New Zealand voters will go to the polls on 7 November to elect a new government. The article highlights the rising cost of living, unemployment and healthcare as major voter concerns.
Key Facts
New Zealand's election is scheduled for 7 November.
Voters will elect a new government.
The rising cost of living is a key concern for voters.
Unemployment is a key concern for voters.
Healthcare is a key concern for voters.
The article is an explainer by BBC Australia and New Zealand correspondent Katy Watson.
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U.S. First Lady Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House and called for a lasting ceasefire after a six-day truce enabled residents to evacuate Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region. The officials credited her with helping secure the truce, while acknowledging that broader negotiations to end the war remain difficult.
Key Facts
The six-day ceasefire in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky allowed hundreds of residents to evacuate.
Melania Trump said she reviewed evacuation routes, demining plans, roadways, hospital access and medical resources during the truce.
The White House meeting included Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia, Russian ombudsman Yana Lantratova and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Both Russian and Ukrainian representatives thanked Melania Trump for her role in the ceasefire.
Arakhamia called the truce the biggest de-escalation since 2022 and said political negotiations remained complex.
Melania Trump gave the Russian and Ukrainian representatives letters to deliver to their presidents, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
The White House displayed two historic objects it described as symbols of peace: an 18th-century medicine chest and a cup presented to a French ambassador in 1899.
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Eight people were killed and one was seriously injured in a series of shootings in Afyonkarahisar province in western Turkey on Thursday. Police launched a large-scale search for the suspect, who fled after the attacks.
Key Facts
Victims were found at several locations in three separate vehicles, according to local reports.
Anadolu Agency reported that three people were killed near Ayazini village and three near Kiyir village.
Two women found injured in Yukaritandir later died in hospital.
Two teachers were reportedly among those killed.
Police closed roads leading to the affected villages while searching for the suspect.
Milliyet reported that a vehicle allegedly taken by the attacker became stuck in mud and was abandoned.
The Afyonkarahisar Governorate said state institutions were coordinating their response.
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Paraguayan President Santiago Peña announced his resignation amid a banking crisis and impeachment proceedings. The crisis centered on Ueno Bank, which regulators placed into resolution after finding it insolvent, freezing customer deposits and prompting protests.
Key Facts
Peña announced his resignation in a video on Thursday.
Paraguay’s central bank placed Ueno Bank into resolution on Monday, citing insolvency.
The article says the action froze deposits belonging to about 3 million customers.
Bank executives were arrested, and people protested in the streets.
Peña faced impeachment proceedings filed by opposition lawmakers and members of his Colorado party.
Ueno Bank held between $800 million and $850 million in deposits from state and pension entities, according to the article.
Peña had previously held shares in the group that ran Ueno Bank and said he had sold them.
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More than a dozen flights in Europe received bomb threats on Thursday, prompting emergency landings, diversions and military escorts. Authorities reported finding no hazardous or suspicious materials, and investigations into the threats were ongoing.
Key Facts
Authorities said the threats affected more than a dozen flights across Europe on Thursday.
Some flights made emergency landings or diverted, and some received military escorts.
No hazardous or suspicious materials had been found, according to the report.
Similar threats had targeted planes earlier in the week, leading to searches and diversions.
Officials said it was too early to determine whether the incidents were linked or who sent the threats.
An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome landed safely at a French military air base in Évreux after a threat.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's office said warplanes intercepted the Aer Lingus flight because the pilot did not cooperate as expected with authorities.
An EU aviation-security information-sharing mechanism was activated while national investigations continued.
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Iranian military officials said at least five tankers struck naval mines and caught fire near the Strait of Hormuz. Separately, the UK maritime agency reported that a tanker was hit by two projectiles off Qatar, while reported preparations for possible renewed U.S. strikes and ongoing mediation efforts added to regional tensions.
Key Facts
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said two tankers were damaged by fires near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s army said three other tankers struck naval mines and caught fire east of the strait.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker was hit by two projectiles about 50 nautical miles north of Qatar on Wednesday night.
