Israeli forces imposed restrictions across Hebron governorate after two Israeli soldiers were killed near the city on October 23, and residents say troops ordered families from their homes. UNRWA says nearly 5,000 Palestinians have been displaced in just over a week; the article also describes a longer pattern of demolitions in the governorate and in Masafer Yatta.
Key Facts
Two Israeli soldiers were killed by armed Palestinian men at a checkpoint near Hebron on October 23.
A Hebron resident told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces ordered people to leave their homes until further notice.
The article says restrictions have extended across Hebron governorate, which has about 800,000 Palestinian residents.
UNRWA reported that nearly 5,000 Palestinians had been displaced in just over a week and described the measures as collective punishment.
OCHA says Israeli forces demolished 2,491 buildings and displaced 3,534 Palestinians in Hebron governorate from 2009 until the siege began on October 23.
The article says demolitions in Area C and occupied East Jerusalem have averaged at least twice the rate recorded in the preceding 15 years since 2024.
In Masafer Yatta, Israeli authorities have demolished about 400 structures over 15 years, displacing 969 Palestinians; nearly half of the demolitions occurred since January 2025.
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Medical workers in Gaza have faced bereavement, displacement, heavy workloads and psychological trauma during the war that began in October 2023. The article describes two Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital staff members whose family losses disrupted their work, and cites figures on deaths among medical personnel and limited access to mental health care.
Key Facts
Anaesthesiologist Manar Fayyad said he found his brother Shadi among patients brought to the operating room after an Israeli air strike on December 27, 2023.
Fayyad later stopped working in health care and has tried to cope with the trauma without professional help, according to the article.
Nurse Khaled Raafat lost his wife, children, mother and several siblings in an Israeli air strike on his family home on October 18, 2023.
Raafat said he later married again, started a new family and returned to work at the hospital.
Gaza’s Government Media Office says at least 1,700 medical personnel have been killed in Israeli attacks and 83 health workers remain in Israeli detention.
A study cited in the article found that 41 percent of surveyed medical workers reported losing family members, while 46 percent reported both bereavement and displacement from their workplaces.
The article reports that at least 78 percent of health workers in Gaza lacked access to mental health services.
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About 300 volunteers packed food hampers at the Diwali Basket Brigade in Birmingham for households facing financial hardship. The Diwali Foundation said it works with about 40 food banks and charities and has provided around 23,470 hampers to date.
Key Facts
The event took place at the RSRS Centre in Hockley and was the initiative’s ninth year.
The Diwali Foundation organised the event with volunteers from varied backgrounds.
The foundation said more than 12% of UK households experience food poverty.
Organisers delivered parcels to residents in homes provided by Walsall Housing Group.
The foundation has set a target of distributing 6,000 hampers this year.
A London event was held on Saturday, with events planned in Manchester and Leicester for Sunday.
The charity said its 2025 record included more than 80,000 meals provided.
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Portuguese police used shields and batons to clear housing protesters from camps in Lisbon and Porto on Sunday. The demonstrations oppose a government rental bill that protesters say would make housing less affordable and tenants more vulnerable to eviction.
Key Facts
Dozens of officers, some with police dogs, entered Lisbon’s Rossio Square at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday.
Protesters had set up more than 50 tents after a march in Lisbon on Saturday.
Police commander Iuri Rodrigues warned protesters three times to remove the tents, saying they were illegal and resistance could lead to disobedience charges.
Police also dismantled a smaller camp in Porto’s Dom Joao I square.
Police arrested 25 people in Lisbon and six in Porto during operations the previous Sunday.
Housing campaign group Casa para Viver said 60 people were injured in last week’s operations; police called their actions proportionate.
Portugal’s house prices have more than doubled since 2017, while rents on new leases have almost doubled.
The Bank of Portugal estimates the country has a shortage of 300,000 homes.
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Oman’s foreign minister has proposed a non-aggression pact among the eight states bordering the Gulf: the six Gulf Cooperation Council members, Iraq and Iran. The article says the proposal would build on earlier regional initiatives and would need reciprocal commitments, observable conduct and consequences for violations to address security concerns.
Key Facts
Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi called for a pact during a lecture at Cambridge University.
