Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is about to hold a press conference amid talks that he may call an early national election. This comes after Spain’s parliament rejected two emergency plans to address the housing crisis, which led to large protests in the capital and other cities.
Key Facts
Spain's parliament voted down two emergency government measures aimed at tackling the housing crisis.
Tens of thousands of people protested in Madrid and other cities, demanding action on rent prices and tenant rights.
Spain’s next general election was originally planned for next year, and Sánchez had planned to serve the full term.
Lawmakers’ rejection of the housing plans raises doubts about Sánchez’s ability to pass important laws.
Analysts say there is a risk with an early election but also a chance Sánchez wants to act quickly while public support may be high.
Meanwhile, in France, about 500 schools remain closed after protests by teachers over classroom conditions, which included some violence.
In Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed $1.1 billion in military aid to Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv, despite recent Russian attacks.
The article covers these events as part of ongoing European news.
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Australia experienced its second hottest September on record in 2026, with unusually high day and night temperatures across the country. This heat was caused by a combination of climate change and a strong El Niño weather pattern, leading to dry conditions and low snowfall in alpine areas.
Key Facts
September 2026 was Australia's second hottest September since records began in 1910.
Night-time temperatures in September were the highest ever recorded for that month.
Average temperatures were 2.71°C higher than the long-term average from 1961 to 1990.
All states and territories, except Western Australia, had below-average rainfall in September.
Western Australia had its second wettest September on record, the wettest since 1904.
Alpine snow depth fell to zero in Kosciuszko National Park, the first time this happened in September since 1954.
El Niño, a climate system in the tropical Pacific, contributed to the warm and dry weather.
Persistent high-pressure systems led to warm, dry days, especially in southeast Australia.
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The Supreme Court has started its new term by reviewing important cases involving climate change lawsuits against energy companies, gun rights related to semiautomatic rifles, immigration policies under President Donald Trump, and religious rights in education. These cases could affect laws on environmental responsibility, gun ownership, immigration enforcement, and religious freedom in public programs.
Key Facts
The Court is hearing a major climate change case where companies like Suncor and ExxonMobil face lawsuits for costs linked to climate-related disasters.
These energy companies argue that litigation is not the right way to address climate change and have support from the Trump administration.
The Court will consider gun rights, especially challenges to laws banning semiautomatic rifles such as AR-15s, with gun rights advocates citing the Second Amendment.
Two immigration cases involve President Trump’s policies: deportations to third countries and mandatory detention without bond hearings.
The Court will review voting laws in Arizona that require proof of citizenship and regular voter roll checks to remove unconfirmed voters.
A case about religious rights involves Colorado excluding a Catholic preschool from a public funding program because of its policies on LGBTQ+ families.
The outcomes of these cases may impact federal and state laws related to climate, guns, immigration regulation, voting, and religious participation in taxpayer-funded programs.
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Apple has released the iPhone 18 Pro, which features a faster A20 Pro chip, longer battery life, and improved camera technology. The phone runs the new iOS 27 operating system, which includes a smarter version of Siri that uses advanced AI to better understand and respond to users.
Key Facts
The iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate.
It uses the A20 Pro chip, which is about 27% faster than last year’s A19 Pro chip.
The battery life is improved to last about two days with typical use, six hours longer than the previous model.
The phone offers up to 1TB of storage and 12GB of RAM.
The camera setup includes three 48MP lenses and an 18MP front camera.
The design is a modest update, with the back glass now matching the aluminum body and a slightly heavier weight (211g).
The new iOS 27 comes with an upgraded Siri AI that can understand questions better and perform tasks more efficiently.
The dynamic island feature now shows three live tasks at once, and new indicators for network types appear when playing music.
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A co-pilot on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv tried to hijack the plane but was stopped by passengers and crew. The co-pilot, an Omani national who studied engineering in Australia but did not finish, is under investigation by several countries.
Key Facts
The attempted hijacking happened on 30 September on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv with 182 people onboard.
The co-pilot allegedly used a crash axe and stabbed the pilot mid-flight.
The co-pilot has been identified by media as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani citizen.
