Kenyan pharmacists warned against inserting cetirizine tablets into the vagina after social media posts promoted the allergy medicine as a way to create vaginal tightness. They said the tablets are made to be swallowed, and that dryness can cause discomfort and tissue injury rather than strengthen vaginal muscles.
Key Facts
The Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya said cetirizine has not been tested or approved for vaginal use.
Cetirizine is an oral antihistamine commonly used to relieve allergy symptoms.
The trend began with TikTok posts claiming the drug could reduce vaginal moisture and create a sensation of tightness during sex.
The pharmacists advised anyone who has tried the practice to stop and seek medical care for symptoms such as pain, bleeding, burning, itching, unusual discharge or fever.
Kenya’s health ministry expressed concern about the trend a day before the pharmacists’ warning.
The pharmacists said reports indicated higher demand, rising prices and shortages at some pharmacies.
A senior health official suggested tracking medicine distribution and purchases, but authorities have announced no formal decision.
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At least 15 commercial flights across Europe faced bomb threats on Thursday, bringing the number affected this week to more than 20. The planes landed safely or were diverted, and authorities reported finding no explosives or suspicious items in the searches described in the article; officials had not identified who was behind the threats.
Key Facts
An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome diverted to a French military air base, where all 151 passengers and six crew members left the plane safely.
A Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome received a fighter-jet escort, and Rome's main airport paused flights for 30 minutes.
Wizz Air flights bound for Warsaw and Bucharest were targeted; both landed safely, with the Warsaw-bound flight rerouted to Vienna.
A LOT flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed safely, and a security check found no hazardous or suspicious items.
Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia made emergency landings in Bulgaria; authorities reported finding no explosives or suspicious items.
Four flights headed to Prague landed and were checked, with police reporting no explosives or suspicious devices.
Flights arriving in Milan from Thessaloniki and Porto landed safely after bomb alerts; technicians were inspecting the planes.
At least seven other flights had received bomb threats earlier in the week, and some threats were sent to airlines by email.
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The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi group toward the Medina region on Thursday. Saudi civil defence had issued a warning about potential danger near the Red Sea port of Yanbu shortly before, but officials did not say whether the events were connected.
Key Facts
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said air defences intercepted and destroyed the missile.
The coalition said the missile was aimed at the Medina region, which includes one of Islam’s holiest cities.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency issued a warning about potential danger in Yanbu Governorate.
Officials did not establish a link between the missile interception and the Yanbu warning.
The Houthis have said they would not target the holy cities of Mecca or Medina.
The article says the Houthis have repeatedly targeted Yanbu in recent months.
Yanbu is the Red Sea terminus of Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, which lets the kingdom transport oil without using the Strait of Hormuz.
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Older Brazilians who skipped the first round returned to vote in the runoff, and the article says their turnout helped Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeat Flávio Bolsonaro and secure a fourth term. More than 1.4 million of the 3 million additional runoff voters were over 70, though experts were still studying how the vote shifted.
Key Facts
Celia de Oliveira Soares, 101, went to a polling place in Rio de Janeiro and voted for Lula.
Soares was among more than 1 million older people who missed the 4 October first round but voted in the runoff on 25 October.
The article says Lula became the first candidate in Brazil’s democratic era to recover from losing the first round and win the election.
Lula gained 10.3 million votes between the first and second rounds.
Of 3 million additional voters in the runoff, 1.4 million were over 70.
Other factors cited for Lula’s gains included expanded welfare benefits, a large WhatsApp mobilization and student-led street protests.
A 114-year-old retiree, Josefa Pereira da Conceição, voted in Brazil’s northeast wearing a shirt supporting Lula.
Lula thanked older voters at his 81st birthday event and praised images of elderly people being brought to polling places.
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South Africans voted in local elections on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Corruption, failing infrastructure and worsening essential services were key issues shaping the vote.
Key Facts
The elections were held on Wednesday, November 4.
Nearly 30 million people were eligible to vote.
The elections were local, covering communities across South Africa.
Corruption was among the issues shaping the vote.
Failing infrastructure and deteriorating essential services were also key concerns.
FRANCE 24 correspondent Eunice Masson reported from the ground.
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Royal Mail is investigating after about 400 undelivered letters were found on a country road in the Mobuoy area outside Londonderry. Police said follow-up inquiries led to the discovery and seizure of more mail, and are continuing inquiries with Royal Mail.
Key Facts
SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said an estimated 400 unopened letters were handed to his office after they were found on Wednesday.
The letters were found in the Mobuoy area outside Londonderry.
Many letters were bundled with elastic bands and addressed to people in the Derry area.
Durkan said some letters appeared to come from health trusts, government departments and banks.
Royal Mail said its teams would recover and process the mail so it could be returned to the postal network for delivery.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said follow-up inquiries led to the discovery and seizure of a further quantity of mail.
