German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expects U.S. President Donald Trump to keep bypassing Congress despite midterm losses. Merz said he envies Trump’s ability to use presidential powers to bypass Democrats in Congress.
Key Facts
Friedrich Merz is Germany’s chancellor.
Merz expects Donald Trump to continue bypassing Congress.
The article says this expectation holds despite midterm losses.
Merz believes Trump will use presidential powers to bypass Democrats in Congress.
Merz said he envies Trump’s ability to do so.
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U.S. officials in Japan identified the Marine who died after a training incident as Lance Cpl. Devin J. Hernandez, 25, of Maryland. Hernandez died on Tuesday, officials said.
Key Facts
Officials released Hernandez’s name on Thursday.
Hernandez was a lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He was 25 years old.
He was from Maryland.
He died on Tuesday after a training incident in Japan.
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A four-year study projects that warming seas around the UK and the north-east Atlantic could change marine biodiversity unevenly by 2050. Fish and seabed invertebrate diversity may rise while important plankton groups decline, potentially disrupting food webs and affecting ocean health and food security.
Key Facts
The study was led by the UK government agency Cefas and published in Science Advances.
Researchers examined marine ecosystems in UK waters and the wider north-east Atlantic, including waters near Ireland and France.
Under a scenario of 3°C of global warming by 2100, the study projects fish and seabed invertebrate diversity could increase by about 12% by mid-century.
The study projects phytoplankton diversity could fall by about 3% and zooplankton diversity by about 7% by 2050.
The researchers say declines in plankton alongside gains in some higher-level groups could disrupt predator-prey relationships and marine food webs.
The study identifies seas around the British Isles, particularly the southern North Sea, as marine climate hotspots that have warmed rapidly over the past 50 years.
The research has been submitted to the UK government's review of marine protected areas, which is considering fishery management measures.
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A new geological study has ruled out the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland as the source of Stonehenge’s six-tonne Altar Stone. Researchers have not identified where the stone came from, but say the latest analysis narrows the search.
Key Facts
The Altar Stone is a 4.9-metre sandstone slab within Stonehenge’s stone circle.
Earlier research had suggested the stone came from northeast Scotland, after an earlier theory linked it to Wales.
Researchers found no location in the Orcadian Basin with characteristics matching the Altar Stone.
The latest study examined the stone’s structure, minerals and chemical composition, including fragments held in museum collections.
The research was published in the Journal of the Geological Society.
Stonehenge was built in several phases between about 3000 and 1600 BC.
Some of Stonehenge’s smaller bluestones came from west Wales, about 225 kilometres away.
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New Zealand’s November 7 election is expected to be close, with polls showing the governing National Party and opposition Labour Party nearly tied. Under the country’s proportional voting system, smaller parties may determine which bloc can form a government.
Key Facts
New Zealand holds general elections every three years and uses a mixed-member proportional system.
Voters cast one ballot for a local electorate candidate and another for a political party.
A party needs at least 5 percent of the party vote or one electorate win to gain seats.
A majority in the 120-seat Parliament usually requires 61 seats.
National leader and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is seeking a second term and governs in a coalition with New Zealand First and ACT.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who served as prime minister in 2023, is seeking a return to office.
National has campaigned on returning the budget to surplus, while Labour has focused on living costs and investment in public services, jobs, housing and infrastructure.
New Zealand First has proposed breaking up major electricity companies and splitting a large supermarket operator.
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Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to march in French cities on Thursday, while public workers are expected to strike. The protests are a new test for President Emmanuel Macron after weeks of unrest, five months before a presidential election.
Key Facts
Protests are expected in cities across France on Thursday.
Organizers expect hundreds of thousands of protesters.
Public workers are expected to strike.
The protests come after weeks of unrest in France.
The unrest has put pressure on Macron's government and dominated the political agenda.
A presidential election is five months away.
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A prison interview with Muslim scholar Sharjeel Imam has revived debate in India about Muslims’ political rights and the treatment of activists under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Imam, arrested after protests against a citizenship law, and other defendants remain jailed without trial over the 2020 Delhi riots, while rights groups criticize their continued detention.
