UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband defended Andy Burnham’s plan to begin talks with Commonwealth countries about a formal apology for slavery. Miliband criticized Tony Blair’s 2006 statement as an apology that expressed sorrow but stopped short of a formal apology. Burnham said the Commonwealth was especially important amid volatile global conditions.
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Burnham met Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne on the sidelines of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Antigua.
A No 10 readout said Burnham described the Commonwealth as “more important today than ever before.”
Burnham has proposed a structured dialogue with Commonwealth countries about the wording of an apology for slavery.
Miliband told the BBC’s Newscast podcast that people had felt the issue was being swept under the carpet.
Miliband described Blair’s 2006 statement as a “sorry not sorry” approach.
Blair called the slave trade “profoundly shameful” and expressed “deep sorrow,” but did not formally apologize.
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President Donald Trump said the war with Iran partly contributed to Republican losses in the midterm elections, but said he did not regret starting it. Iran’s chief negotiator described the result as a rejection of the war and cited the cost of living. The two countries were considering new peace proposals as Iran’s military reported attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Key Facts
Trump told Fox News that Iran was partly responsible for the Republicans’ midterm defeat.
Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he did not regret starting the war and would have done it again.
Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Americans had rejected the war and pointed to living costs as a possible factor in the election result.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said four oil tankers caught fire after striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s military said it had also stopped two other ships or vessels.
Indirect U.S.-Iran talks were underway with Qatar, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia serving as mediators.
A Qatari official told Reuters that mediators expected feedback from the U.S. and Iran on new peace ideas within 36 hours.
Iran’s security council secretary said the U.S. response to Iran’s demands was not convincing.
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Toronto’s CN Tower is displaying “Lake Ontario Always” and the French wording “Lac Ontario pour toujours” on a window overlooking the lake. The message contrasts with President Donald Trump’s order directing U.S. federal agencies to use “Lake America” in federal records and communications; the order does not require Canadian institutions to change the lake’s name.
Key Facts
A photograph provided to Newsweek shows the bilingual message on a window near the top of the CN Tower.
The display includes red lettering and a blue illustration of the lake.
The CN Tower has also used “Lake Ontario (always)” and French wording in a social-media post about a Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds flyby.
The display’s installation date and the reason for its wording have not been confirmed.
Trump signed Executive Order 14422 on August 27, directing the Interior Department to adopt “Lake America” and update U.S. federal geographic records.
The order concerns U.S. federal naming practices and does not establish that Canadian institutions have adopted the alternative name.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney have also publicly supported retaining the name Lake Ontario.
Lake Ontario lies between New York State and Ontario, Canada, and connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence Seaway.
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said four oil tankers caught fire after striking naval mines while trying to pass through a restricted area of the Strait of Hormuz. The statement came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States had launched strikes on Iran, as indirect talks between Washington and Tehran continued without a reported breakthrough.
Key Facts
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said four tankers struck naval mines and were still burning.
The Guards said two other vessels had been halted and that it had shot down a drone over the strait.
The tanker and drone claims were attributed to Iran; the article did not report independent confirmation.
Trump said the United States had launched strikes on Iran on Tuesday.
The article said the conflict began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February 2026.
Indirect discussions between the United States and Iran continued through mediators, with little sign of a diplomatic breakthrough.
Iran said it was ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz only if Washington accepted a list of its demands.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government was seeking to resolve the crisis through dialogue.
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Australia’s government defended its ban on social media use by children under 16 during a court challenge brought by Reddit and the Digital Freedom Project. The country’s highest court adjourned after two days of hearings and is expected to rule in the coming months.
Key Facts
Government lawyers said social media can expose children to risks including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
Reddit and the Digital Freedom Project argue the ban is disproportionate and violates an implied constitutional freedom of political communication.
The law covers platforms including Reddit, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Platforms can face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars if they do not take reasonable steps to remove accounts belonging to children under 16.
Reddit argued it should not be among the 10 platforms covered by the ban and called the measure overly broad.
Government data published in July said five million social media accounts had been closed since the ban took effect in December.
The government has acknowledged that some under-16s still access social media by bypassing age checks and is considering stronger enforcement.
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About 3,300 Palestinians returned to homes in Hebron after Israeli forces ended a 10-day operation and withdrew from the affected neighborhoods. Residents and local officials reported damaged homes and infrastructure, closed shops, disrupted schooling, and major economic losses.