Police said their inquiries are ongoing and they are liaising with Royal Mail.
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Sudan accused Ethiopia of allowing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to launch drones from Ethiopian territory. FRANCE 24 discussed what the allegation could indicate about the RSF’s military capabilities and foreign support with Ali Mahmoud Ali, a Sudan researcher at the conflict-monitoring group ACLED.
Key Facts
Sudan accused Ethiopia of permitting RSF drone launches from its territory.
The RSF is a paramilitary force involved in Sudan’s conflict.
FRANCE 24 interviewed Sudan researcher Ali Mahmoud Ali about the allegation.
Ali Mahmoud Ali works with ACLED, which monitors conflicts worldwide.
The report raises questions about the RSF’s military capabilities and foreign backing.
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Renewed conflict in Ethiopia has displaced thousands of civilians. Years of war and major budget cuts have left many camps for internally displaced people with little humanitarian support, limiting residents’ access to food and health care.
Key Facts
Renewed conflict in Ethiopia has displaced thousands of civilians.
Many displaced people live in camps within Ethiopia.
Humanitarian organisations have largely left many of the camps.
The article links reduced aid to years of war and heavy budget cuts.
Many camp residents lack access to food.
Many camp residents also lack access to health care.
FRANCE 24 correspondent Tom Canetti reported on the situation.
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A Russian strike on an aid distribution point in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region killed 42 people, officials said, and dozens remain missing. The attack came one day after a brief U.S.-brokered local ceasefire expired and less than a week before planned Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi.
Key Facts
The strike hit an aid distribution point in Zaporizhzhia region on Monday.
Officials put the death toll at 42.
Dozens of people remain missing.
The attack occurred a day after a brief U.S.-brokered local ceasefire ended.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations are due to meet in Abu Dhabi in less than a week to discuss ending the war.
The war is in its fifth year.
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Serbian authorities arrested nine active police officers and one former officer over allegations that they used excessive force against people detained during protests in Belgrade in August 2025. The arrests follow student-led protests that grew after a deadly railway-station collapse and culminated in the October electoral defeat of former President Aleksandar Vučić.
Key Facts
Serbia’s Ministry of Interior announced the arrests on Wednesday.
The ministry alleges that the officers abused and tortured several injured people in a government-compound garage in Belgrade.
The ministry said the suspects used force and threats to obtain information, intimidate people and punish them unlawfully.
The ministry said the suspects served in an elite police unit.
Serbia’s state broadcaster reported that Igor Zmirić, commander of the Special Antiterrorism Unit, was among those detained.
Protests began after 16 people died when a railway-station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024.
The student-led movement has called for reforms to state institutions and the resignation of senior officials.
Amnesty International’s 2025 report said protesters, journalists and civil society groups faced intimidation, harassment and unlawful surveillance.
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Italian chef Davide Tamburella was fired from a Brisbane restaurant in May after managers raised concerns about several complaints about his behaviour. One complaint involved his refusal to make ham and pineapple pizza for guests at an event; it was the third such refusal in four years.
Key Facts
Tamburella worked at a restaurant in Brisbane, Australia.
The restaurant dismissed him in May.
Management cited concerns about a series of complaints about his behaviour.
One complaint concerned his refusal to make ham and pineapple pizza for event guests.
The refusal was the third time he had declined to put pineapple on pizzas in four years.
Tamburella said putting pineapple on pizza was “offensive to his culture.”
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to Madrid on Wednesday to seek new military support for Ukraine. He arrived as Spain hosted a two-day summit of Latin American and Iberian leaders, where views on support for Ukraine have differed since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Key Facts
Zelensky visited Madrid on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
He sought fresh military support for Ukraine, including stronger air defences.
Spain hosted a two-day summit of the Ibero-American Community.
The group has 22 Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking member countries.
Support for Ukraine has divided opinion among the group’s members since Russia invaded in 2022.
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog accepted last week’s parliamentary election results as legally binding and began consultations with party representatives on forming a new government. The process will help him decide whom to designate to form a government and could bring Netanyahu’s opponents to power.
Key Facts
Herzog accepted the certified results of last week’s parliamentary elections as legally binding.
Herzog began consultations with party representatives on Wednesday night.
The consultations will help Herzog determine whom to designate to form a government.
The process could result in Netanyahu’s opponents forming the next government.
The article’s headline says Herzog urged compromise after the divisive election.
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After Republican losses in the U.S. midterm elections, President Donald Trump faces decisions about the United States’ war against Iran. Trump said the conflict affected the elections and suggested voters were frustrated by rising gas prices linked to the more than eight-month-old war.
Key Facts
Republicans suffered major losses in the midterm elections.
Trump faces decisions about the U.S. war against Iran.
Trump acknowledged that the war affected the midterm elections.
Trump suggested voters were frustrated by rising gas prices.
The article says the conflict had lasted more than eight months.
The article links rising gas prices to the conflict.