Key Facts
India’s Muslim population is about 200 million, or roughly 14 percent of the country’s population, according to the article.
Imam gave an interview to the Indian news website The Quint from prison on September 29.
He criticized India’s constitutional structure and secularism, and argued that Muslims have little political representation.
India passed the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019, offering an expedited route to citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries.
The law prompted nationwide protests, including a long-running sit-in near Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi.
Imam helped organize the Shaheen Bagh protest and was arrested in January 2020 over speeches made during the protests.
Imam and other Muslim activists were charged in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots, despite Imam being in custody when the violence occurred.
The article says Imam, Umar Khalid, and other defendants remain jailed without trial and have repeatedly been denied bail.
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Henry Nowak’s family criticized Vickrum Digwa’s appeal against his life sentence and the planned early release of Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur. Digwa was convicted of murdering Nowak, while Kaur was jailed for hiding the murder weapon; she is due to be released in December under an early-release scheme.
Key Facts
Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years after being found guilty of murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak.
Digwa stabbed Nowak five times with an eight-inch blade in Southampton on 3 December.
Digwa is appealing his sentence, arguing that it is too severe.
The Attorney General has referred Digwa’s sentence for review, arguing that it was too lenient.
Kiran Kaur was sentenced to three years in prison in July for assisting an offender after hiding the knife used in the killing.
Kaur is due to be released in December after serving about one year, including time spent on remand.
The article says the Sentencing Act 2026 allows most prisoners serving fixed terms of up to two and a half years to be released on licence after serving one-third of their sentence.
Kaur is appealing her sentence and would serve the remainder in the community on licence, with the possibility of recall to prison if she breaches its conditions.
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Historic England added 197 places to its heritage at risk register, including Hastings Castle, Charles Dickens’ writing chalet in Rochester and fire-damaged Fylingdales Moor. The agency cited repair needs, coastal erosion and extreme weather among the risks, while 85 sites, including Newlyn harbour, were removed from the register after work to protect them.
Key Facts
Hastings Castle, a fortification commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman invasion of 1066, was added to the register.
Dickens’ wooden writing chalet in Rochester was added because it is fragile and needs repairs.
A 2025 wildfire damaged about 25 square kilometres of Fylingdales Moor and forest.
Historic England said extreme weather and coastal erosion threaten some historic sites, with water ingress and subsidence becoming more common concerns.
Hall’s Croft, the 17th-century home of Shakespeare’s daughter in Stratford-upon-Avon, was added; its exterior needs funding for repairs, including damage caused by a vehicle.
Bidston windmill in Merseyside was added because it needs urgent repairs.
Historic England said 85 sites were removed from the register, including Newlyn harbour, after restoration work.
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Textile artist Kate Jenkins has transformed Air Contemporary gallery in Soho into an Italian restaurant and deli filled with knitted, embroidered and crocheted food. Her exhibition, “Kate’s Knitalian,” opened on 30 October and runs until 5 December 2026.
Key Facts
The exhibition features yarn versions of foods such as pasta, salami, focaccia, pizza, fish, fruit and vegetables.
Visitors can choose woollen toppings at a pizza station.
Jenkins said her research involved eating Italian food over the past year.
The gallery is in Ham Yard, Soho.
Entry is free, and visitors do not need to book.
The exhibition is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 GMT and Saturdays from 10:00 to 17:00 GMT.
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Trade unions and student groups called nationwide strikes and demonstrations in France over rising living costs, public services and education. Authorities deployed about 70,000 police as they prepared for large crowds, following weeks of unrest and riots on October 17.
Key Facts
The demonstrations and strikes were planned for Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Trade unions, including the CGT, called for government support for households facing rising living costs.
Student groups backed the mobilization.
Authorities deployed around 70,000 police across France.
The domestic intelligence service expected 500,000 to 700,000 people to demonstrate outside Paris.
Riots and looting on October 17 damaged shops and public buildings, according to the report.
President Emmanuel Macron held a defence and security meeting on Wednesday before the protests.
The article said the unrest had expanded from student concerns about school conditions and youth opportunities to broader challenges for the government.