Key Facts
The Ein Deir Bahha and al-Jalda neighborhoods were under a 10-day Israeli military operation after two Israeli soldiers were shot dead in Hebron on October 23.
The article says two Palestinian suspects were also killed and hundreds of Palestinian families were forced from their homes.
Hebron Governor Khaled Dodin said families could access their properties on Monday morning after Israeli soldiers withdrew.
The operation led to the demolition of 15 facilities, including three homes.
At least 327 shops were shut, and about 80,000 students missed school during the displacement.
The Hebron municipality estimated direct economic losses at more than 12 million shekels per day.
Local officials reported infrastructure damage exceeding 6 million shekels and losses of 500,000 shekels in the health and environmental sectors.
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Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente resigned less than a week after a train collision killed 69 people in Castilla-La Mancha. He also withdrew from the upcoming general election, saying two severe rail accidents in less than a year made it impossible for him to remain in office.
Key Facts
The crash happened on the Madrid-Seville line when a Renfe train hit a stationary train operated by Iryo.
Authorities had ordered trains to stop on part of the line after a signal failure, but central controllers later authorized the Renfe train to continue.
The collision followed a January high-speed train derailment in Andalusia that killed 46 people.
Spain reduced service on the Madrid-Seville line while the Railway Safety Agency reviews its safety system.
The government plans to introduce an artificial intelligence system to help detect anomalies and monitor communications between drivers and controllers.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a 30-million-euro aid package for victims and their families.
Bereaved families are set to receive 72,121 euros in direct aid and an equal amount in advance compensation.
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said four tankers were destroyed after striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and that two other tankers were seized. The BBC said it could not independently verify the claims, made amid continuing conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel and stalled efforts to end the fighting.
Key Facts
The IRGC said two of the four tankers it reported destroyed were still burning.
The IRGC said the vessels were trying to use a prohibited southern route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the IRGC’s claims.
The IRGC also said three tankers had been destroyed by mines on Tuesday and that it had shot down an MQ-9 drone over the strait.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to the attack and said it would reopen it only if the United States accepted demands in Iran’s peace plan.
Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said U.S. midterm election results showed Americans opposed the war.
President Donald Trump said the conflict would end when he decided it would, and said he did not regret launching it.
Talks to end the conflict, which the article says began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February, had been stalled for months.
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Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive and music rights organisation Apra Amcos launched a digital National Songbook with its first 10 songs. An 11-member panel selected songs including “Waltzing Matilda,” “Treaty,” “Beds Are Burning” and “I Am Woman” for their place in Australian cultural life.
Key Facts
The National Songbook is a digital archive intended to preserve songs that have shaped Australia’s national cultural identity.
The archive launched at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra.
An 11-member panel of music experts selected the first 10 songs.
The oldest song named in the article is “Waltzing Matilda,” written by Banjo Paterson in 1895 and later composed by Christina Macpherson.
The panel described Yothu Yindi’s “Treaty” as a landmark protest anthem.
The Presets’ 2008 song “My People” addresses Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers.
Other songs named among the selections include the Easybeats’ “Friday on My Mind,” Ruby Hunter’s “Down City Streets,” and “My Island Home,” released by the Warumpi Band.
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South Africans are voting in local elections that could further weaken the African National Congress (ANC), which lost its parliamentary majority in 2024. Voters are choosing councils across the country, and the results are expected on Sunday; the contest could also influence the race to succeed Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC leader in 2027.
Key Facts
A record 29.2 million people are registered to vote at 23,696 polling stations, according to the Electoral Commission of South Africa.
More than 1.4 million special votes were cast on Monday and Tuesday.
Voters are electing councils in eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district councils and 205 local councils; the councils choose mayors.
The ANC won less than 50 percent of the vote in municipal elections for the first time in 2021 and lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 national election.
Opinion polls suggest the ANC could receive less than 40 percent of the vote in the current election.
Johannesburg is a major focus of the election; the city has had five mayors in four years, and the Democratic Alliance has nominated former leader Helen Zille for mayor.
Former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party is contesting local elections for the first time and is challenging for support in Durban.
Police have recorded 21 election-related cases since Sunday, and 165 polling stations in KwaZulu-Natal have been classified as high risk.