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Displaced families in tents on Gaza’s coast face winter rain, cold, wind, and flooding, with many unable to afford or find safer shelter. A local aid group is making barriers from damaged cooking pots filled with soil to help keep seawater away from tents.
Key Facts
Anas al-Shami, 33, and his family of six live in a dilapidated tent near al-Qarara port.
Al-Shami says his family left Bani Suheila after the area became part of the Israeli-designated Yellow Zone.
He says seawater and rain flooded his tent last winter, soaking bedding and belongings and leaving his children exposed to cold and damp.
Ibrahim Abu Tair, 47, shares a cramped tent on the shoreline with his seven children.
Abu Tair says he cannot provide his children with winter clothes or a dry mattress.
Some families have filled damaged cooking pots with soil to form barriers against seawater.
Mayasem Association, working with World Central Kitchen, is producing the pot barriers for displaced families near al-Qarara port.
The barriers use three soil-filled pots stacked to about 150 centimetres high.
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Students blockaded dozens of high schools and universities across France on Tuesday to protest education reforms. Trade unions prepared a nationwide strike as demonstrations over rising prices and public services continued, drawing hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets over the previous three weekends.
Key Facts
Students blockaded dozens of high schools and universities across France.
The protests aim to maintain pressure on the government over education reforms.
Trade unions were preparing a nationwide strike.
The movement also reflects concerns about rising prices and inadequate public services.
Hundreds of thousands of people had joined street demonstrations over the previous three weekends.
A France 24 report showed a student blockade at a high school in Aubervilliers, near Paris.
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The UK government has opened a consultation on national standards for shared e-bikes. Proposals include local licensing of operators, parking and fleet rules, and possible fines for riders who ride drunk, dangerously, underage or on pavements, or run red lights.
Key Facts
Local leaders could be allowed to license shared e-bike schemes and enforce minimum standards.
Proposed rules could require operators to set parking plans and manage fleet sizes and operating areas.
The consultation considers requiring operators to insure their schemes so people injured by riders can seek compensation.
The government is considering extra powers for local leaders to set operator fees and require data sharing.
The proposals aim to address pavement obstruction and unsafe or antisocial riding.
The Greater London Authority says people made 37 million trips on dockless e-bikes in London last year, one-third more than the year before.
Lime, Voi and Bolt welcomed the proposals, saying consistent national standards would provide clarity.
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Suspected bomb threats affected several planes in Europe on Thursday. An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome diverted to a military base in France, where bomb disposal teams began examining the aircraft; all passengers and crew were safe.
Key Facts
The Aer Lingus flight was carrying 151 passengers and six crew members.
The flight, EI402, was traveling from Dublin to Rome and diverted to Normandy as a security precaution.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said military bomb disposal teams were examining the plane.
Other planes heading for Bulgaria and Poland were also affected by suspected threats.
On Tuesday, seven flights received hoax bomb threats.
Tuesday’s threats led to searches and diversions, and one plane received an escort from the Italian air force until landing.
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Iranian state media published guidance on sheltering and avoiding radioactive contamination in response to a possible nuclear attack. The guidance appeared amid online speculation about a U.S. nuclear strike, though President Donald Trump said he did not need nuclear weapons, and the article reports no confirmed U.S. plan to use them.
Key Facts
Iran’s official news agency published the guidance on October 28 as part of the country’s annual Passive Defense Week.
The report included an approximately eight-minute video about the estimated effects of a 15-kiloton nuclear device detonated underground.
Pickaxe Mountain is in the Karkas Mountains in Isfahan, about a mile south of the Natanz nuclear complex.
Tucker Carlson claimed in an X post that Trump was being pressured by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to consider nuclear weapons against Iran.
Trump told Politico on Tuesday, “I don’t need it,” referring to nuclear weapons against Iran.
Iran’s National Organization of Passive Defense handles preparation for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
Security analyst Alireza Taghavinia said Iran’s military institutions have units for countering such attacks and cited Iran’s experience with chemical weapons used during the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War.
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The article examines how the 2026 midterm results and the Democratic Socialists of America’s growing presence in elected office could affect U.S.-China relations. It says the DSA’s China Working Group has taken positions favorable to the Chinese Communist Party, citing material shared by a whistleblower and earlier reporting; the excerpt ends before completing its account.
Key Facts
The article says at least seven DSA members are set to take seats in the U.S. House, up from two.
It notes that DSA candidates generally run on the Democratic Party ticket and that the DSA is a political organization, not a political party.
The article says the midterm results were still being counted when it was written.
It says DSA member Zohran Mamdani endorsed newly elected New York representative Claire Valdez.
The article reports that the DSA’s International Committee includes a China Working Group.
The authors say a whistleblower shared meeting materials in which members praised Chinese Communist Party policies in Xinjiang.
The article says the authors previously reported on the DSA’s China stance and a connection between the group and an Iran-China political network.
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