He studied engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne but did not complete his course.
He had an Australian student visa from 2014, arrived in 2015, left in 2017, and lost his visa in 2019 after leaving the course.
Australian authorities including the federal police and security agency ASIO are investigating his connections to Australia.
A British university confirmed he completed a distance-learning aviation management course but had no pilot training there.
The co-pilot was reportedly barred from flying in Oman for extremist concerns before working at flydubai.
Flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv were suspended after the incident while investigations continue.
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President Donald Trump is starting a series of rallies in Nebraska ahead of the U.S. midterm elections on November 3. Despite falling approval ratings and challenges like the war on Iran and rising costs, Trump remains popular in some areas, and his supporters are motivated to vote.
Key Facts
President Trump will hold campaign rallies in Nebraska before the midterm elections.
Nebraska is a largely Republican state that has supported Trump in the past.
Trump’s approval ratings have dropped recently.
Issues affecting voters include the war on Iran and an affordability crisis.
Republican supporters tend to be highly motivated to vote.
Democrats and Republicans say many voters feel controlled by an elite group beyond politics.
Many Americans are worried about the high costs of childcare, healthcare, food, and gas.
Trust in institutions like hospitals and schools is declining among citizens.
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A court will hear a challenge about an Orange Order parade planned to pass through a mainly nationalist area in Northern Ireland. Residents and the parade organizers have been in dispute since the parade was approved, leading to protests and ongoing legal action.
Key Facts
The parade is planned to go down Garvaghy Road in Portadown, an area with mainly nationalist residents.
The residents oppose the parade, and protests have blocked it from happening so far.
The Parades Commission allowed the march to go ahead with restrictions on 25 September.
A legal challenge claims the commission misunderstood police evidence about possible disorder.
The Court of Appeal will hear the challenge in Belfast starting around 10:30 BST on Monday.
The dispute has a long history, with past conflicts including riots, roadblocks, and deaths in the 1990s.
The police have spent about £3 million on managing safety during the dispute.
Talks to resolve the situation are ongoing, and the police chief discussed the issue publicly on Thursday.
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A California woman named Wanying Zhang was arrested for spying on the son of Taiwan’s president on behalf of Chinese officials. The FBI charged her with acting as an unregistered agent for a foreign government while gathering information about the Taiwanese leader’s son.
Key Facts
Wanying Zhang, 34, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport before flying to China.
She is accused of spying on Lai Ting-yu, the son of Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, who lives in the US.
Zhang allegedly took photos, videos, and license plate details of Lai and his family and sent them to Chinese officials.
She did not tell US authorities she was working for China, which is illegal under US law.
Taiwan’s government condemned the spying and thanked the US for protecting its citizens.
Zhang reportedly traveled to Seattle in 2025 as part of this spying activity.
The case is seen as an example of “transnational repression,” where countries target people living abroad.
President Lai supports Taiwan’s independence, which China opposes, considering Taiwan part of its territory.
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A report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says Scotland is unlikely to meet its legal goals to reduce child poverty by 2030. The report shows that one in five children in Scotland lives in poverty and urges the government to make bigger, better-funded changes to fix this problem.
Key Facts
Scotland aims to reduce child poverty below 10% by 2030 but current rates are around 21%.
One in five children (20%) in Scotland is living in poverty.
Poverty is defined as having household income after housing costs below 60% of the UK median.
The report says 940,000 people in Scotland (17% of the population) live in relative poverty.
Poverty among children in ethnic minority families is higher, at 47%.
The Scottish government claims its policies have kept 100,000 children out of poverty recently.
The government plans to spend £3.5 billion in 2026-27 on poverty and cost-of-living help.
The report suggests better jobs, improved public services, and changes to taxes to reduce poverty.
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The article discusses the common job interview question about salary and explains that candidates do not always have to answer it. It highlights how workers can handle questions about pay during interviews or negotiations.
Key Facts
Many job interviews include questions about salary.
Candidates are not required to disclose their current salary if they don’t want to.
Avoiding the salary question can help in negotiating a better pay offer.
