India’s Home Minister Amit Shah approved exemptions from domestic procurement rules that allowed government agencies to consider buying foreign forensic technology, including products from Israeli firm Cellebrite. Documents reviewed by a digital-rights group and Al Jazeera describe tools that can extract data from phones and access accounts on cloud services, prompting concerns about surveillance safeguards.
Key Facts
A January 7 Ministry of Home Affairs letter approved a one-year exemption covering at least 422 foreign forensic items.
A January 20 letter allowed the National Investigation Agency to buy Cellebrite’s Premium Tool under a three-year licence for about 50 million rupees, or $529,947.
The exemption list included 118 digital and multimedia forensics items, among them Cellebrite products.
Government tender specifications called for software able to use login tokens from seized devices to access more than 100 cloud services.
The reviewed documents describe tools that can obtain data from social media accounts and connected devices.
Governments led by both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Indian National Congress have purchased similar phone-extraction technology, the report said.
Digital-rights experts said India’s laws lack safeguards against excessive surveillance and that some data extractions fall into a legal grey area.
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Police in Kampala are investigating the deaths of four girls, aged nine to 11, after they became ill following a schoolmate’s sharing of oranges. The school’s head teacher has been arrested to assist with the investigation, and post-mortem examinations are underway to determine the cause of death.
Key Facts
The four pupils died on Tuesday; three died at home and one died while receiving emergency treatment at a hospital.
Five pupils began vomiting after eating oranges shared by another pupil, according to the school.
The fifth pupil who became ill remains in hospital.
Police have cordoned off Ta’aliim Primary School and Quran Memorisation Centre as a crime scene.
Detectives plan to visit the village where the oranges came from, according to a police spokesperson quoted by local media.
Police say they will provide more information as the investigation continues.
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Gunmen attacked police returning from an operation against illegal gold mining in Kohat district, northwestern Pakistan, killing 10 officers and 18 fighters and wounding 12 officers, according to provincial police. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility; officials also reported a separate operation in nearby Orakzai district that killed 10 Taliban fighters.
Key Facts
Police said the officers were returning from a mine in the Gumbat area of Kohat district when gunmen opened fire on Wednesday.
Twelve police personnel were wounded in the attack, according to provincial police.
The Pakistani Taliban issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack.
A senior Kohat official told AFP that fighters set two police vehicles on fire and that two other police vehicles and a private vehicle were missing.
An official said 10 Pakistani Taliban fighters were killed in a separate operation in Orakzai district and that weapons were recovered.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of sheltering Pakistani Taliban fighters; Kabul denies the accusation.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has reported that hundreds of civilians were killed in fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the past year.
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West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy said a defence minister confirmed the reported threat was aimed at RAF Mildenhall, not the town’s civilians or civilian infrastructure. He said the threat was not imminent and that aircraft departures were precautionary; the Ministry of Defence has been asked to comment.
Key Facts
More than 12 US Air Force aircraft left RAF Mildenhall, according to the report.
The aircraft landed at other US bases in Europe and at Prestwick Airport in Scotland.
Timothy said the minister described the threat as directed at the base, not the town.
Timothy said the threat was not imminent and the response was precautionary.
RAF Mildenhall is home to the 100th Air Refuelling Wing, the only permanent US air refuelling wing in Europe.
About 3,000 military personnel are stationed at RAF Mildenhall.
The departures followed a security incident at the US-operated RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
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Australia’s government has issued guidance urging employers to consult workers about how workplace AI may affect jobs and to help staff move into new roles. The guide says AI could improve pay, hours and work, but also warns of risks including job losses, heavier workloads, intrusive monitoring and discrimination.
Key Facts
Workplace relations minister Amanda Rishworth launched a government guide on adopting AI at work.
The guide recommends giving workers a clear plan for how automation may affect their jobs and opportunities to build skills or move into other roles.
The guide says AI could raise productivity and improve services, while potentially supporting higher wages, shorter hours and more meaningful work.
It warns that AI may increase workplace surveillance, worsen rostering, intensify performance demands and contribute to discrimination.