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Delhi’s air quality has worsened as winter approaches, with its AQI reaching 377 on Wednesday, in the “very poor” range. Authorities have activated pollution-control measures, while the Supreme Court has allowed certified green firecrackers for limited hours on 7 and 8 November ahead of Diwali.
Key Facts
Delhi’s AQI crossed 300 and stood at 377 on Wednesday morning; readings from 301 to 400 are classified as “very poor.”
PM2.5 particles can reach deep into the lungs, and prolonged exposure to polluted air can cause or worsen respiratory problems.
Authorities invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan, which includes measures to curb dust, vehicle emissions and other pollution sources.
The article links the pollution increase to falling temperatures, slow winds and crop-residue burning in Punjab and Haryana.
Delhi recorded its lowest average AQI for October in eight years before the recent deterioration.
The Supreme Court allowed certified green firecrackers in Delhi and neighbouring areas only during specified hours on 7 and 8 November.
Firecrackers are restricted to 06:00–07:00 and 20:00–22:00 local time, and are banned within 300 metres of designated silence zones, including hospitals, care homes and schools.
Green firecrackers must carry QR codes, but the court noted that conventional fireworks had been sold as green alternatives despite earlier restrictions.
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Investigative journalist Kate McClymont told a Sydney court that her phrase “a nail in the coffin” referred to evidence for her story about Alan Jones, not to harming him. She testified during Jones’s trial on 21 charges of sexual touching and indecent assault, which he denies.
Key Facts
McClymont said information from the mother of the youngest alleged victim showed the teenager had spoken to police in the year of the alleged assault.
She testified that she understood the information as significant for her reporting because she had previously been told police had received no complaints about Jones and had not investigated him.
The court heard text messages in which McClymont wrote, “I hope the shit does hit the fan for him,” followed by two poo emojis.
McClymont agreed she texted a police media contact, “Can hardly wait!” about Jones’s impending arrest and replied “beauty” when the arrest was confirmed.
McClymont said she gave police a statement in June 2024 and stopped reporting on the case after learning she would be a prosecution witness.
Jones has pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of sexual touching and indecent assault.
The trial is being heard at the Downing Centre Local Court before Judge Glenn Walsh; McClymont is due to return to court for a third day.
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Scottish ecologist Graeme Wilson is seeking permission to keep Harriet, a badger cub he rescued after she was found in a cattle trough in April. Wilson says she was likely hand-reared and has become too accustomed to people to return safely to the wild; NatureScot has refused his educational licence application but is discussing possible solutions.
Key Facts
Wilson runs a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation service from his home in Denholm in the Scottish Borders.
He found Harriet about 100 metres from her sett and nursed her back to health.
Wilson says Harriet quickly accepted a bottle and treats humans as her social group.
Wilson argues that release could put Harriet at risk and that a zoo would cause her distress.
NatureScot said it is discussing the case with Wilson and other organisations, with the badger’s welfare as its priority.
Police Scotland has been made aware of the situation.
The Scottish SPCA advises people not to touch or hold a sick or injured badger, but to wait for a rescue officer.
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The article says Lula’s re-election has intensified competition between the United States and China for influence in Brazil. It argues that Brazil’s ability to maintain an independent course will depend on whether Chinese trade and investment can help it withstand pressure from the Trump administration, while Lula faces domestic political and economic constraints.
Key Facts
Trump criticized Lula’s election victory, while China’s President Xi Jinping congratulated him.
The article says the Trump administration imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on Brazilian exports and sanctioned a Brazilian Supreme Court justice.
The administration granted U.S. visas to Lula’s defeated rival, Flavio Bolsonaro, and his family after they left Brazil.
Brazil’s right-wing parties hold majorities in both chambers of the incoming Congress, according to the article.
Brazil exported about $100 billion in goods to China last year, nearly three times its exports to the United States.
Chinese companies are investing in Brazilian power grids, solar projects and electric-vehicle assembly plants.
Brazil and China are exploring a railway linking Brazil’s Atlantic coast with Peru’s Chinese-built Chancay port.
The article says high interest rates, credit-card debt and the effects of online gambling have contributed to social discontent in Brazil.
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Joan Hillman, a resident of a care home in Hampshire, received hundreds of cards for her 101st birthday. One came from the mayor of Lyndhurst, Ohio, after care home staff mistakenly contacted him instead of the mayor of Lyndhurst, Hampshire.