The article gives advice on how to respond to salary questions professionally.
The focus is on helping workers manage their personal finances by protecting salary information.
The article is part of a series covering topics like employment, personal finance, and careers.
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Middle East oil exports have recently gone above the amounts seen before the US-Israel war with Iran started, according to ship-tracking data. Iran commented that only a smaller amount of oil is moving through key routes and claimed it had caused US warships to keep a greater distance from its coast after attacks near the Strait of Hormuz.
Key Facts
Middle East crude oil exports exceeded pre-war levels on four days in late September.
Ship-tracking firm Kpler reported exports between 19.5 and 22.5 million barrels per day (bpd) on some days last week.
Before the conflict began, exports averaged about 18 million bpd from March 2025 to February 2026.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said only 3 to 4 million bpd are currently moving through key routes, calling that amount small compared to before the war.
Iran claimed attacks near the Strait of Hormuz forced US Navy ships to move farther away from Iranian coasts.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported at least one attack daily in the Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Aden since early October.
Iran’s parliament speaker said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US accepts a plan to reopen it.
Liquefied natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz also hit their highest monthly level since February in September.
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Up to 500 schools in France will close fully or partly on Monday due to ongoing student protests. These protests began over issues like high teacher absences, long school days, and poor school conditions and have spread across the country.
Key Facts
Up to 500 French high schools will close completely or partially on Monday.
The closures are because security conditions to safely hold classes have not been met.
Student protests started on September 17 in Paris and expanded nationwide last week.
The protests focus on problems such as many teachers being absent, overly long school days, and damaged school buildings.
Since the protests began, 24 schools have been burned or vandalized.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray announced the closures.
The situation has caused disruptions to normal schooling across France.
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Samoa’s Prime Minister La’auli Leuatea Schmidt apologized after a video showed him doing a Nazi salute and saying “Heil Hitler” at a family event in 2007. He said the gesture was wrong, rejected Nazism and racism, and stated it does not reflect his or Samoa’s values.
Key Facts
The video was filmed in July 2007 at a family reunion on the island of Savai‘i.
Schmidt led the group in a Nazi salute and the phrase “Heil Hitler.”
About a dozen people in the video followed the gesture.
The footage was verified by Radio New Zealand journalists.
Schmidt was an MP and deputy speaker of parliament at the time of the video.
He became Samoa’s Prime Minister in 2025.
Schmidt has shown strong support for Israel, including wearing a Jewish prayer shawl at his swearing-in.
He plans to open a Samoan embassy in Jerusalem by the end of 2026.
Schmidt said the incident does not represent his beliefs or Samoa’s government and people.
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Brazil’s presidential election did not produce a winner with more than 50% of the votes. The race will continue in a run-off between the current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.
Key Facts
Neither Lula nor Flavio Bolsonaro reached the more than 50% of votes needed to win outright.
The election is now moving to a second round, called a run-off.
Lula is the current president of Brazil.
Flavio Bolsonaro is a right-wing senator in Brazil.
The run-off will decide who will lead Brazil next.
The first round of voting was closely contested.
The news report comes from Sao Paulo, a major city in Brazil.
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More than 30 customers say they paid nearly £500,000 in deposits to a building company called South Coast Construction (Sussex) Ltd but did not receive the promised work. The police are investigating possible fraud, while the company’s director denies intent to scam and apologizes to customers.
Key Facts
Over 30 customers claim they were scammed by South Coast Construction by paying deposits for work that was never done.
The total deposits paid amount to nearly £500,000.
The company operated in Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex, and Surrey.
Sussex Police are investigating multiple reports of alleged fraud against the company.
Some customers, like Sian and Simon Romsey, paid deposits for home extensions but did not get any work started.
29 customers were able to get their money back through their banks, but 8 are going through the financial ombudsman.
Jo Amas tried to get a refund of nearly £12,000 after cancelling work due to her step-mother’s health but faced communication issues with the company.
The company director denies deliberately scamming anyone but expressed sorrow for those affected.