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Israeli opposition leaders blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for weakening U.S. support for Israel after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress. They said a future government led by the opposition would seek to rebuild bipartisan ties with Washington.
Key Facts
Democrats won majorities in the U.S. Senate and House, according to the article.
Yair Lapid said Netanyahu’s continued leadership threatened Israel’s security, democracy and international standing.
Lapid called for Israel to work with both U.S. political parties and cited Netanyahu’s 2015 speech to Congress opposing President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear negotiations.
Gadi Eisenkot pledged to restore and deepen bipartisan ties with Washington if he leads Israel.
Yair Golan warned that Netanyahu’s government could lead to international sanctions, isolation and a confrontation with the United States.
Netanyahu’s coalition lost its parliamentary majority in Israel’s election but denied rival Gadi Eisenkot a clear path to replacing him.
The article says Donald Trump had endorsed Netanyahu and pledged to halt $4 billion in annual funding to Israel.
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Melania Trump is scheduled to host Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House on Thursday, ahead of three-way talks planned in Abu Dhabi to address the war in Ukraine. The meeting follows her role in a localized ceasefire that enabled civilians to leave Russian-occupied Oleshky, and Ukraine has awarded her a national honor for her humanitarian work.
Key Facts
Russian officials Kirill Dmitriev and Yana Lantratova plan to meet Melania Trump, pending logistical arrangements, according to Russia's TASS news agency.
Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said he was traveling to Washington for a meeting with Melania Trump.
The White House meeting is scheduled ahead of talks in Abu Dhabi involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had detailed discussions with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner before the Abu Dhabi meeting.
Zelensky awarded Melania Trump the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, for her humanitarian and human rights work.
A localized ceasefire in and around Russian-occupied Oleshky allowed roads to be cleared of mines and civilians to leave for Ukraine or Russia.
Melania Trump has also been involved in efforts to return Ukrainian children taken to Russia.
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Australia’s High Court has agreed to hear One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s appeal of rulings that her 2022 post about Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi breached the Racial Discrimination Act. The court will consider whether the post violated the law or whether the ruling restricted Hanson’s implied freedom of political speech.
Key Facts
The High Court granted Hanson special leave to appeal on Thursday.
In 2024, Federal Court Justice Angus Stewart ruled that Hanson’s post unlawfully discriminated against Faruqi.
A three-judge Federal Court panel unanimously upheld the ruling in July 2026.
The dispute began after Faruqi posted about Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022 and called for a treaty with First Nations people, justice and reparations, and Australia to become a republic.
Hanson replied that Faruqi should “pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan.”
Justice Stewart said the remark echoed the racist phrase “go back to where you came from” and portrayed Faruqi as a second-class citizen.
Faruqi said she welcomed the appeal and that people targeted by racism should be protected.
The federal attorney general’s spokesperson said section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act was important to Australia’s social cohesion and declined to comment further on the case.
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Archaeologist Miles Russell argues that Verica, a ruler of the Atrebates who sought help from Rome, may have been a woman and may have helped prompt the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43. Other specialists question the evidence, including the interpretation of Verica’s name, title and coins, and note that the ancient writer Cassius Dio described the ruler as male.
Key Facts
Verica ruled the Atrebates, whose territory included parts of what are now southern Hampshire and West Sussex.
According to the article, Verica fled to Rome after being exiled during a power struggle involving Caratacus.
Russell says Verica’s name and the title Rex do not conclusively establish the ruler’s sex.
Russell interprets some coins bearing Verica’s name as showing a woman and says abbreviated inscriptions could mean “daughter of” rather than “son of.”
Russell argues that Verica’s appeal to Rome may have helped lead Emperor Claudius to invade Britain in AD 43.
Oxford archaeologist Roger Tomlin says the masculine name Vericus supports the view that Verica was male and questions whether Rex was used for rulers of both sexes.
Coin expert Daphne Nash Briggs points to coins that she says depict Verica as male, including images in priestly dress and a profile with what appears to be an Adam’s apple.
Cassius Dio, writing more than 200 years after the events, referred to the ruler as Bericus and treated the figure as a man.
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Trade unions called for a nationwide strike and demonstrations across France over living costs and proposed budget cuts, with disruption expected in several public services. The protests come amid disputes over school conditions, government spending plans and restrictions on demonstrations.