The eight Gulf littoral states are the six Gulf Cooperation Council members, Iraq and Iran.
In 1976, foreign ministers from all eight states met in Muscat to discuss collective security.
In 2019, Iran’s foreign minister proposed a regional non-aggression pact, and President Hassan Rouhani introduced the Hormuz Peace Endeavour.
The article reports that Saudi Arabia discussed a non-aggression framework with Iran and that Qatar’s defence minister called for GCC–Iran dialogue.
Oman has hosted talks between the United States and Iran, including meetings in 2025 and February 2026.
The article says a pact could include commitments against force, interference in internal affairs, attacks on civilian infrastructure and support for armed groups carrying out cross-border attacks, as well as protection of navigation.
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Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told an audience at the Sydney Opera House that politicians should reduce polarisation and rebuild trust by improving people’s financial security. She also said social media can deepen division by making it harder for people to debate and change their views.
Key Facts
Ardern spoke at a Sunday forum with author Anna Funder at the Sydney Opera House.
She said politicians should avoid binary thinking and violent language, and work to rebuild trust.
Ardern linked rising insecurity to attacks on institutions and to political proposals such as Brexit.
She said social media makes it harder for people to change their views because opinions remain recorded online.
Ardern described the Christchurch mosque shootings on 15 March 2019 as a turning point in her understanding of how online platforms could be used to promote violence.
Ardern moved to Australia earlier in 2026 and purchased a home on Sydney’s northern beaches in September.
The University of Sydney has announced that Ardern will lecture and mentor there.
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration did not help Flavio Bolsonaro leave Brazil for the United States. President Donald Trump said Bolsonaro could stay in the U.S. as long as he wanted; Reuters reported that U.S. authorities admitted him under humanitarian parole, a status that typically lasts one year.
Key Facts
Bolsonaro arrived in Miami on Wednesday after losing Brazil’s October 25 presidential runoff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Rubio said the U.S. government was not directly involved in Bolsonaro’s departure from Brazil.
Rubio said Bolsonaro had previously held a U.S. visa and that Trump decided to let him enter the country.
Brazilian authorities had ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passport after deeming him a flight risk.
Bolsonaro is under investigation in Brazil for alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion.
Trump said Bolsonaro could stay in the United States as long as he wanted.
Reuters reported that Bolsonaro entered the U.S. under humanitarian parole, which typically lasts one year.
Bolsonaro has rejected the election result and called it fraudulent without providing evidence.
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Indian opposition parties held a rally in New Delhi on November 1, 2026, demanding that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign over voter-list revisions. The Election Commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party deny claims that the changes favor the government; authorities said the changes removed more than 130 million names, including people who had died, moved, or could not be traced.
Key Facts
Police deployed personnel with batons, shields, and riot-control vehicles around the planned rally site in New Delhi.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to lead a march of nearly 1.5 kilometers to Ramlila Maidan.
Opposition parties said they expected hundreds of thousands of people to join the protest.
The demonstrations began after a September report said two election officials had raised concerns internally about voter-list revisions, registration, and digital systems.
The revisions removed more than 130 million names from voter lists, according to the article.
The article says 28 million removed voters had died, 63 million had relocated, and 30 million could not be traced.
Opposition parties allege the deletions disproportionately affect Muslim voters and other minorities; the Election Commission and BJP reject the allegations.
India's next general election is not due until 2029.
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Indian security forces and traffic police prepared for a large opposition march and rally in Delhi on Sunday. Led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the protest is calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign over a voter-list revision that removed more than 130 million names.
Key Facts
The opposition announced a march of nearly 1.5 km from central Delhi to Ramlila Maidan.
Police deployed personnel with batons and shields and riot-control vehicles near the rally site.
Delhi traffic police said they expected a large gathering and would impose diversions as needed.
The voter-list revision removed more than 130 million names, including 28 million people reported dead, 63 million who had relocated and 30 million who could not be traced.
Opposition parties allege the removals disproportionately affect Muslim voters and other minorities; the Election Commission and BJP reject the allegation.
The Election Commission says voters whose names were wrongly removed can register again.
