Headlines: 19-31 October 2026

Friday, 23 October 2026

Netanyahu's office orders closure of West Bank after soldiers kill 2 men behind an alleged attack that wounded 5 people ahead of next Tuesday's national elections (ground news LINK) — 23 October 2026

Moderna and Merck say their mRNA cancer vaccine cut melanoma death and recurrence by 42% (LINK) — 23 October 2026

Thursday, 22 October 2026

France's Macron tightens curbs on protests, blaming hard left for unrest (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Almost all coral reef ecosystems face risk of collapse in 50 years, mostly due to warming oceans and heat waves, IUCN warns (LINK) — 22 October 2026

— Some 96% of shallow-water reef systems are already critically endangered and could disappear by 2075, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced on the sidelines of a U.N. biodiversity conference in Albania.

Heat killed 'staggering' 50,000 people in Europe's cities this summer, scientists warn (LINK) — 22 October 2026

— Imperial and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: People succumbed to heat at highest rates in Malta, Italy and Hungary, with health issues, loneliness and poverty exacerbating toll

Nepal to get $20 million from UN climate fund after deadly August flood (ground news LINK) — 22 October 2026

Venezuelans call for elections in first national protest in nearly two years (ground news LINK) — 22 October 2026

First Ebola patients in Nigeria and Kenya might have crossed paths at Uganda airport — health officials (ground news LINK) — 22 October 2026

— The virus emerged in Congo in May, infecting more than 9,500 people and killing nearly half, while spreading to 66 health zones. Uganda declared its own outbreak over on August 27 after 42 consecutive days without new cases, yet officials are now tracing links to the country.

U.S. is a big reason the world is losing ground in the fight against climate change, UNEP report says: The U.S. was the only major economy that failed last year to reduce its carbon pollution or at least slow the growth in how much carbon dioxide is spewed by burning fossil fuels (LINK) — 22 October 2026

UNEP: New report lays out emission cuts needed for return to 1.5C — (LINK)

Trump says Elon Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access but declines to say whether they spoke (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Rubio, Hegseth point finger at Musk in Starlink and Starshield slowdown for Ukraine (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Germany target of 'intensive' espionage, Merz says after suspected Russian spy arrest of Ukrainian (LINK) — 22 October 2026

— Other arrests this year included a Romanian woman and a Ukrainian man accused of spying on an individual supplying drones from Germany to Ukraine.

US veterans ask federal judge to block Trump's triumphal arch unless Congress approves it (LINK) — 22 October 2026

US federal judge restricts Department of Homeland Security field operations looking for noncitizen voters: "efforts likely violated the Voting Rights Act, which bars voter intimidation" (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Trump ordered to sit for deposition by December 11 in his $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC, which has accused the US president of stalling to ?avoid answering questions under oath (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Top Democratic Virginia lawmaker L. Louise Lucas, 82, charged by DOJ with running illegal cannabis operation along with two of her daughters, her grandson and three others (LINK) — 22 October 2026

US restaurant that offered free meals in Minneapolis since January to protest against ICE to shut down permanently (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Global scramble to fix critical cyber-security flaws in PHP as many websites taken offline: PHP powers a vast number of platforms, including online shops, Wikipedia and WordPress – the content management system behind many websites like blogs (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Moderna's stock plummets 25% after cancer-vaccine data shared on social media, revealing elevated expectations built into the stock (ground news LINK) — 22 October 2026

Wealthy Chinese move offshore money to U.S. banks as Beijing's tax net widens (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Iran's IRGC Navy says seven vessels hit in the Strait of Hormuz, potentially marking the highest single-day damage since the war began in Feb, and warns US of wider response (ground news LINK) — 22 October 2026

DeepSeek wrapping up $15 billion fundraising to fuel AI race: raised about 100 billion yuan in its latest fundraising round (ground news LINK) — 22 October 2026

Austrian and Swiss women freed after 18 months held as kidnaps in Niger reach Benghazi, sources say (ground news LINK) — 22 October 2026

US Supreme Court says New Hampshire can fully enforce a ban on voters using student IDs as a form of identification at the polls next month, if the voter lacks an approved government-issued ID: a win for the Republican Party's effort to tighten voting procedures (LINK) — 22 October 2026

US: Rep. Ilhan Omar says she will move out of her Washington, DC, home after federal search: attention brought on by the raid has made her feel unsafe there (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Fox News: Ilhan Omar is not the Minnesota congresswoman's 'real name': sources: DNA, passport and phone were seized in an Oct 12 raid — (LINK)