Rishworth warned that adding AI without consulting workers could increase workloads rather than reduce them.
Greens leader David Shoebridge called for legal protections against surveillance and job cuts, arguing that voluntary guidance was not enough.
The Reserve Bank of Australia said it had seen little evidence so far that AI was disrupting the country’s labour market, while future effects remained uncertain.
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As the COP31 climate summit begins in Turkey, experts are urging zero-waste approaches to address Africa’s growing waste crisis. A new report warns that waste-to-energy incineration is gaining support across the continent.
Key Facts
COP31 is under way this week in Turkey.
Experts are calling for zero-waste solutions to address Africa’s growing waste crisis.
A new report warns of a growing push for waste-to-energy incineration across Africa.
FRANCE 24 spoke with Mponwe Minette, founder and executive director of Soft Power Global and a climate activist.
The report and interview were featured in a segment issued on November 12, 2026.
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In a France 24 interview, analyst John Lough discussed how Russia recruits soldiers for its war against Ukraine. He said recruitment has disproportionately drawn from poorer and politically marginalised communities, including ethnic minority regions, where casualties may be less likely to prompt organized opposition; he described some recruits as being treated as expendable.
Key Facts
The France 24 video was issued on November 12, 2026.
The interview focused on the social and strategic factors that sustain Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
John Lough is identified as a senior research fellow and head of foreign policy and international partnerships at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre.
Lough is also identified as an associate fellow with Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Programme.
Lough said Russian recruitment has disproportionately affected poorer and politically marginalised communities.
He included ethnic minority regions among the communities disproportionately recruited.
Lough argued that deaths from these communities are less likely to generate organized opposition.
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BBC Verify found that Delhi’s widely cited air pollution data omitted very high PM2.5 readings during Diwali on 8–9 November. The Central Pollution Control Board said its equipment is calibrated only up to 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre, so higher readings are excluded; this left its reported averages far below figures in a separate dataset.
Key Facts
Across the same 30 monitoring stations over 24 hours, available CPCB readings averaged 240 micrograms per cubic metre, compared with 551 in DPCC data.
DPCC records contained 116 hourly readings above 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre that did not appear in the CPCB records.
Three monitoring stations recorded hourly PM2.5 concentrations above 3,000 micrograms per cubic metre, according to DPCC data examined by BBC Verify.
From 21:00 on 8 November to 07:00 on 9 November, 217 hourly PM2.5 observations were missing across 59 CPCB stations; only 16 stations reported complete data.
CPCB methodology requires at least 16 hours of valid PM2.5 measurements for a station to calculate a daily average.
At the RK Puram station, BBC Verify calculated a 24-hour average of about 945 micrograms using available hourly readings; CPCB data for 14 hours gave an average of 299.
A researcher at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said excluding extreme readings risks misrepresenting pollution and weakening trust in official figures.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured after falling from the outside of a northbound train on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, NSW police said. Police said early inquiries and CCTV footage suggested he was train surfing; he was taken to hospital with head, chest and pelvic injuries.
Key Facts
Emergency services were called at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday to the railway corridor between Wynyard and Milsons Point stations.
A CareFlight medical team and NSW paramedics treated the boy on the bridge and carried him about 400 metres to safety.
Police said the boy was with two other people, who were assisting with inquiries and had not been arrested.
Police said the boy was not trapped under the train and described his removal from the tracks as relatively straightforward.
Sydney Trains had restricted access to rear carriages on Tangara trains during the school holiday period to deter train surfing.
The NSW government announced in November last year that it would install nose-cone devices to block access to the area between carriages.
NSW has recorded 12 serious train-surfing injuries in the past five years, according to the article.
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Protests over housing affordability and purchasing power took place across Spain during a nationwide 24-hour strike, weeks before an early general election. Clashes in Madrid and Barcelona led police to use rubber bullets and tear gas; authorities reported at least 73 arrests.
Key Facts
Spain held its first nationwide 24-hour strike since 2012.
Authorities estimated that about 120,000 people marched in Madrid.
More than 50,000 people rallied in Barcelona, according to authorities.