Key Facts
Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to join demonstrations across France.
Unions called for strikes involving workers including rail staff, teachers, hospital workers, air traffic controllers and postal workers.
France’s four main rail unions said proposed budget cuts would harm social security, public-sector pay and environmental investment.
High school students blockaded schools over overcrowded classes and poorly maintained buildings; university students also blockaded some faculties.
SNCF warned of train disruption on regional lines and in parts of greater Paris.
The education ministry expected almost 18% of nursery and primary school teachers to strike.
Rights groups criticized heavy policing and restrictions on demonstrations in some city centres, along with curfews in certain areas.
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Australia’s Fair Work Commission dismissed Italian chef Davide Tamburella’s application challenging his dismissal from La Costa, saying he filed it too late and did not show exceptional circumstances. The restaurant said the dispute followed his refusal to make ham-and-pineapple pizzas for a large function; La Costa later closed when its lease expired.
Key Facts
La Costa dismissed Tamburella on May 20, after a meeting about performance concerns.
The Fair Work Commission heard that Tamburella had refused three times to make ham-and-pineapple pizza, saying it was an insult to his culture.
Restaurant owner Elliot Ingram said a customer at a function spending more than A$15,000 requested the pizzas.
Tamburella alleged his dismissal was partly linked to a workplace injury in which he fractured his right hand in two places.
Commissioner Jennifer Hunt dismissed Tamburella’s application because it was filed late and did not meet the test for exceptional circumstances.
Tamburella was more than three years into an employer-sponsored permanent-residency visa process when his job ended.
La Costa closed in July after its lease expired; Ingram cited the high cost of doing business.
Tamburella now works at another Italian restaurant, whose menu does not list pineapple pizza.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Democratic gains in the U.S. midterm elections could lead to more military and financial aid for Ukraine and renewed cooperation between the United States and Europe. European officials urged the new Congress to support Kyiv and increase pressure on Russia, though some warned that President Donald Trump could continue shaping U.S. policy.
Key Facts
The article says Democrats won control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Zelenskyy said Democrats had spoken clearly in favor of supporting Ukraine and providing assistance.
Zelenskyy said stronger U.S. financial or military support could affect Russian President Vladimir Putin.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged the new Congress to keep supporting Ukraine and put more pressure on Russia.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz questioned whether the election results would change Trump’s approach, saying he had often governed by bypassing Congress.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the Democratic victory could create an opportunity for a new effort to end the wars in Ukraine and Iran.
Austria’s foreign minister said Europe should strengthen its own defense and competitiveness rather than depend on U.S. election results.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia hoped Trump would continue his peacemaking efforts regardless of the election result.
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South Korea plans to expand its anti-piracy unit’s operations to waters near Duqm, Oman, about 650km from the Strait of Hormuz. The government says the mission would be non-combat and independent of allied forces, and would protect South Korean citizens and economic interests amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to support the war in Iran.
Key Facts
South Korea plans to submit a motion to parliament to expand the Cheonghae unit’s operating area near Duqm, Oman.
The proposal requires approval from parliament, President Lee Jae Myung and the cabinet.
The Defence Ministry says the unit would operate in open waters south of Oman and would not target or monitor Iranian territory or waters.
The proposal also seeks to extend the unit’s Middle East deployment, currently due to expire at the end of 2026.
The Cheonghae unit has operated in the Gulf of Aden since 2009 to help protect commercial shipping.
The unit currently includes a destroyer, a maritime operations helicopter, up to three inflatable boats and about 300 service members.
South Korea relies heavily on Middle Eastern oil, which accounted for 70% of its oil supplies in 2025; most of it passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
President Lee said in September that South Korea would not deploy military assets in a way that could draw it into conflict.
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A tornado struck Chapecó Airport in Santa Catarina, Brazil, as footage showed people rushing for shelter. Airport operations were suspended while emergency teams assessed the damage.
Key Facts
A tornado struck Chapecó Airport in Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Footage showed people rushing for shelter during the storm.
Airport operations were suspended.
Emergency teams assessed the damage.
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