New York Post: Why you should be VERY suspicious of Ilhan Omar's latest plea for cash (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Irish central bank fines Coinbase unit €3.25m ($3.65m) for breaching safeguarding and outsourcing obligations between 2020 and 2025 (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Getty Images says investor litigation helped push it to bankruptcy, with about $200 million in legal judgments weighing on the photo and image company's recent performance (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Comcast US media conglomerate plans major layoffs as it preps for NBCU spin-off, sees $1 billion-plus restructuring charge in Q4: it saw continued net losses of broadband and cable TV subscribers in third quarter (LINK) — 22 October 2026

Wednesday, 21 October 2026

UAE nominates its diplomat Lana Nusseibeh as UN secretary-general, potentially breaking deadlock: US President Donald Trump's administration reportedly opposed all seven contenders in the race to date (LINK) — 21 October 2026

US orders non-emergency embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia after Houthi missile and drone attacks on airports and energy sites (ground news LINK) — 21 October 2026

— Reuters reports that the drawdown may extend to other U.S. missions in the Gulf, with officials saying family members could be pulled from several posts as the Houthi threat persists. The FT notes that Britain will send fighter jets and refueling support, while Reuters says Washington has also increased intelligence and targeting assistance.

Missiles hit Kyiv after Russia agrees to US call to resume Ukraine peace talks (LINK) — 21 October 2026

— Several houses were hit on Wednesday night, injuring six people, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said. The attack came amid a new diplomatic push led by Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Witkoff met Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the city of St Petersburg on Wednesday — a day after meeting Ukraine's leader. Speaking on Wednesday, Trump said: "The other day I was talking to Vladimir Putin about settling his war with Ukraine, which I think we're getting closer to, by the way, maybe now the closest we've been."

Qatar, France call for opening of Hormuz and Gaza ceasefire implementation after the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, met French President Emmanuel Macron in Doha (LINK) — 21 October 2026

UNEP sees higher global warming, even in best-case scenario (ground news LINK) — 21 October 2026

Pope Leo needs no further lung cancer treatment, Vatican says (LINK) — 21 October 2026

Many terrorists wanted in India including those involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks have been living in Pakistan for decades: India Corrects UN Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights Ben Saul (LINK) — 21 October 2026

— Ben Saul, the special rapporteur, in his July report had said one of the most wanted terrorists, Dawood Ibrahim, is based in India. "Let me correct it for the record," Raghoo Puri, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India to the UN, said. "This individual fled India much before the 2003 listing, and it was during this period from an outsider country that he was listed for being associated with al-Qaeda and with Osama Bin Laden," Puri said in a clear reference to Pakistan, a failed nation that uses cross border terrorism and civilian killings as a State policy. "To date, he remains a wanted criminal in my country, and as per the UN's listing entry, resides in the same country where Osama Bin Laden was found and neutralised," Puri said, pointing at Pakistan's garrison city Abbottabad where Osama bin Laden was found living.

French supermarket giant Carrefour's shares plunge 14% after warning 'unprecedented' unrest will hit business (LINK) — 21 October 2026

Trump administration has appealed a federal judge's order requiring the State Department to reopen the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery and has separately asked the judge to put the order on hold while the appeal proceeds (LINK) — 21 October 2026

— Newsweek: The programme, commonly known as the green card lottery, makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas each year to people from countries with historically low levels of immigration to the United States.

Tuesday, 20 October 2026

Alarming humanitarian situation in Afghanistan ahead of the lean season: UN Geneva press briefing 20 October:

Olga Cherevko, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), speaking from Kabul: this crisis was not simply about whether food existed, but whether people could afford it, whether they could earn an income, access basic services, or whether they had anything left to fall back on when the next shock hit.

Between September and October, 15.9 million people — nearly one in three Afghans — had been facing acute food insecurity at crisis level or worse, with the outlook deteriorating in the upcoming winter lean season. It was projected that more than four million children aged six months to five years would need treatment for acute malnutrition the following year.

— One of the most striking findings, said Ms. Cherevko, was that food was available but remained inaccessible for millions of people. Better rainfall and agricultural production had helped, but one good harvest after several years of drought could not undo the damage of several years.

Systematic exclusion of women and girls in Afghanistan

UNICEF warned recently that, if current restrictions continued, Afghanistan could lose up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 female health workers by 2030. The impact on nutrition was equally important: malnutrition was not only from lack of food, but it was shaped by maternal health, access to healthcare, dietary diversity, education and the ability to earn a living.

Afghanistan also needed sustained investment in the foundations of recovery: agriculture and rural livelihoods, local markets, employment, water systems, health and nutrition services, and opportunities for women to participate in economic life.