Some masked demonstrators threw projectiles at police and started fires in Madrid and Barcelona.
Police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters.
Police reported at least 73 arrests nationwide by 21:00 GMT Wednesday.
Authorities recorded at least 1,044 incidents linked to the strike, including blockades and burning rubbish containers.
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Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system have caused long power outages as winter approaches. In Kyiv, residents face interruptions to electricity, water, heating and transport, while workers try to repair damaged power plants amid frequent air-raid alerts.
Key Facts
Ukraine has used scheduled power cuts since October as Russia intensified attacks on the energy grid.
A Kyiv resident said her family had recently received electricity for only four or five hours a day, with outages lasting up to eight hours at a time.
Some families in Kyiv have faced power outages of up to 20 hours, according to the report.
Electricity outages can also stop water pumps, lifts and some public transport from operating.
The report said hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians nationwide had gone without power in recent weeks.
A large Ukrainian power station was knocked offline after a Russian ballistic missile strike caused extensive damage.
Workers at the damaged plant have had to stop repairs repeatedly because of air-raid warnings, which occurred every 15 to 30 minutes during the reporters’ visit.
Ukraine has responded to attacks on its energy grid by striking Russian oil refineries.
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Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran is open to a deal with the United States. He said the US must avoid creating distrust and making excessive demands, which Iran would not accept.
Key Facts
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is identified as Iran’s chief negotiator.
Ghalibaf made the comments in an interview with Al Jazeera.
He said Iran is open to reaching a deal with the United States.
He said the US should avoid actions that create distrust.
He said Iran would not yield to excessive US demands.
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Arctic air is bringing unusually widespread autumn cold to the UK, with daytime highs of 6–10C and overnight temperatures expected to fall below freezing in many areas. UK health authorities have issued yellow cold health alerts for the West Midlands and north-west England until midday Saturday; colder conditions and frost are expected to ease slightly over the weekend.
Key Facts
Northerly winds are carrying cold air from the Arctic across the UK.
Thursday afternoon temperatures are forecast to reach 6–10C in most areas.
Overnight lows could reach -7C, with widespread frost expected by Friday morning.
Strong winds will make it feel colder, with gusts of 50–60mph forecast in north-east Scotland.
Yellow cold health alerts cover the West Midlands and north-west England until 12:00 Saturday.
The alerts warn of minor effects on health and social care services and increased healthcare use by vulnerable people.
Showers in northern Scotland could include sleet and hail, with some snow possible over high ground.
Temperatures are expected to rise slightly over the weekend, while rain chances increase and next week looks more unsettled.
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At least six people were killed and 20 wounded in an Israeli airstrike on the surgery department of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. Israel’s military had not immediately commented, and the BBC said it could not independently verify the incident.
Key Facts
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said the strike caused extensive damage to the hospital building.
A surgeon was reportedly among those killed.
Nasser Hospital is the largest hospital in southern Gaza.
The hospital was also hit by a double Israeli strike in August 2025, which killed at least 20 people, including journalists and health workers.
Israeli strikes have continued despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October last year.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 1,600 people have been killed since the ceasefire began; the United Nations considers its figures reliable.
The ministry says more than 74,645 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began on 7 October 2023.
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French prosecutors said Kévin Tessier told investigators he acted “on behalf of France” during a racist shooting in Trappes on October 23, 2026. The attack killed one person and injured five. Investigators also found a note listing contact details for four people associated with the political left, but prosecutors said the case file does not support a planned attack against them.
Key Facts
Tessier, 39, was placed under formal investigation on charges including murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise.
He admitted shooting people he described as Black or possibly of North African origin and said he tried to shoot a woman wearing a veil.
The shooting killed one person and injured five, including an 11-year-old girl who was seriously injured.
Investigators recovered 128 bullet casings from several locations.
A note at Tessier’s home listed the names and phone numbers of Green Party MPs Aymeric Caron and Sandrine Rousseau, France Unbowed MP David Guiraud, and activist Assa Traoré.
Tessier said he took the numbers from a website containing leaked data and denied intending to target the four people.
