services.
Two freight trains collided in the same district last September, injuring a driver and assistant.
More than 300 people died in Egypt's deadliest train crash in 2002, after a fire aboard a train traveling from Cairo to southern Egypt.
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At least seven people died and more than 100 were injured when two trains collided near Giza, Egypt. Several carriages derailed, and authorities suspended trains between Giza and Upper Egypt while rescue and recovery work continued.
Key Facts
The collision happened between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations in Al-Ayyat, near Giza.
A train travelling from Giza to Fayoum struck the rear of a stationary train bound from Cairo to Aswan.
The Egyptian public prosecutor's office said the death toll could rise.
The driver of one of the trains was among those killed, according to the health ministry.
Hospitals in the area were put on heightened alert to treat the injured, including people with broken bones and head injuries.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi ordered an investigation and said anyone found negligent should be held accountable.
Cranes were sent to remove the wreckage, and train services between Giza and Upper Egypt were suspended.
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Israel’s president selected Gadi Eisenkot to try to form the next government, passing over Benjamin Netanyahu after inconclusive elections. In Gaza, the first winter storm flooded tents sheltering displaced Palestinians.
Key Facts
Israel’s president picked Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government.
The president passed over Benjamin Netanyahu.
The elections did not produce a conclusive result.
The first winter storm in Gaza flooded about 70,000 tents.
The tents sheltered displaced Palestinians.
Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Hegazy reported on the developments.
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Diwali is being celebrated on November 8 across India and among its global diaspora. The festival features prayers, family gatherings, lamps, fireworks, food, and gift exchanges, and is observed by Hindus as well as Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists.
Key Facts
Diwali is also called Deepavali, meaning “a row of lights.”
Families often place clay oil lamps outside their homes.
The festival symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.
Diwali follows the Hindu lunar calendar and usually falls in late October or early November.
This year, Diwali is marked on November 8.
Celebrations often include feasting, new clothes, rangoli designs, fireworks, sweets, and gifts.
More than one billion people of different faiths take part in celebrations in India, according to the article.
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The article examines how governments have been made to pay reparations, arguing that past payments generally followed coercion or military defeat rather than moral agreement. It contrasts current calls for reparations for the trans-Atlantic slave trade with examples involving Iraq, Haiti, France and Germany.
Key Facts
King Charles III said the trans-Atlantic slave trade filled him with horror and expressed personal sorrow during a visit to Antigua, but did not apologize or offer reparations.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was open to a formal state apology but opposed financial reparations.
CARICOM chair Philip J. Pierre said an apology without repair was incomplete.
After the 1991 Gulf War, a U.N. commission awarded $52.4 billion to about 1.5 million claimants for Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait; the payments came from Iraqi oil export revenue and ended in 2022.
In 1825, France demanded 150 million francs from Haiti as a condition for recognizing its independence, with the demand backed by warships.
The article cites France’s payments after Waterloo and the Franco-Prussian War, as well as postwar payments by Germany and Japan, as examples of reparations imposed after defeat.
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Russian airstrikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The attacks have intensified as winter approaches, with residents in Kyiv and elsewhere facing power cuts as temperatures fall.
Key Facts
Russian airstrikes targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians lost electricity on Sunday.
Residents in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine faced power cuts.
The attacks have intensified as winter approaches.
Temperatures are continuing to drop.
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The Cockroach Janta Party, which began as online political satire, has organized protests in India over exam paper leaks, unemployment and the cost of living. The movement now demands the chief election commissioner’s resignation over allegations of voter-list manipulation, which the election commission denies.
Key Facts
Founder Abhijeet Dipke says the CJP aims to promote government accountability.
The CJP mobilized thousands of young people to protest in May.
India’s education minister resigned weeks after the protests began.
The CJP and opposition parties accuse the election commission of changing voter lists to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
The election commission says it removed deceased, duplicate and ineligible voters and denies wrongdoing.
The BJP says demonstrators are sowing chaos and undermining democracy.
Several CJP leaders have been arrested, but Dipke says the movement will continue.
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog has tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government. Eisenkot has up to six weeks to negotiate with potential coalition partners and secure a parliamentary majority, with a partnership with Arab Israeli parties described as mathematically easiest but politically sensitive.
Key Facts
President Isaac Herzog formally gave Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form Israel’s next government.
Eisenkot is Israel’s opposition leader.
He has up to six weeks to form a coalition.
Eisenkot must secure a majority in parliament.
An alliance with Arab Israeli parties appears to be the easiest route mathematically.
Such an alliance remains politically sensitive.
Eisenkot is seeking to form a government that would replace Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a new government after Eisenkot’s coalition secured a majority. Eisenkot, a former military chief, warned that Israel faces a dangerous moment for its democracy.
Key Facts
Gadi Eisenkot is an Israeli opposition leader.
President Isaac Herzog tasked Eisenkot with forming a new government.
Eisenkot’s coalition secured a majority.
Eisenkot previously served as Israel’s military chief.
Eisenkot warned that Israel faces a dangerous moment.
The article’s headline describes Eisenkot’s warning as a “point of no return” for democracy.
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Two trains collided in al-Ayyat district, south of Cairo, killing at least four people and injuring 88, Egyptian authorities said. One train derailed, and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered an investigation as emergency teams worked to clear the wreckage.
Key Facts
The collision happened on Sunday in Giza province, about 30 miles (50 km) south of Cairo.