New initiative by UNIDIR on Thursday will aim to tackle the military uses of AI (ground news LINK) — 20 October 2026

Portugal housing protests continue after police clear camps (LINK) — 20 October 2026

'We are suffocating': protests spread to Lisbon and Milan as housing and living cost tensions intensify: PM Giorgia Meloni says march in Italy was exploited by 'hooligans' — (LINK)

Alberta rejects separation referendum: What's next for Canadian province? (LINK) — 20 October 2026

Kenya confirms new Ebola case, total at nine, health ministry says (LINK) — 20 October 2026

Elon Musk's $2-trillion SpaceX faces nationalization calls after Zelenskyy claims Starlink blocked Ukraine's defences (LINK limited) — 20 October 2026

Elon Musk's SpaceX posts first profit since going public (LINK) — 20 October 2026

US: DHS Orders Chinese AI tool DeepSeek removed from civilian federal systems (ground news LINK) — 20 October 2026

OpenAI says its agents turned off own safeguards during two internal coding tasks (LINK) — 20 October 2026

Scientists reveal new theory of why we exist: Neglected neutrino particle could explain why there is anything at all, study suggests: "The fact that we are here at all proves that an asymmetry between matter and antimatter occurred" at big bang (LINK) — 20 October 2026

Monday, 19 October 2026

Mali forces, Russian backers kill scores of civilians in drone strikes, Human Rights Watch says (ground news LINK) — 19 October 2026

— Mali's junta has ramped up airstrikes since April to combat Islamist and separatist insurgents; 49 strikes between April and August resulted in 89 civilian deaths, more than double the prior year.

Israel police arrest suspects over settler attacks on US journalist, European diplomats (ground news LINK) — 19 October 2026

— According to the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, settler attacks against Palestinians have surged to at least 170 since September 27, with incidents typically intensifying during the autumn harvest.

Florida issues arrest warrant for Cuba's Raúl Castro, charging him with conspiracy to commit murder in the fatal downing of two civilian aircraft in 1996 (LINK) — 19 October 2026

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil asks US Supreme Court to hear case seeking to avoid re-arrest (LINK) — 19 October 2026

US: Berkeley's beloved Nabolom Bakery closes after 60 years, blames political backlash for pro-Palestinian stances, high costs (LINK) — 19 October 2026

US: 28 green card holders in California charged with election fraud (LINK) — 19 October 2026

Trump admin cuts to satellites will set back US weather forecasting by a decade, experts say (LINK) — 19 October 2026

China economy grows thanks to AI export boom but domestic slump remains a drag (LINK) — 19 October 2026

Kenyan starvation cult leader found guilty of murder of 191 children, one adult (ground news LINK) — 19 October 2026

Gold mine collapse kills at least 14 in southwest Colombia (ground news LINK) — 19 October 2026

U.N. conference on transnational organized crime (COP13) in Vienna 19-23 October: Criminal networks threaten the Amazon. Indigenous leaders want the UN to act (ground news LINK) — 19 October 2026

Countries are falling behind on 22 of 23 conservation targets (LINK) — 19 October 2026

— Among the problems highlighted by scientists are pesticide use, unsustainable fishing and subsidies for activities that harm nature. Ecosystem degradation threatens food production, water security and economic stability worldwide.

Guardian: Cop17 at a glance: everything you need to know about the UN's nature summit on 19-30 October in Yerevan, Armenia: 23 targets agreed in 2022 (LINK) — 19 October 2026

Fox News: Judge Trump called a 'lunatic' abruptly backs off demand after showdown with DOJ over removal of hundreds of trees at a federally owned D. C. golf course (LINK) — 19 October 2026

Trump calls judge who demanded a halt to redevelopment of historic golf course in East Potomac a 'crazed lunatic' as interior official testifies on who ordered hundreds of trees cut (LINK) — 19 October 2026

French cities calm overnight after curfews imposed to quell violence, PM says: earlier Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted police had "lost control" in some cities: more than 2,500 people have been arrested since the disorders broke out (LINK) — 19 October 2026

France: Macron rejects Interior Minister's resignation after weekend of riots and looting (LINK) — 19 October 2026

— More than half a million people took to the streets on Saturday — part of protests that began in schools last month. Some disorder continued on Sunday — in Paris, police arrested more than 100 people, with five shops looted. The French cabinet will hold an emergency meeting. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez says police "lost control" of protests in some cities over the weekend. He also says there had been a "lack of anticipation" ahead of the violence and offered his resignation to Emmanuel Macron because he "felt responsible for everything that happened".