Prosecutors said nothing else in the case file supports a considered plan of violence against the people on the list.
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Paraguay’s Central Bank said it had made partial refunds to all eligible Ueno Bank depositors after the bank collapsed. The collapse prompted protests and the impeachment and arrest of former president Santiago Peña, who faces allegations over government deposits to the bank and denies wrongdoing.
Key Facts
The Central Bank said 1,812,348 people received partial refunds through the deposit guarantee fund.
Central Bank official Pedro Acosta said all clients eligible for the fund had received at least some of their money.
Ueno Bank was taken over on November 3 amid concerns about its financial health.
Ueno held more than $800 million in public funds, and most of its money had not been recovered, according to the article.
Ueno executives and shareholders are not eligible for the deposit guarantee fund.
Peña owned shares in Ueno’s holding company until he sold them last year.
Peña is accused of steering government deposits to Ueno and concealing or downplaying its financial problems; he denies the charges.
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Finland’s embassy in Canberra closed for 24 hours for a routine planning day, prompting social media users to jokingly share their “grief.” The embassy reopened the next day, and the online humor drew in the embassy, the leaders of Finland and Australia, and users around the world.
Key Facts
The embassy is based in Canberra, Australia’s capital.
It closed for a routine planning day.
The closure lasted 24 hours.
Social media users joked about the embassy being closed.
Users celebrated when the embassy reopened.
The embassy and the leaders of Australia and Finland joined in the humor.
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Missile and mine attacks on oil tankers during the U.S.-Iran war have caused oil spills in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters, threatening Gulf coastlines and marine habitats. Satellite monitoring has recorded hundreds of spill events, while a naval blockade has made it difficult to assess the pollution on the ground.
Key Facts
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea and contains coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass meadows.
Greenpeace identified more than 500 instances of oil spills across the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea since the war began on February 28.
Greenpeace said adding the daily mapped spill footprints produced a cumulative total of about 20,000 square kilometres; this is an accumulation of mapped footprints, not necessarily a single continuous spill area.
Greenpeace reported more than 133 attacks on oil tankers since the conflict began.
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy reported more than 30 confirmed or reported attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters in October.
A strike on the tanker Gem No 2 off the UAE in October produced an oil slick more than 21 miles long, according to the article.
An environmental researcher said two Iranian naval vessels struck in March continued leaking oil for months.
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Pope Leo XIV arrived in Peru, where millions welcomed him at the start of the final leg of his Latin American tour. He called Peru his homeland and urged President Keiko Fujimori and the country’s people to build trust and pursue reconciliation.
Key Facts
The Vatican said three million people greeted the pope in Lima.
Leo was born in Chicago and served as a missionary priest and bishop in Peru for two decades; he also became a Peruvian citizen.
The pope said his return to Peru had special meaning and called the country his homeland.
He is scheduled to spend three days in Chiclayo, where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023.
Leo urged President Keiko Fujimori to build confidence among Peruvians after her narrow election victory.
He called for past events to be handled with justice and sensitivity, and said honesty and engagement help sustain trust and democratic institutions.
The pope began the trip less than a month after surgery for lung cancer and appeared in good form, according to the article.
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A proposal by legal researcher Neil Francey says Australia’s six state governments could jointly sue major tobacco companies for up to A$50 billion in public healthcare costs. South Australia has sought formal advice, and other states are reviewing the proposal; no lawsuit has been filed.
Key Facts
The proposed case would target British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, Imperial Brands and their overseas parent companies.
The proposal seeks to recover state healthcare costs incurred since 2000 and fund cancer screening and prevention programs.
Francey argues the companies could be liable for decades of misleading and deceptive conduct under Australian consumer law.
The plan calls for the six state governments to pool resources in a joint legal taskforce.
The proposal excludes the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory because of their status and different healthcare funding arrangements.
A BAT Australia spokesperson declined to comment on potential or pending claims; Philip Morris and Imperial Brands did not respond to requests for comment.
In a 1991 federal court case represented by Francey, the court found compelling scientific proof that passive smoking causes lung disease and respiratory conditions in nonsmokers.
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