UKMTO did not identify the tanker or its flag, and no group claimed responsibility for the reported attack.
A Qatari LNG carrier was hit by unidentified objects on October 30; its operator said no crew members were injured and the vessel remained operational.
Qatar said both sides were reviewing proposals from mediators to resume talks on ending the war.
Unnamed U.S. officials told The New York Times that U.S. forces were positioned to resume major combat operations against Iran on President Donald Trump’s orders.
Iranian leaders warned of repercussions if the United States or Israel took further military action.
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Ra’am and the Democrats have backed Gadi Eisenkot in his bid to form Israel’s next government. The endorsement comes after Arab-majority lists recorded high turnout in last week’s election and amid attacks on those lists by Benjamin Netanyahu.
Key Facts
Ra’am is an Arab-majority party.
The Democrats also backed Gadi Eisenkot.
Eisenkot is seeking to form Israel’s next government.
The endorsement followed last week’s election.
Arab-majority lists recorded turnout described as a record.
Benjamin Netanyahu has attacked Arab-majority lists.
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More than 20 aircraft across Europe have been targeted by bomb threats, in what the UK has called a “malicious hoax.” BBC Verify analyzed messages sent by an aircraft to examine how a bomb threat is passed on by air traffic control and what happens after a flight receives one.
Key Facts
More than 20 aircraft across Europe have been targeted by bomb threats.
The threats occurred for the second time this week, according to the report.
The UK described the incident as a “malicious hoax.”
BBC Verify analyzed messages sent by an aircraft about a threat.
The report examines how air traffic control passed on the threat.
Thomas Copeland explains the findings in the report.
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Bomb alerts disrupted flights across Europe on Thursday after an email to Rome airport authorities claimed explosives were aboard two flights bound for the city. The sender claimed to represent the “Fighters of the Male State,” but authorities had not confirmed who was behind the threats or whether the group was linked to a Russian misogynist movement with the same name.
Key Facts
The email named a Finnair flight from Helsinki and an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin as targets.
The Finnair plane landed at Rome’s Fiumicino airport with an Italian fighter jet escort; the Aer Lingus flight diverted to a French military base.
At least 20 flights were affected by bomb alerts at airports including those in Madrid, Prague, Sofia and Brussels.
An unnamed airport official told the Associated Press that another airport received a message from a self-described anti-feminist group; it was not clear whether the messages came from the same source.
Authorities had not formally identified a suspect, and the investigation was in its early stages.
A Russian court banned the Male State social media movement as extremist in 2021.
The movement was founded in 2016 by Russian far-right activist Vladislav Pozdnyakov and promoted nationalism, white supremacy and opposition to feminism and gay rights.
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog was due to meet Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot as he prepares to choose which one should first try to form a government. Neither bloc won a majority in last month’s election, and Arab-led parties could influence whether Eisenkot can build a coalition.
Key Facts
Netanyahu’s coalition won 53 of the 120 Knesset seats, down from 68.
The Change bloc led by Eisenkot won 48 seats.
The Joint List won 11 seats, while the Islamist Ra’am party won eight.
Turnout among Arab Israelis rose to about 80%, more than twice the previous level.
Eisenkot said potential Arab-party partners must recognize Israel as a Jewish state, accept compulsory national service, and denounce Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The Joint List said it could support an opposition government from outside, while Ra’am said it would join an Eisenkot-led government.
Netanyahu remains prime minister in a caretaker government until a new coalition forms or another election is held.
Israel’s Central Election Committee said the election’s integrity had not been compromised.
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Philippe Jaenada said he used artificial intelligence three times while writing the novel that won France’s Prix Goncourt. His admission followed the removal of another author’s book from the prize longlist after claims it was largely AI-generated, a claim the author denied before his publisher later said new evidence showed AI had been used.
Key Facts
Jaenada won the Prix Goncourt for L’Inconnue du quai de Javel.
He told France Inter that he used AI three times while writing the novel: to insert a ChatGPT sentence, include AI-generated text mocking the tool’s answers, and assist with research.