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A juvenile humpback whale swam 11 kilometers upstream in the Clarence River in New South Wales before dying and being towed out to sea. Authorities warned the public about increased shark activity near the area and advised people to avoid swimming and surfing at nearby beaches.
Key Facts
The whale was spotted near Bundjalung National Park and became stranded on a sandbar before dying.
Increased shark activity was reported around the area, leading to public warnings.
Whales sometimes enter rivers out of curiosity, illness, or misadventure, although it is rare.
Most humpback whales are migrating south toward Antarctica at this time of year to feed.
Other similar whale river entries have occurred in NSW and other parts of Australia in recent years.
The juvenile whale had barnacles on its skin, possibly indicating chronic illness or injury.
Authorities recommend reporting whales in unusual places or in distress to environmental groups.
Whale carcasses in the water can attract sharks, so people should avoid those areas until bodies are removed.
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The BBC is cutting up to 2,000 jobs over several weeks to save £500 million because of falling income. These job cuts and channel closures, including making BBC Scotland and BBC Three online-only, have lowered staff morale and may lead to more cuts next year.
Key Facts
The BBC plans to cut about 2,000 jobs gradually over several weeks.
The goal is to save £500 million due to a large drop in money coming in.
BBC Scotland and BBC Three may stop normal TV broadcasts and become online-only channels.
Staff morale is very low because of the ongoing announcements and uncertainty.
Cuts affect many areas including news, local radio, and the media tech division.
BBC is reviewing redundancy pay and making some correspondents do general reporting.
Children’s TV is mostly protected, but even that division has voluntary redundancies.
Future funding talks between the BBC and government could change who pays the licence fee, possibly including streaming viewers.
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The UK Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reports a large rise in illegal images of child sexual abuse made by artificial intelligence (AI). In the first half of 2026, the number of such AI-generated images was already higher than the total for all of 2025. The UK government is working on laws to regulate AI and make the internet safer, but new rules are not yet ready.
Key Facts
The IWF found 6,310 AI-created illegal child sexual abuse images in early 2026, 40% more than 2025’s 4,500.
Most images show girls aged between seven and 13 years old.
AI-made videos of abuse have also increased, but recent numbers focus on images only.
Creating or sharing AI tools that generate such illegal images can lead to up to five years in prison in the UK.
The UK government bans AI models that produce or help create harmful, realistic abuse images.
The online tool Report Remove received over 420 reports from children about fake explicit images in early 2026, more than in all of 2025.
Authorities advise parents to keep children's pictures off public social media or share them only in private groups.
UK officials say stronger AI laws will be considered if they can improve public safety.
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Museums in the UK are using licensing deals to make more money as their costs rise and government funding drops. They partner with brands to create products like hotel rooms, clothing, and virtual reality experiences that feature their collections and stories.
Key Facts
The Natural History Museum offers hotel rooms inspired by its exhibits, such as a family suite with dinosaur-themed bunk beds.
Licensing sales in the UK grew 7% last year, reaching $19.2 billion, according to Licensing International.
The "art property" category, including museums, grew by more than 8%, while immersive experiences grew 53%.
The Natural History Museum has licensed paint collections, dinosaur-print clothing, and virtual reality dinosaur adventures.
Many museums, like the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, participate in the Brand Licensing Europe conference to promote licensing.
The British Museum collaborated with luxury store Liberty for Bayeux tapestry-themed products.
The Victoria and Albert Museum launched 63 new product ranges in 2025, including phone cases and artwork for Samsung’s art-display TV.
Museums use licensing to reach wider audiences and create new income from their collections beyond ticket sales.
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Millions of Brazilians voted in the first round of their presidential election. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is running for a fourth term, and his main opponent is Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The election will move to a run-off on October 25.
Key Facts
Brazil held the first round of its presidential election on Sunday.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, age 80, seeks a fourth non-consecutive term.
Flávio Bolsonaro, age 45, is running for president for the first time.
Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s president from 2019 to 2022.
No candidate won outright, so a run-off election is scheduled for October 25.
The election is highly watched in Brazil and internationally.
The article is from BBC correspondent Ione Wells.
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