Headlines: 9-15 November 2026

Tuesday, 10 November 2026

DR Congo sentences 66 soldiers to death for fleeing rebel fighting (LINK) 10 November 2026

— The soldiers were among 71 troops tried in Walikale, North Kivu province. Four were acquitted, while one received a 10-year prison sentence. The latest verdicts come weeks after 27 other soldiers received death sentences for allegedly retreating from the frontline. DR Congo resumed the use of capital punishment in its legal framework in March 2024, ending a two-decade suspension of executions.

Saudi Arabia sentences Kenyan domestic worker to 100 lashes for birth outside marriage: she had tried for more than a year to return to Kenya with her child but has been blocked (LINK) 9 November 2026

Russia and Ukraine hold nearly 4 hours of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi (LINK) 10 November 2026

— U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meeting "very productive" and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saod the session was "constructive and quite substantive".

Indonesia's VP offers to resign as questions mount over his qualifications: (LINK) 10 November 2026

— NPR: Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the 39-year-old son of former President Joko Widodo, offered to resign during a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday, according to officials. It was not immediately clear whether Prabowo accepted the resignation. The resignation offer comes amid growing pressure on Raka over a court dispute involving his academic credentials. It was apparently not related to an ongoing probe into allegations that top police officials, including the president's chief of staff Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, had been involved in a wiretap targeting the president. Three other police generals have also been implicated in the case.

Polish gunman visited websites about Norwegian mass killer Breivik, minister says (LINK) 9 November 2026

— Reuters: Polish justice minister says Krakow shooting may be linked to right-wing extremism. Right-wing parties in Poland have previously rejected these claims.

Britain says its bases are safe after US refuelling planes evacuated on Monday (LINK) 10 November 2026

Police assess new reports against British TV star Russell Brand after his rape conviction (LINK) 10 November 2026

Monday, 9 November 2026

Trump after meeting with Qatari PM says he believes war with Iran is militarily 'effectively over' (LINK) 9 November 2026

California voters reject measure to tax the wealth of billionaires (LINK) 9 November 2026

— The measure's failure is a win for Democratic leaders who opposed it, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who may run for president in 2028. Critics of the tax, known as Proposition 40, said it would have prompted ultrawealthy taxpayers to leave the state. The "no" side raised roughly 10 times as much as the "yes" side. Google co-founder Sergey Brin alone dumped more than $100 million into a political action committee working to defeat the measure.

COP31 summit leaders urge world to "move faster" on climate (LINK) 9 November 2026

WMO scientists warn Super El Niño is 'off the charts', with global temperatures reaching about 1.47°C above pre-industrial averages as countries gather in Turkey for climate talks from November 9 to 20 (ground news LINK) 9 November 2026

— The El Niño Heat Mortality Tracker reveals an extra 370,000 lives could be at risk over the next six months, with Nigeria, India, and Brazil forecast to bear the brunt of the crisis. Extreme weather has already caused more than 30,000 excess deaths in Europe, 1,300 deaths from Himalayan flash floods in Nepal, and exposed 146.5 million people in India to extreme heat.

At least 39 die after Europe-bound migrant boat sinks off Senegal (LINK) 9 November 2026

Senegal human rights group demands government action after deadly sinking — (LINK)

— Action for Human Rights and Friendship (ADHA) is calling on the government to launch a parliamentary inquiry. "Despite 300 thousand euros [$336,000] announced for the Navy and the training of more than 300 agents, the association denounces the lack of lasting results in the face of the increase in irregular arrivals to the Canaries," ADHA said.

British TV star Russell Brand sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison: Megyn Kelly, Elon Musk decry Russell Brand conviction and sentence (LINK) 9 November 2026

— Chicago Tribune: A British court ordered the outspoken 51-year-old "Get Him to the Greek" star to serve 10 1/2 years in prison for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others on Monday. The offenses occurred when Brand's star was on the rise between 2004 and 2009. A jury convicted him on Thursday. He denies any wrongdoing. "Unjust," said Musk on his social media platform. "I don't believe these charges. I'm going to be honest. I don't," said Kelly. Brand admitted to Kelly in an April interview that he slept with a 16-year-old girl in Europe when he was 30, but argued that isn't against the law. "I was a very different person," said Brand, who shares Kelly's right-wing political bent. Brand married author Laura Gallacher in 2017. They have three children.

Pope draws 2.5 million to his first Mass in Argentina and tells people with disabilities they are a blessing (LINK) 9 November 2026

South Korea fines Woowa Brothers and Coupang $220 million for abusing dominance in food delivery market (ground news LINK) 9 November 2026

— The two businesses control over 90 percent of the market. They mandated most favoured nation requirements forcing restaurants to match prices on rival platforms. The Fair Trade Commission said this undermined competition and drove up food prices.

US-led peace talks for Russia and Ukraine tomorrow will look at security guarantees for both sides (LINK) 9 November 2026

— AP: For the first time since February, Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators are scheduled to hold talks on ending the full-scale war that is nearing the five-year mark, with security guarantees topping the agenda.

China extends suspensions of 24% tariff on US goods, port fees on US ships for two months (ground news LINK) 9 November 2026

China rejects allegations of spying on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang: he admitted an affair with a woman identified as a suspected Chinese spy (ground news LINK) 9 November 2026

Japan Tobacco shares untraded with a glut of sell orders after all entities in Russia placed under temporary administration (LINK) 9 November 2026

24-year-old far-right gunman who killed at least 6 in Kraków mass shooting has died in hospital after police shootout: bodies of his sister, mother and father were later found at the suspect's home in the town of Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, about 120 miles northeast of Kraków (LINK) 9 November 2026