Jaenada said he disclosed the ChatGPT sentence to the Goncourt jury on the day he received the award.
The Goncourt academy removed Thélyson Orélien’s C’était ça ou Mourir from its longlist in September, saying it was likely largely produced by AI.
Orélien denied that a machine created any sentence in the book, but later admitted plagiarism in earlier work.
Orélien’s Canadian publisher, Boréal, said new evidence showed AI was used in the writing process and ended its relationship with him.
Jaenada won in the first round, receiving six votes to Sylvain Prudhomme’s three.
The article reports online accusations that Jaenada received more lenient treatment than Orélien, who is a writer of colour.
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The Court of Appeal increased Vickrum Digwa’s minimum term for murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak from 21 years to 25 years, finding the original sentence unduly lenient. After credit for time spent on remand, Digwa must serve at least 24 years and 190 days before he can be considered for parole.
Key Facts
Digwa fatally stabbed Nowak with a large dagger in Southampton on 3 December 2025.
Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment at Southampton Crown Court in June.
The Attorney General referred the 21-year minimum term to the Court of Appeal for review.
The Court of Appeal said the original term did not reflect the seriousness of the murder, including the repeated use of the dagger and the suffering and obstruction that followed.
The trial judge found Digwa’s claim that Nowak had attacked and racially abused him was a lie.
Digwa carried a small kirpan around his neck and a larger one on his belt; the court said lawful initial possession did not lessen the seriousness of the knife’s lethal use.
Digwa also sought permission to appeal his sentence as excessive, but the court refused permission.
Nowak’s family called the decision an important step toward justice and said no sentence could restore their son’s life.
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Myanmar’s military launched an offensive in Rakhine State on September 4, seeking to retake territory largely controlled by the Arakan Army. Airstrikes on November 1 killed 12 people and injured 32, including civilians at a bridge and a makeshift clinic; residents also described attacks on displacement camps in October.
Key Facts
The military began its “Yan Naing Min” offensive in Rakhine State on September 4, according to the article.
The Arakan Army reportedly controls nearly 90% of Rakhine State.
Airstrikes across Rakhine State on November 1 killed 12 people and injured 32 civilians.
A strike on Yo Chaung Bridge killed seven people and injured seven others, according to the article.
A bombing at a temporary clinic in Mrauk-U killed five people, including a newborn baby, and injured nine.
A resident said an October 4 attack on a displacement camp near Thayet Cho killed six civilians and injured 11.
The article says the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar has documented the military’s use of double-tap strikes, in which a second attack follows the first.
ACLED reported that more than 100,000 people had been killed in Myanmar’s conflict as of figures published in July 2026.
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Philippine authorities are investigating child sexual abuse allegations involving Thomas Markle Sr. and have described his son, Tom Markle Jr., as a person of interest, not a suspect. Police say they found files they believe contain child sexual abuse material and are analyzing evidence; Markle Sr. denies the allegations.
Key Facts
Tom Markle Jr. reported his father to police in Cebu, saying he found suspected child abuse material among his father’s belongings.
Philippine Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said investigators were examining whether Markle Jr. was involved and described him as a person of interest, not a suspect.
Philippine police said seized files appeared to include images or videos involving minors and were undergoing digital analysis.
Thomas Markle Sr. denied the allegations and called them “sick lies.”
Mexican police raided a storage unit after a newspaper reported finding additional material there; authorities confirmed finding magazines and computer equipment but did not say whether the items were criminal evidence.
Markle Jr. told The Sun that he had informed FBI agents about two storage units in Los Angeles; the article said there was no official confirmation that they had been searched.
The article said Meghan Markle had expressed concern after the investigation first became public.
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A British health worker who tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been flown to the UK and taken to a specialist unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London. It is the first confirmed case among UK nationals in the latest outbreak; UK officials say the risk to the public is low.
Key Facts
The health worker arrived at RAF Northolt before being taken to the Royal Free Hospital.
The man has not been identified.