A train traveling to Fayoum province struck the rear of a train heading to Aswan, according to the transport ministry.
The transport ministry said one of the trains derailed.
The health ministry reported at least four deaths and 88 injuries.
Authorities said injured people were taken to nearby hospitals.
Al-Sisi said he had ordered a prompt investigation to hold those responsible accountable.
The railway authority sent emergency teams and cranes to clear wreckage and restore normal service.
Two freight trains collided in the same district in September of the previous year, injuring a driver and his assistant.
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The UK Met Office issued a yellow fog warning from 6pm Sunday until 11am Monday for much of southern England, the Midlands, and parts of northern England and Wales. Dense fog could disrupt road, rail and air travel, while rain later in the week may bring up to 50–70mm to parts of the drought-hit south-west.
Key Facts
The warning covers most of southern England except the south-west, all of the Midlands, and parts of northern England and Wales.
Fog is expected in cities including Liverpool, Sheffield, York, Cardiff and Wrexham.
Met Office meteorologist Niamh Murray said clear skies, light winds and long nights are helping fog form.
Fog could reduce visibility to 50 metres or less in some areas.
Bus and train delays, as well as flight delays and cancellations, are possible.
The fog may be densest overnight on Monday in rural parts of the Midlands, Wales and East Anglia; air frost is also possible.
The Met Office said slow-moving rain could bring 50–70mm to parts of the south-west, where severe drought has been declared.
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A collision between two trains in Egypt’s Giza province killed at least seven people and injured more than 112, the Health Ministry said. The crash derailed one train onto a rural road in al-Ayyat, and emergency crews sent ambulances, rescue teams and cranes to the scene.
Key Facts
A train travelling between Giza and Fayoum struck the rear of a train on the Cairo-to-Aswan route on Sunday.
The train on the Cairo-to-Aswan route derailed in al-Ayyat district.
Authorities reported at least seven deaths and more than 112 injuries.
More than 70 ambulances took part in evacuations and transported casualties to nearby hospitals.
Egyptian National Railways said crews were working to clear the wreckage and restore train services.
Al-Ayyat was the site of a 2002 train fire that killed more than 370 people.
Egypt has invested billions of dollars in transport infrastructure, but much of its train service remains dated.
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog gave opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot six weeks to try to form a government after an election left no bloc with a parliamentary majority. Eisenkot must negotiate with potential partners, including Arab-led parties, while facing disagreements over military-service exemptions and other coalition terms.
Key Facts
The Oct. 27 election produced no clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset, where a government needs at least 61 seats.
Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, Eisenkot’s opposition bloc won 48, and Arab-led parties won 19.
Eisenkot has six weeks to form a government.
Eisenkot said coalition partners must support Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, military or national service, and recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Potential paths include a power-sharing deal with Netanyahu, support from Arab-led parties, or an agreement with ultra-Orthodox parties.
Eisenkot and his partners campaigned to end long-standing military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.
Netanyahu has claimed the election was stolen by Arab parties but has offered little evidence; election officials and Herzog said the vote was valid.
Israel’s Shin Bet security agency is investigating possible foreign interference, while officials said any wrongdoing found did not significantly affect the result.
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Two passenger trains collided and derailed in Egypt’s El-Ayyat district in Giza, killing four people and injuring 88, according to the Ministry of Health. Emergency teams responded to rescue passengers and clear the wreckage.
Key Facts
The collision involved two passenger trains.
The trains collided and derailed in El-Ayyat district, Giza.
Egypt’s Ministry of Health reported four deaths.
The ministry reported 88 injuries.
Emergency teams were sent to rescue passengers.
Emergency teams worked to clear the wreckage.
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Two trains collided in al-Ayyat district, south of Cairo, on Nov. 8, killing at least four people and injuring 88, Egyptian authorities said. One train derailed, and emergency crews were sent to clear the wreckage and restore service while officials investigated the crash.
Key Facts
The collision occurred in Giza province, about 32 miles south of Cairo.
A train traveling toward Fayoum struck the rear of a train heading toward Aswan, according to the Transportation Ministry.
At least four people died, including a train driver, and 88 people were injured, the Health Ministry said.
Authorities took the injured to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said he had directed agencies to provide medical care, investigate the crash and hold anyone found negligent accountable.
The Egyptian Railway Authority sent emergency teams and cranes to the scene to remove wreckage and restore normal train service.
A train driver and assistant were injured in a collision involving two freight trains in the same district last September.
Egypt has invested billions of dollars in transport infrastructure, but much of its rail network remains old.
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FRANCE 24’s photo roundup covers the week of November 2–8, 2026, including Democratic victories in the U.S. midterm elections, protests and strikes in France, and events at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games. Other images show developments in Ukraine, Yemen, South Africa, Iran, India, and Pope Leo XIV’s Latin American tour.
Key Facts
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won a Michigan Senate race and became the first Muslim senator in the United States.
James Talarico won a Texas Senate race, giving Democrats their first victory in that contest in more than 30 years.
President Donald Trump reacted to his party’s midterm losses by placing a cap marked “VETO” on his Oval Office desk.
Unions called mass strikes in France on November 5, amid student-led protests.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games included triathlon and coastal beach-sprint rowing events in Senegal.
Family members mourned police officers killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine’s Khortytsia Island.
Images also showed local elections in South Africa and garbage piled in a floodway in Yemen’s city of Taiz.
Pope Leo XIV began a 12-day tour of Latin America with a visit to Uruguay.
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