Protests demanding Kumar's resignation began after a newspaper reported that two of his deputies had raised concerns about voter-list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems.
The next Indian general election is scheduled for 2029.
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Youth-led protests over living costs and public services took place in more than 30 German cities on Saturday. Most demonstrations were peaceful, but violence and looting broke out later in Frankfurt and other cities, and police used water cannons and tear gas in Hamburg.
Key Facts
The initiative Gen Z regelt organized demonstrations calling for better education, health care, climate protection, and affordable living, and opposing a return to military conscription.
Organizers said tens of thousands took part nationwide; official attendance figures were not immediately available.
In Frankfurt, masked rioters smashed storefronts, threw stones and fireworks, and looted goods.
Police said looters took weapons from a gun store; authorities later recovered them.
Frankfurt police said rioters threw Molotov cocktails at officers after earlier attacks with stones and bottles.
In Hamburg, protesters fired pyrotechnics toward police and burned barricades; police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds.
Students at a Berlin rally called for increased investment in education and housing.
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Bulgarians voted on November 1 in a presidential runoff between incumbent Iliana Iotova, who favors negotiations with Moscow and opposes military aid to Ukraine, and pro-Western candidate Andrey Gyurov. The vote followed drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea; Bulgarian officials said there was no evidence directly linking the attacks to Russia.
Key Facts
Iotova received 35% of the vote in the first round, while Gyurov received 32%.
Turnout in the first round was 23%, and officials expected higher participation in the runoff.
Turnout reached 6.1% by 11 a.m. local time, compared with 5.8% at the same time in the first round.
Several vessels were struck in the Black Sea off Bulgaria in October, leaving 21 people missing.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the attacks appeared to serve Russian interests, but his government said it had no direct evidence tying them to Moscow.
Gyurov criticized Iotova for not explicitly blaming Russia for the attacks.
Iotova supports Bulgaria's membership in the European Union and NATO and says peace in Ukraine requires negotiations.
The president's post is largely ceremonial.
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Heidi Klum arrived at her annual Halloween party on 31 October dressed as a giant, bloodied, severed hand. The event marked the 25th anniversary of the party, known for Klum’s elaborate costumes.
Key Facts
Klum is a supermodel and television host.
She described the costume as her own chopped-off left hand.
The costume made Klum unrecognisable.
The party took place on 31 October.
The event marked the party’s 25th anniversary.
Klum dressed as a worm for Halloween in 2022.
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A 300-acre marble-waste dump near Kishangarh, Rajasthan, has become a popular tourist destination, drawing visitors for photos and film shoots. Residents in nearby villages report health problems and damage to crops, while a local doctor says people face respiratory and skin risks from dust linked to marble processing and dumping.
Key Facts
The dump site is about 6 km from Kishangarh and is locally known as the “Snow Yard.”
The site is in Ajmer district and is described as Asia’s largest marble-slurry dumping yard.
Nearly 1,000 tankers reportedly bring about 5,500 tonnes of marble waste to the site each day.
Tourists visit the site for photos, pre-wedding shoots, social media videos, music videos and movies; entry is free.
Kishangarh has nearly 1,200 marble and granite processing units and employs about 25,000 people, according to the Federation of Indian Granite and Stone Industry.
Resident Bagharam Gurjar said people in at least six nearby villages suffer from chest infections, dental problems and skin allergies, and that dust harms crops.
Ajmer physician Aditi Goyal said residents face respiratory and skin risks, and that processing-unit workers are especially vulnerable to chronic illness from prolonged toxic-dust exposure.
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The United Nations called for an independent investigation into the death of OHCHR staff member Mohammad el-Shami, who died in Houthi custody in Yemen. The UN said it had been informed of his death recently, more than a month after it occurred, and is seeking answers from Houthi authorities.
Key Facts
El-Shami had been held by the Houthis since June 2024.
The Houthis have not said how el-Shami died.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk called for transparency and an urgent, independent, thorough investigation.
Seven other OHCHR personnel detained alongside el-Shami remain in custody, Türk said.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN was urgently seeking information about the circumstances of the death.
El-Shami is the second UN staff member reported to have died in Houthi detention; a World Food Programme staffer died in February 2025.