The latest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began in May and has recorded more than 10,000 confirmed cases.
The reported fatality rate for the outbreak was 48.6% at the end of last month.
The outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo variant of Ebola.
Cases linked to the outbreak have also been confirmed in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.
Candidate vaccines from the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, and from Moderna, may join a clinical trial if Congolese health authorities approve them.
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As France faces another wave of strikes and protests, Solidaires trade union National Secretary Gaëlle Martinez says workers are struggling with low pay, deteriorating schools and weakened public services. She calls for a new budget without cuts and for higher taxes on the most profitable companies.
Key Facts
The article features Gaëlle Martinez, National Secretary of the French trade union Solidaires.
Martinez links the protests to wages, public spending and the cost of living.
She says people want to live rather than merely survive.
Martinez describes schools as being in very poor condition.
She argues that low salaries and the decline of public services are connected problems.
She calls for a new budget that does not rely on cuts.
She calls for higher taxes on the biggest and most profitable companies.
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Paraguay’s lower house voted unanimously to impeach President Santiago Peña amid protests over the government takeover of Ueno Bank. Peña announced his resignation shortly before the vote, and Vice President Pedro Alliana is set to replace him.
Key Facts
Paraguay’s central bank took control of Ueno Bank after citing a severe capital shortfall.
The bank’s takeover left about three million depositors, including pensioners, unable to access their money.
Opposition lawmakers accused Peña of favoring Ueno Bank in regulatory and pension fund decisions.
Peña had owned shares in a group that controlled the bank and sold them last year.
Peña asked Central Bank President Carlos Carvallo to resign; Carvallo later stepped down.
Peña also enacted a law requiring most funds to be returned to depositors within five business days.
Protesters in Asunción called for Peña’s removal and clashed with police, who used tear gas and water cannons.
Vice President Pedro Alliana is to take over as Paraguay’s leader.
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Protests and worker strikes began in France during a national day of action. Participants raised concerns about the cost of living and called for improved public services.
Key Facts
New protests began in France.
Workers also began strikes.
The demonstrations took place during a national day of action.
Cost-of-living concerns were among the issues raised.
Participants called for improved public services.
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An Australian study found that 34.8% of infants diagnosed with peanut allergy after a reaction and a positive test showed no allergic reaction during a supervised oral food challenge. Researchers say clinicians should consider such challenges to confirm a diagnosis, and experts warn families not to test peanut tolerance at home.
Key Facts
The study was conducted by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the National Allergy Centre of Excellence and published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The infants had recently reacted to peanuts and tested positive for peanut allergy.
During oral food challenges, clinicians gave infants gradually increasing amounts of peanut under medical supervision.
Researchers classified infants who had no adverse reaction during the challenge as peanut tolerant and removed their allergy label.
National Allergy Centre of Excellence Director Kirsten Perrett said clinical history and allergy tests alone did not accurately diagnose allergy in many cases.
Dr. Tania Elliott said 12% of the babies had anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, during the challenges.
Elliott advised parents to discuss testing with an allergist and said oral food challenges should take place in a monitored medical setting.
The article says about one in 50 children in the United States has a peanut allergy.
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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he fears U.S. President Donald Trump will intensify attacks on Iran after Republicans lost control of Congress in the midterm elections. Farage said he initially supported the war but now considers it a mistake, citing Trump’s pledge to avoid foreign wars and the rise in fuel prices.
Key Facts
The United States began its war with Iran in February 2026.
Farage said he worries Trump will continue attacking Iran aggressively after the election results.
Farage said he had supported the war at first but never supported an endless conflict.
Trump said he did not regret launching the joint attack with Israel on Iran.
Trump acknowledged that the war and higher oil prices partly contributed to Republican losses in the midterms.
Trump has warned that the United States and Israel could resume all-out war if they cannot reach a deal with Iran.
Farage said he had not spoken with Trump since the midterm elections.
Reform UK named former Royal Air Force Wing Commander Angus MacIntyre as its first defence spokesperson.
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