Key Facts
Hillman lives at Hartwood House in the New Forest and has been there for two years.
The care home organized the birthday-card collection because Hillman was not due another birthday card from the King until she turned 105.
Schools, community groups, businesses, other care homes and individuals sent birthday wishes.
Mayor Patrick A. Ward of Lyndhurst, Ohio, sent Hillman a card congratulating her on reaching 101.
Hillman said she felt lucky and was moved that so many people had thought of her.
The care home said the cards came from communities on both sides of the Atlantic.
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Brenda Willison, a town crier from Weeting, Norfolk, earned two Guinness World Records: loudest female town crier and loudest shout by a woman. Her record-setting shout measured 105.9 decibels, and she says town crying also depends on clear speech and confident delivery.
Key Facts
Willison has been a town crier in Newmarket, Suffolk, since 2013.
She reached 105.9 decibels while she had a cold.
Willison said she once reached 109 decibels at the British Championships.
She has worked as a town crier across England since 1987.
She won the World Town Crier Championship in Niagara Falls, Canada, in 1993.
Town crier competitions judge clarity, diction, confidence and delivery as well as loudness.
Willison estimated that about 10% of town criers in Britain are women.
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South Africans began voting in local elections that will determine leadership in the country’s major cities and councils. The results will test support for the African National Congress, which has lost ground over the past decade, amid public frustration with local services.
Key Facts
The elections will decide leaders for eight major city municipalities, 44 district councils and 205 local councils.
Johannesburg is a key battleground in the elections.
The city has faced problems with water, electricity and other public services.
Johannesburg has had five mayors in four years since the previous local elections.
The city is governed by a fragile coalition led by the African National Congress.
The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest party, is seeking to win control of Johannesburg.
The Democratic Alliance has nominated former national leader Helen Zille, 75, as its mayoral candidate.
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South Korea’s military said North Korea fired several missiles from its eastern coast into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, marking Pyongyang’s fourth weapons launch in a month. The launches came a day after North Korea denied U.S. allegations that its hackers stole more than $6 billion from Binance and rejected dialogue with Washington while it maintains what it calls a hostile policy.
Key Facts
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected several missile launches from the Sondok area toward the Sea of Japan.
South Korean and U.S. authorities were analyzing details of the launches.
North Korea called the FBI’s allegation that it was responsible for the Binance theft a provocation.
Binance said hackers stole more than $6 billion in what appears to be the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
The FBI attributed the theft to North Korean hackers known as TraderTraitor.
Kim Yo Jong said North Korea would not meet with U.S. officials unless Washington changed its policy toward Pyongyang.
North Korea has tested several types of weapons this year, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile and hypersonic missiles.
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The UK government apologised to Ukrainian child refugees who were encouraged to study Russian because schools lacked a Ukrainian GCSE. The Department for Education is providing £340,000 to develop a Ukrainian GCSE for England, which is expected to be ready in 2028.
Key Facts
Schools minister Georgia Gould apologised to Ukrainian students who were put in that position.
The AQA exam board is developing the qualification with a £340,000 grant from the Department for Education.
The new Ukrainian GCSE is expected to be available in England in 2028.
More than 30,000 Ukrainian children have fled to the UK, according to the article.
Ukraine’s education ministry raised concerns in a 2024 letter that students were being pressured to take Russian GCSE.
The qualification follows lobbying by the Ukrainian government and community groups.
Ukrainian refugees Vitalii Andronik and Sofiia Chonka welcomed the new exam, though Andronik said it came too late for him.
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Iran said the US response to its seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz was unconvincing, while Qatar said it was facilitating continued indirect talks. US President Donald Trump confirmed strikes on an Iranian island, and a tanker was reported hit near Oman as tensions over the waterway continued.
Key Facts
Iran says reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on the US addressing seven conditions, including lifting sanctions and ending a US naval blockade.
Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei said Washington’s response did not meet Iran’s demands.
Qatar said it was facilitating the exchange of proposals and that both sides remained committed to negotiations.
Trump said US strikes targeted an anti-aircraft facility and described the operation as a minor attack that was not a war.
Iranian media reported that the strikes hit Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz.
US media, citing officials, reported that Central Command had prepared plans for possible further strikes.
UKMTO said two unidentified projectiles struck a tanker’s engine room northeast of Oman; no casualties were reported.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that four tankers had struck mines and caught fire after switching off navigation.
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