The article says 72 UN staff and NGO workers, including el-Shami, have been detained by the Houthis.
The UN paused operations in parts of Houthi-held Yemen in February 2025 over staff safety concerns.
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Police used tear gas to disperse protesters in cities and towns across France as demonstrations entered their third week. The mainly youth-led protests oppose the cost of living and declining public services, ahead of an expected general strike.
Key Facts
Protests continued across cities and towns in France.
Demonstrations entered their third week.
The protests are mainly youth-led.
Protesters are demonstrating over the cost of living.
Protesters are also opposing deteriorating public services.
Police used tear gas to disperse protesters.
An expected general strike was approaching.
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Bolivia declared a nationwide state of emergency to speed up the deployment of resources and rescue teams as El Niño raises the risk of drought and flooding. The government says drought has affected 78,000 families and caused the loss of more than 75,000 cattle; El Niño is expected to peak late in 2026, with effects potentially lasting into 2027.
Key Facts
President Rodrigo Paz signed the emergency decree on Saturday.
The decree calls for more rescue teams in areas hit hard by flooding and drought.
A government report says drought affects 78,000 families in six of Bolivia’s nine departments.
The same report says drought has caused the loss of more than 75,000 cattle.
Floods in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz region killed dozens of people in December 2025.
The article says the World Meteorological Organization reported a nearly 100 percent likelihood that El Niño would continue through February 2027.
Scientists cited in the article predict El Niño could cause more than 450,000 deaths globally, with the poorest countries facing the greatest impact.
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Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory during a six-day local ceasefire, then reunited with family and received food and medical care. The truce allowed aid deliveries and road de-mining, while some residents stayed in the town, where basic services remain unavailable.
Key Facts
The ceasefire covering Oleshky was mediated by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, with help from Pope Leo XIV.
The truce began on Tuesday and was due to end on Sunday evening.
Evacuees reached Ukraine by traveling through Crimea and Russia to Belarus before crossing into Ukraine.
Residents said fighting and drone activity had disrupted supply routes and food deliveries.
One evacuee told Reuters that residents ate grass and squash to survive.
Ambulances and military tents provided hot meals, tea, and medical aid to evacuees.
Oleshky's pre-war population was about 24,000; officials estimated it had fallen to about 1,700 before the evacuation.
Ukrainian officials did not disclose how many residents left or how many remained.
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The foreign ministers of the United States and Iran say diplomacy could still end the war. An Iranian delegation is meeting Qatari mediators in Doha, but no direct talks with the United States are planned.
Key Facts
U.S. and Iranian foreign ministers say a diplomatic end to the war remains possible.
An Iranian delegation is in Doha, Qatar, for talks with Qatari mediators.
No direct U.S.-Iran talks are planned.
Iran’s Supreme Leader has told the military to prepare to defend the country.
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Indigenous people in Arunachal Pradesh are protesting a large dam planned in India’s eastern Himalayan region. The project is intended to counter China’s upstream hydropower project, and residents say it threatens their ancestral lands, culture and livelihoods.
Key Facts
The protests are taking place in Arunachal Pradesh, a state in India’s eastern Himalayas.
The planned project is described as a massive dam.
India plans the dam in response to a Chinese hydropower project upstream.
Indigenous people in the state oppose the planned dam.
Residents told Al Jazeera that the project threatens their ancestral lands.
Residents say the dam also threatens their culture and livelihoods.
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Former UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she believes Britain’s future lies inside the European Union and argued Brexit has made the country poorer, weaker and less secure. She called for supporters of rejoining to make their case and said she hopes for progress on youth mobility and UK participation in the EU’s SAFE defence scheme.
Key Facts
Reeves made the remarks in an article for the Sunday Times.
She said she welcomed debate about the UK’s relationship with Europe.
Labour’s 2024 election manifesto ruled out returning to free movement, the EU single market or a customs union.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said changes to the UK’s relationship with the EU would need a mandate at a general election, due by 2029.
Reeves said she hopes the forthcoming UK-EU summit will confirm a youth mobility scheme.
She also said she hopes for progress toward UK entry into the EU’s Security Action for Europe scheme.
SAFE is an EU defence initiative launched after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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